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ten aforetime, were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

Q. 21. On what account are we to receive it with love?

A. We are to love it for its author's fake, because it is the word of God; Pfalm cxix. 159. Confider how I love thy precepts, &c.

Q. 22. What is the fecond motive of love to the word?

A. The holiness and purity of it deferves and engages our love to it; Pfalm cxix. 140. Thy word is very pure: therefore thy fervant loveth it.

Q23. What is the third motive to engage our love to it? A. The great and constant usefulness of it to our fouls, as that we cannot fubfift without a Job xxiii. 12. I have efteemed the words of his mouth more than my neceffary food.

Q. 24. How doth this love to the word manifest itself ? A. Our love manifefts itself in our longing after it; Pfalm cxix. 20. My foul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times. Our diligent attendance on it; Acts x. 33. Immediately therefore I fent unto thee, and thou haft well done that thou art come, Now therefore are we all here prefent before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God.

25. How is faith and love evidenced to the word after hearing it?

A. By preferving it carefully in our hearts and memories; Pfalm cxix. 11. Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not fin against thee.

26. What is the best cure for a bad memory?

A. Labour to get an high esteem of it, and an experimental feeling of it, and frequently meditate on it; Pfalm cxix. 16. I will delight myfelf in thy ftatutes: I will not forget thy word. Pfalm cxix. 93. I will never forget thy precepts; for with them thou haft quickened me. Pfalm cxix. 99. Thy testimo nies are my meditation.

27. How is faith and love principally manifefted to the word after hearing?

A. It is principally manifefted by bringing forth the fruits of it in our lives; Col. i. 5, 6. For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gofpel, which is come unto you, as it is in all the world, and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth alfo in you, fince the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth. Q28. What is the use of all this?

A. This ferves to reprove our formal and dead hearing the

word, and excites us all to evidence and exercife more faith, love, and obedience, in hearing it.

Quest. 91.

Of Sacraments, as Means of Salvation.

OW do the facraments become effectual means of falvation?

Ho

A. The facraments become effectual means of falvation, not from any virtue in them, or in him that doth adminifter them, but only by the bleffing of Chrift, and the working of his Spirit in them that by faith receive them.

Q. I. What is the first proper sense of this word facrament? A. It primarily fignifies a folemn oath taken by foldiers, when they lift themselves under a prince or general; and this oath was mutual.

Q. 2. Why do we use it, seeing it is not a scripture word? A. Though the word be not found in fcripture, yet the thing intended by it is, and that brings the word in use: for in the facraments God obliges himself to us by confirming his covenant by it; Rom. iv. 11. And he received the fign of circumcifion, a feal of the righteoufnefs of the faith, which he had yet being uncircumcifed: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcifed; that righteousness might be imputed unto them alfo. And we oblige ourselves to God; Rom. vi. 3, 4. Know ye not that fo many of us as were baptized into Chrift, were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptifm into death, that like as Chrift was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Q3. What is here meant by falvation?

A. By falvation is meant our complete and final deliverance from fin and mifery, both temporal and eternal. From fin, Matth i. 21. For he fhall fave his people from their fis. From mifery, Thef. i. 10. Even Jefus who delivereth us from the wrath to come.

Q. 4. What is a mean of falvation?

A. A mean of falvation fignifies any appointment of God, whereby he promotes and accomplishes his defign of faving our fouls; fo the word is a mean; Rom. i. 16. For I am not afhamed of the gospel of Chrift, for it is the power of God unto falvation, to every one that believeth.

Q. 5. How doth the word and facraments differ as means of falvation?

A. The word is appointed to be the first means of begetting

faith; 1 Cor. iii. 5. Who then is Paul? And who is Apollos? But minifters by whom ye believed, &c. Sacraments are to feal and confirm it; Rom. iv. 11. And he received the fign of circumcifion, a feal of the righteousness of faith, &c.

Q. 6. What is meant by an effectual mean of falvation? A. By an effectual mean, is meant fuch a mean as fully obtains and accomplishes the end it was appointed for, 1 Theff. ii. 13. Because when ye received the word of God, which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men; but (as it is in truth) the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

Q.7. Do not all the means of falvation

men ?

prove effectual to

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A. Though the means of falvation prove effectual to all God's elect, yet they are fo not to others; Acts xxviii. 23, 24. And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging, to whom he expounded and teftified the kingdom of God, perfuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Mofes, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening. And fome believed the things which were fpoken, and fome believed not.

