towards God, as well inwardly in heart and mind, as outwardly in words and deeds. In the other table were graven seven (six) precepts, pertaining to our neighbours, which teach us how we ought to order ourselves towards our princes, magistrates, and rulers, towards our wives, children, and servants, and towards all states of men, teaching us that we should not be disobedient, that we do wrong to no man, that we hurt no man, that we lie not in wait to kill any man, that we deflour not other men's wives, and, to be in short, that we hurt not our neighbours, neither in body, goods, nor good name. all, this vout co ligiousl out from Mas unto m in a su vice o be th men. Sch of the called Mas deed, 1 Scho KING EDWARD THE SIXTH'S CATECHISM. Master. First, tell me somewhat, what thou thinkest of the Law, and then afterward of the Creed, or symbol. Scholar. I shall do, good master, with a good will, as you command me. The Lord God hath charged us by Moses, that we have none other God at all, but him; that is to say, that we take him alone, for our one only God, our Maker, and Saviour. That we reverence not, nor worship any portraiture, or any image whatsoever, whether it be painted, carved, graven, or by any mean fashioned, howsoever it be. That we take not simple in a sh tion, w mother no adu bear fa we cov Mas unto us Sch 11, this ought we to noia steaiasuy and with de Tout conscience: that we keep holily and regiously the Sabbath-day; which was appointed ut from the other, for rest and service of God. Mast. Very well. Now hast thou rehearsed anto me the laws of the first table; wherein is, n a sum, contained the knowledge, and true service of God. Go forward, and tell me, which be the duties of charity, and our love toward men. Scho. Do you ask me, master, what I think of the other part of the Law, which is commonly called the second table? Mast. Thou sayest true, my son: that is it indeed, that I would fain hear of. Scho. I will in few words dispatch it, as my simple wit will serve me. Moses hath knit it up in a short sum: that is, that with all loving affection, we honour and reverence our father and mother. That we kill no man. That we commit no adultery. That we steal nothing. That we bear false-witness against none. Last of all, that we covet nothing that is our neighbour's....... Mast. Thou hast shortly set out the Ten Commandments. Now, then tell me, how all these things, that thou hast particularly declared, Christ hath in few words contained, setting forth unto us in a sum, the whole pith of the law? Scho. Will you that I knit up in a brief Mast. Yea. Christ saith thus : "Thou shalt love The Lord, thy God, with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy mind, and with all thy trength. This is the greatest Commandment in he Law. The other is like unto this. Thou halt love thy neighbour as thyself. Upon these wo Commandments hang the whole Law, and ne Prophets." Mast. I will now, that thou tell me further, hat Law is that, which thou speakest of: that hich we call the Law of Nature, or some other esides ? Scho. I remember, master, that I learned that you long ago: that it was ingrafted by God the nature of man, while nature was yet sound nd uncorrupted. But after the entrance of sin, though the wise were somewhat, after a sort, ■t utterly ignorant of that light of nature: yet as it by that time so hid from the greatest part men, that they scarce perceived any shadow ereof. The bou that ima written and there and spots corrupte ledging Mast. What is the cause, that God willed it our fles against the Law to perfor And th Law, it righteous no mortal both the t drances weakness naturally ings, was Law; the 'he bountiful God, therefore minding to renew hat image in us, first wrought this by the Law ritten in tables, that we might know ourselves, nd therein, as it were in a glass, behold the filth nd spots of our soul, and stubborn hardness of a orrupted heart: that by this mean, yet acknowdging our sin, and perceiving the weakness of ur flesh, and the wrath of God fiercely bent gainst us for sin; we might the more fervently ng for our Saviour Christ Jesus: which by is death and precious sprinkling of his blood, ath cleansed and washed away our sins; pacified he wrath of the Almighty Father; by the holy reath of his Spirit createth new hearts in us; nd reneweth our minds after the image and keness of their Creator, in true righteousness nd holiness. Which thing neither the justice of ne Law, nor any sacrifices of Moses were able perform. And that no man is made righteous by the aw, it is evident; not only thereby, that the ghteous liveth by faith: but also hereby, that o mortal man is able to fulfil all that the Law of oth the tables commandeth. For we have hinrances that strive against the Law: as the eakness of the flesh, froward appetite, and lust aturally engendered. As for sacrifices, cleansags, washings, and other ceremonies of the aw; they were but shadows, likenesses, images, penent whereor alone, all the sins of an penevers, even from the beginning of the world, are pardoned by the only mercy of God, and by no desert of ours. Mast. I hear not yet, why the Almighty God's will was, to declare his secret pleasure to one people alone which was the Israelites. Scho. Forsooth, that I had almost forgotten. I suppose it was not done for this intent, as though the Law of the Ten Commandments did not belong generally to all men: forasmuch as the Lord our God is not only the God of the Jews, but also of the Gentiles. But rather, this was meant thereby, that the true Messiah, which is our Christ, might be known at his coming into the world: who must needs have been born of that nation, and none other, for true performance of the promise. For the which cause, God's pleasure was to appoint out for himself one certain people, holy, sundered from the rest, and, as it were, peculiarly his own: that by this means his divine Word might be continually kept holy, pure, and uncorrupted. Mast we have of the I search Law, w unkno ought thinke Schi full and ness wł those ti the con all thin godline men, ca doth in rule. to then their ov Law w both of ties to there is ceptabl Mas Scho |