The Larger Catechism – Questions 111-120
Q. 111. Which is the third
commandment?
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 vaina.
a Exod.20:7
Q. 112. What is required in the
third commandment?
A. The third commandment requires, That the name of
God, his titles, attributesa, ordinancesb, the wordc,
sacramentsd, prayere, oathsf, vowsg,
lotsh, his worksi, and whatsoever else there is whereby
he makes himself known, be holily and reverently used in thoughtk,
meditationl, wordm, and writingn; by an holy
professiono, and answerable conversationp, to the glory
of Godq, and the good of ourselvesr, and otherss.
a Matt.6:9; Deut.28:58; Ps.29:2; Ps.68:4;
Rev.15:3,4 b Mal.1:14; Eccl.5:1 c Ps.138:2 d 1
Cor.11:24,25,28,29 e 1 Tim.2:8 f Jer.4:2 g Eccl.5:2,4-6 h
Acts 1:24,26 i Job 36:24 k Mal.3:16 l Ps.8 m
Col.3:17; Ps.105:2,5 n Ps.102:18 o 1 Pet.3:15; Micah 4:5 p
Phil.1:27 q 1 Cor.10:31 r Jer.32:39 s 1 Pet.2:12
Q. 113. What are the sins
forbidden in the third commandment?
A. The sins forbidden in the third commandment are,
the not using of God's name as is requireda; and the abuse of it in
an ignorantb, vainc, irreverent, profaned,
superstitiouse, or wicked mentioning or otherwise using his titles,
attributesf, ordinancesg, or worksh, by
blasphemyi, perjuryk; all sinful cursingsl,
oathsm, vowsn, and lotso; violating of our
oaths and vows, if lawfulp; and fulfilling them, if of things
unlawfulq; murmuring and quarrelling atr, curious prying
intos, and misapplying of God's decreest and providencesu;
misinterpretingx, misapplyingy, or any way perverting
the word, or any part of itz, to profane jestsa, curious
or unprofitable questions, vain janglings, or the maintaining of false
doctrinesb; abusing it, the creatures, or any thing contained under
the name of God, to charmsc, or sinful lusts and practicesd;
the maligninge, scorningf, revilingg, or any
wise opposing of God's truth, grace, and waysh; making profession
of religion in hypocrisy, or for sinister endsi; being ashamed of
itk, or a shame to it, by unconformablel, unwisem,
unfruitfuln, and offensive walkingo, or backsliding from
itp.
a Mal.2:2 b Acts 17:23 c
Prov.30:9 d Mal.1:6,7,12; Mal.3:14 e 1 Sam.4:3-5;
Jer.7:4,9,10,14,31; Col.2:20-22 f 2 Kings 18:30,35; Exod.5:2; Ps.139:20
g Ps.50:16,17 h Isa.5:12 i 2 Kings 19:22; Lev.24:11 k
Zech.5:4; Zech.8:17 l 1 Sam.17:43; 2 Sam.16:5 m Jer.5:7;
Jer.23:10 n Deut.23:18; Acts 23:12,14 o Esth.3:7; Esth.9:24;
Ps.22:18 p Ps.24:4; Ezek 17:16,18,19 q Mark 6:26; 1
Sam.25:22,32-34 r Rom.9:14,19,20 s Deut.29:29 t
Rom.3:5,7; Rom.6:1,2 u Eccl.8:11; Eccl.9:3; Ps.39 x Matt.5:21-48
y Ezek.13:22 z 2 Pet.3:16; Matt.22:24-31 a Isa.22:13;
Jer.23:34,36,38 b 1 Tim.1:4,6,7; 1 Tim.6:4,5,20; 2 Tim.2:14; Tit.3:9 c
Deut.18:10-14; Acts 19:13 d 2 Tim.4:3,4; Rom.13:13,14; 1 Kings 21:9,10;
Jude 4 e Acts 13:45; 1 John 3:12 f Ps.1:1; 2 Pet.3:3 g 1
Pet.4:4 h Acts 13:45,46,50; Acts 4:18; Acts 19:9; 1 Thess.2:16;
Heb.10:29 i 2 Tim.3:5; Matt.23:14; Matt.6:1,2,5,16 k Mark 8:38 l
Ps.73:14,15 m 1 Cor.6:5,6; Eph.5:15-17 n Isa.5:4; 2 Pet.1:8,9 o
Rom.2:23,24 p Gal.3:1,3; Heb.6:6
Q. 114. What reasons are annexed
to the third commandment?
