The Confession of Faith, and the Larger and Shorter Catechism
The confession of faith ; and, The larger and shorter catechism first agreed upon by the Westminster Assembly of Divines at Westminster, and now approved by the General Assembly of the kirk of Scotland to be a part of uniformity in religion between the kirks of Christ in the three kingdoms.
Westminster Assembly 1643–1652Edinbourg: printed by George Swinton and Thomas Brown, 1671
116 [i.e. 196], 55 p. · 46k words · Wing C5769 · ESTC R27273
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
A. The sins forbidden in the first Commandment, are, Atheism in denying, or not having a Godn; Idolatry in having, or worshipping more Gods than one, or any with, or in stead of the true Godo,s the not having and avouching him for God, and our Godp; the omission or neglect of any thing due to him required in this Commandmentq, ignorancer, forgetfulness, misapprehensionst, false opinionsu, unworthy and wicked thoughts of himw, bold and curious search into his secretsx; all profanenessy, hatred of Godz, self-lovea, self-seekingb
A. The sins forbidden in the first Commandment, are, Atheisme in denying, or not having a Godn; Idolatry in having, or worshiping more Gods than one, or any with, or in stead of the true Godo,s the not having and avouching him for God, and our Godp; the omission or neglect of any thing due to him required in this Commandmentq, ignorancer, forgetfulness, misapprehensionst, false opinionsu, unworthy and wicked thoughts of himw, bold and curious search into his secretsx; all prophanenessy, hatred of Godz, self-lovea, self-seekingb, and all other inordinate and immoderate setting of our mind, will, or affections upon other things, and taking them off from him in whole or in partc; vain credulityd, unbeliefe, heresief, misbeliefg, distrusth, despairi, incorrigiblenessk, insensibleness under judgmentsl, hardness of heartm, priden, presumption⟨p. 118⟩o, carnal securityp, tempting of Godq, using unlawful meansr, and trusting in lawful meanss, carnal delights and joyest, corrupt, blind, and indiscreet zealu, lukewarmnessw, & deadness in the things of Godx, estranging our selves, and apostatizing from Gody, praying or giving any religious worship to Saints, Angels, or any other creaturesz, all compacts, and consulting with the devila, and harkning to his suggestionsb, making men the Lords of our faith & consciencec, slighting and despising God, and his Commandsd, resisting & grieving of his spirite, disconte•t, and impatient at his dispensatio••, charging him foolishly for the evil• he inflicts on usf, and ascribing the praise of any good we either are, have, or can do, to fortuneg, idolsh, our selvesi, or any other creaturek.
A. These words, before me, or before my face, in the first Commandment, teach us, that God who seeth all things, takes special notice of, and is much displeased with the si•⟨p. 119⟩of having any other God; that so it may be an argument to dissuade from it, and to aggravate it as a most impudent provocationl: as also to persuade us to do, as in his sight, whatever we do in his servicem.
A. These words, before me, or before my face, in the first Commandment, teach us, that God who seeth all things, takes special notice of, and is much displeased with the si•⟨p. 119⟩of having any other God; that so it may be an argument to disswade from it, and to aggravate it as a most impudent provocationl: as also to perswade us to do, as in his sight, whatever we do in his servicem.
A. The second Commandment is, [Thou shalt not make to thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; thou shalt not bow down to them nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the Fathers upon the Children, unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; & showing mercy unto thousands of them that •ove me and keep my Commandmentsn.
A. The second Commandment is, [Thou shalt not make to thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; thou shalt not bow down to them nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the Fathers upon the Children, unto the third and fourth ge•eration of them that hate me; & shew•ng mercy unto thousands of them that •ove me and keep my Commandmentsn.
