The Foundation of the Christian Religion gathered into Six Principles
And it is to be learned of ignorant people, that they may be fit to
hear sermons with profit, and to receive the Lord’s Supper with comfort.
by William Perkins
“The entrance into thy word sheweth light, and giveth understanding to the simple” – Psa. 119:130.
____________________________
To all ignorant people that desire to be instructed:
Poor people, your manner is to
soothe up yourselves, as though you were in a most happy estate; but if
the matter come to a just trial, it will fall out far otherwise. For
you lead your lives in great ignorance, as may appear by these your
common opinions which follow:
1. That faith is a man’s good meaning, and his good serving of God.
2. That God is served by the rehearsing of the Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer and the Creed.
3. That ye have believed in Christ ever since you could remember.
4. That it is pity that he should live which doth any whit doubt of his salvation.
5. That none can tell whether he shall be saved or not certainly; but that all men must be of a good belief.
6. That howsoever a man live, yet if he call upon God on his death-bed,
and say, ‘Lord have mercy upon me,’ and so go away like a
lamb, he is certainly saved.
7. That if any be strangely visited, he is either taken with a planet or bewitched.
8. That a man may lawfully
swear when he speaks nothing but the truth; and swears by nothing but
that which is good, as by his faith or troth.
9. That a preacher is a good man no longer than he is in the pulpit. ‘They think all like themselves.’
10. That a man may repent when
he will, because the Scripture saith, ‘At what time soever a
sinner doth repent him of his sins’ &c.
11. That it is an easier thing to please God than to please our neighbour.
12. That ye can keep the Commandments as well as God will give you leave.
13. That it is the safest to do in religion as most do.
14. That merry ballads and
books, as ‘Skoggin’, ‘Bevis of Southampton’
&c. are good to drive away the time and to remove heart qualms.
15. That ye can serve God with all your hearts, and that ye would be sorry else.
16. That a man need not hear so many sermons, except he could follow them better.
17. That a man which cometh at no sermons may as well believe as he which hears all the sermons in the world.
18. That ye know all the preacher can tell you; for he can say nothing
but that every man is a sinner, that we must love out neighbour as
ourselves, that every man must be saved by Christ; and all this ye can
tell as well as he.
19. That it was a good world when the old religion was, because all things were cheap.
20. That drinking and bezeling in
the ale-house or tavern is good fellowship and shews a good, kind
nature, and maintains neighbourhood.
21. That a man may swear by the Mass because it is nothing now, and by our Lady because she is gone out of the country.
22. That every man must be for himself, and God for us all.
23. That a man may make of his own whatsoever he can.
24. That if a man remember to
say his prayers every morning (though he never understand them), he
hath blessed himself for all the day following.
25. That a man prayeth when he saith the Ten Commandments.
26. That a man eats his Maker in the Sacrament.
27. That if a man be no adulterer, no thief, no murderer and do no man harm, he is a right honest man.
28. That a man need not have any knowledge of religion because he is not book-learned.
29. That one may have a good meaning when he saith and doth that which is evil.
30. That a man may go to wizards, called wise-men, for counsel, because God hath provided a salve for every sore.
31. That ye are to be excused in all your doings because the best men are sinners.
32. That ye have so strong a faith in Christ that no evil company can hurt you.
These and such like sayings,
what argue they but your gross ignorance? Now where ignorance reigneth,
there reigneth sin; and where sin reigneth, there the devil rules; and
where he rules, men are in a damnable case.
Ye will reply unto me thus:
That ye are not so bad as I would make you. If need be, you can say the
Creed, the Lord’s Prayer and the Ten Commandments, and therefore
ye will be of God’s belief, say all men what they will, and you
defy the devil from your hearts.
I answer again that it is not
sufficient to say all these without book, unless ye can understand the
meaning of the words, and be able to make a right use of the
Commandments, of the Creed, of the Lord’s Prayer, by applying
them inwardly to your hearts and consciences, and outwardly to your
lives and conversations. This is the very point in which ye fail.
And for an help in this your
ignorance, to bring you to true knowledge, unfeigned faith and sound
repentance, here I have set down the principal points of Christian
religion in six plain and easy rules, even such as the simplest may
easily learn; and hereunto is adjoined an exposition of them word by
word. If ye do want other good directions, then use this my labour for
your good instruction. In reading it, first learn the six principles,
and when you have them without book, and the meaning of them withal,
then learn the exposition also; which being well conceived, and in some
measure felt in the heart, ye shall be able to profit by sermons,
whereas now ye cannot; and the ordinary parts of the Catechism, namely
the Ten Commandments, the Creed and the Lord’s Prayer, and the
institution of the two Sacraments, shall more easily be understood.
____________________________
The First Principle
Q. What dost thou believe concerning God?
A. There is one God, Creator and Governor of all things, distinguished into the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.
Proof:
1. There is a God
“For the invisible
things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being
understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and
Godhead; so that they are without excuse” – Rom. 1:20;
“Nevertheless he left
not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from
heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and
gladness.” – Acts 14:17.
2. This God is One
“As concerning therefore
the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we
know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other
God but one.” – 1 Cor. 8:4.
3. He is Creator of all things
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” – Gen. 1:1;
“Through faith we
understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that
things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.”
– Heb. 11:3.
4. He is Governor of all things
“The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.” – Prov. 15:3;
“But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” – Matt. 10:30.
