/b' ^ l.TBR^HY OK TIIK Tlir <^1 ogica 1 Seininary, Catte, Shelf, PRINCETON^ N. J .y^6§._.....Sect,o. 1 1 liookt V. 1 ...No. en !'• - /lJ , f^:., ^ 7%c /"a ^ ^ <^ r ^^4^ ^<_ cc ^^ Z ^*-«-4/' /^ z^y^ y^y a/^<^ cyo^/^^ Srct. /f Z./ ^^ ^2 7 / nd as no book of this kind is of greater authority, or more general utility than the Heideibecgh catechism, I conceived that it would be proper, and particularly useful to translate some approved exposition of the catechism. I knew of none that was either better, or more generally approved, than that of the Rev. John VaNDER- KEMP ; and I entertained a desire to attempt a translation of that. I mentioned my inclination to several friends, who forthwith approved of the motion, and encouraged me to begin. Seveial ministers espe- cially urged me to it. Indeed it appeared both to them and to me, that a work of such a nature was necessary, and that not only for the laity, but also for the clergy of ouV church, because they are obliged to expound the catechism in order every sabbath, when they preach twice, which is done in cities during tiie whole year, and in the country at least during half the year. Many of our younger minis- ters understand not the Dutch language, and they have no other as- sistance in preparing discourses on the catechism, than what they can derive from Latin expositions, which are exceedingly scarce in ths country, so that but few can obtain them. I have endeavoured to mcike it my first object in translating lhi« book, to be f^iithful, studying to give what I judged to be the true sense of the author, and not addmg > r omitting a single sentence wil- fully or v/ittingly. I have also endeavoured to preserve the proper ( IV. ) English idiom, which is much more difficult in translating- than in composing. 1 have purposely aToided hard and unusual words. In several quotations from scripture I have followed the Dutch transla- tion instead of the English, but only where the foregoing and follow- ing context of the author required it. I have also added a few notes to explain certain particulars. The work which we now offer to the public hath been highly es- teemed in the original, having been often reprinted since its first publication, although th' re were many other books of the same kind in Dutch. Jt is the sincere and earnest prayer of the translator, that as it hath been acceptable and useful to the fathers in the original, it may be so likewise to the children in a translation) and to all who may favour it with a perusal. THE AUTHOR'S PREFACE TO THE CANDID READER. Candid Readkr, B EFORE I inform thee of the purport of this my book, I must briefly discourse with thee on two momentous matters, which are of the greatest concern to thee and every other person. And in the first place, that it behooves thee to inquire whether thou art in the true church, in which God, with whom we have to do, is sought, worship- ped and glorified in a pure and acceptable manner, to salvation. It is a dictate of human nature, that man ought not only to worship and glorify God, but that he ought also to do this in connection with others. But man having sinned, and come short of the glory of God, knows not in what manner he ought to worship and glorify him ; and nevertheless, as the idea, that he ought to worship God, abides with him, he will, according to his confused and singular con- ceptions, endeavour to worship him m an erroneous manner. And since being puffed up by his fleshly understanding, he delights in himself, and in his peculiar opinions, he therefore seeks to render them agreeable to others also, and thus to create a party, even in re- ligion. But the Lord God, having appointed for himself an everlast- ing people, a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a pecuhar people, that they might shev/ forth his praise, hath made his v/i!l known to them, and thus also the proper method of glorify- VI P R E F A C E. inj^- Iilin. This hath proclaced two kmds of churches and relictions, a fA'se, and a true or pure one. The false is that of the heathens, the modsrn Jews, the Mahometans, and the erroneous Christians. The heathens have ordered their religion according- to the twiliii^ht of nature, which they have exceedingly darkened by numerous fables, tricked up from certain obscure traditions of the fathers. For as the apostle of the hrathens saith, Rom. i. 21, 22, 23. " When they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful, but be- came vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darken- ed. Professing themselves to be wise they became fools : and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and to fourfootcd beastti, and creep- ing tilings." The modern Jews, who have apostatised from the faith of their fathers, make use of the scriptures of the Old Testament, but dis- guise and obscure them exceedingly by the traditions of the elders, which they dress up with a number of profane and old wives fables : whereby *' their minds are blinded ; for until this day there re- maincth a vail on theh' hearts in the reading of the Old Testament, 2. Cor. iii. 14, 15. The Mahometans regulate themselves by their Alcoran, as they call it, a book patched up of heathenish, Jewish, and Ncstorian" er» rours. The Christ* ans are either Romanists or Pelagians, (to whom the Sociniar.s, the Tc3uits, Arminians, and certain Mcnnonites jom theiuselvcs more or l;.