"And when this people, or prophet, shall ask thee saying, What is the burden of the Lord? thou shalt say, What burden? I will even forsake you, saith the Lord, and the burden of the Lord shall ye mention no more; for ye have perverted the word of the living God." 2. When persons wrest the word of God to false doctrine; perversely disputing against the sound and wholesome doctrine therein contained. 2 Pet. iii. 16. "In which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable, wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction." 1 Tim. vi. 3-5. "If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, the words of our Lord Jesus, and the doctrine which is according to godliness; he is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth." 3. When persons misapply the word of God; the threatenings to the righteous, to make them sad; the promises to the wicked, to encourage them in their wicked ways. Ezek. xiii. 22. "With lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life.”

Q. 4. How are God's works profaned and abused?

A. God's works are profaned and abused, 1. When persons pamper their flesh, gratify their lusts, and are intemperate in their use of God's creatures. Rom. xiii. 13, 14. "Let us walk honestly as in the day; not in rioting and drunken

ness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying: but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof." 2. When in prosperity, persons are forgetful of God, unthankful for mercies, and indulge themselves the more to sin, because of God's patience and bounty. Hos. xiii. 6. "They were filled, and their heart was exalted; therefore have they forgotten me." Rom. ii. 4, 5. "Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance? But, after thy hardness and impenitent heart, treasurest up unto thyself wrath," &c. 3. When, in adversity, persons murmur, and are impatient; when they are incorrigible, and grow more hardened in their sins. 1 Cor. x. 10. "Neither murmur ye, as some of them murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer." Jer. v. 3. "Thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return.”

Q. 56. 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.

Q. 1. Whence is it that such as profane God's name escape punishment from men ?

A. Such as profane God's name, for the most part, escape punishment from men, 1. Because no

laws of men do, or can reach all profanations of God's name. 2. Because such laws as reach blasphemy, perjury, swearing and the like grosser profanations of God's name, are not executed by many in authority, who oftentimes being profane and wicked persons themselves, are more ready to punish those that hallow God's name, than those that profane it.

Q. 2. How does it appear, that such as profane God's name shall not escape God's righteous judyment?

A. Such as profane God's name shall not escape God's righteous judgment, because God is righteous, and he will not hold them guiltless.

Q. 3. When does the Lord punish those that profane his name?

A. 1. Sometimes God punishes them in this life, and that with dreadful temporal plagues. Deut. xxviii. 58, 59. "If thou wilt not observe to do all these words, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD; then the Lord will make thy plagues wonderful." 2. Be sure if such escape here, they shall not escape eternal wrath and vengeance hereafter. Rom. ii. 5. “Thou treasurest up to thyself wrath against the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of God."

Q. 57. 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 it.

Q. 58. 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.

Q. 1. What is the difference between the worship required in this fourth commandment, and the worship required in the first, second, and third?

A. The first commandment has respect to the object of worship; the second commandment has respect to the means of worship; the third commandment has respect to the manner of worship: but this fourth commandment has respect to the time of worship.

Q. 2. What time for worship does the fourth commandment require?

A. The fourth commandment requires such set times for worship to be kept holy to God, which he has appointed in his word.

Q. 3. May not the Popish holy days be observed?

A. The Popish holy days ought not to be observed, because they are not appointed in the word; and, by the same reason, no other holy-days may be kept, whatsoever pretence there be of devotion towards God, when there is no precept or example for such practice in the holy scriptures.

Q. 4. What set time has God appointed in his word to be kept holy to himself?

A. God has appointed in his word one whole day in seven to be kept a holy Sabbath to himself. Deut. v. 12. "Keep the Sabbath day to sanctify it, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee."

Q. 5. What are we to understand by one whole day in seven, which is to be kept holy to the Lord?

A. By one whole day in seven, we are not to understand only the whole artificial day, from sunrising to sun-setting, or from day break in the morning, until the evening or night, but the whole natural day, consisting of twenty-four hours.

Q. 6. When does this holy day or Sabbath begin, in the evening before, or that morning from midnight?

A. In the evening before, by virtue of that word, "Remember to keep holy the seventh day," we ought to begin to prepare for the Sabbath; but the Sabbath itself does not begin until the evening is spent, and midnight thereof over, and the morning after twelve o'clock begins.

Q. 7. Do not the scriptures require us to begin the Sabbath in the evening, when it is said, Gen. i. 5, "The evening and the morning were the first day," and, Lev. xxiii. 32, " From even unto even shall ye celebrate your Sabbath?"

A. 1. It does not follow that the evening of the first day was before the morning, though it be first