Q56. What is the reason annexed to the third commandment?
A. The reason annexed to the third commandment is, that however the breakers of this commandment may escape punishment from men, yet the Lord our God will not suffer them to escape his righteous judgment.
Q1. Are there any arguments against taking God's name in vain, couched in the preceptive part of this commandment?
A. Yes; he whose name we are forbidden to take in vain, is the LORD OUR GOD; "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy GOD in vain."
Q2. What is the force of the argument taken from his being the Lord or JEHOVAH?
A. That his infinite essential glory and excellency should fill us with the greatest reverence and humility, when we think or speak of any thing by which he makes himself known, Psalm 83:18.
Q3. What is the force of the argument taken from his being our God?
A. That his making himself over to us in the covenant of promise, as our reconciled God and Father in Christ, should lay us under the strongest obligation to a holy and reverential use of his name, Ex. 15:2.
Q4. What is the particular reason expressly subjoined or annexed to this commandment?
A. It is in these words, by way of threatening: For the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
Q5. What is the import of the threatening, "the Lord will not hold him guiltless?"
A. It imports, that he will surely hold him guilty in a peculiar manner, who presumes to profane or abuse his name, so that divine vengeance shall be infallibly certain against him, Zech. 5:3.
Q6. In what light does the scripture represent those who take God's name in vain?
A. It represents them as his open and avowed enemies, Psalm 139:20 - "Thine ENEMIES take thy name in vain."
Q7. How does it appear that divine vengeance is infallibly certain against the profaners of God's name?
A. It appears from the very terms of the threatening, The Lord WILL NOT hold him guiltless; that is, as sure as there will be a judgment seat, before which sinners must appear; so sure it is, that this sin shall then be taken particular notice of, as a main article of the indictment, Mal. 3:5.
Q8. Why do the breakers of this commandment escape punishment from men?
A. Because many of those to whom the administration of justice is committed, being themselves guilty, do therefore show no concern for vindicating the honour of God's name in punishing the profaners of it.
Q9. Why will not the Lord our God suffer them to escape his righteous judgment?
A. Because, if heathens are highly punishable for this crime, as contrary to one of the first dictates of nature's light, Rom. 1:32, much more, among Christians; the manifestation of God's name in Christ being the greatest blessing, John 15:22, their profaning or abusing of it, must be the greatest sin, Amos 3:2.
Q1. How does this commandment differ from the first and second?
A. The first has respect to the object of worship, forbidding us to worship any other but God. The second respects the means of worship, forbidding us to worship God by any other means than what he has prescribed. But the third respects the manner of his worship, forbidding all careless, or profane use of his name, and commanding a holy reverence from us in all our solemn addresses to him, or ordinary mention of his name. Malachi 1:6. A son honors his father, and a servant his master: If then I be a father, where is mine honor? and if I be a master, where is my fear! says the Lord of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name: And you say, Wherein have we despised your name?
Q2. What is the first thing especially required in the third commandment?
A. It requires the most awful and reverential frame of our hearts in all our approaches to God; Psalm 89:7. God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints; and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him. And in his worship; John 4:24. God is a Spirit; and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Q3. What is the second thing required in this commandment?
A. It requires truth in our witness-bearing, as knowing God sees our hearts, and is witness to all that we think or speak; Zechariah 5:4. I will bring it forth, says the Lord of hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him that swears falsely by my name, etc.
Q4. What is the third thing required in this commandment?
A. That in all our appeals to God in secret, or doubtful matters, we be sure that the appeal be necessary, awful, and true; Jeremiah 17:16. As for me, I have not hastened from being a pastor to follow you, neither have I desired the woeful day, you know: that which came out of my lips was right before you. Psalm 139:23, 24. Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts. And see if there be any wicked way in me; and lead me in the way everlasting.
Q5. What does this commandment especially forbid?
A. It forbids and condemns all profane oaths, as most injurious to the name of God, Matthew 5:34, 37.-Swear not at all, neither by Heaven, for it is God's throne, etc. But let your communication be, Yes, yes; Nay, nay: for whatever is more than these, comes of evil.
Q6. What is the danger of profane or false swearing?
A. Such are reckoned enemies to God, Psalm 139:20. Your enemies take your name in vain. The curse of God enters into such families. Zechariah 5:4. I will bring it forth, says the Lord of hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him that swears falsely by my name, etc. And the Lord will not hold them guiltless.
Q7. What else is forbidden in this commandment?
A. It forbids and condemns all heedless, wandering, and drowsy performance of God's worship; Isaiah 29:13, 14. Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouths, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear towards me is taught by the precept of men: Therefore, behold I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work, and a wonder; for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid. And 2 Kings 10:31. But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord God of Israel, with all his heart: for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, which made Israel to sin.
Q8. What other sin is forbidden in this command?
A. It forbids all light and irreverent use of the scriptures, especially in our jests, or by way of scoffing; Jeremiah 17:15. Behold, they say unto me, Where is the word of the Lord? Let it come now. Jeremiah 6:10.-Behold, the word of the Lord is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it.
