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A64986 An explicatory catechism: or, An explanation of the assemblies shorter catechism Wherein those principles are enlarged upon especially, which obviate the great and growing errors of Popery; useful for those families that desire to hold fast the form of sound words. Vincent, Thomas, 1634-1678. 1675 (1675) Wing V434; ESTC R220763 119,453 302

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in the Prison to the Spirits but to the Spirits in Prison The difference betwixt these two expressions is very great He preached to them in the daies of Noah who were in Prison in the daies of the Apostles He Preached to them out of Prison that are now in Prison which is nothing to their purpose Object 3. Mat. 12. 32. Whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man it shall be forgiven him but whoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven him neither in this world neither in the world to come Hence they argue that some sins shall be forgiven in the world to come A. Not to be forgiven in this world nor in the world to come is as much as shall never be forgiven so Matthew explains himself Mat. 12. 31. And so Mark doth express it Mark 3. 29. Read the places O●ject 4. They urge Mat. 5. 25 26. read the place This Prison saith Bellarmine is Purgatory out of which after the Debt is paid the Debtor shall go forth A. 1. Some understand the place literally and if it be so understood it is altogether impertinent to the matter in hand 2. If the place be taken in a spiritual sense by the Prison must necessarily be understood Hell and not Purgatory whence the Debtor shall never come forth because no meer man by his suffering can in a finite time satisfie the infinite offended Justice of God 3. And that which may be an argument to them they interpret other Scriptures where they meet with the like phrases in the same sense we understand this very place see Mat. 1. 25. Gen. 8. 7. Deut. 34. 6. 1 Sam. 15. 35. and 2 Sam. 6. 23. So that in brief in the literal sense it is impertinent and in the spiritual sense it must needs be understood of Hell whence there is no Redemption Q. How many sorts of Prayers are there A. Three viz. Closet Family and Publick Q What do you mean by Closet-Prayer A. Entring into our Closet alone and praying unto our Father in secret Q. Why is Closet-Prayer necessary A. Because those that pray after the manner of Hypocrites to be seen of men have their reward But if we pray to the Father in secret our Father which seeth in secret shall reward us openly Q. And must we in our Closet-Prayers pray both for our selves and others A. Yes Q. When you say you are to pray for others what do you mean by it A. That we ought to pray for all in the Land of the living which is the only Land of hope yea though they be the greatest sinners and such Prisoners as are bound with the bands and setters of their sins they are Prisoners of hope if they have not sinned the sin unto death and we ought to pray for them Q. What do you mean by Family-Prayer A. Praying in and with our Families for our selves and others Q. Why ought we to pray in our Families A. Because God will pour out his fury upon the Families that call not on his Name as having on them the mark and brand of the accursed Heathens Ier. 10. 25. Q. What mean you by Publick-Prayer A. Praying in and with the publick Assemblies for our selves and others Q. Ought not publick prayer to be preferred above all Family-private-prayer A. Yes because every particular Believer hath special interest and power with God and doth prevail with him for all desireable blessings and a multitude of Believers assembled together in publick will have a greater interest and power with God in Prayer than a few met together in a private Family And therefore publick-prayer ought to be and will be preferred by all that regard their own interest above any Family-private-prayer whatsoever Q. Whom doth the Preface of the Lords Prayer teach us to pray unto A. To our Father who is in Heaven Q. And do we by this appellation express our reverence to him and our Faith in him that his Goodness Will and his Power can grant our requests for our selves and others A. Yes Q. But when mention is made of the Father do you exclude the Son or the Holy Ghost from being prayed unto A. No. Q How and in what order are we to direct our Prayers to the persons of the blessed Trinity And whether may we not single out any one of the Persons to whom we may direct more immediately such or such a Prayer A. The case hath so much difficulty in it that a short answer must not be exp●cted to so great questions as are couched in it yet we will endeavour to give an answer thereunto as briefly as we can in these following Conclusions Some of which will be of use to us as rules of direction to lead us into the sound knowledge of these and other mysteries of the Gospel 1. That in all parts of divine worship and so in this of Prayer the Trinity in Unity and Unity in Trinity is to be worshipped and respected Or That we ought so to think of God in Prayer as one in Essence yet three in Persons and so as three in Persons that he is but one in Essence 2. That we ought so to think in Prayer of some one Person in the Trinity as thereby to be led to the other two The Father being in the Son and the Son in the Father and the Holy Ghost in them both 3. That in order we are first to direct our Prayers to the blessed Father yet not as first or chief in honour and dignity above the other two but as first in order of subsisting according as the Scripture in two places where the order of the blessed Persons is set down the Father is first set down in order of witnessing 1 Ioh. 5. 7. and invocation and worship Mat. 28. 19. 4. In singling out any one Person in the blessed Trinity we are to pitch most usually on the Father as he to whom we direct our Prayers through the mediation of Christ and by the help of the Holy Ghost That is the Rule and method prescribed by Christ to ask the Father in his Name Ioh. 16. 23. and suitable is and hath been the usual practice of the Saints And yet in such directings of Prayers most what as to the Father in the general intention of their Spirits do the Saints mind and eye the other two Persons and include them as joyntly worshipped and therefore in their Prefaces of Prayer they do oftimes mention expresly that blessed God one in Essence yet three in Persons as he to whom they speak and in the close they subscribe glory to the blessed Father Son and Spirit three Persons yet one God c. 5. We may single out the Son of God the Lord Jesus Christ as he to whom we occasionally present some special request either by way of Apostrophe whilst we are directing our Prayers to the Father or in way of Ej●culation as did Stephen Acts 7. 59. Lord Iesus receive my Spirit And so
