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<DATE>2013-07-19</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Geremy Carnes</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<ITEM> x * Review overall document structure and hierarchy, including GROUP TEXT FRONT BODY BACK DIVs x * Proof title page(s). x * Observe divtop and divbottom material marking beginnings and ends of divisions, check that they are correctly tagged as HEADS, HEADNOTE, CLOSER, OPENER, TRAILER, ARGUMENT, EPIGRAPH, SIGNED, DATELINE, BYLINE, etc. x * Look for unobtrusive numerations and other occult signs of structure. x * Add TYPEs to DIVs in order to validate, making sure that the @type structure makes sense as a navigational aide, and that each type makes sense wrt to the one above it. x * Survey book for troublesome formats of all kinds, including lists, illustrations, tables, music, math, end-notes, and parallel texts and quasi-tabular arrangments. Make sure that it was correctly tagged. Decide how much is worth changing. x * Assess marginalia. Notes? Running summaries? Multiple series? Are any of them milestones, headings, or labels? x * Look for FIGUREs, make sure that usable text within them has been captured and correctly tagged (especially: head, q, l, lg, byline). x * Check for GAPs and ABBRs. x * Watch for any part of the book in a diff language. Use appropriate lang attributes. x * Check for "q;" x * Check for ="", ^, I / J, ae / oe, abq, _, LB, --, &amp;c., @, # x * If appropriate, check for yoghs. x * If appropriate, check for units of measure, symbols (alchemical, astronomical, etc.) and the like. x * Do cursory check of completeness of page breaks (and placement relative to DIVs) x * Correct the errors found during proofing. x * Survey the illegibles. decide whether resolving them is feasible or even possible. Use the 100 rule only as a rule of thumb. Resolve those you can. Check &punc; x * Run 'skint' x * Run 'check' x * Run "v' (again) DONE.</ITEM>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>A Plain and Brief EXPLANATION UPON THE <HI>Church Catechi&s;me.</HI></P>
<P>Different from what hitherto hath been Extant.</P>
<P>Wherein the fir&s;t Elements and grounds of Religion are reduced to &s;uch plain and familiar Que&s;tions and An&s;wers, as are obvious to the meane&s;t Capacity.</P>
<P>To which is added A plain and u&s;eful TRACT OF CONFIRMATION.</P>
<P>The &s;econd Edition corrected.</P>
<P>By <HI>Nathaniel Blithe,</HI> M. A. Rector of <HI>Dowesby</HI> in <HI>Lincoln&s;hire.</HI></P>
<P><HI>London,</HI> Printed for <HI>Edw: Millington</HI> at the Bible in <HI>Little Brittain,</HI> 1674.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="imprimatur">
<PB REF="2">
<P>Imprimatur,</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Samuel Parker.</SIGNED>
<DATELINE><DATE>May 11. 1672.</DATE></DATELINE></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="notice">
<P>The <HI>Reader</HI> is de&s;ired to take notice, that that gro&s;s Error, <HI>Page</HI> 16. <HI>line</HI> 7. with which the Author hath been divers times Charged, was a mi&s;take of the <HI>Printer,</HI> which is now Corrected in this Second Edition, according to the Ori|ginal Copy.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>The preface to the READER.</HEAD>
<P>WHen I con&s;ider what care the Church of <HI>England</HI> hath ta|ken for the in&s;truction of her Children in the mattters of Religion, both by Preaching, Catechizing, and reading of the Holy Scriptures (whereby plenti|ful provi&s;ion is made for all capacities,) it is matter of very great wonder, that &s;o con&s;iderable a number of Chri&s;tians &s;hould live and dye in that Ignorance, as our own experience too &s;adly informs us. Many among&s;t us, who although they attain to the full age of Man, yet they are almo&s;t as Ignorant, even in the fun|damentals of Religion, as if they had all their time conver&s;ed among&s;t Pagans: Po&s;sibly they can rehear&s;e the Creed, the Lords Prayer, and the Ten Command|ments by rote, but they are very ignorant of the true &s;en&s;e and meaning of them: Perhaps al&s;o they may know at large that <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> dyed for Sinners, and they h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">pe to be &s;aved by him, but they under&s;tand
<PB REF="3">not that vow and promi&s;e they made when they were received into the number of his members, and hereby are ignorant of tho&s;e conditions which mu&s;t be perfor|med by all tho&s;e that can receive benefit by his meritorious undertakings: this and much more, which would be too long to in&s;i&s;t upon, is the ignorance that divers aged Chri&s;tians groan under. And I know no one rea&s;on, whereto this wretched igno|rance can &s;o ju&s;tly be attributed, as ei|ther to the utter omi&s;sion of that &s;o nece&s;|&s;ary duty of Catechizing, or to the irre|gular and indi&s;creet performance of it. And to the very &s;ame cau&s;e I am apt, in a great mea&s;ure, to a&s;&s;ign that wickedne&s;s and lewdne&s;s which is &s;o confidently and univer&s;ally practi&s;ed among&s;t us. Neither is it &s;trange that many &s;hould walk &s;o di&s;|orderly, when they under&s;tand not tho&s;e Laws and Precepts that require strictne&s;s and &s;obriety in their Conver&s;ations: and if we do but duly con&s;ider how apt young and tender natures are to receive any impre&s;|&s;ions, whether ver<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">uous or vitious, we can|not
<PB REF="3">not but imagine it to be a bu&s;ine&s;s of very great moment, by Catechizing to in&s;truct the younger &s;ort betimes in the grounds of Chri&s;tianity: for when vitious habits are by a continued practi&s;e rooted in their na|tures, and grown cu&s;tomary, it will be al|mo&s;t as difficult to eradicate them, as to re|move a Mountain; and we &s;hall hear di|vers per&s;ons when they fall into daily gro&s;s mi&s;carriages, they will pre&s;ently be com|plaining of their own natural weakne&s;s, and blaming their original guilt, whereas the main cau&s;e of the&s;e their vices pro|ceeds from a corrupt and ill Education; they are &s;o accu&s;tomed to the committance of evil, that, according to the expre&s;sion of the Prophet, it is as hard for them to de|cline their vitious cour&s;es, as for the Blackamore to change his skin, or the Leopard his &s;pots; and therefore to pre|vent the&s;e early corrupt inclinations, <HI>So|lomon advi&s;eth us to train up a Child in the way wherein he &s;hould walk;</HI> to &s;ea&s;on his tender years with the &s;ound knowledge of Religion, and betimes to &s;ow
<PB REF="4">the &s;eeds of goodne&s;s and vertue in his heart, before it grows hard and impeni|trable; this is the only way to give him a right under&s;tanding of his whole Duty, whether relating to God, his neighbour, or him&s;elf; to inform him what he is to be|lieve, and what he is to do, in reference to his happine&s;s and well living in another world: And this al&s;o is the mo&s;t compen|dious way to implant in him &s;uch Ortho|dox and &s;ound knowledge, as may fortifie him again&s;t all the Juglings and Delu&s;ions of cunning Impo&s;tors; for when they rightly under&s;tand their Bapti&s;mal vow, what they are to belive, and that duty they are to perform both towards God and Man; as al&s;o the Doctrine of both the Sacraments, which our Church Catechi&s;m plainly and fully treats of; when they have a thorough knowledge of the&s;e matters en|grafted in their minds, it will be impo&s;&s;i|ble for them to be impo&s;ed upon by every peevi&s;h Schi&s;matick. As unju&s;tly as the Papi&s;ts make ignorance the Mother of Devotion, &s;o truly may we call it the Mo|ther
<PB REF="4">of Faction. It was the opinion of the learned King <HI>James,</HI> that the cau&s;e of the mi&s;carriage of our people into Popery, and many other de&s;tructive errours, was their ungroundedne&s;s in points of Catechi&s;m: neither can it at all &s;eem &s;trange, that tho&s;e Souls &s;hould be carried about with every wind of Doctrine, who are not well balla&s;&s;ed with &s;olid information in the fir&s;t principles of Religion. And upon an impartial enquiry we &s;hall find, that the great promoters of tho&s;e idle fal&s;e opini|ons among&s;t us, are ignorant in a very great mea&s;ure. I confe&s;s they may have a form of Godline&s;s, and a my&s;terious form of words, by which to expre&s;s it, that is stuffed with unintelligible non&s;en&s;e; but they are very far to &s;eek in the knowledge of the great intendment and de&s;ign of the Chri&s;tian Religion; they wholly bu&s;ie them|&s;elves in prying into the My&s;teries if Hea|ven, things which neither are profitable nor po&s;&s;ible for them to know, and in the mean time let &s;lip the plain nece&s;&s;ary du|ties of Religion; and this renders them
<PB REF="5">un&s;table in all, their wayes; embracing e|very &s;udden fancy as an in&s;piration from Gods Spirit, and delightfully entertain|ing every fond opinion which a hot-head|ed Zealot &s;hall broach. And therefore if Gatechizing was duly and rightly perfor|med, it would lay a good foundation, and implant the whol&s;om truths of Religion betimes in our natures; and &s;o con&s;equent|ly our knowledge would encrea&s;e with our years, and hereby we &s;hould be capa|ble of examining opinions before we em|brace them, rejecting what&s;oever is con|trary to our Creed, or repugnant to that duty God requires of us. There is al&s;o ano|ther great advantage we &s;hall receive by the due exerci&s;e of Catechizing; this will prepare us for the better under&s;tand|ing of Sermons, and the holy Scriptures; when by this means a good foundation is layd, then we have &s;ome Rea&s;on to hope that what&s;oever is built upon it will pro|&s;per; when we are hereby e&s;tabli&s;hed in the plain nece&s;&s;ary truths of Chri&s;tianity, this will give us a good in&s;ight into the more
<PB REF="5">difficult my&s;terious truths of the Go&s;pel, which are frequently delivered in Ser|mons. It was a complaint which the Au|thor to the <HI>Hebrews</HI> made of that Church, that they were dull of hearing the deep things of God in <HI>Chri&s;t;</HI> and the rea&s;on was, becau&s;e they had not well learned the fir&s;t principles of the Oracles of God, <HI>Heb. 11.12.</HI> And we read in the Acts of the holy Apo&s;tles that <HI>Apollos</HI> was fir&s;t in|&s;tructed or Catechized in the way of the Lord (as the Original renders it) <GAP DESC="foreign">, and this made him Capable of Speaking to others diligently the Words of the Lord.</P>
<P>Seeing therefore the&s;e are the fruits and good effects of Catechizing, we can|not a&s;sign the&s;e di&s;orders among&s;t us, <HI>viz.</HI> the ignorance of &s;ome, the debau|cheries of many, the factiou&s;ne&s; of not a few, to any cau&s;e &s;o much as to the neg|lect of this weighty duty. But notwith|&s;tanding the&s;e ine&s;timable benefits that do attend this &s;o nece&s;&s;ary a performance,
<PB REF="6">it is too apparent that a very great neglect is made, which is occa&s;ioned not only by the default of Parents, and Ma&s;ters of Familes, but al&s;o by tho&s;e that are en|tru&s;ted with the care of Souls; many of tho&s;e whom God hath ble&s;&s;ed with Chil|dren are &s;trangely carele&s;s in their Edu|cation, being far more ready to debauch their tender years, than to endeavour (by whol&s;ome in&s;tructions) to &s;ea&s;on them with the &s;ound principles of Religi|on: an idle &s;tory, a vain &s;ong, or a wan|ton expre&s;&s;ion they can hear repeated by them with far more delight, than tho&s;e plain nece&s;&s;ary truths contained in the Catechi&s;m; and they will on the Lords day rather enjoyn them to employ that time in following &s;uch little worldly occa&s;ions as they are capable of, or &s;uffer them to idle it away in play and pa&s;time, wherein they &s;hould be rehear&s;ing their Catechi&s;m be|fore the Congregation: Nay, I fear there are &s;ome who do ab&s;olutely forbid, or at lea&s;t &s;eek occa&s;ions to hinder their Chil|dren and Servants from being publickly
<PB REF="6">in&s;tructed in the Church Catechi&s;m: I would to God that tho&s;e who are in this nature guilty, would &s;eriou&s;ly con&s;ider with them&s;elves, that almighty God hath not only commanded us to know his &s;a|cred will, and to retain it in our memo|ries; but al&s;o to teach it to our Children, and to in&s;truct our families therein, ac|cording to our &s;everal capacities: And certainly tho&s;e to whom God hath given that great ble&s;&s;ing of Children, will be &s;trangely confounded, and full of terrour at the great and univer&s;al day of judg|ment, when they &s;hall behold the fruits of their own loyns rejected with a <HI>depart from me ye cur&s;ed,</HI> occa&s;ioned princi|pally through their carele&s;sne&s;s and neg|lect in their education. But be&s;ides the&s;e, it is too evidently manife&s;t, that tho&s;e al|&s;o who &s;hould feed the flock of Chri&s;t are very remi&s;s in admini&s;tring &s;uch food to the&s;e tender Lambs as is mo&s;t &s;uitable to their weak appetites; and it is very &s;trange they can be guilty of &s;o great an omi&s;sion, if they would but &s;eriou&s;ly
<PB REF="7">ponder with them&s;elves that charge, and duty that is incumbent upon them; that they are &s;trictly bound, if they intend to be accounted good and faithful &s;tewards, to give to every one his portion of meat in due &s;ea&s;on: what they can alleage in de|fence for this their negligence, may be re|duced to one of the&s;e heads; either they affirm that <HI>Catechi&s;m</HI> is an enemy to Preaching, or el&s;e they do not well relli&s;h the <HI>Church Catechi&s;m.</HI> In an&s;wer to the fir&s;t of the&s;e pretences, the <HI>Church</HI> of <HI>England</HI> hath not without abundance of Prudence and Wi&s;dom enjoyned every mini&s;ter under &s;trict penalties to in&s;truct the younger &s;ort in the <HI>Catechi&s;m</HI> every Sunday in the afternoon; which if due|ly performed, we might hope to &s;ee a good reformation in the loo&s;e practi&s;es of the younger &s;ort. Neither can it enter into my head, how this can po&s;sibly be an enemy to preaching, in regard it is the mo&s;t u&s;e|full way of preaching; and if this was rightly exerci&s;ed, no method could be more proper &amp; &s;ea&s;onable to increa&s;e the know|ledge
<PB REF="7">of mo&s;t capacities, e&s;pecially in Coun|try congregations, where all &s;orts are in no mean degree ignorant of tho&s;e plain common truths contained in our <HI>Church Catechi&s;m.</HI> The judicious <HI>Mr. Hooker</HI> terms the publique performance of Catechi|&s;ing in the open hearing of the Congregati|on, preaching; in reference whereto he de|&s;cribes preaching to be the open publicati|on of heavenly my&s;teries, or the making known the &s;umme and &s;ub&s;tance of the Go&s;pel; now which way &s;oever this is done, whether by a continued di&s;cour&s;e, as in a Sermon, or by que&s;tion and an&s;wer, as in Catechizing, it may properly enough be &s;tiled Preaching.</P>
<P>But others there are who po&s;sibly may be convinced, that Catechizing may be advantagious; yet they neglect it, becau&s;e they cannot affect the Church Catechi&s;m, which they are enjoyned to u&s;e. I mu&s;t confe&s;s my &s;elf uncapable of giving &s;ati&s;|faction to this &s;cruple, in regard I am altogether ignorant of the rea&s;ons they give in defence of it; I know but
<PB REF="8">one, which is too frequently given in ca&s;es of this nature, <HI>viz.</HI> they do not like it, becau&s;e it is the <HI>Church Cate|chi&s;me,</HI> that is, becau&s;e it is enjoyned by Authority; it contains no Doctrine but what is Orthodox; and it includes mo&s;t, if not all the fundamentals of Chri&s;ti|anity.</P>
<P>Three things are required in compiling a <HI>Catechi&s;me; 1.</HI> That it be plain; <HI>2.</HI> Me|thodical; <HI>3.</HI> That it contains the grounds of Religion; all which are comprehended in the <HI>Church Catechi&s;m.</HI></P>
<P N="1"><HI>1.</HI> It is plain, and without much diffi|culty to be under&s;tood; all it contains is levelled to the weaker capacities.</P>
<P N="2"><HI>2.</HI> It is Methodical; it begins with our Bapti&s;m, which is our initiation into Chri&s;tianity, into the number and &s;ociety of the Church; it &s;hews us what we are by Gods grace and mercy, which grace is given us at our Bapti&s;m, when as we are made members of Chri&s;t, Children of God, and inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven; wherein al&s;o is implyed, our con|dition
<PB REF="8">by nature, that we are in a &s;tate of mi&s;ery; our Souls very much defiled, and the faculties thereof very much impaired and weakned by the guilt of Original &s;in; it al&s;o at large explains our Bapti&s;mal vow, by &s;hewing us what we are to believe, and tho&s;e commands we are to ob&s;erve in order to the faithful di&s;charging of that &s;olemn promi&s;e; and then it manife&s;ts our in|&s;ufficiency, of our &s;elves to do the&s;e things without Gods &s;pecial grace and a&s;si&s;tance, which we are to beg of him by prayer; and here al&s;o it gives us a rule and pre&s;ident for our prayers, <HI>viz.</HI> the Lords prayer; and afterwards in brief it explains both the Sacraments.</P>
<P>From all which it appeares in the third place, that it contains the fir&s;t principles &amp; elements of Religion; &s;o that I cannot ap|prehend what ju&s;t ground of exception can be made again&s;t the u&s;e of this <HI>Catechi&s;me;</HI> but that every Mini&s;ter ought to u&s;e it, as not only being wi&s;ely and prudently compo|&s;ed, but al&s;o as being hereto obliged by the higher Powers, to who&s;e lawful commands we are to yield an active obedience. But</P>
<PB REF="9">
<P>But the&s;e are not the only guilty per|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 chunk">; for be&s;ides the&s;e there are others to who&s;e tru&s;t are committed &s;ome part of Chri&s;ts flock, who although they do not <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">holly omit this duty of <HI>Catechizing,</HI> yet they perform it &s;o &s;lightly and remi&s;ly, that it is almo&s;t as good left undone: po&s;|&s;ibly they will Catechi&s;e the &s;ix Sundays in Lent, that is, they will hear the younger &s;ort by rote repeat over tho&s;e ar&s;wers con|tained in the <HI>Catechi&s;m;</HI> and when they are able to rehear&s;e them readily, they be|lieve them &s;ufficiently in&s;tructed in the Catechi&s;tical points, although they under|&s;tand very little of the true &s;en&s;e and meaning of what is contained therein; and the truth of this is plain from hence, if you do but propound to them one que|&s;tion out of order, is it is not placed in the <HI>Catechi&s;m,</HI> or vary but a very little in the words of the que&s;tion from what it is in the Book, they are not able to give an account of it. I wi&s;h the&s;e per&s;ons would heartily con&s;ider that Canonical obedi|ence they promi&s;ed when entru&s;ted with <GAP DESC="missing" EXTENT="2+ pages"></P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="catechism">
<PB N="1" REF="9">
<HEAD>A PLAIN and BRIEF EXPLANATION OF THE <HI>CHVRCH CATECHISM.</HI></HEAD>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>VVHat is your name?</HI></P>
<P><HI>A. <HI>N.</HI></HI> or <HI>M.</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Why begin you your Catechi&s;m with this Que&s;tion?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> Becau&s;e this name was given me when I was made a Chri&s;tian; &s;o that when&s;oever I call to mind this my name, I may remember that I am a Chri&s;tian, and what tho&s;e duties are that this my Holy Profe&s;&s;ion binds me to ob&s;erve and do.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Who gave you this name?</HI></P>
<P><HI>A. <HI>My Godfathers and Godmothers in my Bapti&s;m, wherein I was made a member of Chri&s;t, the child of God, and
<PB N="2" REF="10">an inheritour of the Kingdom of Heaven.</HI></HI></P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>When was this name given you?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> At my Bapti&s;m; and therefore it is call'd my Chri&s;tian name; becau&s;e it was given me when I was made a Chri&s;tian, a member of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Was you then made a Chri&s;tian?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> Yes: this favour was not be|&s;towed upon me at my fir&s;t birth, but at my &s;econd; when at my Bapti&s;m I was wa&s;hed in the Laver of Regene|ration, then I was made a Chri&s;tian, admitted into the number of Chri&s;ts vi&s;ible members.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>In what condition was you then in before your Bapti&s;m?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> I was in a weak and infirm ca|pacity, the powers and faculties of my &s;oul being, in no mean degree, impair|ed and corrupted.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>How came you into this mi&s;erable e&s;tate?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> By the fall of the fir&s;t man <HI>Adam:</HI> God made a Covenant with <HI>Adam,</HI> and in him with all mankind; where|in
<PB N="3" REF="10">God on his part promi&s;ed to con|fer on mankind divers mercies; and <HI>Adam</HI> on his part promi&s;ed an exact, un&s;inning, unerring obedience: but <HI>Adam</HI> by eating the forbidden Fruit, contrary to the expre&s;s command of his Maker, became di&s;obedient, and &s;o broke the bond of the Covenant, and hereby brought both him&s;elf and the whole Race of mankind into this wretched mi&s;erable e&s;tate.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>By what means was you rai&s;ed out of this wretched e&s;tate?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> By the meritorious &s;ufferings of Chri&s;t the &s;econd <HI>Adam,</HI> who by taking upon him our nature, and therein performing exact unerring obedience, according to the conditions of the fir&s;t Covenant, and ta&s;ting death upon the Cro&s;s for every man, hath hereby &s;atisfied for the &s;ins of <HI>Adam,</HI> and for the &s;ins of all mankind; and by this means delivered me, with the re&s;t of mankind, out of this de&s;perate condi|tion.</P>
