THE PRINCIPLES

CHRISTIAN

OF

RELIGION.

QUESTION. What sure ground have we to build our Religion upon?

ANSWER. The Word of God, contained in the Scrip

tures.

Q. What are those Scriptures?

A. Holy writings", indited by God himself for the perfect instruction of his Church.

Q. What gather you of this, that God is the author of these writings?

A. That therefore they are of most certain credit, and highest authority.

Q. How serve they for the perfect instruction of the Church?

A. In that they are able to instruct us sufficientlya, in all points of faith that we are bound to believe, and all good duties that we are bound to practise.

Q. What gather you of this?

A. That it is our duty to acquaint ourselves with these

2 Pet. chap. 1. ver. 19.

b 2 Pet. chap. 1. ver. 21. Luke, chap. 16. ver. 29.

1 Tim. chap. 3. ver. 15. Ephes. chap. 2. ver. 20. 2 Tim. chap. 3. ver. 15, 16.

Gal. chap. 1. ver. 8.

d2 Tim. chap. 3. ver. 15, 16, 17.

* Deut. chap. 31. ver. 11, 12, 13. John, chap. 8. ver. 35. and chap. 5. ver. 39.

holy writings, and not to receive any doctrine that hath not warrant from thence.

Q. What is the first point of religion, you are to learn out of God's Word?

A. The nature of God.

Q. What is God?

A. God is a Spirits, most perfect, most wise1, almighty and most holy.

Q. What mean you by calling God a Spirit?

A. That God hath no body at all; and therefore must not be thought to be like unto any thing which may be seen by the eyes of man.

Q. Are there any more Gods than one?

A. No: there is only one God: though in that one Godhead there bem three persons.

Q. Which is the first of these persons?

A. The Father who begetteth the Son.
Q. Which is the second?

A. The Son, begotten of the Father.

Q. Which is the third?

A. The Holy Ghost, proceeding from the Father and

the Son.

Q. What did God determine concerning his creatures?

A. He did before all time, by his unchangeable counsel, ordain whatsoever afterwards should come to pass.

Acts, chap. 17. ver. 11. 1 Cor. chap. 4. ver. 6.

John, chap. 4. ver. 24.

Col. chap. 1. ver. 15.

Rom. chap. 1. ver. 23.

Rev. chap. 1. ver. 8. Acts, chap. 17. ver. 24, 25. Prov. chap. 8. ver. 14. * 1 Tim. chap. 1. ver. 17. Job. chap. 9. ver. 4. 11, 12, 13. Jer. chap. 10. ver. 12. Exod. chap. 34. ver. 6, 7. Psalm, 145. ver. 17. k 1 Tim. chap. 1. ver. 17. Deut. chap. 4. ver. 12. 15, 16. Eph. chap. 4. ver. 5, 6. m Matt. chap. 28. ver. 19. n Heb. chap. 1. ver. 3. 5. Heb. chap. 1. ver. 1. 4. P John, chap. 15. ver. 26.

1 Cor. chap. 8. ver. 4. Deut. chap. 4. ver. 35. 39. 1 John, chap. 5. ver. 7.

John, chap. 1. ver. 18.
Gal. chap. 4. ver. 6.

Acts, chap. 2. ver. 23. et chap. 15. ver. 18. Eph. chap. 1. ver. 4. 11. Psal. 33. ver. 11.

Q. In what manner had all things their beginning?

A. In the beginning of time, when no creature had any being, God by his Word alone, in the space of six days created all things.

Q. Which are the principal creatures?

A. Angels and men.

Q. What is the nature of angels?

A. They are wholly spiritual, having no body at all. Q. What is the nature of man?

A. Mant consisteth of two divers parts; a body, and a soul.

Q. What is the body?

A. The" outward and earthly part of man: made at the beginning of the dust of the earth.

Q. What is the soul?

A. The inward and spiritual part of man; which is immortal, and never can die.

Q. How did God make man at the beginning?

A. According to his own likeness and image.

Q. Wherein was the image of God principally seen? A. In the perfection of the understanding; and the freedom, and holiness of the will.

Q. How many of mankind were created at the beginning?

A. Two; Adama the man, and Eve the woman: from both whom all mankind did afterwards proceed.

Q. What doth God after the creation?

A. By his providence he preserveth and governeth his creatures, with all things belonging unto them.

Col. chap. 3. ver. 10. Eph. chap. 4. ver. 24. Eccl. chap. 7. ver. 31.

a Gen. chap. 1. ver. 37, 38. and chap. 5. ver. 2. 1 Tim. chap. 2. ver. Acts, chap. 17, ver. 26.

b John, chap. 5. ver. 17. Neh. chap. 9. ver. 6. Psal. 119. ver. 91. Het

Q. What befel unto the angels after their creation? A. Some continued in that holy estate wherein they were created; some of them fell, and became devils.

