Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
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A66289
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The principles of the Christian religion explained in a brief commentary upon the church catechism. By William Wake, D.D. rector of St. James Westminster, and Chaplain in Ordinary to His Majesty.
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Wake, William, 1657-1737.
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1699
(1699)
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Wing W258; ESTC R217651
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113,834
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200
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forgotten by Them And therefore it was highly necessary that the LORD should in the very first Place caution his People against this Folly and Idolatry Q. How many ways may a Man have Others for their Gods besides the LORD A. By as many ways as we are capable of shewing that We have Him for our God Namely First by Thinking of them as God and Secondly by Worshipping of them as Such Q. Is it possible for any Man who knows and worships the LORD to have any Other God besides him A. So this Commandment evidently Supposes and so indeed it may easily enough be There being nothing so Unreasonable which an immoderate Superstition is not capable of leading sometimes even Wise-men into And therefore not only God here gives this Caution to the Jews but St. Paul in like manner forewarns even the Christians to whom he preached to flee from Idolatry 1 Cor. x. 14 and not to keep Company with a Brother that is a Christian who was Guilty of it 1 Cor. v. 11 Q. How can this be seeing He who knows and believes aright of God must know and believe that there neither is nor can be any God besides Him A. Would Men always Act consistently to their Own Knowledge and Profession it would then indeed be Impossible for those who had a Right Notion of God to have any Other God besides Him But as in Other Cases Men may know very well what their Duty is and yet Act contrary to it so it is certain that they not only may but have done in the Case before Us. In short Whosoever gives Divine Honour to any Being does thereby profess that Being to be God as much as He who swears Allegiance to any Person does by such his Action Recognize that Person for his Prince Now such an Honour Religious Prayer and Invocation without all controversy are Yet these the Church of Rome does publickly and solemnly Pay to Others besides the LORD and by so doing shews to all the World that She has Other Gods besides Him Q. What do you then suppose to be the full import of this Second Part of the present Commandment A. That we should neither Believe in Account of or Worship any Other as God besides the LORD Whether it be by Forsaking Him and Falling off altogether to Idolatry or by Giving the Honour of God to Any Other Being together with Him SECT XXIII Q. WHAT is the Second Commandment A. Thou shalt not make to thy self any Graven Image c. Q. How does this Commandment differ from the Foregoing A. The Design of the First Commandment was to determine and set us Right in the Object of our Religious Worship and to prevent Us from giving Divine Honour to any besides the true God The Design of this is to direct Us in the Manner of worshipping Him that so we may not only serve the true God but may serve him after such a Manner as he Requires and is most sitting for Us to do Q. What is the full Import of this Commandment A. It is this First * That we must not make any Image of God at all be our Design what it will in making of it Nor Secondly * That of any Other Being with an Intention to pay any Honour or Worship to it Q. Do you think it utterly Unlawful to make any Image at all of God A. It is certainly Unlawful and is in many Places of Scripture expresly forbidden as being highly dishonourable to the Infinite Nature and Majesty of God and of Great danger and harm to Us. See Deut. iv 15 Isai. xl 18 xlii 8 Rom. i. 23 Q. What think you of the Image of Christ may that be made without offending against this Commandment A. Christ being Man as well as God his Body may certainly be aptly enough Represented by an Image nor would it be any Sin so to do provided that No Use were made of any such Image in any part of our Religious Worship But to Represent God the Father in a Graven Image to paint the Holy Trinity and that in so profane a manner as it has often been done in the Church of Rome is certainly a Great Sin and a Great Scandal and directly contrary to the Intention of this Commandment Q. Do you then look upon all Vse of Images in God's Service to be Vnlawful A. I do account it contrary to the Prohibition of this Commandment and by consequence Vnlawful And therefore when Aaron first and afterwards Jeroboam made Use of them for this purpose we find how highly God was pleased to Resent it and with what detestation it is condemn'd in the Holy Scriptures Exod. xxxii 1 Kings xii 30 xiii 34 Psal. cvi 20 Q. What say you to the Practice of the Church of Rome in this particular A. That it is Scandalous and Intolerable There having never been greater Idolatry committed among the Heathen in the business of Image-Worship than has been committed in that Church and is by Publick Authority still practised by it especially in the Ceremony of their Good-Friday Cross-Worship Q. Do you think they are so foolish as to Worship the Cross or is it Idolatry to worship Christ in presence of the Cross A. If we may either believe their Own Words or judge by their Actions they Adore the Cross as well as Christ and Both alike and with the same Worship As for the new pretence of worshipping Christ in Presence of the Cross it is a meer delusion contrived only to cheat ignorant People And carries just as much sense in it as if you should ask whether it were lawful to say your Prayers in Presence of a Post or to write a Letter in the Presence of a Candlestick the Nonsense of which there is no One so dull as not to discover Q. What is the Positive Duty Required of Us in this Commandment A. To worship God after a manner suitable to his Divine Nature and Excellencies God is a Spirit and whoso will Worship Him aright must do it in Spirit and in Truth Jo. iv 24 Rom. xii 1 Comp. Mat. xv 8 9. Q. How has God enforced these Commandments A. He has done it after a very singular Manner By declaring 1st That He is a jealous God Acts xvii 29 and will not suffer His Glory to be given to Another neither his Praise to Graven Images Isai. xlii 8 But 2dly Will Visit this Sin not only upon Those who commit it but on their Posterity also to the Third and Fourth Generation As on the Other side 3dly To those who are Careful to Worship Him as they ought to do He will shew abundant Mercy in this present Time and in the World to come Give them Life Everlasting Q. Can it consist with the Justice of God to Punish One for the Sin of Another A. No certainly nor does God here threaten any such thing But God who is the great LORD of the whole World may so punish a Man for his Sins