<PB N="4" REF="11">
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>How come you to have a right to tho&s;e benefits purcha&s;ed by</HI> Chri&s;t?</P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> By Bapti&s;m, which is the Seal of the &s;econd Covenant; at the &s;etting on of which Seal the&s;e three Priviledges are be&s;towed; to become a member of Chri&s;t, a child of God, and an in|heritor of the Kingdom of Heaven.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Are all them that are Baptized members of</HI> Chri&s;t?</P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> All that are Baptized in the name of Chri&s;t, and profe&s;s the Chri|&s;tian Religion, may be term'd mem|bers of his vi&s;ible Body; but tho&s;e only who, both by profe&s;&s;ion and practice, are &s;incere Chri&s;tians, belong to his my&s;tical Body, that is, are uni|ted to him, live in him, and are infor|med by his Spirit; the&s;e are indeed Gods real Children by Adoption and Grace, and &s;hall in the end be made inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What did your Godfathers and Godmothers promi&s;e for you?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> <HI><HI>They did promi&s;e and vow three
<PB N="5" REF="11">things in my name, fir&s;t, that I &s;hould renounce the Devil and all his works, the pomps and vanities of this wicked world, and all the &s;inful lu&s;ts of the fle&s;h; &s;econd|ly, that I &s;hould believe all the Articles of the Chri&s;tian Faith: And thirdly, that I &s;hould keep Gods holy will and Com|mandments, and walk in the &s;ame all the days of my life.</HI></HI></P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Why are you bound, according to the fir&s;t part of your Bati&s;mal promi&s;e, to re|nounce the Devil and all his works?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> Becau&s;e the&s;e are enemies to God, and hateful in his &s;ight; and be|fore I renounce all that God hates, it is impo&s;&s;ible that I &s;hould be &s;o near|ly united to him, as to be his true child and member.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What is the Devil?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> The Devil is an evil Spirit, who once was an Angel of light, but for his Pride and Rebellion was thrown from Heaven, into the horrid Regions of Darkne&s;s</P>
<PB N="6" REF="12">
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What are the works of the Devil?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> The works of the Devil are all manner of &s;in and wickedne&s;s, even what&s;oever contradicts the Will and Commands of God, and defiles our own Souls.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Why are the&s;e &s;tiled the works of the Devil?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> Becau&s;e he was the fir&s;t Author of Sin, Rebellion, and Di&s;obedience; he in the beginning acted it again&s;t God, learnt it our fir&s;t Parents, and makes it his whole employment daily to infu&s;e it into the hearts of all man|kind.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What do you mean by the pomps and vanities of this wicked world?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> By the&s;e I mean all manner of &s;ecular honours, plea&s;ures and prefer|ments, all tho&s;e peri&s;hing delights, and tran&s;ient vanities which this world may pre&s;ent unto us, to withdraw our hearts from intending the due per|formance of that promi&s;e we made at our Bapti&s;m.</P>
<PB N="7" REF="12">
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What are the &s;inful lu&s;ts of the fle&s;h?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> The &s;inful lu&s;ts of the fle&s;h are all tho&s;e abominations and impieties which our rebellious fle&s;h lu&s;teth after, and provoketh us to run into.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>The next thing which you &s;ay, that your</HI> Sureties <HI>promi&s;ed for you, is to be|lieve all the</HI> Articles <HI>of the</HI> Chri&s;tian Faith; <HI>what is it to believe,</HI> or <HI>what is</HI> Faith, <HI>viz. that</HI> Faith <HI>which on your be|half was promi&s;ed at your</HI> Bapti&s;m?</P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> Faith is &s;uch an hearty per&s;wa|&s;ion of the truth of Gods promi&s;es, and of every thing el&s;e that he hath &s;poken, as makes us obedient in all things to his commands.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What is the object of this</HI> Faith? or, <HI>what is it that we are bound to believe?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> I am to believe that Form of &s;ound words and whole&s;om Doctrine, which Chri&s;t and his Apo&s;tles deli|vered to the World, and that we have epitomized, and briefly &s;umm'd up in that Confe&s;&s;ion of Faith, com|monly
<PB N="8" REF="13">called the Apo&s;tles <HI>Creed.</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Why is this Confe&s;sion of</HI> Faith <HI>called the Apo&s;tles</HI> Creed?</P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> It is &s;o called, either becau&s;e the Apo&s;tles were the Authors of it, it being compo&s;ed by them; or el&s;e be|cau&s;e it is an abridgment of the Do|ctrine delivered by the Apo&s;tles.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>How mu&s;t your belief of this</HI> Rule <HI>of</HI> Faith <HI>be qualified?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> It mu&s;t be intire and univer&s;al, I mu&s;t neither add to, not dimini&s;h from this Confe&s;&s;ion of Faith; but I am obliged by my Bapti&s;mal vow to believe all and every Article of this Chri&s;tian Faith.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>The la&s;t thing which your</HI> Sure|ties <HI>promi&s;ed for you, was to keep</HI> Gods Holy will <HI>and</HI> Commandments, <HI>and to walk in the &s;ame all the days of your life: How</HI> or <HI>by what means come you to know the will of</HI> God?</P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> He hath revealed it in his Holy Word, wherein he hath at large mani|fe&s;ted how, and in what manner he will be wor&s;hipped and &s;erved.</P>
<PB N="9" REF="13">
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>For what end and purpo&s;e hath</HI> God <HI>made known his mind unto us?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> That we might make it the Rule of our lives, and walk according to that Rule all the days of our lives.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Do&s;t thou think that thou art bound to believe and do as they promi&s;ed for thee?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> <HI><HI>Yes verily, and by Gods help &s;o I will; and I heartily thank our Heaven|ly Father, that he hath called me to this &s;tate of Salvation through</HI></HI> Je&s;us Chri&s;t <HI>our</HI> Saviour: <HI>And I pray unto</HI> God <HI>to give me his Grace, that I may continue in the &s;ame unto my lives end.</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>How comes it to pa&s;s that thou art bound to perform that promi&s;e which others made?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> Becau&s;e they only made it in my behalf, when by rea&s;on of my tender Years I was uncapable of making of it in my own per&s;on; which promi&s;e I am bound actually to perform when I come to years of di&s;cretion.</P>
<PB N="10" REF="14">
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Are you then able to perform that promi&s;e, which was made on your behalf?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> I am not by my own &s;trength, but by the grace of God I am; which he hath faithfully promi&s;ed to give to all tho&s;e that heartily beg it.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What think you of this E&s;tate which by your</HI> Bapti&s;m <HI>you are placed in?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> I think it is an excellent and ble&s;|&s;ed E&s;tate; as far excelling my natural condition, as light doth darkne&s;s; the one being a &s;tate of death, and the other a &s;tate of life.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>How come you to have a right to this excellent condition?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> By vertue of Chri&s;ts &s;ufferings, who hath purcha&s;ed this condition for me by his Death and Blood-&s;hedding, in which by the help and grace of God, I do re&s;olve to continue unto my lives end.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Rehear&s;e the</HI> Articles <HI>of thy be|lief?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> <HI><HI>I believe in God, the Father All|mighty,
<PB N="11" REF="14">maker of Heaven and Earth; and in</HI></HI> Je&s;us Chri&s;t <HI>his only Son our</HI> Lord, <HI>who was conceived by the</HI> Holy Gho&s;t, <HI>born of the Virgin</HI> Mary, <HI>&s;uf|fered under</HI> Pontius Pilate; <HI>was cruci|fied, dead, and buried; he de&s;cended in|to</HI> Hell; <HI>the third day he aro&s;e again from the dead; he a&s;cended into</HI> Heaven, <HI>and there be &s;itteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he &s;hall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the</HI> Holy Gho&s;t, <HI>the</HI> Holy Catholick Church, <HI>the Commu|nion of</HI> Saints, <HI>the forgivene&s;s of Sins, the Re&s;urrection of the Body, and the Life everla&s;ting.</HI> Amen.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What do&s;t thou chiefly learn in the&s;e</HI> Articles <HI>of thy belief?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> <HI><HI>Fir&s;t, I learn to believe in God the Father, who hath made me and all the World. Secondly, in God the Son, who hath red&eacute;emed me and all mankind. Thirdly, in God the Holy Gho&s;t, who
<PB N="12" REF="15">&s;anctifieth me, and all the Elect people of God.</HI></HI></P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>In which</HI> Article <HI>do you learn to believe in</HI> God <HI>the</HI> Father?</P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> This I learn in the fir&s;t Article, I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of Heaven and Earth.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>How many</HI> Gods <HI>are there?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> There is but one only, the true everliving and eternal God.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>How can that be, when you pro|fe&s;s that you believe in</HI> God <HI>the</HI> Father, God <HI>the</HI> Son, God <HI>the</HI> Holy Gho&s;t: <HI>How &s;aye&s;t thou then that there is but one</HI> God?</P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> In the God-head indeed there are three Per&s;ons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Gho&s;t, but the&s;e three are but one God; and this great truth St. <HI>John</HI> thus expre&s;&s;eth: <HI>There be three that bare record in Heaven, the</HI> Father, <HI>the</HI> VVord (that is <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> the Son of God, the VVord incarnate) <HI>and the</HI> Holy Gho&s;t, <HI>and the&s;e three are one.</HI></P>
<PB N="13" REF="15">
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What is</HI> God?</P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> God is a Spirit, Infinite in all his Attributes and Perfections.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>How knowe&s;t thou that there is &s;uch a being as</HI> God?</P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> Several ways: by his wonderful work of Creation, the Heavens de|clare the Glory of God, and the Fir|mament &s;heweth his handy work; but e&s;pecially by my own Con&s;cience, which this Infinite Being hath placed within me, to accu&s;e me of all tho&s;e Crimes I commit again&s;t his Divine Maje&s;ty.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>&V;pon what grounds do you call God</HI> Father?</P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> He is my Father by Creation, giving me at the fir&s;t my Being; he is al&s;o my Father by Adoption, having through the Gate of Bapti&s;m received me into the number of his Servants and Members.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>How did God at the fir&s;t create you?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> By his Almighty and Infinite
<PB N="14" REF="16">Power; by vertue whereof he can do what&s;oever plea&s;eth him, both in Hea|ven and in Earth.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>And did he fini&s;h the Heavens and the Earth, and all the re&s;t of his</HI> Creation, <HI>by his Power and Word alone?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> Yes: he &s;pake, and it was done; he commanded, and they were brought forth.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>In what time did God fini&s;h his</HI> Creation?</P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> In the &s;pace of Six days, and re&s;ted the Seventh day.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Why did God at the fir&s;t give you a Being?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> To advance his Honour, and to perform his &s;acred Will.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Of what did God make</HI> Man?</P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> He made his Body of the du&s;t of the ground, and breathed into his No&s;trils the breath of Life, and &s;o he became a living Soul.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>In which</HI> Article <HI>do you learn is believe in God the</HI> Son, <HI>who redeemed you and all mankind?</HI></P>
<PB N="15" REF="16">
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> In the&s;e: And in Je&s;us Chri&s;t his only Son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Gho&s;t, born of the Virgin <HI>Mary,</HI> &s;uffered under <HI>Pontius Pilate,</HI> was Crucified, dead and buried, he de&s;cended into <HI>Hell,</HI> the third day he ro&s;e again from the dead, he a&s;cended into <HI>Heaven,</HI> and &s;itteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from thence he &s;hall come to judge both the quick and the dead.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What is this</HI> Je&s;us Chri&s;t <HI>in whom you believe?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> He is perfect God, and perfect Man, equal to the Father as touching his God-head, but inferiour to the Fa|ther as touching his Man-hood.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What Relation &s;tands this Per&s;on in to God?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> He is his only Son, begotten of the Father before the world, his fir&s;t born from all Eternity.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Why did this Eternal God take upon him our nature, and &s;o become Man?</HI></P>
<PB N="16" REF="17">
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> That he might Redeem me and all mankind.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>But how can this be, that God &s;hould be made Man?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> He became Man, not by turning the God-head into the nature of Man, but by taking Mans nature into the God-head, that &s;o one per&s;on might be both God and Man.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What need was there that &s;o ex|cellent a Per&s;on as the</HI> Son <HI>of</HI> God <HI>&s;hould thus aba&s;e him&s;elf?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> Becau&s;e there was no other per|&s;on that could bring to pa&s;s this great work of mans Redemption.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Could none of the glorious</HI> Angels <HI>or ble&s;&s;ed</HI> Saints <HI>have come down from Heaven to mannage this charitable de|&s;ign?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> It was not in the power of any Angel or Saint, nay not of all the Saints and Angels, to Redeem lo&s;t Man.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Why, what was the rea&s;on?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> In regard none of them was
<PB N="17" REF="17">able to &s;u&s;tain &s;o great a burden as the &s;ins of the whole world: He who was infinite in power, as the Son of God was, was only able to bear up under &s;o heavy a load: be&s;ides, man, by rea&s;on of &s;in, was condemned to infinite tor|ments; and therefore no le&s;s than an infinite God could re&s;cue man from tho&s;e eternal torments.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>If none but the Son of God could effect this work, why did he not bring it to pa&s;s by vertue of that Almighty power which appertained to his Godhead, without taking any other nature?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> The Godhead is of that infinite perfection, that it cannot po&s;&s;ibly be &s;ubject to any pa&s;&s;ion; he therefore that had no other nature but the God|head, could not pay &s;uch a debt as this, the di&s;charge whereof con&s;i&s;ted in &s;uffering and dying.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Why did he not then take &s;ome more excellent nature than that of mans?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> Becau&s;e it was fit that God's
<PB N="18" REF="18">ju&s;tice &s;hould be &s;atisfied in the &s;ame nature that had offended: Man onely had &s;inned, and therefore it was but ju&s;t, that the &s;ame nature which had offended, &s;hould &s;uffer before it could be re&s;tored.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Did not the fallen Angels Sin?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> Yes, they &s;inned, but for them Chri&s;t died not, and therefore they are re&s;erved in everla&s;ting chains under darkne&s;s.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>How comes it to pa&s;s that they an exempted from receiving benefit by his gracious &s;ufferings?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> In regard they beheld the utmo&s;t of their own ble&s;&s;edne&s;s, but not|with&s;tanding, they fell from that glory and happine&s;s into a rebellion again&s;t their Creator, without the lea&s;t pro|vocation or temptation, either from any outward a&s;&s;ault or inward frailty.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What was it that moved God <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 word"> &s;end, and his Son &s;o willingly to come from Heaven for the &s;ake of lo&s;t undone ma<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"></HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> It was their infinite love, an<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">
<PB N="19" REF="18">never failing mercies: God &s;o loved the world that he gave his only be|gotten Son to dye for it; and Chri&s;t Je&s;us had &s;uch a tender compa&s;&s;ion for the &s;inful off-&s;pring of <HI>Adam,</HI> that he came down from his everla&s;ting ha|bitation of glory, to open the eyes of the blind, to call them from darkne&s;s to light, and from the power of Satan, into his own mo&s;t ble&s;&s;ed kingdome.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Did man contribute nothing to|wards the de&s;erving &s;o great a fa|vour?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> No, far otherwi&s;e; he was then in an open rebellion again&s;t the King of Heaven; and in&s;tead of meriting his favour, in &s;trict ju&s;tice he de&s;erveb the utmo&s;t of his fury and di&s;plea|&s;ure.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>How did Chri&s;t bring to pa&s;s this great de&s;igne?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> By &s;uffering the puni&s;hment that was due unto us for &s;in, and by con|quering and &s;ubduing all our &s;piritual enemies.</P>
<PB N="20" REF="19">
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>How did he undergoe this puni&s;h|ment?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> By his humiliation: He took upon him our nature, was born of a pure Virgin, &s;uffered under <HI>Pontius Pilate,</HI> by being crucified on a Cro&s;s; where his hands and his feet were pierced with Nailes, and his &s;ide with a Spear; And by this his infinite conde&s;cention and humiliation, he offered him&s;elf a Sacrifice for the &s;ins of the whole world.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>How did he conquer all our &s;piri|tual enemies?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> By his exaltation; he aro&s;e again the third day a compleat conquerour over Hell and Death, and all the pow|ers of the grave, and a&s;cended into the highe&s;t Heavens, where he ever liveth to make interce&s;&s;ion for us.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Do you believe then that Chri&s;t dyed for the whole world?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> Yes; I do believe that the eter|nal Son of God hath redeemed me and all mankind.</P>
<PB N="21" REF="19">
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>How comes it to pa&s;s then that the greate&s;t part of mankind &s;hall pe|ri&s;h?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> Becau&s;e they are prever&s;e and ob&s;tinate, they will not go unto him that they may have life, nor embrace tho&s;e conditions that he offers in his Holy Go&s;pel.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>In which Articles do you learn to believe in God the Holy Gho&s;t, who &s;ancti|fieth you and all the elect people of God?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> In this Article, I believe in the Holy Gho&s;t.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What do you believe that the holy Gho&s;t is?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> I believe that he is very God, the Third Per&s;on in the holy Trinity, proceeding from the Father and the Son.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What is the office of the Holy Gho&s;t.</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> It is to &s;anctifie all the elect peo|ple of God.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Why is he &s;tiled the &s;anctifyer of all the elect people of God?</HI></P>