5. Distinguished into the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost
“And Jesus, when he was
baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens
were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a
dove, and lighting upon him: and lo a voice from heaven, saying, This
is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” – Matt.
3:16,17;
“For there are three
that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost:
and these three are one.” – 1 John 5:7.
The Second Principle
Q. What dost thou believe concerning man, and concerning thine own self?
A. All men are wholly
corrupted with sin through Adam’s fall, and so are become slaves
of Satan and guilty of eternal damnation.
Proof:
1. All men are corrupted with sin
“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one” – Rom. 3:10.
2. They are wholly corrupted
“And the very God of
peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul
and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ.” – 1 Thess. 5:23;
“This I say therefore,
and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles
walk, in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened,
being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in
them, because of the blindness of their heart” – Eph.
4:17,18;
“ And GOD saw that the
wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of
the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” –
Gen. 6:5.
3. Through Adam’s fall
“Wherefore, as by one
man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed
upon all men, for that all have sinned” – Rom. 5:12.
4. And so are become slaves of Satan
“Wherein in time past ye
walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince
of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of
disobedience” – Eph. 2:2;
“Forasmuch then as the
children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise
took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had
the power of death, that is, the devil” – Heb. 2:14;
“In whom the god of this
world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light
of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine
unto them.” – 2 Cor. 4:4.
5. And guilty of eternal damnation
“For as many as are of
the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is
every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the
book of the law to do them.” – Gal. 3:10;
“Therefore as by the
offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by
the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto
justification of life.” – Rom. 5:18.
The Third Principle
Q. What means is there for thee to escape this damnable estate?
A. Jesus Christ, the eternal
Son of God, being made man, by His death upon the cross and by His
righteousness hath perfectly alone by Himself accomplished all things
that are needful for the salvation of mankind.
Proof:
1. Christ Jesus the eternal Son of God
“And the Word was made
flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of
the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
– John 1:14.
2. Being made man
“For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.” – Heb. 2:16.
3. By His death upon the cross
“But he was wounded for
our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement
of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”
– Isa. 53:5.
4. And by His righteousness
“For as by one
man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of
one shall many be made righteous.” – Rom. 5:19;
“For he hath made him to be
sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of
God in him.” – 2 Cor. 5:21.
5. Hath perfectly
“Wherefore he is able
also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he
ever liveth to make intercession for them.” – Heb. 7:25.
6. Alone by Himself
“Neither is there
salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given
among men, whereby we must be saved.” – Acts 4:12.
7. Accomplished all things needful for the salvation of mankind
“And he is the
propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins
of the whole world.” – 1 John 2:2.
The Fourth Principle
Q. But how mayest thou be made partaker of Christ and His benefits?
A. A man of a contrite and
humble spirit, by faith alone apprehending and applying Christ with all
His merits unto himself, is justified before God and sanctified.
Proof:
1. A man of a contrite and humble spirit
“For thus saith the high
and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in
the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble
spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of
the contrite ones.” – Isa. 57:15;
“The sacrifices of God
are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt
not despise.” – Psa. 51:17.
2. By faith alone
“As soon as Jesus heard
the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be
not afraid, only believe.” – Mark 5:36;
“And Moses made a
serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if
a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he
lived.” – Num. 21:9;
“And as Moses lifted up
the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted
up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal
life.” – John 3:14,15.
3. Apprehending and applying Christ with all His merits unto himself
“But as many as received
him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that
believe on his name” – John 1:12;
“And Jesus said unto
them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger;
and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” – John
6:35.
4. Is justified before God
“For what saith the
scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for
righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of
grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him
that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God
imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose
iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.” –
Rom. 4:3-7.
5. And sanctified
“And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.” – Acts 15:9;
“But of him are ye in
Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and
sanctification, and redemption” – 1 Cor. 1:30.
The Fifth Principle
Q. What are the ordinary and usual means for obtaining faith?
A. Faith cometh only by the
preaching of the word, and increaseth daily by it, as also by the
administration of the sacraments and prayer.
Proof:
1. Faith cometh only by the preaching the word, and increaseth daily by it
“How then shall they
call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe
in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a
preacher?” – Rom. 10:14;
“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” – Prov. 29:18;
“My people are destroyed
for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will
also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast
forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.”
– Hos. 4:6.
2. As also by the administration of the sacraments
“And he received the
sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he
had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them
that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might
be imputed unto them also” – Rom. 4:11;
“Moreover, brethren, I
would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were
under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized
unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and did all eat the same
spiritual meat; and did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they
drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was
Christ.” – 1 Cor. 10:1-4.
3. And prayer
“And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” – Acts 2:21.
The Sixth Principle
Q. What is the state of all men after death?
A. All men shall rise again
with their own bodies, to the last judgment; which being ended, the
godly shall possess the kingdom of heaven, but unbelievers and
reprobates shall be in hell tormented with the devil and his angels for
ever.
Proof:
1. All men shall rise again with their own bodies
“Marvel not at this: for
the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear
his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the
resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the
resurrection of damnation.” – John 5:28,29.
2. To the last judgment
“For God shall bring
every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good,
or whether it be evil.” – Eccl.12:14;
“But I say unto you,
That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account
thereof in the day of judgment.” – Matt. 12:36;
“And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked” – 2 Pet. 2:7;
“And the LORD said unto
him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem,
and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for
all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.” –
Ezek. 9:4.
3. Shall possess the Kingdom of God
“Then shall the King say
unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the
kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world”
– Matt. 25:34.