Credit or Countenance that is given to Them * all Counterfeiting of Hands and Seals or any Other Writings to His Prejudice All * Tale-bearing * Rash-speaking and * Censuring All * Credulity or being Ready to believe what is Evil of our Neighbour All * Encouragement that is Given to those who are apt to speak Evil of Other Men. Q. What is Required of Us by this Commandment A. To be Religiously strict in speaking Truth of our Neighbour * Not Only to take care that what we say be true but that by our manner of delivering it by our flourishing upon it or Otherwise Circumstantiating of it we do not give Occasion to any to Mistake Us. * To be charitable both in what We hear and say of Other Men. * To Vindicate their Reputation as far as fairly we can and to * hold our Tongues at least not to * Aggravate their Faults where we cannot SECT XXXII Q. WHat is the last Commandment A. Thou shalt not Covet thy Neighbours House Thou shalt not Covet thy Neighbours Wife Nor his Servant nor his Maid nor his Ox nor his Ass nor Any thing that is His. Q. What is the Sin forbidden in this Commandment A. The Vnlawful Desire of what is Another Man's Q. When is such a Desire Vnlawful A. When it puts Men on any deliberate Thoughts and Contrivances to obtain that which is Anothers without the Consent and Allowance of Him to whom it belongs Q. What if a Man's Desire be so bounded as not to put him upon any undue Means to Obtain what is Another Man's A. If it be so bounded within the Use of Lawful Means that He is determined not to make use of any other tho' he should never obtain it it is not Sinful As if Ahab had only desired Naboth's Vineyard for the Convenience of it and as soon as he saw that Naboth would not part with it had Rested in the Refusal and Gone no farther he would have done nothing Amiss But if a Man's Desire be Violent and Vnreasonable if it makes him Resolve to compass what he Covets by any means if fair means will not do to have it by foul Ones such a Desire as this is Sinful And therefore when Ahab grew discontented at Naboth's Refusal and after that the Malice and Cunning of Jezebel had destroy'd him went down and took possession of it the Event shew'd his Coveting to have been Criminal and that his Desire was as Inordinate as the Event was Tragical Q. What think you of such a Desire as tho' it be Violent and Immoderate yet is presently Suppress'd and does not proceed to any Wicked Resolutions Endeavours or Actions in Order to the Accomplishment of what it Covets A. St. James seems to warrant us to think favourably of it Jam. i. 14 15. Yet it cannot be doubted but that all such Desires proceed from an Evil Principle within Us and we ought to Watch all we can even against the first Motions of them and suppress them Mat. v. 28.29 30. Q. What is the Duty Required in this Commandment A. Contentment with our Estate whatsoever it be so as neither to Murmur against God nor to Envy our Neighbour upon the account of any thing which He possesses There being nothing more Certain than that He who is not satisfied with what Himself Enjoys will be apt upon every Occasion criminally to Covet what is Another Man's SECT XXXIII Q. WE have now done with the several Branches of that Duty which God Requires of Us and which our Godfathers and Godmothers promised at our Baptism that we should fulfil Is there any thing yet Remaining necessary to be known by Us in Order to our Salvation A. Yes there is namely To understand what those Means are which God has Ordain'd for the conveying of his Grace to Us and to enable Us to fulfil that Duty which He has Required of Us. Q. By what means may we obtain the Grace of God in order to this End A. Chiefly by these two Hearty Prayer to God for it and a Right Use of the Holy Sacraments Q. What is Prayer A. It is a Religious Calling upon God founded upon the Belief both of his Infinite Knowledge Power and Presence and of his Gracious Goodness and Mercy towards Us in Jesus Christ And by virtue whereof He is not only always Present with Vs to Hear and Receive our Prayers Thoroughly Acquainted with All our Needs and fully Able to Supply them but is also most willing and ready so to do if We call upon Him as we ought to do Q. Upon what is the Necessity of our Praying to God founded A. Besides that it is a part of that Religious Worship which it behoves Us to Pay to Him and being publickly Perform'd is One of the Highest Acts of Outward Honour that we are capable of Giving to him it is necessarily Establish'd upon these Two Principles First A due Sense of our Own Weakness and Wants And Secondly A firm Belief that God is both Able and Willing to Relieve Us. Q. What are the Wants which we chiefly need to have Supply'd by God A. There is Nothing wherein we do not stand in need of his Support Our Life Health Food and Raiment all that we have or hope to Enjoy in our present Estate proceeds from him and We do in all These intirely depend upon his Providence But that for which we ought to be more especially concern'd and have yet more need to beg the Divine Assistance is for the supplying of our Spiritual Wants That God would Enable Us to fulfil our Duty towards Him and thereby 〈…〉 would Qualify Us for his Favour at the present and for his Pardon and Acceptance when we Come to die Q. Are we not able of our Selves to fulfil our Duty towards God as we ought to do A. So far from it that we cannot have so much as any Saving Knowledge of it or Desire after it without the Concurrence of his Grace to Open our Vnderstandings to Purify our Affections to Regulate our Wills and to prepare us both to Believe and Do according to his Good Pleasure Q. By what Means may we be Enabled to Live according to God's Commandments A. By the Special Grace of the Holy Spirit which he never denies to any Christian who heartily Prays for it and duly Improves that Portion of it which God has before bestow'd upon him Q. Does God always Answer the Prayers that are made to Him A. He does if they are made after such a Manner as he Requires and for Such Things as He sees to be Expedient for Us unless he should have some extraordinary Reason to Refuse Us In which Case though he may not Grant Us the very Things which we desire yet He will recompense Us the more abundantly in Some Other way Q. After what Manner ought we to Pray to God A. With Faith