<PB N="22" REF="20">
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> In regard he is the Author of all holine&s;s and purity in them; all our inward gifts and embelli&s;hments pro|ceed from him; he is the Lord and giver of life, namely, of that &s;piritual life which is requi&s;ite to actuate and enform every Chri&s;tian.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>How doth he perform this his Office?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> Both outwardly and inwardly.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>How doth he perform it outward|ly?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> By revealing the Will of God to the Prophets, Evangeli&s;ts, and Apo|&s;tles, who by his a&s;&s;i&s;tance and in&s;pira|tion have made it known to the world, wherein is contained all things apper|taining both to life and Godline&s;s.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>How doth he perform it in|wardly?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> By renewing of us in all the parts and faculties of our &s;oules, wor|king heavenly di&s;po&s;itions in them, whereas before they were enclined to all manner of &s;in and wickedne&s;s,
<PB N="23" REF="20">As al&s;o by fearing, directing, and governing of us in our actions and conver&s;ations, &s;o that we may actually perform tho&s;e things that are accepta|ble in the &s;ight of our heavenly Fa|ther.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Is there nothing el&s;e which the Creed propounds to you as the &s;ubject of your belief?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> It al&s;o teacheth me to believe &s;omething concerning tho&s;e per&s;ons that with true Faith and obedience wor&s;hip the undivided Trinity?</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What doth it teach you to believe concerning the&s;e?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> It teacheth me fir&s;t to believe that there is a Church Holy and Ca|tholick.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What do you believe this Holy Ca|tholick Church to be?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> By the Holy Catholick Church I mean the whole congregation of Chri&s;tian people profe&s;&s;ing one and the &s;ame Faith, far and wide di&s;per&s;ed over the face of the whole earth.</P>
<PB N="24" REF="21">
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Who is the &s;upream head and go|vernour of this Church?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> Chri&s;t Je&s;us the eternal Son of God, he is the governour thereof, the Rock whereupon it is built; his holy Spirit is the pre&s;erver and &s;anctifier of it, and his ble&s;&s;ed Apo&s;tles and Evan|geli&s;ts, together with tho&s;e Bi&s;hops and Pa&s;tors that &s;ucceed them, do keep and maintain it in the profe&s;&s;ion of the true Chri&s;tian faith and religion.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What number is there of the&s;e Churches?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> There is but one holy Catho|lick Church.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>How <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 word"> that he, when as in the Scripture we read of &s;everal Churches, as the Church of</HI> Rome, <HI>the Church of</HI> Corinth, <HI>the Church of</HI> Ephe&s;us, <HI>with di|vers others?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> The&s;e &s;everal congregations (every one of which is in &s;ome &s;en&s;e a Church, and may be &s;o called,) are properly but one Church, in regard they are all &s;ubject to one and the
<PB N="25" REF="21">&s;ame Governour, they are all built up|on the &s;ame Rock, all profe&s;s the &s;ame Faith, all receive the &s;ame Sacralments, all perform the &s;ame Devotions; which, although divers congregations, yet may they very aptly be reputed mem|bers of the &s;ame Church.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>But be&s;ides the&s;e &s;everal Churches, we al&s;o read of a Church Militant and a Church Triumphant; how &s;ay you then there is but one Church?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> The&s;e are but the different &s;tate and conditions of the Holy Catholick Church, and not two Churches: In this world it is the Church Militant, and it is &s;o termed becau&s;e alwayes in a po|&s;ture of War, continually fighting a|gain&s;t the World, the Fle&s;h, and the Devil; And in the world to come it &s;hall be Triumphant, for then it &s;hall take po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of that heavenly King|dome which the Lord <HI>Chri&s;t Je&s;us</HI> hath purcha&s;ed for it, where it's warfare &s;hall be ended, and it &s;hall gloriou&s;ly triumph over all its enemies.</P>
<PB N="26" REF="22">
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>How long &s;hall this Church con|tinue?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> To the end of the world. Chri&s;t from the beginning had, and the end &s;hall have a Church, again&s;t which all the powers of Hell &s;hall not be able to prevail, in regard he hath promi&s;ed to be with them always, even unto the end of the world; and then he &s;hall receive the true members of it up into glory, to reign with him in his ever|la&s;ting kingdom to eternal Ages.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Why do you call this a Holy Church?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> For divers rea&s;ons; as fir&s;t, be|cau&s;e it is called by <HI>Chri&s;t Je&s;us,</HI> and therefore &s;eperated from the re&s;t of the world by a Holy calling. Secondly, in regard all her offices, admini&s;trati|ons and powers, are ordained to pro|duce holine&s;s; the Religion &s;he pro|fe&s;&s;eth is Holy, the laws by which &s;he is governed are holy and good, the offices &s;he performs are Divine. Third|ly, becau&s;e who&s;oever is called to pro|fe&s;s
<PB N="27" REF="22">the Faith in <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> is hereby in|gaged to holine&s;s of life. Fourthly, in regard the end of con&s;tituting a Church, was for the purcha&s;ing an holy and peculiar people to God, zealous of good works.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Why do you call this Church Ca|tholick?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> <HI>Catholick</HI> &s;ignifies univer&s;al or whole, under which term the large|ne&s;s of the Church is comprehended; it being extended to all places and to all per&s;ons. In former time the <HI>Jews</HI> only were the Church of <HI>God:</HI> but now the partition-wall is broken down, and all Nations, and all Per&s;ons in all Nations have a capacity to be of the Church of <HI>Chri&s;t.</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What benefits do tho&s;e receive who are members of his Holy Catho|tholick Church?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> There are four mentioned in this confe&s;&s;ion of Faith; the communion of Saints, the forgivene&s;s of Sins, the re&s;urrection of the Body, and the life Everla&s;ting.</P>
<PB N="28" REF="23">
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Who do you mean by the&s;e Saints?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> By the Saints, I mean &s;uch per&s;ons as are called by a holy calling, and are obedient to it, &s;uch as are endowed with a holy Faith, and purified there by; &s;uch as are &s;anctified by the Spi|rit of <HI>God,</HI> and by vertue thereof do lead an holy and unblameable life; &s;uch per&s;ons are truly and indeed Saints.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What is that Communion, or wherein doth it con&s;i&s;t, that the&s;e holy Per&s;ons enjoy?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> The Saints on Earth enjoy Com|munion, either with tho&s;e who are not of the &s;ame nature with them, as men, or with tho&s;e that are of the &s;ame na|ture with them.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What per&s;ons are tho&s;e that are not of the &s;ame nature, with whom the Saints have Communion, and wherein doth that Communion con&s;i&s;t?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> Fir&s;t they have Communion with God the Father, they are of his Family, they are his Servants, his Sons,
<PB N="29" REF="23">and therefore they may with boldne&s;s &s;ue to him for his favours, who is as dear and tender over them as a Father is over the fruits of his own Loins.</P>
<P>Secondly, that Saints living in the Church of God, have Communion with the Son of God; he is our elder Brother, our Interce&s;&s;or and Advocate, all our reque&s;ts are put up to the Fa|ther in his Name; who by pre&s;enting of them before the Throne of Grace, makes them available for &s;uch things as we beg.</P>
<P>Thirdly, the Saints in the Church of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> have Communion with the <HI>Holy Gho&s;t;</HI> they become Saints and holy men by partaking of this Divine Spirit of life, and by being &s;anctifyed by him; he inhabits in them, enlivens and actuates them to the performance of every good and Religious Duty.</P>
<P>Fourthly, The Saints in the Church of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> have Communion with the ble&s;&s;ed Angels: the&s;e are tho&s;e Mini|&s;tring Spirits, who are &s;ent abroad to
<PB N="30" REF="24">Mini&s;ter for their &s;akes who are heirs of Salvation: yea, the holy <HI>Je&s;us</HI> hath a&s;&s;ur'd us that they have a particular &s;en&s;e of our condition, enforming of us that there is joy in the pre&s;ence of the Angels of God over one &s;inner that repenteth.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What Per&s;ons are tho&s;e that are of the &s;ame nature with the Saints, with whom they enjoy fellow&s;hip, and what Communion is it?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> The&s;e are of two &s;orts.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>which is the first &s;ort with whom they Communicate?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> With tho&s;e who partake not of the &s;ame holine&s;s with them. There was a <HI>Judas</HI> among&s;t the holy Apo&s;tles, and there ever was and will be to the end of the World, &s;ome Hypocrites in the Church of God; the Tares mu&s;t mu&s;t grow up with the Wheat, lea&s;t by plucking up the one, they de&s;troy the other.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What Communion have they with the&s;e?</HI></P>
<PB N="31" REF="24">
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> They communicate in the &s;ame Water, being both externally bapti|zed; they communicate in the &s;ame Creed, both making the &s;ame open confe&s;&s;ion of Faith; both agree in the acknowledgement of the &s;ame Princi|ples of Religion; both communicate in the &s;ame word; both hear the &s;ame Doctrine preached; they communicate at the &s;ame Table; both eat the &s;ame Bread and drink of the &s;ame Cup which <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> hath appointed to be re|ceived.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>If then the Saint and the Hypocrite communicate in the &s;ame benefits, how then doth the Saint differ from a Hypo|crite; or what priviledges doth the one enjoy more that the other?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> Although the Hypocrite doth communicate in the &s;ame externals with the Saint, yet he doth not com|municate with him in the &s;ame &s;aving Grace, nor in the &s;ame Faith working by love, nor in the &s;ame renovation of mind and &s;pirit.</P>
<PB N="32" REF="25">
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Are there no other matters where|in they do not communicate?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> They do not communicate with the Hypocrite in the &s;ame &s;ins, in the &s;ame accur&s;ed infidelity, in the &s;ame barrenne&s;s under the means of Grace, in the &s;ame fal&s;e pretence and empty form of Godline&s;s.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What are the other &s;ort of per&s;ons of the &s;ame nature, with whom they communicate?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> The Saints of God living in the Church, have communion one with another.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Wherein doth this Communion con&s;i&s;t?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> They all communicate of the &s;ame Ordinances, all partake of the &s;ame promi&s;es, are all endowed with the Graces of the &s;ame mutual love and affection, keeping the Unity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace, all en|grafted into the &s;ame Stock, and all receive life from the &s;ame Root.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What is the &s;econd benefit that be|long
<PB N="33" REF="25">to be Members of the Church?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> Forgivene&s;s of Sins.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What is Sin?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> Sin is the tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion of the Law of God.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What is the puni&s;hment due unto &s;in?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> Eternal death: the wages of &s;in is death.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Is not all mankind lyable to this puni&s;hment, in regard, as the Scripture affirms, all have &s;inned, and come &s;hort of the Glory of God?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> All mankind was once in a &s;tate of death and dammnation.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>How then came this benefit of the forgivene&s;s of &s;ins to be made over to them?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> The Son of God, by his active o|bedience, fulfilling every title of the Law, and by his pa&s;&s;ive obedience &s;uffering the wrath of God due to us for the breach of the Law, hath made full &s;atisfaction on our behalf, recon|ciled us to God, by vertue of which
<PB N="34" REF="26">reconciliation our &s;ins are forgiven.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>To whom doth this favour belong?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> To the Members of the Church.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Shall all tho&s;e that are Members of the Church, partake of this benefit?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> All tho&s;e that by Bapti&s;m are re|ceived into the Church, by that Sa|crament, receive the remi&s;&s;ion of tho&s;e &s;ins which they were guilty of before they were baptized; and hence it is that in the <HI>Nicene</HI> Creed we profe&s;s to believe one Bapti&s;m for the remi&s;&s;io<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> of &s;ins: &amp; al&s;o after they be thus made Members of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> they receive remi&s;|&s;ion of their future &s;ins by repentance</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What is the third benefit that b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">+longs to the Members of this Church?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> The Re&s;urrection of the Body.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Can the body then ari&s;e out of th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> Grave, when as it is mouldred in crumbs and du&s;t?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> It &s;hall mo&s;t certainly ari&s;e <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">+gain, and he re-united to the So<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> when together they &s;hall render an ac+count of all their actions performed i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> this life.</P>
<PB N="35" REF="26">
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Shall the very &s;ame bodies ari&s;e that now we bare about with us?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> They &s;hall be the &s;ame for &s;ub|&s;tance, but not for qualities; where|as they are now Earthly, Mortal, and Corruptible bodies, they &s;hall then be Spiritual, Immortal, and incorruptible.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>How can this po&s;sibly be, that the &s;ame body which is devoured by Worms &s;hould again be rai&s;ed?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> This is performed by Gods infinite and unlimited power, who &s;hall call to the dead, ari&s;e ye dead and come away to judgement; and the dead &s;hall hear his voice, and obey it.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>VVhat nece&s;sity is there that the &s;ame body &s;hould ari&s;e?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> The &s;ame body mu&s;t ari&s;e, and no other, to magnifie Gods ju&s;tice, that &s;o the &s;ame individual body that was a co|partner in &s;in, may be puni&s;hed; that which did partake in righteous actions and &s;ufferings, may be rewarded.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Shall all bodies in general ari&s;e?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> The bodies both of the Godly
<PB N="36" REF="27">and wicked, of the ju&s;t and unju&s;t, all that ever lived &s;hall ari&s;e, and live again to eternal Ages.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>When &s;hall this general re&s;urrecti|on be?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> At the la&s;t and great day of ac|counts, when the Lord him&s;elf &s;hall de&s;cend from <HI>Heaven</HI> with a &s;hout; and with the voice of the Arch-angel, and with the Trumpet of God.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What is the fourth benefit that be|longs to the Members of this Church?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> The life everla&s;ting.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>To whom doth this belong?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> To all in general; for although the life everla&s;ting is frequently u&s;ed to &s;ignifie that reward, which in ano|ther life is be&s;towed upon the righte|ous; yet the wicked &s;hall live eternal|ly.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What &s;hall then be the difference betwixt the godly and the ungodly in this re&s;pect?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> The godly &s;hall live to all eterni|ty in un&s;peakable joys, and never fa|ding
<PB N="37" REF="27">glories; and the wicked &s;hall live eternally, or they &s;hall remain alive in Soul &amp; Body, to endure the Torments to be inflicted upon them by the ju|&s;tice of God, for all the &s;ins committed by them whil&s;t they were in the body.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Do you think that it is enough barely to believe all the&s;e Articles of your Faith?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> As I am bound to believe them, &s;o it is my duty to frame my practice an&s;werable to this my belief; &s;o that I mu&s;t not only know what the&s;e words &s;ignifie, but likewi&s;e I mu&s;t perform &s;uch actions as are agreeable thereto.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Is this all that your Bapti&s;mal vow and promi&s;e requires from you?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> No, it not only enjoyns me to believe all the Articles of the Chri&s;tian Faith, but al&s;o I am thereby bound to keep Gods holy Will and Command|ments, and to walk in the &s;ame all the dayes of my life.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>When was the&s;e Commandments given?</HI></P>
<PB N="38" REF="28">
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> God &s;peak them to <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> upon <HI>Mount Sinai,</HI> who wrote them upon Tables of Stone, &amp; made them known to the people of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> for the regula|ting of their manners.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>If the&s;e Commandments are part of</HI> Mo&s;es <HI>his Law, then certainly they were abrogated by the coming of</HI> Chri&s;t?</P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> This Law was before <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> was, although not literally recorded; and it &s;hall continue after him to the end of the World: and therefore it is cal|led the Moral Law, becau&s;e it is to be a perpetual rule of good manners to mankind.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>To whom did God make it known before</HI> Mo&s;es?</P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> He did implant it in mans nature by Creation; and for this rea&s;on St. <HI>Paul</HI> calls it the Law of Nature: but when mans light and knowledge was decayed and impaired by the fall of <HI>Adam,</HI> God again renewed this Law
<PB N="39" REF="28">to his Servant <HI>Mo&s;es;</HI> and likewi&s;e our ble&s;&s;ed Lord in his fir&s;t Sermon, that mo&s;t excellent Sermon he prea|ched on the Mount, reinforces this Law, and re&s;cues it from tho&s;e cor|rupt glo&s;&s;es the <HI>Scribes</HI> and <HI>Phari&s;es</HI> had put upon it.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI><HI>How many Commandements doth this moral law contain?</HI></HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> <HI><HI>Ten.</HI></HI></P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI><HI>Which be they?</HI></HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> <HI><HI>The &s;ame which God &s;pake in the twentieth Chapter of</HI></HI> Exodus, <HI>&s;aying, I am the Lord thy God which brought thee out of the Land of</HI> Aegypt, <HI>out of the hou&s;e of Bondage.</HI></P>