4. But unbelievers and reprobates shall be in hell tormented with the devil and his angels
“Then shall he say also
unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting
fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” – Matt. 25:41.
The Scriptures for proof were
only quoted by the author to move thee to search them; the words
themselves I have expressed at the earnest request of many, that thou
mayest more easily learn them. If yet thou wilt be ignorant, thy malice
is evident; if thou gainest knowledge, give God the glory in doing of
His will.
____________________________
The Exposition of the Principles
The First Principle Expounded
Q. What is God?
A. God is a Spirit, or spiritual substance, most wise, most holy, eternal, infinite.
“God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” – John 4:24.
Q. How do you persuade yourself that there is a God?
A. Besides the testimony of the Scripture, plain reason will shew it.
Q. What is one reason?
A. When I consider the
wonderful frame of the world, me thinks the silly creatures that be in
it could never make it, neither could it make itself and therefore,
besides all these, the Maker of it must needs be God. Even as when a
man comes into a strange country and sees fair and sumptuous buildings,
and yet finds no living creatures there besides birds and beasts, he
will not imagine that either birds or beasts reared those buildings,
but he presently conceives that some men either are, or have been there.
“For the invisible
things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being
understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and
Godhead; so that they are without excuse” – Rom. 1:20;
“Nevertheless he left
not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from
heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and
gladness.” – Acts 14:17.
Q. What other reason have you?
A. A man commits any sin,
murder, fornication, adultery, blasphemy, &c. albeit he doth so
conceal the matter (that no man living know of it), yet oftentimes he
hath a griping in his conscience, and feels the very flashing of hell
fire, which is a strong reason to shew that there is a God, before
whose judgment seat he must answer for his fact.
“Which shew the work of
the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness,
and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one
another” – Rom. 2:15;
“And they heard the
voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and
Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God
amongst the trees of the garden.....And he said, I heard thy voice in
the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid
myself.” – Gen.3;8,10;
“And they said one to
another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw
the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear;
therefore is this distress come upon us.” – Gen.42:21.
Q. How many Gods are there?
A. No more than one.
“But to us there is but
one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one
Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.”
– 1 Cor. 8:6.
Q. How do you conceive this God in your mind?
A. Not by framing an image of
him in my mind (as ignorant folks do, that think him to be an old man
sitting in heaven) but I conceive him by his properties and works.
“Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the
similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female” –
Deut.4:16;
“For, lo, he that
formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man
what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth
upon the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of hosts, is his
name.” – Amos 4:13.
Q. What be his chief properties?
A. First he is most wise,
understanding all things aright and knowing the reason of thema.
Secondly, he is most holy, which appeareth in that he is most just and
merciful unto his creaturesb. Thirdly, he is eternal, without either
beginning or end of daysc, and lastly, he is infinite, both because he
is present in all placesd and because he is of power sufficient to do
whatsoever he wille.
a “With him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding.” – Job 12:13.
b “And one cried unto
another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole
earth is full of his glory.” – Isa. 6:3; “Thou
shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy
God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the
children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate
me” – Exod. 20:5.
c “Who hath wrought and
done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the
first, and with the last; I am he.” – Isa. 41:4.
d “Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.” – Psa. 139:2.
e “He is wise in heart,
and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath
prospered?” – Job 9:4; “For the
LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty,
and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward”
– Deut. 10:17.
Q. What be the works of God?
A. The creation of the world, and everything therein, and the preservation of them, being created by his special providence.
“He hath made the earth
by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath
stretched out the heavens by his discretion.” – Jer. 10:12;
“By the word of the LORD
were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his
mouth.” – Psa. 33:6.
Q. How know you that God governeth every particular thing in the world by his special providence?
A. To omit the Scripturesa, I
see it by experience: meat, drink and clothing, being void of heat and
life, could not preserve the life of man unless there were a special
providence of God to give virtue
unto themb.
a “But the very hairs of
your head are all numbered.” – Matt. 10:30;
“The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is
of the LORD.” – Prov. 16:33.
b “And when I have
broken the staff of your bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one
oven, and they shall deliver you your bread again by weight: and ye
shall eat, and not be satisfied.” –
Lev. 26:26; “But he answered and said, It is written,
Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth
out of the mouth of God.” – Matt. 4:4.
Q. How is this one God distinguished?
A. Into the Father, which
begetteth the Son; into the Son, who is begotten of the Father; into
the Holy Ghosta, who proceedeth from the Father and the Sonb.
a “For there are three
that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost:
and these three are one.” – 1 John 5:7.
b “But when the
Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the
Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of
me” – John 15:26.
The Second Principle Expounded
Q. Let us now come to ourselves, and first tell me what is the natural estate of man?
A. Every man is by nature dead
in sin as a loathsome carrion, or as a dead corpse lieth rotting and
stinking in the grave, having in him the seed of all sins.
“And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins” – Eph. 2:1;
“But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth.” – 1 Tim. 5:6.
Q. What is sin?
A. Any breach of the law of God, if it be no more but the least want of that which the law requireth.
“Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” – 1 John 3:4;
“What shall we say then?
Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law:
for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not
covet.” – Rom. 7:7;
“ For as many as are of
the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is
every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the
book of the law to do them.” – Gal. 3:10.
Q. How many sorts of sin are there?
A. Sin is either the corruption of nature, or any evil actions that proceed of it, as fruits thereof.
“Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds” – Col. 3:9;
“Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” – Psa. 51:5.
