A. Carefully to practice Holiness ourselves and by all means to take heed of Schisms Divisions and Separations from Gods Church for thereby we shall lose all visible Hopes of Salvation Catechist I therefore a prisoner of the Lord saith the Apostle Eph. 4.1 beseech you that ye walk worthy of the Vocation wherewith ye are called with all lowliness and meekness endeavoring to keep the Vnity of the Spirit in the Bond of peace that is Unity in Spiritual things For as he goes on argumentatively There is one Body and one Spirit one Faith one Lord one Baptism One God and Father of all All which Ones the Apostle argueth should oblige us to be One to keep fast the Unity and by no means to separate from the one Body the Church And indeed to divide from the one Church and fall into Schisms is a sort of renouncing this Article of our Creed I Believe the one Catholick Church We cannot verily heartily believe this unless we follow the Apostles Rule Rom. 16.17 I beseech you Brethren Mark them which cause Divisions among you and avoid them And need we had to do so for there is great Truth in the old saying Out of the Church no Salvation for it is Gods way to add to the Church not to divide from it those that shall be saved Act. 2.47 Now after the Church let us consider the priviledges and promises wherewith this Church is enriched Q. What are the Churches grand priviledges A. Two in This life and two in the life To come Q. Which be those two in This Life A. The Communion of Saints The Forgiveness of sins Q. Which be those two in the Life To come A. The Resurrection of the Body and the Life Everlasting Catechist And surely it hugely concerns you to understand each of these things well and distinctly To which purpose for the Communion of Saints in the first place I ask you Q. What do you mean by Saints A. The members of Christs Church who being in part holy here shall be perfect Saints hereafter in heavenly glory Catechist Saints is as much as Holy Ones And all the members of the Church called to be Saints Rom. 1.7 For they are called unto Holiness 1 Thes 4.7 It is their duty and profession to follow Holiness Heb. 12.14 and to go on to perfect Holiness in the fear of God 2 Cor. 7.1 For being redeemed by Christ and delivered from the hands of their enemies it is that they may serve God without fear in Holiness and Righteousness before him all the days of their lives Luk. 1.75 Q. With whom have those Saints Communion A. With the Blessed Trinity as Sons of God by Faith and prayer and with one another in all Ordinances of piety and all Offices of Charity as Brethren Catechist That which we have heard and seen saith S. John 1 Ep. 1.3 We declare unto you that ye may have fellowship with us and truly Our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ With these the Saints have fellowship and Communion by all Acts of Faith and Love and all Holy affections and in Gods Holy Ordinances as in divers instances so particularly in that God and Christ Communicates to them the riches of his Blessings Mercies and Consolations through the merits of Christ and they acquaint him with all their wants and troubles and necessities trusting in him And as for that fellowship they have with one another it consists in divers particulars as to name some They Sympathize with and have a fellow feeling of one anothers miseries sufferings and afflictions as fellow members one of another 1 Cor. 12.26 Whether one member suffer all the members suffer with it or one member be honoured all the members rejoyce with it Rom. 12.15 They rejoyce with them that rejoyce and weep with them that weep They pray continually and praise God for each others welfare saying Our Father c. And what Gifts and Blessings any one enjoyeth He readily and willingly imployes and Communicates them for supply relief and helping others that want them whether Wisdom Wealth or Power Q. What is our duty as Believers of this Communion of Saints A. To hold fast this Communion that we may receive and impart the Benefits of Gods Mercies and each others Gifts and to take heed of all causeless separations from Gods Church or one another in matters of Faith Worship and Charity Catechist I beseech you good Children learn these lessons and lay them up in your hearts that you may walk steadily and not waver in your Holy Religion to your lives end If you truly believe the Communion of Saints you must follow the Apostles Exhortation closely 1 Cor. 1.10 I beseech you Brethren by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ That ye all speak the same things and that there be no Divisions amongst you but that ye be perfectly joyned together in the same mind and in the same judgment Phil. 2.1 2. If there be any consolation in Christ if any comfort of love if any fellowship of the spirit if any bowels and mercies fulfil ye my joy that ye be like minded having the same love being of one accord and of one mind Let nothing be done through strife c. Take heed of all Breaches of this Communion and of all that would withdraw you from it Rom. 16.17 Mark them that are for making of Schisms and Breaches in Christs Body the Church that cause divisions amongst us and follow them not but avoid them for they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ whatever they pretend but their own bellies and with good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple To the next Article then Q. What is it to believe the Forgiveness of sins A. That Gods justice is satisfied through the Merits of Christs blood and through them there is mercy and pardon may be obtained for all our sins if we do but heartily repent and forsake them Catechist Psal 130.4 There is forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared How comes this to pass through Christ Act. 13.38 Through this man is preached to you forgiveness of sins Upon what account because Matth. 