but of the Son alfo: Gal. iv. 6. Rom. viii. 9. Phil. i. 19. Pet. i. 11. as proceeding from Both. 9. 2. What is the laft Refpect, in which our Saviour is here Reprefented to Us? A. His Relation to us: OUR LORD, Eph. iv. 5. 1 Cor. viii. 6. xii. 3. 10. 2. How is Chrift OUR Lord? A. As he is God, together with the Father; Acts x. 36, and as by Him God Created the World; fo has Rom, x. 12, he the fame Original Right of Dominion with 1. him, and is Lord of All his Creatures. 11. 2. Is there not fome Other ground for this Title, and which Reftrains it in a particular Manner to Mankind? A. Yes there is: Inafmuch as by his Coming Acts ii. 36. into the World, and Dying for Us, he Redeemed Rom. xiv. Us from Death, and fo became Our Lord, by 7, 8, 9. virtue of that Purchase which He thereby made 1 of Us. Phil. ii. I, 9, 10, II. Cor. ii. 8. 12. When did Christ begin, in this Respect to be Our Lord? A. He enter'd, in part, upon this Authority Jo. xiii. 3. before his Death, though not without Regard to his dying for Us: As is evident from his publishing his Gofpel; abrogating the Law; and fetting out the Conditions of Life and Death toMankind. Hence, before his Death, he afferted to himself the Power to forgive Sins: Mat. ix. 2,6. *But the full Exercife of his Dominion, he entred Rom. xiv. not upon 'till after his Resurrection, when, as 9. himself declared to his Apoftles, Mat. xxviii. 18. Phil. ii. 8, All Power in Heaven and Earth was given unto 9, &c. bim. See Eph. i. 20, 21, 22, 23. 13.2. How long will Chrift continue, in this Refpect, to be Our Lord? A. Chrift will continue to be Our Lord for Ever; and of his Kingdom there fhall be no End, Luke i. 32, 33. But then as the fubject Matter of a great part of that Authority which he now exercises Of bis Con ception and exercises over his Church, is proper only to the prefent State of it, and will determine at the Day of Judgment; fo will all the farther Exercife of fuch Authority ceafe together with it. Chrift, as Mediator, muft Reign 'till he has put all his Enemies under his Feet; i. e. 'till Sin, Death, the Devil, and all Wicked Men fhall be deftroy'd; and all his Faithful Servants, be delivered from the Power of them. Pfal. cx. 1. I Cor. xv. 25. But that being done, Chrift will deliver up this Authority, to God, even the Father: 1 Cor. xv. 24. Nevertheless, ftill, as God-Man, he will continue to Reign with, and over, his Saints, to all Eternity, in Heaven: And fo make good what Daniel foretold concerning him, Dan. vii. 14. That his Dominion is an Everlasting Dominion, which shall not pass away; and his Kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. SECT. X. Virgin 1.2. WHAT does your Creed teach you Mary. farther to Believe concerning our Lord Jefus Chrift; in the following Articles which Relate to Him? A. All fuch Matters as are neceffary to be Known and Believed by Us, with Relation to the great Work of our Redemption, which was accomplish'd by Him. 2. 2. By what means did Chrift accomplish the Redemption of Mankind? A. By giving up Himfelf to the Death upon the Crofs for us. i Pet. i. 18, 19. 3.2. How could Christ, whom you believe to be God, die? A. He took upon him our Nature, He became Man, like one of Us; and being found in fashion fashion as a Man, he yielded up himself to Death, even the Death of the Cross for Us: Phil. ii. 7, 8. Acts xx. 28. 4. 2. After what manner was Christ made Man? A. Not by the Converfion of his Divine Na- Jo. i. 14. ture into the Humane: Nor by any Confufion of Heb. ii. 14 the Two Natures together: But by Uniting our Humane Nature to His Divine; after a Singular manner, and fuch as cannot be perfectly Exprefs'd by Us. 5. 2. Were then Two diftinct Natures, the Divine and Humane, United together in Christ? A. Yes, there were: And that in fuch wife as to make the fame Jefus Chrift, by the distinc tion of the Two Natures, in the Unity of the fame Perfon, become truly, and really, at Once, both God and Man. 6. 