Queft. 4. What is the order of doctrine laid down in this question? Anfw. Faith or believing is made the foundation of duty or obedience; and not our obedience, or duty, the foundation of our faith. Queft. 5. Why are the things to be believed fet before the things to be practifed? Anfu. To distinguish between the order of things in the covenant of grace, from what they were in innocency, under the covenant of works. Queft. 6. What was the order of things in the covenant of works ? Anfw. Doing, or perfect obedience to the law, was the foundation of the promised privilege of life: He that doth these things hall live by them, Rom. x. 5. Queft. 7. Is this order inverted in the covenant of grace, or gospel-revelation ? Anfw. Yes: the promise is to be believed, and the promised privilege, namely, life, must be freely received; and upon this follows our obedience to the law, from gratitude and love. Queft. 8. How doth it appear that this is the order of gospel-doctrine? Anfw. Because this was the order that God laid, in delivering the law at mount Sinai. The foundation of faith is first laid, in thefe words of the Preface, I am the Lord thy God, etc. which is the fum and fubitance of the covenant of grace; and then follow the Ten Commandments, which are, as it were, grafted upon this grant of fovereign grace' and love, Exod. xx. 2,-·----18. Queft. 9. Is this the order of doctrine laid down in the ftandards of the church of Scotland? Anfw. Yes as appears from the Answer to that Queftion in the SHORTER CATECHISM, "What "doth the Preface to the Ten Commandments teach 66 us?" The Anfwer is, "That because God is "the "the Lord, and our God, and Agdee 101, 104. Hence the order of t CATECHISM is, to treat of the thing Quest. 10. Are we then to keep the Commandme ts, that God may become our God? nfw. No for this were to flide in to a covenant of works, but we are to keep them, because he is our God, according to the tenour of the covenant of grace, Luke i. 74, 75. 1 Pet. i. 15,----19. Queft. 11. Why do men naturally think, that upon their doing fo and fo, God will be their God? Anfw. Because of the natural byafs of the heart of man, to the order in the covenant of works, do, and live, Rom. ix. 30. to the clofe, and chap. x. 3. Ga'. iv. 21. Queft. 12. Does not this order make void the law, or weaken our obligation to the duties thereof? Anju. By no means; but rather eftablishes the law, and fettles our obligation to duty upon its proper foundation, Rom. iii. 31. Gal. ii. 21. and v. 4. Queft. 13. How is this order of doctrine further evinced? Anfw. From the method of doctrine obferved by the apostle Paul, who tells us, that all true gofpel-obedience, is the obedience of faith, Rom. xvi, 26, and xiv. 23. And accordingly in his 2piftles to the Gentile churches, he first lays down the doctrine of faith to be believed, and upon that foundation proceeds to inculcate the duties of the moral law. Queft. 14. Does gofpel-obedience intereft us in God as our God? Anfw. No but it is a fruit and evidence of u C intere intereft in him, John xv. 10. 1 John ii. 3,5,6,24. Quest. 15. Is there any danger of inverting this order, and of making duty done by us, the foundation of privilege to be received, or believing the Lord to be our God? Anfw. There is exceeding great danger; for it is the very foul of Popery. By inverting this order, they were led back to a covenant of works, and the doctrine of the merit of good works, which is the foundation of the whole antichriftian fuperftructure. Queft. 16. But do not we find frequently, in fcripture, a reward promised to good works, Pfal. xix. 11. In keeping of thy commandments there is a great reward: Psalm lviii. 11. Verily there is a reward to the righteous ? Anfw. True, but this is a reward of grace, not of debt: the man that is rewarded, must be a believer in Chrift, whofe perfon is first accepted, through his union to Chrift by faith, and the imputation of his righteoufnefs, before any of his works or duties be accepted, Eph. i. 6. Gen. iv. 4. Queft. 17. What may be faid of the works of a man that has no faith? Anfw. They are dead works, and fo cannot please a living God. An evil tree cannot bring forth good fruit; and without Chrift, and union with him, we can do nothing, Matth. vii. 16,---20. John xv. 5, 6. Queft. 18. What is to thought of thefe who inculcate moral duties without difcovering the neceffity of the new birth, and union with Christ by faith, as the Spring of all acceptable obedience ? Anfw. They are foolish builders, laying their foundation on the fand, perverting the golpel of Chrift; against whom the Apoftle denounces an awful doom, Gal. i. 9.------If any man preach any other gofpel unto you, than that ye have received, let him be accurfed. 4. Quest. 4. QUEST. What is God? ANSW. God is a fpirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in his being, wifdom, power, holiness, juftice, goodness, and truth. Of the Nature and Perfections of GoD in general. Queft. 1. What is the first fundamental truth to be believed, upon which all other truths do hang? Anfw. That God is: or, that there is a God, Heb. xi. 6. He that cometh unto God, must believe that he is. Quelt. 2. Is this fundamental truth known by the light of natural reafon ? Anfw. Yes: as the apoftle declareth, Rom. i. 20. The invifible things of God, from the creation of the world, are clearly feen, being underfood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead. Queft. 3. In what volumes has God written the knowledge of himself to all mankind ? Anfw. In the great volumes of creation and providence, which he opens to all the world. Queft. 4. What fays the volume of creation as to the being of a God? Anjw. All creatures in general, and every creature in particular, say that God made us, and not we ourfelves, Pfilm c. 3. Quelt. 5. What fays the volume of providence? Anfw. It fays that the fame God that gave us our being upholds us therein; and governs us to the end for which he made us, Heb. i. 3. Queft. 6. Is not every man's own being a convin cing evidence of the being of a God? Anfw. Yes: for, in him we live, move, and have our being. No man can have any hand in his own formation C 24 formation in the womb, Pfalm cxxxix. 13,---16: nor can he add a cubit unto his ftature, or make One hair of his head either white or black, Matth. V. 36. and vi. 27. Queft. 7. Though the works of creation and providence declare that God is, can they also tell us what God is ? Anfw. They afford us some dark glimpses of his eternal power, wisdom, greatness, and goodness, but it is only by, and through the fcriptures of truth, fet home on the foul by his Spirit, that we can attain the faving knowledge of God, and of his perfections, John v. 39. 2 Pet. i. 19. Rom. xv. 4. Queft. 8. Who is it that reveals God to the fons of men in the word? Anf. Chrift the son of God: No man hath feen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is inthe bofom of the Father, he hath declared him, John i. 18. Quest. 9. What account of God is given us in the Scriptures? Anfw. There are three fhort, but comprehenfive accounts which we have of him, (1.) That God is light, 1 Johni. 5. (2.) That God is love, 1 John iv. 8, 16. (3.) That God is a fpirit, John iv. 24. Queft. 10. Why is God faid to be light? Anfw. Because of his infinite purity and omnifcience; and because he is the fountain and father of all light, whether material, natural, gracious, or glorious, Hab. i. 13. Heb. iv. 13. James i. 17. Queft. 11. Why is God faid to be love? An, w. Becaufe, according to the manifestation he has made of himself in Chrift, love is the reigning perfection of his nature, which gives a dye or tincture to all his other perfections; hence they are all exercised in a way of love for the falvation of finners, John iii. 16. 1 John iv. 8, 9, 10. Rom. v. 20, 21. Queft. 12. Why is he said to be a spirit ? Anfw. Because he is a living fubftance; incor ruptible, |