Friday

The Hard Sell


Please give me a few minutes of your time to sell you on a 180-day journey that will transform you into

• an extraordinary American
• an extraordinary Christian
• an extraordinary human being

Westminster Assembly (1643-48) - Wikipedia
The Creeds of Christendom: The Evangelical Protestant creeds, with translations By Philip Schaff

Richard Gardiner at Primary Source Documents says:

The Westminster Confession of Faith (1646) In addition to being the decree of Parliament as the standard for Christian doctrine in the British Kingdom, it was adopted as the official statement of belief for the colonies of Massachusetts and Connecticut. Although slightly altered and called by different names, it was the creed of Congregationalist, Baptist, and Presbyterian Churches throughout the English speaking world. Assent to the Westminster Confession was officially required at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. Princeton scholar, B.B. Warfield wrote: "It was impossible for any body of Christians in the [English] Kingdoms to avoid attending to
it."

The Westminster Catechism (1646) Second only to the Bible, the "Shorter Catechism" of the Westminster Confession was the most widely published piece of literature in the pre-revolutionary era in America. It is estimated that some five million copies were available in the colonies. With a total population of only four million people in America at the time of the Revolution, the number is staggering. The Westminster Catechism was not only a central part of the colonial educational curriculum, learning it was required by law. Each town employed an officer whose duty was to visit homes to hear the children recite the Catechism. The primary schoolbook for children, the New England Primer [text from 1777 edition], included the Catechism. Daily recitations of it were required at these schools. Their curriculum included memorization of the Westminster Confession and the Westminster Larger Catechism. There was not a person at Independence Hall in 1776 who had not been exposed to it, and most of them had it spoon fed to them before they could walk.

Westminster Standards - Title Page

The Westminster Standards - General Contents

Chapter I Of the Holy Scripture
Chapter II Of God, and of the Holy Trinity
Chapter III Of God's Eternal Decree
Chapter IV Of Creation
Chapter V Of Providence
Chapter VI Of the Fall of Man, of Sin, and the Punishment thereof
Chapter VII Of God's Covenant with Man
Chapter VIII Of Christ the Mediator
Chapter IX Of Free Will
Chapter X Of Effectual Calling
Chapter XI Of Justification
Chapter XII Of Adoption
Chapter XIII Of Sanctification
Chapter XIV Of Saving Faith
Chapter XV Of Repentance unto Life
Chapter XVI Of Good Works
Chapter XVII Of the Perseverance Of the Saints
Chapter XVIII Of Assurance Of Grace and Salvation
Chapter XIX Of the Law Of God
Chapter XX Of Christian Liberty, and Liberty Of Conscience
Chapter XXI Of Religious Worship, and the Sabbath Dayå
Chapter XXII Of Lawful Oaths and Vows
Chapter XXIII Of the Civil Magistrate
Chapter XXIV Of Marriage and Divorce
Chapter XXV Of the Church
Chapter XXVI Of the Communion Of Saints
Chapter XXVII Of the Sacraments
Chapter XXVIII Of Baptism
Chapter XXIX Of the Lord's Supper
Chapter XXX Of Church Censures
Chapter XXXI Of Synods and Councils
Chapter XXXII Of the State Of Men after Death, and Of the Resurrection Of the Dead
Chapter XXXIII Of the Last Judgment

Is the Shorter Catechism Worthwhile?

  • Virtuous, dominion-oriented patriarchs, living peacefully under their Vine & Fig Tree.
  • . . . or . . .
  • Spoiled brats; pampered slaves.

WESTMINSTER SHORTER CATECHISM
Q1: What is the chief end of man?
A1: Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him for ever.
Q2: What rule hath God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy Him?
A2: The Word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy Him.
Q3: What do the Scriptures principally teach?
A3: The Scriptures principally teach what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man.