Q. In whom is the corruption of nature?
A. In all men, none excepted.
“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one” – Rom. 3:10.
Q. In what part of man is it?
A. In every part both of body and soul, like a leprosy that runneth from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot.
“And GOD saw that the
wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of
the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” –
Gen. 6:5;
“And the very God of
peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul
and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ.” – 1 Thess. 5:23.
Q. Shew me how every part of man is corrupted with sin.
A. First, in the mind there is
nothing but ignorance and blindness concerning heavenly mattersa.
Secondly, the conscience is defiled, being always either benumbed with
sin, or else turmoiled with inward accusations and terrorsb. Thirdly,
the will of man only willeth and lusteth after evilc. Fourthly, the
affections of the heart, as love, joy, hope, desire, &c. are moved
and stirred to that which is evil to embrace it, and they are never
stirred unto that which is good, unless it be to eschew itd. Lastly,
the members of the body are the instruments and tools of the mind for
the execution of sine.
a “But the natural man
receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness
unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually
discerned.” – 1 Cor. 2:14; “ For they
that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that
are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.” – Rom. 8:5.
b “Unto the pure all
things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is
nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.”
– Tit.1:15; “Having the understanding darkened,
being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in
them, because of the blindness of their heart: who being past feeling
have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness
with greediness.” – Eph. 4:18,19; “But
the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters
cast up mire and dirt.” – Isa. 57:20.
c “For it is God which
worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”
– Phil. 2:13; “How much more abominable and filthy is man,
which drinketh iniquity like water?” – Job 15:16.
d “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.” – Gal. 5:24.
e “I speak after the
manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have
yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto
iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto
holiness.” – Rom. 6:19.
Q. What be those evil actions that are the fruits of this corruption?
A. Evil thoughts in the mind,
which come either by a man’s own conceivinga or by the suggestion
of the devilb; evil motions and lusts stirring in the heart, and from
these arise evil words and deeds when any occasion is given.
a “And GOD saw that the
wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of
the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” –
Gen. 6:5.
b “And supper being
ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot,
Simon’s son, to betray him” – John 13:2;
“But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to
lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the
land?” – Acts 5:3; “And Satan stood up
against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.” – 1
Chr. 21:1.
Q. How cometh it to pass that all men are thus defiled with sin?
A. By Adam’s infidelity
and disobedience in eating the forbidden fruit; even as we see great
personages by treason do not only hurt themselves, but also stain their
blood and disgrace their posterity.
“Wherefore, as by one
man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed
upon all men, for that all have sinned....Therefore as by the offence
of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the
righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification
of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners,
so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.” –
Rom. 5:12,18,19;
Gen. 3 throughout.
Q. What hurt comes to man by his sin?
A. He is continually subject to the curse of God in his lifetime, in the end of his life and after this life.
“For as many as are of
the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is
every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the
book of the law to do them.” – Gal. 3:10.
Q. What is the curse of God in this life?
A. In the body, diseases,
aches, pains; in the soul, blindness, hardness of heart, horror of
conscience; in goods, hindrances and losses; in name, ignominy and
reproach; lastly, in the whole man, bondage under Satan the prince of
darkness.
“The LORD shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he
have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it.
The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and
with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword,
and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until
thou perish....The LORD will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and
with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou
canst not be healed.....And among these nations shalt thou find no
ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall
give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of
mind: and thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear
day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life: in the
morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt
say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith
thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt
see.” – Deut. 28:21,22,27,65,66,67.
Q. What manner of bondage is this?
A. This bondage is when a man is the slave of the devil and hath him to reign in his heart as his god.
“Forasmuch then as the
children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise
took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had
the power of death, that is, the devil” – Heb. 2:14;
“Wherein in time past ye
walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince
of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of
disobedience” – Eph. 2:2;
“In whom the god of this
world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light
of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine
unto them.” – 2 Cor.4:4;
“And he was casting out
a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone
out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered.” – Luke 11:14.
Q. How may a man know whether Satan be his god or not?
A. He may know it by this: if he give obedience to him in his heart, and express it in his conversation.
Q. And how shall a man perceive this obedience?
A. If he take delight in the evil motions that Satan puts into his heart, and do fulfil the lusts of the devil.
“Ye are of your father
the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer
from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no
truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is
a liar, and the father of it.” – John 8:44;
“He that committeth sin
is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this
purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works
of the devil.” – 1 John 3:8.
Q. What is the curse due to man in the end of this life?
A. Death, which is the separation of body and soul.
“Wherefore, as by one
man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed
upon all men, for that all have sinned” – Rom. 5:12.
Q. What is the curse after this life?
A. Eternal damnation in hell
fire, whereof every man is guilty, and is in great danger of it, as the
traitor apprehended is in danger of hanging, drawing and quartering.
“For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse:
for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all
things which are written in the book of the law to do them.” – Gal. 3:10;
“Now we know that what
things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law:
that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty
before God.” – Rom. 3:19.
The Third Principle expounded
Q.
If damnation be the reward of sin, then is man of all creatures most
miserable; a dog or a toad when they die, all their misery is ended,
but when a man dieth, there is the beginning of his woe.
A. It were so indeed, if there were no means of deliverance; but God hath shewed his mercy in giving a Saviour to mankind.
Q. How is this Saviour called?
A. Jesus Christ.
“And she shall bring
forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his
people from their sins.” – Matt. 1:21.
