The Image of the invisible God Col. i. 15 2 Cor. iv 4 to be from God Jo vii 29 to have Life from the Father Jo. v. 26 and the like And upon this Account it is that our Saviour himself says that the Father is greater than he Jo. xiv 28 That he can do Nothing of Himself but what he seeth the Father do Jo. v. 18 19. Or if this be not yet plain enough they tell us farther in express terms that he is the Begotten and the Only begotten Son of the Father Jo. i. 14 18. iii. 16 18. Heb xi 17 1 Jo. iv 9 v. 1 Q. But will not this make the Holy Ghost as much God's Son as Christ And how then is Christ his Only Son A. In Matters of this kind which are so far above our Capacities and of which we know Nothing but what God has been pleased to Reveal to Us we must speak as God in his Word has taught us to speak Now the Scriptures no where call the Holy Ghost the Son of God nor God the Father of the Holy Ghost And therefore though we know not what the precise Difference is yet because the proper Act of a Father is to beget we say that Christ Received his Divine Nature from God by Generation but of the Holy Ghost we say as the Scriptures do that He Proceedeth from the Father Jo. xv 26 and is the Spirit not of the Father only but of the Son also Gal. iv 6 Rom. viii 9 Phil. i 19. 1 Pet. i. 11 Q. What is the last Respect in which our Saviour is here Represented to Us A. His Relation to Vs OVR LORD Eph. iv 5 1 Cor. viii 5 Rev. x. 6 Q. How is Christ OVR Lord A. As he is God together with the Father and as by Him God Created the World so has he the same Original Right of Dominion with him and is Lord of All his Creatures Q. Is there not some Other ground for this Title and which Restrains it in a particular Manner to Mankind A. Yes there is Inasmuch as by his Coming into the World and Dying for Us he Redeemed Us from Death and so became Our Lord by virtue of that Purchase which thereby he made of Us. Q. When did Christ begin in this Respect to be Our Lord A. He entred in part upon this Authority before his Death though not without Respect to his dying for Us As is Evident from his publishing his Gospel abrogating the Law and setting out the Conditions of Life and Death to Mankind Hence before his Death he asserted to himself the Power to forgive Sins Mat. ix 2 6. But the full exercise of his Dominion he entred not upon till after his Resurrection when as himself declared to his Apostles Mat. xxviii 18 All Power in Heaven and Earth was given unto Him See Eph. i. 20 21. Q. How long will Christ continue in this Respect to be Our Lord A. Christ will continue to be Our Lord for Ever and of his Kingdom there shall be no End Luk. i 32 33. But then as the subject Matter of a great part of that Authority which he now exercises over his Church is proper only to the present State of it and will determine at the Day of Judgment so will all the farther exercise of such Authority cease together with it Christ as Mediator must Reign till he has put all his Enemies under his Feet till Sin Death the Devil and all Wicked Men shall be destroy'd and all his Faithful Servants be delivered from the Power of them Psal. cx 1 1 Cor. xv 25 But that being done Christ will deliver up this Authority to God even the Father 1 Cor. xv 24 Nevertheless still as God-Man he will continue to Reign with and over his Saints to all Eternity in Heaven And so make good what Daniel foretold concerning him Dan. vii 14 That his Dominion is an Everlasting Dominion which shall not pass away and his Kingdom that which shall not be destroyed SECT X. Q. WHAT does your Creed teach you farther to Believe concerning our Lord Jesus Christ in the following Articles which Relate to Him A. All such Matters as are necessary to be Known and Believed by Us with Relation to the great Work of our Redemption which was accomplish'd by Him Q. By what means did Christ accomplish the Redemption of Mankind A. By giving up Himself to the Death upon the Cross for Us. 1 Pet. i. 18 19. Q. How could Christ whom you believe to be God die A. He took upon him our Nature He became Man like unto one of Us and being found in fashion as a Man he yielded up himself to Death even the Death of the Cross for Us Phil. ii 7 8. Act. xx 28 Q. After what manner was Christ made Man A. Not by the Conversion of his Divine Nature into the Humane nor by any Confounding of the Two Natures together But by Vniting our Humane Nature to His Divine after a Singular manner and such as cannot be perfectly Express'd by Us. Q. Were then Two distinct Natures the Divine and Humane Vnited together in Christ A. Yes there were And that in such wise as to make the same Jesus Christ by the distinction of the Two Natures in the Vnity of the same Person become truly and really at Once both God and Man Q. How was Christ made Man A. He was Conceived by the Holy Ghost and Born of the Uirgin Mary Q. How could Christ be conceived by the Holy Ghost A. Not by the communication of any part of his Own Substance to Him but as that Blessed Spirit set Nature on Work and took away the need of any Human Concurrence to his Production And as having thus prepared a Body for him of the Substance of the Virgin he breathed into it a most Perfect Reasonable Soul Q. Wherefore was it needful for the Holy Ghost to do this A. Both for the Honour and Purity of our Blessed Saviour That so he might come into the World free from all tincture of Sin And also that by the extraordinariness of His Birth He might fulfil the Prophecies which God had before deliver'd concerning it Q. How was Christ born of the Virgin Mary A. The Substance of his Body was derived from that of the Blessed Virgin He grew in her Womb and at the full time of her Delivery she brought him into the World And upon all these Accounts she was as much his Mother as any Other Woman is Mother of the Child that is born by Her Q. Had our Saviour then a Real Body like unto One of Us A. He had both a Real Humane Body Luke xxiv 39 1 Jo. iv 2 3 and Rational Soul Mat. xxvi 28 Luk. xxiii 46 And was in all things like unto Us only without Sin Heb. ii 17 iv 15 Q. Wherefore do you give the Title of Virgin to the Mother of our Lord A. To testify our belief that
