fhall fee Abraham, and Ifaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thruft out.' Pfal xvi. 11 In thy prefence is fullnefs of joy, and at thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore.' Q. 16. What will be the punishment of fenfe in hell? A. The punishment of fenfe in hell, will be both upon the foul and on the body. 1. The fouls of the wicked in hell will be filled with horror and anguish through the ftrokes of God's immediate vengeance, and the bitings of the never dying worm of confcience. Heb. x. 31. 'It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.' Mark ix. 44. Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.' 2. The bodies of the wicked in hell will be moft grievously tormented in every part and member, and that both in extremity, and to eternity. Matth. xxv. 41. Depart from me, ye curfed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.' Matth. xiii. 41, 42. The fon of man fhall fend forth his angels, and they fhall gather out of his kingdom all them that do iniquity; and fhall caft them into a furnace of fire: there fhall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.' XX. Queft. Did God leave all mankind to perish in the eftate of fin and mifery? Anfw. God having out of his mere good pleafure, from all eternity, elected fome 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 a state of falvation by a Redeemer. Q. 1. Doth all mankind perifh in the eftate of fin and mifery into which they are fallen? A. No; for fome God doth bring out of this eftate of fin and mifery into an estate of falvation. Philip. i. 28. Being in nothing terrified by your adverfaries; which to them is an evident token of perdition, but to you of falvation, and that of God.' Q. 2. Whom doth God bring into an estate of falvation? A. God doth bring all his elect people into an estate of falvation, unto which he hath chofen them. 2 Theff. ii. 13. 'God hath from the beginning chofen you to falvation." Q3. Who are the elect people of God? 6 A. The elect people of God are thofe whom from all eternity, out of his mere good pleasure, he hath chofen unto everlafting life. Eph. i. 4, 5. According as he hath chofen us in him before the foundation of the world: having predeftinated us unto the adoption of children.... according to the good pleafure of his will.' Acts xiii. 48. 'As many as were ordained to eternal life, believed.’ Q. 4. By whom doth God bring his elect into an eftate of falvation? A. God doth bring his elect into an eftate of falvation by a Redeemer. Acts iv. 12. Neither is there falvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be faved.' Q. 5. In what way doth God bring his elect into an estate of falvation. A. God doth bring his elect into an eftate of falvation in the way of his covenant. Q. 6. By virtue of which covenant of God is it that his elect are faved? iii. 10. A. 1. Not by virtue of the covenant of works. Gal. 'As many as are of the works of the law, are under the curfe. Ver. 21. If there had been a law given, which could have given life, verily righteoufness thould have been by the law.' 2. It is by virtue of the covenant of grace that the elect are faved.' Q. 7. With whom was the covenant of grace made? A. As the covenant of works was made with the first Adam, and all his pofterity; fo the covenant of grace was made with Chrift, the fecond Adam, and in him with all the elect, as his feed, which are the Ifrael of God. Gal. iii. 16. Now to Abraham and his feed were the promises made' (that is not the promifes of making all nations bleffed) He faith not, unto feeds, as of many; but as of one, to thy feed which is Chrift.' Heb. viii. 10. This is the covenant that I will make with the houfe of Ifrael.' Q. 8. Was it the fame covenant which was made with Chrift and the elect? A. No; for there was a covenant which God made with Chrift as mediator, and the reprefentative of the elect, which was the foundation of all that grace which was afterwards promifed in that covenant of grace, which he made with themselves in and through Chrift. Q. 9. What was the covenant which God made with Christ, as the head and representative of the elect? A. God did covenant and promife to Christ, as the reprefentative of the elect, that, upon condition he would fubmit to the penalty which the fins of the elect did deserve, and undertake in all things the office of a Mediator, he should be fuccefsful, fo as to justify and fave them. Ifaiah liii. 10, 1. When thou fhalt make his foul an offering for fin, he fhall fee his feed, and the pleasure of the Lord fhall profper in his hand. And by his knowledge fhall my righteous fervant justify many.' Q. 10. Was this a covenant of grace which God made with Chrift, when it required perfect obedience? A. It was a covenant of grace in reference to the elect, whom Chrift did reprefent; fince hereby the obedience was accepted at the hands of their representative, which the covenant of works required of themselves. 2 l'im. i. 9. • Who hath faved us, according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jefus, before the world began.' Q. 11. What are the promifes of the covenant of grace, which God hath made with the elect through Chrift? A. The promises of the covenant of grace, which God hath made with the elect through Chrift, are either more general, or more particular. 