former of which we have Received the Scriptures of the Old from the latter those of the New Testament Q. How do you know that these Books were written by the Assistance of the Holy Spirit A. By the Authors who wrote them who were doubtless no less inspired in what they Wrote than in what they Taught of the Gospel of Christ. 2. By the Design of God in the composing of Them which was to leave thereby a Constant Infallible Rule of Faith to the Church in all Ages of it 3. By the Opinion which all Christians from the time that they were publish'd have had of Them and the deference which upon that account they have paid to Them And lastly By the Subject-matter of Them and those internal Marks of Divine Wisdom and Piety which are so conspicuous in all the Parts of Them Q. Do you look upon these Scriptures as the Only present Rule of your Faith A. I do Nor is there any Other certain Foundation on which to build it Q. What think you of the Tradition of the Church A. Could I be sure that any thing not contain'd in the Scriptures came down by a certain uninterrupted Tradition from the Apostles I should not except against it Nay I do therefore receive the Holy Scriptures as the Rule of my Faith because they have such a Tradition to warrant me so to do But because there is no such Tradition for any thing besides therefore neither do I build my Faith upon it But on the contrary do suppose that by the Providence of God the Holy Scriptures were purposely written to prevent those Doubts those Forgeries and Deceits which his Infinite Wisdom foresaw an Oral Tradition would always have been liable unto Q. Can the Holy Scriptures alone make your Faith perfect A. They Can Nor ought I to believe any thing as an Article of my Faith which is not to be found in them or cannot plainly be proved by Them Q. What do you think of the Church's Definitions A. That I ought to submit to them in whatsoever they define agreeably to the Word of God But if in any thing they require me to believe what is contrary to the Word of God or cannot be Proved thereby I ought absolutely to reject the One and am under no Obligation to Receive the Other Q. But is not this to make your self wiser than the Church A. No by no means but only to make the Word of God of more Authority with me than the Word of Man Whilst I chuse rather to Regulate my Faith by what God has deliver'd than by what Man Defines Q. Are the Holy Scriptures so Plain and Easy to be Understood that every One may be Able to judge for Himself what he ought to Believe A. In Matters of necessary Belief they are very plain even to the most Ordinary Christian Yet we do not deny but that every Man ought to hear the Church and attend to the Instructions of those who are the Pastors of it Only we say that neither the Church nor its Pastors ought to teach any thing as an Article of Faith or Require any Man's assent to it as such that cannot be shewn to have been either expresly deliver'd in the Word of God or by a plain and necessary Consequence be Proved thereby Q. But how shall the Unlearned be able to know what the Scriptures propose seeing they are written in a Language which such Persons do not understand A. By Reading them in their Own Vulgar Tongue into which every Church has or ought to have them faithfully translated for the Benefit of Those who do not understand the Languages in which they were Composed Q. Do you then think that the People ought to be suffered promiscuously to Read the Holy Scriptures A. Who shall forbid Them to Read what was purposely designed by God for their Instruction The Scriptures are as much the Voice of the Apostles and Evangelists to Us of these Times as their Preaching was to those of the Age in which they lived And it may with as good Reason be Ask'd Whether we think the People ought to have been promiscuously Suffer'd heretofore to hear the Apostles Preach as whether they ought to be Suffer'd promiscuously to Read their Writings Now. Q. But amidst so many Things as the Holy Scriptures deliver how shall the People be able to judge what is necessary to be Believed by Them A. Let them Believe All they meet with there and then to be sure they will Believe all that is necessary But for the sake of those who either want Ability to Read or Capacity to judge what is most necessary in Point of Faith to be known and profess'd by Them the Church has from the beginning collected it into a short Summary which every Person of Old was Required both to Know and assent to before he was admitted into the Communion of it Q. What is that Summary of which you speak and which you account to comprehend all the most Necessary Articles of our Christian Faith A. It is commonly called The Apostles Creed not that the Apostles Themselves Composed it at least not in the very Form in which we now have it but because it seems to come the Nearest of any to the Apostles Times and does with the Greatest Simplicity of Expression comprehend a short Summary of the Apostles Doctrine Q. What mean you by the Word Creed A. It is the same in Latine as Belief in English And it is so called in both from the first words of it I BELIEVE and which in Sense though not in Expression Run through every Article of it SECT VI. Q. REhearse the Articles of your Belief A. I Believe in God the Father Almighty c. Q. You said that those Words I BELIEVE were