Milk for Babes, Questions · Question 1 – Question 3
1. Q. Who made thee?
A. God the Father.
It is true: Eſa. 44.2.For thus ſaith the Lord that made thee. And to make thee is to Give thee a being, that is, a body, and ſoul, and all the parts, faculties, and powers of them. This is of great uſe.
1. To enquire who made thee, and
2. To reſolve that it was God.
1. Thou muſt enquire after him that made thee; We muſt enquire who made us.Both that thou mayſt know to whom to aſcribe the glory of the work: and to whom to goe to ſupply the defects of thy nature (for he can beſt repaire that firſt made:) as alſo that thou mayſt be acquainted to whom to goe to ſuſtaine nature. Nature hath taught every thing to goe to that for ſuſtenance, which brought it forth; as the Lambe goes to the Ewe, and the Chicken to the Hens body.
Vſe. Therefore thou mayſt ſee what fooles we are by nature, who are more apt to enquire after any thing then after our Maker. Every trick of our Trades, every deviſe to help us to live, or live comfortably, is attended with all diligence; but we deſire not to be acquainted with our Maker. But I hope better things of thee, and that which accompanies ſalvation. Be thou provoked to enquire after this, and not to ſacrifice to thy own nets, or to run to naturall means chiefly for ſupplies when thou art neceſſitated.
2. Reſolve that it was God that made thee. Galen himſelfe, when, God made us.as a natural Anatomiſt, he did conſider the frame of Man, ſaid like an Atheiſt, that he ſung a ſong in the praiſe of God. foreign.But thou (my child) needeſt not to be beholding to his confeſſion: for thou muſt be made either of nature, or of thy ſelfe, or of thy Parents, or of God. But thou art not made of nature; for it cannot give a good reaſon of every thing in thee. They that have doted moſt upon nature could never give a prevailing reaſon of the ſtrength of the nether jaw-bone, which hath ſuch weake ſupporters, nor of the heat of the ſtomach, which conſumeth fit things put into it, yet not thoſe parts about it. Nor art thou made of thy ſelfe: For though the Maker know the parts of the thing made, yet thou doeſt not know thine, no, not by anatomy; neither canſt thou command, or refraine, the pulſe of thy wriſt, or the motion of thy heart. Nor art thou made of thy parents: for neither thy father that begat thee, nor I thy mother that conceived thee, knew what was begotten, nor what was conceived; and yet it is neceſſary that the cauſe ſhould know the effect. What then remaines but that thou ſhouldſt acknowledge thy ſelfe to be of the generation of God?Act. 17.28.
Vſe. Remember this then, and know that God doth know whatſoever is in thee, even thy moſt ſecret thoughts, Pſal. 139.12, 13.and hidden luſts. A man that made a work, can eaſily eſpie the leaſt fault that another makes in it: ſo God can ſee all the diſorders that Satan, and thy wicked heart hath wrought in thee: and this muſt make thee walke in feare of offending ſuch a God, and with a reſolution to doe all things to the honour of him that made thee. Every man that makes a thing, doth deſire to have the comfort, and credit of it, much more doth God, who made man for himſelfe, Prov. 16.4.as well as all things elſe. Vſe. Therefore, Whether thou eate, or drink, 1 Cor. 10.31.or what ever thou doe, doe all to the glory of thy God. Doe to his glory in thought, word, and deed: do to his glory in diſpoſing thy ſelfe in all the occurrences of this life. Thou mayſt make other comfortable reflexions upon thy ſoule from this point, if thou weigh the Texts in the margine: Pſal. 149.2. Pſal. 119.73. Pſal. 100.1, 2, 3. Job 30.13.15.but I leave them to thy own meditations, as God ſhall quicken thy heart with a love to the good word of God.