Q4: What is God?
Q5: Are there more Gods than one?
Q6: How many persons are there in the Godhead?
Q7: What are the decrees of God?
Q8: How doth God execute his decrees?
Q9: What is the work of creation?
Q10: How did God create man?
Q11: What are God's works of providence?
Q12: What special act of providence did God exercise toward man in the estate wherein he was created?
Q13: Did our first parents continue in the estate wherein they were created?
Q14: What is sin?
Q15: What was the sin whereby our first parents fell from the estate wherein they were created?
Q16: Did all mankind fall in Adam's first transgression?
Q17: Into what estate did the fall bring mankind?
Q18: Wherein consists the sinfulness of that estate whereinto man fell?
Q19: What is the misery of that estate whereinto man fell?
Q20. Did God leave all mankind to perish in the estate of sin and misery?
Q21: Who is the Redeemer of God's elect?
Q22: How did Christ, being the Son of God, become man?
Q23: What offices doth Christ execute as our Redeemer?
Q24: How doth Christ execute the office of a prophet?
Q25: How doth Christ execute the office of a priest?
Q26: How doth Christ execute the office of a king?
Q27: Wherein did Christ's humiliation consist?
Q28: Wherein consisteth Christ's exaltation?
Q29: How are we made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ?
Q30: How doth the Spirit apply to us the redemption purchased by Christ?
Q31: What is effectual calling?
Q32: What benefits do they that are effectually called partake of in this life?
Q33: What is justification?
Q34: What is adoption?
Q35: What is sanctification?
Q36: What are the benefits which in this life do accompany or flow from justification, adoption, and sanctification?
Q37: What benefits do believers receive from Christ at death?
Q38: What benefits do believers receive from Christ at the resurrection?
Q39. What is the duty which God requireth of man?
Q40. What did God at first reveal to man for the rule of his obedience?
Q41. Where is the Moral Law summarily comprehended?
Q42. What is the sum of the Ten Commandments?
Q43. What is the preface to the Ten Commandments?
Q44. What doth the preface to the Ten Commandments teach us?
Q45: Which is the First Commandment?
Q46: What is required in the First Commandment?
Q47: What is forbidden in the First Commandment?
Q48: What are we specially taught by these words, "before me" in the First Commandment?
Q49: Which is the Second Commandment?
Q50: What is required in the Second Commandment?
Q51: What is forbidden in the Second Commandment?
Q52: What are the reasons annexed to the Second Commandment?
Q53: Which is the Third Commandment?
Q54: What is required in the Third Commandment?
Q55: What is forbidden in the Third Commandment?
Q56: What is the reason annexed to the Third Commandment?
Q57: Which is the Fourth Commandment?
Q58: What is required in the Fourth Commandment?
Q59: Which day of the seven hath God appointed to be the weekly Sabbath?
Q60: How is the Sabbath to be sanctified?
Q61: What is forbidden in the Fourth Commandment?
Q62: What are the reasons annexed to the Fourth Commandment?
Q63: Which is the Fifth Commandment?
Q64: What is required in the Fifth Commandment?
Q65: What is the forbidden in the Fifth Commandment?
Q66: What is the reason annexed to the Fifth Commandment?
Q67: Which is the Sixth Commandment?
Q68: What is required in the Sixth Commandment?
Q69: What is forbidden in the Sixth Commandment?
Q70: Which is the Seventh Commandment?
Q71: What is required in the Seventh Commandment?
Q72: What is forbidden in the Seventh Commandment?
Q73: Which is the Eighth Commandment?
Q74: What is required in the Eighth Commandment?
Q75: What is forbidden in the Eighth Commandment?
Q76: What is the Ninth Commandment?
Q77: What is required in the Ninth Commandment?
Q78: What is forbidden in the Ninth Commandment?
Q79: Which is the Tenth Commandment?
Q80: What is required in the Tenth Commandment?
Q81: What is forbidden in the Tenth Commandment?
Q82: Is any man able perfectly to keep the commandments of God?
Q83: Are all transgression of the law equally heinous?
Q84: What doth every sin deserve?
Q85: What doth God require of us, that we may escape his wrath and curse due to us for sin?
Q86: What is faith in Jesus Christ?
Q87: What is repentance unto life?
Q88: What are the outward means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption?
Q89: How is the Word made effectual to salvation?
Q90: How is the Word to be read and heard, that it may become effectual to salvation?
Q91: How do the sacraments become effectual means of salvation?
Q92: What is a sacrament?
Q93: Which are the sacraments of the New Testament?
Q94: What is baptism?
Q95: To whom is baptism to be administered?
Q96: What is the Lord's supper?
Q97: What is required to be the worthy receiving of the Lord's supper?
Q98: What is prayer?
Q99: What rule hath God given for our direction in prayer?
Q100: What doth the preface of the Lord's prayer teach us?
Q101: What do we pray for in the first petition?
Q102: What do we pray for in the second petition?
Q103: What do we pray for in the third petition?
Q104: What do we pray for in the fourth petition?
Q105: What do we pray for in the fifth petition?
Q106: What do we pray for in the sixth petition?
Q107: What doth the conclusion the Lord's prayer teach us?


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