by forming them out of an Antecedent Matter: So he made this Vifible World, as we Read, Gen. s. 11. 2. By whom did God make the World? A. By his Son; fometimes call'd The Word: Jobni. 3. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made. And again, Verse 10. The World was made by Him. Comp. Coloff. i. 16. Heb. i. 2. 12.2. Was this Son, the fame JESUS, who afterwards came into the World, to publifh the Gofpel, and Die for Us? A. So the Scriptures exprefly tell us, Heb. i. 1, 2. God who at fundry Times, and in divers Manners, fpake in Time paft unto the Fathers by the Prophets, Hath in thefe laft Days Spoken unto Us by his Son; by whom also he made the Worlds. And St. Paul, fpeaking of Him, In Whom we bave Redemption through his Blood, even the Forgiveness of Sins; Col. i. 14. tells us, Verfe 16. That by Him were All things Created, that are in Heaven and that are in Earth, Vifible and Invisible; Whether they be Thrones, or Dominions, or Principalities, or Powers, all things were Created by him, and for him; and he is before all things, and by him all things Confift 13. 2. Is there any thing more comprehended in this Article, with relation to God the Father? 6. A. This only; That as God, at the Be- Neh. ix. 6. ginning, thus Created All things; fo having Pfal. xxxvi. Created them, he has ever fince continued to Support and Preferve them, Heb. i. 3. And that fo particularly, that there is not the leaft Thing in the World, to which his Providence does not extend itfelf, Mat. vi. 26, 28, 29, 30. X. 29, 30. 14. 2. Why do you profefs to Believe all this of God? of Jefus John xiv. 1. 23. A. Because though fome part of it might have been discover'd by Natural Reafon, and accordingly was found out by the wifer Heathens; yet the full, and perfect Knowledge of all this is due to Revelation: And by the Accounts we have of these things in the Holy Scriptures, we both more clearly Understand Them, and are more firmly perfuaded of the Truth of Them. A. It contains a fhort Account of all fuch things as are neceffary to be known, and believed by Us, concerning our Lord and Saviour JESUS Chrift. 2. 2. How is He here defcribed to Us? A. By his Perfon, his Offices, his Relation to God, and to Us. And in Jesus Chriß his only on our Lord. 3. 2. How is his Perfon fet out to Us, in this Article? A. By the Name, which he went by whilst He was upon Earth; JESUS. 4. 2. How came our Saviour to be called by that Name? A. He was fo called by the express Command of God, deliver'd by an Angel; first to the Bleed Virgin, Luke i. 31. and then to Jofeph, Mat. i. 21. 5. 2. Is there any particular Significancy in that Name, that fhould move God in fuch an Extraordinary manner to give it to Him? A. There A. There is: For it denotes a Saviour, and was given by God to our bleffed Lord to fhew, that He was to be the Saviour of the World; Luke ii. 11, and that No other was to be fo: Mat. i. 21. Thou 21. halt call his Name Jefus, for He fhall Save his Axiii. 23. People from their Sins. Acts iv. 12. Neither is there Salvation in any Other; for there is none other Name under Heaven given among Men, whereby we must be faved. 6. 2. How was this Jefus to Save the World? A. By delivering Us both from the Power, and from the Punishment of our Sins; and by putting us in a way of attaining unto Everlafting Salvation. As v. 30, 31. Tit. ii. 11, &c. Rom. vi. 4, 5, &c. 7. 2. What is the Title given to our Blessed Lord, with refpect to his Offices? 1 Tim. i. 15. -- ix, 22. X. 24. xi. 27. A. He is called CHRIST; which is the John vii. 41, fame in Greek that MESSIAS is in Hebrew, 42. or Syriac: And is as much as to fay, the Anointed. John i. 41. We have found the Meffias, As ix. 22. which is, being interpreted, the Chrift. John In the iv. 25. I know that Meffias cometh, which is Margin, the called Chrift. 8. 