in the instance of that short prayer of the Converted Thief Luke 23. 42. Lord remember me when thou comest into thy Kingdom and so in that short Prayer of Iacob's The Angel which redeemed me from all evil bless the Lads Gen. 48. 16. this Angel was Christ And in more continued and solemn manner did Abraham pray to that Angel Gen. 18. To him did Iacob pray again and make supplication by the space almost of the whole night and had power over him Gen. 32. from Verse 24. to the end compared with Hos. 12. 3 4. And the Reasons hereof are evident 1. Because Prayer is a divine worship of God as God and therefore due to the Son and so to the Holy Ghost as well as to the Father Rom. 10. 13 14. 2. We are Baptized into the Name of the Son and the Holy Ghost as well as into the Name of the Father and therefore both the Son and the Holy Ghost may be particularly and personally invocated and worshipped as well as the Father 3. We are to believe in the Son and so in the Holy Ghost as well as in the Father and that personally and particularly and therefore so are to pray to either That which the Apostle expoundeth of the Gentiles trusting in Christ Rom. 15. 12. the Prophet expressed of their seeking to him Isa. 11. 10. So that they are inseparably due to one and the same Christ upon one and the same ground see Rom. 10. 13 14. before mentioned It is supposed that he on whom men call he must be believed on or else he cannot be called upon by any and when the Apostle in the 13. Verse mentions the Name of the Lord as that which is called upon he in Verse 14. expounds it to be meant of the Lord himself to call upon the Lords Name is to call upon himself 4. The Lord Jesus promiseth that he will do what we ask Ioh. 16. 23 24. and therefore he may be sought to do the same and indeed he proveth himself to be equal with the Father by this argument because Petitions shall not only be granted in his Name but by him Neither doth he make account that this is any disparagement to the Father but a glorifying of him and therefore when he saith Iob. 17. 1. Father glorifie thy Son he immediately adds that thy Son also may glorifie thee What is said to prove that in our Prayers we may single out the Son of God may serve to prove the same may be done to the Holy Ghost Obj. Against this which hath been said it may be objected we are to ask all we do ask in the Name of Christ and therefore how can we be said to ask him or Pray to him A. 1. The Lord Jesus Christ is asked or prayed unto in that prayer that is put up to the Father in his Name Iob. 16 23. Christ speaking of the time after his Resurrection and Ascension saith In that day ye shall ask me nothing or which is all one Verily ye shall ask the Father nothing in my Name but be will give it you He is glorified as God in that all is done with God in his Name and for his Father For albeit it be sometimes said For Abraham and David's sake God will do this or that yet this is meant in reference to Gods Covenant of Grace with them and so to Christ properly in whom that Covenant is ratified Gal. 3. 17. They called on the Name of the Lord Iesus Christ in every place 1 Cor. 1. 2. Yet surely they brake not that Rule Iob. 16. 23. They called on the Father in Christs Name even in their calling upon God in his Name and Christ as God is also called upon in that his Father as God is called upon 2. In all external worship of God one Person of the Trinity being Named the other are understood and are not to be excluded the Trinity being undivided in worship 3. If Christ be considered as the Son of God in Essence with the Father He is he to whom we come c. Coming in Prayer to the Father If considered as Mediator God incarnate God and Man He is he by whom we come to the Father Heb. 7. 25. and 1 Tim. 2. 5. As the Son of God He may be he must be prayed to which is God and Man in one Person but is not prayed to as Man but as God Q. 2. What are those Petitions which you offer up to God the Father Son and Holy Ghost A. They are Six In the three first we more immediately respect Gods glory in the three last our own good Q. 101. What do we pray for in the first Petition A. In the first Petition which is Hallowed by thy Name we pray that God would enable us and others to glorifie him in all that whereby he maketh himself known and that he would dispose all things to his own glory Explic. Q. Which is the first Petition A. Hallowed be thy Name Q. What is it to Hallow Gods Name A. To glorifie him in all that whereby he makes himself known viz. His Titles Attributes Ordinances Word and Works all which are explained particularly in the third Commandment Q. Are we to pray that God would enable us and others thus to glorifie him A. Yes Q. And that he would dispose all things in his all-wise over-ruling providence to his own glory A. Yes Q. And do we pray in this first Petition that God may be known to be what be is and accordingly esteemed worshipped and praised in word and deed throughout the world A. Yes Q. 10● What do we pray for in the second Petition A. In the second Petition which is Thy Kingdom come we pray that Satans Kingdom may be destroyed that the Kingdom of Grace may be advanced our selves and others brought into it and kept in it and that the Kingdom of Glory may be hastened Explic. Q Which is the second Petition A. Thy Kingdom come Q. In this Petition whose Kingdom do we pray against A. The Kingdom of Satan Q. How manifold is the Kingdom of Satan A. Twofold 1. That within viz. The rule Satan hath in the hearts of men by Nature 2. That without consisting in an open ad●ncement of false Doctrine Worship and Prophaneness Q. And are we to pray that the Kingdom of Satan in both these senses may be destroyed A. Yes Q. Whose Kingdom do we pray for A. The Kingdom of God Q. How manifold is the Kingdom of God A. Twofold The Kingdom of Grace and the Kingdom of Glory Q. What are we to pray for in reference to the Kingdome of Grace A. That it may be advanced Q. How is the Kingdom of Grace advanced A. By our selves and others being brought into it and kept in it Q. How manifold is the Kingdom of Grace A. Twofold 1. That within viz. The rule which God hath in the hearts of his people by his Word Grace and