Q. What is Jesus Christ?
A. The eternal Son of God made man in all thingsa, even in his infirmities like other men, save only in sinb.
a “For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.” –
Heb. 2:16; “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and
we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,)
full of grace and truth.” – John 1:14.
b “Who in the days of
his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong
crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was
heard in that he feared”
– Heb. 5:7; “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man,
no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the
Father.” – Mark 13:32.
Q. How was he made man void of sin?
A. He was conceived in the womb of a virgin, and sanctified by the Holy Ghost at his conception.
“Now the birth of Jesus
Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to
Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy
Ghost.” – Matt. 1:18.
Q. Why must our Saviour be both God and man?
A. He must be man because man
had sinned, and therefore a man must die for sin to appease God’s
wrath; He must be God to sustain and uphold the manhood, to overcome
and vanquish death.
“For there is one God,
and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave
himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” – 1
Tim. 2:5,6.
Q. What be the offices of Christ to make him an all-sufficient Saviour?
A. He is a Priest, a Prophet, a King.
“Thou lovest
righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath
anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.”
– Psa. 45:7;
“And Jesus answered and
said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt
worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” –
Luke 4:8;
“The LORD thy God will
raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren,
like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken....I will raise them up a
Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my
words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall
command him.” – Deut. 18:15,18;
“And he shall reign over the
house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no
end.” – Luke 1:33;
“ The LORD said unto my
Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy
footstool. The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion:
rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Thy people shall be willing in
the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the
morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth. The LORD hath sworn, and will
not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.
The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his
wrath. He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with
the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries. He shall
drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the
head.” – Psa. 110.
Q. Why is he a Priest?
A. To work the means of salvation in the behalf of mankind.
Q. How doth he work the means of salvation?
A. First, by making satisfaction to his Father for the sin of man; secondly, by making intercession.
“Even as the Son of man
came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a
ransom for many.” – Matt. 20:28;
“Wherefore he is able
also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he
ever liveth to make intercession for them. For such an high priest
became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and
made higher than the heavens” – Heb. 7:25,26.
Q. How doth he make satisfaction?
A. By two means: and the first is by offering a sacrifice.
Q. What is the sacrifice?
A. Christ himself, as he is a man consisting of body and soul.
“Yet it pleased the LORD
to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul
an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days,
and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.” –
Isa. 53:10.
Q. What is the altar?
A. Christ as he is God, is the altar on which he sacrificed himself.
“And another angel came
and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given
unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all
saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.”
– Rev. 8:3;
“We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.” – Heb. 13:10.
Q. Who was the Priest?
A. None but Christ, and that he is both God and man.
“So also Christ
glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto
him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.As he saith also in
another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of
Melchisedec.” – Heb. 5:5,6.
Q. How oft did he sacrifice himself?
A. Never but once.
“So Christ was once
offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall
he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” –
Heb. 9:28.
Q. What death did he suffer when he sacrificed himself?
A. A death upon the cross,
peculiar to himself alone; for besides the separation of body and soul,
he felt also the pangs of hell, in that the whole wrath of God due to the sin of man, was poured forth upon him.
“But he was wounded for
our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement
of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”
– Isa. 53:5;
“Now is my soul
troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for
this cause came I unto this hour.” – John 12:27;
“And out of his mouth
goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he
shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of
the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.” – Rev. 19:15;
“And being in an agony
he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of
blood falling down to the ground.” – Luke 22:44.
Q. What profit cometh from his sacrifice?
A. God’s wrath is appeased by it.
“For then must he often
have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the
end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of
himself.” – Heb. 9:26.
Q. Could
the sufferings of Christ, which was but for a short time, countervail
everlasting damnation, and so appease God’s wrath?
A. Yes; for seeing Christ
suffered, God suffered, though not in his Godhead; and that is more
than if all men in the world had suffered for ever and ever.
“Take heed therefore
unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost
hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath
purchased with his own blood.” – Acts 20:28;
“And that he died for
all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves,
but unto him which died for them, and rose again.” – 2 Cor.
5:15.
Q. Now tell me the other means of satisfaction.
A. It is the perfect fulfilling of the law.
Q. How did he fulfil the law?
A. By his perfect
righteousness, which consisteth of two parts; the first, the integrity
and pureness of his human naturea; the other, his obedience in
performing all that the law requiredb.
a “But of him are ye in
Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and
sanctification, and redemption” – 1 Cor. 1:30;
“Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in
his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that
are past, through the forbearance of God” – Rom.
3:25; “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no
sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
– 2 Cor. 5:21.
b “For as by one
man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of
one shall many be made righteous.” – Rom. 5:19;
“Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.”
– Rom. 4:8.
Q. You have shewed how Christ doth make satisfaction, tell me likewise how he doth make intercession.
A. He alone doth continually
appear before his Father in heaven, making the faithful, and all their
prayers, acceptable unto him, by applying of the merits of his own
perfect satisfaction to them.
“Who is he that
condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again,
who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for
us.” – Rom. 8:34;
“Ye also, as lively
stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up
spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.”
– 1 Pet. 2:5.
Q. Why is Christ a Prophet?
A. To reveal unto his church
the way and means of salvation, and this he doth outwardly by the
ministers of his word, and inwardly by the teaching of his Spirit.
“It is written in the
prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that
hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.”