not only the First Words of your Creed but the most Material as running in effect through Every Branch of it Tell me therefore what do you mean when you say I Believe A. To Believe in the General is to Assent to the Truth of any thing upon the Sole Authority of the Person who delivers it Who if He be a Man only the Assent which I give to what He says produces in Me a Humane Faith if as here He be God then the Assent which I give to what is deliver'd by Him is properly a Divine Faith Q. What is the difference with respect to Us between these Two A. It is very Great For because a Man though never so Wise and Careful himself may yet not be honest and so Impose upon Me Or should he be never so Upright may yet after all his Care be Mistaken himself and thereby lead Me into Errour therefore in Assenting to what such a One proposes I can at the most give but such a Belief to it as is suitable to a meer Humane Testimony I may Believe what he says to be True but yet so as not to exclude a Possibility of its being Otherwise Whereas God
Yet I trust that by the Grace of God I shall always from my heart detest and abhor them And so order my Life and Actions as not to be drawn into any evil Courses by them nor even into the actual Commission of any very great and voluntary Sins Q. What mean you by the Devil A. It is the common name given in Scripture to those wicked Spirits who having rebelled against God and being thereupon justly cast off from that Glorious State in which they were created by him do make it their constant Business and Endeavour to draw as many of us as they can into the same Rebellion and thereby into the same State of Misery with themselves 1 Pet. v. 8 Be sober be vigilant because your Adversary the Devil as a roaring Lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour Q. What are the Works of the Devil which together with him you at your Baptism promised to Renounce A. All manner of Sin But chiefly I comprehend under this first Rank those Sins which either more immediately relate to him or proceed from his Suggestions such as Pride Malice Envy Revenge Murder Lying and above all Witch-craft and Idolatry Q. What is the next Enemy which at your Baptism you promised to Renounce A. This Wicked World with all the Pomps and Uanitiy of it Q. How is it that you call the World the Work of God's Hands a Wicked World A. Not that it is in its self so but only to shew how far and in what respect I am to Renounce it namely in all such cases in which it would draw me into any Wickedness for the sake of any thing which I desire or enjoy in it Gal. 1.4 Christ gave himself for our Sins that he might deliver us from this present Evil World 1 John ii 15 Love not the World neither the things that are in the World If any Man Love the World the Love of the Father is not in him Q. What do you mean by the Pomps and Vanity of this Wicked World A. They do most properly denote the vain shew and magnificence of such as are Great and Rich in it But do withal comprehend the Riches themselves which minister to these Vanities together with the Covetousness Injustice Oppression and whatsoever other Sins of the like kind Men commit for the support of their Vanity and to obtain such things as minister only to the Pomp and Pride of Life Q. What is the Third Enemy which your Religion engages you to Renounce A. The Sinful Lusts of the Flesh. Q. What mean you by the Word Flesh A. I mean that Natural Corruption which dwells in our Flesh and through which we are continually apt either to be led into Sin or to be hindered in our Duty Rom. vii 18.23 For I know that in me that is in my Flesh dwelleth no good thing Rom. viii 13 Therefore we are Debtors not to the Flesh to live after the Flesh for if ye live after the Flesh ye shall die but if ye through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the Body ye shall live See Gal. v. 16 17. Q. What do you understand by the Sinful Lusts of the Flesh A. Those inordinate Desires and Inclinations which proceed from this Principle and dispose us to those Sins which are in a peculiar manner called in Scripture The Works of the Flesh See Gal. v. 19 Rom. viii 13 Coloss. iii. 5 1 Joh. ii 16 Q. What was the Second thing which your Godfathers and Godmothers promised for you at your Baptism A. That I should believe all the Articles of the Christian Faith Q. Where are those Articles to be met with A. They are only to be found in and believed upon the Authority of God's Word Yet have been collected into that short Summary of our Faith which is commonly called The Apostles Creed Q. What was the Third thing which your Godfathers and Godmothers promised in your Name at your Baptism A. That I should keep God's Holy Will and Commandments and walk in the same all the days of my Life Q. Has there been any such Summary Collection made of God's Commandments as you say there has been of the Principal Articles of your Christian Faith A. Yes there hath and that by God himself in those Ten Commandments which God deliver'd to the Jews heretofore Exod. xx and which continue no less to oblige us now Mat. v. 17 c. Q. Dost thou not think that thou art bound c. A. Yes verily and by God's help so I will c. Q. Upon what grounds do you think your self obliged to make good what your Godfathers and Godmothers promised for you at your Baptism A. Upon many