A. God and man united in one person, to be a Mediator between God and man.

Q. What is he unto us?

A. A king, a priest, and a prophet.

Q. Wherein doth he exercise his kingly power towards us? A. In converting us unto God by his Spirit, subduing us unto his obedience, and ruling in us by his grace.

Q. In what doth the exercise of his priestly office for us chiefly consist?

A. In offering up himself an acceptable sacrifice on the cross, so satisfying the justice of God for our sins, removing his curse from our persons, and bringing us unto him.

Q Wherein doth Christ exercise his prophetical office towards us?

A. In revealing to our hearts, from the bosom of his Father, the way, and truth, whereby we must come unto him. Q. For whose sake doth Christ perform all these?

A. Only for his elect.

Q. In what condition doth Jesus Christ exercise these offices?

A. He did in a low estate of humiliation on earth, but now in a glorious estate of exaltation in heaven.

Q. What is the church of Christ?

A. The universal company of God's elect, called to the adoption of children.

Q. How come we to be members of this church?

A. By a lively faith.

Q. What is a lively faith?

A. An assured resting of the soul upon God's promises of mercy in Jesus Christ, for pardon of sins here, and glory hereafter.

Q. How come we to have this faith?

A. By the effectual working of the Spirit of God in our hearts, freely calling us from the state of nature, to the state of grace.

Q. Are we accounted righteous for our faith?

A. No, but only for the righteousness of Christ, freely

imputed unto us, and laid hold of by faith.

Q. 1. Is there no more required of us, but faith only?
A. Yes, repentance also and holiness.

Q. 2. What is repentance?

A. A forsaking of all sin, with godly sorrow for what we have committed.

Q. 3. What is that holiness which is required of us?

A. Universal obedience to the will of God revealed unto us.

Q. What are the privileges of believers.

A. First, union with Christ; secondly, adoption of children; thirdly, communion of saints; fourthly, right to the seals of the new covenant; fifthly, christian liberty; sixthly, resurrection of the body to life eternal.

Q. 1. What are the sacraments, or seals, of the new covenant?

A. Visible seals of God's spiritual promises, made unto us in the blood of Jesus Christ.

Q. 2. Which be they?

A. Baptism and the Lord's supper.

Q. What is baptism?

A. A holy ordinance, whereby, being sprinkled with water according to Christ's institution, we are by his grace made children of God, and have the promises of the covenant sealed unto us.

Q. What is the Lord's supper?

A. A holy ordinance of Christ, appointed to communicate unto believers his body and blood spiritually, being represented by bread and wine, blessed, broken, poured out, and received of them.

Q. Who have a right unto this sacrament?

A. They only who have an interest in Jesus Christ by faith.

Q. What is the communion of saints?

A. A holy conjunction between all God's people, partakers of the same Spirit, and members of the same mystical body.

Q. What is the end of all this dispensation?

A. The glory of God in our salvation.

Glory be to God on high.

THE

GREATER CATECHISM.

CHAP. I.

Of the Scripture.

Q. 1. What is Christian religion?

A. The only way of knowing God aright, unto him; John xiv. 5. xvii. 3. Acts iv. 12. 2 Cor. v. 15. Gal. ii. 19, 20.

Q. 2. Whence is it to be learned?

and living Col. i. 10.

A. From the holy Scripture only; Isa. viii. 20. John v. 39.

Q. 3. What is the Scripture?

A. The books of the Old and New Testament, given by inspiration from God, containing all things necessary to be believed and done, that God may be worshipped and our souls saved; Isa. viii. 20. Rom. iii. 2. Rev. xxii. 19, 20. 2 Tim. ii. 16, 17. Psal. xix. 7, 8. Jer. vii. 31. John xx. 31. Q. 4. How know you them to be the word of God?

A. By the testimony of God's Spirit, working faith in my heart, to close with that heavenly majesty, and clear divine truth, that shineth in them; Matt. xvi. 17. John xvi. 13. 1 Thess. ii. 13. 1 John ii. 20. v. 6. Luke xxiv. 32. 1 Cor. ii. 14. Heb. iv. 12. 2 Pet. i. 19.

a Every one out of this way everlastingly damned.-The life of religion is in the life. Popish traditions are false lights leading from God.

The authority of the Scripture dependeth not on the authority of the church as the Papists blaspheme.-All human inventions, unnecessary helps in the worship of God. The word thereof is the sole directory for faith, worship, and life.

This alone persuadeth, and inwardly convinceth the heart of the divine verity of the Scripture; other motives also there are from without, and unanswerable argunients to prove the truth of them; as, 1. Their antiquity; 2. Preservation from fury; 3. Prophecies in them; 4. The holiness and majesty of their doctrine, agreeable to the nature of God; 5. Miracles; 6. The testimony of the church of all ages; 7. The blood of innumerable martyrs. &c.

CHAP. II.

Of God.

