also hath made us able Ministers of the New Testament not of the Letter but of the Spirit for the Letter killeth but the Spirit giveth life CHAP. II. QV There is indeed but one God but hath not that God declared himself to be as one in Essence so three in subsistence the Father the Word and the Spirit Answ Isa 61.1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me therefore hath the Lord anointed me Gen. 1.26 And God said let us make man in our Image chap. 3.22 And the Lord God said behold the man is become as one of us chap. 11.6.7 and the Lord God said let us go down 1 Ioh. 1.1.7 for there are three which bear record in heaven the Father the Word and the Spirit and these three are one Mat. 28.16 Go therefore and teach all Nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Ghost Ioh. 15.26 but when the Comforter shall come whom I will send unto you from the Father even the Spirit of Truth which proceedeth of the father he shall testifie of me Ioh. 14.26 But the Comforter which is the holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my name he shall teach you all things 2 Cor. 13.13 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the holy Ghost be with you all Amen Titus 3.5 6. But when the bountifulness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared he saved us by the washing of the new birth and the renewing of the holy Ghost which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour Gal. 4.6 And because ye are sons God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts Quest The Father indeed is God and also the Son is God and the Spirit is God of which in its proper place only here repeat one Scripture already named Answ 1 John 5.7 For there are three which bear record in heaven the father the Word and the Spirit and those three are one Quest When God is said to be in a certain place in Scripture as Psal 115.3 Our God is in the heavens and such like places is he so there as to be circumscribed comprehended as included or so there as are the Creatures there and not elsewhere then there how then is God infinite or is he infinite what saith the Scripture Answ 1 Kingt 8.27 ' But will God indeed dwell on the earth Behold the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee how much less this house that I have builded Psal 139.7 Whither shall I go from thy Spirit or Whither shall I flee from thy presence If I ascend up into Heaven thou art there If I make my bed in hell behold thou art there If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea even there shall thy hand lead me and thy right hand shall hold me Isa 66.1 Thus saith the Lord The heaven is my Throne and the earth is my footstool where is the house that ye builded unto me or where is the place of my rest for all those things hath my hand made Isa 40.12 Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and meted out heaven with a span and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in Scales or the hills in a balance Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord Jer. 23 24. Am I a God at hand saith the Lord and not a God afar off can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him saith the Lord do not I fill heaven and earth sa th the Lord Quest When we read of the Image of God as Gen. 1 26 27. Let us make man in our Image after our likeness c. the similitude of God or the person of God in Scripture doth it prove that God is corporeal and visible as man is what is meant by the Image of God what say other Scriptures Answ Col. 3.10 Renewed in knowledge after the Image of him that created him Ephes 4.24 And put on the new man which after God is renewed in righteousness and true holiness Joh. 6.46 Not that any man hath seen the Father Joh. 1.18 No Man hath seen God at any time 1 John 4.12 No man hath seen God at any time Exod. 33.20 Moreover he said Thou canst not see my face 1 Tim. 6.16 Who only hath immortality and dwelleth in the light that no man can attain unto whom never man saw nor can see to whom be honour and power everlasting Amen Quest When we read in Scripture of affections and passions as love hatred repentance anger c. attributed to God in Scripture as the anger of the Lord was kindled it repented the Lord c. may we think thereby that God is subject to change as is man or else speaks the Scripture in order to our capacity and apprehensions what saith the Scripture Answ 1 Joh. 1.5 God is light and in him there is no darkness Gen. 28.19 God is not as man that he should lye neither as the Son of man that he should repent hath he said and shall he not do it hath he spoken and shall he not accomplish it James 1.17 Every good giving and every perfect gift is from above from the Father of lights with whom is no variableness nor shaddow of turning Psal 33.11 The counsel of the Lord shall stand for ever and the thoughts of his heart throughout all ages Isaiah 46.10 My counsel shall stand and I will do whatsoever I will as I have spoken so will I bring it to pass I have purposed I will do it Quest Touching expressions we meet with in Scripture of Gods tempting of Abraham and having tried him now he knew that he feared God Gen. 22.1 to the 10. that God proves his people to see whither they will walk in his way or no or repenting him of good and evil upon his peoples sins or return of trying them to know what was in their heart and such like places do they