in the Production of our Saviour she had no knowledge of any Man but was at once a Mother and a Virgin Not to determine any thing of her Condition afterwards though we piously suppose and it has been Generally Received that she still continued as she then was a Virgin Q. Should not this Relation of the Blessed Virgin to our Saviour oblige Us to pay a more than Ordinary Respect to her A. No doubt it should And therefore it will become us always to mention her with Honour to imitate her Vertues and to give thanks to God for that extraordinary Favour which he was pleased to bestow upon her that she should be the Mother of our Lord. Luke i. 48 Q. What think you of that Worship which upon this Account is paid to Her in the Church of Rome A. As of the grossest Idolatry that it may be was ever committed in the World Such as no Good Christian can think of without horrour nor any One partake of without the hazard of his Salvation Q. What is that Worship of which you speak such hard Things A. It is the most proper Worship of God * They pray to her in all their Religious Service * They put their trust in her they Rely upon her for * Grace and * Salvation * They consecrate particular Offices of Devotion to her * They erect Societies to her Honour * They depend more on her Mercies than Christs and * Recur much oftner to her than to him for Pardon and Forgiveness SECT XI Q. YOU said that the End of Christ's being Born of the Virgin Mary was that he might thereby be in a Capacity of Dying for Us Tell me therefore how did Christ do this A. He Suffer'd under Pontius Pilate was Crucified Dead and Buried Q. Who was Pontius Pilate A. He was Governor of Judaea under Tiberius the Roman Emperor at the time of Christ's Death and condemn'd our Saviour to be Crucified Q. Why do you take notice of the Person under Whom Christ Suffer'd A. For several Reasons 1. To fix the time of his Suffering which had been particularly foretold by the Prophet Daniel 490 Years before it came to pass 2. To shew that at that time the Sceptre was departed from Judah and so the time of Jacob's Prophecy concerning the Coming of the Messiah accomplish'd And 3. To account for the Manner of Christ's Death which was also extraordinary and foretold by the Prophets Crucifixion being not a Jewish but a Roman kind of Punishment Q. How came Pontius Pilate to condemn our Saviour to this Death A. He did it to satisfy the Importunity of the Jews after having plainly declared that he was not worthy to die Mat. xxvii 24 Luk. xxiii 14 15. Q. What do you Observe from this A. The same which the Providence of God evidently design'd to declare by it viz. That Christ suffered for Our Sins not for any Evil that Himself had done Q. Did Christ suffer any thing before his Crucifixion that you say first he Suffer'd and then that he was Crucified A. Yes very much He was Betray'd by One of his Own Apostles was Deny'd by Another was Forsaken by them All. He was Accused as a Rebel and False-Prophet by the Jews was Evil-intreated by the Souldiers Hurried from the Chief Priests to Pilate thence to Herod from him back to Pilate again He was Blind-folded Buffeted Scourged Crown'd with Thorns Spit upon He carry'd his Own Cross through the City And besides all this underwent that Inward Grief and Anguish of Mind in the Garden which much surpass'd all that he endured upon Mount Calvary Mat. xxvi 37 38. Mar. xiv 33 34. Q. Wherefore was Christ Crucified A. To fulfil both the Types and Prophecies concerning his Death Gen. xxii 6 Numb xxi 9 comp Jo. iii. 14 Psal. xxii 17 Zach. xii 10 And in the next Place to deliver Us from the Curse of the Law by Making himself a Curse for Vs. Gal. iii. 13 Q. How did Christ suffer all this A. Only in his Humane Nature His Body bore all the Inflictions of the Jews and Souldiers without His Soul was the Seat of all his Fears and Horrours and Pains which he felt within The Divine Nature only gave worth and value to what the Humane bore The same Person was God and Man who underwent all this But the Man only Suffer'd the Divine Nature neither did nor could Suffer any thing Q. Wherefore to his being Crucified do you add that he Died A. Because though Crucifixion 〈◊〉 was Capital Punishment and extended unto Death yet it was not necessarily in its self Mortal So that Christ might have been Crucified and yet for all that not have Died. Q. Was it necessary to our Redemption that Christ should Die A. It was For the Wages of Sin is Death Rom. vi 23 and without shedding of Bloud there could be no Remission Heb. ix 22 And therefore we could not have been deliver'd from Death on any other Terms than by Christ's dying in our stead Whereas by dying He has made a full Satisfaction for our Sins has taken away the Sting of Death And conquer'd him who had the Power of Death that is the Devil Heb. ii 14 ix.x. Rom. v. 6 8. 