Quest. WHat is the chief End of Man?

Answ. Man's chief End is to Glorify God, and to Enjoy Him for ever.

Q. What Rule hath God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy Him?

A. The Word Of God which is contained in the Scriptures of the [Page] Old and New Testament, is the only Rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him.

Q. What do the Scriptures prin­cipally teach?

A. The Scriptures principally teach, what Man is to believe con­cerning God, and what duty God requireth of Man.

Q. What is God?

A. God is a Spirit, Infinite, E­ternal, and Unchangeable, in His Being. Wisdom, Power, Holiness, Justice, Goodness and Truth.

Q. Are there [...] Gods than One?

A. There is [...] ONE only, the living and true God.

Q. How many persons are there in the God-head?

A. There are Three Persons in [Page] the God Head, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, & these [...] are One GOD, the same in Substance, equal in Power & Glory.

Q. What are the Decrees of God?

A. The Decrees of God are his eternal Purpose, according to the Counsel of his [...]. Will, whereby for his own Glory, he hath fore­ordained wharf ever comes to pass.

Q. How doth God execute his Decrees?

A. God executeth his Decrees in the Works of Creation & Pro­vidence.

Q. What is the Work of Creation?

A. The Work of Creation is God's Making all things of No­thing, by the Word of his Power, [Page] in the space of six days, at all ve­ry good.

Q. How did God create Man?

A. God created Man Male and Female, after his own Image, in Knowledge, Righteousness, and Holiness, with Dominion over the Creatures.

Q. What are [...] Works of Providence?

A. God's Works of Providence are his most holy, wise & power­ful preserving & severing all his Creatures and all their Actions.

Q. What special of Providence [...] Man in the [...]

A. When God had created Man, [...] into a [...] of Life with him, upon [...] then of perfect. Obedience forbidding him to Eat [Page] of the Free of Knowledge of good and evil upon pain of Death.

Q. Did our first Parents continue in the [...] wherein they were created?

A. Our first Parents being [...] the freedom of their own Will, fell from [...] where in they were created, [...] sinning against God.

Q. What is Sin?

A. Sin is any want of Confor­mity unto, or Transgression of the Law of God.

Q. What was the Sin whereby our first Parents fell from the estate wherein they were created?

A. The Sin whereby our first Parents fell from the estate where­in they were created, was their eating the forbidden fruit.

[Page] Q. Did all Mankind [...] A­dam' s first transgression?

A. The Covenant being made with Adam,not only for himself but for his Posterity, all Mankind descending from him by ordinary Generation, sinned in him, & fell with him in his first transgression.

Q. Into what estate did the Fall bring Mankind?

A. The Fall brought Mankind into an estate of Sin and Misery.

Q. Wherein consists the sinfulness of that estate where into Man fell?

A. The sinfulness of that estate where into Man fell, consists in the Guilt of Adam's first Sin, the want of Original Righteousness, and the Corruption of his whole Nature, which is commonly called Original [Page] Sin, together with all actual Trans­gressions which proceed from it.

Q. What is the Misery of that estate where into Man feel?

A. All Mankind by their fall, lost Communion with God, are under his Wrath & Curse, and so made liable to all Miseries in this Life, to Death it self, and to the pains of Hell for ever.

Q. Did God leave all Mankind to perish in the estate [...] Misery?

A. God having out of [...]

[Page] Q. Who is the Redeemer of Gods Elect?

A. The only Redeemer of God's Elect, is the Lord Jesus Christ, who being the eternal Son of God, be­came Man, and so was, and conti­nues to be God and Man in two distinct Natures, and one Person for ever.

Q. How did Christ being the Son of God become Man?

A. Christ the Son of God be­came Man, by taking to himself a true Body and a reasonable Soul, being conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost, in the Womb of the Virgin Mary, and born of her, and [...] with [...] Sin.

Q. [...]?

[Page] A. Christ as our Redeemer exe­cutes the Office of a Prophet, of a Priest, and of a King, both in his estate of Humiliation & Exaltation.

Q. How doth Christ execute the Office of a Prophet?

A. Christ executeth the Office of a Prophet, in revealing to us by his Word and Spirit, the Will of God for our Salvation.