Q. May the good angels fall hereafter?

A. Nod: but they shall always continue in their holiness and happiness.

Q. Shall the wicked angels ever recover their first

estate.

A. They shall not: but be tormented in Hell world without end.

Q. How did God deal with man after he made him? A. He made a covenant with Adam, and in him with all mankind.

Q. What was man bound to do by his covenant?

A. To continue as holy as God at the first made him, to keep all God's commandments, and never to break any of them.

Q. What did God promise unto man, if he did thus keep his commandments?

A. The continuance of his favour and everlasting life. Q. What did God threaten unto man, if he did sin and break his commandments?

A. His dreadful curse and everlasting death.

Q. Did man continue in that obedience which he did owe unto God?

1. ver. 3. Acts, chap. 17. ver. 26. 28. Matt. chap. 10. ver. 29, 30. Prov. chap. 16. ver. 33.

Matt. chap. 25. ver. 31. 41. Jude, ver. 6. John, chap. 8. ver. 44. 1 John, chap. 3. ver. 3. 8.

d 1 Tim. chap. 5. ver. 21. Matt. chap. 18. ver. 10. Luke, chap. 20. ver. 36. e 2 Peter, chap. 2. ver. 4. Jude, ver. 6. Matt. chap. 25. ver. 41. Rev. chap. 20. ver. 10.

Mal. chap. 2. ver. 10. Gen. chap. 2. ver. 17.
Luke, chap. 10. ver. 26, 27. Rom. chap. 7.

ver. 10. 12. 1 Tim. chap. 15.

Rom. chap. 2. ver. 15.

ver. 7. 12. 14. Gal. chap. 3.

h Rom. chap. 7. ver. 10. and chap. 10. ver. 5. Luke, chap. 10. ver. 25. 28. Gal. chap. 3. ver. 22.

1 Gen. chap. 2. ver. 17. Gal. chap. 3. ver. 10. Deut. chap. 28. ver. 15, 16. and chap. 29. ver. 19, 20.

Lev. chap. 26. ver. 14, 15.

A. No. Fork Adam and Eve obeying rather the persuasion of the Devil than the commandments of God, did eat of the forbidden fruit, and so fell away from God.

Q. Was this the sin of Adam and Eve alone; or are we also guilty of the same?

A. All1 we, that are their children, are guilty of the same sin for we all sinned in them.

Q. What followed upon this sin?

A. The loss of the perfection of the image of God, and the corruption of nature in man, called Original sin. Q. Wherein standeth the corruption of man's nature? A. In six things principally.

Q. What is the first?

A. The blindness of the understanding; which is not able to conceive the things of God.

Q. What is the second?

A. The forgetfulness of the memory; unfit to remember good things.

Q. What is the third?

A. The rebellion of the will; which is wholly bent to sin, and altogether disobedient unto the will of God. Q. What is the fourth?

A. Disorder of the affections, of joy, heaviness, love, anger, fear, and such like.

Q. What is the fifth?

A. Fear and confusion in the conscience; condemning where it should not, and excusing where it should condemn.

Eccles. chap. 7. ver. 29. Gen. chap. 3. John, chap. 8. ver. 44. Rom. chap. 5. ver. 14, 15.

Rom. chap. 5. ver. 12. 14, 15, 16, &c.

Rom. chap. 5. ver. 12. 14. Gen. chap. 5. ver. 1. 3. and chap. 8. ver. 21. Psal. 51. ver. 5. Rom. chap. 7. ver. 14. 17, 18. 23.

" 1 Cor. chap. 2. ver. 14. Jer. chap. 24. ver. 7. 2 Cor. chap. 3. ver. 5. Eph. chap. 4. ver. 17, 18.

• Deut. chap. 32. ver. 18.

Prov. chap. 3. ver. 1. Psal. 119. ver. 6.

P Rom. chap. 5. ver. 6. and chap. 8. ver. 7. Philipp. chap. 2, ver. 13. Ephes. chap. 4. ver. 19.

Rom. chap. 1. ver. 26. and chap. 3. ver. 12, 13. Gal. chap. 5. ver. 24. Tit. chap. 1. ver. 15. Heb. chap. 10. ver. 22. Rom. chap. 7. ver. 9. John, chap. 16. ver. 2.