Q.9. What is the fourth inference?

A. A neceflity of keeping strong guards on our fenses; Ifa. xxxiii. 15. That stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and fhutteth his eyes from feeing evil, he fhall dwell on high, his place of defence fhall be the munition of rocks.

Q. 10. What is the fifth inference?

A. That covenant-breaking is a heinous fin, which God will punish; Hofea viii. 1. He shall come as an eagle against the house of the Lord, because they have tranfgreffed my covenant, and tranfgreffed againft my laws.

Q. II. What is the laft inference?

A. That the corruption of our nature is much feen in defiring forbidden things; Rom. vii. 7. What fhall we fay then? Is the law fin? God forbid: Nay, I had not known fin, but by the law; for I had not known luft, except the law had faid, Thou shalt not covet.

Quest. 16.

Of the Fall of Adam, and ours in him.

D1D

ID all mankind fall in Adam's firft tranfgreffion?

A. The covenant being made with Adam, not only for himself, but for his pofterity, all mankind defcending from him by ordinary generation, finned in him, and fell with him in his first tranfgreffion.

Q.1. Did no man ever escape the fin of Adam?

A. Yes, the man Chrift Jefus did, and he only; Heb. vii. 26. For fuch an High Prieft became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from finners.

Q. 2. Why was not Christ tainted with it?

Q.3.

A. Because he came into the world in an extraordinary way; Matth. i. 18. Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wife: When as his Mother Mary was espoused to Jofeph, before they came together, she was found with child of the holy Ghost. 3. How doth it appear all others are tainted with it? A. It appears by fcripture-teftimony, Rom. v. 12. Wherefore as by one man fin entered into the world, and death by fin, and fo death paffed upon all men, for that all have finned; and experience of the best men, Rom. vii. 21. I find then a law, that when I would do good, evil is prefent with me. Q. 4. How came all men to fall with Adam?

A. Because all were included in Adam's covenant, as a man's covenant includes his children before they be born, or the reafon of the father affects his pofterity.

5. What infer you from hence?

A. The stupendous wifdom of God in fending Chrift in our nature, and yet without the fin and taint of it; 1 Cor. i. 24Chrift the wifdom of God.

Q. 6. What is the fecond inference?

A. Hence we learn the admirable love of Chrift in taking our nature, with all the finless infirmities thereof; Rom, viii. 3. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God fending his own Son in the likeness of finful flesh, and for fin condemned fin in the flesh.

Q. 7. What is the third inference?

A. The neceffity of our union with Chrift, in order to our participation of his righteousness and redemption; 1 Cor. xv. 22. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive. Q. 8. What is the fourth inference?

A. Hence we learn the malignant and mortal nature of fin, inasmuch as one fin defiled and deftroyed a whole world. Q.9. What is the fifth inference?

A. That though all be not equally fenfible of their need, yet one finner needs Chrift as much as another.

Q. 10. What is the last inference ?

A. That no man hath any cause or reason to boast of the goodness of his nature, fince the best were by nature under the fame fin and mifery as the worft; Eph. ii. 3. Among whom alfo we all had our converfation in times paft, in the lufts of our flesh, fulfilling the defires of the flesh, and of the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath even as others. Of Original Sin.

Quest. 17.

Nto what eftate did the fall bring mankind?
A. The fall brought mankind into an eftate of

IN

fin and mifery.

Quest. 18.

Herein confifts the finfulness of that estate whereinto man fell ?

WH

A. The finfulness of that estate whereinto man fell, confifts in the guilt of Adam's first fin, the want of original righteousness, and the corruption of his whole nature, which is commonly called original fin, together with all actual tranfgreffions which proceed from it.

Q. I. How many forts of fin are all men under?

A. All men are guilty before God of two forts of fin; of original, and of actual; Pfal. li. 5. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in fin did my mother conceive me. Ecclef. vii. 20. For there is not a juft man upon earth, that doth good,

and finneth not.

.2. Q. 2. How can we be guilty of Adam's firft fin?

A. We are guilty of it, becaufe Adam finned not only as a fingle, but also as a public perfon, and reprefentative of all mankind: Rom. v. 15, 16, 17. But not as the offence, so alfo is the free gift: for if through the offence of one, many be dead; much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many : And not as it was by one that finned, fo is the gift; for the judgment was by one to condemnation.

Q3. How elfe came we under his guilt?

A. We are guilty of his fin by generation; for we were in his loins, as treafon stains the blood of the pofterity, or parents leprofy the children; Pfalm li. 5. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in fin did my mother conceive me.

Q. 4. Wherein doth it confift?

A. It confifts in two things. First, In our averfation and enmity to that which is good; Rom. vii. 18. In me, that is, in my flesh, there dwelleth no good thing. Secondly, In proneness to that which is evil; Rom. vii. 14. But I am carnal, fold under fin.

Q5. Is this corruption of nature in all men?

