CHAP. XII.-OF CHRIST'S PRIESTLY OFFICE.

Q. 1. By what means did Jesus Christ undertake the office of an
eternal priest?

a

b

of God his Father, where-

that concerning this there

a

A. By the decree, ordination, and will
unto he yielded voluntary obedience; so
was a compact and covenant between them.- Ps. cx. 4; Heb. v.
5, 6, vii. 17, 18.-Isa. 1. 4-6; Heb. x. 5-10.- Ps. ii. 7, 8; Isa. liii.
8, 10-12; Phil. ii. 7, 9; Heb. xii. 2; John xvii. 2, 4.

Q. 2. Wherein doth his execution of this office consist?

A. In bringing his people unto God.-Heb. ii. 10, iv. 16, vii. 25.
Q. 3. What are the parts of it?

A. First, oblation; secondly, "intercession." Heb. ix. 14. Heb.
vii. 25.

Q. 4. What is the oblation of Christ?

a

A. The offering up of himself upon the altar of the cross, an holy
propitiatory sacrifice for the sins of all the elect throughout the world;
as also, the presentation of himself for us in heaven, sprinkled with
the blood of the covenant. Isa. liii. 10, 12; John iii. 16, xi. 51,
xvii. 19; Heb. ix. 13, 14.- Heb. ix. 24.

a

Q. 5. Whereby doth this oblation do good unto us?

A. Divers ways; first, in that it satisfied the justice of God; se-
condly, it redeemed us from the power of sin, death, and hell; thirdly,
it ratified the new covenant of grace; fourthly, it procured for us
grace here, and glory hereafter;-by all which means the peace and
reconciliation between God and us is wrought.-Eph. ii. 14, 15.

Q. 6. How did the oblation of Christ satisfy God's justice for our
sin?

A. In that for us he underwent the punishment due to our sin.
Isa. liii. 4-6; John x. 11; Rom. iii. 25, 26, iv. 25; 1 Cor. xv. 3;
2 Cor. v. 21; Eph. v. 2; 1 Pet. ii. 24.

Q. 7. What was that punishment?

A. The wrath of God, the curse3 of the law, the pains of hell, due

1 Against both these the Papists are exceedingly blasphemous; against the one,
by making their mass a sacrifice for sins,-the other, by making saints mediators
of intercession.

2 Christ's undergoing punishment for us was, first, typified by the old sacrifices;
secondly, foretold in the first promise; thirdly, made lawful and valid in itself,-
first, by God's determination, the supreme lawgiver; secondly, his own voluntary
undergoing it; thirdly, by a relaxation of the law in regard of the subject punished;
-fourthly, beneficial to us, because united to us; as, first, our head; secondly,
our elder brother; thirdly, our sponsor or surety; fourthly, our husband; fifthly,
our God, or Redeemer, &c.

3 No change in all these, but what necessarily follows the change of the persons
sustaining.
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VOL. I.

to sinners, in body and soul.-Gen. ii. 17; Deut. xxvii. 15-26; Isa.
lix. 2; Rom. v. 12; Eph. ii. 3; John iii. 36; Heb. ii. 14.

Q. 8. Did Christ undergo all these?

A. Yes; in respect of the greatness1 and extremity, not the eter-
nity and continuance of those pains; for it was impossible he should
be holden of death.-Matt. xxvi. 28; Mark xiv. 33, 34, xv. 34; Gal.
iii. 13; Eph. ii. 16; Col. i. 20; Heb. v. 7; Ps. xviii. 5.

Q. 9. How could the punishment of one satisfy for the offence of
all?

2

A. In that he was not a mere man only, but God also,—of in-
finitely more value than all those who had offended.-Rom. v. 9;
Heb. ix. 26; 1 Pet. iii. 18.

Q. 10. How did the oblation of Christ redeem us from death and
hell?

b

A. First, aby paying a ransom3 to God, the judge and lawgiver,
who had condemned us; secondly, by overcoming and spoiling
Satan, death, and the powers of hell, that detained us captives.-
a Matt. xx. 28; John vi. 51; Mark x. 45; Rom. iii. 25; 1 Cor. vi. 20;
Gal. iii. 13; Eph. i. 7; 1 Tim. ii. 6; Heb. x. 9.—John v. 24; Col.
ii. 13-15; 1 Thess. i. 10; Heb. ii. 14; 1 Pet. i. 18, 19.

Д

Q. 11. What was the ransom that Christ paid for us?
A. His own precious blood.-Acts xx. 28; 1 Pet. i. 19.
Q. 12. How was the new covenant ratified in his blood?

4

A. By being accompanied with his death; for that, as all other
testaments, was to be ratified by the death of the testator.-Gen. xxii.
18; Heb. ix. 16, viii. 10–12.