^ss) or Enthusiasts, or Protestants, to wit, the Reforrnjd and those who embrace the Augsburg confession. All these cannot be each the true church, nor haAe the true form of religious worship. For there is but " one body, and one spirit, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in all, " Eph. iv. 5, 5. The doctrines of so many societies must cLsh with one another, mtist undermine and r>veithrow each other : such a Bab.il .\nc\ confusion of articles of l:iith and ceremonies must loosen the bond of union, the essential quahncation ot the chuich, must scatter the members and displease God ; " For God is not a God of confusion, but of peace," 1 Cor. xiv, 33 " This surely is not the wisdom that is from above, but it is earthly, sensual and detilish. For where envymg and strife is, tlicrc is confusion and every evil v»'ork," James iii. 15, 16, 17^ Therefore it concerns thee greatly, worthy reader, to know with what people the true church of God and the pure religion is. The truw church alone is the household of God, his city, the holy Jeruia- PREFACE. vii km, mount Zion, the Daughter of God, the darlinj^, spcuse, and body of Jesus, his dove, his fair one and undefiled : she alone is the object and end of all the? blessed favours of God :" The ^race of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the communicn of the Holy Ghost is with her," 2 Cor. xiii. 13. God elected her from eternity, and gives her his Son and Spirit. He enters into an ever- lasting covenant of grace with her, and gives her all the sure mercies of that covenant : he regenerates, calls, justifies, sanctifies, seals, preserves, leads, comforts and saves her. We may sec what glo- rious things are spoken of this city of God, Psalm xlvi. xlviii. Ixxxvii. cxxii. cxxxiii. and in the Song of Solomon. We must join our- selves to the true church, if we will be saved, Acts ii. 47. All who are called Christians confess one holy, catliolic. Christian church : we must th'srefore inquire where the true church is to be found. So the spouse did, when she said to her bridegroom. Song i. 7. " Tell me where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon : for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions ? It is therefore a soul ruining madness to hold with the atheists, that all the glorious things which are spoken of the church of God arc trifles ; or, from selfwill, or because we are ofl'ended at the multi- tude of differences, to remain in a state of separation from others, as if we could serve God aione and apart from others, as well as with and in society : for " he who is not with Jesus" and his people, '' is against him ; and he who gathereth not with him scattereth abroad.'* Math. xii. 30. It is also folly to run afler every leader, and to think that we can serve God sincerely, and so be saved in every denom- ination ; for there is neither holiness nor salvation out of the true church of God, and he who is out of the church of God must be con- sidered as " a heathen man, and a publican," Math, xviii. 16. We must disapprove also of the conduct of those, who only suppose, without inquiry, and without an actual persuasion of their minds, that they are in the true church and have the pure doctrine of faith. The common people among the papists act thus by the advice of their teachers, when they assent to the doctrine of the Romish church with an implicit faith, and do not examine the matter itself; they may not indeed read the divine revelation, the priest becomes surety for the souls of his people, and he swears that he teaches the truth. But the papists are not the only persons who act thus, but I conceire that many, who recede from the papists do also conduct in this man- ner, when they say that religion consists only in two articles, to wit, a belief of the promises, and obedience to the commands, to which ,iii PREFACE. others for decency's sake, add a becoming reverence for the holy scriptures : and they can therefore tolerate every crrour : when a per- son only holds that Jesus is the Messiah, and is no idolater, they will