<P N="1">1. <HI><HI>Thou &s;halt have none other gods but me.</HI></HI></P>
<P N="2">2. <HI><HI>Thou &s;halt not make to thy &s;elf any graven Image, nor the likene&s;s of any thing that is in Heaven above, or in the Earth beneath, or in the waters un|der the Earth, thou &s;halt not how down to them, nor wor&s;hip them; For I the
<PB N="40" REF="29">Lord thy God am a jealous God, and vi&s;it the iniquities of the Fathers upon the Children, unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, and &s;hew mercy unto thou&s;ands, unto them that love me and keep my Command|ments.</HI></HI></P>
<P N="3">3. <HI><HI>Thou &s;halt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltle&s;s that taketh his name in vain.</HI></HI></P>
<P N="4">4. <HI><HI>Kemmember that thou keep holy the</HI> Sabbath-day: <HI>&s;ix dayes &s;halt thou labour, and do all that thou va&s;t to do, but the Seventh day is the Sabboth of the Lord thy God, in it thou &s;halt do no manner of work, thou, and thy &s;on, and thy daughter, thy man-&s;ervant, and thy maid-&s;ervant, the Cattel and the Stranger that is within thy Gates; for in &s;ix dayes the Lord made Heaven and Earth, the Sea, and all that in them is; and re&s;ted the Seventh day; wherefore the Lord ble&s;&s;ed the Seventh day, and hallowed it.</HI></HI></P>
<PB N="41" REF="29">
<P N="5">5. <HI><HI>Honour thy Father and thy Mo|ther, that thy dayes may be long in the Land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.</HI></HI></P>
<P N="6">6. <HI><HI>Thou &s;halt do no Murther.</HI></HI></P>
<P N="7">7. <HI><HI>Thou &s;halt not commit Adultery.</HI></HI></P>
<P N="8">8. <HI><HI>Thou &s;halt not Steal.</HI></HI></P>
<P N="7">7. <HI><HI>Thou &s;halt not bare fal&s;e witne&s;es again&s;t thy Neighbour.</HI></HI></P>
<P N="10">10. <HI><HI>Thou &s;halt not covet thy Neigh|bours hou&s;e, thou &s;halt not covet thy Neighbours Wife, nor his Servant, nor his Maid, nor his Ox, nor his A&s;s, nor any thing that is his.</HI></HI></P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI><HI>What do&s;t thou chiefly learn by the&s;e Commandments?</HI></HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> <HI><HI>I learn two things, my duty towards God, and my duty towards my Neigh|bour.</HI></HI></P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>In which of the&s;e Commandments do you learn you duty towards God?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> In the four fir&s;t, commonly cal|led the fir&s;t Table.</P>
<PB N="42" REF="30">
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>In which of them do you learn your duty towards your Neighbour?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> In the &s;ix la&s;t, commonly called the &s;econd Table.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What is your duty towards God?</HI></P>
<P><HI>A. <HI>My duty towards God is to believe in him, to fear him, and to love him with all my heart, with all my mind, with all my &s;oul, and all my &s;trength, to wor|&s;hip him, to give him thanks, to put my whole tru&s;t in him, to call upon him, to honour his holy name, and his word, and to &s;erve him truly all the dayes of my life.</HI></HI></P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>In which of the four fir&s;t Com|mands, do you learn to believe in God, to fear him, and to love him with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your &s;oul, and with all your &s;trength?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> This part of my duty towards God, I learn in the fir&s;t of the Com|mandements,
<PB N="43" REF="30"><HI>Thou &s;halt have no other Gods but me:</HI> in which precept I am bound, fir&s;t, to believe that there is a God; &s;econdly, I am to believe that there is but one God; thirdly, I am to believe in the true everliving God, and to have him for my God; and when I have thus cho&s;en him to be my God, it can be no le&s;s than my duty to &s;tand in awe of &s;o glorious a Maje&s;ty, and to be fearful of di&s;plea&s;ing him: and al&s;o to love him above all things, and for him&s;elf alone; and to love him not faintly or languidly, but &s;incerely and cordially, with my whole mind, with all my &s;oul, and with all my &s;trength.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Is this all that you learn from this Command?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> No, every Command, be&s;ides that duty, it po&s;itively enjoyns, al&s;o forbids the contrary vice, as likewi&s;e that command which forbids a vice, al&s;o en|joyns the contrary vertue; &s;o that by this command, I not only learn to be|lieve in God, to fear him, and to love
<PB N="44" REF="31">him, but al&s;o I am forbidden infideli|ty, not to believe the one true God, or tho&s;e Laws he hath delivered to the world; carele&s;s pre&s;umption, not fearing to offend him; hatred of him, or of what&s;oever he commands.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>In which of the&s;e four fir&s;t com|mands do you learn to wor&s;hip this true everliving God, to give him thanks, to put your whole tru&s;t in him, and to call up|on him?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> This part of my duty towards God I learn in the &s;econd Command|ment, Thou &s;halt not wor&s;hip any graven Image; wherein, as I am ex|pre&s;sly forbidden, the making any graven Image, or the wor&s;hipping of them when made, &s;o al&s;o I am implici|tely enjoyned to wor&s;hip that &s;upream infinite Maje&s;ty of Heaven and Earth uprightly and &s;incerely, with all bodily wor&s;hip and external forms of ad|dre&s;s; to adore him with all humility and reverence, in all my wants to call upon him, who is a ready help in time
<PB N="45" REF="31">of need; and when he hath fulfilled my de&s;ires, to give him hearty thanks for his mercies: in all &s;traits and dan|gers, to put my whole tru&s;t in him, who is a &s;ure rock of defence; in a word, in all re&s;pects to pay him that homage, reverence, and adoration, as his great|ne&s;s and goodne&s;s requires from me.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Wherefore are you bound to wor|&s;hip no Idol, nor any repre&s;entation of God, but onely the true God?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> Becau&s;e he is a jealous God, and will not &s;uffer the lea&s;t contempt that is offered to his honour to pa&s;s by un|puni&s;hed?</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>In which of the&s;e commands do&s;t thou learn to honour his Holy name?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> This part of my duty towards God I learn in the third command; Thou &s;halt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: wherein I am bound to honour Gods Holy Name, by not abu&s;ing of it in my daily com|munication, not u&s;ing it ra&s;hly, fooli&s;h|ly or vainly in my common di&s;cour&s;e;
<PB N="46" REF="32">not cur&s;ing either my neighbour or any of his po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions in Gods name, not &s;wearing by his name fal&s;ly, or at all, unle&s;s it be in a ju&s;t cau&s;e, before <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 word"> lawful Magi&s;trate, for the deciding of &s;ome controver&s;ie: As al&s;o by this pre|cept I am obliged to honour Gods name, by e&s;teeming highly of it, and &s;peaking of it with reverence and &s;o|briety; and at all times, and upon all occa&s;ions, prai&s;ing, magnifying, exal|ting, and honouring the mo&s;t holy and reverend name of God, his Attributes, or any thing whereby he hath made him&s;elf known unto us.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What puni&s;hment do you incur if you are failing in your duty in this re|&s;pect?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> God will proceed again&s;t me as again&s;t a malefactor, or guilty per&s;on; and although po&s;&s;ibly in this life I may e&s;cape without cha&s;tifinent, yet in another I cannot but expect to be &s;e|verely puni&s;hed.</P>
<PB N="47" REF="32">
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>In which command do you learn to &s;erve. God truly all the dayes of your life?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> This part of my duty towards God, I learn in the la&s;t of the&s;e four commands, <HI>Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath Day;</HI> wherein I am bound to devote that time to the wor|&s;hip and &s;ervice of God, which the Church by her authority hath &s;et apart for that purpo&s;e.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Are you not then bound to ob&s;erve the Sabboth day, that is, the &s;eventh day, on which God re&s;ted from the works of his creation?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> I am bound to ob&s;erve one day in &s;even as a Sabboth, that is, a day of re&s;t; but the primitive Chri&s;tians, in|&s;tead of the Jewi&s;h Sabboth, which was to be aboli&s;hed after the Re&s;ur|rection of Chri&s;t, made choice of the fir&s;t day of the week on which he aro&s;e from the grave, to be ob&s;erved as the Chri&s;tian Sabboth, and al&s;o honoured it with the title of the Lords day.</P>
<PB N="48" REF="33">
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What are the duties required for the right ob&s;ervation of this day?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> They are two, Sanctification and Re&s;t.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>How mu&s;t this day be Sancti|fied?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> In mu&s;t be &s;anctified by &s;etting it apart to the Wor&s;hip and &s;ervice of God.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What is that &s;ervice of God which on this day mu&s;t be performed?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> It may be reduced to the&s;e three heads, either that publique &s;ervice we are obliged to perform in the Church; or that charitable &s;ervice we are to do towards our neighbour; or that pri|vate &s;ervice we are to perform at our own hou&s;es.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Wherein con&s;i&s;ts that publique &s;ervice of God we are bound to perform on this day?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> It con&s;i&s;ts in meeting together at the hou&s;e of Prayer, the Church, and unanimou&s;ly joyning together in the publick prayers of the Church, in hea|ring
<PB N="49" REF="33">the word of God read and prea|ched, in Catechi&s;ing, and in receiving the Holy Sacrament of Chri&s;ts mo&s;t precious body and blood; and in all the&s;e offices behaving our &s;elves with all reverence, decency, and humi|lity.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Wherein con&s;ists that &s;ervice we are on this day bound to performe towards our neighbour?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> It con&s;i&s;ts in forgiving offences, reconciling &s;uch of them as are at va|riance, exhorting and edifying one another in love, giving of alms, and vi|&s;iting the &s;ick.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What is that private &s;ervice we are bound to performe to God on this day?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> Reading good and profitable books, meditating, in&s;tructing our fa|milies in the principles of religion, to|gether with the performance of our private devotions, which is every dayes duty.</P>
<PB N="50" REF="34">
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What is that re&s;t which on this is required?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> It is a re&s;t from our common affairs, and all &s;ervile works and la|bours, unle&s;s of charity and nece&s;&s;ity.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Is this all the re&s;t required on this day?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> No, we mu&s;t not onely re&s;t our &s;elves, but al&s;o we mu&s;t &s;uffer our Ser|vants, our Cattel, and all that belongs unto us to re&s;t on this day.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI><HI>What is your Duty towards your Neighbour, which you learn in the &s;econd Table, or in the &s;ixth following com|mand?</HI></HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> <HI><HI>My Duty towards my Neighbour is to Love him as my &s;elf, and to do to all men as I would they &s;hould do unto me: to Love, Honour, and Succour my Father and Mother: to honour and obey the King, and all that are put in Autho|rity under him: to &s;ubmit my &s;elf to all my Governours, Teachers, &s;piritual Pa|&s;tors and Ma&s;ters: to order my &s;elf lowly
<PB N="51" REF="34">and reverently to all my betters: to hurt no body by Word or Deed: to be true and ju&s;t in all my Dealings: to bear no ma|lice nor hatred in my Heart; to keep my Hands from picking and &s;tealing, and my Tongue from evil &s;peaking, lying, and &s;landering; to keep my Body in tempe|rance, &s;overne&s;s, and cha&s;tity; not to covet nor de&s;ire other mens goods; but to learn and labour truly to get my own living, and to do my Duty in that &s;tate of life into which it &s;hall plea&s;e God to call me.</HI></HI></P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Who is your Neighbour?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> Every man, without exception; unle&s;s the Church of God, by its pow|er, hath for &s;ome notorious offence, cut him off from her communion.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Are we then bound to love our ene|mies, tho&s;e that hate us and per&s;ecute us?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> The&s;e we are al&s;o to love, and hereto we are &s;trictly bound by our Ble&s;&s;ed Saviours expre&s;s command: <HI>But I &s;ay unto you, love your Enemies,
<PB N="52" REF="35">ble&s;s them that cur&s;e you, pray for them that de&s;pitefully u&s;e you and per&s;ecute you.</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>In which of the&s;e &s;ix commands do you learn to love your neighbour as jour &s;elf?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> This general duty I learn in all of them, wherein is contained that kindne&s;s, mercy, and compa&s;&s;ion, which one man ought to entertain towards another; it being the great de&s;ign of this Table to maintain amity &amp; friend|&s;hip among&s;t brethren.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>In which of the&s;e commands do you learn to do unto all men as you would they &s;hould do unto you?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> This duty towards my neigh|bour, I likewi&s;e learn from them all in general, which teach me to give to all their ju&s;t due and right; not to detract from my neighbour by word nor deed, neither to injure him either in body, goods, or name.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>In which of the&s;e commands do&s;t thou learn to love, honour, and &s;uccour
<PB N="53" REF="35">thy Father and Mother, to honour and obey the King, and all that are put in au|thority under him, to &s;ubmit your &s;elf to all your teachers, governours, &s;piritual pa&s;tors and Ma&s;ters, to order your &s;elf lowly and reverently to all your betters.</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> This part of my duty towards my neighbour, I learn in the fir&s;t pre|cept of this Table, or of the fifth in order; <HI>honour thy Father and thy Mother.</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>How can you learn thus much by this precept, when as it onely enjoyns you to honour your father and mother?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> The&s;e terms <HI>Father</HI> and <HI>Mother</HI> are very comprehen&s;ive; under which are included all that are above us, in what relation &s;oever, whether natural, civil, or Eccle&s;ia&s;tical.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What is that duty which this com|mand requires from you towards your na|tural relations, that is, your parents?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> It is fir&s;t to love them with &s;o cordial an affection, as &s;o near a relation requires. Secondly, to honour them
<PB N="54" REF="36">as tho&s;e from whom I received my be|ing, who take care and provide for me in all re&s;pects next under my Crea|tor. Thirdly; to &s;uccour them, if pro|vidence &s;hould ever ca&s;t them into di&s;tre&s;s, in every re&s;pect, according to the be&s;t of my ability.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What is that duty which this com|mand requires from you towardes your civil relations, that is, the King, who is the Father of his Country, and all that are put in authority under him?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> It is to give them that honour which is due unto them, &s;uch as their eminent places and qualities require; heartily to obey all their ju&s;t com|mands; patiently to &s;uffer the penalties of their Laws when inflicted; never up|on any account what&s;oever to rebell again&s;t them, but quietly to &s;ubmit my &s;elf to every ordinance of man for the Lords &s;ake.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What is that duty which this command requires from you towards your Eccle&s;ia&s;tical relations, that is, towards
<PB N="55" REF="36">your Teachers, &s;piritual Fathers, Pa|&s;tors?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> It is to obey tho&s;e good in&s;tructi|ons they give me, to follow their good examples, patiently &s;ubmitting to all tho&s;e cen&s;ures, which for my extrava|gancies they inflict upon me, and to en|deavour by my true penitency to be ab&s;olved from them.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>So then, I perceive there is a ge|neral duty by this command required of you towardes all your Superiours?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> Yes, this Law enjoyns me to or|der my &s;elfe lowly and reverently to all my betters, that is, to give unto them that due &s;ubjection, reverence, honour, and re&s;pect, that their &s;eve|ral qualities and employments chal|lenge from me.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>In which of the&s;e commands do&s;t thou learn to hurt no body by word nor deed, to be true and ju&s;t in all thy deal|ings, to beare no malice nor hatred in thy heart?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> This part of my duty towards my-Neigbour,
<PB N="56" REF="37">I learn in the &s;econd com|mand of this Table, or in the &s;ixth of them all; <HI>thou &s;halt do no murther:</HI> wherein I am forbidden to offer any violence to my Neighbour, either by word or deed: not to take away his life, either by open force or private treachery, or any other way; neither to harbour any murtherous, malicious, or envyous thoughts again&s;t him, nor to utter any reviling, railing, bitter &s;peeches: In general, here is forbidden all cruelty or unmercifulne&s;s either to men or bea&s;t.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>In which of the&s;e commands: do&s;t thou learn to keep thy hands from picking and &s;tealing?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> This part of my duty towards my Neighbour, I learn in the fourth command of this &s;econd Table, or in the eighth of them all; <HI>thou &s;halt not &s;teal:</HI> wherein I am forbidden picking, &s;tealing, &s;ecret purloyning, open robberies, violence, plundering and rapacity, or any other way where|by
<PB N="57" REF="37">I endeavour to encroach upon the goods and e&s;tate of my Neighbours: as al&s;o I am hereby &s;trictly enjoyned to be content with that portion of worldly goods which God hath given me, to u&s;e ju&s;tice in all mydealings, to pre&s;erve my Neighbours goods, and to &s;uffer every man to enjoy his own propriety quietly and peaceably.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>In which of the&s;e commands do&s;t thou learn to keep thy tongue from evil &s;peaking, lying and &s;landering?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> This part of my duty towards my Neighbour, I learn in the fifth command of this &s;econd Table, or in the ninth of them all; <HI>thou &s;halt not bear fal&s;e witne&s;s again&s;t thy Neighbour:</HI> in which I am forbidden all lying, &s;landering, backbiting, evil &s;peaking, bearing fal&s;e witne&s;s, and all other vices of this nature, whereby the Re|putation or good Name of my Neigh|bour, or his goods and life may be impaired or wronged. As al&s;o by this Law I am enjoyned the contrary ver|tues,
<PB N="58" REF="38">that is, to &s;et &s;o &s;ure a guard o|ver my tongue, as nothing may pro|ceed out of my mouth, that may in|jure my brother.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>In which of the&s;e commands do&s;t thou learn to keep thy body in tempe|rance, &s;oberne&s;s and cha&s;tity?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> This I learn in the third com|mand of this Table, or in the &s;eventh of them all; <HI>Thou &s;halt not commit Adultery:</HI> wherein I am forbidden all manner of &s;en&s;uality, la&s;civiou&s;ne&s;s, wantonne&s;s, or uncleanne&s;s; as al&s;o by this Law I am enjoyned to keep my body cha&s;t and clean from the &s;inful lu&s;ts of the fle&s;h, and to make u&s;e of all means conducing hereunto; &s;uch are &s;obriety and temperance: and if by a high and full diet my body &s;hould grow wanton and unruly, then to bring it into &s;ubjection by prayer, watching and fa&s;ting.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>In which command do&s;t thou learn not to covet nor de&s;ire other mens goods, but to learn and labour truly to get thy
