A brief and excellent treatise containing the doctrine of godliness, or living unto God.: Wherein the body of divinity is substantially proposed, and methodically digested, by way of question and answer. And, wherein sundry difficult points, much controverted in these times, are briefly and solidly determined, by that reverend and learned divine, Mr. John Norton, teacher of the church of God at Ipswich in New-England. Feb. 4. 1647. Imprimatur Joseph Caryl.

CHAP. X. Hitherto of Faith in God: now followeth Of obedience unto God.

Q. VVHat is the second part of the Do∣ctrine of godliness?

A. Obedience unto God.

Q. What is obedience?

A. A habit wrought in us by the holy Ghost; whence through the help of the same Spirit working in us, we do in a way of Faith Evangelically fulfil the revealed and com∣manded will of God.

Q. What is required to the performing of an act of obedience, which is commonly called a good work?

A. Three things: 1. That it be command∣ed: 2. That it be done in Faith, in respect of the habit and act: 3. That it be done to the glo∣ry of God.

Q. What is the rule of obedience?

A. The Decalogue or the ten command∣ments; unto which, whatsoever is commanded in Scripture may be reduced.

Q. What general rules are there which may be as helps for the better understanding of the Decalogue.

A. These:

• 1. The Decalogue must be un∣derstood to comprehend as well internal as ex∣ternal duties.
• 2. Every Negative includeth an Affirmative, and on the contrary,
• 3. Negative commands binde us at all times, there is never any time to do any evil: Affirmative commands binde us not at all times; for we are not to do this or that par∣ticular good duty at all times.
• 4. The commandments of the second Table must give place to the commandments of the first; if the commands of the one and other be compared in the same degree: but the greatest duties of the second Table, must not give way to the least in the first, Mat. 12.7.
• 5. Whatsoever is commanded in the Scri∣ptures, may directly or indirectly be reduced to the Decalogue; those commands Mat. 22.37, 39. are reduced to the Decalogue as prin∣ciples to their conclusions; other commands are reduced as conclusions to their principles: some of which we yet must remember cannot

• be referred to any one command onely, but in divers respects are to be referred unto divers.

Q. How is the Decalogue, which is the rule of obedience, divided?

A. Into two Tables, according to the two general parts of obedience.

Q. Which are those two parts of obedience?

A.

• 1. Religion, shewing our duty towards God, the sum of the first Table.
• 2. Righteousness, shewing our duty towards our Neighbor, the sum of the second Table.

Q. What is Religion?

A. 'Tis a vertue wrought by the holy Ghost, by which, together with the exercise thereof, believers do rightly acknowledge and wor∣ship God.

Q. What is worship?

A. The immediate service of God, where∣by in Jesus Christ we give unto him the honor of the supreme, onely and absolute Lord, and exercise a holy communion with him as with our God.

Q. How many kindes of religious worship are there?

A. Two:

• 1. Natural, called otherwise pri∣mary, or properly moral worship.
• 2. Instituted, called otherwise secondary, po∣sitive temporal by some ceremonial worship.

Q. What is natural worship?

A. The perpetual and eternal service of

God commanded in the first Table: thus they worship God which are in heaven.

Q. What is instituted worship?

A. 'Tis the temporary service of God com∣manded in the first Table; of which, that which is proper to the Church under the Go∣spel, is that which we call the power of the Keys.

Q. How doth instituted worship differ from moral worship?

A.

• 1. Moral worship, besides its being taught in the first Table, may be learned out of the nature of God: Instituted worship is found∣ed in the positive Law of God.
• 2. Moral worship continueth unchanged: Instituted worship hath been changed, being divers before the Law, under the Law, and un∣der the Gospel.
• 3. Moral worship is perpetual: Instituted worship is temporal, ending with the world.

Q. After what order is the worship of God taught in the first Table?

A. The object of it is taught in the first commandment.

The means of it in the second command∣ment.

The maner of it in the third commandment.

The time of it in the fourth commandment.

Q. Which is the first commandment?

A. Thou shalt have none other Gods before me.

Q. What is here commanded?

A. That we worship God, and him alone.

Q. What is here forbidden?

A.

• 1. All not worshipping of God, which is Atheism.
• 2. Worshipping others, and not God, which is Idolatry.
• 3. Worshipping others, together with God, which is Polutheism.

Q. Which is the second commandment?

A. Thou shalt not make to thy self any graven image, &c.

Q. What is here commanded?

A. That God is to be worshipped with his own worship onely.

Q. What is here forbidden?

A. 1. Contempt of external worship.

2. All Will-worship. 1. Idolatry; viz. worshipping God at or in an image, by which it is distinguished from that Idolatry forbid∣den in the first commandment.

2. Superstition.

Q. Which is the third commandment?

A. Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain.

Q. What is here commanded?

A. That we worship God after a due ma∣ner, inwardly and outwardly; and that we use his Name reverently at all times.

Q. What are we here forbidden?

A. All irreverence in the worship of God. or concerning the use of his name; as con∣tempt, rashness, lightness, blasphemy, &c.

Q. What are we to understand by the Name of God?

A. All those things by which God hath made himself known to be; as, his 1. Essence, where are his Names and Attributes.

2. Subsistence; viz. the Trinity of persons in that one Essence.

3. Decree. 4. Worship. 5. Words. 6. Works.

Q. What is the fourth commandment?

A. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, &c.

Q. What are we here commanded?

A. The setting apart of the seventh Day to the immediate service of God.

Q. What are we here forbidden?

A. Any humane institutions of holy-days, or holy time.

The employing of this time in any such way as hinders the worship of the day.