prove any such free actions of ours or that God knoweth not till they come to pass or rather speaks the Scripture after the manner of men would not such doctrine destroy the Omnisciency of God what saith the Scripture to this thing Answ Heb. 4.13 Neither is there any creature which in not manifest in his sight but all thinge are naked and open unto his eyes with whom we have to do Psal 139.2 6 7 11 13 16. Oh Lord thou understandest my thoughts afar off thy knowledge is too wonderfull for me It is so high that I cannot attain unto it If I say the darkness shall hide me even the night shall be light round about me yea the darkness hideth not from thee but the night shineth as the day the darkness and light are both alike My bones are not hid from thee though I was not made in a secret place thine eyes
hear and not understand c. In Acts its quoted well said the holy Ghost by Esaias the Prophet go unto this people and say by hearing ye shall hear and not understand Heb. 9.14 The etternal Spirit 1 Cor. 3.16 Know ye not that ye are the Temple of God and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you 1 Cor. 6.19 Know you not that your body is the Temple of the holy Ghost which dwelleth in you therefore glorifie God in your body and in your Spirit for they are Gods 2 Cor. 6.16 And what Agreement hath the Temple of God with Idols for ye are the Temple of the living God Acts 5.3 4. Then said Peter Ananias why hath Satan filled thy heart that thou shouldest lye unto the holy Ghost Thou hast not lyed unto man but unto God Esay 40.9 Say unto the Cities of Judah behold your God ver 10. behold the Lord God will come with power ver 13. who hath instructed the Spirit of the Lord or was his Councellour ver 15. Behold the Nations are as a drop of a bucket and are counted as the dust of the ballance Behold he takes away the sles as a little dust vers 17. All Nations before him are as nothing less then nothing and vanity ver 18. To whom then will ye liken God Luke 1.3 And the Angel said the holy ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the most high shall overshadow thee the Spirit of God hath made me 1 John 1.5 7. Three bear Record in heaven and these three are one Mat. 28.19 Go teach all Nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Ghost Gen. 1.2 And the Spirit of God moved upon the waters 1 Cor. 12.1 Now concerning gifts vers 4. There are diversities of gifts but the same Spirit vers 6. And there are diversities of operations but God is the same which worketh all in all ver 8 9. To one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit to another faith by the same Spirit to another the gift of healing by the same Spirit vers 11. All these things worketh the self-same Spirit distributing to every one severally as he will Mat 12.28 31.32 I cast out Devils by the Spirit of God therefore I say unto you every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men but the blasphemy of the holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men and whosoever speaketh against the holy Ghost it shal not be forgiven him either in this world or the world to come Quest Are there not some workings of the Spirit in the hearts of men already regenerate that are extraordinary and miraculous such as in the Acts which is called receiving the holy Ghost the holy Ghost falling upon them c. in use for confirmation of the primitive Church some that are proper to such a state as the Spirit of Adoption Because ye are Sons God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son of Consolation so the Spirit is called the Comforter which Christ prays shall be sent of assurance and evidence after ye believed ye were fealed with the holy Spirit of promise if there be and that this is the meaning of such Scriptures do they then prove that Regeneration Conversion and the first beginnings of grace are in us without the working of the Spirit until after as our Catechist would insinuate or else do they prove only the further and gradual workings of the Spirit what say the Scriptures Answ 2 Cor. 3.8 The Gospel by which we are converted is called the Ministration of the Spirit Joh. 3.5 Except a man be born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God Mat. 3.12 I baptize you with water unto amendment of life but he that cometh after me will baptize you with the holy Ghost and with fire Ioel 2.28 I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh 2 Cor. 6.11 18. But ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are purified in the name of our Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God 1 Ioh. 3.24 No man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the holy Ghost Rom. 8.2 The Law of the Spirit of life which is in Christ Jesus hath freed me from the Law of sin and death CHAP. VI. QVest That Scripture Rom. 5.10 We shall be saved by his life is it so to be understood as Saints ought not to expect salvation by the death of Christ as Biddle insinuates What say other Scriptures to this thing Answ Rom. 8.3 God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh condemned sin in the flesh Heb. 2.9 14 15. that he by the grace of God should taste death for all men that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death that is the Devil and deliver them who through fear of death were all their life-time subject to bondage 2 Cor. 5.14 If one dyed for all then were