salute him as their brother. But the Reformed teach alto^^ether differently from this : they re- quire that all men sliould, like the Bereans, search the scripture dai- ly, whetlier the things, which their pastors teach them, be agreeable to the word of God ; they enjoin upon every one to lire by his ovrn faith, and not by the faith of his teachers ; and therefore certain marks, v»-;uch arc taken only from the Bible, aie proposed to him by our people, that he may see for himself, whether he be in that church, ivhich is described in the book ot God, as his beloved people. But Avhat alistlesness hath seized even upon many of God's people, that they do not so much as inquire, but suppose in a careless manner ; that they are in the true church : this matter, they think, is too high for them ; they conceive that their parents, v/ho procured their in- corporation into this church and educated them in it, knew what they '.vere about, and they think that their ministers are too wise, and too pious to mislead them. Is this thy conduct also, reader? hast thou then a better proof and ground for thy faith than a heath- en, Jew, Turk or Papist, and wouldest thcu not be one of them, as thou art now one of us, if thou wert only educated among them ? and if a persecution should arise against us, and thou shouldest be obliged to suffer reproach, pain, and shame for the doctrine of om* church, wouldest thou then indeed have a single reason, why thou woulflcst not forsake us, and join thyielf to our adversaries ? Perhaps thou art amazed at these expressions, and thinkest, ought I then to doubt whether I am in the true church, and whether thou teachest me the truth? what will I then do with this book of thine? But hold, my friend, compose thyself a little. Art thou persuaded in thy mind, and assured upon good grounds, that the doctrine of our church is the pure doctrine of God's word, far be it from me, that I ehouldlcndmy tongue and pen to the devil, to rob thee of thy sure foundation, and cause thee to stagger in thy faith. But dost thou barely suppose this by an implicit faith, I would then only convince thee of thy vanity and carelessness with respect to this matter, which is of so great consequence, that thou mayest be earnestly desirous to seek for solid grounds and certain evidences for thyself, upon which thou mayest settle thy soul in peace. The righteous only is of the household of God, and he must live by his own faith. The lame and the blind are hated by the soul of the true David ; the lame und the blind sliall not come into his house. VVc wish not tliat thou PREFACE. ix shouldest suspect our church and doctrine of falsehood and impuri- ty ; for we are perfectly persuaded of her truth and purily ; but we only condemn thine implicit faith, by which thou limply supposest, "Without evidence, that thou art in the true church : and we endea- vour to urge thee to seel^ a well grounded faith ; for an implicit faith is no faith, but only a vague and idle supposition, which hath no in- fluence at all upon the mind. But what proof can there be offered, by v;hich we may learn wliat people arc the church of God, and profess his truth, and v/orship him in a manner that is acceptable to him ? We judge in the first place that the heathens manifest that God doth not arknowledge them to be his people. Their erroneous opinions concerning the God-head, their inventing of abominable gods, who were the off- spring )f whoredom, and practised the mo3t shameful lewdness, en- vy, and revenge ; yea, even such to v/horn the most vicious, filthy and hateful p ssions were dedicated : the inhuman barbarities, unnatural practices, and other wicked works of the heathens, (see Ivom. i. 22, 23.) evidence that they suppress the truth in unriijh- teousness, that they extinguish the light of nature, and have forsak- en tlie pure tradition of their father Noah. It was thus with the heathens of old, and it is thus still with those, who have cither never heard of the gospel, or reject it. Are not the heathens the people of God, some may perhaps think that the Jews are. It is true, the Lord God formerly established his covenant with Abraham and his seed, and promised that he would be a God to them, and that they should be his people, Gen. xvii. 78. '' When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language, then Judah became his sanctuary, and Israel his dominion." Psalm cxiv. 1, 2. see Exod. xix. and xx. But we inquire not concerning the ancient Jev/s, but the modern. For although they are Abraham's seed after the flesh, they are nev- ertheless not after the promise ; for they have rejected and cor- rupted the oracles of God, which were committed to them. It is true, the modern Jews are very attentive