A. Only by a true faith in Jesus Christ; so that, tho' my conscience q accuse me, that I have grossly transgressed all the commands of God, and r kept none of them, and am still s inclined to all evil; notwithstanding God, without any t merit of mine, but only of mere u grace, grants v and n imputes to me, the perfect a satisfaction, righteousness and holiness of Christ; even so, as if I never had had, nor committed any sin yea, as if I had fully y accomplished all that obedience which Christ hath accomplished for me; in as much as I embrace such benefit with a believing heart.

Q. 61. Why sayest thou, that thou art righteous by faith only?

A. Not that I am acceptable to God, on account of the a worthiness of my faith; but because only the satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ, is my righteousness before b God; and that I cannot receive c and apply the same to myself any other way than by faith only.

ཨཱཝཾཝཱསཱརསཱརསཱརཏbanppe

XXIV. LORD'S DAY.

Q. 62. But why cannot our good works be the whole, or part of our righteousness before God?

A. Because, that the righteousness, which can be approved of before the tribunal of God, must be absolutely perfect, and in all respects d conformable to the divine law and also, that our best works in this life, are all imperfect and e defiled with sin.

:

Q. 63. What! do not our good works merit, which yet God will reward in this and in a future life?

A. This reward is not of merit, but of grace.ƒ

Q. 64. But doth not this doctrine make men careless and profane ? A. By no means: for it is impossible that those who are implanted into Christ by a true faith, should not bring forth fruits of g thankful

Q. 65. Since then we are made partakers of Christ and all his ben: efits by faith only, whence doth this faith proceed?

A. From the Holy Ghost, who works h faith in our hearts by the

preaching of the gospel, and i confirms it by the use of the sacraments. Q. 66. What are the sacraments ?

A. The sacraments are holy visible signs and seals, appointed of God for this end, that by the use thereof, he may the more fully declare and seal to us the promise of the gospel: viz. that he grants us freely the remission of sin, and j life eternal, for the sake of that one sacrifice of Christ, accomplished on the cross.

Q. 67. Are both word and sacraments then, ordained and appointed for this end, that they may direct our faith to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, as the only ground of our salvation?

A. Yes indeed; for the Holy Ghost teaches us in the gospel, and assures us by the sacraments, k that the whole of our salvation depends upon that one sacrifice of Christ, which he offered for us on the cross. Q. 68. How many sacraments has Christ instituted in the new covenant, or testament ?

A.

Two, namely, holy baptism, and the holy supper.

ཡ་ཡ་ཡvb"ཅེr22u

XXVI. LORD'S DAY.

OF HOLY BAPTISM.

Q. 69. How art thou admonished and assured by holy baptism, that the one sacrifice of Christ upon the cross is of real advantage to thee?

A. Thus; that Christ appointed m this external washing with water, adding thereto this n promise, that I am as certainly washed by his blood and Spirit from all the pollution of my soul, that is from all my sins, as I am o washed externally with water, by which the filthiness of the body is commonly washed away.

Q. 70. What is it to be washed with the blood and Spirit of Christ ? A. It is to receive of God the remission of sins, freely for the sake of Christ's blood, which he p shed for us by his sacrifice upon the cross: and also to be renewed by the Holy Ghost, and sanctified to be members of Christ; that so we may more and more die unto sin, and q lead holy and unblamable lives.

Q. 71. Where has Christ promised us, that he will as certainly wash us by his blood and Spirit, as we are washed with the water of baptism? A. In the institution of baptism, which is thus expressed,"r go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost ;"s "he that believeth

and is baptised shall be saved; but he that believeth not, shall be damned." This promise is also repeated, where the scripture calls baptism "the t washing of regeneration, and the washing u away of sins." ་་་་ནbnb2pr

XXVII. LORD'S DAY.

Q. 72. Is then the external baptism with water, the washing away of sin itself?

A. Not at all; for the v blood of Jesus Christ only, and the Holy Ghost cleanse us from all w sin.

Q. 73. Why then doth the Holy Ghost call baptism "the washing of regeneration" and "the washing away of sins ?"

A. God speaks thus not without great cause, to wit, not only there by to teach us, that as the filth of the body is purged away by water, so our sins are x removed by the blood and Spirit of Jesus Christ; but especially, that by this divine pledge and sign he may assure us, that we are spiritually cleansed from our sins as really, as we are externally y washed with water.