Q9. By what argument does God enforce the third commandment on men?
A. That the breakers of this commandment shall surely be punished by the Lord, either in this life, Deuteronomy 28:58, 59. If you will not observe to do all the words of this law, that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and fearful name, the Lord your God: Then the Lord will make your plagues wonderful, and the plagues of your seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sickness, and of long continuance: Or in that to come, Romans 2:5. But after your hardness and impenitent heart, treasures up unto yourself wrath against the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of God: Except they repent and reform.
Q10. What is the first instruction from the third commandment?
A. That great and infinite is the patience of God in forbearing and provoking sinners so long as he does; Romans 9:22. What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction?
Q11. What is the second instruction from hence?
A. That God is to be justified in the severest of his judgments, by which at any time he manifests his displeasure against the profaneness of the world; Hosea 4:1, 2, 3. Hear the word of the Lord, you children of Israel: For the Lord has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood touches blood. Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwells therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the birds of Heaven, yes, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.
Q12. What is the third instruction from hence?
A. That God takes special notice of, and greatly delights in them that fear and reverence his name; Isaiah 66:5. Hear the word of the Lord, you that tremble at his word: Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let the Lord be glorified; but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed. Malachi 3:16.-And a book of remembrance was written before him, for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name.
Q13. What is the last inference from hence?
A. That those parents have much to answer for, that by their examples teach, or by their negligence encourage their children to profane God's name: Jeremiah 5:7. How shall I pardon you for this? Your children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods, etc. Of the Sabbath
Q1. Do the breakers of the third commandment commonly escape punishment from men?
A. Yes: For men hear the voice of swearing, and utter it not, Lev. 5:1.
Q2. And do they fancy they shall escape God's judgments?
A. Yes: The wicked contemn God, and yet say in their heart, he will not require it, Ps. 10:13.
Q3. But shall they escape God's judgments?
A. No: Be not deceived, God is not mocked, Gal. 6:7.
Q4. Shall those who profane God's holy name escape his righteous judgments?
A. No: The Lord will make their plagues wonderful, Deut. 28:59.
Q5. Shall hypocrites escape them?
A. No: Woe unto you scribes and pharisees, hypocrites, Matt. 23:13.
Q6. Shall scoffers escape them?
A. No: For they shall be broken, and snared, and taken, Isa. 28:13.
Q7. Shall covenant breakers escape them?
A. No: Seeing he despised the oath, by breaking the covenant, he shall not escape, Ezek. 17:18.
Q8. Shall swearers go unpunished?
A. No: For he that sweareth shall be cut off: Zech. 5:3.
Q9. Shall they who use God's name vainly go unpunished?
A. No: For every idle word that men speak they must give account, Matt. 12:36.
Q10. And shall their words be witnesses against them?
A. Yes: God shall cause their own tongues to fall upon them, Ps. 44:8.
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The Ten Commandments
The moral law and what God requires of man
Q39. What is the duty which God requireth of man?
A. The duty which God requireth of man, is obedience to his revealed will.
Q40. What did God at first reveal to man for the rule of his obedience?
A. The rule which God at first revealed to man for his obedience, was the moral law.
Q41. Wherein is the moral law summarily comprehended?
A. The moral law is summarily comprehended in the ten commandments.
Q42. What is the sum of the ten commandments?
A. The sum of the ten commandments is, To love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our mind; and our neighbour as ourselves.
Q43. What is the preface to the ten commandments?
A. The preface to the ten commandments is in these words, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Q44. What doth the preface to the ten commandments teach us?
A. The preface to the ten commandments teacheth us, That because God is the Lord, and our God, and Redeemer, therefore we are bound to keep all his commandments.
Q45. Which is the first commandment?
A. The first commandment is, Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Q46. What is required in the first commandment?
A. The first commandment requireth us to know and acknowledge God to be the only true God, and our God; and to worship and glorify him accordingly.
Q47. What is forbidden in the first commandment?
A. The first commandment forbiddeth the denying, or not worshipping and glorifying the true God as God, and our God; and the giving of that worship and glory to any other, which is due to him alone.
Q48. What are we specially taught by these words, 'before me', in the first commandment?
A. These words, before me, in the first commandment teach us, that God, who seeth all things, taketh notice of, and is much displeased with, the sin of having any other God.
Q49. Which is the second commandment?
A. The second commandment is, Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything 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 thy self 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 showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
Q50. What is required in the second commandment?
A. The second commandment requireth the receiving, observing, and keeping pure and entire, all such religious worship and ordinances as God hath appointed in his Word.
Q51. What is forbidden in the second commandment?
A. The second commandment forbiddeth the worshipping of God by images, or any other way not appointed in his Word.
Q52. What are the reasons annexed to the second commandment?
A. The reasons annexed to the second commandment are, God's sovereignty over us, his propriety in us, and the zeal he hath to his own worship.
Q53. 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 vain.
Q54. What is required in the third commandment?