<PB N="59" REF="38">own living, and to do thy duty in that &s;tate into which it &s;hall plea&s;e God to call thee?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> Thus much I learn both in the la&s;t command of this Table, and of them all, wherein I am forbidden all covetous de&s;ires towards my Neigh|bour, the envying his wealth or pro|&s;perity, all carking over-&s;olicitous di|&s;tracting thoughts in the purcha&s;ing this worlds goods; as al&s;o, I am by this Law commanded to be content with mine owne, to labour hone&s;tly in that employment wherein divine pro|vidence hath placed me, without har|bouring one evil thought again&s;t my brothers welfare.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Are you able to keep the&s;e com|mands, and hereby to make good that part of your promi&s;e you made at your Bapti&s;m?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> In &s;ome mea&s;ure I am able to ob&s;erve them; otherwi&s;e God would be unju&s;t in exacting that obedience I am uncapable of performing.</P>
<PB N="60" REF="39">
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>How are you able, whether by your own &s;trength, or mu&s;t you have the a&s;si&s;tance of &s;ome higher power?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> I am not able by my own innate power to ob&s;erve the&s;e Laws: but that God who commands me to keep them, hath promi&s;ed to a&s;&s;i&s;t my hearty en|deavours in the ob&s;ervation of them.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What means mu&s;t you u&s;e to procure the a&s;si&s;tance of your heavenly Father?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> The only way to gain his aid, is by earne&s;tly and affectionately begging it by prayer; and hence it is that my Catechi&s;m warns me at all times to beg Gods &s;pecial Grace by prayer.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>How are you a&s;sured that God will help you when you pray unto him?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> In regard that he hath faithfully promi&s;ed, that all &s;uch as ask &s;hall have; and his ble&s;&s;ed Son hath pa&s;&s;ed his word, that what&s;oever we ask the Father in his Name it &s;hall be given unto us.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>How comes it to pa&s;s then, that all
<PB N="61" REF="39">the reque&s;ts, even of the faithful, are not granted?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> Po&s;&s;ibly they may beg &s;uch fa|vours as may not be convenient for them, at lea&s;t not expedient, to be be&s;towed upon them at that pre&s;ent.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>By what means may we know how to pray as we ought?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> Our ble&s;&s;ed Lord hath left us a form or pre&s;ident for the compo&s;ure of our prayers, and therefore it is that we call it the Lords Prayer.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>But what warrant have we to ju&s;tifie our &s;o frequent u&s;ing the Lords Prayer?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> We have the Authority of Gods holy word. St. <HI>Matthew</HI> bids us when we pray, to pray after that form; and St. <HI>Luke</HI> enjoyns us to pray the very &s;ame words; from whence we may gather, that when we do not u&s;e the very words, yet at lea&s;t we ought to compo&s;e our prayers an&s;werable to that mo&s;t excellent pattern.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Let me hear if thou can&s;t &s;ay the Lords Prayer?</HI></P>
<PB N="62" REF="40">
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> <HI><HI>Our Father which art in Heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy Kingdome come, thy will be done in Earth, as it is in Heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our tre&s;|pa&s;&s;es, as we forgive them that tre&s;|pa&s;s again&s;t us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdome, the Power and the Glory, for ever and ever,</HI></HI> Amen.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI><HI>What de&s;ire&s;t thou of God in this Prayer?</HI></HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> <HI><HI>I de&s;ire my Lord God, our heaven|ly Father, who is the giver of all good|ne&s;s, that he will &s;end his Grace unto me, and unto all people; that we may wor&s;hip him, &s;erve him, and obey him, as we ought to do: and I pray unto God, that he will &s;end us all things that be needful both for our Souls and Bodies; and that he will he merciful unto us, and forgive us our Sins; and that it will
<PB N="63" REF="40">plea&s;e him to &s;ave and defend us from all dangers, gho&s;tly and bodily; and that he will keep us from all &s;in and wickedne&s;s, and from our gho&s;tly Enemy, and from everla&s;ting Death: and this I tru&s;t he will do of his Mercy and Goodne&s;s, through our Lord</HI></HI> Je&s;us Chri&s;t, <HI><HI>and there|fore I &s;ay,</HI></HI> Amen, <HI><HI>&s;o be it.</HI></HI></P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Why do you invoke God after this manner, call him your heavenly Fa|ther?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> Becau&s;e when I con&s;ider him as my Father, this gives me confidence to approach his &s;acred pre&s;ence; and al&s;o gives me a&s;&s;urance that he will &s;upply my wants according as my ne|ce&s;&s;ities require.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>But why do you &s;ay, our Father &amp; not my Father and al&s;o put up all the following petitions in generall terms?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> In regard I am bound not only to pray unto him for my &s;elfe, but al&s;o for all tho&s;e who have God for their Father.</P>
<PB N="64" REF="41">
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>But why do you call him your Fa|ther which is in</HI> Heaven?</P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> To di&s;tingui&s;h him from my temporal Father, and to acknowdedge my being and well-being &s;olely to de|pend upon this my everliving and e|ternal Father.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Is their any thing el&s;e you learn from this comfortable title?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> Yes, when I con&s;ider that he is in <HI>Heaven,</HI> and I on <HI>Earth,</HI> that there is &s;o great a di&s;tance and di&s;parity be|twixt us; this teacheth me to u&s;e all reverence and humility, when in his pre&s;ence; to have clean hands and a pure heart, when I appear before &s;o great, &s;o infinite a Maje&s;ty.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>In which petition do&s;t thou beg of God to &s;end his grace unto you and unto all people, that ye may wor&s;hip him and &s;erve him?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> Thus much I beg of him in the two fir&s;t Petitions, <HI>hallowed be thy Name, thy Kingdom come;</HI> wherein I de&s;ire that Satans Kingdom may be a|boli&s;hed;
<PB N="65" REF="41">and the kingdom of grace daily increa&s;ed, and therefore I pray unto God to &s;end his grace unto me, and to all people, that &s;o the Devil may lo&s;e ground; and there may daily be ad|ded unto the Church &s;uch as &s;hall be &s;aved: that &s;o all may both in word and deed &s;erve and wor&s;hip the true God, and reverently &s;anctifie and hollow his glorious Name.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>In which petition do&s;t thou beg that we may obey him as we ought to do?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> This <HI>I</HI> ask in the third petition, <HI>Thy will be done in Earth, as it is in Heaven;</HI> wherein I de&s;ire that both my &s;elf, and all people, may know what is that good, that acceptable will of God, and then make it the rule of our actions; &amp; that his heavenly will maybe performed by us, as it is by the ble&s;&s;ed Angels in Heaven, that is, chearfully, without grudging or murmuring; rea|dily, without delay or procra&s;tination; &s;incerely, without guile or hypocri&s;ie; con&s;tantly, without intermi&s;&s;ion; and
<PB N="66" REF="42">univer&s;ally, without picking &amp; chu&s;ing.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>In which Petition do you pray un|to God, that he will &s;end us all things that be needful both for our Souls and Bo|d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters">s?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> This I beg in the fourth petition, <HI>Give us this day our daily bread;</HI> where|in I entreat God to take us into his fatherly care and tuition, to provide for our &s;ub&s;i&s;tence, to give us daily, or day by day, our bread, that is all man|ner of food and &s;u&s;tenance that is re|qui&s;ite for us; and withall to fend along with it his heavenly ble&s;&s;ing, that &s;o it may nouri&s;h our bodies, and make them fit for their &s;everal em|ployments.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Herein indeed you de&s;ire God to give you nece&s;&s;aries for your bodies; but wherein do you de&s;ire him to give you nece&s;&s;aries for your &s;oules?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> The Holy Scripture, be&s;ides this ordinary bread, enformes us of bread that came down from Heaven, that is, Chri&s;t and his benefits repre&s;ented in
<PB N="67" REF="42">the holy Sacrament of the Lords Sup|per; and this is that bread wherewith we de&s;ire God to feed out Soules, which mo&s;t certainly will nouri&s;h them to life eternal.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>In which Petition do you de&s;ire God to be mercifull unto us, and forgive us our &s;ins?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> This I beg of him in the fifth Pe|tition, <HI>Forgive us our Tre&s;pa&s;&s;es;</HI> where|in I be&s;eech God to pardon unto me and all his &s;ervants, all tho&s;e crimes, offences, and tre&s;pa&s;&s;es, what ever we are guilty of.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>But wherefore is that clau&s;e adjoy|ned to this Petition, as we forgive them that tre&s;pa&s;s again&s;t us?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> For very good rea&s;on; to teach us how we mu&s;t be qualified before we can be capable of Gods pardon; we mu&s;t be in charity with our brethren, otherwi&s;e God will not be in charity with us; for if we forgive not men their tre&s;pa&s;&s;es, neither will our heaven|ly father forgive us our tre&s;pa&s;&s;es.</P>
<PB N="68" REF="43">
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>In which petition do you de&s;ire God to &s;ave and defend us from all dan|gers, gho&s;tly and bodily, and that he will keep us from all &s;in and wickedne&s;s, and from our gho&s;tly enemy, and from ever|lacting death?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> This I beg of him in the &s;ixth petition, <HI>And lead us not into temptati|on, but deliver us from evil?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Doth God then lead his &s;ervants into temptation?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> There are temptations of trial or probation, and God doth lead his &s;ervants into the&s;e temptations, either to exerci&s;e their graces, or to cha&s;tize them for &s;ome mi&s;carriage, or to pre|vent them from &s;ome gro&s;s fall; but be&s;ides the&s;e, there are temptations of &s;eduction and ruine; which the Devil offers, and God by withdrawing his grace &s;uffers us to fall into them; and therefore in this Petition I beg of God, that he will continually defend us with his grace, as with a &s;heild, that &s;o temptations may make no impre&s;|&s;ion
<PB N="69" REF="43">upon; and that he will deliver us from all tho&s;e &s;piritual evils and dan|gers that our &s;oules are lyable unto, how&s;oever occa&s;ioned, whether by the treachery of Satan, by the enticements of this world, or by the provocation of our own lu&s;ts; as al&s;o from the horrid danger that followes our complyance with the&s;e, the evill of eternal death.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Wherefore is it that you have &s;o great confidence and tru&s;t that God will grant all the&s;e things that you have here prayed for?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> Fir&s;t, becau&s;e his is the king|dom, he is the King of all the earth, a loving tender King, willing to hear and relieve the wants of his &s;ubjects. Secondly, becau&s;e his is the power, he is a powerful King, and thereby able to give plentiful and &s;uitable returns to the reque&s;ts of his humble &s;uppli|ants. Thirdly, becau&s;e his is the glory, he is a glorious King; and it is a clear manife&s;tation of his glory and good|ne&s;s, to hear from Heaven a company
<PB N="70" REF="44">of mi&s;erable wretches that de&s;erve no|thing of kindne&s;s at his hand; and there|upon I &s;ay <HI>Amen,</HI> &s;o be it; re&s;ting fully &s;atisfied that God both hears me, and will an&s;wer my reque&s;ts, as my nece&s;|&s;ities require.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI><HI>How many Sacraments hath Chri&s;t ordained in his Chrurch?</HI></HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> <HI><HI>Two onely as generally nece&s;&s;ary to Salvation; that is to &s;ay, Bapti&s;m, and the Supper of the Lord.</HI></HI></P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>When did Chri&s;t ordain the&s;e Sa|craments?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> The fir&s;t of them, namely, Bap|ti&s;m, he hallowed in his own per&s;on, by pa&s;&s;ing through the Waters of it; and al&s;o immediately before his a&s;cen|&s;ion he enjoyned his Di&s;ciples to Bap|tize all Nations: And the other Sa|crament he celebrated with his Di&s;ci|ples pre&s;ently before his Pa&s;&s;ion; and withal charged his Di&s;ciples, and in them his whole Church, to do it in re|membrance of him.</P>
<PB N="71" REF="44">
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What is meant by Bapti&s;m?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> It is derived from a Greek word which &s;ignifies to wa&s;h, dip, dive, or &s;prinkle.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Why is the other Sacrament called the Lords Supper?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> Becau&s;e it was in&s;tituted by the Lord of Glory, at or after &s;upper.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>How or in what &s;en&s;e are the&s;e Sacraments generally nece&s;&s;ary to Salva|tion?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> They are the In&s;truments, or the means whereby the merits of Chri&s;t are conveyed and made over to us, and by which God hath commanded us to receive them; and therefore tho&s;e that wilfully refu&s;e and neglect them when they may be had, do neglect the ordinary means of Salvation.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI><HI>What do you mean by this. word</HI></HI> Sacrament?</P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> <HI><HI>I mean an outward vi&s;ible &s;ign of an inward &s;piritual grace, given unto us, ordained by Chri&s;t him&s;elf as a means
<PB N="72" REF="45">whereby we receive the &s;ame, and a pledge to a&s;&s;ure us thereof.</HI></HI></P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What is the end or final cau&s;e why Chri&s;t ordained Sacraments?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> He ordained them as a means whereby great ble&s;&s;ings and graces are conveyed to us, and as a pledge to a&s;|&s;ure us of his favour and loving kind|ne&s;s.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What is that grace which by Sa|craments is conveyed unto us?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> The whole obedience, merit, death and pa&s;&s;ion of our Saviour, and the benefits that flow from thence.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Is Chri&s;t alone the ordainer of Sacraments?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> He onely hath right to in&s;titute a Sacrament, in regard he is the &s;ole Author of tho&s;e graces, that by Sacra|ments are made over to true belie|vers.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI><HI>How many parts are there in a Sacrament.</HI></HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> <HI><HI>Two, the outward vi&s;ible &s;ign, and the inward &s;piritual grace.</HI></HI></P>
<PB N="73" REF="45">
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Why are the one part in the&s;e Sa|craments, namely, water in Bapti&s;m, and bread and wine in the Lord Supper, ter|med outward and vi&s;ible &s;igns?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> They are termed outward and vi&s;ible, in regard they are apparent to our &s;en&s;es, no eye but &s;eeth them; and they are called &s;igns, becau&s;e they are re&s;emblances of &s;ome higher things, &s;ignifie or &s;pecifie &s;ome favours that by them are conferred upon mankind.</P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> <HI>Wherefore is the other part of the&s;e Sacraments &s;tiled an inward and &s;piri|tual Grace?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> It is termed inward invi&s;i|ble, becau&s;e it is not to be di&s;cerned by the eye of men, but it is repre&s;en|ted to us by the&s;e &s;igns; and therefore it is called a grace, becau&s;e the bene|fits that by the&s;e Sacraments are made over unto us, proceed from the meer grace and mercy of God through Je-Chri&s;t our Lord.</P>
<PB N="74" REF="46">
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI><HI>What is the outward vi&s;ible form or &s;ign in Bapti&s;m?</HI></HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> <HI><HI>Water, wherein the per&s;on Bap|tized is dipped, or &s;prinkled with it, in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Gho&s;t.</HI></HI></P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What Analogy or proportion doth this outward Sign, Water, bear to the thing &s;ignified?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> Very much, Bapti&s;m is the wa|&s;hing away of &s;in; and therefore the outward wa&s;hing in water doth very fitly repre&s;ent the inward wa&s;hing of our Souls, both from the guilt and &s;pot of &s;in in the blood of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Wherefore is Bapti&s;m admini&s;tred in the Name of the Father, of the Son, and of the holy Gho&s;t?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> This is done for divers weighty rea&s;ons. Fir&s;t, that the congregation may know that what the Mini&s;ter doth, he doth not of or from him&s;elf, but by commi&s;&s;ion and good authority, even by the authority of the whole Trinity. Secondly, This is done for the com|fort
<PB N="75" REF="46">of the Baptized, in regard they may be a&s;&s;ured, that the whole Tri|nity do ratifie and confirm what is promi&s;ed in Bapti&s;m, <HI>viz.</HI> remi&s;&s;ion of Sins, and acceptance into Fa|vour.</P>
<P>Thirdly, This is done to lay a &s;trict obligation on the party Baptized, to ac|knowledge and believe in the&s;e three per&s;ons, and to deliver up him&s;elf to follow the in&s;tructions of the&s;e, and no other, in the my&s;teries of Religion; to be obedient to their injunctions, and to a&s;cribe all honour and glory to the whole Trinity.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI><HI>What is the inward &s;piritual grace in Bapti&s;m?</HI></HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> <HI><HI>A death unto &s;in, and a new birth unto righteou&s;ne&s;s; for being by nature born in &s;in, and the children of wrath, we are hereby made the children of grace.</HI></HI></P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What do you mean by a death unto &s;in, and a new birth unto righ|teou&s;ne&s;s, which you &s;ay is the inward
<PB N="76" REF="47">grace given you in bapti&s;m?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> By a death unto &s;in, I mean, a get|ting out of the power, and from under the guilt and puni&s;hment of &s;in: And by a new birth unto righteou&s;ne&s;s, I mean a denying all our former un|godline&s;s and worldly lu&s;ts, and a li|ving &s;oberly righteou&s;ly and godly in this pre&s;ent evil world.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>But how is bapti&s;m a means of working this in us, and a pledge to a&s;&s;ure us thereof?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> In regard in Bapti&s;m there is that mea&s;ure of &s;trength given us by Chri&s;t as will enable us to get out of that &s;er|vile dangerous condition, notwith&s;tan|ding before the admini&s;tration of this Sacrament we were in a &s;tate of &s;in, and children of wrath, that is, had &s;trong inclinations and violent propen&s;ions to evil; yet hereby we are made chil|dren of grace, that is, are endowed with a &s;ufficiency of power and &s;trength to walk as children of light.</P>
<PB N="77" REF="47">
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI><HI>What is required of per&s;ons to be bapti&s;ed.</HI></HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> <HI><HI>Repentance, whereby they for&s;ake &s;in; and faith, whereby they &s;tedfa&s;tly be|lieve the promi&s;es of God made to them in that Sacrament.</HI></HI></P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Why is Repentance a nece&s;&s;ary qualification to bapti&s;m?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> In regard we then change our condition, we are received from an e&s;tate of wrath into an e&s;tate of grace and favour; and therefore it is requi&s;ite we &s;hould change our minds, after their di&s;po&s;itions &amp; inclinations, as al&s;o this grace is nece&s;&s;ary, becau&s;e it di&s;po|&s;eth us, and makes us capable of the mercies in Bapti&s;m.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What is Repentance?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> Repentance is a turning from &s;in to God, and it is &s;uch a &s;incere re|pentance as this that is required before Bapti&s;m.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>The other qualification is faith; wherein lyeth the nece&s;&s;ity of this grace to di&s;po&s;e us for Bapti&s;m?</HI></P>
