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»a Matth. xxviii. 19,

20.

b Acts ii. 42. 1 Cor. xii. 25. It is not enough to be a member of the Church (which is compar'd to the body of a man) without doing the part of a

A. I believe that there is ordain'd the Holy Catholick Church a, and the Communion of Saints b; and I hope for Salvation in the fame Church c and Communion d.

member, which is to go with the Church where it goes, and to love and help all the other members. Charity both does all the good it can to the beloved, and never unkindly feparates from their company. c. Mark xvi, 15, 16. d. 1 Cor. xiii. 1, 2, 3.

XL. Q. What is the Church?

Heb. iii. 6. To hold faft, &c. is to do as' we are exhorted. 1 Cor.

15.58.

I

A. Chrift's Family of Chriftians.

XLI. Q. What is the Holy Catholick Church?

a Epb. iv. 3 to 7.

b Matth. xxviii. 19, 20. Gal. i. 8, 9.

XLII.

Q. What

a As ii. 42. 46. Heb. x. 25. b Levit. xix. 17. 1 Theff. v. 11, 14. Heb. iii. 13. ch. 10. 24, 25. Matth. XXV. 34 to the end. The Communion or

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A. One Church of Holy

livers for all the world a, and to continue to the end of the world b.

is the Communion of Saints?

A. All true Chriftians do conftantly joyn with the Church in all the publick Worship of God a; and do all the good they can, to the Souls b and bodies of one another c.

fellowship of true Chriftians with God their Father, and with Chrift their Head or Lord, John i. 3; and with the Holy Ghost their Sanctifier, 2 Cor. xiii. 14, belongs to the firft, fecond, and eighth Articles.

XLIII. Q. What do you believe in the tenth Article, concerning the Forgiveness of fins ?

Luke xxiv. A. I believe that I and all Chriftians, truly 46, 47 repenting * have the forgivenefs of our fins, See the upon the account of Chrift's Dying for the

Eph. i. 7.

Command fame.

ments, 27. 29 2

XLIV. Q. What Benefits do we receive by the forgiveness of our fins ?

a Gen. ii. 17. ch. iii. 15 to 20. ch. viii. 21. Rom. v. 12. ch. vi. 23. 2 Cor. v. 14. Therefore Matth. xxvi. 28, Chrift's blood bed for. the remiffion of fins, is the blood of the new teftament; that is the Blood that feals the New Teftament, and

A. By fin we forfeited and loft all good, and fell into all evil a. Therefore when our fins are forgiven upon the account of Chrift's Dying for us, then God gives us grace and all other good, and delivers us from all evil, as he fees fit b.

all the promises therein, to them that perform the Commandments. Chrift's Blood is the Seal of all both the Promises and Commands of the New Teftament: as Exod. xxiv. 7, 8, the blood of the old covenant or teftament was the Seal of all the Promifes and Commands of it in the foregoing Chapters. See Heb. ix. 15 to 21.

The Promifes of the New Teftament feal'd and obtain'd by Chrift's Dying for the forgivenefs of our fins, are the promifes of forgiveness, Matth. xxvi. 28; of grace, Tit. ii. 14; of everJafting life, John iii. 14, 15; of all things that are good for us, Rom.viii. 32; and of deliverance from all evil, Gal. iii. 13.

XLV. Q. What do you believe in the eleventh and twelfth Articles, concerning the Refurrection of the body, and the Life everlasting?

a 1 Cor. xv. 22, 58. 1 Pet. i. 3, 4. The refurrection and everlafting punishment of the wicked belong to the feventh Article. Matth. xxv. 41. John

A. I believe that I and all true Chriftians, continuing in well-doing, fhall have a blessed Refurrection of our bodies a, and everlasting bleffed Life in heaven b.

v. 28, 29. In thefe Articles are contain'd the Gifts of God to

all

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all true members of his Church. 1 Cor. xv. 20 to the end. John
V.10, 11. Everlasting life always fignifies in the Scripture a Happy
life. Matth.xxv. 46. ch. xix. 16. John vi. 53, 54. The Ancient
Chriftians fometimes difpofed the laft part of the Creed thus, I be-
lieve in the Holy Ghoft, the forgiveness of fins, the refurrection
of the fle, and the life everlasting. by the holy Church; to
fignify, that forgiveness of fins, and refurrection to everlafting
life, are to be obtain'd in the Church. Cyprian Epift. 76. 6.

