248 BOOK THE FIRST. 2 Tim. i. 9. Q. How do you think to be enabled to A. I depend on God's grace to pre- Q. What reafon have you for fo doing? 2 Cor. iii. 5. Not that we are fuffi- Phil. i. 6. Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you, will perform [finifh] it until the day of Jefus Chrift.' Q. How do you think to obtain God's grace? A. I will pray unto God for it. Q. What reafon have you to think, that by prayer you shall obtain it? A. From Luke xi. 13. evil know how to give good gifts unto your If ye being children, how much more fhall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that afk him ?" Heb. iv. 16. Let us come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.' Q. The fecond thing you promised, was to believe all the articles of the chriftian faith: what do you mean by articles of the chriftian faith? A. I thereby mean fuch points of the doctrine revealed by Chrift, and contained in the Holy Scriptures, as are most neceffary to be believed. Q. Where are thofe articles or points briefly contained? lief. A. In the Apostles Creed. Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and born of the Virgin Mary, fuffered under buried; he defcended into hell: the third cended into heaven, and fitteth at the day he rose again from the dead; he afright hand of God the Father Almighty; quick and the dead. I believe in the Hofrom thence he fhall come to judge the ly Ghoft; the holy catholic church; the fins; the refurrection of the body, and the communion of faints; the forgiveness of life everlasting. Amen. Q. What is the meaning of the word Creed? A. Creed is the fame as belief. Q. Why is it called the Apoftles Creed? A. Partly because of the apoftolical it was compofed in or near the apostles doctrine contained in it; partly because time. Q. What doft thou chiefly learn in thefe articles of thy belief? A. First, I learn to believe in God the Father, who hath made me, and all the hath redeemed me and all world. Secondly, in God the Son, who Thirdly, in God the Holy Ghost, who mankind. God. fanctifieth me, and all the elect people of three parts into which the creed or belief the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft. 2. A fameness of nature: the Father is God; the Son is God; the Holy Ghost is God. the Father creates, the Son redeems, the 3. A diverfity of offices or operations: Holy Ghoft fanctifies. Q. What proof have you of fuch a dif tinction of perfons in the fame divine nature ? nations, baptizing them in the name of the 1. John v. 7. For there are three that 2 Cor. xiii. 14. Q. Rehearse the articles of thy be- and the communion of the Holy Ghost, A. I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth:And in Jefus Chrift his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghoft, be with you all.' Q. What does the firft branch of the A. God the Father, and his work of creation. Q. What Q. What is God? A. God is an infinite, eternal, and incomprehenfible Spirit, having all perfections in and of himself. Q. What proof have you of God's being a Spirit? A. From John iv. 24. God is a fpirit.' 1 Tim. vi. 16. • Whom no man hath feen, nor can fee.' Q. What proof have you for his being infinite? A. From 1 Kings viii. 27. Behold, the heaven, and heaven of heavens, cannot contain thee.' Jer. xxiii. 24. Do not I fill heaven and earth? faith the Lord.' Q. How do you prove God to be eternal? A. From Pfal. xc. 2. From everlasting to everlafting thou art God.' 1 Tim. vi, 16. Who only hath immortality.' Lord God Almighty, A. From Job xxxvi. 26. Behold, God is great, and we know him not.' Job xxxvii. 23. Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out.' Pfal. cxiv. 3. Great is the Lord, and his greatness is unsearchable. Q. Are there more Gods than one? A. There is but one living and true God. Q. How do you prove that there is but one God? A. From 1 Cor. iii. 4. There is none other God but one.' Eph. iv. 6. One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.' 1 Tim. ii. 5. ‹ There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Chrift Jefus.' Q. How is God faid to be a Father? A. 1. As he created all things; 1 Cor. viii. 6. God the Father, of whom are all things.' 2. As he is the Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift. 3. As he is our Father, by adopting us in him, having predeftinated us to the adoption of children by Jefus Chrift.' Eph. i. 5. Q. Why do you style God almighty? A. Because he has power to difpofe of, and govern all things as he please th. Q. How do you prove God to be thus almighty? A. From Pfal. Lxii. 11. Power belongeth unto God.' Pfal. ciii. 19. The Lord hath prepar ed his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom ruleth over all.' Q. What is meant by heaven and earth? A. The world, and all things that are therein. Q. What proof have you of God's being the maker of the heaven and the earth? A. From Gen. i. 1. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.' Acts iv. 24. · Lord, thou art God, which haft made heaven and earth, and the fea, and all that in them is. Heb. xi. 3. Through faith we underftand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, fo that the things which are feen, were not made of things which do appear.' Q. Of what did God make the world? A. From Neh. ix. 6. Thou, even thou, art Lord alone; thou haft made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their hoft; the earth, with all things that are thereing the feas, and all that is therein; and thou preferveft them all. SECT IV. Of God the Son; particularly his Names, Offices, and Relations. Q. What does the fecond branch of the Creed treat of? A. Of God the Son, and the work of Redemption. Q. How is our Redeemer defcribed? Q. What doth the name Jefus fignify? A. Because he was to fave his people from their fins.' Matt. i. 21. Q. What doth the word Christ fignify? A. It is the fame with Meffiah, and fignifies Anointed. Q. Why is he called Chrift, or the Anointed. A. Because he was in a spiritual manner to perform the offices belonging to God's anointed. Q. What are thofe offices? A. They 250 BOOK THE FIRST. A. They are the offices of king, priest, and prophet. Q. How is Chrift a king ? A. As he governs and protects his church. Q. How is he a priest? A. As he did make atonement, and now intercedes for, and bleffeth his church. Q. How is Chrift a prophet? A. As he teaches his church; which he Q. How was Chrift anointed? Q. What are the relations which Chrift A. They are two; the one relating to God the Father, as he is his only Son; the other to us, as he is our Lord. Q. How is Chrift the only Son of God? A. As he derived his effence from the Father, and was conceived and born of a pure virgin, by the extraordinary power of God. Q. How do you prove that Chrift is the only Son of God? A. From John i. 18. No man hath feen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bofom of the father, he hath declared him.' 1 John iv. 9. the love of God towards us; becaufe that In this was manifefted God fent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.' Q. How is Chrift faid to be our Lord? A. He is in a particular manner the Lord and head of his church; having all power given unto him in heaven and in earth.' Matt. xxviii. 18. SECT. V. Of Chrift's Humiliation. A. His humiliation and exaltation. A. In his becoming man and fuffering death. Q. How was Christ made man? A. By the union of the human nature to the divine, in one perfon. Q. How do you prove that Chrift did thus become man? A. From John i. 14. The Word was made flesh.' Gal. iv. 4. God fent forth his Son, made of a woman.' Heb. ii. 16. Verily he took not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the feed of Abraham.' Q. How did Christ take on him our na. ture? Ghoft, and born of the Virgin Mary. take unto thee Mary thy wife; for that Luke i. 35. born of a virgin? A. From Matt. i. 22, 23. Now all this Holy Ghost? A. That he might take our nature with- and become man? and being one of the fame nature with those Q. How is this proved from Scripture? A. From Heb. ii. 9. Jefus was made ing of death, that he by the grace of God a little lower than the angels for the fuiterfhould tafte death for every man.' Heb. ii. 17. It behoveth him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might taining to God, to make reconciliation for be a merciful high priest in things perthe fins of the people. Q. Why did our Saviour fuffer death? A. To deliver mankind, by the infinite that was due for our fins, and to reconcile price of his blood, from the punishment his Father to us by fatisfying his justice, he offering himself a facrifice for us. Q. How is this proved from Scripture to be the end of our Saviour's fufferings? A. From Gal. iii. 13. Chrift hath reing made a curfe for us.' deemed us from the curfe of the law, be Rom. v. 10. When we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son,' Heb SECT. VI. Of Chrift's Exaltation. Q. Wherein does our Saviour's exaltation confift? A. 1ft, In his refurrection. 2d, His afcenfion. 3d, His glorification. 4th, His coming to judgment. Q. What is the refurrection of Chrift? A. It is the restoring him to life by the urion of the felf-fame foul to the self-fame body. Q. When did our Lord rife? A. On the third day after he died, which was the first day of the week, which is thence called the Lord's Day. Q. Why did our Lord rife from the dead? A. To affure us that he had fully compleated the whole work of our redemption. Q. How do you prove from Scripture, that this was the end of our Saviour's refurrection? A. From Rom. iv. 25. Who was raised again for our juftification.' Rom. viii. 34. Who is he that con demneth? It is Chrift that died, yea rather, that is rifen again.' Q. What do you mean by faying, that Chrift afcended into heaven? A. I mean, that he did actually go up thither in a visible and triumphant manner. Q. How is this proved from Scripture? A. From Acts i. 9. While they beheld, he was taken up, ad a cloud received him out of their fight.' Eph. iv. 8. When he afcended up on high, he led captivity captive.' Q. What is meant by his fitting at the right hand of God? A. By it is meant, that Chrift is advanced to the higheft dignity and authority under God the Father. Q. How is this proved from Scripture? A. From 1 Pet. iii. 22. Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels, and authorities, and powers being made fubject unto him. Eph. i. 20, 21. He raised him from the dead, and fet him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion." Heb. x. 12. This man, after he had offered one facrifice for fins, for ever fat down on the right hand of God.' Q. This phrafe then, of the right hand of God, does not imply that God has hands? &c. A. No: This way of fpeaking is only ufed in condefcenfion to us; for God is a Spirit, and hath no body, nor parts of a body. What does Chrift do at the right hand of God? A. He appears in the prefence of God for us, as our mediator, interceffor, and advocate. Q. How is this proved from Scripture? A. From Heb. ix. 24. Chrift is entered into heaven itfelf, now to appear in the prefence of God for us.' Rom. viii. 34. Chrift who is at the right hand of God, who alfo maketh interceffion for us.' 1 John ii. 1. We have an advocate with the Father, Jefus Chrift the righteous." Q. Is Chrift the only mediator? A. Yes: There is one mediator between God and men, the man Chrift Jefus.' 1 Tim. ii. 5. Q. Why are the words, Father Almighty added here? A. To fhew us the truth and fulness of all that authority and dominion to which Chrift, as our mediator, is advanced. Q. Whence shall Christ come to judg ment? A. From heaven. Q. How is this proved from Scripture? A. From 1 Theff. iv. 16. The Lord himself fhall defcend from heaven.' Q. Whom shall Christ judge? A. All men; the quick, thofe who shall then be alive, and the dead. Q. How is this proved from Scripture? A. From Acts x. 42. It is he which was ordained of God to be the judge of quick and dead.' Q. For what fhall he judge them ? A. For all things, whether fecret or open. Q. How is this proved from Scripture? A. From 2 Cor. v. 10. We must all appear before the judgment-feat of Chrift, that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.' Eccl. xii. 14. God fhall bring every work into judgment, with every fecret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.' juftified in the name of the Lord Jefus, and by the Spirit of our God.' Q. What do you mean by the church? A. I mean a fociety of perfons called by God to the profeffion of true religion. Q. What does the word catholic fignify? A. It fignifies univerfal. Q. Why is the term Catholic applied to the Christian church? A. To diftinguish it from the Jewish church, which was confined to one nation, whereas the Chriftian church is extended to all nations. Q. How is the church faid to be holy? A. As it is dedicated to God by cove nant and profeffion, and is thereby obliged to be holy. Q. What are the privileges belonging to the holy catholic church? A. They are four: 1ft, The communion of faints. zd, The forgiveness of fins. 3d, The refurrection of the body. And 4th, The life everlasting. Q. What is the first privilege? A. The communion of faints. Q. How is the word Saints to be under, flood? A. It is moft properly to be understood of thofe, who are the true and living members of Chrift's church, namely, fuch as do anfwer the end of their calling by a lively faith and holy converfation. Q. In what does this communion confift? A. In a fellowship in all acts of divine worship, piety, and charity; and in a par taking of in common the privileges and be. nefits of the gospel. Q. What are thofe privileges which SECT. VII. Of God the Holy Ghost, and the chriftians have thus in common amongst remaining Articles of the Creed. Q. Who is the Holy Ghoft? them? A. They are, their making all but one A. He is the third person in the facred body or church; their being all fanctified Trinity. Q. How is this proved? A. From Matt. xxviii. 19. Baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost?' Q. What do you mean by the word Ghott? A. Ghoft is the fame with Spirit. Q. Why is he called the Holy Ghost? A. Because of his office, which is in Christ's ftead to fanctify, or make holy the church. Q. How do you prove that our fanctification proceeds from the Holy Ghost? A. From 1 Cor. vi. 11. But ye are washed, but ye are fanctified, but ye are by one Spirit; their having all one hope of their calling; one lord, one faith, one baptifm, one God and father of all. Q. How do you prove this communion of faints to be the privilege of the church? A. From Acts ii. · 42. They continued ftedfaftly in the apoftles doctrine and fel lowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.' 1 Cor. xii. 26. Whether one member fuffer, all the members fuffer with it.' Eph. iii. 6. That the Gentiles fhoi'd be fellow-heirs, and of the fame bo y, and partakers of his promife in Chrift y te gofpel.' Q. What |