2. Why had our Saviour this Title given to Him? Anointed, A. To fhew, that as by the Ceremony of Anointing heretofore, God confecrated those whom he called to fome certain Offices; fo was this Fefus to be feparated, though not by a Vifible Unc-. tion, yet by the Invifible Power, and Grace of the Holy Spirit, for all thofe Offices, to which Men were Anointed, by God's Command, un- Luke iv. 18. der the Law. Acts x. 38. God Anointed Jefus of Acts iv, 27. Nazareth, with the Holy Ghoft, and with Power. 9.2. What were thofe Offices, to which Men were confecrated, by the Ceremony of Anointing, under the Law? A. They C 5 Ifai. xlii. I. xii. 18. A. They were chiefly three; to the Offices of a Prophet, a Prieft, and a King. 10. 2. Was our Saviour to be confecrated to All Thefe ? A. He was; and that by exprefs Prophecies before his Coming into the World. xlv. cx. Deut. xviii. 15, 18, &c. 1xi. 1. See Pfalm Ifai. ix. 6. 11. 2. How did God Anoint him to thefe Offices? A. The Holy Ghoft came upon him; and God Comp. Mat, by a Voice from Heaven, declared him to be his Beloved Son, Mat. iii. 16, 17. and commanded all the World to hear him: Mat. xvii. 5. And he Received the Spirit without meafure, for the Difcharge of all of Them, John iii. 34. Ifai. Ixi. 1. Comp. Luke iv. 18. Acts iii. 18, 22. x. 43. ---xxvi. 22, 27. a Mat. xii, 23. 12. 2. You fay, that God before spake by his Holy Prophets of fuch a Chrift: Did the Jews know that he had done fo? A. Yes, They did: And at that very time that Chrift came into the World, they Generally expected the Coming of Him. Mat. xi. z. John iv. 25. vii. 31. Luke iii. 15. 13. 2. How then came it to pafs, that They did not more readily Receive him? A. Because they had flatter'd themfelves with the Expectation of a temporal Prince; who should deliver them from their Enemies; and Reftore again the Kingdom unto Ifrael: Luke xxiv. 21. Acts i. 6. And therefore they could not bear the difappointment of Receiving fuch a Meffias, as our Saviour profeffed himfelf to be. Acts xiii. 27. 14. 2. What Security have we, that this was indeed the Meffias, of whom Mofes, and the Prophets Spake? A. The Greatest that can be Imagin'd. He came at the exact Time that the Meffiah was to Come. Gen. xlix. 10. Malach. iii. 1. Dan.ix. 25, 26. a He defcended of the Tribe out of which the Meffiah was to proceed. Gen. xlix. Mat. xxii. Luke i. 27, 34. Befides all which, he had fuch Be e He im C Luke i. 17. Mal. iv. 5. Mat. iii. 3. Mark i. 2, 3. Mat. xi. 5. John iii. 2. Acts ii. 22. d ---.xxi. 25. to be Gainfaid. God raised up a Singular e Ifa. xl. 3. Forerunner to prepare the Way for him. ing come into the World, He own'd him, by a Voice from Heaven, to be his Son: Mat. iii. 17. xvii. 5. He himself wrought fuch Miracles, as no one ever did: John vii. 31. powered his Difciples to work the Same Miracles in his Name, and for the Confirmation of his Authority, Mat. x. 7, 8. Mark xvi. 17, 18. Being put to Death at the Inftigation of the Jews, He was by God Raifed again the Third Day See below, from the Dead; and, in the prefence of his Sect. xii Difciples, vifibly taken up into Heaven, where he now fitteth at the Right-hand of God. Acts i. 3, 9. 15. 2. You faid that Jefus was called Chrift, because he was to be Confecrated by the Holy Ghoft to the feveral Offices, to which Men were anointed under the Law: Tell me therefore, How does it appear, that this Christ was a Prophet? с Jo. xiv. 12. A. It is manifest that He exercised all the Parts of the Prophetick Office. He foretold things to Come. John ii. 19. Mat. xvii. 22, 23. xxiv. 2, &c. f He declared God's Will to the World: f Mat. v. vi. And he commiffion'd his Difciples, to Go and vii. Publifh the fame Doctrine of Salvation to all Mankind. Mat. xxviii. 19, 20. Mark xvi. 15. 16. 2. How do you believe Chrift to have been a Prieft, feeing he was not descended of a Prieftly Tribe, or Family? Heb. vii. 14. A. As Luke ix. 35. Heb, i, I. |