A. The reasons annexed to the third commandment, in
these words, "The Lord thy God," and, "For the Lord will not
hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain," a are,
because he is the Lord and our God, therefore his name is not to be profaned,
or any way abused by usb; especially because he will be so far from
acquitting and sparing the transgressors of this commandment, as that he will
not suffer them to escape his righteous judgmentc, albeit many such
escape the censures and punishments of mend.
a Exod.20:7 b Lev.19:12 c
Ezek.36:21-23; Deut.28:58,59; Zech 5:2-4 d 1 Sam.2:12,17,22,24 compared
with 1 Sam.3:13
Q. 115. Which is the fourth
commandment?
A. The fourth commandment is, Remember the sabbath
day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work; but the
seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any
work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy
maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates. For
in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is,
and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath-day, and
hallowed ita.
a Exod.20:8-11
Q. 116. What is required in the
fourth commandment?
A. The fourth commandment requireth of all men the
sanctifying or keeping holy to God such set times as he hath appointed in his
word, expressly one whole day in seven; which was the seventh from the
beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, and the first day of the
week ever since, and so to continue to the end of the world; which is the
Christian sabbatha, and in the New Testament called The Lord's dayb.
a Deut.5:12-14; Gen.2:2,3; 1 Cor.16:1,2; Acts
20:7; Matt.5:17,18; Isa.56:2,4,6,7 b Rev.1:10
Q. 117. How is the sabbath or the
Lord's day to be sanctified?
A. The sabbath or Lord's day is to be sanctified by
an holy resting all the daya, not only from such works as are at
all times sinful, but even from such worldly employments and recreations as
are on other days lawfulb; and making it our delight to spend the
whole time (except so much of it as is to be taken up in works of necessity
and mercyc) in the public and private exercises of God's worshipd:
and, to that end, we are to prepare our hearts, and with such foresight,
diligence, and moderation, to dispose and seasonably dispatch our worldly
business, that we may be the more free and fit for the duties of that daye.
a Exod.20:8,10 b Exod.16:25-28;
Neh.13:15-22; Jer.17:21,22 c Matt.12:1-13 d Isa.58:13; Luke
4:16; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor.16:1,2; Ps.92:title; Isa.66:23; Lev.23:3 e Exod.20:8;
Luke 23:54,56; Exod.16:22,25,26,29; Neh.13:19
Q. 118. Why is the charge of
keeping the sabbath more specially directed to governors of families, and
other superiors?
A. The charge of keeping the sabbath is more
specially directed to governors of families, and other superiors, because they
are bound not only to keep it themselves, but to see that it be observed by
all those that are under their charge; and because they are prone ofttimes to
hinder them by employments of Their owna.
a Exod.20:10; Josh.24:15; Neh.13:15,17;
Jer.17:20-22; Exod.23:12
Q. 119. What are the sins
forbidden in the fourth commandment?
A. The sins forbidden in the fourth commandment are,
all omissions of the duties requireda, all careless, negligent and
unprofitable performing of them, and being weary of themb; all
profaning the day by idleness, and doing that which is in itself sinfulc;
and by all needless works, words, and thoughts, about our worldly employments
and recreationsd.
a Ezek.22:26 b Acts 20:7,9;
Ezek.33:30-32; Amos 8:5; Mal.1:13 c Ezek.23:38 d Jer.17:24,27;
Isa.58:13
Q. 120. What are the reasons
annexed to the fourth commandment, the more to enforce it?
A. The reasons annexed to the fourth commandment,
the more to enforce it, are taken from the equity of it, God allowing us six
days of seven for our own affairs, and reserving but one for himself, in these
words, Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy worka: from God's
challenging a special propriety in that day, The seventh day is the sabbath of
the Lord thy Godb: from the example of God, who in six days made
heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh
day: and from that blessing which God put upon that day, not only in
sanctifying it to be a day for his service, but in ordaining it to be a means
of blessing to us in our sanctifying it; Wherefore the lord blessed the
sabbath-day, and hallowed itc.
a Exod.20:9 b Exod.20:10 c
Exod.20:11
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