A Clear Form of Catechizing Before the Lords Supper, Catechism 2 – Prayer
A short compend of the Catechisme, needfull for little Children.
I. OF GOD.
Question.
HOW many Gods be there?
Answer.
OnelyOnly one God.
Q. How many persones be there in the Godhead?
A. Three, the Father, the Son, and the holy Ghost.
Q. What hath God the Father, done for thee?
A. He hath created me.
Q. What hath God the Son done for thee?
A. He hath redeemed me.
Q. What hath the holy Ghost done for thee?
A. He hath sanctified me.
Of Mans Creation.
Q. WHereof was this world made?
A. Of nothing.
Q. Whereof was man made?
A. His body was made of the dust of the ground.
Q. How was his soule made?
A. The Lord breathed into his nosthrils the breath of life.
Q. How was man created at the first?
A. According to Gods own image.
Q. What is that image of God?
A. Holinesse, and happinesse.
Of Mans Fall.
Q. DID man keepe that image?
A. No, not.
Q. How lost he it?
A. By sinning against God.
Q. What was his sinne?
A. He did eate of the forbidden tree.
Q. What other sinnes did goe before that?
A. Pride, unbeliefe, a miscontentment with his own estate.
Q. What were the instruments of his fall?
A. The devill, the serpent, and the woman.
Q. How did they bring that evill to passe?
A. The devill entered into the serpent, and by the serpent seduced the woman, who entised her Husband to eate of that tree.
Q. What deserved they for that eating?
A. Death and eternall damnation.
Q. What hath followed on that first sinne?
A. All men since that fall are borne in sin, and conceived in iniquitie.
Q. What is sinne?
A. The transgression of Gods law.
Q. How many sorts of sinne be there?
A. Two, originall sinne, and actuall sinne.
Q. What callest thou originall sin?
A. That corruption wherein all mankinde is conceived and borne, since the fall of Adam.
Q. What is actuall sinne?
A. Every omission of our duty and commission of that which is against the law of God.
Q. In how many wayes sinne wee against God?
A. In three wayes chiefly, in thought, word, and dead.
Q. Are all men sinners?
A. Yea, verily, Christ onelyonly excepted.
Of Mans Redemption.
Q. WHO is mans Saviour?
A. Jesus Christ.
Q. Who is this Iesus Christ?
A. The Son of God conceived miraculously by the holy Ghost, in the wombe of a Virgine.
Q. Whether was he man onelyonly, or both God and man?
A. He was both God and man, in one person.
Q. What needed him to be man?
A. That he might die for us.
Q. What needed him to be God?
A. That he might overcome death.
Q. VVherefore was he called Iesus?
A. Because he came to save his people from their sinnes.
Q. VVherefore callest thou him Christ?
A. Because he was annointed with the spirituall oyle of graces, and that without measure.
Q. Whereunto was he annointed?
A. Unto three spirituall offices.
Q. What were his offices?
A. He was a King, a Priest, and a Prophet.
Q. What needed him to bee a King?
A. For to rule and defend us, against our enemies.
Q. Who are our cheefest enemies?
A. The devill, the world, and the corruptions of our own flesh.
Q. What needed him to bee a Prophet?
A. For to teach us the Word, and way of Salvation.
Q. Wherefore was hee a Priest?
A. That he might offer up a sacrifice for us.
Q. What sacrifice offered he up for us?
A. He offered up himselfe to the death.
Q. What sort of death died he for us?
A. The cursed death of the Crosse.
Q. Wherefore died he such a cursed death?
A. That hee might deliver us from the curse of God.
Of the service which man owe to God for his redemption.
Q. WHat owe we to God for so great a salvation?
A. We owe him service.
Q. How many parts are there of Gods service▪
A. Foure: viz. to believe in GOD, to obey GOD, to pray to GOD, and to give him thanks.
The first part of GODS Service.
