A SHORT CATECHISM Composed By Mr. James Noyes, Late Teacher of the Church of CHRIST in NEWBURY, in New-England. For the use of the Children there.
BOSTON, Printed by Bartholomew Green. 1694.
A Short CATECHISM By way of Question and Answer.
Quest.Joh. 7 46. Joh 14.29 1 Joh 2.20. 2 Tim. 2 16, 17 Ro. 16 26 Rom 10.9. 1 Joh. 5 1. Joh. 17.2 Act. 8 37. Joh 6.40. 1 Joh 4.15. & 3 6. HOw do the Scriptures prove themselves to be true?
Answ. By the holiness of the matter, by the majesty of the style, by the accomplishment of the Prophesies, by the efficacy of their power on the hearts of men, besides the holy Ghost beareth witness, helping us to discern the truth of them.
Q. What is the sum of the Scriptures?
A. A Doctrine of a godly life.
Q. Wherein consists a godly life?
A. In the obedience of Faith.
Q. What is Faith?
A. Faith is an effectual assent to the Doctrine of the Scriptures, especially concerning the Grace of God in Christ.
[Page 4]Q. What doth the Scripture reveal concerning God?
A. His Nature, and his Acts.
Q. What is revealed concerning his Nature?
A. His Essence, and his Persons.
Q. How is the Essence of God made manifest?
A. By his Names, and Attributes.
Q. What are his Attributes?
A. His Independency, Unity, Immutability, Eternity, Infiniteness, Omnipresence, Omnipotency, Wisdom, Omnisciency, Holiness, Blessedness, Soveraignty, Goodness, Mercy, Meekness, Clemency, Justice and Verity.
Q. How many Persons are there in the Godhead?
A. Three, Father, Son, and Holy-Ghost;1 Joh. 5 7. Mat. 28.19. 2 Cor. 13.14. Job 1.1 Acts 5.3, 4. 1 Cor. 8 6. and every one of these is God, and yet there is but one God.
Q. How many-fold are the acts of God?
A. Twofold, eternal and temporal.
Q. What are the eternal acts of God?
A. His Decrees.
Q. How many-fold are his Decrees?
A. Twofold, general and particular.
[Page 5]Q. What is the general Decree of God?
A. An eternal act of God whereby he did determine to make the World, and dispose of all things therein.
Q. What are the particular Decrees of God?
A. Election and Reprobation.
Q. What is Election?
A. An eternal act of God, whereby he did determine to glorifie himself in saving a certain number of persons through Faith in Christ.Eph 1 4, 5, 6.
Q. What is Reprobation?
A. An eternal act of God, whereby he did determine to glorifie himself in condemning a certain number of persons for their sins.Rom. 9 22. 1 Pet. 2 8 Jud 4
Q. What are the temporal acts of God?
A. Creation, preservation and Government.
Q. How many-fold is his Government?
A. Twofold: general and special.
Q. What is the general Government?
A. A temporal act of God,Mat. 10.29, 30 Acts. 17 28. Jer. 31 31, 32. whereby he doth dispose of all creatures according to a general Providence.
Q. What is the special Government of God?
A. A temporal act of God whereby [Page 6] he doth dispose of the reasonable creature according to a special Covenant.
Q. How many Covenants hath God made with man?
A. Two: The Covenant of the Law, and the Covenant of the Gospel,
Q. What is the Covenant of the Law?
A. A promise of Life on perfect and personal Obedience.Gal 3 11, 12
Q. What is the Covenant of the Gospel?
A. A promise of life upon Faith in Christ.
Mark 16, 16Q. What is the Occasion of the Covenant of the Gospel?
A. Adams Sin.
Ro 5.17Q. What is Sin?
1 Joh. 3 4 A. A breach of Gods Law.
Q. How many kinds of Sin are there?
A. Two: Original and Actual.
Q. What is Original Sin?
Eph. 4 22. Rom 7.23. 1 Joh 3 4. A. A Being contrary to Gods Law.
Q. What is Actual Sin?
A. A Doing contrary to Gods Law.
Q. What are the effects of Sin?
A. Guilt and Punishment.
Q. What is Guilt?
A. A liableness to Punishment.
Rom. 3 19.23Q. What is Punishment?
[Page 7] A. An infliction of evil for sin;Rom. 5 12. & 6 23. namely, Death temporal and eternal.
Q. How may we escape eternal Death?
A. By the covenant of the Gospel only.Rom. 3 23, 24.
Q. Can we not escape death by the Covenant of the Law?
A. No: because we cannot perform the condition of it, which is perfect Obedience:Heb. 12.20. Rom 3.20. Joh. 15.5. yea by reason of the Fall of Adam, we cannot do any good thing.