to letters, they hare pre- served the ancient book of God faithfully, and have transmitted it to us entire : but they gnaw only the outward shell of it, and they re- ject the kernel, the pith, the marrow, and true sense of it. They have darkened the sense of the divine word by their oral law, the traditions of the elders, the commandments and fables of men, see Isaiah xxix. 10 — 13. The promised Messiah, the expectation of their fathers, they have rejected and slain : they have set up their own righteousness in opposition to the righteousness of God. see Rora^ X PREFACE. ix. 51, 32, S3, X. 2, 3. And how do they perform their religious service ? is it not only a profane and idle bawling ? we perceive not the least reverence, attention, or devotion among them in their syna- gogues. Their eyes declare their blindness, and hy^rdness, they are famous tljrour^hout the world for their injustice, their griping usury and'deceit, and yet they will not return. They deceive themselves with rain imaginations, thinking and resting on it, that Abraham is their father ; but as they have apostatised from his faith, and do not perform his works, they m.anifest that they are born after the flesh, and that they are children of the servile covenant of works, and have therefore been cast out of the family of Abraham, like children of Hagar and Ishmael. See Gal. iv. 21 — 30. compared with Gen. xxi. 9, 10. It is therefore erident, that the present Jews arc not the people of God, but are rejected by the God of their fathers : " Ye are not my people, neither will I be your God," thus the Lord spake of old to this people, Kosea. i. 9. " He hath cut his staff beauty asunder, that he might break his covenant, which he had made with all this people," Zech, xi. 10. And they will remain in their forsaken condition, until the Lord fulfil his good word, which he hath spoken concerning them, and receive them again. See Mo- sea, iii. 4, 5. Rom. xi. 25, 32. They cannot endure that the hea- then should inherit their promises. Hear what Paul saith of them wit)\ truth, 1 Thess. ii. 15, 16. " They have killed the Lord Jesirs, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us ; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men : forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles, that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway ; for the ^▼rath is come upon them to the uttermost." Are not the Jews the people of God, much less are the Mahome- tans ; for their Alcoran, (or religious and canonical book) composed by Mahomet, assisted by a Nestorian monk, with others of his party, and certain Jews, was carelessly compihd from cei tain doctrines of the Bible-, inserted without order and method, and from certain heath- enish traditions, and many triiles, invented by the compilers. Many of their doctrines are ridiculous ; their ceremonies are superstitious ; many of those among them, whom they caU spiritual, live like beasts, and the whole is calculated to flatter the lusts of the flesh : and they have but few things that can satisfy^ the reasonable sou!. The nations were compelled by violence to accept of their religion, it is propagated by cruelty, and maintained by the sword. ' How can this peojle be the people of God ? They are also selfcondemned ; for they will not be questioned concerning their doctrines ; whoever dis- putes about tht}a must be put to death : " For every one that doth PREFACE. xi evil hateth the light, neither Cometh he to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved," John iii. 20. Doth not the church of God exist among the heathens, nor among the Jews, nor Mahometans, we must tlien seek her among the Christians, with whom we shall also find her. In order to prove this, it v/ould be necessary to demonstrate the truth of the Christian religion, especially with respect to those common doctrines, which arc received, by all who are called Christians : for instance, this one article, to wit, that Jesus, the son of Mary, is the true Messiah. We might demonstrate this either a priori^ from Moses and the prophets, to whom Jesus and the apostles appealed ; or a fiosteriori^ from Jesus and his apostles, who confirmed the doctrine of Moses and of the prophets. We could prove this abundantly from the resurrection of Jesus, as we have shewn on the seventeenth Lord's Day. After we had thus established the truth of the Christian religion, wc might also demonstrate the divinity of it by many arguments, but especial- ly by the numerous prophecies, which have been fulfilled in all their circumstances, and by the m.any miracles, with which the Lord hath sealed and confirmed the word, as his own. But it will not be pro- per to enlarge much on these particulars, lest