Q. Is there nothing else required but Patience? A. Yes, the Sacrifice of a Christian. Q. What is that? 4. To praife God always, and to distribute to the Poor, chap. xiii. 15, 16. Q. How doth be encourage them to this Duty? 4. By affuring them, that God is not unrighteous, to forget their Work and Labour of Love, &c. chap. vi. 10. and chap. xiii. Q. What Perfons doth the Apostle name eminent for Faith? A. Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Facob, Fofeph, Mofes, Rabab, Gideon, Barak, Jephthah, Samfon, David, Samuel, and the Prophets. Q they pretend to offer up unto God the Father, the Body and Blood of his Son Chrift, as being fubftantially prefent under the Appearance of Bread and Wine, according to the falfe Doctrine of Tranfubftantiation; and therefore affirm their faid Oblation in the Mass, to be in itself, or in its own Virtue, a true, proper, and propitiatory Sacrifice for the Sins of the Living and the Dead; which is directly contrary to the Doctrine of Paul, who fays, chap. x. 10, 12, 14. that Chrift offered one Sacrifice for Sins upon the Crofs, and that by one Offering he hath perfected for ever them that are fanctified. That by perfecting for ever, Paul means the making a Propitia. tion for, and expiating Sins, appears from the Teftimony of the Prophet, which he produces to confirm this, chap. x. 16, 17. Their Sins and Iniquities will I remember no more. Now, if Chrift on the Crofs hath made a perfect and compleat Atonement, Propitiation, and Satisfaction for Sins, by his own offering up himself once for all, as Paul voucheth he did, there is no Occafion for the Repetition of fuch Sacrifice, as there was of the Jewish Sacrifice, ver. 11. and therefore, the Popish Mafs, and their Sacrifices, which is fo great a Part of their religious Worship, and on which they fo much depend for their Well-being in this World and in the next, and with the want of which they fo much upbraid the Proteftants, hath no Foundation in the Holy Scriptures, but is contrary to them; and confequently, is thus exploded by the ancient Father of the Church of Chryfoftom, who, explaining the 26th Verfe of the 9th Chapter, fays, What then do we offer evety Day? We offer indeed, but it is by making a Commemoration Q. How doth be conclude this that God, through Christ, would make them perfect in every good Work, to do his Will. Epiftle? of his Death; and this Sacrifice is one, and not many, because it was once offered, not as that which was carried into the Holy of Holies; that was a Figure of this: We offer not another, not a different Sacrifice, as the Jewish High Prieft did of old; but ftill one and the fame, or rather, we perform the Remembrance of a Sacrifice. And again, Auftin declares his Opinion in these Words, "The Flesh and Blood of this Sacrifice, before "Chrift's Coming, was promised by the Sacrifice for Remembrance in his "Passion; it was really and truly given after his Afcenfion; it is celebrated per Sacramentum Memoriæ, i. e. by a Sacrament of Commemoration.” 66 The General Epiftle of St JAMES. WHY is this called the gene- Q. What doth it contain? ing, Contention; to bridle the Tongue, and rule the Affections not to speak Evil one of another, and not to be Friends of this World, &c. 1 Q. From whence proceed good Works? A. From God, chap. i. 17. Q. What is the Caufe of Ju- cence, ver. 14. Q. What are the Effects? Q. What is a lively Faith? Q. What are the good Works 4. Patience, Prayer, Love; to beware of Ambition, Swear Q. What faith James of Patience? A. Bleffed is the Man that endures Temptation, for when he is tried he fhall receive the Crown of Life, ver. 12. Q. What faith he of Faith? .A. Let him that asketh, ask in Faith, and waver not. Q. What faith he of Love? A. He that loveth his Neighbour as himself, fulfilleth the Law, chap. ii. 8. Q. What of Ambition? A. God rejecteth the Proud, and gives Grace to the Humble, chap. iv. 6. Q. Q. What of fwearing? A. Before all Things (my Brethren) iwear not, neither by Heaven, Earth, or any other Oath; but let your Yea, be Yea, and your Nay, Nay, left ye fall into Condemnation, chap. v. 12. Q. What of Contention? A. Where envying and Strife is, there is all manner of evil Works, chap. iii. 16, 19. Q. What of the Tongue? A. That it is a Fire, and a World of Wickedness, defiling the whole Body, if it be ungoverned, ver. 6. Q. What of evil speaking. A. If a Man fpeak evil of his Brother, he fpeaks evil of the Law, chap. iv. 11. Q. Who are the Friends of the World? A. Such as efteem Riches, Honour, and fuch like, more than the Word of God. Q. What faith St James of fuch Men? A. He bids them weep and howl, for the Miferies that fhall come upon them; their Kiches are corrupt, and their Garments are A. To employ them in doing of Good, and in relieving the Poor, the Fatherlefs and Widows; and that is called pure Religion and undefiled before God, chap. i. 17. Q. Every one therefore that 'heareth the Word of God is not .religious? A. No, but fuch only as are Doers thereof, ver. 22. QOught we therefore to labour the Converfion of our Brethren from their evil ways A. Yes, it is the chiefeft Part of Chriftian Charity. Q. How may we do it? Q. What shall we gain by it? A. His Soul from Death, and hide a Multitude of Sins. Obf. The Perfon to whom this Epiftle is afcribed by the Ancients, as Dr Cave obferves in his Life, to James the lefs, one of the twelve Apoftles, and called the Brother of our Lord, Mat. xiii. 55, Gal. i. 19. either because he was, as many of the Ancients teftify, the Son of Jofeph by a former Wife, [See Pearfon on the Creed, Art. 3.] or because near related to the Virgin Mary, it being a Custom among the Jews to call their Relations Brethren. [See Buxtorf and Huetius.] He is called James the lefs, being a common thing among the Jews to have more Names than one, to diftinguish him from the other James, whom Herod beheaded; and for further Particulars, fee his Life in the A&ts. After our Saviour's Afcenfion, Eufebius, Hift. 1. 