accounts but chiefly because what was then transacted was not only done in my Name but for my Benefit and Advantage And I must resolve to fulfil what they promised for me or I shall not receive the Blessings which in consideration thereof God was pleased to make over to me Besides that they promised nothing on my behalf but what it would otherwise have been my Duty as well as Interest to have fulfill'd Q. By what means do you hope you shall be Able to fulfil what they promised for you A. By the Grace of God which I am assured shall not be wanting to me if I do but heartily pray to God for it and take care to use it as I ought to do Luke xi 13 If ye being Evil know how to give Good Gifts unto your Children how much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him Q. How are you assured of God's Grace to enable you to Believe and to Do what he requires of you A. Inasmuch as by my Baptism I was put into a State of Salvation which I could not have been were I not thereby secure of whatsoever is needful on God's part to be bestow'd upon me in order to my attaining of Salvation through Jesus Christ our Saviour Rom. i. 16 The Gospel of Christ is the Power of God unto Salvation to every one that Believeth Phil. ii 13 14. Work out your own Salvation with Fear and Trembling For it is God which worketh in you both to Will and to Do of his Good Pleasure Q. How came you to be called unto such a Blessed State as this A. Only by the Mercy of God and thro' the Merits of Jesus Christ our Saviour and therefore I do most heartily thank our Heavenly Father that He has called me to this State of Salvation through Jesus Christ our Saviour Q. Do you think that you shall be able still to go on and persevere in this State A. It is my earnest desire and purpose so to do and I trust that by the Grace of God I shall do so For which Cause I will never cease to pray unto him for the continuance of his Grace that so I may be found Faithful and Sincere in my Duty to my
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
being neither capable of being Deceived Himself nor of Imposing upon any Other when I give my Assent to what he has Revealed I do it not only with a certain Assurance that what I believe is true but with an absolute Security that it cannot possibly be false Q. But why do you say I Believe and not WE Believe as when you pray you say OVR Father c A. Because though One Man may Pray yet One Man cannot Believe for another And however in Charity I may suppose every Christian to believe what is here delivered yet since 't is certain there are many Infidels and Hypocrites scatter'd up and down among the Faithful and I cannot certainly distinguish who are indeed Believers and who not neither can I with an Assurance of Faith say WE Believe because I cannot certainly tell whether another Man does truly believe these Articles or No. Besides that this Creed being intended to be the Form upon the Confession whereof Persons should be admitted to Baptism and in that Case every One was to make a distinct Profession of his Faith in order thereunto it was fitting the Creed its self should be penn'd after such a manner as was most proper for the main End for which it was Compos'd Q. Are all the things contain'd in this Creed to be proved by Divine Revelation A. They are all plainly deliver'd to us in the Holy Scriptures which being confessed by all Christians to be the Word of God what is deliver'd by them must be look'd upon to be delivered to Us by God Himself Q. What are the General Parts of which this Creed does consist A. They are these Four First It shews us what is most needful to be Believ'd and Professed by Us concerning God the Father Secondly Concerning our Lord Jesus Christ Thirdly Concerning the Holy Ghost And Fourthly Concerning the Church of Christ its Duties and Privileges here and the Blessings and Glory which God has prepared for it hereafter Q. Do you think it necessary not only to Believe all these things but also upon Occasion to Profess the Belief of them A. I do think it necessary whenever our Duty to God or the Edification of our Neighbour or the Honour of our Religion shall Require it of Me. Mat. x. 32 Whosoever shall Confess me before Men him will I Confess also before my Father which is in Heaven But whosoever shall deny me before Men him will I also deny before my Father which is in Heaven Rom. x. 9 If thou shalt confess with thy Mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thy Heart that God hath Raised him from the Dead thou shalt be saved For with the Heart Man believeth unto Righteousness and with the Mouth confession is made unto Salvation See 1 Pet. iii. 14 SECT VII Q. WHAT is the first Article of your Creed A. I Believe in God the Father Almighty Maker of Heaven and Earth Q. What is God A. He is an Eternal Infinite Incomprehensible Spirit Immortal Invisible most Perfect himself and the Giver of all Perfection to all Other things Q. How do you profess to Believe in God A. I do firmly Believe that there is such a Being as God Heb. xi 6 and that there is but One such Being so that besides Him there neither is nor can be any Other 1 Cor. viii 4.6 We know that there is none Other God but One To us there is but One God the Father Isaiah xlv 5 6. I am the Lord and there is None else there is no God besides Me I am the Lord and there is None else Q. Upon what Account do you give to God the Title of FATHER A. Upon several Accounts but chiefly on these Two 1. With Respect to our Lord Jesus Christ whom in the next Article we profess to be his Son And secondly as he may also be accounted our Father 2 Cor. i. 3 Blessed be God even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. See Joh. x. 25 29 c. Q. How do you believe God to be our Father A. By Right of Creation so he is the Father of all Mankind 1 Cor. viii 5 To Vs there is but One God the Father of Whom are all things By Right of Adoption so he is the Father of Us Christians in particular Eph. i. 3 5. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Who hath predestinated Vs unto the Adoption of Children by Jesus Christ to Himself Q. What do you mean by the Attribute of ALMIGHTY A. I mean Two things 1 st That God has a Right of absolute Power and Dominion over all the World Dan. iv 34 His Dominion is an Everlasting Dominion and His Kingdom is from Generation to Generation And 2 dly That He has an Infinite Power of Action so that He can do all things and with Him nothing is Impossible Mat. xix 26 Q. Can God then Do All things A. He can do All things that are not either simply Impossible to be done as implying a Contradiction Or else contrary to his Goodness and Perfection to Do as to Sin to be Ignorant and the like Q. By what Act especially has God manifested Himself to be Almighty A. By Making the Heaven and the Earth Q. What do you understand by that Expression The Heaven and the Earth A. I comprehend under it All things that ever were made Visible and Invisible as being all Made and Created by God Q. How did God Make All these A. After Two different Manners Some He produced by an Immediate Creation Thus were the Angels form'd and the Spirits of Men And thus was that first Matter produced of which Moses speaks Gen. i. 1 That in the Beginning God Created the Heaven and the Earth To the Other parts of the Creation he gave Being by forming them out of an Antecedent Matter So he made this Visible World as we Read Gen. i. Q. By Whom did God make the World A. By his Son sometimes call'd The Word Job i. 3 All things were made by Him and without Him was not any thing made that was made And again vii 10 The World was made by Him Q. Was this Son the same JESVS who afterwards came into the World to publish the Gospel and Die for Us A. So the Scriptures expresly tell us Heb. i. 1 2. God who at sundry Times and in divers Manners spake in Time past unto the Fathers by the Prophets Hath in these last Days spoken unto Vs by his Son by whom also he made the Worlds And St. Paul speaking of him in Whom we have Redemption through his Blood even the Forgiveness of Sins Col. i. 14 tells us Ver. 16. That by Him were All things Created that are in Heaven and that are in Earth Visible and Invisible whether they be Thrones or Dominions or Principalities or Powers all things were Created by him and for him and He is before all things and by him all things Consist Q. Is there any thing
for which the Holy Spirit was given by Christ to his Church A. No His Operations are very many and can hardly be particularly Enumerated He not only Regenerates and Sanctifies Us Disposes us to our Duty and Fortifies Us against Temptation but moreover Directs us in Our Doubts Comforts us in our Afflictions Supports us in our Troubles Arms us against the Fear of Death Gives us Strength and Courage in Trials and Persecutions And in such Cases as he sees needful Seals our Souls with such an Inward Sense and Assurance of God's Favour as makes us firmly satisfied of our future Everlasting Salvation Rom. v. 5 viii 14 17. 2 Cor. i. 22 Eph. i. 14 Gal. iv 6 Q. How long shall the Holy Ghost continue thus to Comfort Sanctify and Guide the Faithful A. As long as there shall any Faithful Remain in need of his Assistance Which because there will be to the End of the World therefore Christ has promised that He shall also till then continue to Conduct and Govern his Faithful Servants Jo. 14.16 Mat. xxviii 20 SECT XVI Q. WHat does the FOVRTH and Last Part of your Creed Relate to A. To the Church of Christ Its Duty and Privileges here and its future Hope of Glory and Immortality hereafter Q. What is the First Thing which you are taught to believe concerning Christ's Church A. That there is a Holy Catholick Church Q. What is that Church of which this Article speaks A. It is the Vniversal Church of Christ the General Assembly of All those who from the time of the first publishing of the Gospel to this Day have believed in Christ or shall hereafter profess his Faith to the End of the World Q. How can such a Church be the Object of our Faith A. Not as to that part of it which we see and communicate with but chiefly in these Two Respects First As we Believe by the Word of God that those who have Gone before Us in the true Faith of Christ and the Fear of his Holy Name though out of all Visible Communion at present with Us do yet Live to God and are still Members of Christ's Church though in a different State from Us and shall together with Us be gather'd into One Glorious Society at the last Day And Secondly As upon the same Grounds we do also farther believe that in all the Ages yet to come to the End of the World Christ shall continue to have a Church upon Earth So that no Power of