we should extend our address to too great a length- Wc may find these things sufficiently treated of by many of our divines. Although this general acknowledgement of the Messiahship of Jesus is true and divine, nevertheless the Christian world is divided into so many churches and different denominations, that they cannot all and each of them in particular be the true church of God. For all the members of the true church must, with respect to the fun- damental points of the faith, " avoid schisms, and they must be perfectly joined together in the same mind, and in the same judg- ment; they must be hkeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind," 1 Cor. i. 10. Philip, ii. 2. But the Chris- tian world is at present so divided, as it was also anciently, with re- spect to the fundamental points of doctrine and practice, that what is denied and condemned by one, is afiirmed by another : v/hat one thinks he ought to confess, another will oppose and overthrow with much bitterncbs and passion : yea, if it were in the power of some, who will also be called Christians, they would destroy others with fire and fiword, with the rack and gibbet, although they should unpeople and devastate the greatest part of the world : for one endeavours to per- suade another to embrace his opinion, and when he cannot succeed, he will not maintain any fellowship with him. The apostles, and the Jewish or Pharisaical Christians opposed eacu other vehccaently Xll PREFACE. in the primitire church. John would have that "if any did not brin^ his doctrine with him, they should not receive him into their house, nor bid him God speed," 2 John, vs. 10, 11. Jesus himself, commends the Ephesians, because " they hated the works of the Nicolaitans, and saith that he hated them also," Rev. ii. 6. It is sufiiciently known from ecclesiastical history, how the Arians, Pela- gians, Nestorians, Eutychians, and others were condemned and re- jected by those v.ho tau;2;ht a different doctrine, and how these were in their turn reprobr.ted by their opponents. Matters are conducted in the s;iir,e manner even now. I'hc Quakers or enthusiasts, the So- tinians, Arminians, Menncnites, Papists, Lutherans and Reformed cannot endure each other. It is true, the Arminians and SocinianS pretend that they could exercise brotherly fellowship with all, they tolerate also one another ; nevertheless they will not maintain fel- lowship with the idolatrous pjtpists : they say that they would unite ■with ihe reformed if they would receive thenm into fellowship with them. Bui if these men should once prevail, we should then see how moderate and tolerant they would be toward us. Their fore- runners, the Arians, Pelagians and Semipelagians showed sufficient- ly what bitter enemies they were of the orthodox. The Remon- strants bestirred themselves vigorously against n% in the last century, when they saw their help in the gates. Since then there are so ma- ny different opinions, which overthrow each other, it follows that all these denominations cannot be the true church and pecuUar people of God ; there is then only one among all these, which hath thtf true nature of the church. But how shall v/c find the pure and true chwrch of God among all these different denominations ? Every one thinks that we must seek and find her among his people, with whom he converses. Surely there must be a possibility of knowing the true churcK, if we must join ourselves to her, that we may partake of her privileges and sav- ing benefits ; she is indeed " a city upon a hill, which cannot be hid.** Matt. v. 14. But v/hat is the mark whereby we may know her? *^hall we ask the church of Rome which is the true church and the vlght mark, by which slie may be known ? She weens indeed that iihe hath a better right to this than all besides. She pretends that fahe hath the highest claim, and the oldest title : she saith that hef high priest, the pope, is the supreme judge in disputes, to whom wo must submit our faith in this great controversy. But others, who belong to the Romish society, think that the pope is not the su- preme judge in disputes, but the council, to whom the pope must s.ibmit ]i:iiii:clf. I'i6v»' then shall vrc get right in the church of PREFACE, xiii kome ? cannot she decide her own controversies, how will she then those which she hath with others? and althoiii^h she should be of one mind, and say that she hath a supreme right to pronounce sen- tence, those who are not of her communion will dispute that right, and assert that she hath no such right at all, and that she can not prove it, which we may justly demand of her. The Romish church is party concerned, every ohe will condemn her : shall she now be both party and judge, and