Q. By what arguments, amongst others, do you conclude the Morality of the Sabbath?

A.

• 1. From the institution of it, being be∣fore the fall, and consequently before the Ce∣remonial Law.
• 2. Because 'tis one of the Ten Command∣ments, which all are the Moral Law.
• 3. The change of the day was by Divine au∣thority.

Q. What is the subject of the second Table?

A. Our duty towards our neighbor.

Q. After what order is our duty towards our neighbor taught?

A. Con∣cerning his

• Honor, command 5.
• Life, command 6.
• Chastity, command 7.
• Goods. command 8.
• Good name, command 9.
• Prosperity, command 10.

Q. Which is the fifth Commandment; viz. The first of the second Table.

A. Honor thy father and thy Mother.

Q. What are we here commanded?

A. That we walk orderly in our calling, in∣wardly acknowledging, and outwardly, accord∣ing to rule, expressing that honor which is due to superiors, equals, inferiors, according to their several relations.

Q. What is here forbidden?

A. All neglect of duty in this kinde.

Q. Which is the sixth commandment?

A. Thou shalt not kill.

Q. What are we here commanded?

A. The use of all due means that conduce to the good of our neighbor, concerning his spiritual and temporal life.

Q. What are we here forbidden?

A. The neglect of any due means tending

to that end, or use or of any means contrary thereunto.

Q. Which is the seventh commandment?

A. Thou shalt not commit adultery.

Q. What are we here commanded?

A. The use of all due means, for the preser∣vation of our own and our neighbors chastity.

Q. What are we here forbidden?

A. All uncleanness, together with the means, signs or accessaries thereof, or tending thereunto.

Q. Which is the eighth commandment?

A. Thou shalt not steal.

Q. What is here commanded?

A. That proprieties being kept undisturbed, we possess that which is our own, not anothers, and that without injury unto any.

Q. What are we here forbidden?

A All fraudulence and corruptnes in our deal∣ing, concerning matters of commutative justice.

Q. Which is the ninth commandment?

A. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

Q. What are we here commanded?

A. To use all due means to know the truth, and to bear witness to the known truth, being called thereunto.

Q. What is here forbidden?

A. All lying, by direct false testimony, or unlawful ambiguity.

2. Concealing the truth we ought to reveal.

3. Revealing the truth we ought to conceal.

4. Also, whatsoever may do harm to the truth, as unjust suspition.

Q. What is the tenth commandment?

A. Thou shalt not Covet.

Q. What are we here commanded?

A. Contentation in our present estate.

Q. What are we here forbidden?

A. Desiring of, or envying at the good of our neighbor.

Notes

• 1 Pet 1.2 & 1.14, 15. Rom. 6.16, 18.
• Mic. 6▪8. Gal. 2.20. 1 Cor. 15.10.
• Isa. 29.13 Mat. 15 9 & 12.33 Rom. 14.23. 1 Cor. 10.31.
• Deut. 4.13. Mica. 6 8 Mat. 22.37, 38, 39, 40.
• Exod. 31.18. Deut. 9.10. Exod. 32 16.
• Matt. 22.32. Rom. 1.18. Tit. 2.12
• Rom. 1.21. Acts 26.5. James 1.26, 27.
• Exod. 20.6.
• Heb. 1.6. Rev. 5.14.
• Matt. 16.19.
• 1 Cor. 13.8.
• Exod. 20.3.
• Deut. 6.45. Matth. 4.10. Ier. 10.25. Rom. 1.21, 22, 23. 2 Kings 17.33.
• Exod. 20.4, 5, 6. Deut. 4.12. & 12.30, 31, 32.
• Ezek. 33.31. Luke 19.16. Acts 7.41. Col. 2.18.21. Matt. 15.19.
• Exo. 20.7. Deut. 12.5. 1 Cor 14.40, 26. Mal. 1.11 12, 13.
• Eccles. 5.1, 2.
• Ioel 2.32. Exo. 33.19. with 34.6. Exod. 3.14, 15. Mal. 1.11 Iohn 17.6, 11, 12. Psal. 8.9. Exod. 20 8, 9, 10, 11. Gè. 2.2, 3 Act. 20.7 1 Cor. 16.2. Rev. 1.10. Gal. 4.10. Col. 2.16 Is. 58.13 Gen. 2.2, 3. Exod. 16.25, 26, 30 Rev. 1.10. 1 Cor. 16 2. Iohn 20.19, 26. Act. 20.7
• Exod. 20 12. Eph. 6.2. 2 Kings 2.12. 2 Kings 2.5, 13, 14. 1 Pet. 2.7. Rom. 12.10. 2 Tim. 3.2. Isa. 3.5. Exod. 20 13. Matt. 25.45. 1 Ioh. 3.17. Matth. 5.22.
• Exod. 28 14. Thess. 4.4. 1 Cor. 7.34. 1 Thess. 4.5. Iob 31.1.
• Exod. 20.15. Prov. 22.2. 2 Thess. 3.12. Luke 3.14. 1 Thess. 4.6. Prov. 20.10.
• Exod. 20 16. Psa. 15. 2 Eph. 4.25. Deut. 17.6. Psa. 12.2 Matt. 26.60, 61. Eph. 4.25
• Pro. 24.11. & 11.3 1 Sam. 1.13. Exod. 20 17. Heb. 13.5. 1 Tim. 6.6. Phil. 4.11. Heb. 13.5. Iob. 5.2.