Q. 74. Are infants also to be baptised?

A. Yes; for since they, as well as the adult, are included in the g covenant and a church of God; and since b redemption from sin by the blood of Christ, and the c Holy Ghost, the author of faith, is promised to them no less than to the adult; they must therefore by baptism, as a sign of the covenant, be also admitted into the christian church; and be distinguished d from the children of infidels, as was done in the old covenant or testament by e circumcision, instead of which, f bap tism was instituted in the new covenant.

ཡ་ན་ངང་

XXVIII. LORD'S DAY.

OF THE HOLY SUPPER OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. Q. 75. How art thou admonished and assured in the Lord's supper, that thou art a partaker of that one sacrifice of Christ, accomplished on and of all his benefits?

the cross,

A. Thus; That Christ has commanded me and all believers, to eat of this broken bread, and to drink of this cup, in remembrance of him ; g adding these promises: first, that his body was offered and broken

on the cross for me, and his blood shed for me, as certainly as I sce with my eyes, the bread of the Lord broken for me, and the cup communicated to me: And further, that he feeds and nourishes my soul to everlasting life, with his crucified body and shed blood, as assuredly as I receive from the hands of the minister, and taste with my mouth the bread and cup of the Lord, as certain signs of the body and blood of Christ.

Q. 76. What is it then to eat the crucified body, and drink the shed blood of Christ?

A. It is not only to embrace with a believing heart all the sufferings and death of Christ, and thereby to h obtain the pardon of sin, and life eternal; but also, besides that, to become more and more i united to his sacred body by the Holy Ghost who dwells both in Christ and in us: so that we, though Christ is inj heaven and we on earth, are not withstanding "Flesh of his flesh, and bone of k his bone;" and that we live and are governed forever by one Spirit, as members of the same body are by one soul.

Q. 77. Where has Christ promised that he will as certainly feed and nourish believers with his body and blood, as they eat of this broken bread, and drink of this cup?

66

A. In the institution of the supper, which is thus expressed; m The Lord Jesus in the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, take, eat; this is my body, which is broken for you; this do in remembrance of me; after the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, this n cup is the new testament in my blood: o this do ye as often as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye cat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.” This promise is repeated by the holy apostle Paul, where he says, p "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we, being many, are one bread, and one body; because we are all partakers of that one bread."

XXIX. LORD'S DAY.

Q. 78. Do then the bread and wine become the very body and blood of Christ?

A. Not at all; q but as the water in baptism is not changed into the

blood of Christ, neither is the washing away of sin itself, being only the sign and confirmation thereof appointed of God; so the bread in the Lord's supper is not changed into the very r body of Christ; though agreeably to the s nature and properties of sacraments, it is called the body of Christ Jesus.

Q. 79. Why then doth Christ call the bread his body and the cup his blood, or the new covenant in his blood; and Paul the "Communion of the body and blood of Christ ?"

A. Christ speaks thus, not without great reason, namely, not only thereby to teach us, that as bread and wine support this temporal life, so his crucified body and shed blood, are the true meat and drink, whereby our souls are t fed to eternal life; but more especially by these visible signs and pledges to assure us, that we are as really partakers of his true body and blood (by the operation of the Holy Ghost) as we u receive by the mouths of our bodies these holy signs in remembrance of him; and that all his sufferings v and obedience are as certainly ours, as if we had in our persons suffered and made satisfaction for our sins to God.

XXX. LORD'S DAY.

Q. 80. What difference is there between the Lord's supper and the popish mass ?

A. The Lord's supper testifies to us, that we have a full pardon of all sin w by the only sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which he himself has once accomplished on the cross; and, that we by the Holy Ghost are ingrafted x into Christ, who, according to his human nature is now not on earth, but in y heaven, at the right hand of God his Father, and will there z be worshipped by us :-but the mass teacheth that the living and dead have not the pardon of sins through the sufferings of Christ, unless Christ is also daily offered for them by the priests; and further, that Christ is bodily under the form of bread and wine, and therefore is to be a worshipped in them; so that the mass at bottom, nothing else than a 6 denial of the one sacrifice and sufferings of Jesus Christ, and an accursed idolatry.

Q. 81. For whom is the Lord's supper instituted?

A. For those who are truly sorrowful c for their sins, and yet trust