pronounce sentence in her own case ? who would not condemn this, as a most unfair and most unreasonable proceeding ? and who would submit to such a sentence ? It will there- fore be most proper to consult the mouth and the word of the Lord : so the spouse acted, Song i. 7. The Son of God is indeed the Head, the Shepherd, the Prophet, the Priest and King of his church ; he is the word and the wisdom of his Father : the word of God was written by the inspiration of the infallible Spirit, and the Lord speaks to every one in his word : " The scripture saith," Rom. iii. 4. ix. 17. X. 11. To that the Saviour appealed in his disputes with the Jews, John v, 39, so also the apostle?;Rom. iii. 19. iv. 3. xxi. 4. Gal. iv. 21, 22, 27, 30. God tommands every one to conduct himself according to his word, and to speak according to it, and dcnounceth a severe threatening against those who do not. Isaiah viii. 20, Therefore soundness of doctrine according to the written word of God is the right mark of the true church. Jesus himself give?' us this mark, John viii. 31, 32, 47. " If ye continue in my word, then arc ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know tl»e truth, and the truth shall make you free. He that is of God heareth God's words : ye therefore hear them not because ye are not of God." See this also, John x. 27. xiv. 21, 23. They who abide not by this word are condemned and accursed, how great soever their authority may be, yea, thoftgh they were angels from heaven. Gal. i 8, 9. The word is also that by which a person is called to the church, and is born in the church, 2 Thess. ii. 14. James i. 18. 1 Peter i. 23. The doctrine according to the word of God is also the privilege of the church only, to the exclusion of all others. Psalm cxlvii. 19, 20o The priests of the Old Testament, who were ordained by God him- self, might judge only *' according to the sentence of the law,'* Dcut. xvii, 8, 9, 10. Ar)d truly every one must and will ac'.mit, either wittingly and willingly, or un\rittingly and unwillingly, that the pure doctrine of the chuich is the right mark of the true churcha For v/hat person is there of all the different denominations, who, "When he is urged to prove his opinion, will not forthv/ith alledge one 3civ PREFACE. or other passage of scripture ? Doth he not show thereby, that his faith must be tried by the word of God* as the proper touchstone. Say not worthy reader, that the matter which we would explain, remains thus as obscure as ever, and that we cannot know by the agreement of any person's doctrine with the word of God, with what people we may find the church of God ; because every one makes use of this word to answer his purpose, and saith that his opinion ao-reeth with the word of God ; yea, that he will submit himself to the word only. For when this matter is properly considered, we shall perceive clearly and presently, that all who are without the Re- formed, or permit me to say, the Protestant church, avoid the de- cision of the holy scripture, and set up another judge above, and in opposition to the holy book of God, because they perceive that they are condemned by that book. In order to illustrate and confirm this assertion, thou must, reader, allow, and thou wilt do it, if thou wilt examine this matter thoroughly, and v/ithout prejudice, that he who foundeth all, at least all his capi- tal doctrines upon a principle different from the word of God, and v/ho models and fashions the whole word of God according to that principle, I say, thou must allow that such a person doth not submit himself to the word of God and that he doth not regu- late his opinionyaccording to it, but subjects himself to a differ- ent judge, whom he sets up, to wit, that principle of his ; yea, that he subjects even the word of the Lord of hosts to that principle. If thou, reader, wilt now duly attend to the conduct of those who op- pose us, thou wilt perceive that they build and suspend all their doctrinal tenets either upon ethusiasm, as those who are called Qua- kers do ; or upon natural reason and free will, as the Pelagians and Semipelagians, who were condemned of old, did, and as those still do, who extoll their reason so much, as sound, though somewhat weak- ened, and their indifferent free will, to wit, the Socinians, Jesuits, Remonstrants, and many Mennonites, who collude with them ; or upon lordship, which is introduced by the Papists. We say the Quakers build and suspend the articles of their faith upon enthusiasm ; for they will not receive any part of the word of God, but what is suggested to them by an immediate revelation of The Spirit of God, whereby they are then, as they pretend, in a manner deified, imagining that they are above the holy