20.28 He gave his life a ransome for us 1 Cor. 15.4 He died for our sins according to the Scriptures He was made sin for us who knew no sin 2 Cor. 5.21 that is a Sacrifice to suffer death for our sins in our stead So hath he purchased a pardon for all sinners that will but accept of it upon the condition upon which it is offered them which I shall choose to express in the words of the Evangelical Prophet Isaiah 55.7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the Vnrighteous man his imaginations and return unto the Lord for he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon Q. Who then is it that forgives sins A. God only Catechist A truth directly contrary to the Popish Priests presumption in taking this
For Heb. 10.4 It was not possible that the bloud of Bulls and Goats offered in sacrifice should take away sins But all the vertue they had was as Types and Figures of the pretious Blood of Christ the Son of God as of a Lamb without spot and without blemish 1 Pet. 1.18 So God he must be whosoever will undertake to satisfie for our sins by suffering for them and God he was who purchased his Church with his own blood Act. 20.28 Q. How prove you by your Creed then that Jesus Christ is true God A. I believe Him to be His to wit Gods only Son our Lord. Catechist The Son of God must needs be God God of God very God of very God Now God owned him for his Son by a voice from heaven at his Baptism Matth. 3.17 This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased Now to anticipate an Objection the next Question and Answer shews how our being Gods Sons differs from His being so And thereof the Apostle Heb. 1.1 compared with chap. 2.1 3. gives a very remarkable application Q. Are not we also Sons of God and how then is he Gods only Son or how doth his being Gods Son prove him to be God A. We are only Sons of God by Adoption in Christ but Christ is Gods Son by eternal Generation He is Gods only begotten Son very God of very God as really God of the substance of the Father begotten before the World as he was Man of the substance of his Mother born in the World Catechist 2 Tim. 1.13 Let us hold fast this form of sound words in Faith and Love which is in Christ Jesus and always carry in mind the Apostles inference from it in the forequoted place God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in times past to the Fathers by the Prophets Hath in these last days spoken to us by his Son as the Great Mediator between Him and us Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things we hear lest at any time we let them slip For if the word spoken by Angels was stedfast and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward How shall we escape if we neglect so great Salvation which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed to us by them that heard him Let us pass on then to the other proof of Christs Divinity Q. How did Christ become our Lord A. He both made us and redeemed us with his pretious blood and we have in Baptism given up ourselves to him to be his Servants Catechist Ps 100.3 He made us and not we ourselves So is he our Lord as we are his Creatures For John 1.3 All things were made by him and without him was nothing made that was made And being lost he also redeemed us so that he is our Lord by right of purchase 1 Cor. 6.20 He bought us with a price therefore we are not our own but his therefore is he our Lord. And being so our Lord he is certainly God for who but God is King of Kings and Lord of Lords Rev. 1.6 and who but God can be called by that incommunicable Name of God Jehova and so is Christ Hos 1.7 I will have mercy upon them and will save them by the Lord Jehova and not by how or sheild O what cause have we then to own him for our Lord by devoting our selves to his Service Cast we then our eyes upon the other Nature of his Q. How prove you by your Creed that Jesus Christ is true man A. I believe him to be Conceived in the Womb by the Holy Ghost born of the Virgin Mary Catechist An answer containing what the Apostle 1 Tim. 3.16 Calls the great Mystery of Godliness God manifested in the flesh Nay John 1.14 The Word made flesh and thus runs the Argument to prove Christs Manhood He had an Human Conception and Human Birth was conceived like other men and was born of a woman as other men are and therefore he was Man For further understanding of all its particulars I ask you Q. Had Christ any natural Father as Man A. No. Q. By what power then was he Conceived in and born of a woman A. By the power of the Holy ghost Catechist Of this we are assured by the Angel