of it to be true To perform the conditions upon which I hope to receive the Promises there made to me to obey sincerely the Commands of it and to get out of the way of the Threats of it And lastly so truly and conscionably to serve him here in this Life that I may live with him in a life Eternal hereafter Question What is thy Duty towards thy Neighbour Answer My Duty towards my Neighbour is to love him as c. THE meaning is So to love all Men as that we may in all things do unto others as we would they should do unto us were they in our condition and we in theirs For instance as we are willing to have no evil done to our own Souls so to do none to the Souls of others As we are willing to have no Evil done to our own Bodies so to do none to the Bodies of others As we are unwilling to have our own Goods or Possessions injured by others so to injure no Man's our selves As we are willing not to have our own good Name taken away by slander or evil-speaking so to do so to no other Man's As we are willing to have our own Needs and Distresses relieved so to be ready and willing according to our Ability to relieve the Needs of others To respect support pray for and honour our natural Parents who supported us when we were so unable to support our selves that we had perish'd every moment without them To honour pray for pay Tribute to and obey all the lawful Commands of my lawful King and of those Governours that receive Command and Authority from him To respect esteem pray for pay the dues and obey the Christian Doctrines of all my Spiritual Pastors that is all true Ministers of God's Word and Sacraments To obey and honour to be diligent and faithful in the Service of my Master or Mistress and not to be stubborn and irreverent to them To pay a due regard esteem and honour to all my Betters in Age Gifts or Estate To desire intend wish or speak or act the hurt of no Man To be plain and honest just and upright in all dealings with any other man To cherish or keep no grudges heart-burnings uncharitable intentions or desires of revenge in my breast against any man whatever but to be ready to do good to all men freinds and enemies To render to every Man his due to defraud steal from or be any way unjust to no man To keep my Tongue from all evil bitter virulent reproachful and railing language even towards them who revile and rail at me Alway to speak the truth or nothing And in my whole Conversation to hate a Lye which is so hateful to the God of Truth To be meek and humble sober and temperate chast and pure both in my Soul and Body And in what soever State or Calling God shall please to place me to manage it prudently and conscionably diligently and holily to the end of my life till he shall call me to lay aside my business here and enter upon a New World Catechist My good Child know this that thou art not able to do these things of thy self nor to walk in the commandments of God and to serve him without his special Grace which thou must learn at all times to call for by diligent Prayer Let me hear therefore if thou canst say the Lord's Prayer THE meaning is That though these Commandments of God are to be kept and obeyed most sincerely by us yet of our selves we are not able to keep them without his Grace that is without the gracious Assistance of his Holy Spirit to enable us and give us strength to keep them Now God will deny his Grace and Aid to none who faithfully beg and faithfully use it We must therefore diligently employ and use what we already have in labouring to keep his Commands And we must daily beg more Grace of God by Prayer in which we should never leave out that Divine Prayer following which was taught us by the Saviour of the World SECT IV. Of the Lord's Prayer The PREFACE Our Father which art in Heaven THE meaning is O God thou art our Father as thou hast created us and thou art our Father as we are made thy Sons by Adoption In the first Sence that is by Creation all Mankind are thy Children In the other Sence we Christians were made thy Children by our Holy Baptism Thou hast O our Saviour taught us to call God Father that we may pray with the Affections of a Child and with the holy Fear and Love of a Child and rely upon the paternal Care and Bounty of our Father and be encouraged to run to our heavenly Father with all our Needs and our Complaints as Children do to a Father Thou hast taught us to say Our Father not my Father that we may learn to pray for others as well as our selves and with a brotherly Affection beg of our common Father the same Blessings for others which we do for our selves Thou art our Father and therefore willing to hear us and as willing to help us Thou art in Heaven and therefore able to help us Thou art our Father O let this endearing compellation move our Love and win our Obedience Thou