1 Cor. xv 55 57. Q. How was Christ's Body disposed of after he was Dead A. It was decently and honourably Buried by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus principal Men among the Jews and that according to the Prophecies of God to that purpose Mat. xxvii 60 Mar. xv 46 Jo. xix 38 c. comp Psal. xvi 9 Isa. liii 7 8. Q. What became of his Soul while his Body lay in the Grave A. He therein Descended into Hell Psal. xvi 10 Act. ii 31 Q. What does the Word Hell signify A. It is diversly Used in the Holy Scriptures Sometimes it signifies the Grave Sometimes the State of the Dead And sometimes especially in the New Testament it denotes the Place of the Damned wherein they are to be tormented for Ever and Ever Q. In which of these Significations do you here understand it A. In the first it cannot be taken For of the Burial of Christ's Body there was mention before and a Soul cannot Go into the Grave Neither can it be taken in the last for Christ finished all his Sufferings on the Cross Jo. xix 30 and had nothing to undergo in the Place of Torments Q. But might not Christ descend thither to triumph over the Devil in his Own Place Or to deliver from thence all such as should there Believe in Him A. Something of this I confess has been suggested but without any sufficient Arguments to support it Q. What then do you take to be the true Meaning of this Article A. It is evident that it must Refer to the Place whither Christ's Soul went in its State of Separation Acts ii 31 Now what that Place was seems clearly pointed out to us in the
there any thing more intimated by that Expression A. Yes there is namely that this Sacrament ought not to be Celebrated only Once in the Year as the Passover was but to be Administred from time to time so as to keep up a Constant Lively Remembrance in our Minds of the Sacrifice of the Death of Christ. Q. Wherefore do you call it the Sacrifice of Christ's Death A. Because Christ by his Dying became an an Expiatory Sacrifice for the Sins of Mankind Q. Did Christ then suffer Death for the Forgiveness of our Sins A. He did He took upon him our Sins and died for them that by his Death we might be free'd both from the Guilt and Punishment of them Q. Was it necessary that Christ should die in order to his being such a Sacrifice A. It was necessary for without shedding of Blood there is no Remission Heb. ix 22 And Death being the Punishment of Sin he could no Otherwise have free'd us from Death than by Dying himself in our Stead Q. Can Christ any more Suffer or Die now since his Rising from the Dead A. No St. Paul expresly tells us that he cannot Rom. vi 9 10. Christ being Raised from the Dead dieth no more Death hath no more Dominion over him For in that he died he died unto Sin Once but in that he liveth he liveth unto God Q. How then do those of the Church of Rome say that he is again Offer'd for Us as a true and proper Sacrifice in this Holy Sacrament A. This Sacrament is not a Renewal or Repetition of Christ's Sacrifice but only a Solemn Memorial and Exhibition of it To talk of an Expiatory Sacrifice for Sin without Suffering is not only contrary to Scripture but is in the Nature of the thing its self Absurd and Unreasonable Every Sacrifice being put in the Place of the Person for whom it is offer'd and to be treated so as that Person in Rigour ought to have been had not God admitted of a Sacrifice in his stead And therefore the Apostle from hence concludes that Christ could not be more than Once Offer'd because he could but Once Suffer But to suppose that Christ in his present Glorified State can Suffer is such a Contradiction to all the Principles of our Religion that the Papists themselves are ashamed to assert it Q. What think you of the Sacrifice as they call it of the Mass A. We do not deny but that in a large Sense this Sacrament may be called a Sacrifice as the Bread and Wine may be called the Body and Blood of Christ. But that this Sacrament should be a true and proper Sacrifice as they define the Sacrifice of the Mass to be it is altogether False and Impious to assert Q. What was then the Design of our Saviour in this Institution A. To leave to his Church a Perpetual Solemn and Sacred Memorial of his Death for Us. That as often as we come to the Lord's Table and there join in the Celebration of this Holy Sacrament we might be moved by what is there done at once both to Call to Our Remembrance all the Passages of his Passion to consider him as there set forth Crucified before our Eyes and to Meditate upon the Love of Christ thus dying for Us and upon the mighty Benefits and Advantages which have accrued to Us thereby SECT XLVII Q. YOU before said that in Every Sacrament there must be Two Parts an Outward and an Inward What is therefore the Outward Part or Sign of the Lord's Supper A. Bread and Wine which the Lord hath Commanded to be Received Q. Did Christ Institute this Sacrament in Both these A. Yes He did He first took Bread gave Thanks and Brake it saying Take Eat this is my Body which is broken for you This do in Remembrance of me And then After the same Manner he took the Cup saying This Cup is the New Testament in my Blood This do ye as oft as ye drink it in Remembrance of me 1 Cor. xi 24 25. Q. For what End did Christ appoint these Outward Signs of this Sacrament A. The Words of his Institution plainly shew it that those who celebrate this Sacrament might Eat of the One and Drink of the Other at his Table Q. Is it necessary for all those who join in this Holy Sacrament both to Eat of that Bread and to Drink of that Cup A. It is so necessary that they cannot without violating our Saviour's Institution come to to the Holy Table unless they do it For Christ appointed Both to be taken and he who takes not the Cup as well as Bread does not Communicate in Christ's Body and