– John 6:45;
“While he yet spake,
behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the
cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased;
hear ye him.” – Matt. 17:5.
Q. Why is he also King?
A. That he might bountifully bestow upon us, and convey unto us, all the aforesaid means of salvation.
“Of the increase of his
government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David,
and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment
and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of
hosts will perform this.” – Isa. 9:7.
Q. How doth he shew himself to be King?
A. In that being dead and
buried, he rose from the grave, quickened his dead body, ascended into
heaven, and now sitteth at the right hand of the Father, with full
power and glory in heaven.
“Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly” – Acts 10:40;
“Wherefore he saith,
When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts
unto men.” – Eph. 4:8;
“And when he had spoken
these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received
him out of their sight.” – Acts 1:9.
Q. How else?
A. In that he doth continually
inspire and direct his servants, by the divine power of his Holy
Spirit, according to his holy word.
“Of the increase of his
government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David,
and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment
and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of
hosts will perform this.” – Isa. 9:7;
“And thine ears shall
hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when
ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.”
– Isa. 30:21.
Q. But to whom will this blessed King communicate all these means of salvation?
A. He offereth them to many,
and they are sufficient to save all mankind; but all shall not be saved
thereby, because by faith they will not receive them.
“So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.” – Matt. 20:16;
“He came unto his own, and his own received him not.” – John 1:11.
The Fourth Principle expounded
Q. What is faith?
A. Faith is a wonderful grace of God, by which a man doth apprehend and apply Christ and all his benefits unto himself.
“But as many as received
him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that
believe on his name” – John 1:12;
“And Jesus said unto
them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger;
and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” – John
6:35;
“Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.” – Gal. 3:7;
“Buried with him in
baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the
operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.” –
Col. 2:12.
Q. How doth a man apply Christ unto himself, seeing we are on earth and Christ in heaven?
A. This applying is done by
assurance, when a man is verily persuaded by the Holy Spirit of
God’s favour towards himself particularly, and of the forgiveness
of his own sins.
“Now he which
stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; who
hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our
hearts.” – 2 Cor. 1:21,22;
“The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God” – Rom. 8:16.
Q. How doth God bring men truly to believe in Christ?
A. First, he prepareth their hearts, that they might be capable of faith, and then he worketh faith in them.
Q. How doth God prepare men’s hearts?
A. By bruising them, as if one would break an hard stone to powder; and this is done by humbling them.
“And I will give them
one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the
stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of
flesh” – Ezek. 11:19;
“Come, and let us return
unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten,
and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us: in the third
day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.” –
Hos. 6:1,2.
Q. How doth God humble a man?
A. By working in him a sight of his sins, and a sorrow for them.
Q. How is this sight of sin wrought?
A. By the moral law, the sum whereof is the Ten Commandments.
“Therefore by the deeds
of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the
law is the knowledge of sin.” – Rom. 3:20;
“What shall we say then?
Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law:
for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not
covet. But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all
manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.” – Rom. 7:7,8.
Q. What sins may I find in myself by them?
A. Ten.
Q. What is the first?
A. To make something thy God which is not God, by fearing it, loving it, and so trusting in it more than in the true God.
“Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” – Exod. 20:3.
Q. What is the second?
A. To worship false gods, or the true God in a false manner.
“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 bow down thyself to them, nor serve
them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of
the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of
them that hate me; and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love
me, and keep my commandments.” – Exod. 20:4-6.
Q. What is the third?
A. To dishonour God in abusing his titles, words and works.
“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.” – Exod. 20:7.
Q. What is the fourth?
A. To break the Sabbath in doing the works of their calling and of the flesh, and in leaving undone the works of the Spirit.
“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou
labour, and 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 maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor
thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the LORD made
heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the
seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed
it.” – Exod. 20:8-11.
Q. What be the six latter?
A. To do anything that may
hinder thy neighbour’s dignitya, lifeb, chastityc, wealthd, good
namee, though it be but in the secret thoughts and motions of the heart
unto which thou givest no liking nor consentf.
a “Honour thy father and
thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy
God giveth thee.” – Exod. 20:12.
b “Thou shalt not kill.” – Exod. 20:13.
c “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” – Exod 20:14.
d “Thou shalt not steal.” – Exod. 20:15.
e “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.” – Exod. 20:16.
f “Thou shalt not covet
thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s
wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass,
nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.” – Exod. 20:17.
Q. What is sorrow for sin?
A. It is when a man’s
conscience is touched with a lively feeling of God’s displeasure
for any of these sinsa; in such wise that he utterly despairs of
salvation, in regard of anything in himself, acknowledging that he hath
deserved shame and confusion eternallyb.
a “Now when they heard
this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the
rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter
said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift
of the Holy Ghost.” – Acts 2:37,38.
b “This is a faithful
saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the
world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” – 1 Tim.
1:15; “And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against
heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy
son.” – Luke 15:21; “And said, O my God, I am
ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our
iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up
unto the heavens. Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great
trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and
our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to
the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as
it is this day.” – Ezra 9:6,7.
Q. How doth God work this sorrow?
A. By the terrible curse of the law.
Q. What is that?
A. He which breaks but one of
the commandments of God, though it be but once in all his lifetime, and
that only in one thought, is subject to, and in danger of eternal
damnation thereby.
“ For as many as are of the
works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is
every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the
book of the law to do them.” – Gal. 3:10.