art in Heaven and that 's our proper Country thither we thy Sons are travelling there our Inheritance and our Treasure is thither we direct our Prayers exalt and raise our Affections before we come thither I. PETITION Hallowed be thy Name THE meaning is Let thy Name be sanctified and adored praised and magnified honoured and glorified by me and all Mankind and that both in Private and in Publick in our Hearts Tongues and Actions So that in this Petition we pray that God would enable us and others to confess and glorifie him above all in thought word and deed That we may never dishonour or prophane his Name but as affectionate and obedient Sons have a reverential Love and Honour for the Name the Titles and Attributes and every thing that relates to our Father which is in Heaven Thy Kingdom come THE meaning is We pray that his Church may be inlarged his Gospel spread and propagated that his Kingdom of Grace may come to us here and his Kingdom of Glory may be enjoyed by us hereafter We beg too that God would destroy and pull down the Kingdom and Power of Sin and Satan in us and instead of that that he would set up his Spiritual Kingdom there That as King he would Rule in our Hearts and make us obedient to his Laws and subdue every rebellious Lust or Desire Thought or Imagination That all our Affections being Subject to his Laws and Rules his Grace may so Reign in us here that at last we may Reign with him in his Glory hereafter Thy will be done in Earth As it is in Heaven THE meaning is We pray that God would enable us and others to obey his Will or do
slandering backbiting detraction or defamation injure the good-name of any Man Thou shalt not raise Jealousies and Suspitions of thy Neighbour causelesly Thou shalt bear no false Witness of thy self by bragging or boasting thy self Thou shalt not be a Tale-bearer thy self nor readily hear and encourage Tale-bearers Thou shalt not be a Dissembler or Flatterer Thou shalt in no case tell a Lye or counsel or pervert Right and Truth by Equivocations Thou shalt not mock and scoff at the Infirmities of others Thou shalt not be guilty of false Accusations false Pleadings false Testimonies or false Sentences in Courts of Judicature or Judgment Thou shalt not give rash severe and unmerciful Censures of other Men. Thou shalt not be a Railer or Reviler nor report and scatter false or doubtful Reports of thy Brother Thou shalt not be a Busie-body in other Mens matters Thou shalt not be guilty of false Acts or Forgery in any Deed or Writing Thou shalt neither deny conceal or oppose the truth Thou shalt not observe and judge other Mens Words and Actions severely and without Mercy Thou shalt not divulge or publish the faults of others without a design to do thereby Charity or Justice to some other Person Here now if we duly consider and seriously weigh what 't is that is enjoined us in this Commandment and what is forbidden in it and then reflecting upon our own Hearts and Actions find any of the Duties of it neglected by us or any of the Sins against it sadly adventured on in Thought Word or Action how affectionately should we say with the Church Lord have Mercy upon us and incline our Hearts to keep this Law That is Lord pity and pardon all our past breaches of this Commandment and so incline our Hearts to love and obey thee for the future that through thy Grace we may sincerely and acceptably keep this Law of thine for the remainder of our Days X. COMMANDMENT Thou shalt not covet thy Neighbour's House c. Sins forbidden THE meaning is Thou shalt not wish or desire to be possessed of what is thy Neighbour's by his loss or without his Consent Thou shalt not consent to any motions of thy Heart of contriving how thou mayest unjustly come by any thing that is another's Thou shalt not envy the Prosperity of any Man or grieve at it Thou shalt not repine or murmur or be discontented with thy own state and condition Thou shalt not inordinately seek or desire Riches Honours or Pleasures Thou shalt not torment thy self with vexatious carking distracting perplexing distrustful Cares Thou shalt not by Idleness and refusing to labour in an honest Calling bring upon thy self the temptation of coveting what is another's Thou shalt not neglect to stifle Sin in the first inward seeds and motions of it in the very Thoughts and Intentions for even those are hateful to a Holy God These things being forbidden the things commanded are Duties commanded If thou hast any Temptation to come by any thing of thy Neighbour's unjustly thou shalt resist it and labour to mortifie crucifie and subdue it Thou shalt cast off all such motions of thy Heart Thou shalt be content with thy own state and condition whatever it is without any desire of change murmuring repining or disquieting of others Thou shalt be well