The
Larger Catechism – Questions 101-110
Q.
101. What is the preface to the ten commandments?
A.
The preface to the ten commandments is contained in these words, I am the Lord
thy God, which have brought thee out of the
land
of
Egypt
, out of the house of bondagea. Wherein God manifesteth his
sovereignty, as being JEHOVAH, the eternal, immutable, and almighty Godb;
having his being in and of himselfc, and giving being to all his
wordsd and workse: and that he is a God in covenant, as
with Israel of old, so with all his peoplef; who, as he brought
them out of their bondage in Egypt, so he delivereth us from our spiritual
thraldomg; and that therefore we are bound to take him for our God
alone, and to keep all his commandmentsh.
a
Exod.20:2 b Isa.44:6 c Exod.3:14 d Exod.6:3 e Acts
17:24
,28 f Gen.17:7 compared with Rom.3:29 g Luke 1:74,75 h
1 Pet.1:15-18; Lev.18:30; Lev.19:37
Q.
102. What is the sum of the four commandments which contain our duty to God?
A.
The sum of the four commandments containing our duty to God, is, to love the
Lord our God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our
strength, and with all our minda.
a
Luke 10:27
Q.
103. Which is the first commandment?
A.
The first commandment is, Thou shalt have no other gods before mea.
a
Exod.20:3
Q.
104. What are the duties required in the first commandment?
A.
The duties required in the first commandment are, the knowing and
acknowledging of God to be the only true God, and our Goda; and to
worship and glorify him accordinglyb, by thinkingc,
meditatingd, rememberinge, highly esteemingf,
honouringg, adoringh, choosingi, lovingk,
desiringl, fearing of himm; believing himn;
trustingo, hopingp, delightingq, rejoicing in
himr; being zealous for hims; calling upon him, giving
all praise and thankst, and yielding all obedience and submission
to him with the whole manu being careful in all things to please
himx, and sorrowful when in any thing he is offendedy;
and walking humbly with himz.
a
1 Chron.28:9; Deut.26:17; Isa.43:10; Jer.14:22 b Ps.95:6,7; Matt.4:10;
Ps.29:2 c Mal.3:16 d Ps.63:6 e Eccl.12:1 f
Ps.71:19 g Mal.1:6 h Isa.45:23 i Josh.24:15,22 k Deut.6:5
l Ps.73:25 m Isa.8:13 n Exod.14:31 o Isa.26:4 p
Ps.130:7 q Ps.37:4 r Ps.32:11 s Rom.12:11 compared with
Num.25:11 t Phil.4:6 u Jer.7:23; James 4:7 x 1 John 3:22 y
Jer.31:18; Ps.119:136 z Micah 6:8
Q.
105. What are the sins forbidden in the first commandment?
A.
The sins forbidden in the first commandment, are, Atheism, in denying or not
having a Goda; Idolatry, in having or worshipping more gods than
one, or any with or instead of the true Godb; the not having and
avouching him for God, and our Godc; the omission or neglect of any
thing due to him, required in this commandmentd; ignorancee,
forgetfulnessf, misapprehensionsg, false opinionsh,
unworthy and wicked thoughts of himi; bold and curious searching
into his secretsk; all profanenessl, hatred of Godm;
self-loven, self-seekingo, 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 partp; vain credulityq,
unbeliefr, heresys, misbelieft, distrustu,
despairx, incorrigiblenessy, and insensibleness under
judgmentsz, hardness of hearta, prideb,
presumptionc, carnal securityd, tempting of Gode;
using unlawful meansf, and trusting in unlawful meansg;
carnal delights and joysh; corrupt, blind, and indiscreet zeali;
lukewarmness k, and deadness in the things of Godl;
estranging ourselves, and apostatizing from Godm; praying, or
giving any religious worship, to saints, angels, or any other creaturesn;
all compacts and consulting with the devilo, and hearkening to his
suggestionsp; making men the lords of our faith and conscienceq;
slighting and despising God and his commandsr; resisting and
grieving of his Spirits, discontent and impatience at his
dispensations, charging him foolishly for the evils he inflicts on ust;
and ascribing the praise of any good we either are, have, or can do, to
fortuneu, idolsx, ourselvesy, or any other
creaturez.
a
Ps.14:1; Eph.2:12 b Jer.2:27,28 compared with 1 Thess.1:9 c
Ps.81:11 d Isa.43:22-24 e Jer.4:22; Hosea 4:1,6 f
Jer.2:32 g Acts 17:23,29 h Isa.40:18 i Ps.50:21 k
Deut.29:29 l Tit.1:16; Heb.12:16 m Rom.1:30 n 2 Tim.3:2 o
Phil.2:21 p 1 John 2:15,16; 1 Sam.2:29; Col.3:2,5 q 1 John 4:1 r
Heb.3:12 s Gal.5:20; Tit.3:10 t Acts 26:9 u Ps.78:22 x
Gen.4:13 y Jer.5:3 z Isa.42:25 a Rom.2:5 b
Jer.13:15 c Ps.19:13 d Zeph.1:12 e Matt.4:7 f
Rom.3:8 g Jer.17:5 h 2 Tim.3:4 i Gal.4:17; John 16:2;
Rom.10:2; Luke 9:54,55 k Rev.3:16 l Rev.3:1 m Ezek.14:5;
Isa.1:4,5 n Rom.10:13,14; Hosea 4:12; Acts 10:25,26; Rev.19:10;
Matt.4:10; Col.2:18; Rom.1:25 o Lev.20:6; 1 Sam.28:7,11 compared with 1
Chron.10:13,14 p Acts 5:3 q 2 Cor.1:24; Matt.23:9 r
Deut.32:15; 2 Sam.12:9; Prov.13:13 s Acts 7:51; Eph.4:30 t
Ps.73:2,3,13-15,22; Job 1:22 u 1 Sam.6:7-9 x Dan.5:23 y
Deut.8:17; Dan.4:30 z Hab.1:16
Q.