Q. WHat is the first part of Gods Service?
A. It is to believe in GOD.
Q. What is that to believe in GOD?
A. It is to have a true faith.
Q. What is faith?
A. An assured knowledge that GOD will be mercifull to us for Christs sake.
Q. Who worketh this faith in our hearts?
A. The holy Spirit.
Q. By what meanes?
A. By the preaching of the Word.
Q. VVhy are we said to be justified by faith?
A. Because by faith we apprehend Christ and all his merits; whereby we appeare just in Gods presence.
Q. May not man be justified by his workes?
A. He may before men, but not before GOD.
Q. VVhat is the cause of that?
A. Because there is no man that can perfectly fulfill the law of GOD.
Q. VVhere is the summe of our faith?
A. In the Creede.
Q. How many parts are there of the Creede?
A. Foure.
Q. VVhat is in the first part thereof?
A. That which concerneth GOD the Father, and our creation.
Q. VVhat is the second part?
A. That which concerneth God the Son and our redemption.
Q. What is in the third part?
A. That which concerneth GOD the holy Ghost, and our sanctification.
Q. What is in the fourth part?
A. That which concerneth the Church, and Gods benefites bestowed upon the same.
Q. What is the Church?
A. A companie of those, whom GOD by his Spirit hath sanctified.
Q. How many parts hath the Church?
A. Two; the Church triumphant in Heaven, and the Church militant on Earth.
Q. VVhom callest thou the Church triumphant?
A. These who have overcome the divel, the world, and the flesh.
Q. VVhom callest thou the Church militant?
A. These who are yet on earth fighting against these enemies of mans salvation.
The second part of Gods Service?
Q. WHat is the second part of Gods service?
A. To obey GOD ▪
Q. Where learnest thou what obedience thou owe to God?
A. In GODS Law, whereof the summe are the ten commandements.
Q. How are the ten commandements divided?
A. Into two tables.
Q. What commandements be contained in the first table?
A. The first foure.
Q. What be contained in the second table?
A. The last six.
Q. What is the summe of the first foure?
A. Our whole duety towards our God.
Q. What is the summe of the last six?
A. Our whole duety towards our neighbour.
The third part of Gods Service.
Q. WHat is the third part of Gods service?
A. To pray to GOD.
Q. In whose name must we seeke from God that which we need?
A. In Christ his Sons name.
Q. May we desire the Saints in heaven, to interceede for us?
A. There is but one Mediator Jesus Christ.
Q. Who teacheth us to pray?
A. The holy Spirit.
Q. What prayer is most perfect?
A. The Lords prayer.
Q. How many petitions are there in the Lords prayer?
A. Six.
Q. What is the first?
A. Hallowed be thy name.
Q. What is that to say?
A. That God by all creatures, may be known to be a holy God, and worshipped by them.
Q. What is the second petition?
A. Thy kingdome come.
Q. What is that to say?
A. That God both outwardly▪ and inwardly rule, governe, and maintaine us, as a King his Subjects.
Q. What is the third petition?
A. Thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven.
Q. What is that to say?
A. It is a prayer, that God be as perfectly obeyed by his Saints on earth, as by these that are in heaven.
Q. What is the fourth petition?
A. Give us this day our dayly bread.
Q. Wat is that to say?
A. That GOD would give unto us any worldly thing that is needfull for us.
Q. What is the fifth petition?
A. Forgive us our sinnes, as we forgive these that sinne against us.
Q. What understandest thou by these wordes?
A. That GOD in his mercy, would freely pardon us our sins, for Christs sake.
Q. What is the last petition?
A. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evill.
Q. What is the meaning thereof?
A. That God would deliver us from the snares of the Devill, of the world, and our owne corruptions, and from all other dangers whatsoever.
The fourth part of Gods Service.
Q. WHat is the fourth part of Gods service?
A. To give God thanks for all his benefites.
Q. What thankes requireth God of us?
A. That we set foorth his glory, with heart, tongue and hand.
Q. How thanke we God with our heart?
A. When wee thinke honourably of him, and acknowledge his goodnesse.
Q. How thanke we him with the tongue?
A. When our tongue is an instrument of setting foorth his glory.
Q. How thanke we him with the hand?
A. When we do good works.
Of the Sacraments.
Q. WHAT is a Sacrament?
A. It is an outward seale appointed by GOD, for to certifie us of our Salvation in Christ Jesus.
Q. How many Sacraments are there?
A. Two, Baptisme, and the Lords Supper.
Of Baptisme.
Q. WHat is Baptisme?
A. A seale of our entrance into the Church.
Q. VVhat is the visible signe in Baptisme?
A. The element of water with the outward actions.
Q. VVhat doth the water represent unto us?
A. The blood of Christ and the Spirit.
Q. VVhat are the outward actions?
A. Sprinkling, washing, dipping into the water, abiding under the water, and comming out of the water.
Q. VVhat spirituall graces are sealed up unto us, while wee are baptized?
A. Our justification and sanctification.
Q What outward action represents our justification?
A. As the water washeth away all uncleanesse from the body, so the blood of Christ washeth away all sins from our soules, which is our justification.
Q. What outward actions represent our Sanctification?
A. They be especially three, first, the dipping of the body, secondly, the staying under the water, thirdly, the comming out of the water.