Tell me next,
2. Q. Who Redeemed thee?
A. Jeſus Chriſt.
Mark, (my good child): Chriſt Redeemed us. 1 Tim. 2.6.It is Chriſt that gave himſelfe a ranſome for us; even the ranſome of his blood, by which he hath redeemed us out of all the world. Apoc. 5.9.To redeeme, is to buy thee again when thou wert loſt in thy enemies hands. Thou wert loſt by the ſinne of Adam. As thou ſeeſt when a Carp is taken by a Fiſhers hooke, or net, and dieth, thouſands of ſpawnes in his belly are caught, and die with him: ſo was it with thee, and all mankind. We were all in that one man in his firſt tranſgreſſion. Therefore, Bleſſed Paul ſaith, Rom. 5.12, 14.By one man ſinne entered into the world, and death by ſinne, and paſſed upon all men, even over thoſe that had not ſinned after the ſimilitude of Adams tranſgreſsion, for that all have ſinned. When thou waſt in this curſed condition, with all mankind, Chriſt came and bought thee again, Joh. 10.11.by laying down his life for thee.
Vſe. Remember this, and make ſuch uſe of it, as Paul would have the Corinthians; Ye are not your own; 1 Cor. 6.19, 20.for ye are bought with a prize: therefore glorifie God in your body, and in your ſpirits, which are Gods. If you buy any thing you expect the comfort of it, whether it be for the health of your body, or of your ſoule. Thinke but the ſame of Chriſt, and you will be willing to live to him that died for you, 2 Cor. 5.15.and roſe again.
Tell me next,
3. Q. Who ſanctified thee?
A. The holy Ghoſt.
Mark here: The holy Ghoſt doth ſanctifie us.If I ſhould aske thee, What it is to be ſanctified? it is, to be made holy. But when I aske thee, who ſanctified thee? it is, to make thee holy; and this is the worke of the holy Ghoſt. Therefore Paul telles the Corinthians, when they were changed in their ſtate, That they were ſanctified by the Spirit of our God. 1 Cor. 6.11.Now, the holy Ghoſt doth ſanctifie thee, by taking away of ſinne, and giving of grace. As, if thou wert to give entertainment to a great and good friend, thou wouldſt firſt ſweep out the duſt, and bruſh down the cobwebs, and then lay out thy carpets, cuſhions, and other ornaments: ſo the holy Ghoſt takes the beſome of deſtruction, the hammer, Jer. 23.29.and fire of the word, and ſweeps out thy raigning ſinnes by Repentance, and the ſpirit of Judgement; Eſa. 4.4. Gal. 5.22, 23. Eph. 3.17. 1 Cor. 3.16.and then brings in the graces of the Spirit, to make thee an holy Temple for Chriſt to dwell in by faith. All this the holy Ghoſt works by the Word, Sacraments, and Prayer. By the Word: for Chriſt prayeth; Joh. 17.17.Sanctifie them through thy truth, thy word is truth. By the Sacraments: for Paul ſaith, Eph. 5.26.That he ſanctifies and cleanſeth his Church with the waſhing of water, by the word; and that We being many are one bread, and one body: 1 Cor. 10.17.for we are all made partakers of one bread; Implying that in the Lords Supper we are ſealed up into the body of Chriſt; and we cannot be, properly, without holineſſe. By Prayer: for Chriſt ſaith, that if we aske the Father he will give us his ſpirit.
Vſe. Therefore (my deare child) ply the holy Ghoſt in this way wherein thou art ſanctified, and ſhalt encreaſe it more, and more, 2 Cor. 7.1.till thou grow to, or perfect thy holineſſe in the feare of the Lord. If there were but one Mart, or Market, where all neceſſary commodities were to be had, thou wouldſt ply that upon all urgent occaſions: ſo muſt thou deale with the Word, Sacraments, and Prayer, if thou wouldſt have the holy Ghoſt ſhine upon thee in the beautie of holineſſe.
Tell me next, becauſe thou nameſt the Father, the Sonne, and Holy Ghoſt, even theſe three,