Q. How doth Christ execute the Office of a Priest?

A. Christ executeth the Office of a Priest, in his once offering up himself a Sacrifice to satisfy Divine Justice, & reconcile us to God, & in making continual intercession for us

Q. How doth Christ execute the Office of a King?

A. Christ executeth the Office of [Page] a King, in Subduing us to himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all his and our Enemies.

Q. Where in did Christ's Humili­ation consist?

A. Christ's Humiliation consisted in His being born, and that in a low condition, made under the law undergoing the miseries [...] life the wrath of God, and the cursed Death of the Cross, in being bu­ried and continuing under the power of Death for a time.

Q. Where in consists Christs Exaltation

A. Christ's Exaltation consisteth in his rising again from the Dead on the third day, in ascending up into Heaven, & [...] at the Right [Page] Hand [...] the Father, and in coming to judge the World at the last Day.

Q. How are we made Partakers of the Redemption purchased by Christ?

A. We are made Partakers of the Redemption purchased by Christ, by the effectual Application of it to us by his Holy Spirit.

Q. How doth the Spirit apply to us the Redemption purchased by Christ?

A. The Spirit applieth to us the Redemption purchased by Christ, by working Faith in us, & there­by uniting us to Christ in our effectual Calling.

Q. What is effectual Calling?

A. Effectual Calling is the Work of God's Spirit whereby convinc­ing us of our Sin & Misery, en­lightning [Page] our Minds in the Know­ledge of Christ, & renewing our Wills, he doth perswade & enable us to embrace Jesus Christ, [...] offered to us in the Gospel.

Q What Benefits do they that are effec­tually called partake of in this Life?

A. They that are Effectually cal­led, do in this Life partake of Jus­tification, Adoption, Sanctificati­on, & the several Benefits which in this Life do either accompany or flow from them.

Q What is Justification?

A. Justification is an act of God's free Grace, wherein he pardoneth all our Sins, and accepteth us as righteous in his fight▪ only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by Faith alone.

[Page] Q. What is Adoption?

A. Adoption is an Act of God's [...] Grace, whereby we are receiv­ed into the Number, and have Right to all the Priviledges of the Sons of God.

Q. What is Sanctification?

A. Sanctification is the Work of God's free Grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole Man, after the Image of God, & are enabled more & more to die unto Sin, & live unto Righteousness.

Q. What are the Benefits which in this life do accompany or flow from Jus­tification, Adoption & Sanctification?

A. The Benefits which in this Life do accompany or flow from Justification, Adoption or Sanctifi­cation, are assurance of God's love, [Page] peace of Conscience, [...] Holy Ghost, increase of Grace, & perseverance therein to the [...]

Q. What benefits do Believers re­ceive from Christ at their Death?

A. The Souls of Believers are at their Death made perfect in Holi­ness, & do immediately pass into Glory, & their Bodies being still united to Christ, do rest in their Graves till the Resurrection.

Q. What benefits do Believers re­ceive from Christ at the Resurrection?

A. At the Resurrection Believers being raised up to Glory, shall be openly acknowledged & acquit­ted in the [...]ay of Judgment, & made perfectly blessed in full en­joying of God, to all Eternity.

Q. What is the Duty which God [Page] requires of Man?

A. The Duty which God re­quires of Man, is Obedience to his revealed will.

Q. What did God at first reveal to Man for the Rule of his Obedience?

A. The Rule which God at first revealed to Man for his Obedience was the Moral Law.

Q. Where is the Moral Law Summarily comprehended?

A. The Moral Law is Summari­ly comprehended in the Ten Commandments.

Q. What is the Sum of the Ten Commandments?

A. The Sum of the Ten Com­mandments is, To love the Lord our God with all our Heart, with all our Souls, and with all our [Page] Strength, and with all [...], [...] and our Neighbour as ourselves.

Q. What is the Preface to [...] Ten Commandments?

A. The Preface to the Ten Commandments is in these Words, I am the [...] by God, which have brought [...] out of the Land of Egypt, out of the House of Bondage.

Q. What doth the Preface to the Ten Commandments teach us?

A. The Preface to the Ten Com­mandments teacheth us, that be­cause God is the Lord, & our God and Redeemer, therefore we are bound to keep all his Command­ments.

Q. Which is the first Commandment?

A. The first Commandment is, Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.

[Page] Q. [...] [...] required in the first Commandment?

A. The first Commandment re­quireth us to know and acknow­ledge God to be the only true God and our God, and to worship and glorify him accordingly.