A. The duties required in the second Commandment, are, the re•eiving, observing and keeping pure •nd entire all such religious worship •nd Ordinances as God hath instituted in his wordo, particularly, •rayer and Thanksgiving in the •ame of Christp, the reading, preaching, ⟨p. 120⟩and hearing the wordq, the administration and receiving of the Sacramentsr, Church government and disciplines, the Ministry and maintenance thereoft, religious fastingu, swearing by the name of Godw, and vowing unto himx: as also the disapproving, detesting, opposing all false worshipy; and according to each ones place and calling, removing it, and all monuments of idolatryz.
A. The duties required in the se•ond Commandment, are, the re•eiving, observing and keeping pure •nd intire all such religious worship •nd Ordinances as God hath insti•uted in his wordo, particularly, •rayer and Thanksgiving in the •ame of Christp, the reading, preaching, ⟨p. 120⟩and hearing the wordq, the administration and receiving of the Sacramentsr, Church government and disciplines, the Ministry and maintenance thereoft, religious fastingu, swearing by the name of Godw, and vowing unto himx: as also the disapproving, detesting, opposing all false worshipy; and according to each ones place and calling, removing it, and all monuments of idolatryz.
A. The sins forbidden in the second Commandment, are, all devisinga, counsellingb, commandingc, usingd, and any ways approving any religious worship not instituted by God himselfe: tolerating a false Religionf, the making any representation of God, of all or of any of the three persons either inwardly in our mind, or outwardly in any kind of Image or likeness of any creature whatsoeverg, all worshipping of ith, or God in it, or by iti, the making of any representation of feigned Deities, and all worship of them, or service belonging to ⟨p. 121⟩theml, all superstitious devicesm, corrupting the worship of Godn, adding to it, taking from ito, whether invented & taken up of our selvesp, or received by tradition from othersq, though under the title of antiquityr, customs, devotionst, good intent, or any other pretence whatsoeveru, simonyw, sacrilegex, all neglecty, contemptz, hinderinga, and opposing the Worship & Ordinances which God hath appointedb.
A. The sins forbidden in the second Commandment, are, all devisinga, counsellingb, commandingc, usingd, and any ways approving any religious worship not instituted by God himselfe: tolerating a false Religionf, the making any representation of God, of all or of any of the three persons either inwardly in our mind, or outwardly in any kind of Image or likeness of any creature whatsoeverg, all worshipping of ith, or God in it, or by iti, the making of any representation of feigned Deities, and all worship of them, or service belonging to ⟨p. 121⟩theml, all superstitious devicesm, corrupting the worship of Godn, adding to it, taking from ito, whether invented & taken up of our selvesp, or receiv'd by tradition from othersq, though under the title of antiquityr, customs
A The reasons annexed to the second Commandment, the more to enforce it, contained in these words, [For I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation, of them that hate me, and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me & keep my Commandmentsc,] are besides Gods sovereignty over us, & propriety in usd, his fervent zeal for his own worshipe, & his revengeful indignation against all false worship, as being a spiritual whoredomf; accounting the breakers of this Commandment ⟨p. 122⟩such as hate him & threatening to punish them unto divers generationsg, & esteeming the observers of it such as love him, and keep his Commandments & promising mercy to them unto many generationsh.
A The reasons annexed to the second Commandment, the more to inforce it, contained in these words, [For I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation, of them that hate me, and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me & keep my Commandmentsc,] are besides Gods soveraignty over us, & propriety in usd, his fervent zeal for his own worshipe, & his revengful indignation against all false worship, as being a spiritual whoredomf; accounting the breakers of this Commandment ⟨p. 122⟩such as hate him & threatning to punish them unto divers generationsg, & esteeming the observers of it such as love him, and keep his Commandments & promising mercy to them unto many generationsh.
A. The third Commandment is, [Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his Name in vaini.]
A. The third Commandment requires, that the name of God, his titles, attributesk, ordinancesl, the wordm, sacramentsn, prayero, oathsp, vowsq, his lotsr, his workss, & whatsoever else there is whereby he makes himself known, be holily and reverently used in thoughtt, meditationu, wordw, writingx, by an holy professiony, and answerable conversationz, to the glory of Goda, and th• good of our selvesb, and othersc.