Blood at all Q. May not a Person who only looks on and sees the Priest Officiate Commemorate Christ's Death and meditate upon the Benefits of it as well as if he received the Elements of Bread and Wine A. I will answer your Question with Another May not a Person who is not Baptized when he sees that Holy Sacrament administred be truly penitent for his Sins and believe in Christ and desire to be Regenerated and Adopted into the Communion of his Church as fully as if he were himself wash'd with the Water of Baptism But yet the bare looking on in this Case would not intitule such a One to the Grace of Regeneration nor will it any more intitule the Other to the Communion of Christ's Body and Blood In all these Cases the Question is not what we think we might do but what Christ has commanded us to do And we must observe what he Requires if ever we mean to be made Partakers of what he Promises Now that in the present Instance is not idly to look on but to do this i. e. to Eat this Bread and Drink of this Cup in Remembrance of Him Q. Do you think it necessary that Every Communicant should Receive this Sacrament in Both Kinds A. I do think it Necessary for so our Saviour has appointed it Thus he gave it to his Disciples and thus they Received it at his Hands Q. But his Disciples were Priests and therefore their Receiving this Sacrament in both Kinds does not argue that it is necessary for the People to do likewise A. Whether all who were then present at the Table with our Saviour were Priests is very Uncertain The Blessed Virgin we are sure was at that time at Jerusalem and no doubt did eat the Passover according to the Law with him yet she was certainly but a Lay Communicant And many Others for ought we know there might be in the same Circumstances But not to insist upon this Our Saviour made no distinction between Priests and Lay Communicants as to the Business of Receiving of this Sacrament in One or Both Kinds He Gave both the Bread and Wine himself to All that were at the Table and He has left a General Commandment to Us to do likewise And his Words and his Action together evidently
Persons of all Countries are to be Baptized so no doubt but the Form of Words may be translated into the Language of Every Country and Baptism be effectually administred so long as the Sense is preserved That which we insist upon is that every Person who is Baptized ought to be Baptized in the Name as well as to profess the Faith of the Father Son and Holy Ghost Q. What is the Inward or Spiritual Grace of this Sacrament A. A Death unto Sin and a New-birth unto Righteousness for heing by Nature born in Sin and the Children of Wrath we are hereby made the Children of Grace Q. Are all Men by Nature born in Sin A. They are ever since that by the Transgression of our First Parents Sin entred into the World Nor was ever any Exempt from this unhappy State but he only who knew no Sin the Lord Christ Jesus Q. Are all Men by Nature Children of Wrath A. Being born in Sin they must of necessity be also Children of Wrath Seeing All Sin is both hateful to God and worthy of his Punishment Q. Have the Children of Believing Parents in this Case no Privilege above Others A. Yes they have For being descended from those who are Members of Christ's Church they are born within the Covenant are the Heirs of God's Promises and have a Right to Baptism as the Children of the Jews had to Circumcision And therefore should they chance to Die before they have Received it yet this being no Fault of theirs we piously believe that it shall be no barr to their Pretensions but that they shall nevertheless be saved by the Merits of Jesus Christ. Q. How are those who are Baptized made thereby Children of Grace A. As by Baptism they are taken into Covenant with God are Regenerated by the Holy Spirit and Wash'd from their Sins by the Blood of Christ So that should they Die before they commit any Actual Sin we are assured by God's Word that they shall certainly be Saved Q. Are all who are Baptized made Partakers of these Benefits A. They are all thereby put into a State of Salvation and become Children of Grace But those only continue in this State and hold fast their Right to these Benefits who take care to Live according to the Gospel of Christ and to fulfil those Promises which either Themselves made or which were by Others made in their Name and on their Behalf at their Baptism SECT XLV Q. WHat is required of Persons to be Baptized A. Repentance whereby they forsake Sin and Faith whereby they stedfastly Believe the Promises of God made to them in that Sacrament Q. What Repentance is required to prepare any Person for Baptism A. The same which is Required to qualify a Man for God's Forgiveness after Baptism For Baptism if duly Received washes away all Sin And therefore no One can worthily come to it who does not heartily Repent of all his Sins and firmly Resolve never more to Return to any Act. ii 38 41. iii. 18 viii 37 Q. What is the Faith which Every One ought to bring to this Sacrament A. A firm Belief of the Truth of the whole Christian Religion but more especially of all those Articles of it which he solemnly at his Baptism is to profess his Belief of to the Church Act. viii 37 Q. If such a Repentance and such a Faith be Required of all who are Baptized How come Infants to be Baptized who by reason of their tender Age cannot perform either of Them A. Because they promise them Both by their Sureties which Promise when they come to Age themselves are bound to Perform Q. Are not Actual Faith and Repentance required of those who are to be Baptized A. Yes if they be