Q. 1. What do the Scriptures teach concerning God?

A. First, what he is, or his nature; secondly, what he doth, or his works; Exod. iii. 14. Isa. xlv. 6. Heb. i. 1-3. Heb. xi. 6.

Q. 2. What is God in himself?

A. An eternal, infinite, incomprehensible Spirit, giving being to all things, and doing with them whatsoever he pleaseth; Deut. xxxiii. 37. Isa. lvii. 15. Rev. i. 8. 1 Kings viii. 27. Psal. cxxxix. 2-5, &c. Exod. xxxii. 20. 1 Tim. vi. 16. John iv. 24. Gen. i. 1. Psal. cxv. 3. cxxxv. 6. Isa. xlvi. 10. John v. 17. Heb. i. 2.

Q. 3. Do we here know God as he is?

A. No, his glorious being is not of us, in this life, to be comprehended; Exod. xxxiii. 23. 1 Cor. xiii. 12.

Q. 4. Whereby is God chiefly made known unto us in the word?

A. First, by his names; secondly, by his attributes, or properties; Exod. iii. 14. vi. 3. Psal. lxxxiii. 18. Exod. xxxiv. 6, 7. Matt. v. 48.

Q. 5. What are the names of God?

A. Glorious titles, which he hath given himself, to hold forth his excellencies unto us, with some perfections, whereby he will reveal himself; Exod. iii. 14, 15. vi. 3. xxxiv. 6, 7. Gen. xvii. 1.

Q. 6. What are the attributes of God?

A. His infinite perfections, in being and working; Rev.

iv. 8-11.

Q. 7. What are the chief attributes of his being?

A. Eternity, infiniteness, simplicity, or purity, all-suffi

a The perfection of God's being is known of us chiefly by removing all imperfections. Hence, the abominable vanity of idolaters and of the blasphemous Papists that picture God. Let us prostrate ourselves in holy adoration of that which we cannot comprehend.

b The divers names of God, signify one and the same thing, but under divers notions, in respect of our conception.

c Some of these attributes belong so unto God, as that they are in no sort to be ascribed to any else, as infiniteness, eternity, &c. Others are after a sort attributed to some of his creatures, in that he communicateth unto them some of the effects of them in himself, as life, goodness, &c.—The first of these are motives to humble adoration, fear, self-abhorrency, the other to faith, hope, love, and confidence through Jesus Christ.

ciency, perfectness, immutability, life, will, and understanding; Deut. xxxiii. 37. Psal. xciii. 2. Isa. lvii. 15. Rev. i. 11. 1 Kings viii. 27. Psal. cxxxix. 1-9. Exod. iii. 14. Gen. xvii. 1. Psal. cxxxv. 4, 5. John xi. 7-9. Rom. xi. 33-36. Mal. iii. 6. James i. 17. Judg. viii. 19. 1 Sam. xxv. 34. 2 Kings iii. 14. Ezek. xiv. 16. xvi. 48. Matt. xvi. 16. Acts xxiv. 15. 1 Thess. i. 9. Dan. xi. 3. Isa. xlvi. 10. Eph. i. 5. 11. James i. 18. Psal. vii. 2. cxxxix. 2. cxlvii. 4. Jer. xi. 20. Heb. iv. 13.

Q. 8. What are the attributes which usually are ascribed to him in his works, or the acts of his will?

A. Goodness, power,d justice, mercy, holiness, wisdom, and the like, which he delighteth to exercise towards his creatures, for the praise of his glory; Psal. cxix. 68. Matt. xix. 17. Exod. xv. 11. Psal. lxii. 10. Rev. xix. 1. Zeph. iii. 5. Psal. xi. 7. Jer. xii. 1. Rom. i. 30. Psal. cxxx. 7. Rom. ix. 15. Eph. ii. 4. Exod. xv. 11. Josh. xxiv. 19. Hab. i. 13. Rev. iv. 8.Rom. xi. 33. xvi. 17.

CHAP. III.

Of the Holy Trinity.

Q. 1. Is there but one God to whom these properties do belong?

A. One only, in respect of his essence and being, but one in three distinct persons, of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; Deut. vi. 4. Matt. xix. 17. Eph. iv. 5, 6. Gen. i. 7. 1 John v. 7. Matt. xxviii. 19.

Q. 2. What mean you by person?

a

A. A distinct manner of subsistence or being, distinguished from the other persons, by its own properties; John v. 17. Heb. i. 3.

d Nothing is to be ascribed unto God, nor imagined of him, but what is exactly agreeable to those his glorious properties.-These last are no less essential unto God than the former, only we thus distinguish them, because these are chiefly seen in his works.

This is that mysterious ark that must not be pryed into, nor the least tittle spoken about it, wherein plain Scripture goeth not before. To deny the Deity of any one person, is in effect to deny the whole Godhead, for whosoever hath not the Son, hath not the Father.-This only doctrine remained undefiled in the Papacy.