word of God, which they subject to their accidental notions ; and therefore they utter the most absurd and fantastical doctrines of faith, and use unseemly and (offensive gestures. What thinkest thou, candid reader, can this people appeal to the word of God, as the only judge, PREFACE. XV arsd the perfect standard of faith ; do they not reject, yea, do they r-ot reproach this judge, when they decry the written word of God, as " a mere paper word, a book for children, milk for babes, an am- biguous scripture, wliich hath neither meaning nor force, unless it bj; inspired and animated by an inward word ?" The Socinians establish their doctrine upon a different principle^ to wit, natural reason and free will. Natural reason, they think, is still sound and unimpaired ; men can perceive all things clearly by reason ; " We do not by any means assent to things, which we clearly perceive to be impossible," saith Socinus de Servatore, part. 3. ca/i. 6. /ia^e 282. They think therefore that reason is the rule and expositor of the scripture, and that all the controversies, that relate to the scripture, ought and can be determined by the voice of reason. They deny for the sake of their sound reason the simplici- ty of God, his essential omnipresence, his foreknowledge, his free and unchangeable decrees, the divine Trinity, the personal union of the two natures in Christ, and his satisfaction to the justice of God, Sfc. They cannot comprehend these thmgs, nor reconcile them to their reason, and therefore they reject them, though they are plainly set forth in the word of God. Ostorod saith that he would not be- lieve the incarnation, (that is, Christ's takiug upon himself the hu- man nature, or the personal union of a divine and human nature in Christ,) although it should seem to be clearly asserted in the scrip- ture, because it is contrary to reason, which judgeth it to be false. Another champion of the Socinians, namely, Samalcius saith, " There is not the least tittle of the Christian religion, which doth not agree with reason ; and if any opinion agree not with reason, it is not admissible in theology ; and it must necessarily be exceed- ingly pernicious and false. Li refut, thes* Franc, page 137. et in prcifat, Socinus himself saith, de Servatore, part, 3. cap. 6. pag» 282. *^ With respect to myself, although the scripture said not once, but often," (to wit, that Christ hath satisfied God for our sins) " I should nevertheless not believe that it was altogether so. It cannot by any means be so," according to the judgment of his. reason. What thinkest thou, reader, can we believe that these men receive the scripture only for their judge and rule, and that they submit them- selves to it, and prove from it that they have the right mark of the church and people of God ? I judge not. In the same manner do they make free will a foundation, upon which they build many other Qpinions. They think that free will is indifferent, and not so exceed- ingly corrupt, as the Reformed pretend, and therefore thpy do not ticiieve the inability of the sinner to do good, they deny the necessity XVI PREFACE. of a heart chiingine; re(>eneration, God's effectual ^race in working faith and conversion, &c. And why, because tliese things agree not with the word of God ? no, but because they can not be reconciled to their indifferent free will. Doth it not then plainly appear, that thf word of God is not the foundation of their faith, but their own vain glorious free will ? The Jesuits and Remonstrants will not indeed speak so harshly, nevertheless free will i? the hinge upqn which most of their doc- trines, which they hold in common with each other, turn. They believe that man is not so good as Adam was betore the fall: he hath lost the image of God, his supernatural grace, his golden bridle ; the inbred lusts of his flesh have bewildered him, and he is thus be- come weak ; but he is not therefore so dead, so dark, corrupt and in- capable of doing good ; but he can still by the help of grace discern the tilings of God, desu-e and dispose himself for conversion. He would otherwise he deprived of his free and indifferent will, and they think that this is impossible, unless he shouM cease to be mam And there* fore we must not hold an absolutely free, and eternally unchangea- ble decree, but a conditional one, that is a decree suspended upon Ihe condition of foreseen faith, good works and perseverance. And on this account they believe that Christ died for all men, that God hath entered into a general covenant of grace with all men, that he bestows a general and sufficient, but not a particular, effectual, and irresistible grace upon all men, and that the saints may apostatize from the faith. If this were