which said unto Mary Luk. 1.31 Thou shalt conceive and bear a Son c. and when she demanded How can this be seeing I know not a man he answered her ver 35. The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee Therefore that Holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God So by the Blessed Virgins protestation it is evident she knew not a man therefore had her Son no natural Father Q. What do you learn from that A. That taking our nature of her substance in such an extraordinary way the Holy Ghost purifying it He took it without sin being to suffer for our sins Catechist For Heb. 7.26 Such must our High Priest be Holy harmless and undefiled separate from sinners He must have no sin of his own who undertook to satisfie Gods Justice for our sins Q. Who was this Virgin Mary A. She was of the tribe of Judah of which Tribe the Messiah was to come Catechist That she was of that Tribe appears by Christs pedegree or Genealogy Mat. 1. and Luk. 3. as also by Joseph's and Mary's going to be taxed at Bethlehem Judah for this very reason because they were of that Tribe Luk. 2.3 4. Q. How then do you prove Christ to be the true Messiah A. All the Prophecies were exactly fulfilled in him as to his Tribe parents place and time of Birth and his manner of Life and Death and Resurrection Catechist The Messiah the Saviour of the world was foretold to come of the Tribe of Judah of the root of Jesse and house of David Luk. 1.27 to be conceived of a Virgin Isa 7.14 Behold a Virgin shall conceive c. and for the place to be born in Bethlehem Micah 5.2 And thou Bethlehem in the land of Judah art not the least of the Princes of Judah for out of thee shall come a Governour that shall rule my people Israel And for the Time to come as Shile when the Scepter should be departed from Judah Gen 49.10 And after the Seventy weeks was determined by Daniel ch 9.24 and while the second Temple stood by the Prophet Haggai chap. 2.9 which within Fourty years after Christ was demolished so that not one stone was left upon another And the purity of his life and the cruelty and violence offered him in his death are clearly spoken of by the Prophet Isaiah chap. 53. throughout And his Resurrection by the Psalmist Ps 16.11 So that all things came to pass according to the Prophecy Learn this argument therefore against all Jews and Infidels Nothing befel Christ which was not foretold and
That all lyes are of the Devil is plain by what Christ said John 8.44 When the Devil speaks a lye he speaks of his own For he is a Lyer and the Father of lyes And as for Officious lyes that is lyes for the better as we commonly say S. Pauls Rule to Christians condemns them sufficiently Rom. 3 8. No man may do evil that good may come of it For they that do so their Damnation is just Now have you but one Commandment remaining which most Divines expound to design chiefly the regulating the very heart and so to have influence upon all the rest which restrain the hands and tongue and outward man from all acts of Injustice and Unrighteousness but let us learn what your Catechism teaches you of it Q. What duties doth the Tenth Commandment require of you according to your Catechism Thou shalt not covet c. A. Labour and diligence in my Calling that I may get mine own Living and Contentment doing my duty in that state of life unto which it hath pleased God to call me Catechist If any man be idle and will not labour S. Paul censures him to hunger saying neither let him eat 1 Thes 3.10 For such a man crosseth Gods Ordinance who as it is in Job 5.27 made man to labour as the sparks to fly upward Such is therefore Gods Canon-law Eph. 4.28 Let him that stole steal no more but rather let him labour with his hands the thing that is good that he may have to give to him that needeth And as for diligence in this labour we know what God promiseth and may daily see how God prospers it Prov. 10.4 He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand But the hand of the diligent maketh rich Chap. 13.4 The Soul of the sluggard desireth and hath nothing but the Soul of the diligent shall be made fat Now being diligent and industrious in our Callings we must be content with that Condition and State of life wherein God hath placed us 1 Tim. 6.6 Having food and raiment let us therewith be content For Godliness with Contentment is great gain Let your Conversation therefore be without Covetousnes Heb. 13.5 And be content with such things as ye have for he hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee And herein we have the Apostle for an excellent example who saith Phil. 4.11 I have learnt to abound and to suffer want and in whatsoever Estate I am therewith to be content Q. What then are the sins forbidden by this Commandment A. Idleness in my Calling Discontent with my present Condition Envying Coveting or inordinate desiring the Goods of others Catechist Hear a little out of the Scriptures of each of these The Prophet Ezekiel 1.6.49 tells you what the sins of Sodom was even fulness of bread and abandance of Idleness And as Solomon often inveighs against the sluggard so his Censure of this vice to name no more methinks deserves your good remmembrance Eccl. 10.18 By much slothfulness the Building