2. What is the Son of God here called?—The Word of the Father. John, i. 1.

3. What is here said of the Son?-That He was begotten from everlasting of the Father. Micah, v. 2;

John, i. 2.

4. Is the Son God?—Yes; very and eternal God, of one substance with the Father. Rom. ix. 5; Titus, ii. 13; John, xvii. 5.

5. What is the meaning of the word very ?—True, real. 6. What person of the Godhead is the Son ?-The second person, called also Jesus Christ.

7. What other nature did God the Son take upon Him?-Man's nature, in the womb of the blessed Virgin, of her substance. Is. vii. 14; Luke, i. 35.

8. Did He then lay aside His divine nature?-No; the two whole and perfect natures, the Godhead and the manhood, were joined together in the one person.* 1 Tim. ii. 16.

9. Did they remain long together?-Yes; they never were to be divided.

10. What is the title given to the Son of God?-The title, Christ.

11. What is the meaning of the word Christ ?—The anointed.†

12. What, then, do you think of Christ ?-That He is very God and very man.

13. Why did he become man?-That he might truly suffer and be crucified. Mark, xiv. 33, 34; xv. 37. 14. Did He actually die ?—He did. Matt. xxvii. 50. 15. What became of His body after death?—It was buried. Matt. xxvii. 59, 60.

16. Why did He suffer and die ?-To reconcile His Father to us. Is. liii. 5, 6.

17. What more?-And to be a sacrifice not only for

Hence called God-man.

He was anointed as our prophet, priest, and king—a prophet, to foretell or make known to us the will of God, as He did in the New Testament-a priest, to offer up a sacrifice, and to plead for his people, as He did, by offering up Himself, and now pleading for us at God's right hand-and a king, to rule over, and guide, and direct his people, which he does, by his ministers, by His Word, and by His spirit. Adam having disobeyed God, fell under his displeasure; all his posterity partake of his disobedient nature, and are, therefore, born at enmity with God. Rom. viii. 7. Christ died to atone for all sin, original and actual, and thus has reconciled God to all sinners who trust in him.

original guilt, but also for the actual sins of men. Heb. ix. 28, and x. 14.

18. What do you mean by original guilt?—That sinful disposition which we inherit by nature from our first parents. Ps. li. 5; Ephes. ii. 3. (See Article 9.)

19. What do you mean by actual sins?-The sins which we commit during our lifetime.

20. Is there any other kind of sins than these two?— No, none other.

21. Is, then, the death of Christ a full satisfaction and sacrifice to God for all sin?—Yes; "the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." 1 John, i. 7. (See Article 31.)

ARTICLE III.

Of the going down of Christ into hell.

"As Christ died for us, and was buried, so also is it to be believed that he went down into hell."

1. What does the third Article treat of?-Of the going down of Christ into hell.

2. When Christ died and was buried, what became of his soul?-It descended into hell.

3. What is the meaning of the word hell?*-It means sometimes the grave, sometimes the future place of the damned-Ps. ix. 17-and sometimes the place of departed spirits. Acts, ii. 31; Ps. xvi. 10.

4. Which do you think it means here ?-The place of departed spirits.t

5. Why do you mention your belief in his descent into hell?-To show that I believe His soul was separated from his body, and that He died like other men.

*Hell, in the Saxon language, from which we in English derive it, as well as the Greek word Hades, which is generally translated hell, means a dark, or concealed place, meaning the invisible place of the dead.

There are two separate places of departed spirits, one for the just, the other for the unjust, where, with God or Satan, they have at once either happiness or misery ; Christ and the pardoned thief, as well as all that die in Jesus, go to the one; all who die without Christ go to the other. In these states, however, both the happiness and misery are imperfect; not because of any imperfection in themselves, but because the souls without the body are incapable of fully enjoying either; but at the resurrection day, all shall retake their bodies, and thenceforth have more compiete misery, or perfect consummation of bliss, both in body and soul.

ARTICLE IV.

Of the Resurrection of Christ.

"Christ did truly rise again from death, and took again his body, with flesh, bones, and all things appertaining to the perfection of man's nature, wherewith he ascended into heaven, and there sitteth, until he return to judge all men at the last day."

1. What does the fourth Article treat of?-Of the resurrection of Christ.

2. What is the meaning of the word resurrection ?A rising again.

3. Did Christ rise again from the dead?—He did. Matt. xxviii. 6.

4. Did he take again his body when he rose from the dead?—Yes; he took again his body, with flesh, bones, and all things appertaining to the perfection of man's nature. Luke, xxiv. 39; John, xx. 25, 27.