Q. What is forbidden in the first Commandment?

A. The first Commandment for­biddeth the denying, or not wor­shipping and glorifying the true God, as God and our God, & the giving that Worship and Glory to any other which is due to him alone

Q. What are we specially taught by these Words (Before Me) in the first Commandment?

A. These Words (Before me) in the first Commandment, teach us, [Page] That God who seeth [...] notice of, and is much dis­pleased with the Sin of having any other god.

Q Which is the second Commandment?

A. The second Commandment is, Thou shalt not make unto thee any Graven Image, or any likeness of any thing that is in Heaven above, or that is in the Earth beneath, or that is in the Water under the Earth: Thou shalt not how down thy self to them, nor serve them, for I the Lord thy God and a jealous God, visiting the Iniquities of the Fathers upon the Children, unto the third and fourth Generation of them that hate me, & shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, aud keep my Commandments.

Q. What is required in the second [Page] [...]?

A. The second Commandment [...] the receiving, observing, [...] keeping pure & entire all such religious Worship & Ordinances, as God hath appointed in his Word

Q. What is forbidden in the second Commandment?

A. The second Commandment forbiddeth the worshipping of God by Images, or any other way, not appointed in his Word.

Q. What are the Reasons annexed to the second Commandment?

A. The Reasons annexed to the second Commandment, are God's Sovereignty over us, his Propriety in us, and the Zeal he hath to his own Worship.

Q. Which is the third Commandment?

[Page] A. The third Commandment is, Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that ta­keth his Name in vain.

Q. What is required in the third Commandment?

A. The third Commandment re­quireth the holy & reverend use of God's Name, Titles, Attributes, Ordinances, Word and Works.

Q. What is forbidden in the third Commandment?

A. The third Commandment forbiddeth all prophaning or a­bosing of any thing whereby God maketh himself known.

Q. What is the Reason annexed to the third Commandment?

A. The Reason annexed to the [Page] Third Commandment is, That however the Breakers of this Com­mandment may escape Punish­ment from Men yet the Lord our God will not suffer them to escape his righteous Judgment.

Q. Which is the fourth Commandment?

A. The fourth Commandment is, Remember the Sabbath-Day to keep it Holy six Days shalt thou labour & do all thy Work, but the seventh Day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God, in it thou shalt not do any work, thou nor thy Son, nor thy Daughter, thy Manser­vant, nor thy Maid servant, nor thy Cattle, not the Stranger that is with­in thy Gates; for in six Days the Lord made Heaven & Earth, the Sea, and all that in them is, & rested the se­venth Day, wherefore the Lord blessed [Page] the Sabbath Day, and [...]

Q. What is required in the fourth Commandment?

A. The fourth Commandment requireth the keeping holy to God such set times as he hath ap­pointed in his Word, expresly one whole Day in seven to be an holy Sabbath to Himself.

Q. Which day of the Seven hath God appointed to be the weekly Sabbath?

A. From the beginning of the World to the Resurrection of Christ God appointed the seventh Day of the Week to be the weekly Sabbath, and the first Day of the Week ever since, to continue to the end of the World, which is the Christian Sabbath.

Q. How is the Sabbath to be sanctified?

[Page] A. [...] is to be sanctified by [...] holy felting all that Day, e­ven from such worldly Employ­ments & Recreations, as are lawful on other Days, & spending the whole time in publick & private exercises of God's Worship, except so much as is to be taken up in the Works of Necessity & Mercy.

Q. What is forbidden in the fourth Commandment?

A. The fourth Commandment forbiddeth the [...] or care­less Performance of the Duties required & the prophaning the [...] by [...], or doing that which is [...] it self [...], or by unnecess [...]y Thoughts, Words or Works, [...] worldly Employ­ments or Recreations.

[Page] Q. What are the [...] to the fourth Commandment?

A. The Reasons annexed to the fourth Commandment are God's allowing us six Days of the Week for our own Employments, His challenging a special Propriety in the seventh, his own Example, and his blessing the Sabbath Day.

Q. Which is the fifth Commandment?

A. The fifth Commandment is, Honour thy Father & thy Mother, that thy Days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

Q. What is required in the fifth Commandment?

A. The fifth Commandment re­quireth the preserving the Honour & performing the Duties belong­ing to every one in their several [Page] [...] Relations, as Superi­ours, Inferiours, or Equals.

