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
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
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