: the Holy Ghost, to be our p chief Prophet and Teacher; who has fully revealed to us the secret council and will of God concerning our redemption and to be our only High Priest, q who by the one sacrifice of his body, has redeemed us, and makes continual r intercession with the Father for us; and also to be our eternal King, s who governs us by his word and Spirit; and who defends and t preserves us in (the enjoyment of) that salvation, he has purchased for us. Q. 32. But why art thou called a christian ? A. Because I am a member of Christ u by faith, and thus am partaker v of his anointing; that so I may n confess his name, and present myself a living a sacrifice of thankfulness to him: and also that with a free and good conscience I may fight against sin and y Satan in this life: and afterwards z reign with him eternally, over all creatures. XIII. LORD'S DAY. Q. 33. Why is Christ called the only begotten Son of God, since we are also the children of God? A. Because Christ alone is the eternal and natural Son of a God; but we are children b adopted of God, by grace, for his sake. Q. 34. Wherefore callest thou him our Lord ? A. Because he hath redeemed us, both soul and body, from all our sins, not with gold or silver, c but with his precious blood, and hath delivered us from all the power of the devil; and thus hath made us his own property. XIV. LORD'S DAY. Q. 35. What is the meaning of these words" He was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary ?" A. That God's eternal Son, who d is, and continueth true and eternal e God,f took upon him the very nature of man, of the flesh and g blood of the Virgin Mary, by the operation of the Holy Ghost; h that he might also be the true seed of David, i like unto his brethren in all things, j sin excepted. e Rom. 9. 5. Mat. 1. 18. Rom. 1. 3. i Phil. 2. 7. j Heb. 4. 15. 1 John 5. 20. Psa. Q. 36. What proft dost thou receive by Christ's holy conception and nativity ? A. That he is our k mediator; and with his innocence and perfect holiness, covers in the sight of kk God, my sins, wherein I was conceived and brought forth. ཝཾཝཾ“ཝཾཝཾརཔཉྩ�22v XV. LORD'S DAY. Q. 37. What dost thou understand by the words, "He suffered ?" A. That he, all the time that he lived on earth, but especially at the end of his life, I sustained in body and soul, the wrath of God against the sins of all mankind: that so by his passion, as the only propitiatory m sacrifice, he might redeem our body and soul from everlasting damnation, and obtain for us the favour of God, righteousness and eternal life. Q. 38. Why did he suffer under Pontius Pilate, as his judge? A. That he, being innocent, and yet condemned n by a temporal judge, might thereby free us from the severe judgment of God to which we were exposed. o Q. 39. Is there any thing more in his being crucified, than if he had died some other death? A. Yes [there is]; for thereby I am assured, that he took on him the curse which lay upon me; for the death of the cross was p accursed of God. XVI. LORD'S DAY. Q. 40. Why was it necessary for Christ to humble himself even unto death ? A. Because with respect to the justice and truth of God, satisfaction for our sins could be made q no otherwise than by the death of the Son r of God. Q. 41. Why was he also "buried ?" A. Thereby, to prove that he s was really dead. Q. 42. Since then Christ died for us, why must we also die? A. Our death is not a satisfaction for our sins, but only an abolishing of sin, and a passage into t eternal life. Q. 43. What further benefit do we receive from the sacrifice and death of Christ on the cross? A. That by virtue thereof, our old man is crucified, dead, and tt buried with him; that so the corrupt inclinations of the flesh may no more k Heb. 2. 16, 17. 1 Cor. 1. 30. Isa. 53. 12. o Gal. 3. 13, 14. p Deut. 21. 23. Gal. 3. 13. Phil. 2. 8. v reign in us; but that we may r offer ourselves unto him a sacrifice of thanksgiving. Q. 44. Why is there added, "he descended into hell ?" A. That in my greatest temptations, I may be assured, and wholly comfort myself in this, that my Lord Jesus Christ, by his inexpressible anguish, pains, terrors, and hellish agonies, in which he was plunged during all his sufferings, but especially on the cross, hath a delivered me from the anguish and torments of hell. XVII. LORD'S DAY. Q. 45. What doth the resurrection of Christ profit us? A. First, by his resurrection he hath overcome death, that he might y make us partakers of that righteousness which he had purchased for us by his death; secondly, we are also by his power, z raised up to a new life; and lastly, the resurrection of Christ is a a sure pledge of our blessed resurrection. **ཝཾན�ཅེvan XVIII. LORD'S DAY. Q. 46. How dost thou understand these words, "he ascended into