pleased and thankful for the Portion which God in his Wisdom has chosen for thee Thou shalt keep thy Heart clean from all consent approbation desires and intentions of Injustice Wrong or Uncharitableness to any Man Thou shalt diligently and honestly labour in the Vocation to which God hath called thee Thou shalt be well pleased that those things be thy Neighbour's which God hath given him Thou shalt stop and stifle all Sin whatever in the beginning and never permit thy Heart to consent to it This being the last of the ten Commandments if now upon the whole we duly weigh and seriously consider as we ought what 't is that is enjoined us in this and the other Commandments as also what is forbidden in them and then reflecting upon our own Hearts and Lives find any of the duties of them neglected by us or any of the Sins against them sadly adventured on in Thought Word or Action how affection rely should we say with the Church Lord have Mercy upon us and write all these thy Laws in our Hearts we beseech thee That is Lord pity and pardon all our past breaches of these Commandments and so incline our Hearts to Love and Obey thee for the future that through thy Grace all these Laws of thine may be written in our Hearts and expressed in our Lives most sincerely and acceptably kept for the remainder of our days Question What dost thou chiefly learn by these Commandments Answer I learn two things My Duty towards God and my Duty towards my Neighbour THE meaning is I learn by these Commandments the chief parts of my Duty towards God and Man By my Neighbour is meant any other Person besides my self though he be of another Nation and Religion yea though he be my spiteful and professed Enemy Which Commandments and Holy Will of God's I am to obey and keep and walk in all the days of my Life as was promised in my Name I should do when I was Baptized And I will henceforward labour to do accordingly Question What is thy Duty towards God Answer My Duty towards God is to believe in him to c. THE meaning is 'T is my indispensable Duty to God to believe him to be the only true God To be three Persons and but one God To fear him that is to be afraid to offend him To fear him in all actions more than Man so to fear him as alway to chuse rather to displease any Man than God To love him with all my Heart Mind Soul and Strength is so to love him as to love nothing equal with him or above him To love him so as above all things to desire to please him and to desire to enjoy him To Worship him with my Soul and Body Inwardly with my Soul and outwardly with my Body In Prayer to worship him with an humble Soul and an humble Body With the devout affections and humiliations of the Soul and with the lowly and reverent gestures of my Body To give him Thanks for all his Mercies temporal and spiritual whether to my Soul or Body either with reference to this Life or that to come To put my whole Trust in him in all needs wants and dangers whatever whether of Soul or Body for deliverance support and aid So to trust in him as never to seek to deliver our selves by any unjust or unlawful means To call upon him in all such needs and dangers for relief and assistance by Prayer So to Honour his Holy Name as not to use it irreverently vainly falsely or wantonly by any Perjuries Oaths or other Prophanations of it So to Honour his Word as to believe all the parts
Yes Is not Perjury or forswearing ones self a dreadful Sin Yes Is it not a heinous Sin to break a lawful Oath Yes Is it not Perjury to swear to what is uncertain unknown and doubtful Yes Is it not Perjury to affirm it upon Oath though it should happen to be true Yes May we have irreverend thoughts of God No. Are not all voluntary Oaths or swearing to which we are not called by a Magistrate unlawful Yes Especially all voluntary and promissory Oaths Yes May we patiently endure to hear God dishonoured No. Should a Christian promise any thing unless he intend to perform it No. Should we not labour to glorifie and honour the Name of God by a Christian Conversation Yes IV. COMMANDMENT Remember that thou keep holy c. MUST a Christian that hopes for Heaven when he dies keep holy the Sabbath-day Lord's-day or Sunday Yes Should not a Christian worship God on that day both in publick and in private Yes May this day be spent in Sleep and Idleness Sports and Pastimes No. Should any work be done upon this day except Works of Necessity or Works of Charity No. Should this day be spent in Hearing Reading Prayer Thanksgiving and Meditation at home and in the Congregation Yes Is it enough to do it at home unless it be done in the Congregation too No. Would it not be piously and christianly done of us to observe the Fasts and Festivals of the Church Yes Should we not worship God every day as well as Sunday Yes V. COMMANDMENT