Men or Malice of the Devil shall ever be able utterly to Root it out or to destroy it Q. How can a Society consisting of such different Members and those at so great a distance both in Time and Place from One Another yet all together make but One Church A. Because how different so ever the Members of this Church may otherwise seem to be yet they are all * United together under One Head the Lord Jesus * Are * Sanctified and Ruled by the same Holy Spirit * Endued with the same Love to God and towards One Another * Live by the same Laws * Profess the same Faith * Partake of the same Sacraments * Have the same Hope of Salvation set before them * Worship the same God by the same Advocate and Saviour Jesus Christ And as to what concerns all the true and lively Members of this Society * shall one Day be Gathered together into One actual Place and Portion in the Glorious Kingdom of God for Ever Q. Wherefore do you give this Church the Title of Catholick A. Upon several Accounts but chiefly these Two First To distinguish it from the Jewish Church which was confined to a certain People and was to continue but for a certain Time Whereas the Christian Church takes in all Mankind and is to last to the End of the World Psal. ii 8 Acts x. 34 35. Mat. xxviii 19 Mark xvi 15 Luk. xxiv 47 1 Cor. xii 13 And Secondly To shew that in this Creed which comprehends what is to be Believed by all Christians we profess not our Faith of any One determinate Church which may cease and fail such as the Church of England or Church of Rome but of the Catholick or Vniversal Church of Christ as that which shall never fail and to which alone the Promises of God belong Q. May not any One determinate Church be called the Catholick Church A. No it may not any more than London may be called England or England the Whole World The Catholick Church is the Vniversal Church and that neither Ours nor any other particular Church is nor whilst there are more such Christian Churches in the World can be But a Catholick Church a Particular Church may be called And such Ours is though that of Rome I doubt will hardly be able to make a Good Pretension to this Title any more than to the Other Q. Do you make a difference then between A Catholick Church and THE Catholick Church A. There is certainly a wide difference between them THE Catholick Church is as I before said The whole Church But A Catholick Church implies no more than a Sound part of it a Church in Communion with the Catholick Church of Christ in opposition to the Conventicles of Hereticks and Schismaticks Who whatsoever they may pretend are really no parts of the Catholick Church nor shall be consider'd by Christ as such Q. Whom do you account Hereticks and Schismaticks And how does it appear that they are not Parts of the Catholick Church A. The Catholick Church is that Church which professes the true Faith which Christ and his Apostles deliver'd to it and that if not free from All Errour whatsoever yet without any such Errours as destroy the Foundation of that Doctrine which was committed to its Custody Now a Heretick is One who not only Errs in some Matters of lesser moment but in Matters of such Consequence as subvert the very Foundation of Christianity But he who does this can never be a Member of that Church whose Doctrine he not only does not Receive but rejects And who by his Errours destroys that very Faith by which alone he can be intituled to the Character either of a true Disciple or a sound Member of Christ's Church Q. But why may not Schismaticks be accounted true Members of Christs Church A. Because none are Schismaticks but such as forsake and cut themselves off from the Communion of the Catholick Church Now it is a Contradiction that those should continue Members of the Catholick Church who by their Own voluntary departure from it have renounced the Communion of it Q. Do you look upon the Church of England to be a true part of the Catholick Church A. It certainly is Inasmuch as it professes the true Catholick Faith deliver'd in the Holy Scriptures and drawn up in the Creeds of the Church and by the most ancient Councils acknowledged to be sufficient to denominate those who profess'd according thereunto
to be truly Catholick Christians And also holds Communion with all such Churches as profess the same Faith and as far forth as they do so Q. What is your Opinion of the Church of Rome in this particular A. That she is both Schismatical and Heretical Schismatical in cutting off all Others from her Communion who will not profess her Errors and submit to her Vsurp'd Authority Heretical in professing such Doctrines as quite destroy the Foundations of Christianity and are inconsistent with that Truth which yet she pretends to maintain Q. In what Respect do you believe the Catholick Church to be Holy A. As both the * End of Christ in Gathering of it the * Rules he has given to it the * Promises he has made it * It s Sacraments * Ministry all its * Ordinances were design'd to make it Holy But especially as * All Those who are indeed the Faithful Members of it are actually Sanctify'd by the Grace of the Holy Spirit And so are truly though imperfectly Holy now and shall be made altogether Holy and without Spot hereafter Eph. 5.25 SECT XVII Q. WHat is the first Duty or Privilege belonging to those who are Members of Christ's Church