Q. What signifieth the dipping of the body.
A. It signifieth the mortification of sinne, or fellowship with Christ in his death.
Qu. VVhat signifieth the staying under the water?
A. It signifieth the buriall of sin.
Q. VVhat signifieth the coming out of the water?
A. The resurrection from sin to newnesse of life. Rom. 6.3. 4.
Of the Lords Supper.
Q. WHAT is the Lords Supper?
A. A seale of our spirituall nourishment in the Church.
Qu. What are the visible signes of that Sacrament?
A. Bread and wine with the outward actions.
Q. What doth the bread represent?
A. The body of Christ.
Q. What doth the breaking of the bread represent?
A. The great sorrowes wherewith his body and soule were broken.
Q. What doth the wine signifie?
A. The blood of Christ.
Q. What doth the powreing out of the wine signifie?
A. The powreing out of Christs blood.
Q. What is the spirituall grace signified and offered unto us, by the elements and actions?
A. The spirituall nourishment of our soules.
Q. What must wee doe before wee come to the Sacrament?
A. We must try and examine our selves.
Q. Wherein consists that examination?
A. That a man try himselfe, if hee hath these three things, faith, love and repentance.
Q. What should hee try of his faith?
A. If he know God, and is in some measure assured that Christ died for him.
Q. What should he try of his love?
A. If he loveth his GOD above all things; and if he loveth the well of his neighbours person, name, and estate.
Q. What shall he try of his repentance?
A. If from his heart hee bee sorry for his bypast sins, and resolved to amend his life for all times to come.
Q. May we not communicate without any of these three?
A. No, not.
Q. What is the danger if wee want any of them?
A. Wee eat and drink judgement to our selves.
Q. Wherefore that?
A. Because we discerne not the Lords body.
Q. What callest thou to discerne the Lords body?
A. It is to put a difference betweene the bread of the Sacrament, the seale of his Body, and other common bread?
Q. What is that difference?
A. The bread of the Sacrament is given for to be a seale of the foode of the soule, other bread is but for the belly.
Q. Who then is said rightly to discerne the Lords body?
A. He who in all reverence, trembling, receiveth the bread, not as common bread, but as consecrate, to be a seale of the food of the soule.
Q. What is the punishment of those that communicate unworthily?
A. The punishment of the godly is fore sicknesse, great sorrowes, shame and disgrace, and sometimes death of body.
Q. What is the punishment of the wicked?
A. Death both of soule and body; from which the Lord deliver us for Christ his Son sake.
Amen.
A short Compend of the Catechisme for Children of a younger age.
I. OF GOD.
Question.
HOW many Gods bee there?
Answere.
OnelyOnly one God.
Q. How many persones are there in the Godhead?
A. Three, the Father, Son, and holy Ghost.
Q. What hath the Father done for thee?
A. He hath created me.
Q. What hath the Sonne done for thee?
A. He hath redeemed me.
Q. What hath the holy Ghost done for thee?
A. He hath sanctified me.
Of Mans Creation.
Q. WHO made man?
A. GOD?
Q. Whereof was man made?
A. His body was made of the earth.
Q. How was his soule made?
A. The Lord breathed into his nosthrils the breath of life.
Q. How was man created at the first?
A. According to Gods own image.
Q. What is that image of God?
A. Holinesse and righteousnesse, and dominion over all the creatures.
Of Mans Fall.
Q. DID man keepe that image?
A. No, not.
Q. How lost he it?
A. By eating of the forbidden tree.
Q. What were the instruments of his sinne?
A. The Devill, the Serpent, and the Woman.
Q. How did they bring that evill to passe?
A. The Devil entered into the Serpent, who deceived the Woman, and shee entised her Husband.
Q. VVhat deserved they for their sinne?
A. Death and damnation.
Q. VVhat is sinne?
A. The transgression of Gods Law.
Q. How many sortes of sinne be there?
A. Two, originall sinne, and actuall sinne.
Q. What is originall sinne?
A. That naturall corruption wherein we are borne.
Q. VVhat is actuall sinne?
A. The evill which wee doe our selves, in thought, word and dead.
Of Mans Redemption.