Q. When men’s hearts are thus prepared, how doth God ingraft faith in them?
A. By working certain inward motions in the heart which are seeds of faith, out of which it breedeth.
Q. What is the first of them?
A. When a man is humbled under the burden of his sins, doth acknowledge and feel that he stands in great need of Christ.
“Ho, every one that
thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye,
buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without
price.” – Isa. 55:1;
“ In the last day, that
great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man
thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.” – John 7:37;
“He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.” – Luke 1:53.
Q. What is the second?
A. An hungering desire and a longing to be made partaker of Christ and all his merits.
“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” – Matt. 5:6.
Q. What is the third?
A. A flying to the throne of grace from the sentence of the law pricking the conscience.
“Let us therefore come
boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find
grace to help in time of need.” – Heb. 4:16.
Q. How is it done?
A. By praying, with sending up
loud cries for God’s favour in Christ, in the pardoning of sin;
and with fervent perseverance herein, till the desire of the heart be
granted.
“I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father,
I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to
be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.” – Luke 15:18,19;
“And, behold, a woman of
Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have
mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed
with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came
and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after
us.” – Matt. 15:22,23;
“For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.” – Acts 8:23;
“For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.” – 2 Cor. 12:8.
Q. What followeth after this?
A. God then according to his
merciful promise, lets the poor sinner feel the assurance of his love
wherewith he loveth him in Christ, which assurance is a lively faith.
“Ask, and it shall be given
you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto
you” – Matt. 7:7;
“And it shall come to
pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet
speaking, I will hear.” – Isa. 65:24;
“He shall pray unto God,
and he will be favourable unto him: and he shall see his face with joy:
for he will render unto man his righteousness.” – Job
33:26.
Q. Are there divers degrees and measures of true faith?
A. Yea.
“For therein is the
righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written,
The just shall live by faith.” – Rom. 1:17;
“And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.” – Luke 17:5.
Q. What is the least measure of true faith that any man can have?
A. When a man of an humble
spirit, by reason of the littleness of his faith, doth not yet feel the
assurance of the forgiveness of his sins, and yet he is persuaded that
they are pardonable, and therefore desireth that they should be
pardoned, and with his heart prayeth to God to pardon them.
“A bruised reed shall he
not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring
forth judgment unto truth.” – Isa. 42:3;
“And Jesus said unto
them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have
faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain,
Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be
impossible unto you.” – Matt. 17:20;
“And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.” – Luke 17:5.
Q. How do you know that such a man hath faith?
A. These desires and prayers
are testimonies of the Spirit, whose property is to stir up a longing
and a lusting after heavenly things with sighs and groans for
God’s favour and mercy in Christa. Now where the Spirit of Christ
is, there is Christ dwelling, and where Christ dwelleth, there is true
faith, how weak soever it beb.
a “And not only they,
but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we
ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the
redemption of our body....Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our
infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but
the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which
cannot be uttered.” – Rom. 8:23,26; “And because
ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your
hearts, crying, Abba, Father.” – Gal. 4:6;
“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness:
for they shall be filled.” – Matt. 5:6.
b “But ye are not in the
flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.
Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”
– Rom. 8:9; “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by
faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love”
– Eph. 3:17.
Q. What is the greatest measure of faith?
A. When a man daily increasing
in faith comes to be fully persuaded of God’s love in Christ
towards himself particularly, and of the forgiveness of his own sins.
“For I am persuaded,
that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor
powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth,
nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of
God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Rom.
8:38,39;
“Set me as a seal upon
thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death;
jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire,
which hath a most vehement flame. Many waters cannot quench love,
neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance
of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.”
– Song 8:6,7.
Q. When shall a Christian heart come to this full assurance?
A. Not at the first, but in
some continuance of time, when he hath been well practiced in
repentance, and hath had divers experiences of God’s love to him
in Christ; then after them will appear in his heart the fulness of
persuasiona, which is ripeness and strength of faithb.
a “I have fought a good
fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth
there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the
righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but
unto all them also that love his appearing.” – 2 Tim.
4:7,8; “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of
my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.”
– Psa. 23:6 cf. vv.1-4.
b “He staggered not at
the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving
glory to God; and being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he
was able also to perform.” – Rom. 4:20,21.
Q. What benefits doth a man receive by faith in Christ?
A. Hereby he is justified before God, and sanctified.
“But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us
wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption”
– 1 Cor. 1:30;
“And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.” – Acts 15:9;
“For what saith the
scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for
righteousness.” – Rom. 4:3.
Q. What is this, to be justified before God?
A. It comprehendeth two
things: the first, to be cleared from the guiltiness and punishment of
sin; the second, to be accepted as perfectly righteous before God.
“Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.” – Rom. 8:33.
Q. How is a man cleared from the guiltiness and punishment of his sins?
A. By Christ’s sufferings and death upon the cross.
“In the body of his
flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and
unreproveable in his sight” – Col. 1:22;
“Who his own self bare
our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins,
should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.”
– 1 Pet. 2:24;
“But if we walk in the
light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and
the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”
– 1 John 1:7.
Q. How is he accepted for righteous before God?
A. By the righteousness of Christ imputed to him.
“For he hath made him to
be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness
of God in him.” – 2 Cor. 5:21.
Q. What profit comes by being thus justified?
A. Hereby, and by no other
means in the world, the believer shall be accepted before God’s
judgment seat as worthy of eternal life by the merits of the same
righteousness of Christ.
“Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.” – Rom. 4:7;
“And the Spirit and the
bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that
is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life
freely.” – Rev. 22;17.