Q. What is forbidden in the fifth Commandment?

A. The fifth Commandment forbiddeth the neglecting or doing any thing against the Honour and Duty which belongeth to every one in their several Places & Re­lations.

Q. What is the Reason annexed to the fifth Commandment?

A. The Reason annexed to the fifth Commandment, is a promise of long Life & Prosperity, (as far as it shall serve for God's Glory and their own good) to all such as keep this Commandment.

Q. Which is the sixth Commandment?

A. The sixth Commandment is, [Page] Thou shalt not Kill.

Q. What is required in the sixth Commandment?

A. The sixth Commandment requireth all lawful Endeavours to preserve our own Life, and the Life of others.

Q. What is forbidden in the sixth Commandment?

A. The sixth Commandment for-biddeth the taking away of our own Life, or the Life of our Neighbour unjustly, and whatso­ever tendeth thereunto.

Q. Which is the seventh Commandment

A. The seventh Commandment is, Thou shalt not commit Adultery.

Q. What is required in the se­venth Commandment?

[Page] A. The seventh Commandment requireth the preservation of our own, and our Neighbour's Chasti­ty, in Heart, Speech & Behaviour.

Q. What is forbidden in the se­venth Commandment?

A. The seventh Commandment forbiddeth all unchast Thoughts, Words and Actions.

Q. Which is the eighth Commandment?

A. The eighth Commandment is, Thou shalt not Steal.

Q. What is required in the eighth Commandment?

A. The eighth Commandment requireth the lawful procuring & Furthering the Wealth & outward Estate of our selves and others.

Q. What is forbidden in the eighth Commandment?

[Page] A. The eighth Commandment forbiddeth whatsoever doth, of may unjustly hinder our own, [...] our Neighbours Wealth or out­ward Estate.

Q. Which is the ninth Commandment

A. The ninth Commandment is, Thou shalt not bear false Witness against thy Neighbour.

Q. What is required in the ninth Commandment?

A. The ninth Commandment requireth the maintaining and promoting of Truth between Man and Man and of our own & our Neighbours good Name, especial­ly in Witness [...].

Q. What is forbidden in the ninth Commandment?

A. The ninth Commandment for­biddeth [Page] whatsoever is prejudici­al to Truth, or injurious to our own us our Neighbours good Name.

Q. Which is the Tenth Commandment?

A. The Tenth Commandment is, Thou shalt not covet thy Neigh­bour's House, thou shalt not covet thy Neighbour's Wife, nor his Man­servant, nor his Maid servant, nor his Ox, nor his Ass, nor any thing that is thy Neighbours.

Q. What is required in the tenth Commandment?

A. The Tenth Commandment requireth full Contentment with our own [...], with a right & charitable frame of Spirit towards our Neighbour, & all that is his.

Q. What is forbidden in the [...]

[Page] A. The Tenth Commandment in for­biddeth all Discontentment with our own estate, envying or griev­ing at the good of our Neighbour, and all inordinate motions & af­fections to any thing that is his.

Q. Is any Man able perfectly to keep the Commandments of God?

A. No mee [...] man since the Fall is able in this Life perfectly to keep the Commandments of God, but daily doth break them in Thought, Word and Deed.

Q. Are all Transgressions of the Law equally [...]?

A. Some Sins in themselves, & by reason of several [...], are more being as [...] the right of God then others

Q. [...] deserve?

[Page] A. Every Sin deserveth God's Wrath and Curse, both in this Life, and that which is to come.

Q. What doth God require of us, that we may escape his Wrath and Curse, due unto us for Sin?

A. To escape the Wrath & Curse of God due to us for Sin, God re­quireth of us Faith in Jesus Christ, Repentance unto Life, with the diligent use of all outward Means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of Redemption.

Q. What is Faith in Jesus Christ?

A. Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving Grace, whereby we receive and rest upon him alone for Sal­vation, as He is offered to us in the Gospel.

Q. What is [...]

[Page] A. Repentance [...] Life, [...] a saving Grace, whereby a Sinner out of a true sense of his Sin, and apprehension of the Mercy of God in Christ, doth with grief & ha­tred of his Sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of, & endeavour after new obedience.

Q. What are the outward & ordina­ry means whereby Christ communica­teth to us the benefits of Redemption?

A. The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communi­cateth to us the benefits of Re­demption, are his Ordinances, es­pecially the Word, Sacraments & Prayer; all which are made ef­fectual to the Elect for Salvation.