Honour thy Father and thy Mother c. MUST we not give Respect and Honour to all that are above us Yes May a Christian be undutiful or unkind to his Father or Mother No. May a Christian in any case rebel against his King No. May a Christian disobey his King except the command be plainly unlawful No. May a Christian disesteem or despise or hate his Minister No. May a Servant be stubborn or unfaithful to his Master or Mistriss No. Should a Christian behave himself proudly or scornfully toward his Betters or Elders No. VI. COMMANDMENT Thou shalt do no Murther SHould a Christian labour to preserve his own and his Neighbour's Life and Health Yes Is not the taking away the Life of another by Murther a dreadful sin Yes Should a Christian follow Peace with all men Yes May he hurt his own or any other man's Life or Health No. May a Christian be a Quarreller or a contentious and brawling Person No. Should a Christian strike wound or maim any Man No. Should we abuse any Man by foul Language No. May a Christian that hopes to see God bear Malice or desires of Revenge in his Heart No. May a Christian use bitter or provoking Words or calling of Names No. May a Christian fight a Duel No. May a Christian willingly vex grieve disquiet or wish ill to another No. VII COMMANDMENT Thou shalt not commit Adultery OUght not a Christian to be chast in heart in tongue and in behaviour Yes Is not Chastity of Body and Purity of Soul a most acceptable Sacrifice to God Yes May a Christian commit Incest Adultery Fornication or any other Uncleanness No. Must a Christian that hopes to see God have a chast and pure Hand and Eye and Heart Yes May a Christian have lustful Desires and Imaginations and delight in them No. May a Christian use unchast Words or Language No. Should a Christian have a chast Ear Yes That is should he listen willingly to filthy Communication and unchast Discourses No. Can a Christian allow himself without sin in any Unchastity of the Hand Eye Tongue or Heart No. Should a Christian avoid all kinds of Uncleanness upon himself or with any other Yes Should a Christian avoid all things that provoke or excite Lust Yes Are not all Thoughts and Actions of that Sort utterly unlawful save only in lawful Marriage Yes VIII COMMANDMENT Thou shalt not steal MAY a Christian take or keep against his Neighbour's Knowledge or Will what belongs to him No. Are not Theft and Robbery great Iniquities Yes Should a Christian give every man his due Yes Should a Christian further his own and his Neighbour's outward Estate by all lawful means Yes May a Christian wrong any man by Deceit or Cozenage or Extortion or any Injustice No. Must a Christian be just and upright in buying and selling Yes May we raise Gain by any unlawful Arts and Practices No. May we advise or encourage consent to or share with those that do No. Can we detain necessary Relief from our poor Brethren without sin No. May a man use false Weights or Measures No. If we find any thing may we keep it from the Owner if we know or can learn who ' t is No. May a Christian steal small things because he is poor No. May a man refuse to pay his Debts if he be able No. May he refuse to pay what he is bound for if the Principal cannot or will not No. Should a Christian take Use of them who are poor No. May a Christian be guilty of Extortion from any man No. Should a man take advantage of the Ignorance or necessity of them he deals with No. May a Christian break his Trust or faithful Promise No. If a man have taken any thing wrongfully from any man should he not make Restitution of it if he be able Yes If he be ashamed or afraid to do it himself should he not do well to go to his Minister or some other good man to do it for him Yes IX COMMANDMENT Thou shalt not bear false Witness c. MAY a Christian bear false Witness against any man No. Should we not avoid all injurious prejudicing our Neighbour's Reputation Yes Should we not endeavour to preserve the good Name of our Neighbour Yes May a Christian stander or back-bite any man No. May a Christian causelesly raise Suspicions of any man No. May we tell a Lye No. May not a Christian tell a Lye to cover a Fault No. Should a Christian flatter any man No. May we defame or detract from our Neighbour No. May we spread ill Reports of him to breed in the minds of men an ill Opinion of him No. Doth not Charity oblige us to think the best of our Neighbour Yes Should we not be candid in our Opinions and Discourses concerning others Yes Should we not forbear all rash and hard Censures of others Yes May a Christian bragg and boast himself No. May a Christian be a Tale-bearer No. Should a Christian publish any man's faults without doing thereby Charity or Justice to some other No. May a Christian be a Whisperer or Evil-speaker No. Should a Christian avoid all things prejudicial or destructive to his Neighbour's good name Yes X. COMMANDMENT Thou shalt not covet c. MAY a Christian covet what 's another Mans No. That is to say should a Christian in the least desire to come by it unjustly No. Should a Christian be content with his