1. More generally, God hath promised to the elect through Chrift, That he will be to them a God, and they shall be to him a people,' Heb. viii. 10. These two promises are fo general and comprehenfive, that they include all the rest. The promise that he will be to them a God,' doth include his fpecial favor and affection, together with all the expreffions of it, in taking care of them, and making provifion of all temporal and spiritual good things for them here, and giving them eternal life and happiness in the other world. The promife that they fhall be to him a people,' doth include the giving them all thofe gifts and qualifications as are requifite to that estate and relation. 2. More particularly, God, in the covenant of grace, hath promifed to the elect through Chrift, 1. Illumina tion: that he will teach them the knowledge of himself, and that more fully and clearly than they had or could be taught one by another. Heb. viii. 11. They fhall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, faying, know the Lord for all shall know me, from the leaft to the greateft.' 2. Remiffion; that he will forgive their fins. Ver. 12. • For 1 will be merciful to their unrighteoufnefs, and their fins and iniquities will I remember no more.' 3. Sanctification. Ver. 10. • I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their heart." There are alfo other promifes of fanctification which belong to this covenant. Ezek. xxxvi. 25, 26, 27. • Then will I fprinkle clean water upon you, and ye fhall be clean: a new heart alfo will I give you, and a new fpirit will I put within you; and I will take away the ftony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh: and I will put my Spirit within you, and caufe you to walk in my ftatutes; and ye fhall keep my judgments, and do them.' Q12. What is the condition of the covenant of grace ? A. The condition of the covenant of grace, whereby the elect have an actual intereft in the things promised, is faith; by which they have an interest in Christ. John iii. 16. Whofoever believeth in him, fhall not perish, but have everlafting life.' Acts xvi. 31. Believe on the Lord Jefus Chrift, and thou fhalt be faved Q. 13. Why is the covenant with the elect called the covenant of grace? A. Because not only the things promifed to the elect, are grace, or the free gifts of God, which they do not in the least deserve; but also because faith (the condition of this covenant, whereby the promifes are made theirs) is God's gift and work, wrought in them by his Spirit, which in his covenant he promiseth unto them. Eph. ii. 8. By grace are ye faved, through faith and that not of yourfelves: it is the gift of God.' Col ii. 12. are rifen through the faith of the operation of God.' • You Q. 14. Was the covenant which God made with the children of Ifrael of old, a covenant of works, or a covenant of grace? A. The covenant which God made of old with the children of Ifrael, was not a covenant of works, but the fame covenant of grace, as to the fubftance of it, which is F made known in the gofpel. For, 1. It was impoffible that any of the fallen children of Adam should be justified and faved by the covenant of works. Gal. ii. 16. By the works of the law fhall no fleth be juftified.' 2. The children of Ifrael had the fame Mediator of the covenant, and Redeemer, which the people of God have now, namely, the Lord Jesus Christ, who was typyfied by Mofes, and by the facrifices under the law. 3. They had the fame promifes of remiffion and falvation. 4. They had the fame condition of faith required to enable them to look to, and lay hold on Christ, held forth to them in types and fig ures. Q. 15. Wherein doth the difpenfation of the covenant of grace under the gospel, differ from the difpenfation of it under the law? A. The difpenfation of the covenant of grace under the gofpel, doth differ from the difpenfation of it under the law: 1. In regard of the eafinefs of the covenant under the gofpel. Under the law it was burdenfome; and ceremonial rites and fervices required, are called a yoke of bondage, Gal. v. 1. which yoke is now removed. 2. In regard of the clearness of the difpenfation under the gofpel. Under the law Chrift was not yet come, but was held forth in types and figures, and dark fhadows; and the promifes, especially of eternal life, were more obscure : but now the fhadows are fled; Christ the substance being come; and life and immortality are brought more clearly to light by the gofpel, 2 Tim. i. 10. 3. In regard of the power and efficacy. There was a weaknefs in the legal difpenfation, and therefore a difannulling of it, Heb. vii, 18. Under the gospel there is a more powerful influence of the Spirit, which is promifed more plentifully, Acts ii. 17. 4. In regard of the extent of it. The legal difpenfation was confined to the nation of the Jews; whereas, the gofpel difpenfation doth extend to the Gentiles, and Mark xvi. 15. any nation. 'Go ye into all the world, and preach the gofpel to every creature.' XX. Quelt. Who is the Redeemer of God's elect? Anfw. The only Redeemer of God's elect, is the Lord Jefus Chrift, who being the eternal Son of God, became man; and fo was, and continueth to be God and man in two distinct natures, and one perfon forever. |