THE CATECHISME IN THE BOOK OF Common-Prayer EXPLAINED The Third Edition Corrected and Amended 1 Pet. 3.15 Sanctifie the Lord God in your hearts and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear London Printed by T. R. and N. T. for Richard Thrale and are to be Sold under St. Martin Outwich in Bishopsgate Street 1672. THE CATECHISME IN THE Book of Common-Prayer EXPLAINED Quest Is set before many of the longest and hardest Questions c. * Is a mark of Explanation Question WHat is your name A. N. or M. Q. How many names have you A. Two a Christian and a Sirname Q. What may they put you in mind of A. Of a twofold Parentage Natural and Spiritual Q. Who are your Natural Parents A. My Father and Mother Q. Who are your Spiritual Parents A. God and his Church Q. Which of these two names are demanded of you A. My Christian name Q. Why so A. That by this name I may be put in remembrance of my Baptism wherein it was given me Q. Why was your name given you in Baptism A. That thereby I might be distinguished from other men and that I might be put in mind as often as I hear my name of the Covenant then ratified between God and me Q. VVho gave you this name A. My Godfathers and Godmothers in my Baptism wherein I was made a member of Christ the child of God and an inheritor of the Kingdom of Heaven Q. What benefit did you then receive by Baptism A. Three First I was made a member of Christ Secondly the child of God Thirdly an inheritor of the Kingdom of Heaven Q. What hath a Member relation unto A. To a Body Q. How many bodies hath Christ A. Two a Natural as we have and a Mystical Q. of which are you a member A. Of his Mystical Body Q. What Body is that A. His Church Col. 1.18 Q. What is Christ to his Church A. He only is the Head thereof Q. What doth Christ the Head for his Body the Church A. He giveth it Spiritual Life motion and direction as a head doth to the body Q. What must you feel in you to be sure that you are a true member of Christ A. That I live by him to God am mooved by his Spiriâ— and directed by his Word 2. Q. How are you made the child of God A. By the Grace of Adoption Q. How knowest thou that thou art the child of God by Grace A. Because he hath given the earnest of the Spirit into our hearts crying Abba Father which Spirit witnesseth to our spirits that we are the children of God Rom. 8.15,16 Q. Is Baptisme of that virtue that by the only outward washing thereof every one is made a member of Christ the child of God and an inheritor of the Kingdom of Heaven A. No for unless a man be born again of water and also of the Holy Ghost he cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven John 3.5 Q. Why then saist thou that by Baptism thou art made a member of Christ A. Because Baptisme is the laver of Regeneration by the power of the Spirit * And therefore we may rightly say that we are thereby made the Members of Christ and the children of God and believe the same touching all others that are baptized Q. Why is it added That we are Inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven A. Because being sons by Adoption we are heirs and heirs of God and heirs annexed with Christ Rom. 8.17 1 Pet. 1.3,4 Q. What did your Godfathers and Godmothers then for you A. They did promise and vow thrée things in my name First That I should renounce the Devil and all his works the pomps and vanities of the wicked world and all the sinful lusts of the flesh Secondly That I should believe all the Articles of the Christian Faith And Thirdly That I should keep Gods holy Will and Commandments and walk in the same all the days of my life 1. Q. How are you to renounce the Devil A. By refusing to hearken to any of his wicked suggestions Q. How are you to renounce the world A. By withdrawing mine affections from the honors riches pleasures and other contentments which the world affordeth as they are a means to draw me from God 1 John 2.15 Q. How are you to renounce the lusts of the flesh A. By denying satisfaction to my own natural desires and affections so far as they are any way repugnant to the Word of God Rom. 13.14 Q. Dost thou think that thou art bound to do as they have promised for thee A. Yes verily and by Gods help so I will and I heartily thank our Heavenly Father that he hath called me to this state of Salvation through Iesus Christ our Saviour And I pray God to give me his Grace that I may continue in the same unto my lives end Q. Art thou able to perform all these things A. Not of my self but in some measure I am enabled thereunto by Gods Grace Phil. 4.13 Q. What dost thou chiefly learn out of the Articles of your belief A. First I learn to believe in God the Father who hath made me and all the world Secondly in God the Son who hath redéemed me and all mankind Thirdly in God the Holy Ghost who sanctifieth me and all the elect people of God 1. Q. What is God A. God is a Spirit invisible incompreâ—…ensible infinite eternal and Almighty one in nature and substance but distinguished into three persons the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost John 4.24 John 1.18 Job 11.7 Isa 40.12,13 Deut 6.4 Mat. 3.16,17 1 John 5.7 Q. For what end did God make all things A. For the praise of his great power goodness wisdom perfection and glory Rev. 4.11 Prov. 16.4 Q. What was man especially made of A. Man consists of Body and Soul the first mans body was made of the dust of the earth but our Bodies come by generation and are with his mortal and both his and all our Souls by inspiration and are immortal Q. How can our Souls be sinful that come not by propagation but by inspiration A. 1. For that Adams Soul was deputy for all Souls of men naturally begotten 2. Because man sinned and man is not man before body and soul be knit together which being conjoyned become together as man partakers of mans fall and corruption Q. In what state was man first created A. In the Image of God that is to say holy and righteous enjoying the favour of God and all happiness Gen. 1.27 Eph. 4.14 Q. How did man fall from this estate that is deface the Image of God and lofe his favour A. By the transgression of our first Parents who eating of the forbidden fruit both themselves and in them all mankind became first guilty of eternal death and liable both to temporal and spiritual miseries Secondly deprived of original righteousness Thirdly corrupt in