Kingdom of Glory hereafter No. And do we not pray that Satan's Kingdom may be destroyed in us Yes So that do we not pray that Christ as King may rule in our Hearts by his Grace here Yes And that the blessed time may hasten when all his Saints shall reign with him in Glory hereafter Yes III. PETITION Thy will be done in Earth As it is in Heaven WHen we say Thy will be done do we not pray that God would enable us to obey his will Yes Can we do God's will unless he enable us No. And do we not pray that God would enable us to suffer his will patiently in all Afflictions Yes So that do we not mean thy will be done by us and thy will be done in us Yes When we say in Earth as it is in Heaven do we not pray that we may do his will on Earth with the like sincerity and chearfulness as the Angels do in Heaven Yes IV. PETITION Give us this day our daily bread WHen we say Give us this day our daily bread do we not pray that God would give us all things needful for our Bodies Yes And do we not pray that God would bless our lawful endeavours in order to such Supplies Yes And do we not pray that God would give us the continual Supply of his Grace for our Souls Yes Is it reasonable to expect Grace for the Soul and Food and Raiment for the Body unless we pray for it No. By saying Bread are we not taught to pray for necessaries not superfluities Yes In saying our bread do we not mean that which is procured by direct and honest means Yes Our bread that is our own not another's is it not Yes Do we not mean by daily bread that which is convenient for our present condition and occasions Yes In short do we not here pray for all Blessings temporal and spiritual to our Souls aâ—â— Bodies Yes V. PETITION And forgive us our trespasses As we forgive them that trespass against us WHen we say Forgive us our trespasses do we not pray for pardon of Sins Yes Do we not pray that God would for Jesus sake acquit us from the Guilt and Punishment of our Sins Yes Can a Christian pray rightly to God with hatred malice or desires of revenge in his heart No. Can we expect forgiveness of God unless we forgive others their Offences against us No. But if a man have considerably trespassed us may we seek reasonable satisfaction Yes But may we seek it with any hatred or malice or revenge to the Person No. Must not a Christian then seek satisfaction for damages without rigour spight or bitterness Yes Is it not an unchristian thing to go to Law for trifles Yes Or to go to Law for revenge and stoutness of Humour Yes May I go to Law meerly because another has disquieted me by that means No. Must a Christian love his Enemies Yes Though this be hard yet is not Heaven a great reward for it Yes Must a Christian do good to them that hate him when it lies in his power Yes Though this be hard yet is not the promise of a Crown of Glory enough to make amends for it Yes Should we Christians then return these injuries to others which we receive from them No. When we pray Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive c. do we not pray that no man may fare the worse in the day of Judgment for any wrongs done to us Yes And do we not pray in this Petition that God would give us the Grace of Charity and Forgiveness Yes VI. PETITION And lead us not into temptation ARE not the World the Flesh and the Devil alway by their Temptations drawing us to Sin Yes Can we overcome their Temptations without God's help No. When we say Lead us not into Temptation do we not pray that God would not suffer us to be overcome by their Temptations Yes Do we not pray that God would not withdraw his Grace from us Yes Can we stand in Temptations without his Grace No. Well then do we not pray that we may not be grievously tempted to sin Yes Or if we are tempted do we not pray that we may not fall into it Yes And do we not pray that we may not live impenitently in sin if we should fall into it Yes Is it a sin to be tempted No. Does not the sin lie in yielding to the Temptation Yes Can the Devil tempt us without God's permission No. In short do we not pray that God would either restrain the Temptation or assist us in it Yes And is there not daily need of this Petition Yes VII PETITION But deliver us from evil WHen we say Deliver us from evil do we not pray that God would deliver us from all Evils of this life and that to come Yes Especially that he would deliver us from the Evils to which we are tempted Yes Can we deliver our selves out of any Evil without God's help No. And do we not pray that God would keep none of his wrath in store