Q. Can we perform the condition of the Covenant of the Gospel?
A. Yes: because God hath shewed us in his Scriptures, that he will help us through Faith in Christ to perform the condition of it.Jer. 31.33.
Q. What is Christ?
A. The eternal Son of God,Joh. 1.14 Heb. [...].16. Isai. 9.6 Rom. 9.5. and both God and Man.
Q. VVhat are we to consider in Jesus Christ?
A. His Natures, his personal Union, and his Offices.
Q. How many Natures h [...]h Christ?
A. Two: the Nature of God, and the Nature of Man; otherwise called the Divine Nature and the Humane.
Q. What is the personal union of Christ?
[Page 8] Phil. 2 6, 7, 8 A. The Subsistence of the Humane nature in the second person of the Deity.
Q. VVhat are the Offices of Christ?
1 Tim. 2 5. Zech 9.9 Psal 110.4 Deut 18 19 Titus 2 14A. His Mediatorship, Kingship, Priesthood and Prophetship.
Q. VVhat is the work of Christs Office?
A. Redemption.
Q. VVhat is Redemption?
A. A deliverance of the Elect from Sin and misery, by the price of Christs Obedience.
Q. How many fold is Christ Obedience?
A. Twofold, active and passive.
Q. VVhat is his active Obedience?
A. A Doing the will of God.
Rom. 8 4. Matt. 3.15. Isa. 53 12Q. VVhat is his passive Obedience?
A. His Suffering the Will of God, even to the Death of the Cross.
Q. VVhat is the Application of Redemption?
A. A giving of the Spirit, in and with the graces of the Spirit.Eph. 2 5, 6 2 Tim 1 9
Q. VVhat are the graces of the Spirit?
A. Vocation, Justification, Adoption and Glorification.
Q. VVhat is Vocation?
A. A grace of the Spirit, whereby God doth give Faith and Repentance unto his elect ones.Rom. 8 30
[Page 9]Q. VVhat is Faith? Mat 16 28
A. A sight of the grace of the Gospel whereby we come to cleave to God in Christ above all things for Salvation.Acts 2 38 Mar 1.1
Or else a belief that God will pardon our sins in the way of Repentance for Christs sake.
Q. VVhat is Repentance? Psa. 37 27 Zec 12.10 Hos 14 2, 3
A. An overcoming purpose to forsake sin with sorrow for sin.
Q. VVhat is Justification?
A. A grace of the Spirit whereby God doth accept and pronounce all those that are called, to be just unto eternal life.Rom 8 30
Q. VVhat is Adoption?
A. A grace of the Spirit, whereby God doth accept and pronounce all those that are called, to be his Children,Rom 8 14, 15, 16, 17 and heirs unto eternal life.
Q. What is Glorification?
A. A grace of the Spirit, whereby God doth translate a man out of the misery of sin, into blessedness.Rom 8 30
Q. How is the Application of Redemption made known?
A. By the experiencing of the graces of the Spirit,1 Thes 1.4, 5, 6 7 Rom 8.15 and by the witness of the Spirit helping us to discern the truth of them.
[Page 10]Q What is the subject of Redemption?
A The Church.
Q What are the means of applying Redemption?
Rom 10 13, 14, 15A They are especially publick Ministery and private duties.
Q What are the Ministerial acts?
A Preaching of the Word, Prayer, Administration of the Sacraments,Mat 28 19 1 Tim 2:1 Mat 18 17 & 16:19 and Discipline.
Q What is a Sacrament?
A A visible sign instituted by God for the confirmation of the Covenant.
Q How many Sacraments are there?
A Two, Baptism & the Lords Supper.
Q What is the sign signifying in Baptism?
A Water & the washing with water.
Q What is the thing signifi [...]?
1 Pet 3 21 Rom 6:4A. The blood of Christ washing away our sins unto eternal life.
Q What is the thing signifying in the Lords Supper?
A The Bread and Wine: the Bread broken, and the Wine poured out, the giving and receiving of it.
Q VVhat is the thing signified in the Lords Supper?
[Page 11] A. The Body of Christ broken on the Cross, his Blood shed for our sins,1 Cor 11 23, 24, 25, 26. Joh 6 51 offered to sinners in the way of believing, and received by Faith, for assurance of eternal life.
Q. What is Discipline?
A A Correction of scandalous Professors by Church Censures.Mat. 18 17
Q What is the season of attending the publick Ministery?