decayeth and through Idleness of the hands the House droppeth through As for Discontentment in whatever Condition Gods providence placeth us it is quite contrary to Holy Davids resolves Psal 39.9 I will lay my hand upon my mouth and say nothing because it is thy Doing And to Jobs carriage under his unspeakable losses and crosses For when all was destroyed and he fell into most extreme poverty and misery He sinned not but said chap. 1 21. The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away blessed be the name of the Lord. And to his murmuring wife he said chap. 2.10 Thou speakest like one of the foolish women for shall we receive good and not evil at the hands of the Lord And now as we must not be discontent with nor impatient under our own Condition so must we not envy at another mans For Envyings are numbred amongst the works of the flesh Gal. 5.21 And the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 13.4 Charity envyeth not but rejoyceth in others good The Psalmist therefore cautions every godly man against envying fretting at even the wicked mans prosperity in this world Ps 37. throughout And the Apostle saith Rom. 13.13 Let us walk not in strife nor envying no more than in gluttony and drunkenness and St. James makes envy the Fountain of many mischiefs saying chap. 3.16 Where envying is there is Confusion and every evil work And lastly as for Coveting and inordinate desire of others goods The letter of the Commandment expressly forbids it saying Thou shalt not covet thy neighbours house c. And therefore I say in the words of the Prophet Ezekiel 33.31 Let not your hearts go after your Covetousness So have you now all the Commandments set before you by which I exhort you often to examine yourselves how your estate stands towards God and concerning your hopes of Salvation and great cause have we all to say as Holy Church directs us after the repeating them in the Communion Service and that even from the bottom of our hearts Lord have mercy to pardon us all our Omissions and Commissions therein and for the time to Come write all these Laws in our hearts So proceed we to the next General Head in Catechism The Lords Prayer for an Introduction whereto I ask you Q. My Good Child Dost thou think thou art able to do these things of thy self or to keep these Commandments of God or to serve him of thy self by any natural power of thine own A. No. Q. What then is needful to enable thee thereunto A. Gods special Grace Catechist I have minded you before of what our Saviour said to his Disciples John 11.15 I am the Vine ye are the branches He that abideth in me and I in him bringeth forth much fruit for without me ye can do nothing Joh. 15.5 it is God that worketh in us both to will and do that which is good And thence are we able to do all things Phil. 4.13 any good thing through Christ strengthening us Q. Why are you unable to keep Gods Commandments or to serve him without this special Grace assisting you A. Because my duties are Spiritual and having many mighty Enemies and strong Temptations I am by nature prone to all evil and averse from all good Catechist I have before upon the fourth Question in Catechism and in the Creed instructed you in this your natural Corruption and I cannot do it too often S. Paul speaks much of it in Rom. 7. saying In me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing Ver. 18. For to will is present with me but how to perform that which is good I know not Ver. 14. What I would that I do not but what I hate that do I. Our Enemies they are mighty and very subtile even the Devil the world and the flesh Our duties are spiritual for God saith My Son Give me thy heart Prov. 23.26 and will be worshipped in spirit and in truth Joh. 4.24 But we are carnal sold under
their spiritual food not our Bodies with the sensual provisions as the Prophet Isaiah saith 25.6 The Word and Sacraments are feasts of fat things for our souls provided for us in Gods Holy mountain in the Churches or Congregations of his people In this mountain shall the Lord of Hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things a feast of wine on the lees fat things full of marrow of wine on the lees well refined Q. How are our Souls fed in the Lords Supper A. They are strengthened refreshed or comforted with Christs Body and Blood as truly and really as our Bodies are strengthened and refreshed by Bread and Wine Q. How are our souls so truly and really strengthned in the Lords Supper A. As it assures us of Gods love in Christ the pardon of our sins through the Merits of Christs Death the Grace and Comforts of his Holy Spirit Peace and Union with God and a title to his Eternal Glory Catechist Bread and Wine you know are two chief creatures of God provided for our bodily sustenance Bread to be the staff of Life to strengthen the body Psal 104.15 And Wine to make glad the heart of man to cheer him up as it is expressed Judg. 9.19 whence that of Solomons Mother Prov. 31.6 Give strong drink unto him that is weary and wine unto those that are heavy of heart Now those great benefits we have in the Lords Supper in our Souls in the inner man if we be worthy Receivers For from Christs Body and Blood therein given unto us we have