For Thine is the Kingdom, thePower and Glory, for ever and ever, Amen.

Q.

WHAT follows in the Lord's Prayer after the

Six Petitions that are offered up to our Hea

venly Father ?·

A. A Form of giving Praife and Honour and Glory unto God, and is therefore called the Doxology.

2. What is meant by saying, Thine is the Kingdom? A. That He received his Kingdom and Power from no one; that fuch Dominion and Power, and Glory, is in, and belongs unto God, as neither is, nor can be, in any other Perfon whatsoever.

ever?

What is fignified by thofe Words, For ever and

A. That God is, and was, and ever will be of fuch Power and Glory, to Whom be Praife and Dominion for ever, 1 Pet. iv. 11.

2. Is this added only as a Form of Praise?

A. No; it alfo contains the Reason of our Hope; and upon what Grounds we expect that God should hear and do what we have asked of Him.

The Greatness of God's Kingdom and Power convinces me He is able to grant my Petitions; And feeing I defire that God may be glorified in all that I ask or have, I therefore depend upon his Favour to me.

2. What is the Signification of Amen?

A. It denotes our fincere and ftedfaft Hopes and Defires, that all thofe things which we have prayed for may be performed, to God's Glory and our Comfort.

2. Do you think there is any neceffity of faying Amen, at the End of this and the other publick Prayers of the Church?

A. Yes;

A. Yes For it is commanded by this Church as an Act of joining in her publick Devotions. And unless Men do indeed join in them, they do but mock God and deceive themselves, by coming to them.

Q. How many Sacraments hath Chrift ordained in his Church?

A. Two only as generally necessary to Salvation, &c.

& W

ments?

HAT do you obferve from the First Queftion and Anfwer concerning the Sacra

A. That our Lord Jefus Chrift, befides the Moral Precepts of the Gospel, hath ordained certain Rites (by us called Sacraments) to be observed in his Church; and that of thefe, Two only are generally neceffary to Salvation.

2. Were the Jews obliged, in their Church, to obferve any fuch Rites and Ceremonies?

A. Yes; a great many. But our Saviour hath now freed us from that Burden; and bath only ordained Baptifm in the place of Circumcifion, and the Lord's Supper inftead of the Palover.

tion?

Do you think these generally necessary to Salva

A. Yes; and are always fo, when they can be regularly had and adminiftred.

2 How do you prove Baptifm to be fo necessary? A. I prove it from Mat. xxviii. 19. where Chrift commanded his Difciples, To go and difciple all Nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. And because I find Baptifm is joined with those Two most neceffary Duties, Repentance and Faith; Repent and be baptized, Acts ii. 38. He that believeth is baptized, Mark xvi. 16. 2 What

Q. What Proof have you for the Obfervation of the Lord's Supper?

A. The pofitive Command of our Saviour; This do in Remembrance of Me, Luke xxii. 19. And likewife from Mat. xxvi. 26, 27, 28. From Mark xiv. 22, 23, 24. And from 1 Cor. xi. 23, 24, 25.

2. Do you think a Man cannot go to Heaven, unlefs he duly and religiously partakes of both thefe Sa craments?

A. This I am fure of; if a Man knows they were commanded and inftituted by Chrift Jefus, and does not (when he may) obferve them, he cannot be faved: And if he doth not know this when he might, he is in the greatest Danger of perifhing everlastingly. Q. What Reafon can you give for this?

A. Because we are bound to yield (as far as we are able) an univerfal Obedience to all Christ's Commands; it being written, that He became the Author of eternal Salvation unto all them that obey Him, Heb. v. 9. And there can be no Reafon given why He is not as much to be obeyed in his Sacraments, as in any other Precepts whatsoever.

Q. What meanest thou by this Word Sacrament? A. I mean an Outwardand Vifible Sign, &c.

Q. How many Parts are there in a Sacrament?

A. Two: An Out

ward and Vifible Sign, &c. WHAT did this Word Sacrament of old figni

A. The Oath by which Souldiers bound themselves to their Superiors and Chief Captains. 2. What do you understand by it?

A. What the Firft Chriftians did; namely Baptifm or the Lord's Supper; by which all true Believers are O

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to bind themselves, in the most folemn manner, to the Great Captain of their Salvation, the Ld C.Jefus. Q What Description doth the Catechism give of a Sacrament?

A. That every Thing that is fo muft have Two Parts, an Outward and Visible Sign and an Inward and Spiritual Grace; That it must be ordained by Chrift himself; and be both a Means to convey Divine Grace, and a Pledge (left by Chrift with his Church) to affure us of it.

What do you from hence learn?

A. That what I perceive with my Outward Senfes is but one Part of that Sacrament: That my Thoughts must not reft on that Outward Part, but by Faith be carried to the Things fignified, to those Inward and Spiritual Graces, which are annexed to them by Christ Himfelf; the New Birth in Baptifm; the Body and Blood of Chrift in the Lord's Supper.

2. But how can you conceive that Water, Bread and Wine, can answer thefe Purposes?

A. I cannot indeed apprehend how this fhould be; but I refolve it into the Power of Chrift: Who, as God, can do all things, and, as Man, had all Power in Heaven and Earth given unto Him.

2. But do all People receive Grace that receive thofe Sacraments?

4. No; nor do all Perfons profit by the Word preached to them. But then the Fault is neither in the Word, nor in the Sacraments, but in them to whom they are preached and adminifter'd.. And fo fays the Author of the Epiftle to the Hebrews; The Word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with Faith in them that beard it, Heb. iv. 2.

2. Is the Want of Faith then the Reason that fo many have fuch very mean Thoughts of the Sacra. ments, and profit fo little by them?

A. Yes: And for that they look no further than the Outward Action of sprinkling Water in the one,

and

and the eating Bread, and drinking Wine in the other. Q. But what is your Duty in this Cafe?

A. To believe that He, Who came to fave us from our Sins, did not come to mock us with Vain and Empty Signs; but that they are indeed Means of Grace, and Pledges to allure us of it.

Q. What is the Outward Visible Sign or Form in Baptifm? A. Water, wherein the Perfon is baptized, &c. HOW do you come to know what is the Outward Sign in Baptifm?

இ.

A. From the Inftitution of that Sacrament, Mat. xxviii. 19.

Q. It does indeed from thence appear that this Sacrament was to be administer'd in the Name of the Fa. ther, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft, but with What, is not fo evident.

A. This will be as plain as the other, if you confider that the Word Baptize fuppofes (according to the Common Meaning of it) The Sprinkling, or Washing with Water; and was fo understood by the Jews (and fuch the Apostles were) when Chrift gave them this Command, Go and baptize..

2. But does it from hence follow, that our Saviour could have no other Meaning in it?

A: Yes: For feeing he fays nothing to the contrary, it is to be prefumed, that he intended nothing else by those Words, but what was then commonly meant and understood by them.

Q. Can you prove that the Apostles themselves did understand their Commiffion in this Senfe, that they were to baptize with Water?

A. Yes; from their Practice: For St. Peter commanded that Cornelius and his Family should be baptized with Water, Acts x. 48. And before that, it is very probable that he had commanded Three Thoufand to be

02

baptized