Persons capable of it Otherwise it is sufficient that they be Obliged to Believe and Repent as soon as they shall be Capable of so doing Q. How can any One Promise this for Another A. Upon a Supposition of Charity That as Children are born of Christian Parents and under a Security of being bred up to a Sense of their Duty and the Knowledge of the true Religion and of the infinite Obligations that lie upon them to Repent and Believe So they will take care by God's help so to order both their Faith and Manners as their Interest as well as Duty Requires them to do Q. But what if they should not fulfil what has been promised in their Names A. In that Case the Covenant made on their behalf will be Void And so by not fulfilling what was promised for them they will lose all those Blessings which God would Otherwise have been obliged to bestow upon Them Q. Would it not be more Reasonable to tarry till Persons are Grown up and so in a Condition to make the Covenant themselves before they were permitted to be Baptized A. We are not to consider what we think best but what God has directed Us to do Now God expresly order'd the Children of the Jews to be admitted into Covenant with Him at Eight Days Old Into the Place of Circumcision Baptism has succeeded as the Gospel has into the Place of the Law There is therefore the same Reason why our Children should from the Beginning be admitted into the Christian as why the Jews Children should have been entred into the Legal Covenant Our Infants are as capable of Covenanting as theirs were And if God thought fit to Receive them and did not Account the Incapacity which their Age put them under any bar to hinder them from Circumcision neither ought we to think the same Defect any sufficient Obstacle to keep our Infants from being Baptized SECT XLVI Q. WHat is the Other Sacrament of the New Testament A. The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper Q. Why do you call it the Lord's Supper A. Because it was both Instituted by our Lord at Supper and was designed to succeed into the Place of the Paschal Supper among the Jews Q. Ought this Sacrament to be administred only at the Time of Supper A. That is not necessary any more than that we should be Obliged to Eat our Own Supper before it that we should Celebrate it only Once a Year in an Vpper Room in an Eating Posture and the like Our Saviour took that Occasion and that Season for the Institution of it but he did not intend thereby to Oblige Us to Celebrate it in all the exact Circumstances of Time Place Posture c. that occurr'd in his Own Administration of it Q. Why was the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper ordain'd A. For the continual Remembrance of the Sacrifice of the Death of Christ and of the Benefits which we receive thereby Q. What do you mean by a Continual Remembrance A. A Remembrance that is not to determine after a certain Time as the Paschal Supper did but is to continue to be kept up by this Holy Sacrament to the very End of the World Q. Is
more easily be understood If a Man will in defiance of Sense and Reason believe a Post to be his Father and upon that Supposition ask Blessing of a Post does his Opinion or rather his Madness alter the Nature of Things and make him ever the less ask Blessing of a Post because he takes it to be his Father The Papist will needs have a Piece of Bread to be Christ's Body and upon that Presumption He pays Divine Honour to it Does he ever the less Give Divine Honour to a Piece of Bread because he fancies that Bread to be the Body of Christ Q. Will not his Intention direct his Action aright A. No it will not Or if it would his very Intention it self is wrong For his Intention is to adore the Host. 'T is true he Believes it to be Christ's Body and therefore Adores it But still right or wrong the Host he adores which being in reality no more than Bread he must needs commit Idolatry in Adoring of it SECT LI. Q. WHat is Required of them who Come to the Lord's Supper A. To Examine themselves c. Q. When ought such an Examination to be made A. It were much to be wish'd that Men would be perswaded to live under the Constant Practice of it and consider Every Week or indeed Every Day how their Accounts stand towards God But at least if they Neglect it at Other Times yet certainly they ought to do this very nicely and scrupulously before they come to the Holy Communion Q. How must this Examination be perform'd A. By a Careful and Diligent Search into our Lives and Actions that so we may if possible know what the true State of our Souls is in all those Particulars concerning which we are here directed to Examine our Selves And this accompanied with Earnest Prayer to God for his Assistance in and Blessing upon our Endeavours Q. What is the first Point concerning which we are to Examine our Selves A. Whether we Repent Us truly of our former Sins stedfastly purposing to lead a New Life Q. How may we know whether we do this so effectually as we are here Required to do A. We can only judge by the present Frame and Disposition of our Souls If we are heartily Sorry for and Ashamed of our Sins If we earnestly Desire God's Forgiveness of them If we are instant with God in our Prayers for Pardon and where we have done any Injury to our Neighbour are ready to ask his Forgiveness also and to make all Reasonable Satisfaction to him If lastly as far as we can judge of our Selves we do all this Uprightly and Sincerely If we Reserve no secret Affection for any Sin in our Souls but Universally Resolve to forsake All our Evil Ways and in Every Thing to follow the Rules of our