2. c. 1. fays, he was Bishop of Jerufalem. [See Cave ib.] This holy Man fent this Epiftle to the twelve Tribes fcattered abroad, i.. to the Ifraelites chiefly, who were converted Chriftians, and dispersed into feveral Parts of the World, Copies thereof being handed up and down from Place to Place; and therefore it is called a general Epiftle, and was written a little before his Martyrdom. The 97 The First Epiftle General of St PETER. Q. WHAT is contained in the First Epistle of Peter? A. Three Things, the calling of Chriftians, their Dignity, and Fruits of their Calling. Q. Who bath called them? 4. Chrift, thro' Obedience, and fprinkling of his Blood, ch. i. 2. to an Inheritance immortal and undefiled, that fadeth not away, but is referved in Heaven for us, ver. 4. it? 4 Q. How must we apprehend A By Faith, ver. 5. Q. What is the Dignity of Christians? A. They are faid to be a royal Priesthood, a holy Nation, a peculiar People, chap. ii. 9. Q. What is the Fruit of their Calling? A. To fhew the Virtues of him that called them. Q. How is that? A. Being holy, as he is holy; and fince he hath called us out of Darkness into Light, to walk as in the Day-time, by laying afide all Malicioufnefs, all Guile and Diffimulation, all Envy and Evil-speaking. Q. How hall we do thefe Things, the World every Hour provoking us to the contrary? A. By fetting before us the Example of Chrift, which gave his Life for his Enemies; and when he was reviled, reviled not again; and when he fuffered, threatned not, but committed it to him that judgeth righteously, chap. ii. 21, 22. Q. What brings us to that Obedience ? A. The Love we owe to Chrift, that hath begotten us anew to Righteoufnefs, and the Fear not to be Partakers of his Mercies, because of the fmall Numbers of them that fhall be faved. Q. Who is the efficient Caufe of our Salvation? A. God the Father. Q. What is the material Caufe? A. The Obedience of Chrift to the Death of the Crofs. Q. What is the formal Caufe? A. Our effectual Calling. Q. What is the final Caufe? A. Our Sanctification. Q. Wherein ftandeth our Sanctification? A. In two Things, a dying to Sin, and living to God, ch. iv. 2. Q. When do we live to God? A. When we mortify the Lufts of the Flesh. Q. Wherein confifteth this Mortification? A. In particular Duties. A. The Duties of Rulers, Subjects, Husbands, Wives, Mafters, Servants, and Paftors, of the Church, &c. Q. What doth he counsel as touching every Man's private Life? A. To be fober in Watching and Prayer. Q. What is Prayer? A. A calling upon the Name of God in Time of Neceffity. N Q. Q What are the Properties? A. It must be from the Heart, with true Faith, in the Name of Chrift, and in few Words. Q. What is the Effect of Prayer? A. It overcometh God, who overcometh all Things. Q. What doth Peter counsel us to do as touching others? A. One to fuffer with another, to love our Brethren, to be pitiful, not to render Evil for Evil, but, on the contrary, to blefs, chap. iii. 8, 9. us. Q. Why must we love? A. Becaufe God hath loved, Q. Why must we fuffer? A. Because therein we are bleffed, chap. iv. 14. Q. How muft we suffer? A. Not as Murtherers, Thieves, or Evil-doers, but as Lovers of Faith, ver. 15. Q. Why are we bound to thefe virtuous Actions? A. Because thereby God is glorified, chap. ii. 12. Q. How doth be perfuade them? A. By the Example of our Saviour, that fuffered, the Juft for the Unjuft, chap. iii. 18. Q. How doth the Epiftle end? A. With an holy Prayer for their being strengthen'd in Faith, and fome particular Salutations. Obf. This Epiftle, with that which follows, being written to the Chriftians difperfed thro' the Countries of the Leffer Afia, chap. i. 1, 2. by the Apoftle Peter, is also called general, The Apostle directs them in an holy Converfation, and to discharge the feveral Duties which Christianity requires, efpecially that relative Duty from Subjects to Governors, &c. chap. ii. 13. a Rebellion against the Roman Emperor and his Officers breaking out at that Time among the Jews; and he urges this Exhortation and Direction with this particular Motive, that the End of all Things is at hand, chap. iv. 7. i. e. the Jewish State was then near an End; for their Deftruction was approaching, according to our Saviour's own Phrase, Mat. xxvi. 6. The End of the Jewish Nation was not yet, or in his Time, but it was near at hand when Peter wrote this Epiftle. The Second Epiftle General of St PETER. Q. What doth St Peter exhort us unto in this fecond Epiftle? A. That having once received the Knowledge of the Gofpel, we should confirm and establifh it in us by good Works, and cleave unto it even to the End. Q. Why? A. Because, as St Paul faith, fo run that ye may obtain: So St Peter, by making fure your Election, i. e. not being idle or unfruitful in your Calling, an Entrance is made unto you into the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Chrift. Q: |