<PB N="78" REF="48">
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> It lies in this, becau&s;e the pro|mi&s;es of God have not their effect up|on us, unle&s;s they are accepted by us, and it is Faith only that can apply them; and therefore it is nece&s;&s;ary that tho&s;e who partake of this Sacra|ment &s;hould by Faith believe the pro|mi&s;es of God made to them in that Sacrament.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI><HI>Why then are Infants Baptized, when by rea&s;on of their tender years they cannot perform the&s;e conditions, that is, they cannot Repent and Be|lieve?</HI></HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> <HI><HI>Becau&s;e they promi&s;e the perfor|mance of both the&s;e by their &s;ureties; which promi&s;e, when they come at age them&s;elves are bound to perform.</HI></HI></P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>But what power hath the Church of God to admini&s;ter this Sacrament to Infants, meerly upon the engagement of others for the performance of the&s;e con|ditions?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> Herein the Church follows the
<PB N="79" REF="48">example of our Saviour Chri&s;t; who commanded young children to be brought unto him, when by rea&s;on of their tender years they were uncapa|ble of coming them&s;elves; and although they could not in that capacity, by any act of their own, di&s;po&s;e them&s;eves for his favors, yet he took them up in his arms, as Mini&s;ters do Infants; laid his hands upon them, as the Mini&s;ter doth water; and ble&s;&s;ed them, as his Mini|&s;ters pray over them, and for them; and our Saviour affirms that of &s;uch is the kingdome of Heaven, that is, tho&s;e who do not receive it as little chil|dren, that is, with innocence, without any let or hinderance, cannot enter in|to it: and in conformity to this great exemplar, the Church admits Infants (in regard they are part of the king|dom of Heaven, that is, to them it be|longs) into the Covenant of the Go&s;|pel, by &s;etting on the &s;eal of it, Bap|ti&s;m, when they are not in a capacity them&s;elves actually to repent and be|lieve.</P>
<PB N="80" REF="49">
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>But &s;uppo&s;e infants do not per|form this promi&s;e made on their behalf when they come at age?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> Then they forfeit that grace gi|ven in Bapti&s;m: For Bapti&s;m is a Cove|nant, wherein God makes over to man|kind divers favours; and man on his part promi&s;es an entire for&s;aking of &s;in, a &s;tedfa&s;t believing of Gods word, and a hearty obedience to his com|mands; now man by breaking his part of the Covenant, forfeits his right to tho&s;e favours by it held forth.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI><HI>Why was the Sacrament of the Lords Supper ordained?</HI></HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> <HI><HI>For the continual remembrance of the Sacrifice of the death of Chri&s;t, and of the benefits we receive there|by.</HI></HI></P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Why do you call the death of Chri&s;t a Sacrifice?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> In regard he freely offered up him&s;elf upon the Cro&s;s, as a Sacrifice, to make explation and &s;atisfaction for the &s;ins of the World.</P>
<PB N="81" REF="49">
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>How is this Sacrament a remem|brance of this Sacrifice?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> In regard in this Sacrament we have as it were Chri&s;t crucified before our eyes, repre&s;ented lively before us on the Cro&s;s: when the bread is bro|ken, it calls to mind how his &s;acred body was broken with the Crown of Thorns, the &s;courges, the nails, the &s;pear; and when the wine is poured out, it remembers us how his precious blood i&s;&s;ued forth out of his hands, feet, head and &s;ide.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What other end was thereof Chri&s;ts in&s;tituting this holy Sacrament?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> For the remembrance of tho&s;e benefits we receive by the &s;acrifice of his death and pa&s;&s;ion; that is, that we &s;hould continually, that is, frequent|ly remember and commemorate with joy and thank&s;giving before God and man, tho&s;e benefits purcha&s;ed by his death.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI><HI>What is the outward part or &s;ign of the Lords Supper?</HI></HI></P>
<PB N="82" REF="50">
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> <HI><HI>Bread and Wine, which the Lord hath commanded to be received.</HI></HI></P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Why are the&s;e two Elements ra|ther than any other u&s;ed in this Sacra|ment?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> Becau&s;e the&s;e do very fitly re|pre&s;ent the inward &s;piritual grace, which is the body and blood of Chri&s;t. As Bread and Wine is the cheif nou|ri&s;hment of our Bodies, the great pre|&s;ervatives of life and health, &s;o the Bo|dy and Blood of Chri&s;t is the onely food of our Soules, which mu&s;t houri&s;h them to life eternal.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Where hath the Lord commanded the&s;e elements to be received?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> At his fir&s;t in&s;titution of it, he gave this command to his holy Apo|&s;tles, and in them to his whole Church; <HI>when he had broke the bread, he gave it unto them, and &s;aid, take, eat, this is my body; and when he had ble&s;&s;ed the cup, he gave it them, &s;aying, drink ye all of this.</HI></P>
<PB N="83" REF="50">
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI><HI>What is the inward part, or thing &s;ignified in this Sacrament.</HI></HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> <HI><HI>The Body and Blood of Chri&s;t, which are verily and indeed taken and received by the Faithful in the Lords Supper.</HI></HI></P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>How can it po&s;&s;ibly be that the very body and blood of Chri&s;t can be re|ceived in the Lord Supper?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> In this Sacrament there is a true and real participation of Chri&s;t, for as verily as every worthy communicant eats the Bread, and drinks the Wine, &s;o verily God in heaven be&s;tows on him, and communicates unto him the body and blood of his Saviour; and al&s;o makes over unto him all the bene|fits and advantages that proceed from the &s;ufferings of his body, and the effu|&s;ion of his Blood.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>By whom is it that the body and blood of Chri&s;t are verily and indeed re|ceived in this holy Sacrament?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> It is onely by the faithful; that
<PB N="84" REF="51">is, &s;uch as worthily prepare them&s;elves before they adventure to pre&s;ent them&s;elves, that behave them&s;elves de|voutly and reverently in the time of the admini&s;tration of it, and al&s;o after the receiving of it, walk as becometh &s;uch who are united to Chri&s;t by &s;o near a tye.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Do not all then that come, receive his body and blood?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> This holy Sacrament is offered to all that judge them&s;elves worthy of it; but tho&s;e onely receive benefit from it, who are worthy in deed and in truth.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>But &s;uppo&s;e others do adventure to come who are unworthy, what do they receive?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> They receive their own de&s;tru|ction, being guilty of the body and blood of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Certainly then it is far better to ab&s;tain from this &s;acred banquet?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> There is a nece&s;&s;ity lyes upon all Chri&s;tians to come, as al&s;o to come
<PB N="85" REF="51">prepared, in regard this is the food of our &s;oules, without which nouri&s;hment they will &s;tarve and peri&s;h; and al&s;o by neglecting this weighty concern, we &s;hall di&s;obey the command of our dear Saviour, who hath &s;olemnly en|joyned us to keep this fea&s;t in remem|brance of him.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI><HI>What are the benefits whereof we partake by receiving the Lords Supper?</HI></HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> <HI><HI>The &s;trengthning and refre&s;hing of our &s;ouls by the body and blood of Chri&s;t, as our bodies are by the Bread and Wine.</HI></HI></P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>How many are the&s;e benefits in number?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> They are two, fir&s;t to &s;trength|en, and &s;econdly, to refre&s;h our Soules.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>In what mea&s;ure are &s;oules hereby &s;trengthned?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> In the very &s;ame degree as out bodies are by bread, for as bread is the &s;taffe of life, without which the bo|dy is not able to &s;ub&s;i&s;t, but grows fee|ble and weak, and at length drops
<PB N="86" REF="52">into the grave, even &s;o the body of Chri&s;t doth nouri&s;h and &s;trengthen our &s;oules, enable them to the performance of good works, without which they have no power to decline the ways of &s;in and death.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>In what mea&s;ure are our &s;oules refre&s;hed in this Sacrament?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> In the &s;ame degree as our bodies are refre&s;hed by Wine; for as Wine re|fre&s;hes the body, not only when it is thir&s;tly, but al&s;o when it is faint and feeble, &s;o doth the blood of Chri&s;t re|fre&s;h our Souls, wa&s;h them from the guilt of Sin, which expo&s;ed them to the wrath of God, which is the greate&s;t refre&s;hment, the mo&s;t powerfull cordi|al that can be admini&s;tred to them.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>But how is it po&s;&s;ible for &s;o &s;mall a piece of Bread, or one &s;poonful of Wine to produce &s;uch rare effects?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> The&s;e proceed not from the&s;e outward elemens, but from the will and power of Chri&s;t, who was plea&s;ed to ordain the&s;e Elements as means and
<PB N="87" REF="52">in&s;truments to conveigh the&s;e graces unto us.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI><HI>What is required of tho&s;e that come to the Lords Supper?</HI></HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> <HI><HI>To examine them&s;elves whether they repent them truly of their former fins, &s;tedfa&s;tly purpo&s;ing to lead a new life to have a lively faith in Gods mercy through Chri&s;t, with a thenkfull remem|brance of his death; and to be in charity with all men.</HI></HI></P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What is the general duty here re|quired?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> Examination; which is not only enjoyned by the Catechi&s;m, but the very &s;ame duty St. <HI>Paul</HI> requires of every one that come to this Table: <HI>let a man examine him&s;elf, and &s;o let him eat of that bread, and drink of that Cup.</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What are tho&s;e matters about which every Chri&s;tian is not enquioe, or examine him&s;elf before this Fea&s;t?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> They are principally four; Re|pentance,
<PB N="88" REF="53">Faith, Thankfulne&s;s, Cha|rity.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What is the fir&s;t thing his exami|nation mu&s;t &s;pend it &s;elf upon?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> The fir&s;t matter mu&s;t be Repen|tance.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What kind of repentance mu&s;t a man find in him&s;elf, before he partakes of the&s;e Viands?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> It mu&s;t con&s;i&s;t of the&s;e two parts; Fir&s;t, there mu&s;t be an entire renoun|cing and for&s;aking of &s;in, of every evil way; and Secondly, a &s;tedfa&s;t pur|po&s;e and re&s;olution by Gods grace and a&s;&s;i&s;tance for the time to come to lead a new and innocent life.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What is the &s;econd matter he mu&s;t bring under examination?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> His Faith.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>How mu&s;t this Faith be quali|fied?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> It mu&s;t be a lively Faith; which life it mu&s;t &s;how forth by well doing; and it mu&s;t al&s;o be a Faith in Gods mercy through Chri&s;t, that is, &s;ted|fa&s;tly
<PB N="89" REF="53">believing, that it is God alone, who, through the merits and &s;ufferings of his Son, hath given to mankind &s;o great ble&s;&s;ings as are be&s;towed in this Sacrament?</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What is the third thing we mu&s;t examine.</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> That is, our thankfulne&s;s.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What is it we mu&s;t be thankful for?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> We mu&s;t thankfully remember the death of Chri&s;t, what great things he hath done and &s;uffered for us; and al&s;o with heart and voice we mu&s;t make our returns of thanks unto this our compa&s;&s;ionate Redeemer for this his infinite goodne&s;s and loving kind|ne&s;s.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>What is the la&s;t duty we mu&s;t exa|mine our &s;elves about?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> It mu&s;t be concerning our cha|rity. As by repentance we mu&s;t recon|cile our &s;elves to God, &s;o by charity we mu&s;t reconcile our &s;elves to our neighbours, before we dare come to this love-fea&s;t.</P>
<PB N="90" REF="54">
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>Wherein con&s;i&s;ts this Chri&s;tian duty of Charity?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> It con&s;i&s;ts of to parts; fir&s;t, in giving to, and relieving the nece&s;&s;ities of our poor di&s;tre&s;&s;ed brethren; Se|condly in forgiving and pardoning tho&s;e injuries and affronts which are offered to us by our neighbours.</P>
<P><LABEL>Q.</LABEL> <HI>How mu&s;t this our Charity be qua|lified?</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>A.</LABEL> It mu&s;t be entire and univer&s;al, we mu&s;t be in Charity with all men. And tho&s;e who come to this holy communion thus di&s;po&s;ed and prepa|red, their Souls &s;hall be &s;trengthned and refre&s;hed by the body and blood of Chri&s;t, as their bodies are by the Bread and Wine.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB N="91" REF="54">
<HEAD>A Short TRACT of CONFIRMATION.</HEAD>
<P>THE Church of <HI>England</HI> en|joyns Godfathers and God|mothers, to take care that tho&s;e Children for whom they engage be brought to the Bi&s;hop to be con|firmed by him, &s;o &s;oon as they are well in&s;tructed in the Church Catechi&s;m; that is &s;o &s;oon as they can readily re|hear&s;e it, and give a rea&s;onable ac|count of the principles therein con|tained. But how remi&s;s and carele&s;s Sureties are in di&s;charging this tru&s;t which is repo&s;ed upon them in the pre|&s;ence of God and the Congregation, our own experience too badly enforms us; by which means this holy Rite of Confirmation is almo&s;t quite di&s;u&s;ed: and it is to be feared, that it will in
<PB N="92" REF="55">a &s;hort &s;pace of time be laid a&s;ide, (notwith&s;tanding the pious care of our Reverend Father in God, not only by their Articles requiting all Mini&s;ters in their &s;everal charges to prepare the younger &s;ort for the receiving of this divine Rite by Catechizing, and to bring them unto them, when by this means duly prepared, but al&s;o in their triennial vi&s;itations confirming all &s;uch as are brought unto them) if Mini|&s;ters and Sureties are not more dili|gent in in&s;tructing Children in the E|lements of Religion; and, when by that means fitly quallified, in bringing them to receive this ble&s;&s;ing from the hands of the Bi&s;hop. And if we do but duly con&s;ider the nece&s;&s;ity of this Rite, and tho&s;e great ble&s;&s;ings that do at|tend upon it (as hereafter I &s;hall manife&s;t) it will then appear &s;trange, it &s;hould be &s;o generally &s;lighted and omitted. The main cau&s;es of this neg|ligence are either faction or ignorance. There are a generation of men in the
<PB N="93" REF="55">world, who being po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with the Spi|rit of contradiction, di&s;u&s;e it, becau&s;e the higher Powers enjoyn it; they are heady, high-minded, de&s;pi&s;ing domi|nion, and &s;peaking evil of dignities: and the great character of their Saint|&s;hip con&s;i&s;ts in their oppo&s;ition to the lawful Powers in tho&s;e matters which them&s;elves cannot prove to be illegal; and therefore becau&s;e confirmation is enjoyned by the Canon Law, becau&s;e it cannot be received but by the Mi|ni&s;try of the Bi&s;hops (which they a|bominate as the members of Anti-Chri&s;t, and &s;worn &s;ervants to the Pope of <HI>Rome</HI>) they re&s;olve to reject it (notwith&s;tanding the mo&s;t evident rea&s;on that can be given to the con|trary) as a &s;uper&s;titious innovation, and a Popi&s;h Relique; and indeed &s;o &s;trangely perver&s;e many of this rude hard are, that I am apt to per&s;wade my &s;elf, &s;hould the Supream Magi&s;trate &s;trictly enjoyn tho&s;e fond opinions, which they do &s;o zealou&s;ly entertain,
<PB N="94" REF="56">they would forthwith Ca&s;hiere them, to prevent the Powers from infring|ing their Chri&s;tian Liberty; and this that Rebellious Principle which is ge|nerally entertained among&s;t them, doth too evidently declare, <HI>viz.</HI> That tho&s;e things which in them&s;elves are lawful, become unlawful when en|joyned by a lawful Authority: and as for the&s;e it will (I &s;ay) be a vain attempt to endeavour their conver|&s;ion; indeed their own ob&s;tinacy gives me rea&s;on to &s;ay, that it will prove almo&s;t as ea&s;ie a task to wa&s;h the Blackamore white, as to per&s;wade the&s;e zealous &s;ons of <HI>Korah,</HI> to enter|tain that again&s;t which they are pre|po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with too much prejudice and pa&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P>But be&s;ides the&s;e, there are another &s;ort of per&s;ons who neglect this primi|tive in&s;titution, out of pure ignorance; they under&s;tand little or nothing of the true meaning of it, and hence pro|ceeds their omi&s;&s;ion; neither can it at
<PB N="95" REF="56">all &s;eem &s;trange that &s;o con&s;iderable a number of Chri&s;tians &s;hould be al|together ignorant of the true notion of Confirmation, in regard it hath been generally di&s;u&s;ed for &s;o many years; &s;o that they have &s;carce heard &s;o much as the name of it until of late years, &s;ince the e&s;tabli&s;hment of E|pi&s;copacy; &s;ince which time they have po&s;sibly &s;een the name of it either in the Common Prayer Book, or in the Bi&s;hop or Archdeacons Articles of En|quiry, and that is all the knowledge they have of it; and therefore to re|move their Ignorance, I principally de&s;ign this &s;hort Treati&s;e: neither am I altogether without hopes, but that it may have &s;ome good &s;ucce&s;s upon tho&s;e who propound to them&s;elves no other rea&s;on for their omi&s;&s;ion, but their ignorance; for the removal wherefore, and the improving of their knowledge in a matter of &s;o great weight (as hereafter I &s;hall prove this to be,) I &s;hall endeavour with as much
<PB N="96" REF="57">clearne&s;s and plainne&s;s and brevity as may by, to &s;how, 1. What Confir|mation is. 2ly. The lawfulne&s;s of it. 3ly. The nece&s;&s;ity that all Chri&s;tians have to receive it.</P>
<P N="1">1. As to the true notion of Confir|mation, it is very well expre&s;&s;ed in the word it &s;elf, which is very full and &s;ignificant, for then we do confirm and are confirmed; from whence we may infer, that Confirmation con&s;i&s;ts of two main Branches.</P>
<P N="1">1. It is an Act of Confirmation on our part, in regard we do hereby farther ratifie and e&s;tabli&s;h that con|tract or covenant which formerly, <HI>viz.</HI> at our bapti&s;m, was made betwixt <HI>God</HI> and us; and by confe&s;&s;ing of it to be valid and Good, and by per&s;onally undertaking the &s;trict performance of it, we do profe&s;s our &s;elves Gods faith|ful &s;ervants, and bind our &s;elves fa&s;ter &s;till unto him, who&s;e we were before; we do at the performance of this holy Rite, confirm what others, in our mi|nority
<PB N="97" REF="57">acted on our behalf; we do then profe&s;s our &s;elves bound both to believe and to do what our Godfa|thers and Godmothers promi&s;ed for us; we do publickly own our Chri|&s;tian profe&s;&s;ion, profe&s;&s;ing that we will be faithful in the di&s;charge of our Bapti&s;mal vow.</P>
<P>And it is very meet and convenient, that every Chri&s;tian &s;hould per&s;onally re&s;ume &amp; ratifie tho&s;e &s;olemn engage|ments, that charitable per&s;ons made for him in his infancy; neither can a|ny man be reputed a true and com|pleat member of the Church, until he do publickly own and profe&s;s, that he will faithfully &s;tand to tho&s;e con|ditions and terms that were made in his Name, when through the gate of Bapti&s;m he was graciou&s;ly received into the number of <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> Holy <HI>Ca|tholick Church;</HI> that he will not be a|&s;hamed to confe&s;s the faith of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> crucified, but couragiou&s;ly continue &amp; per&s;evere in that high calling, where|in