Duty We may I think justly conclude that our Repentance and Resolutions are hearty and without deceit and as such will qualify Us for the worthy Receiving of this Holy Sacrament Q. But what if after all this we should Relapse into Sin again A. If we do it by Surprise or Infirmity if we fall back only into some lesser Sins and such as will hardly be altogether to be Avoided by us in this present Life we ought not to be discouraged But indeed if after this we fall into the Commission of some heinous deliberate wasting Sin but especially should we relapse into a Habit and Course of such Sins this would be of a dangerous Consequence to Us and make our last State worse than our first Q. Would it not therefore be the safest way rather to abstain altogether from the Holy Table than to Run the Hazard of Coming Vnworthily to it A. Were it a Matter of Indifference whether we Ever Received this Sacrament or no this might the more Reasonably be insisted upon but as the Case now stands is altogether Idle and Absurd For First To come to the Holy Table is a Matter of Express Duty what Christ has commanded us to do and it is equally dangerous not to Come at all as it is to Come Vnworthily to it Secondly By not Coming we deprive our Selves of the Grace of God which this Sacrament was designed to Convey to Us and in that of the Greatest Benefit as well as Comfort to our Souls in the Course of our Duty that our Religion has provided for them To all which let me add Thirdly That the Shortness and Uncertainty of our Lives being consider'd we ought upon that Account to make the same Preparation against the Hour of our Death that we are Required to do for Coming to the Holy Table And since Men are so very apt to put both the Thoughts of Death and their Provision for it so far off it is an Instance of the Great Mercy and Concern of our Saviour Christ for Us that by calling us frequently to his Table and Requiring so strict a Preparation for it he has engaged Us to put our Souls into such a Posture upon that Account as will fit them for Dying should we chance e're we are aware to be surprized by Death Q. What is the next Thing wherein we are to Examine our Selves before we come to the Holy Communion A. Whether we have a lively Faith in God's Mercy through Christ i. e. do stedfastly Believe that if we do truly Repent Us of our Sins God will not only most certainly forgive them but as an Earnest of it does here in this very Sacrament Ratify and Seal anew his Covenant with Us and make us Partakers of the Benefit of that Redemption which our Blessed Saviour purchased for Us by the Sacrifice of his Own Body and Blood Q. What is the next Particular upon which we are to Examine our selves before we come to the Holy Communion A. Whether we come to it with a thankful Remembrance of Christ's Death which is therein design'd to be set forth and shewn by Us. Whether we are sufficiently Sensible of the Infinite Love of God and Condescension of Jesus Christ hereby declared to Us Whether we are careful always to keep up in our Minds a lively Memory of his Death and Passion And do by the Sincerity of our Love to God and the Zeal we have for our Duty endeavour in some measure to testify how hearty a Sense we have of those unspeakable Mercies which he has been pleased thereby to favour Us withal Q. What is the last Thing concerning which we are to Examine our Selves A. Whether we are in Charity with all Men Whether we do not only freely Forgive whatsoever Injuries any may Chance to have done Us but are so intirely Friends with them as to be Ready to do them all the Kindness we can and that as truly and heartily as if they had never Offended Us or Otherwise done Us the least Injury Q. Is this all that is Required of Us before we come to the Lord's Supper A. Other Exercises there are which may profitably be made Use of
ought there not beyond all this some Satisfaction to be made to God for the Sins which we have committed A. Yes certainly and such there has been made by our Saviour Christ for us who has fully satisfied the Justice of God in that kind and left nothing more for us to do in that behalf Q. What do you then say to those Satisfactions which the Church of Rome teaches we may and ought to make for our Sins A. That they are built upon a false Foundation are contrary to the Goodness of God and beyond the Capacity of Man Q. What is the Foundation upon which they are built A. It is this That when God forgives us our Sins whether upon our Own Repentance or by virtue of the Priest's Absolution He remits indeed the Fault and purges away our Guilt and by this acquits us from the Everlasting Punishment that would otherwise have been due to them But yet still retains us under an Obligation to some temporal Sufferings either by Satisfactory Works to be done for them in this Life or by undergoing a certain proportion of Pain for them after Death in a Place which they call Purgatory Q. How does it appear that this Foundation is false and erroneous A. Because in the first place it is Absurd to suppose that God should forgive the whole Guilt of our Sins and yet having done so should afterwards punish us for them And secondly It is injurious to the Sufferings and Merits of Christ whose Death was a sufficient Satisfaction for the Sins of the whole World and has left no room either for God to require or for us to Pay any thing more Q. Does Repentance then if it be sincere without any thing more restore us again to our State of Grace and reconcile us to God Almighty A. If it be sincere it does through Faith in Jesus Christ. Q. Does God allow Repentance to all Sins Jo. vi 29 Act. xiii 38 xvi 30 31. 