strength that fortifies our Souls against all our spiritual enemies How is that Thus Meditating on Christs dying for us we must think it monstrously Ungrateful and very abominable if we yeild ourselves slaves to those sins which crucified our Dear Saviour Besides we have Gods Holy Spirit hereby as by a Conduit pipe conveyed to our Souls and the graces thereof quickned and increased in us so that we shall be able to do all things all our Duties through Christ strengthning us Phil. 4.13 And then for Refreshment being weary and heavy laden with and deeply sorrowful for our sins as we ought always to be when we come to the Lords Supper Being oppressed under their burdens as too heavy for us to bear Psal 38.4 and the deep sence of Gods wrath and displeasure for them we are in this Blessed Sacrament refreshed with Gods sealing his Covenant and assuring us of their pardon and Remission according to those sweet words of our Saviour Matth. 11.28 Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden and I will refresh you For certainly it is here if any where that we may justly hope to find this Refreshment This cup as our Saviour saith Matth. 26.28 being the blood of the New Testament or of the new Covenant which was shed for many for the Remission of sins And besides In this Sacrament all the promises all the benefits of the new Covenant are ratified and confirmed to us in Christs Blood here represented all the Benefits I say of the Covenant of Grace Justification and Sanctification Grace and pardon and peace Union with God and Christ or with God by Christ Mercy and Salvation These with whatever benefits Christ hath purchased for us by his Death and Passion are here conveyed and made over to all worthy Receivers and therefore well may we say that to partake hereof is for the strengthning and refreshing of our Souls by the Body and Blood of Christ as our bodies are strengthned and refreshed by the Bread and Wine To the last Question then in your Catechism there is nothing more requisite to assure us of all these great benefits but only our being rightly qualified for it I therefore ask you first in the words of your Catechism and then desire a more particular account from you of the several lessons taught you in it Q. What is required of them that come to the Lords Supper A. To examine themselves whether they truly repent them of their sins stedfastly purposing to lead a new life to have a lively Faith in Gods mercy through Christ with a thankful remembrance of Christs death and to be in charity with all men Q. Shall all receive those great benefits that come to the Lords Supper A. Only those that are duly prepared and receive it worthily Catechist This is but a further explanation of what you learnt before that it is the faithful only that do verily and indeed receive Christs body and blood Now here you learn that no promise of Grace or Mercy Remission or Salvation is here made sure to any other but prepared and worthy Receivers Nay to all others as I have said to all that are impenitent in their sins there is threatned not only temporal judgments but also Eternal damnation for for this cause saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 11.30 Many are weak and sickly among you and many sleep that is are stricken with death for this cause that is for eating and drinking unworthily nay ver 29. He that eats and drinks unworthily eats and drinks damnation to himself not discerning the Lords body Q. How then must you prepare yourselves for the Lords Supper A. By self examination before we come Catechist St. Paul's Text is very plain 1 Cor. 11.28 where he prescribes this remedy to prevent Gods temporal judgments and Eternal damnation by eating and drinking unworthily Let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. Let him prove that is and try himself in what estate he â—s towards God as a man tries gold by the touchstone Q. What things must we especially examine ourselves of A. Of the truth and sincerity of our Repentance new Obedience Faith Thankfulness and Charity Q. May any notorious Customary sinners come to the Lords Supper A. No not without Unfeigned Repentance answerable to their sins Catechist All are invited to come but withall all are directed also to prepare themselves before they come The most wicked wretch is bidden but it is with this caution that he puts on his wedding garment Matth. 22.12 that is of true repentance and all other Graces befitting this Holy Solemnity And he that hath not on him this Wedding garment required by God in Holy Scripture can expect no better entertainment than the Kings challenge of him in the Parable there of the Marriage of his son Friend how camest thou in hither not having a Wedding garment and you should remember that he being speechless that is inexcusable The King commanded his servants saying Bind him hand and foot and cast him into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Q. Will that then excuse mens coming to the Lords Supper that they are not prepared or have not repented A. No it rather aggravates than excuses their sin of not comming while they never endeavour to fit and prepare themselves Catechist Mind Their not Preparing is a sin and their not Coming