<PB N="98" REF="58">he is called, magure all oppo&s;i|tion to the contrary, and manfully fight under <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> Banner again&s;t &s;in, the world, and the Devil; and con|tinue <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> true and faithful Servant and Souldier to his lives end.</P>
<P>And that this is the Church of <HI>Eng|lands</HI> &s;en&s;e of confirmation, is very plain from the office which is then to be u|&s;ed; which requires, that all per&s;ons who are confirmed, &s;hall audibly and publickly in the pre&s;ence of <HI>God</HI> and of the Congregation, renew that &s;o|lemn promi&s;e and vow that was made in their names at bapti&s;m, ratifying and confirming the &s;ame in their own per&s;ons; and acknowledging them|&s;elves bound to believe and do all tho&s;e things which their Godfathers and Godmothers then undertook for them; She only hereby intends that we &s;hould be in reality and truth, what we out|wardly profe&s;s our &s;elves; that as we at large bear the name of Chri&s;tians, Becau&s;e of the number, and living a|mong&s;t
<PB N="99" REF="58">the Society of them, and in communion with them, &s;o likewi&s;e we &s;hould &s;pecifie as much by our actions; having our <HI>Conver&s;ation &s;uch as becometh the Go&s;pel of</HI> Chri&s;t <HI>denying all ungodline&s;s and worldly lu&s;ts, and behaving our &s;elves &s;o|berly, righteou&s;ly, and godlily in this pre&s;ent evil world: which is no more than that duty which the Grace of God that hath appeared unto all men, and bring|eth &s;alvation, hath taught us;</HI> It is no more than what we have &s;trictly obli|ged our &s;elves to perform, when we took upon us the honourable name of Chri&s;tians; for then we faithfully en|gage to renounce the Devil and all his works, that is, <HI>to deny all ungodline&s;s and worldly lu&s;ts, and to keep Gods holy will and Commandements, walking in the &s;ame all the dayes of our lives;</HI> who&s;e &s;acred Laws teach us to <HI>behave our &s;elves &s;oberly, righteou&s;ly, and god|lily in this pre&s;ent evil world.</HI> So that the Churches de&s;ign is very good and
<PB N="100" REF="59">pious in continuing this whol&s;ome In|&s;titution; and as clearly oppo&s;ite from either Super&s;tition or Will-wor&s;hip, as light is from darkne&s;s; it is only the &s;piritual good of her &s;ons that &s;he would advance by the admini&s;tration of this Rite; cau&s;e them openly to ac|knowledg them&s;elves Gods faithful Servants; that they are re&s;olved by his a&s;&s;i&s;tance &s;o to continue, chearful|ly and heartily performing his &s;acred plea&s;ure; &s;topping up their cares, and barring up their hearts again&s;t all cor|rupt and wicked in&s;inuations that may tempt them to the contrary.</P>
<P N="2">2ly. It is an Act of Confirmation on Gods part, who confers a new Grace to &s;trengthen in tho&s;e per&s;ons that are confirmed, tho&s;e holy principles and that good re&s;olution, of which they have made a faithful profe&s;&s;ion, and to enable them to continue and per|&s;i&s;t in it; &s;o that God doth confirm our confirmation, that is, he doth by the a&s;&s;i&s;tance of his good Spirit, con|firm
<PB N="101" REF="59">and corroborate our re&s;olutions and purpo&s;es in performing our vow made at Bapti&s;m.</P>
<P>The Reverent Bi&s;hop of <HI>Down</HI> en|forms us in his Epi&s;tle before his Trea|ti&s;e writ upon this very &s;ubject, that &s;ome wi&s;e and good men have piou&s;ly believed (which is no &s;mall addition to the honour of this Mini&s;tration) that when baptized per&s;ons are con|firmed and ble&s;&s;ed by the Bi&s;hop, that then it is, that a &s;pecial guardian Angel is appointed to keep their &s;ouls from the a&s;&s;aults of the Spirits of darkne&s;s: And all that he adds to it of his own &s;entiments, is this, that the piety of this &s;uppo&s;ition is not at all di&s;agreeable to the intention of this Rite: for &s;ince by this, the holy &s;pirit of God (the Father of all &s;pirits) is given, it is not unrea&s;onably thought by them, that the other good Spirits of God, the Angels, who are mini&s;tring &s;pirits, &s;ent forth to mini&s;ter for their &s;akes who are heirs of Salvation &s;hould
<PB N="102" REF="60">pay their kind offices in &s;ubordination to their Prince and Fountain. Nei|ther can I di&s;cover any thing in this o|pinion which is Heterodox, but that it may be very &s;afely entertained; for if the&s;e glorious Angels (as the Scrip|ture enforms us) mini&s;ter for the good of mankind, namely, that part of it as are obedient to the divine Laws of the great Soveraign of the Univer&s;e, then certainly there cannot be a more proper &s;ea&s;on for them to enter upon this charitable employment, than a|bout that age as it is requi&s;ite for con|firmation to be admini&s;tred; and it is very agreeable both with the good|ne&s;s &amp; wi&s;dom of Almighty God, then to place the &s;ecure&s;t guard over his Servants, when they are the mo&s;t vi|gorou&s;ly a&s;&s;aulted by their &s;piritual e|nemies, which is at the publick own|ing of them&s;elves to be <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> real members, and declare a profe&s;t en|mity again&s;t the Devil and all his works: when we openly profe&s;s Chri|&s;tianity,
<PB N="103" REF="60">and acknowledge out Bap|ti&s;mal vow, then it is that the rage of the Devil is mo&s;t furious and violent, imagining if ever he can &s;educe us it will be at the fir&s;t hand, before we are well &s;ettled and throughly groun|ded in our holy re&s;olutions: But how|&s;oever, as the above mentioned Bi&s;hop very well ob&s;erves, there are greater and &s;tranger things than this that God does for the &s;oul of his Servants, and for the honour of the Mini&s;tries which him&s;elf hath appointed: and in this very Mini&s;try will have the powerful a&s;&s;i&s;tance of the &s;pirit of all &s;pirits; the eternal &s;pirit of God is our guide and our coadjutor to a&s;&s;i&s;t our own abili|ties and undertakings, in abiding in that high calling whereunto we are called at our Bapti&s;m; he now by his gracious influence and ble&s;&s;ed aid, helpeth our infirmities, and &s;upplies our natural imperfections, making us able to do that which is good, and what the Lord requires of us. As in Bap|ti&s;m
<PB N="104" REF="61">the <HI>Holy Gho&s;t</HI> was conveyed as a &s;anctifyer, &s;o herein as a comforter and &s;trengthener, now that the per&s;on is entring upon a great conte&s;t and con|flict with him&s;elf, his own unruly lu&s;ts, the world, and principalities, and pow|ers, and &s;piritual wickedne&s;&s;es in high places. It is true, in Bapti&s;m we receive the Spirit of God, by it we are then regenerated, made members of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> Children of God, and &s;hall in the end be made inheritors of the Kingdom of <HI>Heaven,</HI> that is, if we continue con|&s;tant in the profe&s;&s;ion of the Faith of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> crucified, performing our part of the Covenant made in Bapti&s;m; to do which it requires a greater and more powerful a&s;&s;i&s;tance of the <HI>Holy Gho&s;t,</HI> which is given in confirmation.</P>
<P>By Bapti&s;m we are Heirs, and are adopted to the inheritance of Sons, admitted to the Covenant of Repen|tance, and engaged to live a Godly life: yet, as the judicious Prelate learn|edly ob&s;erves, this is but the Solemni|ty
<PB N="105" REF="61">of the Covenant, which mu&s;t pa&s;s into other Acts, by other influences of the &s;ame Divine Principle, untill we receive the Spirit of Ob&s;ignation and Confirmation; we are but Babes in <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> in the meane&s;t &s;en&s;e, Infants that can do nothing, that cannot &s;peak, that cannot re&s;i&s;t any voilence, expo&s;ed to every rudene&s;s, and peri|&s;hing by every temptation: But there|fore, as God at the fir&s;t appointed us a Mini&s;try of a new birth in Bapti&s;m, &s;o al&s;o hath he given to the Church the con&s;equent Mini&s;tery of a new &s;trength in Confirmation. The &s;pirit moved a little upon the waters in Bap|ti&s;m, by vertue of which motion it is made the Laver of Regeneration; &s;o that by vertue of this Sacrament we receive the fir&s;t Principles of life, are adopted into <HI>Chri&s;t</HI>'s family, made his living members, who before were dead in &s;ins and tre&s;pa&s;&s;es. But in Confirmation he makes us able to move our &s;elves; he &s;o bountifully
<PB N="106" REF="62">a&s;&s;i&s;ts us, and &s;o powerfully &s;upplies our manifold infirmities, that we are able <HI>to work out our own Salvation with fear and trembling:</HI> In the fir&s;t, he is the Spirit of life; but in this, he is the Spirit of &s;trength and motion: <HI>Bap|ti&s;ma e&s;t nativitas, unguentum vero e&s;t actionis in&s;tra &amp; motus,</HI> as a learned Author ob&s;erves; At the admin&s;tra|tion of Bapti&s;m we are born again, we are received into the Congregation of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI>'s Flock, and are entitled to the glorious inheritance which he by his blood&s;heding purcha&s;ed for mankind; but in Confirmation we are enabled to move and act as becometh tho&s;e who are redeemed with &s;o high a price. As in our natural birth we are fir&s;t In|fants unable to help our &s;elves, and are a&s;&s;i&s;ted by Nur&s;es or others, who take the charge of us, to feed us and to lead us, and to a&s;&s;i&s;t us in every re&s;pect: but after &s;ome years our &s;trength encrea&s;es, and we are able to move and help our &s;elves. Even &s;o it
<PB N="107" REF="62">is in our &s;piritual birth; fir&s;t we are Babes in <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> unable to move one &s;tep in the paths of holine&s;s; and there|fore the Church in her wi&s;dom pro|vides Sureties, who receive the charge of us, to feed us with &s;uch food as is convenient for us, to nouri&s;h us, to a&s;&s;i&s;t and advi&s;e us in the weighty af|fairs of our &s;ouls; but when we are at age to help our &s;elves, then we take their care and tru&s;t upon our own &s;houlders, &s;tand upon our own legs, publickly promi&s;ing to live the lives of Chri&s;tians, &s;trictly performing our &s;olemn engagements which in time pa&s;t was covenanted on our behalf: and to pre&s;erve us from &s;lipping and falling, the Spirit of God is given to a&s;&s;i&s;t our pious undertakings, and to &s;trengthen us in the encountring of tho&s;e raging enemies which we mu&s;t expect to be a&s;&s;aulted with: and when good Chri&s;tian people had this no|tion of Confirmation, rightly under|&s;tood the true nature of it, they were
<PB N="108" REF="63">then very zealous for it, and flocked in great multitudes to receive this di|vine mini&s;try from the hands of the Bi&s;hop. And time was in <HI>England</HI> (as Bi&s;hop <HI>Taylor</HI> relates) even &s;ince the fir&s;t beginnings of Reformation, when Confirmation had been le&s;s carefully mini&s;tred for about &s;ix years, when the people had the fir&s;t oppor|tunities of it re&s;tored, they ran to it in &s;o great numbers that Churches and Church-yards would not hold them, in&s;omuch that the Bi&s;hop of <HI>Che&s;ter</HI> was forced to impo&s;e hands on the people in the fields, and was &s;o op|pre&s;&s;ed with the multitudes, that he had almo&s;t been trod to death by the people, and had died with the throng, if he had not been re&s;cued by the ci|vil Power: And it might have been hoped, that the di&s;u&s;e of it of late for &s;o con&s;iderable a number of years, might have made it more highly pri|zed now that it is again re&s;tored; but alas our own experience finds it far
<PB N="109" REF="63">otherwi&s;e, it continues &s;till too much neglected, not only for want of a right under&s;tanding of this holy Rite, but al&s;o by entertaining a belief that it is unlawful: many are deterred from de&s;iring this mini&s;try, in regard that they are enformed that not one tittle of this is to be found in Gods word; and hereupon &s;uppo&s;ing it hath no Divine Warrant, they pre|&s;ently condemn it as an Innovation, a piece of Will-wor&s;hip, and &s;o con|&s;equently &s;inful. VVherefore I &s;hall in the next place prove the lawfulne&s;s of this Di&s;cipline; it is a plant of our Heavenly Fathers planting, and &s;o no Innovation or VVill-wor&s;hip; it is a Primitive and Apo&s;tolick Rite, and hath been continued in the Church in all Ages as a whol&s;om Di&s;cipline; and &s;o no up&s;tart invention, or new de|vice, to rai&s;e the Power, or advance the Grandeur of proud Prelates: and when I have cleared the&s;e two, then the lawfulne&s;s of this Rite will appear
<PB N="110" REF="64">as clear as the Sun at the Noon day.</P>
<P>This Divine Rite of Confirmation proceeds from above, it is warranted unto us by no meaner a per&s;on than the Eternal Son of God, who in his own per&s;on hath in&s;tituted and hallowed this Rite by &s;ubmiting unto it: no &s;ooner came he out of the waters, where he had been baptized by <HI>John,</HI> but immediately he is confirmed by the Spirit, which in the &s;hape of a Dove de&s;cended upon him. He is now to enter upon the &s;tage of the world, and to conflict with divers enemies; he is forthwith to be led into the VVil|derne&s;s to be a&s;&s;aulted by the Prince of darkne&s;s, who now exerci&s;es all his cunning and malice to make a prey of this tender Lamb of God: But before he undertakes the&s;e hard tasks, the Spi|rit of the living God re&s;ts upon him; not that he had any need of the de|&s;cent of the <HI>Holy Gho&s;t,</HI> or of his power|ful a&s;&s;i&s;tance, in regard that infinite
<PB N="111" REF="64">power that appertained to his God|head was able to repel the greate&s;t rage of the Devil, and all his accur&s;ed in&s;truments; but all this was done for our &s;akes, to in&s;truct us in this &s;olem|nity of our Religion: he &s;ubmitted to this Rite, that we might follow his ex|ample, and work out our Salvation by the &s;ame graces in the like &s;olem|nities; which St. <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> hath very well expre&s;&s;ed, affirming, <HI>Chri&s;ti in Bapti&s;mo Columbam unctionem nostram pre&s;igura&s;&s;e,</HI> the Dove in <HI>Chri&s;t</HI>'s Bap|ti&s;m did repre&s;ent and prefigure out unction from above, that is, the de|&s;cent of the <HI>Holy Gho&s;t</HI> upon us in the Rite of Confirmation. And therefore to this and other external mini&s;trati|ons, we mu&s;t believe our &s;elves obli|ged to &s;ubmit, and make u&s;e of them in the working out our own Salvati|on, being encouraged thereto by the pre&s;ident of this great Captain of our Salvation. <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> was Baptized and &s;o mu&s;t we; but after Bapti&s;m he had a
<PB N="112" REF="65">new mini&s;tration for the reception of the <HI>Holy Gho&s;t;</HI> and becau&s;e this was done upon our account, therefore we mu&s;t follow &s;o good an example: And this being done immediately before his combate with that proud infernal Spirit, it plainly de&s;cribes unto us both the time when it ought to be received, as al&s;o that great advantage that attends the mini&s;tration of it.</P>
<P>After we are baptized, when we are capable of under&s;tanding the &s;olemn engagement of our Bapti&s;m, and en|ter upon the per&s;onal performance of it, we have then great need to be con|firmed in tho&s;e holy re&s;olutions and good purpo&s;es, and al&s;o &s;trengthened again&s;t tho&s;e fierce batteries and de|&s;perate a&s;&s;aults that will be made upon us: We are now actually to renounce the Devil, the VVorld, and the Fle&s;h, to bid a bold and open defiance to all the works of Hell and Satan; and therefore we mu&s;t receive the a&s;&s;i|&s;tance of the good Spirit of God, which
<PB N="113" REF="65">is the de&s;ign and proper work of Con|firmation. And this doth evidently manife&s;t, not only the lawfulne&s;s but likewi&s;e the nece&s;&s;ity of this Divine Rite; in imitation of the excellent pattern of our Saviour <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> who is the head of the Church, he entred this way upon his Duty and Work, not being thereto urg'd by nece&s;&s;ity, but only to point out to us, which is the mo&s;t proper and compendious way to gain a competency of &s;trength and power to enable us to perform our Chri&s;tian duty: him whom we are &s;trictly charged to follow as dear Chil|dren, was over &s;hadowed with the <HI>Holy Gho&s;t,</HI> ju&s;t when he was entring upon the performance of that weighty work about which he came down from Heaven. Neither is this u&s;eful mini&s;try only warranted unto us, by the pre&s;ident of the Holy <HI>Je&s;us,</HI> the great exemplar to all &s;ucceeding ages, but al&s;o we find it diligently ob&s;erved and duly practi&s;ed in the fir&s;t and pu|re&s;t
<PB N="114" REF="66">ages of Chri&s;tianity. The ble&s;&s;ed Apo&s;tles in imitation of their great <HI>Lord</HI> and <HI>Ma&s;ter,</HI> and by vertue of that Authority they received from him, confirm their converts, after that, by Bapti&s;m they are admited into the number of <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> Flock. After the Di&s;ciples were endowed with power from on high, by being miraculou&s;ly in&s;pired with the gifts of the <HI>Holy Gho&s;t,</HI> they communicate of the &s;ame Spirit to their Pro&s;elytes to help their imperfections; and for this we have the plain expre&s;s words of Scripture, the relation whereof is recorded, Acts 8.14, 15, 16, 17. <HI>when the Di&s;ciples that were at</HI> Jeru&s;alem <HI>heard that</HI> Sa|maria <HI>had received the word of</HI> God, <HI>they &s;ent unto them</HI> Peter <HI>and</HI> John, <HI>who when they were come down, prayed for them that they might receive the</HI> Holy Gho&s;t; <HI>for as yet he was fallen upon none of them, only they were bap|tized in the name of the Lord</HI> Je&s;us; <HI>then laid they their hands on them, and
<PB N="115" REF="66">they received the</HI> Holy Gho&s;t. Now if we do but duly ob&s;erve the&s;e words, they give us a clear and full account of the whole order of this Divine Ritu|al.</P>
<P N="1">1. Here are the Per&s;ons that are ca|pable of this mini&s;try, tho&s;e that are baptized; and it is to &s;uch only that the great ble&s;&s;ing of the <HI>Holy Spirit</HI> doth belong: it is only tho&s;e that through the Gate of Bapti&s;m are re|ceived into the number of <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> flock, upon whom he will power down the gifts and graces of his holy Spirit by the mini&s;tration of his Emba&s;&s;adors.</P>
<P N="2">2. Here is the time when this Apo&s;tolick Rite is admini&s;tred, after Bapti&s;m. When by this holy Sacrament they had engaged them&s;elves in the practi&s;e of the true Chri&s;tian Religi|on, then was the &s;ea&s;on that the holy Apo&s;tles by the laying on of hands, com|municated unto them a larger mea&s;ure of the holy Spirit, to &s;trengthen them in the performance of tho&s;e Solemn
<PB N="116" REF="67">engagements they then made.</P>
<P N="3">3. Here was the manner how Confirmation was by the&s;e devout Per&s;ons admini&s;tred; it was by Prayer and laying on of hands.</P>
<P N="4">4. Here are the only Mini&s;ters of this Rite, two of the &s;elect Apo&s;tles, <HI>Peter</HI> and <HI>John: Philip</HI> the Evangeli&s;t who converted and baptized them, gave not the <HI>Holy Gho&s;t,</HI> for he had not power &s;o to do, for this gift was proper only to the Apo&s;tles, to none of the inferiour Pa&s;tors or Teach|ers.</P>
<P>And this very order doth the Church of <HI>England</HI> punctually ob&s;erve in the admini&s;tration of this Primitive Di&s;ci|pline; &s;he confirms none but tho&s;e that are baptized; and the time when &s;he admini&s;ters it, is after bapti&s;me: and here indeed &s;he &s;omething varies from the primitive practi&s;e, who con|firmed their converts pre&s;ently after Bapti&s;m, but &s;he not until a con&s;ide|rable time afterwards, until the bap|tized
<PB N="117" REF="67">are grown to years of di&s;cretion to under&s;tand their Bapti&s;mal vow; but there is very good rea&s;on for it, in regard tho&s;e <HI>Heathens</HI> which in the be|ginning were converted to the Chri|&s;tian Faith, were at age, when bapti|zed, to under&s;tand that promi&s;e they then made, and &s;o were in a fit capa|city to be confirmed at that very in|&s;tant. She likewi&s;e admini&s;ters this Rite by prayer, and the laying on of hands; as al&s;o the Admini&s;ters here|of are the Bi&s;hops, who &s;ucceed in the place and ordinary office of the Apo|&s;tles: So that the &s;ame thing that is now done in impo&s;ition of hands, is no other than what was done by the fir&s;t publi&s;hers of the Go&s;pel, &s;uch as were in&s;pired and miraculou&s;ly a&s;&s;i&s;ted by an infallible Spirit; all deriving from the very &s;ame Authority. Our Church doth no more than what was practi&s;ed in the fir&s;t and pure&s;t ages of Chri&s;tia|nity, even by tho&s;e who&s;e pre&s;ident is a very good Authority in this ca&s;e.</P>
<PB N="118" REF="68">
<P>And now I am not able to conje|cture what can be &s;aid again&s;t the law|fulne&s;s of confirmation, unle&s;s it &s;hould be objected, that it was only ordained for a time, <HI>viz.</HI> for the Apo&s;tles time, and after it was to expire. But if I can prove that this mini&s;try was not tem|porary and relative only to the Apo|&s;tles time, but was to de&s;cend to the Church, and to continue with it for ever, and hereby to become a per|petual and never-cea&s;ing Mini&s;try, I cannot then conceive what there is farther to be objected again&s;t the ju&s;t|ne&s;s and lawfulne&s;s of this Rite. And fir&s;t in order to this performance, let it be ob&s;erved, that confirmation is e|&s;tabli&s;hed and pa&s;&s;ed by St. <HI>Paul</HI> (if he may be &s;uppo&s;ed to be the Au|thor or the Epi&s;tle to the <HI>Hebrewes</HI>) into a Chri&s;tian doctrine; in that ve|ry Epi&s;tle we &s;hall find the Apo&s;tle to make impo&s;ition of hands, namely, that which is the Ceremony in Con|firmation, by which it was u&s;ually