A. The Communion of Saints Q. What do you mean by Saints A. Though the Word in our Language be more Restrain'd yet in that in which this Creed was composed it may indifferently denote either Holy Persons or Holy Things And this Article may very well be extended to both of Them Q. Whom do you mean by Holy Persons A. Though all Christians in General are so called in Scripture and we are Charitably to presume that All such are Holy Persons Yet by Saints we are most properly to understand such as answer the End of their Calling by a Lively Faith and a Holy Conversation in which Two the Gospel-Saintship seems to consist Q. With Whom and in what Things do you believe such Persons to have Communion A. I believe that all the true Members of Christ's Church have a Right of Fellowship or Communion with God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ as they are Received into Covenant by the One through the Death and Passion of the Other I believe that they have a Fellowship with the Holy Ghost by his Dwelling in Them and Sanctifying of Them I believe that they have Fellowship with the Holy Angels who both Minister unto them in their Exigencies and have a most tender affectionate Concern for Them I believe that they all have a Fellowship with One Another as * Members of the same mystical Body of Christ * Professors of the same Faith * Heirs of the same Promises * Guided by the same Spirit and * Governed by the same Laws And I believe that they ought as living Members * to have a Fellowship of Love and Charity also towards Each Other And Lastly I believe that they have a Right of Communicating in all the Ordinances of the Gospel In the Prayers of the Church in the Ministry of the Word and Sacraments and whatsoever else hath been ordain'd by Christ or establish'd in the Church for the common Good and Benefit of all the Members of it Q. Do you not by this Account of the present Article utterly shut out those from any part in it who yet are most commonly called Saints I mean Such as have departed this Life in the Fear of God and the Faith of Jesus Christ A. No by no means I believe them to partake in this Communion also as they are still living Members of Christ's Holy Catholick Church And therefore I believe that They have a Fellowship no less than We with God and Christ. That they are Sanctified by the same Spirit Are Visited by the Holy Angels Have some kind of Fellowship with One Another and with Vs also however separated by Death from Us. Q. Wherein do you suppose their Fellowship with Us to consist A. I look upon the Case to be much the same with Us as it is with Members of the same Civil Society upon Earth when they are in a foreign Country far distant from One Another * We are Members of the same Church * Vnited to the same Head * Sanctified by the same Spirit * Heirs of the same Promises * Shall in a little time be in the same Place and State and when the End of the World comes * we shall All be translated to the same Glory and Happiness in God's Heavenly Kingdom Q. To what Offices of Communion does this Belief oblige Us at present towards Each Other A. To the Members of Christ's Church still Living it obliges Us to Love and Charity to mutual Prayers for and Help of Each other in all such Things as may promote the Salvation of Us all How the Saints departed maintain Communion with Us We cannot tell Probable it is that they do in general pray for us as it is certain they wish well to Us. But for our selves who are yet here on Earth we must Bless God for the Grace he was pleased to bestow upon Them and by which they were delivered from the Sins and Temptations of this Evil World and enabled Faithfully to serve him unto the End We must set before Us their Examples and Imitate their Vertues We must account of them as Living Members of Christ's Body and be not only Ready but Desirous to Go to them whenever it shall please God to call for Us. We must take care decently to dispose of their Bodies and faithfully to fulfil as much as in Us lies what they have left in trust with Us to be done for Them after their departure Q. What think you of that Honour which is paid to Them in the Church of Rome A. It is not only Vain and without all Warrant from God's Word but is indeed Superstitious and Idolatrous To Pray to any Creature and He at a vast Distance from Vs In the House of God with all the Outward Marks of Adoration nay and oftentimes in the same Words and in the same Breath that We pray to God and that lastly with a Confidence that the Person so pray'd to can Hear our Prayers and Answer our Desires being evidently to Give to the Creature the Honour due to the Creator which cannot be done without the Peril of Idolatry SECT XVIII Q. WHat is the next Privilege which you believe does of Right belong to those who are the Members of Christ's Church A. The Forgiveness of Sins Q. What is Sin A. It is the Transgression of God's Law 1 Jo. iii. 4 Whether by our Omitting to do what that Required us to have done Or by Our doing any Thing contrary to its Commands Q. What mean you by the Law of God A. The Will of God howsoever made known to Us whether by the Light of our Own Consciences or by the Declarations of his Word especially that which is deliver'd to us in the Books of the New Testament Q. How does God
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