Q. 13. What is this new covenant?

b

d

b

a

A. The gracious, free, a immutable promise of God, made unto all
his elect fallen in Adam, to give them Jesus Christ, and in him
mercy, pardon, grace, and glory, with a re-stipulation of faith from
them unto this promise, and new obedience. Gen. iii. 15; Jer. xxxi.
31-34, xxxii. 40; Heb. viii. 10-12.- Gal. iii. 8, 16; Gen. xii. 3.—
*Rom. viii. 32; Eph. i. 3, 4.—a Mark xvi. 16; John i. 12, x. 27, 28.
Q. 14. How did Christ procure for us grace, faith, and glory?
A. By the way of purchase and merit; for the death of Christ
deservedly procured of God that he should bless us with all® spiritual

d

5

1 The death that Christ underwent was eternal in its own nature and tendence,—
not so to him, because of his holiness, power, and the unity of his person.
2 He suffered not as God, but he suffered who was God.

3 We are freed from the anger of God, by a perfect rendering to the full value
of what he required,-from the power of Satan, by absolute conquest on our behalf,
4 The new covenant is Christ's legacy, in his last will unto his people,-the eter-
nal inheritance of glory being conveyed thereby.

5 The death of Christ was satisfactory in respect of the strict justice of God,—
meritorious in respect of the covenant between him and his Father.

• All these holy truths are directly denied by the blasphemous Socinians; and

blessings needful for our coming unto him.-Isa. liii. 11, 12; John xvii. 2; Acts xx. 28; Rom. v. 17, 18; Eph. ii. 15, 16, i. 4; Phil. i. 29; Tit. ii. 14; Rev. i. 5, 6.

Q. 15. What is the intercession of Christ?

A. His continual soliciting1 of God on our behalf, begun here in fervent prayers, continued in heaven by appearing as our advocate at the throne of grace.—Ps. ii. 8; Rom. viii. 34; Heb. vii. 25, ix. 24, x. 19-21; 1 John ii. 1, 2; John xvii.

CHAP. XIII.-OF CHRIST'S PROPHETICAL OFFICE.

Q. 1. Wherein doth the prophetical office of Christ consist?

2

A. In his embassage from God to man, revealing from the bosom of his Father the whole mystery of godliness, the way and truth whereby we must come unto God.—Matt. v.; John i. 18, iii. 32, x. 9, 14, xiv. 5, 6, xvii. 8, xviii. 37.

Q. 2. How doth he exercise this office towards us?

A. By making known3 the whole doctrine of truth unto us in a saving and spiritual manner.--Deut. xviii. 18; Isa. xlii. 6; Heb. iii. 1. Q. 3. By what means doth he perform all this?

a

A. Divers; as, first, internally and effectually, by his Spirit writing his law in our hearts; secondly, "outwardly and instrumentally, by the Word preached." Jer. xxxi. 31-34; 2 Cor. iii. 3; 1 Thess. iv. 9; Heb. viii. 10.-"John xx. 31; 1 Cor. xii. 28; Eph. iv. 8–13; 2 Pet. i. 21

CHAP. XIV.—OF THE TWO-FOLD ESTATE OF CHRIST.

Q. 1. In what estate or condition doth Christ exercise these offices?

A. In a two-fold estate; first, of humiliation" secondly, of exaltation or glory.—Phil. ii. 8-10.

or abasement;

by the Papists, with their merits, masses, penance, and purgatory, by consequent, overthrown.

1 To make saints our intercessors, is to renounce Jesus Christ from being a sufficient Saviour.

2 Christ differed from all other prophets; first, in his sending, which was immediately from the bosom of his Father; secondly, his assistance, which was the fulness of the Spirit; thirdly, his manner of teaching, with authority.

3 To accuse his Word of imperfection, in doctrine or discipline, is to deny him a perfect prophet, or to have borne witness unto all truth.

4 The humiliation of Christ shows us what we must here do and suffer,—his exaltation, what we may hope for.

5 The first of these holds forth his mighty love to us, the other his mighty power in himself.

6 The only way to heaven is by the cross.

Q. 2. Wherein consisteth the state of Christ's humiliation?

a

A. In three things; first, in his incarnation, or being born of woman; secondly, "his obedience, or fulfilling the whole law, moral and ceremonial; thirdly, in his passion, or enduring all sorts of miseries, even death itself. Luke i. 35; John i. 14; Rom. i. 3; Gal. iv. 4; Heb. ii. 9, 14.- Matt. iii. 15, v. 17; Luke ii. 21; John viii. 46; 2 Cor. v. 21; 1 Pet. i. 19; 1 John iii. 5.—a Isa. liii. 4–6; Heb. ii. 9; 1 Pet. ii. 21.