for us Yes Do we pray that God would deliver us from the evil One that is Satan Yes And from the evil of Sin Yes And from the evil of Punishment Yes And from the evil World Yes And from our own evil Heart Yes From evil Thoughts evil Words and evil Actions Yes The CONCLUSION For thine is the Kingdom the Power and the Glory for ever Amen WHen we pray to God should we ever omit to praise him too No. When we say For thine is the Kingdom the Power and the Glory do we not praise him Yes Do we not in these Words acknowledge God to be of infinite Power and Glory Yes Doth not this teach us that the right end of our Prayers should be the Glory of God Yes When we say Amen do we not express our Belief that God can and our desire that he will grant these Requests Yes Is not this therefore an excellent Form of Prayer Yes When a Christian prays to God should he ever leave out this Prayer No. Question What desirest thou of God in this Prayer Answer I desire my Lord God our heavenly Father to send c. DO we not solemnly own God in this Prayer to be our heavenly Father Yes Is not the word Father an endearing word Yes And should you not live in his sight with the reverential Affections the Love and Obedience of a Child Yes And seeing he is a tender Father should not this encourage us to pray to him Yes Would any Man methinks be excused from asking good Things of him who is the giver of all Goodness No. Is it not reasonable we should beg the Grace of God seeing we can do no good thing without it Yes Can we worship him serve him and obey him without the assistance of his Grace No. Is it not reasonable we should beg daily bread all things needful for our Souls and Bodies of our Father from whom alone
whose Gospel we derive our Hopes and Expectations of a joyful Resurrection And that we may be constantly put in mind that seeing we name the name of Christ we are to depart from iniquity Question Who gave you this name Answer My Godfathers and Godmothers in my Baptism c. THE meaning is This Name was given me by them who brought me when I knew it not to be admitted to the Favour of God and to be made a Lamb of Christ's Flock And by my Baptism I was made I thank God a Lamb of that Flock a Member of his Church and an Heir to an Inheritance above in Heaven Question What did your Godfathers and Godmothers c. Answer They did promise and vow three things in my name c. THE meaning is They promised for me what I should have promised for my self had I been of Age but seeing I was not and they did promise it I will now stand to it And so I am sensible I must if I hope to receive the Benefits of my Baptism These were then the Three Things they promised which follow 1. They promised I should renounce the World the Flesh and the Devil The Pomps of the World that is all that Pride Vain-glory and Excess that is in the World in Food Raiment or any thing else All vain and sinful Companies and Customs of the World All the Temptations of the World All that is vain or wicked in the World All that Friendship of the World that is Enmity with God All things of the World that may be an occasion of sin to me All the unlawful Riches Honours or Pleasures of the World and never greedily to seek or set my heart upon those that are lawful Thus they renounced for me the Pomps and Vanities of the World which was the first thing they renounced in my name The next was All the sinful Lusts of the Flesh That is all the evil Affections sinful Desires and unlawful Lusts of my corrupt Heart By no means either to be led by them to yeild to them or consent to them The other Branch of what they renounced in my name was The Devil and all his Works Which works are Lying Envying Slandering Pride Murder Hatred but especially tempting others to sin And the actual committing or habitual living in any one wilful known sin Thus in this sense they promised I should renounce The World The Flesh and The Devil Which Renunciation of all these was the First of the Three things they did for me 2. When they presented me to Baptism the second thing they did for me was they promised in my Name That I should believe all the Articles of the Christian Faith The meaning is They promised in my Name that I should believe all the Parts of the Christian Religion which are briefly contained in the Creed That is they promised I should believe in God and I do now believe in him They promised I should believe in Jesus Christ and I do firmly believe in him That he was born of a Virgin was crucified died and rose again c. All which I stedfastly believe They promised I should believe the Resurrection of the Body and a Life eternal after Death And I firmly believe these and all other Parts of the Gospel That I should believe these things was the second thing they did for me 3. They promised in my name That I should