Q. 3. What do the scriptures principally teach?

A. The scriptures principally teach what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man e.

Q. 4. What is God?
A. God is a spirits, infinite 5, eternal", and unchangeable ',

8, in his being k, wisdom', power m, holiness ", justice, goodness, and truth ..

Q. 5. Are there more gods than one ?
A. There is but One only, the living and true God p.
Q. 6. How many persons are there in the Godhead?

A. There are three persons in the Godhead; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory 4.

3. e 2 Tim. i. 13. Hold fast the him, and they were full of eyes form of sound words, which thou within; and they rest pot day and hast heard of me, in faith and love night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, which is in Christ Jesus. 2 Tim. Lord God Almighty, which was, iii. 16. [See in letter c.]

and is, and is to come. 4. f John iv. 24. God is a Spirit; n Rev. xv. 4. Who shall not fear and they that worship him must thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? worship him in spirit and in truth. for thou only art holy: for all na.

Job xi. 7. Canst thou by search- tions shall come and worship before ing find out God ? canst thou find thee; for thy judgments are made out the Almighty unto perfection ? manifest. Ver 8. It is as lugh as heaven, what o Exod, xxxiv. 6. And the Lord canst thou do? deeper than hell, passed by before him, and pro. what canst thou know : Ver. 9. The claimed, the Lord, the Lord God, measure thereof is longer than the merciful and gracious, long-sufferearth, and broader than the sea. ing, and abundant in goodness and

h Psal. xc. 2. Before the moun. truth, Ver. 7. Keeping mercy for tains were brought forth, or ever thousands, forgiving iniquity, and thou hadst formed the earth and the transgression, and sin, and that will world : even from everlasting to by no means clear the guilty; visi.everlasting thou art-God.

ting the iniquity of the fathers upon i James i. 17. Every good gift, the children, and upon the chil. and every perfect gift, is from above, dren's children, unto the third and and cometh down from the Father to the fourth generation. of lights, with whom is no variable. 5. p Deut. vi. 4. Hear, O Israel; ness, neither shadow of turning, the Lord our God is one Lord. Jer,

k Exod iii. 14. And God said unto x. 10. But the Lord is the true God, Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he is the living God, and an everlast. he said, Thus shalt thou say unto ing King: at his wrath the earth the children of Israel, I AM hath shall tremble, and the nations shall sent me unto yoll.

not be able to abide his indignation. 1 Psal. cxlvii. 5. Greai is our 6. q 1 John v. 7. For tbere are Lord, and of great power: his un: three that bear record in heaven, derstanding is infinite.

the Father, the Word, and the Holy m Rev. iv, 8. And the four beasts Ghost : and these three are one. had each of them six wings about Matt. xxviii. 19. Go ye therefore,

Q. 7. What are the decrees of God?

Ă. The decrees of God are, his eternal purpose, according to the counsel of his will, whereby, for his own glory, he hath foreordained whatsoever comes to pass ".

Q. 8. How doth God execute his decrees ?

A. God executeth his decrees in the works of creation and providence.

Q. 9. What is the work of creation ?

A. The work of creation is, God's making all things of nothing, by the word of his power, in the space of six days, and all very good.

Q. 10. How did God create man?

A. God created man male and female, after his own image, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, with dominion over the creatures t.

Q. 11. What are God's works of providence ?
A. God's works of providence are, his most holy ', wise W,

and teach all nations, baptizing and over the fowl of the air, and them in the name of the Father, over the cattle, and over all the and of the Son, and of the Holy earth, and over every creeping Ghost.

thing that creepeth upon the earth, 7. Eph. i. 4. According as he hath Ver. 27. Su God created man in his chosen us in him before the founda- own image: in the image of God tion of the world, that we should be created lie him ; male and female holy, and without blame before him created he them. Ver. 28. And God in love. Ver. 11. In whom also we blessed them, and God said unto have obtained an inheritance, being them, be fruitful, and multiply, and predestinated according to the pur replenish the earth, and subdue it: pose of him who worketh all things and have dominion over the fish of afier the counsel of his own will. the sea, and over the fuwl of the Rom. ix. 22. What if God, willing air, and over every living thing that to shew his wrath, and to make his moveth upon the earih. Col. iii. power known, endured with much 10. And have put on the new man, Jong-suffering the vessels of wrath which is renewed in ko wledge, fitted to destruction; Ver 23. And after the image of him that created that he might make known the him. Eph. iv. 24. And that ye put riches of his glory on the vessels of on the new man, which after God mercy, which he had afure prepared is created in righteousness and unto glory?