XLVI. Q. What do you mean by Amen?
A. All this I ftedfaftly believe.

59

2 Cor. i.

XLVII. Q. What doft thou chiefly learn in these 20.
Articles of thy Belief?

A. First, I learn to believe in God the Father,
who hath made me, and all the world:

Secondly, in God the Son, who hath redeemed, John iii.

me, and all mankind:

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16. ch.iv.

2.

Thirdly, in God the Holy Ghost, who Sancti- 10. ch. ii. fieth me, and all the elect people of God. XLVIII. Q. What do you mean by this?

A. I believe that God the Father made me and all the world: and I truft in him, and obey him.

I believe that God the Son Redeemed me, and all mankind: and I trust in him, and obey him. And I believe that God the Holy Ghoft Santifieth me, and all the elect people of God: and I trust in him, and obey him.

XLIX. Q. Are there more Gods than one?

a 1 Cor. viii. 4, 6. Matth. xxviii. 19. Mark xii. 29.

↑ John v.7.

A. No a: The Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghoft are three Perfons b, and one God c.

L. Q. What do you learn by the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghoft being one God?

2 Pet ii. 1.

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a Eph. iii. 9. Fob
xxvi. 13. ch. 33. 4.
b Matth. x. 20, com-

par'd with Luke xxi.

15. John xv. 26,
compar'd with 1 Cor. ii.

A. I learn that they all join in every thing that God does a, or fpeaks to us b

10, 11, 12. John xvi. 15.

LI. Q. What must you therefore do ? bod

The meaning of

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghoft. As this glory was given to all Three in the beginning of the Church (Matth. xxviii. 19) is now given, and ever

A. I must give the glory and thanks of all good to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghoft, and pray with the Church to each of them, and to all of them together.

Shall be given world without end. I fay, in the beginning of the Church, because the mystery of the "Trinity was not plainly reveal'd before. Matth. xxviii. 19.

4

LII. Q. What is Chrift's Redeeming us?! Epb. i. 7. A. His Dying for the forgiveness of our fins. LIH. Q. How bas Chrift redeem'd all mankind?

a Rom. v. 6, 8, 10. and of all good, and the fuffering of all evils, and everlasting death. b 1 Tim. ii. 4, 5, 6.

The lofs of Grace,

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ch. iv. to. Rom. ii.
13, 14, 15. Ezek.
xxxiii. 11. c Matth:
5. 45. Luke vi. 35.
Luke vi. 35.
Rom. ii. 4. Jer. ii.
30. ch. v. 3, 24.
d Sec 44 2

A. Upon the account of his Dying for all, God fo far forgives all a, as inftead of the punishments due to their fins, to give them Grace to do what he expects from them b, and other mercies and corrections to lead them to repentance c And when they do what he expects from them, then he fully forgives them, fo as to give them more Grace, and all o

ther mercies, and to deliver them from all evil, as he fees fit d.

I

LIV. Q. Who are meant by Elect People?

Mark Iv. 24, 25.4. Chofen People, they that obey God.

Thole that bear, that

is obey what they hear;

and bave, that is, care

fully ule what they have, God chufes, and gives more to them. But be that bath not, that is, does not use the Grace he hath, from bim fall be taken even that which he bath: and fo he is reprobated.

.

That none are reprobated for want of fufficient Grace to enable them to do what God expects from them for their Election and Salvation; fee Ifa. v. 4. Jer. ii. 21. Matth. xviii. 14. ch. xxiii. 37. They that underftand any places of Scripture in a sense contrary to thefe, certainly understand them not rightly.

LV. Q. Who do obey God, and do what he expects from them?

a Heb. xi. 6. Rom.

ii. 13, 14, 15.

A. They that do their best endeavour to learn, and be

b 1 John i. 8,9. Prov. lieve and do the truth of his

28. 13.

The best Christians

have their failings, both

in faith and obedience.

Word a and truly repent of their fins b.

Therefore, in the Creed of St. Athanafius, to keep the Catholick Faith whole and undefiled, is, to believe all that by diligent learning we can know to be the truth of God's word, and to endeavour diligently to live according to it. And that Creed, and the 18th of the 39 Articles condemn only thofe that willingly err from the Truth, (John iii. 18, 19.) or through neglect to know it. Matth. 13. 15. For our Church in feveral of the Prayers truly fays unto God, who hateft nothing that thou haft made. Pf. 145.9. Matth 7. 1.1

We may not understand any words of the Holy Scripture, or of the writings of the Church, in a hard fenfe contrary to other plain words of the Scripture, and of the Church. How pleafing it is unto Chrift, to take his words that seem hard, in a mer ciful fenfe. See Matth. 15. 22 to 29.

The

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