Q. 8. Do not the sacraments fave all that partake of them? A. No, they do not; baptifm may pafs on a caft-away; Acts viii. 23. For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bit'ternefs, and in the bond of iniquity. And the Lord's fupper may be received unworthily; 1 Cor. xi. 27. Wherefore, who'foever fhall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily, fhall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

Q. 9. What is the reason they prove not effectual to all ? -A. Because their virtue and efficacy is not in themselves, but in God; for we fee they work as God's Spirit concurs, or not concurs with them, as in the inftance before given.

Q. 10. But is not that for want of wisdom, holiness, or zeal in the minifter, that they have no more efficacy?

A. No, it is not principally, or only from thence; for it is not in the power of the holieft minifter in the world to make them effectual; 1 Cor. iii. 7. Neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increafe.

Q. Whence is it that facraments become effectual ?

A. It is only from the Spirit of Chrift working in them, and by them on the fouls of men; 1 Cor. xii. 13. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

Q. 12. What is the first inftruction hence?

A. That men enjoying all the ordinances of the gospel, and partaking of the facraments annexed to the covenant of grace, may yet perifh for ever; 1 Cor. x. 3, 4, 5. And did all eat the fame spiritual meat; and did all drink the same spiritual drink; (for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them and that rock was Chrift). But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness; Luke xiii. 26, 27. Then fhall ye begin to fay, we have eaten and drunk in thy prefence, and thou haft taught in our streets. But he shall fay, I tell you, I know you not whence you are; depart from me all ye workers of iniquity.

Q13. What is the fecond inference?

A. That men fhould not idolize fome minifters for the excellency of their gifts, and defpife others, feeing it is not in them to make the means effectual.

Q. 14. What is the last inference ?

A. That in all our attendence upon the means of falvation, we should be careful to beg the Spirit and bleffing of Chrift, without which they cannot be effectual to our falvation.

Quest. 92.

Of the Nature of Sacraments.

Hat is a facrament?

WH

A. A facrament is an holy ordinance infituted by Chrift; wherein by fenfible figns, Christ and the benefits of the new covenant are reprefented, fealed, and applied to believers.

Q. 1. How many forts of facraments are found in fcripture ? A. Of facraments there are two forts, fome extraordinary and tranfient, as the fiery pillar, manna, and water out of the rock; 1 Cor. x. 1, 2, 3, 4. Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye fhould be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all paffed through the fea; and were all baptized unto Mofes in the cloud, and in the fea; and did all eat the same spiritual meat; and did all drink the same spiri tual drink; (for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them; and that rock was Chrift.) And fome ordinary and standing, as circumcifion and the paffover, before Christ'; and baptifm and the Lord's fupper, fince Chrift's death.

Q. 2. How many things are to be confidered in every facrament?

A. In every facrament five things must be confidered; (1.) The author. (2.) The parts. (3.) The union of those parts. (4.) The subjects. (5.) The ends and uses of it.

Q3. Who is is the author of the facraments?

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A. The Lord Jefus Chrift as King of the church, by whofe fole authority baptism was inftituted; Matth. xxviii. 9, 20 Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to obferve all things, whatfoever I have com. manded you, &c. And the Lord's fupper; 1 Cor. xi. 23, 24For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jefus, the fame night in which he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and faid, take, eat, this is my body, which is broken for you: This do in remembrance of me. Q4. Are the old facraments yet in being and use in the church?

A. No, they are paffed away, and the new. come in their room. Baptifm takes place of circumcifion; Col. ii. 11, 12. In whom alfo ye are circumcifed with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the fins of the flesh by the circumcifion of Chrift; buried with him in baptism, &c. And the Lord's fupper of the paffover; 1 Cor. v. 7. Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened, for even Chrift our paffover is facrificed for

us.

Q: 5. Of what parts doth every facrament confift?

A. Every facrament confifts of two parts, one external and earthly; another internal and heavenly, or fpiritual. Bread, wine, and water, are the external, Chrift's blood and Spirit the internal parts; Rom. vi. 3. Know ye not, that fo many of us as were baptized into Jefus Chrift, were baptized into his death? 1 Cor. xi. 25. This cup is the new teftament in my blood, c.

Q. 6. Wherein confifts the facramental union of those parts! A. It confifts, by virtue of Chrift's inftitution, in three things; (1.) In apt fignification. (2.) Firm obfignation. And, (3.) Real exhibition of the bleffings fignified and sealed.

Q. 7. What are the bleffings fignified by water in baptism ? A. It fignifies our implantation into Chrift, and communi. on with him in his death and resurrection; Rom. vi. 4. There fore we are buried with him by baptifm into death, that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father; even fo we alfo fhould walk in newness of life. And our fo lemn admiffion into the visible church; Gal. iii. 26, 27, 28, 29. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jefus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ, have put

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