Q. How is the word made effectual to Salvation?

[Page] A. The Spirit of God maketh the Reading, but especially the Preaching of the Word an effectu­al Means of Convincing & Con­verting Sinners, and of building them up in Holiness & Comfort, through Faith unto Salvation.

Q. How is the Word to be Read and Heard that it may become effectual to Salvation?

A. That the Word may become effectual to Salvation, we must at­tend thereunto with diligence, Preparation & Prayer, receive it with Faith & Love, lay it up in our Hearts, & practice it in our Lives.

Q. How doth the Sacraments be­come effectual means of Salvation?

A. The Sacraments become ef­fectual Means of Salvation, not [Page] from any vertue [...] that doth administer them, [...] only by the blessing of Christ, and the working of the Spirit in [...] that by Faith receive them.

Q. What is a Sacrament?

A. A Sacrament is an holy Or­dinance instituted by Christ, where in by sensible Signs, Christ and the benefits of the New Cove­nant are represented, sealed, and applied to Believers.

Q. Which are the Sacraments of the New Testament?

A. The Sacraments of the New Testament, are Baptism, and the Lord's Supper.

Q. What is Baptism?

A. Baptism is a Sacrament, where­in by washing with Water in the [Page] [...], & of the Son [...] the Holy Ghost, doth [...] and se [...]l our ingrafting into [...], & partaking of the bene­fits of the Covenant of Grace, and our Engagement to be the Lord's.

Q. To whom is Baptism to be ad­ministred?

A. Baptism is not to be admini­stred to any that are out of the visible Church, till they profess their Faith in Christ, and Obedi­ence to Him, but the Infants of such as are Members of the visible Church are to be Baptised.

Q. What is the Lord's Supper?

A. The Lord's Supper is a Sacra­ment, wherein by giving and re­ceiving Bread & Wine according to Christ Appointment, His [Page] Death is shewed [...], [...] worthy Receivers are not [...] corporal and carnal Manner, [...] by Faith made Partakers of His Body & Blood, with all his bene­fits, to their Spiritual Nourish­ment and growth in Grace.

Q. What is required in the wor­thy receiving of the Lord's Supper?

A. It is required of them that would worthily partake of the Lord's Supper, that they examine themselves of their knowledge to discern the Lord's Body, of their Faith to seed upon Him, of their Repentance, Love, & [...]ew Obedi­ence, [...] coming un worthily, they eat and drink judgment to them­selves.

Q. What is Prayer?

[Page] A. [...] offering up of [...] Desires to God, for Things a­greeable to His Will, in the Name of Christ, with Confession of our Sins, and thankful Acknowledg­ment of his Mercies.

Q. What [...] hath God given for our Direction in Prayer?

A. The whole Word of God is of use to direct us in Prayer, but the special Rule of Direction is that form of Prayer which Christ taught His Disciples, commonly called, The Lord's Prayer.

Q. What doth the Preface of the Lord's Prayer teach us?

A. The Preface of the Lord's Prayer, which is [...] Father which are in Heaven [...] us to draw near to God with all holy Reve­rence, [Page] and Confidence, as [...] to a Father, able & ready to [...] us, and that we should pray [...] and for others.

Q. What do we pray for in the first Petition?

A. In the first Petition, which [...] Hallowed be thy Name, we pray [...] that God would enable us and [...] o­thers, to glorify Him in all [...] whereby he makes him self [...] and that He would dispose [...] things to His own Glory.

Q. What do we pray for in [...] Petition [...]

A. In the second Petition, which is, Thy Kingdom come▪ we pray that Satan [...] [...]

[Page] [...] pray for in the [...] Petition?

A. In the third Petition, which [...] Will be done on Earth as it is [...], we pray, that God by [...] [...] Grace, would make us able & [...], to know, obey & submit [...] is Will in all things, as the [...] do in Heaven.

Q. What do we pray for in the 4th Petition

A. [...] the fourth Petition, which [...] us this Day our daily Bread, [...] pray that of God's tree Gift we may receive a competent Porti­on of the good things of this Life, and [...] with them.

Q. What do we [...] Petition

A. In the [...] Petition which is, And forgive us our Debts, as we forgive our Debtors, we pray, that