Q. Do not good works then make us worthy of eternal life?
A. No, for God, who is perfect
righteousness itself, will find in the best works we do more matter of
damnation than of salvation, and therefore we must rather condemn
ourselves for our good works, than look to be justified before God
thereby.
“And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight
shall no man living be justified.” – Psa. 143:2;
“But we are all as an
unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we
all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us
away.” – Isa. 64:6;
“If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand.” – Job 9:3.
Q. How may a man know that he is justified before God?
A. He need not ascend into
heaven to search the secret counsel of God, but rather descend into his
own heart to search whether he be sanctified or not.
“There is therefore now
no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after
the flesh, but after the Spirit.” – Rom. 8:1;
“ Whosoever is born of
God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot
sin, because he is born of God.” – 1 John 3:9.
Q. What is it to be sanctified?
A. It comprehendeth two
things: the first, to be purged from the corruption of his own nature;
the second, to be endued with inward righteousness.
Q. How is the corruption of sin purged?
A. By the merits and power of
Christ’s death, which being by faith applied is as a corrosive to
abate, consume and weaken the power of all sin.
“Knowing this, that our
old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed,
that henceforth we should not serve sin.” – Rom. 6:6;
“Forasmuch then as
Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with
the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from
sin; that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to
the lusts of men, but to the will of God.” – 1 Pet. 4:1,2.
Q. How is a man endued with inherent righteousness?
A. Through the virtue of
Christ’s resurrection; which being applied by faith is a
restorative to revive a man that is dead in sin to newness of life.
“Therefore we are buried
with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from
the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in
newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness
of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his
resurrection” – Rom. 6:4,5;
“That I may know him,
and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his
sufferings, being made conformable unto his death”
– Phil. 3:10.
Q. In what part of man is sanctification wrought?
A. In every part of body and soul.
“And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God
your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” – 1 Thess. 5:23.
Q. In what time is it wrought?
A. It is begun in this life,
in which the faithful receive only the firstfruits of the Spirit, and
it is not finished before the end of this life.
“And not only they, but
ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we
ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the
redemption of our body.” – Rom. 8:23;
“For in this we groan,
earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from
heaven: if so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.”
– 2 Cor. 5:2,3.
Q. What graces of the Spirit do usually shew themselves in the heart of a man sanctified?
A. The hatred of sin, and the love of righteousness.
“I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love.” – Psa. 119:113;
“I have preached
righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my
lips, O LORD, thou knowest.” – Psa. 40:9;
“I will set no wicked
thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it
shall not cleave to me.” – Psa. 101:3;
“For I delight in the law of God after the inward man” – Rom. 7:22.
Q. What proceeds of them?
A. Repentance, which is a
settled purpose in the heart, with a careful endeavour to leave all his
sins and to live a Christian life according to all God’s
commandments.
“Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.” – Psa. 119:2;
“Thou art my portion, O LORD: I have said that I would keep thy words.” – Psa.119:57;
“I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love.” – Psa. 119:113.
Q. What goeth with repentance?
A. A continual fighting and
struggling against the assaults of a man’s own flesh against the
motions of the devil and the enticements of
the world.
“For the flesh lusteth
against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are
contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye
would.” – Gal. 5:17;
“Put on the whole armour
of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness in high places.” – Eph.
6:11,12.
Q. What followeth after a man hath gotten the victory in any temptation or affliction?
A. Experience of God’s love in Christ, and so increase of peace of conscience, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
“And not only so, but we
glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
and patience, experience; and experience, hope” – Rom.
5:3,4;
“That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge” – 1 Cor. 1:5.
Q. What followeth if in any temptation he be overcome and through infirmity fall?
A. After a while there will
arise a godly sorrow, which is when a man is grieved for no other cause
in the world, but for this only, that by his sin he hath displeased
God, who hath been unto him a most merciful and loving Father.
“For though I made you
sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I
perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but
for a season. Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye
sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner,
that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.” – 2 Cor.
7:8,9;
“And Peter remembered
the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou
shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.”
– Matt. 26:75.
Q. What sign is there of this sorrow?
A. The true sign of it is
this, when a man can be grieved for the very disobedience of God in his
evil word or deed, though he should never be punished, and though there
were neither heaven nor hell.
“For this is
thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering
wrongfully.” – I Pet. 2:19.
Q. What follows after this sorrow?
A, Repentance renewed afresh.
“For behold this
selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness
it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what
indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal,
yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be
clear in this matter.” – 2 Cor. 7:11.
Q. By what signs will this repentance appear?
A. By seven:
1. A care to leave the sin into which he is fallen.
2. An utter condemning of himself for it, with a craving of pardon.
3. A great anger against himself for his carelessness.
4. A fear lest he should fall into the same sin again.
5. A desire ever after to please God.
6. A zeal of the same.
7. Revenge upon himself for his former offence.
“For behold this
selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness
it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what
indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal,
yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be
clear in this matter.” – 2 Cor. 7:11.
The Fifth Principle expounded
Q. What outward means must we use to obtain faith, and all the blessings of God which come by faith?
A. The preaching of God’s word, and the administration of the sacraments, and prayer.
“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” – Prov. 29:18;
“How then shall they
call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe
in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a
preacher?” – Rom. 10:14;
“Go ye therefore, and
teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even
unto the end of the world. Amen.” – Matt. 28:19,20;