keep God's holy Will and Commandments and walk in them all the days of my Life The meaning is When they presented me to Baptism they promised in my Name That I should obey God's Will in avoiding all those things which he hath forbidden me and in performing all those things he hath commanded me And to do this not for a day only or a year but all the days of my Life Thus for instance 'T is God's Will and Commandment that I should be Sober Temperate Chast Pure Just and Upright Repent of and Reform my Sins believe in Christ be a very charitable Person That I should be meek humble and peaceable self-denying and mortified fear him love him above all things trust in him be patient in Afflictions submitting to his Will and to his Wisdom attend upon his Ordinances attend upon his Word attend upon Prayer attend upon his holy Sacraments and perform all other parts and instances of my Duty to God to my self and Neighbour This is to keep his holy Will and Commandments So that they who presented me to Baptism and charitably brought me to be received into Christ's Church by it promised in summ these things in my Name 1. That I should renounce the World the Flesh and the Devil so as by neither of them to be led to any known Sin 2. That I should believe the Christian Religion and live according to that belief 3. That I should give God one short life of Love and Obedience in sincerely though imperfectly doing what he has commanded As they promised this in my Name before I was baptized so I am now to keep it afterward that after death I may enjoy the Promises of God which he has made me upon these three Conditions in a joyful Resurrection and an eternal Life of Glory Question Dost thou not think that thou art bound c. Answer Yes verily and by God's help so I will c. THE meaning is As they promised these things in my name or for me when I was an Infant and could promise nothing for my self so I do now heartily own them all and take them intirely upon my self 1. I will and do renounce what they promised in my Name to renounce 2. I will and do believe firmly what they promised in my Name I should believe 3. I will ever by divine aid keep that holy Will and those Commandments of my God and Saviour which they promised in my Name I should And I bless God that he hath in infinite Love to me and Compassion to my Soul called me to this hope this great hope of being saved when I die And I earnestly beg his Grace that I may continue in this Faith this Hope this Love and this Obedience till the end of my Life till I change Worlds and come up to him SECT II. Of the Creed Catechist REhearse the Articles of thy Belief Answer I believe in God the Father c. I. ARTICLE I believe in God the Father Almighty maker of Heaven and Earth THE meaning is I do profess that I really believe there is an infinitely knowing just powerful holy wise good and merciful Spirit whom we call God that has been from ever and shall be for ever that he is eternal unchangeable omnipresent or every where present omnipotent or able to do all things who gave being to all things and received his Being from none That he orders all things in this lower World by his Providence that being omniscient he knows every Man's Thoughts Words and Actions I firmly believe that this Almighty God who is the Father of our
we pray for more Grace as well as imploy what we have already Yes Is not Chastity or Purity a great Christian Vertue Chastity a lovely and a Heavenly Vertue Yes May he that would be chast allow himself in any acts of Lust or Uncleanness No. Are all acts of that nature utterly unlawful except only in lawful Marriage Yes May a Person commit any act of Lust upon himself No. Of the Hand and Eye Tongue and Heart Are not Incest Adultery and Fornication great Sins against God Yes Are not the Lusts of the Hand and Eye utterly unlawful Yes May our Words or Discourse be filthy or immodest No. Are lustful and foul desires and imaginations unlawful Yes Has not God threatned heavy Vengeance upon these Sins Yes Helps to it Should not he that would be pure and chast resist the very first beginnings of this Temptation Yes Should he not cast away the very first fancy of Lust with anger and indignation Yes Should not he that would be chast avoid Idleness Yes Should he that would be chast think upon any unclean passages of his former Life No. Should he go into the company of light and wanton Persons No. Should he earnestly pray to God for the Spirit of Purity Yes Ought not those to marry who cannot live innocently without Marriage Yes Temperance in eating Ought not a Christian to be temperate in Eating Yes Should a Christian pamper his Body to serve his Lust No. Should a Christian eat for Health and not for Pleasure Yes Should he be too curious or costly in his Food No. ¶ Sunday VIII ¶ OUght not