Q. WHO is mans Saviour?
A. Christ Jesus.
Q. VVho is Iesus Christ?
A. Very GOD and man.
Q. VVhat needed him to be man?
A. That he might die for us.
Q. VVhat needed him to be God?
A. That he might overcome death.
Q. VVhat sort of death died he?
A. The cursed death of the Crosse.
Q. Wherefore died hee such a cursed death?
A. That he might deliver us from the curse of GOD.
Q. How many offices had Christ?
A. Three, he was a King, a Priest, and a Prophet.
Q. Wherefore was he a King?
A. For to rule us.
Q. Wherefore was he a Priest?
A. For to offer up himself in a Sacrifice for us.
Q. Wherefore was he a Prophet?
A. For to teach us.
Of the Service we owe in GOD
Q. HOW many parts are there of Gods service?
A. Foure; to believe in God, to obey God, to pray to God, and to give God thankes.
Q. What is faith?
A. It is an assured knowledge, that God will be mercifull to us, for Christs sake.
Q. Who worketh this faith in our hearts?
A. The holy Spirit.
Q. By what meanes?
A. By the preaching of the Word.
Q. How is our faith made stronger?
A. By the hearing of the word, and receiving of the Sacraments.
Of the Sacraments.
Q. WHAT is a Sacrament?
A. It is an outward seale appointed by God, for to certifie us of our Salvation in Christ.
Q. How many Sacraments are there?
A. Two, Baptisme, and the Lords Supper.
Q. What is Baptisme?
A. A seale of our entrance into the Church.
Q. What is signified by the washing made by water?
A. The washing away of our sins by Christs bloud.
Q. What is the Lords Supper?
A. A seale of our spirituall nourishment in the Church.
Q. What signifieth the breaking of the bread?
A. The breaking of Christs body with many sorrowes.
Q. What signifieth the powreing out of the wine?
A. The powreing out of Christs blood upon the Crosse.
Q. Who are worthy communicants?
A. God accounts these worthy, who have faith, love, and repentance.
A prayer at the houre of Death.
Because death is very uncertaine; and Pastors can not be ever present at the last houre of dying men, I have set down this Prayer for the comfort of such,
MOST gracious GOD, most dear and loving Father, let the words of our mouth, and the meditations of our heart,Psal. 19.14 be acceptable in thy sight, for thou art our Lord, our strength and our Redeemer: We most unworthie to speake for our selves, are hold heere to call upon thee, and most humbly to intreate thee, to be gracious and mercifull to this thy faithfull servant, now going from the earth to his long home in the heavens.Eccles. 12.5
Thou Lord Jesus, who can not lie, hast said unto us:Iohn 14.13. That whatsoever we shall aske the Father in thy name, thou wilt give it unto us; O Father of mercies, we seeke from thee, in the name of thy Son Jesus, that all the sinnes of this thy now dying servant may be forgotten, and fully and freely forgiven him: though his sins have indeed beene red like Scarlet and Crimson, Isa. 1.8let it please thee so to wash him with the vertue of the blood of Jesus, that his soule once polluted and defiled with sinne, may be made white like the woole▪ yea, whiter then the snow.
Thou Lord understandest the groanes of thine own Spirit; thou hast begun a good worke in him; now as thou dost with the yeere,Psal. 65.11. crowne it with thy goodnesse: seale up in his heart that peace which thou hast purchased with the blood of Christ Jesus, the Prince of peace; Assure him now of the rest of these joyes, whereof he in his life hath had by thy grace a mercifull foretaste, in the very throes of death, & greatest throngs of temptations; uphold him with the hope of glory: Let his faith get a full victory over all the enemies of his salvation: Let the vertue of Christs Crosse crucifie the world unto him, and him unto the world; let the death of Jesus be the death of his sinnes, and the life of his soule. Say unto his soule, Bee of good comfort, all thy sinnes are forgiven thee.
Seeing while he is heere at home in the body, he is absent from the Lord, make thou him confident and willing rather to be absent from the body, that he may bee present with thee his Lord in the heavens, among the Angels and and spirits of just men, who are alwayes in thy presence, beholding thy face, wherein is fulnesse of joy.
Now Lord, while his flesh and his heart faile him, be thou the strength of his heart, and his portion for ever; for whom hath he in heaven but thee, and there is none on earth whom hee desires besides thee: make haste Lord, come Lord, Jesus come. Open now the doores of thy mercy, and suffer this wearied traveller to enter into thine everlasting rest.
O Spirit of comforts, the Comforter of troubled soules, seale up in his heart the pardon of all sinnes, with the blood of Jesus, and now crowne all thy gifts and graces in him with thy glory, Lord Jesus receive his spirit, Father into thine hands wee commend his soule; To the Father, Son and holy Ghost, bee everlasting glory, praise, power and dominion, for ever, and ever, Amen.
FINIS.
End of the text · Zacharie Boyd, A Clear Form of Catechizing Before the Lords Supper (1639)