A. Yes; in all mere men, and women, none exempted; Rom. iii. 10. and 23. As it is written, there is none righteous, no not one, for all have finned, and come fhort of the glory of God.

Q. 6. In what part of our nature doth this fin abide ?

A. It abides in the whole man, in every part of man, both foul and body; Gen. vi. 5. God faw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. I Thef. v. 23. Now the God of peace fanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole fpirit, and foul, and body, be preserved blamelefs unto the coming of our Lord Jefus Chrift.

Q.7. How is the body infected by it?

A. In the readiness of the bodily members to further fin, and its temptations in the foul; Rom. iii. 13, 14, 15. Their throat is an open fepulchre, with their tongues they have used deceit, the poison of afps is under their lips, whofe mouth is full of curfing and bitterness, their feet are swift to shed blood.

Q8. What learn we from original fin?

A. To bear patiently the miferies we fee on our children, and their death alfo without murmuring; Rom. v. 14. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Mofes, even over ther

that had not finned after the fimilitude of Adam's tranfgreffion. Q. 9. What is the fecond inftruction?

A. It teaches us humility, and should be matter of confesfion and humiliation, when we fin actually; Pfal. li. 5. Behold I was shapen in iniquity, and in fin did my mother conceive me. Q. 10. What is the third inftruction?

A. It should provoke parents to use their utmost diligence for the converfion of their children who draw fin from them. Q.11. What is the last iuftruction?

A. It teaches us the neceflity of regenerátion, and fhould provoke us greatly to defire it.

Of Man's Mifery.

Queft. 19. What is the mifery of that estate whereinto man

WH fell?

A. All mankind by their fall loft communion with God, are under his wrath aud curfe; and fo made liable to all the miferies in this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell forever.

Q1. What communion had God with man before the fall? A. Man then enjoyed the gracious prefence and favour of God with him, which was better than life.

Q. 2. How doth it appear this was loft by the fall?

A. It appears by fcripture-teftimony, that Adam loft it as to himself; Gen. iii. 8. And Adam and his wife hid them felves from the presence of the Lord God, among the trees of the garden. And we in him; Eph. ii. 12. At that time ye were without Chrift, being aliens from the commonwealth of Ifrael, and strangers from the covenants of promife, having no hope, and without God in the world.

Q. 3. Was this the only misery that came by the fall.

A. No; man did not only lofe communion with God, but fell under his wrath and curfe; Eph. ii. 3. And were by nature children of wrath, even as others.

Q. 4. Doth the wrath and curse of God then lie on all men? A. It lies on all the unregenerate in the world; Gal. iii. 10. Curfed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them: But believers are delivered from it by Chrift; I Thef. i. 10. Even Jefus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

Q. 5. How are the miseries of man by the fall divided? A. They are divided into the miseries of this world, and of the world to come.

Q.6. What are the miferies that come on them in this world! A. The miferies of life; as fickness, pain, poverty on the

body; fear, trouble, forrow on the mind, and at last death itfelf; Rom. vi ult. The wages of fin is death.

Q. 7. What are the miseries after this life?

A. The pains and torments of hell for ever; Pfal. ix. 17. The wicked fhall be turned into hell.

Q. 8. What are the torments of hell?

A. Pain of lofs, and pain of fenfe; Matth. xxv. 41. Depart from me, ye curfed, into ever lafting fire.

Q. 9. What learn you from hence?

A. The woful ftate of the unconverted; miferable here, and miferable to eternity.

Q. 10. What else learn we hence?

A. The great falvation believers have by Chrift from all this mifery; Heb. ii. 3. How fhall we escape, if we neglect fo great falvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him.

Of the Salvation of God's Elect, and of the Covenant of Grace. Queft. 20. ID God leave all mankind to perish in the eftate of fin and mifery?

D'

A. God having out of his mere good pleasure, from all eternity, elected some to everlasting life, did enter into a covenant of grace, to deliver them out of the estate of fin and mifery; and to bring them into an eftate of falvation by a Redeemer.

Q. 1. Are fome perfons chosen to falvation and others left ? A. Yes: God hath chofen fome to falvation, and paffed by others; as the Scriptures speak; See Rom. viii. 30. Moreover, whom he did predeftinate, them he also called. And Jude 4. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, &c.

Q. 2. Did God chuse some, because he forefaw they would be better than others?

A. No: God's choice was not on foreseen works, but merely of his grace, and good pleasure of his will; Eph. i. 5, 6. Having predeftinated us unto the adoption of children by Jefus Chrift to himself, acccording to the good pleasure of his will, to the praife of the glory of his grace.

Q. 3. Is this election of God made in time, and that according as men use their free-will, or from eternity?

A. Election is an eternal act of God before the world was, and depends not on man's ufing his free-will; as appears from Eph i. 4. According as he hath chofen us in him, before the VOL. VII.

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