A Especially on the first day of the week, or Lords-Day.Acts. 20 7 Mat. 24.2 Hos. 13 14 Isai 63.34
Q When is Redemption consummated?
A In the Resurrection at the last Judgment, at the second coming of Christ.
Q How many Commandments are there?
A Ten.
Q Into how many Tables are the Commandments divided?
A Into two Tables.Deut. 4.13 Mat 22 37, 38.
Q What doth the first Table contain?
A Our duties towards God, or Duties of Religious Worship, in the four first Commandments.
Q What doth the second Table contain?
A Our Duties towards the Creature, in the six last.Mat 22 39, 40. [...]. 1 [...] [...]
Q What is contained in the first Commandment?
[Page 12] A. Natural Worship; in Faith, Hope, Love, Fear, hearing the Word & Prayer.
Q What is Hope?
Psa 73 25 1 Cor 13.13 Deu. 6.5 A A cleaving to God as our chiefest good, for blessedness.
Q What is Love?
A. A cleaving to God as the chiefest good, and deserving all Glory.
Q What is Fear?
Deu. 6.13 Heb 12.28 Eph 4 11, 12 Mat 28 19 1 Cor 11 23, 24 Mat 18 17 Heb. 12 28 Psa. 132 7 & 110 3 Psa 141 2 & 55 [...]7 Act 20.7 A An admiring & adoring of Gods Holiness, and all his perfections.
Q What is contained in the second Commandment?
A Instituted Worship; in Ministry, Sacraments, and Discipline.
Q What is contained in the third Commandment?
A A due manner of Worship, in reverence, devotion and alacrity.
Q What is contained in the fourth Commandment?
A A due time of Worship, as all due seasons, Morning and Evening, especially on the Lords Day.
Q What is contained in the fifth Commandment?
A A due respect to the good name or dignity of our Neighbour, in humility, gratitude and obedience.
[Page 13] Q What is humility?
A A grace which moderateth the love of excellency.1 Pet 5 5 Phil 2:3 Rom 12:16 1 Sam 30:26, 31 2 Sam 9:1 1 Pet 2 13
Q What is gratitude?
A A grace which disposeth us to recompence benefits.
Q What is Obedience?
A A grace which disposeth us to honour all such [...] are in authority, by being subject.
Q What is contained in the sixth Commandment?
A A due respect to the life of our Neighbour, in goodness, mercy, meekness, and patience.
Q What is goodness?
A A grace which disposeth us to shew kindness to all.1 Cor 13:4 Luk 6 36
Q What is Mercy?
A A grace which disposeth us to relieve all such as are in misery.
Q. What is Meekness?
A A grace which moderateth anger and revenge.Numb 12:3 1 Pet 3 4 Luk 21 19 Col 1:11
Q What is Patience?
A A grace which moderateth grief in affliction.
Q What is contained in the seventh Commandment?
[Page 14] A A due respect to the purity of our Neighbour, in temperance, chastity modesty, gravity.
Q What is Temperance?
A A grace which moderateth affection to all sensual pleasures.
Tit 3 3 Q What is Chastity?
A A grace which regulateth the lusts of the flesh.1 Thess 4.3, 4, 5 1 Tim 2:9
Q What is Modesty?
A A grace which restraineth us from wantonness.
Q What is Gravity?
A A grace which inclineth us to purity.1 Pet 3 2, 3
Q What is contained in the eighth Commandment?
A A due respect to the goods of our Neighbour, in righteousness, liberality, and frugality.
Q What is Righteousness?
Rom 13 7 Mic 6:8 A A grace which inclineth us to give all men their due.
Q What is Liberality?
A A grace which inclineth us to communicate our goods freely to our Neighbour. [...] 12 [...]
Q What is Frugality?
[Page 15] A A grace which inclineth us to be Provident and diligent in our calling.Prov 31 27
Q What is contained in the ninth Commandment?
A A due respect to the innocency of our Neighbour in verity and fidelity.
Q What is Verity?
A. A grace which inclineth us to speak the truth for our Neighbours good.Zech [...] 16
Q What is Fidelity?
A A grace which inclineth us to keep our Promises.Psal. 15 4
Q What is contained in the tenth Commandment?
A A due respect to the prosperity of our Neighbour,Rom 1 [...] 15 in rejoycing in his prosperity, and accepting our own portion with contentation.
Q What is Contentation?
A A grace which inclineth us to accept our own portion,1 Tim 6 6 Heb 13.5 Phil 4 11 whether good or evil, with Thanksgiving.