5. Where is the body of Christ now?-He ascended with it into heaven. Acts, i. 9.

6. What place does Christ occupy in heaven?-He there sitteth at the right hand of God, interceding for sinners. * Heb. vii. 25; ix. 24; x. 12.

7. Will Christ ever return again to this earth ?—Yes; He will return again to judge all men at the last day. Acts, x. 42; xvii. 31.

"The Holy Ghost, proceeding from the Father and the Son, is of one substance, majesty, and glory with the Father and the Son, very and eternal God."

1. What does the fifth Article speak of?-Of the Holy Ghost.

2. Who is the Holy Ghost ?-The third person of the blessed Trinity.

* As Christ sits at the right hand of God, pleading the merits of His own death for all sinners that trust in Him, and as He returns not again from that post, except by His spirit, until the last day (as the Apostles' Creed also states), how can Romanists say, He is present every day, body, blood, soul, and divinity, in the sacrifice of the Mass? Do they believe the Apostles' Creed as they profess?

3. What does the Article say of the Holy Ghost?That He proceeds from the Father and the Son. John, xv. 26; 1 Peter, i. 11.

4. What is the meaning of the word proceed?-To come out from.

5. Is the Holy Ghost God?-Yes; He is very and eternal God. Acts, v. 3, 4; 1 Cor. iii. 16.

6. Is He equal with the Father and the Son ?-Yes; He is of one substance, majesty, and glory, with the Father and the Son. Matt. xxviii. 19; 1 John, v. 7.

ARTICLE VI.

Of the sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures for salvation. "Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation; so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an Article of the Faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation. In the name of the Holy Scripture, we do understand those canonical books of the Old and New Testament, of whose authority was never any doubt in the Church.

OF THE NAMES AND NUMBER OF THE CANONICAL BOOKS.

"And the other Books (as Hierome saith) the Church doth read for example of life, and instruction of manners; but yet doth it not ap

ply them to establish any doctrine, such are these following:—

The Third Book of Esdras.

The Fourth Book of Esdras.

The Book of Tobias.

The Book of Judith.

The rest of the Book of Esther.
The Book of Wisdom.

Jesus, the Son of Sirach.

Baruch the Prophet.

The Song of the Three Children.

The Story of Susanna.
Of Bel and the Dragon.

The Prayer of Manasses.

The First Book of Maccabees.

The Second Book of Maccabees.

"All the Books of the New Testament, as they are commonly received, we do receive, and account them Canonical."

1. What does the sixth Article treat of?-Of the sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures for salvation.

2. Does Holy Scripture contain all things necessary to salvation?-It does. 1 Tim. iii. 15, 16, 17.

3. Are we required to believe any thing as an Article of Faith not contained in Holy Scripture?-No; whatsoever is not read therein, or may be proved thereby, is not required of any man to be believed as an Article of Faith. Deut. iv. 2; Rev. xxii. 18, 19.

4. Is anything which is not read therein, or may be proved thereby, requisite or necessary to salvation?— Certainly not. Is. viii. 20; Matt. xv. 3-9.

5. Is Holy Scripture, then, the foundation of our Church's faith?—Yes; and it alone. John, v. 39.

6. What books do you mean by the Holy Scriptures? -Those of the Old and New Testament referred to in the Article.

7. Was there ever any reasonable doubt about these in the Church?-No; They were always held as canonical.

8. What are the names of the canonical books of the Old Testament? (See Article.)

9. What is the meaning of the word canonical?According to the canon or authorised rule of faith and practice to the Church.

10. What use does the Church make of the Apocryphal books?-She reads them for example of life, and instruction of manners.

11. What use does she not make of them ?-She does not apply them to establish any doctrine.*

First,

* That the Apocrypha are not a part of the inspired writings, is plain. because they were not written by any of the prophets, but after Malachi, the last of the prophets. Second, because they were not written in the Hebrew tongue, as was the rest of the Old Testament; but in the Greek. Third, because the Jews never received them into their canon of authentic Scriptures; yet "to them were committed the oracles of God." Rom. iii. 2. Fourth, because the early Christians did not receive them for the first four centuries, nor were they ever received as such till the Council of Trent, 1564, though about the fifth century they began to be read in churches, as Jerome mentions above. Fifth, they are nowhere cited by Christ or his apostles, and, therefore, not acknowledged by them. Sixth, we find in them many things contradictory to themselves and to the other canonical books; and lastly, for the defects of the 2nd Maccabees the writer apologises-a plain proof of its want of inspiration.