Q. 3. Wherein consists his exaltation?

A. In, first, his resurrection; secondly, ascension; thirdly, sitting at the right hand of God;-by all which he was declared to be the Son of God with power.-Matt. xxviii. 18; Rom. i. 4, vi. 4; Eph. iv. 9; Phil. ii. 9, 10 1 Tim. iii. 16.

CHAP. XV.-OF THE PERSONS TO WHOM THE BENEFITS OF CHRIST'S OFFICES

DO BELONG.

Q. 1. Unto whom do the saving benefits of what Christ performeth, in the execution of his offices, belong?

A. Only to his elect.123-John xvii. 9; Isa. lxiii. 9; Heb. iii. 6, x. 21.

Q. 2. Died he for no other?

A. None, in respect of his Father's eternal purpose, and his own intention of removing wrath from them, and procuring grace and glory for them.-Acts xx. 28; Matt. xx. 28, xxvi. 28; Heb. ix. 28; John xi. 51, 52; Isa. liii. 12; John iii. 16, x. 11-13, 15; Eph. v. 25; Rom. viii. 32, 34; Gal. iii. 13; John vi. 37, 39; Rom. iv. 25; 2 Cor. v. 19, 20. Q. 3. What shall become of them for whom Christ died not? A. Everlasting torments for their sins; their portion in their own place.—Mark xvi. 16; John iii. 36; Matt. xxv. 41; Acts i. 25. Q. 4. For whom doth he make intercession?

A. Only for those who from eternity were given him by his Father. -John xvii.; Heb. vii. 24, 25.

CHAP. XVI.—OF THE CHURCH.

Q. 1. How are the elect called, in respect of their obedience unto Christ, and union with him?

A. His church.-Acts xx. 28; Eph. v. 32.

1 Christ giveth life to all that world for whom he gave his life.

2 None that he died for shall ever die.

3 To say that Christ died for every man universally, is to affirm that he did no more for the elect than the reprobates,-for them that are saved than for them that are damned; which is the Arminian blasphemy.

Q. 2. What is the church of Christ?

d

a

A. The whole company of God's12345 elect, called "of God, by the Word and Spirit, out of their natural condition, to the dignity of his children, and united unto Christ their head, by faith, in the bond of the Spirit.

e

a

Acts ii. 47; 1 Tim. v. 21; Heb. xii. 22-24.Rom. i. 5, 6, ix. 11, 24; 1 Cor. iv. 15; 2 Tim. i. 9.- Acts xvi. 14; John iii. 8; 1 Cor. iv. 15; 1 Pet. i. 23; Heb. viii. 10.-Eph. ii. 11-13; Col. i. 13; Heb. ii. 14, 15; 1 Pet. ii. 9.- John xvii. 21; Eph. ii. 18-22.

Q. 3. Is this whole church always in the same state?

A. No; one part of it is militant, the other triumphant.
Q. 4. What is the church militant?

A. That portion of God's elect which, in their generation, cleaveth unto Christ by faith, and fighteth against the world, flesh, and devil. -Eph. vi. 11, 12; Heb. xi. 13, 14, xii. 1, 4.

Q. 5. What is the church triumphant?

A. That portion of God's people who, having fought their fight and kept the faith, are now in heaven, resting from their labours.— Eph. v. 27; Rev. iii. 21, xiv. 13.

Q. 6. Are not the church of the Jews before the birth of Christ, and the church of the Christians since, two churches?

6

A. No; essentially they are but one, differing only in some outward administrations.—Eph. ii. 11–16; 1 Cor. x. 3; Gal. iv. 26, 27; Heb. xi. 16, 26, 40.

Q. 7. Can this church be wholly overthrown on the earth?

A. No; unless the decree of God may be changed, and the promise of Christ fail.-Matt. xvi. 18, xxviii. 20; John xiv. 16, xvii.; 1 Tim. iii. 15; 2 Tim. ii. 19.

CHAP. XVII.—OF FAITH.

Q. 1. By what means do we become actual members of this church of God?

A. By a lively justifying faith," whereby we are united unto Christ,

1 The elect angels belong to this church.

2 No distance of time or place breaks the unity of this church: heaven and earth, from the beginning of the world unto the end, are comprised in it.

3 No mention in Scripture of any church in purgatory.

This is the catholic church;-though that term be not to be found in the Word in this sense, the thing itself is obvious.

5 The pope, challenging unto himself the title of the head of the catholic church, is blasphemously rebellious against Jesus Christ.

6 This is that ark out of which whosoever is shall surely perish.

7 Of this faith the Holy Spirit is the efficient cause, the Word, the instrumental;— the Law indirectly, by discovering our misery; the Gospel immediately, by holding forth a Saviour.