A. The third commandment requireth the holy and reverend use of God's names, titles, attributes, ordinances, Word, and works.
Q55. What is forbidden in the third commandment?
A. The third commandment forbiddeth all profaning or abusing of anything whereby God maketh himself known.
Q56. What is the reason annexed to the third commandment?
A. The reason annexed to the third commandment is, that however the breakers of this commandment may escape punishment from men, yet the Lord our God will not suffer them to escape his righteous judgment.
Q57. Which is the fourth commandment?
A. The fourth commandment is, Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, 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 manservant, nor thy maidservant, 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 it.
Q58. What is required in the fourth commandment?
A. The fourth commandment requireth the keeping holy to God such set times as he hath appointed in his Word; expressly one whole day in seven, to be a holy sabbath to himself.
Q59. Which day of the seven hath God appointed to be the weekly sabbath?
A. From the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, God appointed the seventh day of the week to be the weekly sabbath; and the first day of the week ever since, to continue to the end of the world, which is the Christian sabbath.
Q60. How is the sabbath to be sanctified?
A. The sabbath is to be sanctified by a holy resting all that day, even from such worldly employments and recreations as are lawful on other days; and spending the whole time in the public and private exercises of God's worship, except so much as is to be taken up in the works of necessity and mercy.
Q61. What is forbidden in the fourth commandment?
A. The fourth commandment forbiddeth the omission or careless performance of the duties required, and the profaning the day by idleness, or doing that which is in itself sinful, or by unnecessary thoughts, words, or works, about our worldly employments or recreations.
Q62. What are the reasons annexed to the fourth commandment?
A. The reasons annexed to the fourth commandment are, God's allowing us six days of the week for our own employments, his challenging a special propriety in the seventh, his own example, and his blessing the sabbath day.
Q63. Which is the fifth commandment?
A. The fifth commandment is, Honour thy father and thy mother; that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
Q64. What is required in the fifth commandment?
A. The fifth commandment requireth the preserving the honor, and performing the duties, belonging to everyone in their several places and relations, as superiors, inferiors, or equals.
Q65. What is forbidden in the fifth commandment?
A. The fifth commandment forbiddeth the neglecting of, or doing anything against, the honor and duty which belongeth to everyone in their several places and relations.
Q66. What is the reason annexed to the fifth commandment?
A. The reason annexed to the fifth commandment is, a promise of long life and prosperity (as far as it shall serve for God's glory and their own good) to all such as keep this commandment.
Q67. Which is the sixth commandment?
A. The sixth commandment is, Thou shalt not kill.
Q68. What is required in the sixth commandment?
A. The sixth commandment requireth all lawful endeavors to preserve our own life, and the life of others.
Q69. What is forbidden in the sixth commandment?
A. The sixth commandment forbiddeth the taking away of our own life, or the life of our neighbour, unjustly, or whatsoever tendeth thereunto.
Q70. Which is the seventh commandment?
A. The seventh commandment is, Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Q71. What is required in the seventh commandment?
A. The seventh commandment requireth the preservation of our own and our neighbour's chastity, in heart, speech, and behavior.
Q72. What is forbidden in the seventh commandment?
A. The seventh commandment forbiddeth all unchaste thoughts, words, and actions.
Q73. Which is the eighth commandment?
A. The eighth commandment is, Thou shalt not steal.
Q74. What is required in the eighth commandment?
A. The eighth commandment requireth the lawful procuring and furthering the wealth and outward estate of ourselves and others.
Q75. What is forbidden in the eighth commandment?
A. The eighth commandment forbiddeth whatsoever doth, or may, unjustly hinder our own, or our neighbour's, wealth or outward estate.
Q76. Which is the ninth commandment?
A. The ninth commandment is, Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
Q77. What is required in the ninth commandment?
A. The ninth commandment requireth the maintaining and promoting of truth between man and man, and of our own and our neighbour's good name, especially in witness bearing.
Q78. What is forbidden in the ninth commandment?
A. The ninth commandment forbiddeth whatsoever is prejudicial to truth, or injurious to our own, or our neighbour's, good name.
Q79. Which is the tenth commandment?
A. The tenth commandment is, Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbour's.
Q80. What is required in the tenth commandment?
A. The tenth commandment requireth full contentment with our own condition, with a right and charitable frame of spirit toward our neighbour, and all that is his.
Q81. What is forbidden in the tenth commandment?
A. The tenth commandment forbiddeth all discontentment with our own estate, envying or grieving at the good of our neighbour, and all inordinate motions and affections to anything that is his.
Q82. Is any man able perfectly to keep the commandments of God?
A. No mere man, since the fall, is able in this life perfectly to keep the commandments of God, but doth daily break them in thought, word, and deed.
Q83. Are all transgressions of the law equally heinous?
A. Some sins in themselves, and by reason of several aggravations, are more heinous in the sight of God than others.
Q84. What doth every sin deserve?
A. Every sin deserveth God's wrath and curse, both in this life, and that which is to come.