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
pure in soul and body both towards our selves and others VIII Command Q. How many things are forbidden in the either Commandement Thou shalt not steal A. Thrée 1. All desire of any mans goods wrongfully Eph. 5.5.2 All stealing robbing and unlawful getting Lev. 19.11 1 Thes 4.6 3. Vpholding of theft in others by letting them escape unpunished féeding and maintaining of théeves and idle persons Isa 1.23 2 Thes 3.10 Q. How many things are we commanded in it A. Thrée 1. To be content with that portion which the Lord hath sent us 1. Tim. 6.6 2. That we labour for our living in a lawful calling 2. Thes 3.12 3. To be helpful to them that need especially to the poor Saints both by hospitality and alms-déeds Gal. 6.10 Heb. 13.2,16 IX Command Q. What things are forbidden in the Ninth Commandement Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour A. 1. We are forbidden to speak falsely in witness bearing Prov. 19 5,2 2. To backbite or â—lander any Psal 15.3 3. To lye flatter or dissemble Eph. 4.25 Q. What are we commanded herein A. We are commanded in all things to speak and maintain truth as 1. in bearing witness 2. In plain reproving our brethren Lev. 19 12. 3. In defending his good name Phil. 10.11 c. X Command Q. What is required of you in the Tenth Câ—mmandement A. That I be truly contented with my own outward condition resting always thankful to God for my present estate and that I may not once have an unlawful lust or motion in my self or an inordinate desire to any thing that is my neighbours but for ever think good towards him rejoycing in anothers good as in our own Heb. 13.5 Phil. 4.11 1 Thes 5.18 1 Kings 21.2 Acts 26.29 Rom. 12.15 Q. Is any man able to keep the Commandements A. No 1. Because we sin the best of us in many things 2. Our best works do savour of the flesh and are defective Q. To what end serve they then A. 1. To humble us in regard of our miserable estate hereby discovered 2. To be a rule of good life into us 3. To set us awork daily to pray and cry to the Lord for mercy and for strength to live accordâ—… to his laws Q. As you have shewed me the profit of the Law so tell me why we should do good works since they cannot save us A. 1. To shew our love to God our Father in walking as becometh his children John 14.15 2. To shew our love to our selves making thereby our election certain to our selves 2 Pet. 1.10 3 To win our brethren to Christ by our godly life and conversation Mat. 5.6 1 Pet. 3.1 4 To stop the mouths of all blasphemous adversaries 1. Pet. 2.15 1 Pet. 3.16 Q. How â—ay things are principally to be considered in good works A. Thrée 1. that they be commanded in the Law of God Eph. 2.10 2 That they procéed from a heart purged by faith Heb. 11.6 Rom. 14.23 3 That they be done to Gods glory 1 Pet. 4.11 The Fourth Part of the CATECHISME concerning the LORDS PRAYER Qu. WHat is Prayer A. A calling upon God in name of Christ whereby we séek unto him to give the good things we stand in need of and to remove the evil things which our sins deserved and to give him thanks for blessings and mercies received Q. How many principal parts be there of the Lords Prayer A. Thrée 1 A Preface and Introduction to prayer in these words Our Father which art in Heaven 1. The matter of prayer contained in the six petitions 3. An assurance of that we pray for contained in the conclusion For thine is the kingdom the power and the glory for ever Amen Q. What learn you out of the Preface Our Father which art in Heaven A. Thrée things 1. He to whom we must pray is a father and no tyrant to be fled from 2. He is our Father and therefore loveth us 3. Heaven is his Throne and therefore he is able to â—elp Q. Why do you say Our Father and not my Father A 1. Because God is the Father of us all 2. To teach us to pray for others as well as for our selves Q. Why is God said to be in Henven A. Not that he is contained or included there for he fills Heaven and Earth but because his glory is most manifold as in Heaven so from Heaven * For from heaven especially the glory of his power providence and justice mercy and other attributes is declared I. Peti Q How is Gods Name said to to be Hallowed A. By acknowledging the holiness thereof and honouring it accordingly Q. What doth this word Name signifie A. Those things whereby God is made known unto us which are six especially his nature the distinction of the persons in the holy Trinity his Titles his Attributes his Word and his Works II. Peti Q What is meant by Gods Kingdoâ—… A. The peculiar Sovereignty which God hath over his Elect begun here in grace hereafter to be perfected in glory Q. How many things do you pray for in this petition Thy Kingdom come A. Four 1. That he may reign in as our hearts by the Sceptre of his Word 2 Cor. 10.5 2. That by his holy spirit he will govern us Rom. 14.17 3. That Satan and all our lusts may be overthrown Rom. 16.20 1 John 3.8 4. That he would finish these days of sin and receive us into his kingdom of glory Rev. 22.20 III. Peti Q. What do you pray for in the third Petition Thy will be done c A. That as the will of God is done in Heaven readily chéerfully and faithfully so we may faiâ—hfully believe obediently perform and patiently bear the known and revealed will of God here on earth and that in truth and sincerity of affection as it is in Heaven though we cannot in like measure and degree of persection Psal 103.20 Deut. 29.29 Heb. 10.36 2 Cor. 8.12 Q. Why must we pray to do Gods will as the Angels do it A Because one day we shall be like unto them in glory therefore we have cause to desire to be like unto them here in holiness IV. Peti Q. What is meant by this word Bread A. All manner of temporal blessings néedful for the sustentation and preservation of this life as meat drink cloth health peace and liberty c. Q. How is Bread said to be ours A. In regard of a just and true right we have thereunto which right is twofold 1. Spiritual proper to the Saints that believe in Christ 1 Cor. 3.22,23 2. Civil which is agréeable to Iustice and equity and that in the Courts of men Q. What is meant by this word daily A. Ordinary and usual bread whereof we do every day stand in néed being fittest for our nature to preserve soul and body together and to nourish and cherish us here in this life Prov. 30.8 Q. Why do you add this day A. To shew the moderation of our desire