true holiness, 9 s Gen. i. throughout Heb. xi. 3. 11. u Psal. cxlv. 17. The Lord is Through faith we understand that righ:eous in all his ways, and holy the worlds were framed by the word in all his works. of God, so that things which are w Psal. civ. 24. O Lord, how seen were not made of things which manifold are thy works ! in wisdom do appear.

hast thou made them all: the earth 10. * Gen. i. 26. And God said, is full of thy riches. Isa. xxviii. 29. Let us make man in our image, after This also cometh forth from the our likeness: and let them have Lord of hosts, which is wonderful in dominion over the fish of the sea, counsel, and excellent in working

and powerful preserving' and governing all his creatures, and all their actions y.

Q. 12. What special act of providence did God exercise toward man in the estate wherein he was created ?

A. When God had created man, he entered into a covenant of life with him, upon condition of perfect obedience ; forbid

e ding him to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, upon the pain of death *.

Q. 13. Did our first parents continue in the estate wherein they were created?

A. Our first parents, being left to the freedom of their own will, fell from the estate wherein they were created, by sinning against Goda.

Q. 14. What is sin?

A. Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of Godb.

Q. 15. What was the sin whereby our first parents fell from the estate wherein they were created ?

A. The sin whereby our first parents fell from the estate x Heb. i. 3. Who being the bright. for food, and that it was pleasant ness of his glory, and the express to the eyes, and a tree to be de. image of his person, and upholding sired to make one wise, she took all things by the word of his power, of the fruit thereof, and did eat; when he had by himself purged our and gave also unto her husband sins, sat down on the right hand of with her, and he did eat. Ver. 7., the Majesty on high,

And the eyes of them both were openy Psal. ciii. 19. The Lord hath ed, and they knew that they were prepared his throne in the heavens; naked: and they sewed fig-leaves to. and his kingdom ruleth over all. gether, and made themselves aprons. Matt x. 29. Are not two sparrows Ver. 8. And they heard the voice of sold for a farthing ? and one of them the Lord God walking in the garden shall not fall on the ground without in the cool of the day: and Adam your Father. Ver. 30. But the very and his wife hic themselves from hairs of your head are all numbered. the presence of the Lord, God Ver. 31. Fear ye not therefore, ye amongst the trees of the garden. are of more value than many spar. Ver. 13. And the Lord God said un

to the woman, What is this that 12. z Gal. iii. 12. And the law is thou hast done? And the woman not of faith: but, The man that do. said, The serpent beguiled me, and eth them shall live in them. Gen. I did eat, Eccl. vii. 29. Lo, this ji. 17. But of the tree of the know. only have I founci, that God hath ledge of good and evil, thou shalt made man upright; but they have not eat of it: for in the day that sought out many inventions. thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely 14. b 1 John iii. 4. Whosoever die.

committeth sin transgresseth also 13. a Gen. iii. 6. And when the the law: for sin is the transgression woman saw that the tree was good of the law.

r'ows.

wherein they were created, was their eating the forbidden fruits,

Q. 16. Did all mankind fall in Adam's first transgresion?

A. The covenant being made with Adam, not only for himself, but for his posterity; all mankind, descending from him by ordinary generation, sinned in him, and fell with him, in his first transgression d.

Q. 17. Into what estate did the fall bring mankind?

4. The fall brought mankind into an estate of sin and miserye,

Q. 18. Wherein consists the sinfulness of that estate whereinto man fell?

A. The sinfulness of that estate whereinto man fell, consists in the guilt of Adam's first sin, the want of original righteousness, and the corruption of his whole nature, which is commonly called Original Sin ; together with all actual transgressions which proceed from it?