106. What are we especially taught by these words "before me" in the
first comandment?
A.
These words "before me" or before my face, in the first commandment,
teach us, that God, who seeth all things, taketh special notice of, and is
much displeased with, the sin of having any other God: that so it may be an
argument to dissuade from it, and to aggravate it as a most impudent
provocationa: as also to persuade us to do as in his sight,
whatever we do in his serviceb.
a
Ezek.8:5-18; Ps.44:20,21 b 1 Chron.28:9
Q.
107. Which is the second commandment?
A.
The second commandment is, Thou shalt not make unto 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
thyself 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; and shewing mercy unto thousands of
them that love me, and keep my commandmentsa.
a
Exod.20:4-6
Q.
108. What are the duties required in the second commandment?
A.
The duties required in the second commandment are, the receiving, observing,
and keeping pure and entire, all such religious worship and ordinances as God
hath instituted in his worda; particularly prayer and thanksgiving
in the name of Christb; the reading, preaching, and hearing of the
wordc; the administration and receiving of the sacramentsd;
church government and disciplinee; the ministry and maintainance
thereoff; religious fastingg; swearing by the name of
Godh, and vowing unto himi: as also the disapproving,
detesting, opposing, all false worshipk; and, according to each
one's place and calling, removing it, and all monuments of idolatryl.
a
Deut.32:46,47; Matt.28:20; Acts 2:42; 1 Tim.6:13,14 b Phil.4:6;
Eph.5:20 c Deut.17:18,19; Acts 15:21; 2 Tim.4:2; James 1:21,22; Acts 10:33 d
Matt.28:19; 1 Cor.11:23-30 e Matt.18:15-17; Matt.16:19; 1 Cor.5; 1
Cor.12:28 f Eph.4:11,12; 1 Tim.5:17,18; 1 Cor.9:7-15 g Joel
2:12,13; 1 Cor.7:5 h Deut.6:13 i Isa.19:21; Ps.76:11 k
Acts 17:16,17; Ps.16:4 l Deut.7:5; Isa.30:22
Q.
109. What are the sins forbidden in the second commandment?
A.
The sins forbidden in the second commandment are, all devisinga,
counsellingb, commandingc, usingd, and any
wise 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 deitiesk, and all worship
of them, or service belonging to theml; all superstitious devicesm,
corrupting the worship of Godn, adding to it, or taking from ito,
whether invented and taken up of ourselvesp, or received by
tradition from othersq, though under the title of antiquityr,
customs, devotiont, good intent, or any other pretence
whatsoeveru; simonyx; sacrilegey; all neglectz,
contempta, hinderingb, and opposing the worship and
ordinances which God hath appointedc.
a
Num.15:39 b Deut.13:6-8 c Hosea 5:11; Micah 6:16 d 1
Kings 11:33; 1 Kings 12:33 e Deut.12:30-32 f Deut.13:6-12;
Zech.13:2,3; Rev.2:2,14,15,20; Rev.17:12,16,17 g Deut.4:15-19; Acts
17:29; Rom.1:21-23,25 h Dan.3:18; Gal.4:8 i Exod.32:5 k
Exod.32:8 l 1 Kings 18:26,28; Isa.65:11 m Acts 17:22;
Col.2:21-23 n Mal.1:7,8,14 o Deut.4:2 p Ps.106:39 q
Matt.15:9 r 1 Pet.1:18 s Jer.44:17 t Isa.65:3-5;
Gal.1:13,14 u 1 Sam.13:11,12; 1 Sam.15:21 x Acts 8:18 y
Rom.2:22; Mal.3:8 z Exod.4:24-26 a Matt.22:5; Mal.1:7,13 b
Matt.23:13 c Acts 13:44,45; 1 Thess.2:15,16
Q.
110. What are the reasons annexed to the second commandment, the more to
enforce it?
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 iniquity 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, and keep my commandmentsa; are, besides God's sovereignty
over us, and propriety in usb, his fervent zeal for his own worshipc,
and his revengeful indignation against all false worship, as being a spiritual
whoredomd; accounting the breakers of this commandment such as hate
him, and threatening to punish them unto divers generationse; and
esteeming the observers of it such as love him and keep his commandments, and
promising mercy to them unto many generationsf.
a
Exod.20:5,6 b Ps.45:11; Rev.15:3,4 c Exod.34:13,14 d 1
Cor.10:20-22; Jer.7:18-20; Ezek.16:26,27; Deut.32:16-20 e Hosea 2:2-4 f
Deut.5:29
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