heaven ?" A. That Christ, in sight of his disciples, was b taken up from earth into heaven; and that he continues c there for our interest, until he come again to judge the quick and the dead. Q. 47. Is not Christ then with us even to the end of the world, as he hath promised? A. Christ is very man and very God: with respect to his d human nature, he is no more on earth; but with respect to his e Godhead, majesty, grace and Spirit, he is at no time absent from us. Q. 48. But if his human nature is not present wherever his Godhead is, are not then these two natures in Christ separated from one another? A. Not at all: for since the Godhead is incomprehensible and ƒ omnipresent, it must necessarily follow, that g the same is not limited with the human nature he assumed, and yet remains personally united to it. Q. 49. Of what advantage to us is Christ's ascension into heaven? A. First, that he is our h advocate in the presence of his Father in heaven: secondly, that we have our flesh in heaven as a sure pledge, that he as the head will also i take up to himself, us his members: third ly, that hej sends us his Spirit as an earnest, by whose power we "seek the things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God, k and not things on earth." ་་་རབ XIX. LORD'S DAY. Q. 50. Why is it added, "and sitteth at the right hand of God ?" A. Because Christ is ascended into heaven for this end, that he might there l appear as head of his church, by whom the Father m governs all things. Q. 51. What profit is this glory of Christ our head unto us ? A. First, that by his holy Spirit he n poureth out heavenly graces upon us his members: and then that by his power he defends o and preserves us against all enemies. Q. 52. What comfort is it to thee that "Christ shall come again to judge the quick and the dead ?" A. That in all my sorrows and persecutions, with uplifted head p I look for the very same person (who before offered himself for my sake, to the tribunal of God and hath removed all curse from me) to come as judge from heaven: who shall cast all his q and my enemies into everlasting condemnation, but shall translate r me with all his chosen ones to himself, into heavenly joys and glory. XX. LORD'S DAY. OF GOD THE HOLY GHOST. Q. 53. What dost thou believe concerning the Holy Ghost? A. First, that he is true and co-eternal God with the Father and the s Son: secondly, that he is also given t me, to u make me by a true faith partaker of Christ and all his benefits, that he may v comfort me and w abide with me for ever. Q. 54. What believest thou concerning the "Holy Catholic Church" of Christ? A. That the Son of God a from the y beginning to the end of the world, gathers, z defends, and a preserves to himself by his b Spirit and word, out of the c whole human race, a d church chosen to everlasting life, agreeing in true faith; and that I am, and forever shall remain, a e living member thereof. Q. 55. What do you understand by "the communion of saints?"" A. First, that all and every one who believes, being members of Christ, are in common, ƒ partakers of him, and of all his riches and gifts secondly, that every one must know it to be his duty readily and g cheerfully to employ his gifts, for the advantage and salvation of other members. Q. 56. What believest thou concerning" the forgiveness of sins ?" A. That God for the sake of h Christ's satisfaction, will no more ¿ remember my sins, neither my corrupt nature, against which I have to struggle all my life long; but will graciously impute to me the righteousness of Christ, that I may never be j condemned before the tribunal of God. ར་མར་ XXII. LORD'S DAY. Q. 57. What comfort doth the thee ? resurrection of the body" afford A. That not only my soul after this life, shall be immediately taken k up to Christ its head; but also, that this my body, being raised by the power of Christ, shall be re-united with my soul, and I made like unto the glorious body of Christ. Q. 58. What comfort takest thou from the article of " life everlasting A. That since m I now feel in my heart the beginning of eternal joy, after this life, n I shall inherit perfect salvation, which oeye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man" to conceive! and that, to praise God therein forever. Q. 59. But what doth it profit thee now that thou believest all this? A. That I am righteous in Christ, before God, and an heir of eternal life. p Q. 60. How art thou righteous before God? z Rom. 8. 29. Eph. 1. 10. a Mat. 16. 18. b. Isa. 59. 21. c Deut. 10. 14, 15. d Acts 13. 48. i Jer. 31. 34. Psa. 103. 3, 4, 10, 11. Rom. 8. 1, 2, 3. j John 3. 18. k Luke 23. 43. Phil. 1. 23. l 1 Cor. 15. 53. Job 19. 25, 26. m 2 Cor. 5. 2, 3, 6. Rom. 14. 17. n Psa. 16. 11. o 1 Cor. 2. 9. p Rom. 5. 1. Rom. 1. 17. |