15. c Gen iii. 6. [See in letter a.] all have sinned. Ver. 19. For as by Ver. 12. The woman, whom thou one man's disobedience many were gavest to be with me, she gave me made sinners; so by the obedience of the tree, and I did eat

of one shall many be made righteous. 16. d Gen. ii. 16. And the Lord Rom. v. from Perse 10 to the 20. God commanded the man, saying, Eph. ii. 1. And you hath he quick. Of every tree of the garden thou ened, who were dead in trespasses mayest freely eat: Ver. 17. But of and sins. Ver. 2. Wherein in time the tree of the knowledge of good past ye walked according to the and evil, thoi! shalt not eat of it: for course of this worlıl, according to in the day that thou eatest thereof the prince of the power of the air, thou shalt surely die. Rom. v. 12. the spirit that now worktih in the Wherefore, as by one man sin en.. children of disobedience : Ver. 3. tered into the world, and death by Among whom also we all had our

and so death passed upon all conversation in times past, in the men, for that all have sinned. 1 Cor. lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the dexv. 21. For since by man

sires of the flesh and of the mind ; death, by man came also the resur. and were by nature the children of rection of the dead. Ver. 22. For wrath, even as others. James i. 14. as in Adam all die, even so in Christ But every man is tempted, when he shall all be made alive.

is drawn away of his own lusi, and 17. e Rom. v. 12. Wherefore as enticed. Ver. 15. Then when lust by one man sin entered into the hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: world, and death by sin ; and so and sin, when it is finished, bringdeath passed upon all men, for that eth forth death. Mait. xv. 19. For all have sinned.

out of the heart proceed evil 18. f Rom. v. 12. Wherefore, as thoughts, murders, adulteries, forby one man sin entered into the nications, thefts, fulse witness, blasworld, and death by sin ; and so phemies. death passed upon all men, for that

sin;

came

Q. 19. What is the misery of that estate whereinto man fell?

A. All mankind by their fall lost communion with God 8, are under his wrath and curse h, and so made liable to all the miseries in this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell for ever i.

Q. 20. Did God leave all mankind to perish in the estate of sin and misery?

A. God having, out of his mere good pleasure, from all eternity, elected some to everlasting lifek, did enter into a covenant of grace, to deliver them out of the estate of sin and misery, and to bring them into an estate of salvation by a Redeémer.

19. g Gen. iii. 8. And they heard death: but the gift of God is eterthe voice of the Lord God walking nal life, through Jesus Christ our in the garden in the cool of the Lord. Matt. xxv. 41. Then shall day: and Adam and his wife hid he say also unto them on the left themselves from the presence of the hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, Lord God amongst the trees of the into everlasting fire, prepared for garden. Ver. 10. And he said, I the devil and his angels. Ver. 46. heard thy voice in the garden : and And these shall go away into ever-, I was afraid, because I was naked; lasting punishment: but the righteand I bid myself. Ver. 24. So he ous into life eternal. drove out the man; and he placed, 20. & Eph. i. 4. According as he at the east of the garden of Eden, hath chosen us in him before the cherubims, and a flaming sword, foundation of the world, that we which turned every way, to keep should be holy, and without blame the way of the tree of life.

before him in love. h Eph.ji. 2. Wherein in tine past | Rom. ii. 20. Therefore by the ye walked according to the course of deeds of the law there shall no flesh ihis world, according to the prince be justified in his sight: for by the of the power of the air, the spirit law is the knowledge of sin. Ver. that now worketh in the children of 21. But now the righteousness of disobedience: Ver. 3. Among whom God without the law is manifested, also we all had our conversation in being witnessed by the law and the times past in the lusts of our flesh, propheis ; Ver. 22. Even the rightefulfilling the desires of the flesh and ousness of God, which is by faith of of the mind; and were by nature the Jesus Christ unto all, and upon all children of wrath, even as others. them that believe; for there is no Gal. iii. 10. For as many as are of difference. Gal. iii. 21. Is the law the works of the law are under the then against the promises of God? curse: for it is written, Cursed is God forbid ; for if there had been a every one that continueth not in all law given which could have given things which are written in the life, verily righteousness should book of the law to do them,

have been by tire law. Ver. 22. But i lam. iii. 39. Wherefore doth the scripture hath concluded all a living man complain, a man for under sin, that the promise by faith the punishment of his sins! * Rom. in Jesus Christ might be given to vi. 23. For the wages of sin is them that believe.