all dead and that he died for all that they that live should not henceforth live unto themselves but unto him which dyed for them and rose again 1 Tim. 2.6 who gave himself a ransom for all men Mat. 20.28 The Son of man came not to be ministred unto but to minister and give his life a ransom for many Mat. 26.28 For this is my blood of the New Testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins Heb. 9.28 Christ wat once offered to bear the sins of many Esay 53.11 By knowledge shall my righteous servant Justifie many for he shall bear their iniquities Eph. 5.25 Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it without blood there is no remission he dyed for us and gave himself for us Eph. 1.7 We have redemption through his blood Heb. 9.12 But by his own blood entred he once into the holy place and obtained redemption for us Heb. 13.13 Therefore even Jesus that he might sanctifie his own people by his own blood suffered without the gate 1 Pet. 1.18 19 Knowing ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold but with the precious blood of Christ 1 Iohn 1.7 And the blood of Iesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin Rev. 1.5 Who hath washed us from our sins in his own blood Rom. 4.25 Isa 53.5 He was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities 1 Cor. 15.3 Christ dyed for our sins according to the Scriptures he laid on him the iniquities of us all Quest But how is the other Question of Christ his being given raised and exalted by another to be a Saviour according to those Scriptures a name given exalted to be a Saviour raised unto Israel a Saviour to be understood Answ As are those Scriptures in the fourth Chapter of the humanity of Christ else the Scripture tels us 1 Tim. 2 6. He gave himself a ransom he gave himself for us CHAP. VIII QVest Whereas he
Ordinance of Baptism administred in the Element of water Answ Mark 1.9.10 And it came to pass in those days that Iesus came from Nazareth a City of Galilee and was baptized of Iohn in Iordan and assoon as he was come out of the water Iohn saw the heavens cleaving in twain and the holy Ghost descending on him like a Dove Mrt. 3.13 to the end Then came Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto Iohn to be baptized of him but Iohn earnestly put him back saying I have need to be baptized of thee and comest thou to me Then answering Iesus said Let it be now for thus it becomes us to fulfil all righteousness so he suffered him and Iesus when he was baptized came straight out of the water and lo the heavens were opened unto him and Iohn saw the the Spirit of God descending like a Dove and lighting on him and lo a voice came from heaven saying This is my welbeloved Son in whom I am well pleased CHAP. XXIV QVest Well were it for the Heresie of former ages and of this if the last thing in the Catechism were true fitly brought if believed to lull asleep the present torments of a checking Conscience which will work in the heart of such as maliciously sin against the truth but alas they cannot but know the greater is their present sentence and receipt of Iudgement and fiery indignation which shall devour such adversaries Heb. 10.26 27. They have a lye in their right hand It is most fitly added therefore as a close hereto The thing is this then in one word dreadful enough whereas we read of a lyar ought to have a good memory see the last Question of the third Chapter death opposed to everlasting life the second death destruction perdition Hell-fire c. Is it as I know Biddle could wish such a death as immediately maketh the Creature cease to be and dye as doth a beast and so that the height of their misery were that they should not be happy to say they should dye and that 's all or else more truly according to Scripture doth this death second death destruction damnation hell fire c. consist in eternity of torments and everlasting death so that damnation is a life though miserable in opposition to which salvation is only called eternal life Two or three Scriptures and so end Answ Isa ult ult And they shall go forth and look on the carkasses of the men that have transgressed against me for their worm shall not dye neither shall their fire be quenched and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh Mark 9.42 to the 48. And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me it were better for him that a Milstone were hanged about his neck and that he were cast into the sea Wherefore if thy hand cause thee to offend cut it off it is better for thee to enter into life maimed then having two hands to go into hell into the fire that never shall be quenched where the worm dyeth not and the fire never goeth out likewise if thy foot cause thee to offend cut it off it is better for thee to go halt into life then having two feet to be cast into hell into the fire that never shall be quenched where the worm dyeth not and the fire goeth not out and if thy eye cause thee to offend pluck it out it is better for thee to go into the kingdom of God with one eye then having two eyes to be cast into hell fire where the worm dyeth not and the fire never goeth out Mat. 25.41 46 verses Then shall he say to them on the left hand depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire which is prepared for the Devil and his Angels and these shall go into everlasting pain and the righteous into life eternal FINIS