a Christian to be temperate in Drinking Yes Are not Drunkenness and Gluttony great Sins against God Yes In Drinking Is it not a Sin to make any other Person drunk Yes Is there not a Woe pronounced against it Yes May a Christian drink so much as to distemper his Reason and Understanding No. Though a Person can bear Drink yet may he drink hard without Sin No. Should a Christian hearken to the perswasions of them that would have him drink beyond measure No. Should a Christian be afraid of their Reproaches that would tempt him to this Sin No. If he be ever reproached for Temperance or any other Vertue is it not a blessed thing Yes Ought not every one as he loves his Soul carefully to abstain from the sin of Drunkenness Yes Are they not therefore carefully to avoid that company or occasion in which they may be tempted to it Yes ¶ Sunday IX ¶ Temperance in Sleep and recreations OUght a Christian to be moderate and temperate in sleep Yes Is not sloth and immoderate sleep a Sin against God Yes Are any Recreations lawful for a Christian Yes Are those lawful which are dishonourable to God or injurious to our Neighbour No. Must we be temperate in them so as not to spend too much time at them Yes May we set our Heart too much upon them No. Is not the end of Recreation to be a refreshing of our selves Yes Are we to use them only to pass away our time No. Should we play at any game meerly out of Covetousness or to get Money No. May we cheat or cozen in our Recreations No. Temperance in Apparel Ought a Christian to be temperate in Apparel Yes Should he not wear such as agrees with his condition and quality Yes May we be proud of Apparel No. Should a Christian strive to go beyond his Rank No. Is it a Sin to bestow too much time care or cost about it Yes May a Christian pinch his Body either in Food or Raiment to fill his Purse No. Sunday X. Duty to our Neighbour ARE not Justice and Charity Justice the two great Duties which we owe our Neighbour Yes May a Christian spitefully and causelesly vex and grieve the Mind of another No. Of drawing others into Sin May we draw any other man into Sin by any means No. Is it not a great wickedness to entice any Man to Sin Yes May we command any Man to Sin No. May we perswade or advise any Man to Sin No. May we assist or help others in contriving or acting a Sin No. May we lead any Man to sin by our Example No. May we encourage any Man in Sin No. May we defend or justifie any Man in Sin No. May we affright or discourage any from Holiness and Christian Living No. Is it not a great wickedness to have drawn any to Sin by any of these means Yes Is it not sadly to be repented of Yes Should we not labour to win those to Repentance whom we have drawn into Sin Yes Should we not labour to do it though it cost us much self-denial and difficulty Yes Of Murther Is not Murther a dreadful Sin Yes Can he be excused from Murther who is the cause of another Man's death either by false Witness or by Drinking or by setting others at variance No. Maiming a great Injury Is the maiming our Brother a degree of Murther Yes Should not he that has been guilty of maiming another make what satisfaction he can for so doing Yes As by assisting him in that maintenance which he is disabled to get Yes Wounds and Stripes Is not wounding and striking any Man a degree of Murther and a Sin Yes Murther of the tongue and heart Are not bitter revilings or reproaches of others the murther of the Tongue and a Sin Yes Is not malice and hatred and ill wishes the murther of the Heart Yes In all these cases should we neglect to make what satisfaction we are able to the Person injured No. Should we labour to reconcile them to us to regain them and seek their Favour whom by any of these means we have injured Yes ¶ Sunday XI ¶ IS not Adultery a heinous crying Sin Adultery Yes Is it not Lust and Perjury too Yes Malicious Injustice Is not the spoiling the Goods of any Man out of Spite and Malice a heinous Sin Yes Can a Man repent of it truly without he make satisfaction and restitution No. May a Man covet to gain the Goods of another to himself No. That is to say may he covet to gain them by Oppression or Violence or any unlawful means No. Or by wearying them out of them by Power or vexatious Law-suits No. Is it not a great Sin to oppress another by Extortion or by taking advantages Oppression and making them pay for their needs Yes Should we not lend to the Poor freely and without Use Yes Should a Landlord rack a Tenant beyond the worth of the thing No. Is not the oppressing the Poor the Fatherless and Widows or spoiling by Violence a crying Iniquity Yes Theft May a Christian steal in any case No. Not paying what we borrow what we have promised or are bound for Is it not as bad as stealing to refuse to pay Debts or what we borrow Yes Is it not