4
The Shorter Catechism,
Q. And what are God's decrees, can you
define?7
A. They signify th'eternal, grand design,
Form'd by the counsel of his will, whereby,
For his own glory, from eternity,
He fixedly hath fore-ordain'd each thing,
That time has brought, or yet to pass shall
bring a.
a Eph. i. 11, 12
Q. And in what manner doth Jehovah please 8
To execute his sovereign decrees?
A. He first did by creation's work commence,
And now proceeds by works of providence a.
a Rev. iv. 11. Dan. iv. 35.
Q. Work of creation, what doth it imply? 9
A. God's making all things in earth, sea, and
sky.
He spoke the word,—in six days' space they
stood,
All form'd from nothing,—and all very good a.
a Gen. i. 1—31. Heb. xi. 3.
Q. How did Jehovah first mankind create?10
A. Both male and female in a happy state;
Their minds his glorious image a did express,
In knowledge, purity, and righteousness b;
And undisturb'd they full dominion sway'd,
O'er all the other creatures he had made c.
a Gen. i. 27. b Col. iii. 10. Eph. iv. 24. c
Gen. i. 28.
Q. What by the works of providence is meant? 11
A. God's holy a, wise b, and all omnipotent,
Preserving c still, and over-ruling all
His creatures, and their actions, great or
small d.
a Psal. cxlv. 17. b Isa. xxviii. 29. c
Heb. i. 3. d Psal. ciii. 19.
Matt. x. 29.
Q. What special act of providence did God12
Use towards man, while he in bliss abode?
A. When God created man, with him then he
Did in a covenant of life agree,
Upon condition of obedience true a,
Forbidding him to eat that fruit which grew
Upon a certain tree, which would instil
Into the mind the sense of good and ill,