2. How was Chrift made Man? A. He was Conceived by the Holy Ghost, and Born of the Wirgin Mary. 7. 2. How could Chrift be conceived by the Holy Ghoft? A. Not by the Communication of any Part Mat. i. 18, of his Own Subftance to Him; but as that 20. Bleffed Spirit fet Nature on Work, and took Luk. i. 35. away the need of any Human Concurrence to his Production: And, as having thus prepared a Body for him, of the Subftance of the Virgin; he breathed into it a moft Perfect, Reasonable Soul. 8. 2. Wherefore was it needful for the Haly Ghoft to do this? A. Both for the Honour, and Purity of our Bleffed Saviour: That fo he might come into the World free from all tincture of Sin: b And alfo that by the extraordinariness of his Birth, He might fulfil the Prophecies, which God had before deliver'd concerning it. 2 Cor. v. 21. Heb. iv. 15 vii. 26. Pet. i. 19. Mat. i. 23. Ifai. vii. 14. Luk. i. 32. comp. Ifa. ix. 6. liv. 5 Gal. iv. 4. 7. xi. 27. 6, 9. 2. How was Chrift born of the Virgin Mary A. The Substance of his Body was derived from that of the Bleffed Virgin : He grew in her Womb; and at the full Time of her Delivery fhe brought him into the World: And upon all thefe Accounts, she was as much his Mother, as any Other Woman is Mother of the Child that is born by Her. 10. 2 Had our Saviour a Real Body, like unto One of Us? A. He had both a Real Humane Body, Luke xxiv. 39. Jo. xx. 20, 27. 1 Jo. iv. 2, 3. and a Rational Soul; Mat. xxvi. 37, 38, 39. xxvii. 50. Luke xxiii. 46. Fo. xix. 30. And was in all Tim. ii. 5. things like unto Us, only without Sin. Heb. ii. 17. iv. 15. Phil. ii. 7, 8. 1 Cor. xv. 21. 11.2. Why do you make mention of the Perfon of whom Chrift was born? A. To fhew that he was the true Seed of Abraham and David, of whom the Prophets fpake, Gen. xxii. 18. 2 Sam. vii. 12,1 3, 14. Pfal. lxxxix. 36, 37. cxxxii. 11. Jerem. xxiii. 5, 6. For from Abraham, by David, did our Blessed Saviour defcend. Mat. i.1. Rom. i. 3. Lukei. 32. iii. 31. 12. 2. Wherefore do you give the Title of Virgin, to the Mother of our Lord? A. To teftify our Belief, that in the Production of our Saviour she had no knowledge of any Man, but was at once a Mother, and a Virgin': Not to determine any thing of her Condition afterwards; though we piously suppose, and it has been generally received, that she still continued, as the then was, a Virgin. 13. 2. Should not this Relation of the Blessed Virgin to our Saviour, oblige us to pay a more than Ordinary Refpect to her? A. No doubt it fhould: And therefore it will become us always to mention her with Honour; to to imitate her Virtues; and to give Thanks to God, for that extraordinary Favour which he was pleased to bestow upon her, that she should be the Mother of our Lord, Luke i. 48. 14. 2. What think you of that Worship, which, upon this account, is paid to Her, in the Church of Rome? A. As of the groffeft Idolatry that, it may be, was ever committed in the World: Such as no good Chriftian can think of without horror; nor any One partake of, without the hazard of his Salvation. 15. 2. What is that Worship of which you fpeak fuch hard things? * * * A. It is the most proper Worship of God. They pray to her in almost all their Religious Service: They put their trust in her: They Rely upon her for Grace, and * Salvation: They confecrate particular Offices of Devotion to her: They erect Religious Societies to her Honour: They depend on her Mercies no lefs, if not more than on Christ's; and * Recur much oftner to her, than to him, for Pardon, and Forgiveness. * S E C T. XI Of bis Death, and Burial: του OU faid, that the End of Chrift's be- of bis Deing Born of the Virgin Mary, was, Hell. Scent into That he might thereby be in a Capacity of Dying for Us: Tell me, therefore, how did Chrift do this? A. He Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was Crucified, Dead and Buried. 2. 2. Who was Pontius Pilate? 1. He was Governor of Judea under Tibe- Mat. xxvik rius the Roman Emperor, at the time of Chrift's Luk. 1. Death, 2,11,23,24 |