2 Pet. i. 5 c. A. There is No Sin but what True Repentance washes away But there may be some Cases in which God may deny Us his Grace so that we shall not be able truly to Repent Q. What Cases are They A. They may All be reduced to this One General namely a Wilful Abuse and Resistance of the Divine Grace Whether it be by a long Habit of Sinning or by frequent Acting against the Dictates of our own Consciences and the Motions of God's Holy Spirit To say nothing of some Sins which are in an Eminent manner destructive of the Divine Grace such as Pride Covetousness Sensuality but especially that Sin which is particularly called in Scripture the Sin against the Holy Ghost Q. What is meant by that Sin A. I suppose it to have been the particular Sin of the Jews heretofore in not only obstinately refusing to receive our Blessed Lord for their Messiah after sufficient Proofs given by Him to convince Them that He was so but ascribing those Miracles which He wrought in proof of his Authority to the Help of the Devil when at the same time they either were abundantly convinced Or but for their Own Fault might have been that He did Them by the Power of God Mat. xii 31 Comp. Mark iii. 28 Luk. xii 10 Q. Do you look upon this Sin to have so wholly belonged to those Men as not to be capable of being Committed by Any Now A. That very Sin which in Scripture is so called cannot now be committed because Christ is not now upon Earth nor have we therefore any Occasion Given us thus to Blaspheme against the Holy Ghost Yet some Sins there are of a like Nature which may still be committed and which being Committed may prove no less dangerous to Those who are Guilty of Them than that Sin did prove to the Pharisees heretofore Q. What Sins are those which you suppose to come the nearest to it A. Apostacy from the Christian Religion after having been convinced of the Truth and made Partakers of the Promises of it Next to that an Apostacy from the Truth and Purity of the Gospel for the sake of some worldly Fears on the One hand or present Hopes on the Other to the Communion of a Church which not only obstinately resists the Truth but damns and persecutes all such as profess it And lastly Apostacy to Idolatry which seems to be the Sin unto Death spoken of by St. John 1 Jo. v. 16 and for the Remission of which He gives Us but little Encouragement to Pray V. 16 Q. What then do you think of Those who Go off from the Communion of the Church of England to That of the Church of Rome A. As of Apostates and Idolaters To whom God may by an Extraordinary Effect of his Mercy give Grace for Repentance and so for Salvation but of whom otherwise we have no Ground of Hope Q. Do you think such in a more dangerous Estate than those who were from the beginning bred up in the Roman Communion A. I do forasmuch as they have both rejected the Truth once known and received by them and cast off the Way in which the Providence of God had placed them and that it may be on some base grounds to be sure without any sufficient Reason to justifie their doing of it Q. What then do you think of those who have always been of the Communion of that Church A. I think them in general in much greater danger Now than they were before the Reformation And still those in more danger who have lived among those of the Reformed Church and so were in a better Capacity of being convinc'd of the Errors of their Way But most of all do I think the Estate of those dangerous or rather desperate who are Learned and know their Errors or are Priests and so called to instruct the People in the Purity of Christ's Religion The Sincere and Ignorant who want Capacity or want Opportunity to know the Truth I hope God will forgive The Careless the Prejudiced but most of all the obstinately blind among them I neither can acquit nor do I think that God will forgive Them SECT V. Q. WHat was the second thing which Your Godfathers and Godmothers promised in your Name A. That I should Believe all the Articles of the Christian Faith Q. Where are those Articles to be found A. In the Holy Scriptures and particularly those of the New Testament Q. What mean you by the Holy Scriptures A. I mean those Books which thro' the Assistance of the Holy Spirit were written by Moses and the Prophets under the Law and by the Apostles and Evangelists of Christ since the publishing of the Gospel to direct us in the Knowledge of God and of the Duty which He Requires of Us. Q. How do you know what Books were written by these Persons in order to these Ends A. By the Constant Universal and Undeniable Testimony both of the Jewish and Christian Church From the
To be Modest in our Behaviour Grave and Chast in our Conversation To Regulate as much as may be our very Thoughts and Desires And above all Things to take Care that We have somewhat to employ our Selves about that may spend our Spirits and take up our Thoughts As considering that there is nothing more dangerous to the Purity of a Christian than Idleness and that Unhappy Privilege of a Great Fortune To have nothing to do Q. How was this Sin of Adultery punish'd under the Law A. It was punish'd with Death And that not only upon a Civil Account as being most injurious to Society but also typically to denote what such Persons are to Expect from God in the Other World even Death Eternal Q. What are the Particular Aggravations of this Sin A. That it is not only a very heinous Sin in the Sight of God but such as is destructive of Humane Society also That it breaks the most Solemn Vow that can be made between Man and Man Seperates the nearest