<PB N="119" REF="68">known, a fundamental point, <HI>Heb.</HI> 6.1, 2. <HI>I &s;hall &s;et downe the very words, as tending very much to my pre&s;ent purpo&s;e. Therefore leaving the principles of the Doctrine of</HI> Chri&s;t, <HI>let us go on unto perfection, not laying again the founda|tion of repentance from dead works, and of Faith towards God, of the Do|ctrine of Bapti&s;m, and of laying on of hands, and of the Re&s;urrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.</HI></P>
<P>Here are &s;ix fundamental points of St. <HI>Pauls</HI> Catechi&s;m, which he laid as the foundation or beginning of the in&s;titution of Chri&s;tianity; and among&s;t the&s;e, impo&s;ition of hands is reckoned as a part of the foundation: and it ap|pears very plaine to me, that the Apo|&s;tle intends the very &s;ame impo&s;ition of hands as was u&s;ed in confirming the baptized, in regard it is placed imme|diately after bapti&s;m, as being a di&s;ci|pline which was to follow upon it in order to the building up of a Chri&s;tian; now this being a ground work of Chri|&s;tianity,
<PB N="120" REF="69">it mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity follow, that it mu&s;t have the very &s;ame continu|ance with it; the &s;hallowe&s;t capacity ea&s;ily apprehending, that when the foundation is rooted up, the whole Fabrick mu&s;t be thrown down.</P>
<P>But then again, this Mini&s;try will appear to be of a larger continuance than the Apo&s;tles time, in regard that ble&s;&s;ing which by this Mini&s;try is con|ferred, is to abide with the Church for ever, <HI>viz.</HI> The benigne influence and a&s;&s;i&s;tance of the <HI>Holy Gho&s;t.</HI> When Our Saviour made this gracious pro|mi&s;e at the fir&s;t to his Di&s;ciples, to give them the comforter, he was to abide with them to the end of the world, <HI>John</HI> 14.16. <HI>And I will pray the Fa|ther, and he &s;hall &s;end you another Com|forter, that he may abide with you for ever, even the Spirit of Truth.</HI> And we &s;hall find, that when this gift was &s;o miraculou&s;ly be&s;towed upon the holy Apo&s;tles at the day of <HI>Pentico&s;t,</HI> in&s;omuch that tho&s;e who were Eye|witne&s;&s;es
<PB N="121" REF="69">were &s;trangly amazed, and marvelled to hear them &s;peaking in divers languages, at that very &s;ame time St. <HI>Peter,</HI> to take off the &s;trange|ne&s;s of the wonder, and the envy of the power, tels them in plain terms, that upon condition they would <HI>Repent and be baptized, they &s;hould e|very one of them receive the Gift of the Holy Gho&s;t;</HI> not the meane&s;t, the mo&s;t incon&s;iderable among&s;t them but &s;hould receive that great thing which they ob&s;erved in them; and not on|ly them&s;elves, but their Children al&s;o: <HI>For the promi&s;e is to you and to your Chil|dren, and to all that are afar off, even to as many as the Lord our God &s;hall call, Acts</HI> 2.38, 39. Now it is very unrea|&s;onable to &s;uppo&s;e, that the Rite (which is partly moral and partly cere|monial, the fir&s;t is prayer, the other is laying on of hands) that this &s;hould be tran&s;ient only for a &s;hort time, when as the promi&s;e it &s;elfe is to con|tinue for ever. It cannot but &s;eem
<PB N="122" REF="70">very &s;trange, that a &s;olemn Rite an|nexed to a perpetual promi&s;e &s;hould be tran&s;ient and temporary. The pro|mi&s;e is of a ble&s;&s;ing to endure for ever, the Ceremony or Rite was annexed to the promi&s;e, and therefore this al|&s;o mu&s;t be for ever. And as this Mi|ni&s;try was to continue for ever, &s;o was it duly ob&s;erved and actually practi&s;ed by the &s;ucceeding Ages of the Church, as the Reverent Bi&s;hop of <HI>Down</HI> in his Treati&s;e upon this &s;ub|ject hath very learnedly proved: And certainly, next after the plain words of Scripture, the univer&s;al tradition of the Church is the be&s;t argument for the probation of Rituals; And what I have hitherto di&s;cour&s;ed of, the law|fulne&s;s of this Rite, is certainly &s;uffici|ent to &s;atisfie every rea&s;onable per&s;on of the nece&s;&s;ity of it: for that which is Authorized by no meaner a Per&s;on than the Eternal Son of God, which was practi&s;ed by the Holy Apo&s;tles, was ob&s;erved in the pure&s;t ages of
<PB N="123" REF="70">Chri&s;tianity, and is a never-cea&s;ing Mini&s;try, mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity both be lawful to be done, and very meet and convenient to be retained in practi&s;e.</P>
<P>But in regard there is nothing more powerfully prevailes with mankind than their intere&s;ts, I &s;hall in the la&s;t place (in order to the proving the ne|ce&s;&s;ity of this whol&s;om Di&s;cipline, and to encourage all to the due ob&s;ervati|on of it,) endeavour to manife&s;t tho&s;e great graces and excellent privi|ledges which are con&s;equent to the worthy reception and due Mini&s;try of it. When Confirmation is rightly performed and worthily received, it will be highly advantagious to us, and will greatly promote the Spiritual good and intere&s;t of every Chri&s;tian, and therefore ought not by any means to be neglected: And in this re&s;pect the Scripture hath &s;poken &s;o fully &amp; plain|ly, as is abundantly &s;ufficient to prove that great ble&s;&s;ing that waits upon us.</P>
<P>It is recorded by St. <HI>Luke</HI> in the <HI>Acts</HI>
<PB N="124" REF="71">of the <HI>Holy Apo&s;tles,</HI> that at the fir&s;t mini&s;tration of this Rite they received the <HI>Holy Gho&s;t,</HI> that is, according to the expre&s;&s;ion of the <HI>Holy Je&s;us</HI> to his Di&s;ciples, when he commanded them to tarry at <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> in expectation of the accompli&s;hment of his glorious promi&s;e; they are endowed with ver|tue from on high, that is, with &s;trength to perform their duty, to per&s;evere in their Chri&s;tian profe&s;&s;ion, notwith|&s;tanding all the oppo&s;ition of Satan and his accur&s;ed in&s;truments. So that this power from on high, which is the proper ble&s;&s;ing of Confirmation, was expre&s;&s;ed, not only with &s;peaking of Tongues and doing Miracles, but it was effected in &s;piritual and inward &s;trengths; They were not only ena|bled for the &s;ervice of the Church, to &s;peak in a languages for the benefit of all nations, and to do mighty works to convince <HI>Gain-&s;ayers,</HI> but al&s;o they were endowed with courage and wi&s;|dom, and Chri&s;tian fortitude, and bold|ne&s;s,
<PB N="125" REF="71">openly to <HI>confe&s;s the faith of Chri&s;t crucified, and manfully to fight under his Banner, again&s;t Sin, the World, and the Devil, and to continue Chri&s;ts faithful Servants and Souldiers to their lives end.</HI></P>
<P>And if we do but duly con&s;ider how apt we are to erre out of the way of Gods Commandments, to &s;tart a|&s;ide like a broken Bow, and what great oppo&s;ition we meet with in run|ning the Race that is &s;et before us, we &s;hall find abundance of rea&s;on to make u&s;e of all lawful means to gain a great|er mea&s;ure and a&s;&s;i&s;tance of Gods good Spirit, That Body of death which St. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;o earne&s;tly de&s;ired to be delive|red from, that old man of Sin, our Rebellious Wills and Affections, do fatally re&s;i&s;t all good motions and in|clinations within us.</P>
<P>This Law in our members is conti|nually warring again&s;t the Law in our minds, and bringing us into cap|tivity to the law of &s;in, that is in our
<PB N="126" REF="72">members; but when this Allmighty Spirit de&s;cends upon us, he &s;upplies us with &s;uch a mea&s;ure of &s;trength as enables us to mortifie all our earthly Members, to keep them under &s;ubje|ction, to vanqui&s;h all tho&s;e proud lu&s;ts of the fle&s;h which lead us Captive to the committance of evil.</P>
<P>But be&s;ides the&s;e inward, we have al&s;o outward enemies, the Devil and his accur&s;ed Retinue, which bandy to|gether their Forces to overcome us, and draw us into their &s;nares and Va&s;|&s;alage; the&s;e exerci&s;e all their malice and cunning to provoke us to renounce our &s;olemn Bapti&s;mal engagements, and to walk in a down-right oppo&s;ition to that duty our Maker expects from us. When we are once engaged in a holy profe&s;&s;ion, and have faithfully covenanted to for&s;ake every evil pra|cti&s;e that is unworthy this our high cal|ling, then is the time that our grand adver&s;ary, fearing that he &s;hall lo&s;e a pro&s;ellyte, will violently oppo&s;e us,
<PB N="127" REF="72">he will make us promi&s;es as large as heart can either wi&s;h or de&s;ire; nay he will not &s;tand out for any thing, ra|ther than lo&s;e a Di&s;ciple; he will out of de&s;ign court us at an exceeding high rate, telling us, as he did our Saviour, that all the kingdoms of the world, with their glory, are at his di&s;po&s;al; &s;o that nothing &s;hall be wanting to compleat our de&s;ires, that this world can afford, will we but throw off the yoak of our dear Saviour, and li&s;t our &s;elves under his accur&s;ed banner: And we &s;hall find the&s;e &s;uch prevailing temptations as fle&s;h and blood cannot ea&s;ily re&s;i&s;t. But when we are endow|ed with vertue from on high, it will enable us both to di&s;cover his delu&s;ions and to re&s;i&s;t his greate&s;t force and fury. That infinite power which at the fir&s;t threw the Prince of darkne&s;s from his primitive e&s;tate of happine&s;s and perfection, is able to guard us from all his a&s;&s;aults, that we may pa&s;s on cheerfully in the performance of what
<PB N="128" REF="73">the Lord requires of us. And indeed this is the principal ble&s;&s;ing of Confir|mation; our &s;piritual &s;trength here|by is augmented; that new life which we receive at Bapti&s;m, is now &s;o heightned and improved, that we are able to live the lives of good Chri&s;ti|ans, and in a very good mea&s;ure to perform what our Sureties promi&s;ed for us. So that Confirmation is the con&s;ummation and perfection, the corroboration and &s;trength of Bapti&s;m and bapti&s;mal grace; for in bapti&s;m we undertake to do our duty, but in con|firmation we receive a new &s;upply of &s;trength for the doing of it; in bapti&s;m others promi&s;e for us, in confirmation we undertake for our &s;elves; we ea&s;e our Godfathers and Godmothers of their burden, and taken it upon our own &s;houlders: In Babti&s;me we give up our names to Chri&s;t, but in con|firmation we put our &s;eal to the pro|fe&s;&s;ion and God puts his Seal to the promi&s;e; we enter then upon the actual
<PB N="69" REF="73">performance of our Bapti&s;mal vow, which includes the whole of our Chri|&s;tian duty; and then it is that God poures down his holy Spirit upon us, to direct and guide us in tho&s;e weighty things that relate to our eternal peace, &s;o that in confirmation we receive an encrea&s;e of the Spirit of grace where|by we are &s;trengthned unto battel, prepared to recieve the de&s;perate a&s;|&s;aults and fierce encounters of our mercyle&s;s adver&s;aries: to which I &s;hall only add what St. <HI>Cyrill</HI> argues from the de&s;cen&s;ion of the holy Gho&s;t upon Chri&s;t after his bapti&s;m, who&s;e words I &s;hall &s;et down as I find them quoted by the Bi&s;hop of <HI>Down:</HI> <Q REND="margQuotes">When he was baptized in the River <HI>Jordan,</HI> he a&s;cended out of the Waters, and the holy Gho&s;t &s;ub&s;tantially de&s;cended upon him, like re&s;ting upon like: And &s;o you al&s;o, in like manner, after ye have a&s;cended from the waters of bap|ti&s;m, the unction is given which bears the image or &s;imilitude of him by
<PB N="72" REF="74">whom Chri&s;t was anointed; that as Chri&s;t after Bapti&s;m and the coming of the holy Spirit upon him, went forth to battel in the wilderne&s;s, and over|came the adver&s;ary; &s;o ye al&s;o after holy Bapti&s;m and the my&s;tical unction (or confirmation) being ve&s;ted with the armour of the holy Spirit, are ena|bled to &s;tand again&s;t the oppo&s;ite powers</Q> &s;o that certainly were this ex|cellent favour duely con&s;idered that attends confirmation, it would be &s;trict|ly ob&s;erved by all tho&s;e who in any competent mea&s;ure intend their own eternal good and happine&s;s.</P>
<P>But be&s;ides all this, many benefits will accrue to us by performing our parts in confirmation, that is, by pub|lickly in our own per&s;ons under|taking tho&s;e &s;olemn engagements that was by others made on our behalf at Bapti&s;m: It is the opinion of a very learned per&s;on, <Q REND="margQuotes">That there could ne|ver be a well con&s;tituted Church without this practi&s;e; nor can we tell
<PB N="65" REF="74">that men are not Heathens and Pagans, and have not revoked their word, unle&s;s they will openly acknowledge that they under&s;tand what they then did, and will not &s;tir from it. VVill any man be a&s;hamed (&s;aith the &s;ame Author) to make &s;uch a profe&s;&s;ion, and to tread in the way of Chri&s;ts Church, becau&s;e it hath been of late di&s;u&s;ed or turned into another thing? VVhy &s;houlde&s;t thou blu&s;h to own holine&s;s, to &s;ay before Chri&s;t's Church, thou art re&s;olved to lead a Chri&s;tian life, and renounce the Devil and all the ways of wickedne&s;s? why &s;houlde&s;t thou be a&s;hamed of thy Religion, as if it were fit to be profe&s;&s;ed only in a private corner, where none &s;hould hear thee? VVhy &s;hould it be accounted a &s;trange thing to prote&s;t love to God?</Q> it is an honour and glory unto us that we may be Chri&s;tians, and &s;o &s;hould we e&s;teem it: we &s;hould be right glad of an opportunity, wherein we may do our &s;elves &s;o much honour, as to tell the
<PB N="68" REF="75">world that we are and re&s;olve to be the real di&s;ciples and faithful fol|lowers of the eternal King of Glory. We &s;hall al&s;o find divers great be|nefits to en&s;ue upon the renewing of our vow in the pre&s;ence of the Con|gregation.</P>
<P N="1">1. This will be a means to make us more &s;trictly and con&s;cientiou&s;ly ob|&s;erve the rules and duties of Chri&s;tia|nity: when we con&s;ider, that we have acquainted the world with our good re&s;olutions, that they know what a &s;o|lemn profe&s;&s;ion we have made to lead a virtuous and a Chri&s;tian life in all godline&s;s and hone&s;ty, then we cannot for &s;hame but practice what we have &s;o openly profe&s;&s;ed, our own credit will make us afraid to commit a &s;in again&s;t which we have &s;o &s;olemnly and publickly profe&s;&s;ed; and we &s;hall ea&s;ily believe that every one will up|braid us with the breach of promi&s;e, when they &s;ee us to act contrary to what we once told the congregation;
<PB N="77" REF="75">we &s;hall hereby force the world to believe us fal&s;e and perfidious, not our words Ma&s;ter; neither can we imagine that any per&s;on that under|&s;tands his own intere&s;t will take our word, or tru&s;t to our promi&s;e in any matter that relates to the&s;e temporal affairs, when as we dare break tho&s;e &s;o|lemn promi&s;es, upon every &s;light occa|&s;ion, every incon&s;iderable temptation that is offered, that we make in the pre&s;ence of God and a whole congre|gation: &s;o that our credit will ingage us, when we have once made a publick engagement, to &s;tand by it, not to &s;hrink from it, but to be diligent in the ob&s;ervation of every part of it. Secondly, This renewing our Bapti&s;|mal vow in the pre&s;ence of the con|gregation, will be a &s;overaign antidote again&s;t the allurements of Satan; nei|ther can we have a better pre&s;erva|tive again&s;t his force and fury, than to tell him what we told the congregati|on, that now we are re&s;olved (having
<PB N="80" REF="76">pa&s;&s;ed our word for it) that we will re|nounce him, and all that appertains unto him, and be Gods faithful &s;er|vants to our lives end. When we are able confidently to tell this bold temp|ter, that we have no room to enter|tain him, having engaged our &s;elves in the face of the world to wage a con|tinual war again&s;t him, and al&s;o vowed Loyalty &amp; Fidelity to our eternal Ma|ker, we need not doubt but that this will drive him away from us, and al&s;o for the time to come di&s;courage him from making &s;uch frequent attempts upon us. Neither will this only be a means to pre&s;erve us from the daring on&s;ets of the Prince of Darkne&s;s, but al&s;o it will very much &s;ecure us from the in&s;inuation of his agents, the pro|phane &s;ons of <HI>Belial.</HI> Wicked men certainly cannot have the con<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="3 letters">ence to ask us to &s;in, when we have &s;o pub|liquely profe&s;&s;ed again&s;t it; evill company will &s;hun and avoid us, when they know that we are not of their
<PB N="73" REF="76">foot-marks, but have publickly di&s;ow|ned their ungodly practi&s;es, and prin|ciples. You complain of lewd &s;ociety, of friends and acquaintance that draw you into many inconveniences; do but let them know that you intend to be religious, and they will let you alone. The Philo&s;ophers openly profe&s;&s;ed a &s;evere and unu&s;ual life, that all men might let them live Philo&s;ophically, and not be a di&s;turbance unto them. Let but us do &s;o, and be profe&s;&s;edly re|ligious, and they will have the le&s;s boldne&s;s for to trouble us. Our work is half done when we are heartily re|&s;olved; and more than half done, when we publickly profe&s;s the&s;e our good re|&s;olutions.</P>
<P>Thirdly, This open renewing of our Bapti&s;mal engagements wil very much lead to the bringing of Religion into fa&s;hion, and to make it a thing very creditable and honorable: When men openly appear for it, and are not a&s;hamed publiquely to confe&s;s and
<PB N="76" REF="77">acknowledge it, then the perver&s;e &s;ons of <HI>Belial,</HI> will be di&s;couraged from &s;coffing and reproaching of it; it will &s;top the mouths of all gain&s;ayers, when they behold the greate&s;t and &s;obere&s;t part of mankind to countenance it, by profe&s;&s;ing &s;eriou&s;ly to practi&s;e it. And this certainly will mightily prevail with all tho&s;e as have any kindne&s;s or honour for Religion, openly to re|new their vows, e&s;pecially in this care|le&s;s age, wherein Athei&s;m and pro|phanene&s;s have joyned forces to di&s;|countenance, yea, utterly to bani&s;h all Religion from among&s;t us.</P>
<P>Fourthly, The open owning of our Bapti&s;mal vow, wil be a great prepara|tory, in order to the receiving the holy Sacrament of Chri&s;ts mo&s;t precious body and blood; neither is it meet that any &s;hould be admitted to &s;o neer a communion with Chri&s;t, who will not openly acknowledge and promi&s;e fealty and obedience to his Sacred commands And therefore what our
<PB N="67" REF="77">Church enjoyns in this ca&s;e, is very rea|&s;onable, <HI>viz.</HI> that none &s;hould be ad|mitted to the holy Communion, un|till &s;uch time as he be confirmed, or be ready and de&s;irous to be confirmed: and therefore if we intend to receive Chri&s;t in the Sacrament, to feed upon his body and blood, which is &s;uch ex|cellent food, as mo&s;t certainly will nouri&s;h our &s;ouls to life eternal, it is but very meet and convenient that we &s;hould fir&s;t openly profe&s;s our &s;elves his members and &s;ervants, and that we re&s;olve &s;o to continue; this will reduce us into a fit capacity to feed at the Lords Table, whereby we may encrea&s;e in &s;trength, &amp; enjoy a more intimate com|munion with the Father, Son, and Holy Gho&s;t. And indeed, until this is done, I may ju&s;tly &s;ay, men are but imperfect members, babes and infants in Chri&s;t, and not to be admitted (in the judgment of all ages) to ta&s;t of the meat of men, until they &s;hew them&s;elves to be men by &s;peaking for them&s;elves.</P>
<PB N="71" REF="78">
<P>And to all this I &s;hall only add the mi&s;ery that in the end &s;hall attend tho&s;e that will not make an open pro|fe&s;&s;ion of Chri&s;t; as al&s;o the priviledge that they &s;hall enjoy who are free to perform this &s;o rea&s;onable a duty; and this I &s;hall give you in our Savi|ours own words, <HI>Mat.</HI> 10.72. <HI>Who&s;o|ever &s;hall confe&s;s me before men, him will I confe&s;s before my Father which is in Heaven;</HI> That is, will confe&s;s him to be one of my flock, my true di&s;ciple and member, and accordingly will re|ward him; <HI>but who&s;oever &s;hall deny</HI> me before men (and certainly he that is a|&s;hamed openly to profe&s;s Chri&s;t, will not be afraid to deny him, if moved thereto either by fear or advantage) <HI>him will I al&s;o deny before my Father which is in Heaven.</HI> And it is not within the power of any man to imagine how dreadful and in&s;upportable their doom will be, who are denyed and di&s;owned by the great Judg of Heaven and Earth. So that now I cannot &s;ee what there is
<PB N="66" REF="78">to deter men from &s;ubmitting to this whol&s;ome di&s;cipline, it being not only nece&s;&s;ary, but al&s;o highly rea&s;onable, that we &s;hould openly promi&s;e to be his faithful &s;ervants, who both created us, and redeemed us. Why &s;hould we not as freely and readily promi&s;e in the face of the congregation, obedience to Gods &s;acred plea&s;ure and commands, as we do allegiance and loyalty to our Prince before a Court of Ju&s;tice? If it is rea&s;onable that we &s;hould be obedi|ent to the laws of our Maker, which no Chri&s;tian will deny; what harm is their in making an open profe&s;&s;ion that we will be &s;o? and therefore it would be very happy, and cannot but be earne&s;tly de&s;ired by all good Chri&s;tians, that all animo&s;ities and vain janglings might be quite layed a&s;ide, and that we may all joyn together in practi&s;ing what&s;oever may advance us forward towards the end of our hopes, the Salvation of our Souls.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
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</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
