Q. 4. What doth the law of God require of us?

A. Christ teaches us that briefly, Mat. xxii. 37-40, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy mind, and with all thy strength. q This is the first and great command; and the second is like to this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commands hang the whole law and the prophets." Q. 5. Canst thou keep all these things perfectly?

A. In no wise; r for I am prone by nature to hate God and my neighbour. s

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III. LORD'S DAY.

Q. 6. Did God then create man so wicked and perverse ?

A. By no means; but God created man good, t and after his own image, in u righteousness and true holiness, that he might rightly know God his Creator, heartily love him, and live with him in eternal happiness, to glorify and praise him.v

Q. 7. Whence then proceeds this depravity of human nature ?

A. From the fall and disobedience of our first parents, Adam and Eve, w in Paradise; hence our nature is become so corrupt, that we are all conceived and born in sin.x

Q. 8. Are we then so corrupt that we are wholy incapable of doing any good, and inclined to all wickedness?

A. Indeed we are; y except we are regenerated by the Spirit of God.

IV. LORD'S DAY.

Q.9. Doth not God then do injustice to man, by requiring from him in his law, that which he cannot perform?

A. Not at all: a For God made man capable b of performing it; but man, by the instigation c of the devil, and his own wilful disobe dience, d deprived himself and all his posterity of those divine gifts. Q. 10. Will God suffer such disobedience and rebellion to go unpunished?

A. By no means e but is terribly displeased ƒ with our original as well as actual sins; and will punish them in his just judgment, temporally and eternally, as he hath declared, g "Cursed is every one that

continueth not in all things, which are written in the book of the law, to do them."

Q. 11. Is not God then also merciful?

A. God is indeed merciful, h but also just; i therefore his justice requires, j that sin which is committed against the most high majesty of God, be also punished with extreme, that is, with everlasting k punishment, both of body and soul.

THE SECOND PART.

OF MAN'S DELIVERANCE.

V. LORD'S DAY.

Q. 12. Since then, by the righteous judgment of God, we deserve temporal and eternal punishment, is there no way by which we may escape that punishment, and be again received into favour?

A. God will have his justice / satisfied: and therefore we must make this full m satisfaction, either by ourselves or by another.

Q. 13. Can we ourselves then make this satisfaction?

A. By no means; n but on the contrary we o daily increase our debt. Q. 14. Can there then be found any where, one, who is a mere creature, able to satisfy for us?

A. None; for first, God will not p punish any other creature for the sin which man hath committed; and further, no mere creature can sustain the burden of God's eternal wrath against sin, so as to q deliver others from it.

Q. 15. What sort of a mediator and deliverer then must we seek for? A. For one who is very man, r and perfectly righteous; and yet more powerful than all creatures; that is, one who is also very s God,

Q. 16. Why must he be very man, and also perfectly righteous? A. Because the justice of God requires that the same human nature which hath sinned, should t likewise make satisfaction for sin; and one, who is himself a sinner, u cannot satisfy for others.

Q. 17. Why must he in one person be also very God?

A. That he might, by the power of his Godhead v sustain in his hu

man nature, the burden of God's wrath; and might w obtain for, and restore to us, righteousness and life.

Q. 18. Who then is that mediator, who is in one person both very God, and a real righteous man?

A. Our Lord Jesus Christ: "who of God is made unto y us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption."

Q. 19. Whence knowest thou this?

A. From the holy gospel, which God himself revealed first in Paradise; z and afterwards published by the Patriarchs a and Prophets, and was pleased to represent it, by the shadows b of sacrifices and the other ceremonies of the law; and lastly, has accomplished it c by his only begotten Son.

VII. LORD'S DAY.

Q. 20. Are all men then, as they perished in Adam, saved by Christ?

A. No; only d those who are ingrafted into him, e and receive all his benefits, by a true faith.

Q. 21. What is true faith?

A. True faith is not only a certain knowledge, ƒ whereby I hold for truth all that God ff has revealed to us in his word, but also an assured g confidence, which the Holy h Ghost works by the gospel, i in my heart; that not only to others, but to me also, j remission of sin, everlasting righteousness k and salvation, are freely given by God, I merely of grace, only for the sake of Christ's merits.

Q. 22. What then necessary for a christian to believe ?

A. All things m promised us in the gospel, which the articles of our Catholic undoubted christian faith briefly teach us.

Q. 23. What are these articles ?

A. I. I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth:

II. And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord:

III. Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary : IV. Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried: He descended into hell:

V. The third day he rose again from the dead:

VI. He ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God, the

Father Almighty:

VII. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead:

VIII. I be in the Holy Ghost:

IX. I believe an holy Catholic Church: the communion of saints:
X. The forgiveness of sins :

XI. The resurrection of the body:
XII. And the life everlasting. AMEN.

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VIII. LORD'S DAY.

Q. 24. How are these articles divided ?

A. Into three parts; the first is of God the Father, and our creation; n the second of God the Son, and our redemption; o the third of God the holy Ghost, and our sanctification.p

Q. 25. Since there is but one onlyq divine essence, why speakest thou of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost?

A. Because God hath so r revealed himself in his word, that these three distinct persons are the one only true and eternal God.

IX. LORD'S DAY.

OF GOD THE FATHER.

Q. 26. What believest thou, when thou sayest, "I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth ?"

A. That the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (who s of nothing made heaven and earth, with all that is in them; who likewise upholds and t governs the same by his eternal counsel and providence) is for the sake of Christ his son, my u God and my Father; on whom I rely so entirely, that I have no doubt, but he will provide me with all things necessary for soul and body and further, that he will make whatever evils he sends upon me, in this valley of tears, r turn out to my advantage; for he is able to do it, being almighty God, and willing, being a a faithful Father.

X. LORD'S DAY.

Q. 27. What dost thou mean by the providence of God!

A. The Almighty and every where present power of God ;y whereby, as it were by his hand, he & upholds and governs heaven, earth, and all creatures; so that herbs and grass, rain a and drought, fruitful b and barren years, meat and drink, c health and sickness, d riches and poverty, yea, all things e come, not by chance, but by his fatherly hand.

Q. 28. What advantage is it to us to know that God has created, and by his providence doth still uphold all things?

A. That we may be patient in adversity; thankful g in prosperity; and that in all things, which may hereafter befal us, we place our firm h trust in our faithful God and Father, that nothing shall i separate us from his love: since all creatures are so in his hand, that without his will they j cannot so much as move.

OF GOD THE SON.

XI. LORD'S DAY.

Q. 29. Why is the Son of God called Jesus, that is a Saviour? A. Because he saveth us, and delivereth us from our k sins; and likewise, because we ought not to seek, neither can find / salvation in any other.

Q. 30. Do such then believe in Jesus the only Saviour, who seek their salvation and happiness, of saints, of themselves, or any where else ?

A. They do not; for though they boast of him in words, yet in deeds they deny m Jesus the only deliverer and Saviour; for one of these two things must be true, either that Jesus is not a complete Saviour; or that they, who by a true faith receive this Saviour, must find all things in him n necessary to their salvation.

Q. 31. Why is he called CHRIST, that is anointed?

A. Because he is ordained of God the Father, and o anointed with