Relations Lays the Ground of infinite Quarrels and Hatred and Divisions in Families and oftentimes occasions Murders Seditions and Contentions in the Civil State That it Propagates Sickness and Infirmities to Mens Posterity Is an Enemy to all Serious Counsels and Generous Actions Emasculates Mens Minds Enfeebles their Bodies and upon all these Accounts ought as well to be severely punish'd by the Civil Magistrate now as We are sure it shall be punish'd by God with Eternal Damnation SECT XXX Q. WHat is the Eighth Commandment A. Thou shalt not Steal Q. What do you here understand by Stealing A. Not only the Secret and fraudulent Taking away of what is Anothers but all kind of Vnlawful Getting or Detaining of any Thing whereby another is injured or oppressed in what of Right belongs or ought to belong to him Q. What are the chief Ways whereby this Sin may be Committed A. Chiefly by these Three 1. By Stealth and Robbery as the One implies a Secret Thievery or Conveying Away of Another's Goods the Other a more violent and forcible Taking of Them 2. To these may be added as not very different from them all the artificial Ways which Men have Got of doing the same thing by Cheating in Buying and Selling in Borrowing what they are not Able or never Intend to pay which is in truth Stealing By Extortion upon or Oppression of those who are in Need Or whom we are Otherwise able by our Power or Authority to Over-bear which is the same thing with down-right Robbery 3. To all which let me add lastly all Aiding Advising Encouraging or Otherwise Communicating with Others in any of these Crimes By Receiving Buying or Concealing what is Stoln By helping any One to Cheat or Over-reach Another By serving any Great and Violent Oppressor in Crushing and Ruining a Poor Man Q. Are there yet any Other Vices forbidden by this Commandment A. There are several Others that may fairly be Reduced to it Such as * Prodigality in spending a Man's Estate and Beggaring his Family * Negligence in making an honest Provision according to a Man's Station and Opportunities for his Children * Contracting of Debts which We are not able to Pay * Engaging for Others beyond what we are able or it is fitting for Us to answer * Taking Vsury of any Especially of a Needy Man To which may be added the whole Mystery of Ruining Estates and Families * by the excessive Rates of Procuring Continuing Advancing of Money and Interest * By Buying Mens Goods or Estates at Vnder-rates * By taking Advantage of Gain by Mens Private Wants or by the Publick Necessities * The Trade of Pawns as it is commonly managed and the Exactions depending thereupon * And lastly all Such Other Trades as live upon the Vices and Extravagancies of Men with all manner of Vnlawful and Injurious Ways of Gain Q. What think you of Going to Law A. That as it may be managed both by the Counsellor and the Client it is as much Theft as ever the Law punish'd and will as such be Required of Both by God And therefore tho' such Cases there be in which a Christian may Go to Law without Violating this or any Other Command yet is it certainly the last Resort and not to be Used till all other Means have proved ineffectual to secure our Property or to Recover our Right And for the most part it is in Law as in War where One side is Certainly in the Wrong and Generally Both are to blame And let those who by their Purse their Tongue or their Art defraud another of His Right know assuredly that however they may build up their Houses by Iniquity and escape the Punishment of Man for what they do yet they shall not be acquitted at the Tribunal of God Q. What are the Duties which this Commandment Requires of Us A. To be fair and upright in all our Dealings not willingly to wrong or be accessary to the wronging of Any If we should happen to have unwillingly injured any Man to be Ready to make him a full and ample Restitution for it To be free and charitable to the Poor Careful to provide a Competent Subsistence for our Families and diligent in pursuing some Honest and Useful Calling in Order thereunto SECT XXXI Q. WHat is the Ninth Commandment A. Thou shalt not bear False-witness against thy Neighbour Q. What do you here understand by Bearing of False Witness A. The False-accusing of or Witnessing against Him in Judgment And which is commonly attended with Perjury as well as Lying and so becomes an Offence at Once against the Third Commandment by our taking God's Name in Vain and against this of Injuring our Neighbour by Bearing False-witness against Him Q. Is there any thing else forbidden in this Commandment A. There is namely all sort of Calumny and Evil-Speaking against any whether it be in or out of Judgment Q. How do you distinguish between Calumny and Evil-speaking A. By Calumny I mean a Reproach falsly Raised upon and Reported against a Person who is wholly Innocent of it When we are the Makers as well as Spreaders of an Untruth at least know what we say of our Neighbour to be false or have just reason to believe it to be so By Evil-speaking I understand the Relating of what is or has been told to Us as true and is believed by Us so to be When we do it not to the Person concerned for discovery of the Truth Or to some Friend of his in Order to his being admonish'd of it but to our Indifferent Acquaintance And that whether it be done with a Design to defame him or only in the common way of Discourse for want of better Matter to entertain our Company withal Q. Is there any thing yet more forbidden in this Commandment A. To this Commandment must be Reduced all * Subornation of False-Witnesses in Judgment * all