not so, free will would be forced, and God could not with any equity demand of man what he was unable to perform. Do we not then see that these men make free will, by them considered as indifferent, and not the word of God, the foun- da'.ion of their doctrine ot faith? How dare they then pretend that they make the word of God their foundation ? The Papists exalt their sovereign lordship to the throne, that they may subject the word of God, its mysteries, and all that is sacred and profane to themselves. They have therefore introduced the rul- ing power of a pope, of cardinals, bishops and other lords. They teach that their church is superior to the scripture, that we cannot derive the authority and sense of scripture from the scripture itself, but wc must derive it from the Romish sovereignty. They introduce traditions, many articles of faith, and ceremonies without, above, yea, contrary to the word of God : they say, the church of Rome hath a right to do this, and men ought to obey her implicitly. The com- ;non people must depend only upon the v/ords of their teachers ; they Xi^ay not read the word of God, nor search it, they would become top P R E F !A C E. xvii conceited, and contradict their superiors : whoever attempts to do this is a heretic, and deserves the stake : therefore they choose not that the scripture should be translated into the vulgar language of the people, and they enjoin that the public service of the church should be performed only in a foreign language : the people have enough to do with hearing masses, counting and muttering a great number of prayers to God, abstaining from paiticular meats during certain seasons, shriving all their sins, and performing well and carefully the penances imposed upon them by the priest to whom they have ah'riven : men must by all means establish their own righteousness, and merit heaven by their good works in that Romish communion s they make indeed a great noise and ado about the name Jesns, they must bow themselves when they hear it mentioned, they must men- tion it often, it must be engraven by all means in churches, m houses, upon walls, yea, upon dishes ; but what doth Jesus do for all this honour ? he obtains for them that their good works can merit. In this manner do they keep the people who know little or nothing, in bondage and slavery, so that they submit themselves readily to those Romish lords, without even muttering against them. But this sov- ereign authority and power cannot be maintained without money. What do they do ? They introduce shriving to the priest, they sell spiritual offices, indulgences, masses for souls, and require satisfac- tion of men in their own persons in and after this life, which can be considerably moderated with money : indeed, all things are saleable at Rome, even whoredom ; by which means those great merchants become excedingiy rich, and maintain themselves. Must thou not therefore, observing reader, judge that the Romish lordship and not th^ word of God is the principle from which all the Popish doctrines and institutions are derived ? If the Rornish synagogue could find herself in the word of God, v/ould she sport in this manner with the souls, with the bodies, v;ith the goods of men, with the faith and with the word of God? We may see how little these men regard the book of God as their rule by the reproaches, which they belch out against it ; for they say that it is an imperfect, dark, and double meaning book. I have no inclination to repeat all the reproachful expressions which many of the leaders of ihe Romanists have vomit- ed out against this book. It will suffice us to see, that the Papists perceive that they are condemned by the word, and that they there- fore hate it as adversaries of the light. Hath the Lord uov/ a true church on the earth, as he certainly hath, and as everyone steadfastly believes, and is she not to be found among those who are without us, she must then surely be found with «ria PREFACE. US Nor is our boasting vain ; for why do we teach the abominable and guilty depravity and inipoteney of the sinner ? why do we be- lieve in the Triune God, Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier? -s^hy do we hold that the only begotten and proper Son of God took upon himself a true human nature, continuing one person, and that he truly and fully satisfied the justice of God by his sufferings ? whence is it, that we confess a divine, effectual and heart changing grace, through the operation of the Holy Spirit, is not the word of God the only book that prescribes and enforceth these things ? the book of God is our only principle ; from that alone have we derived all our tioctrines ; by that we *vill be tried, and to that book alone do we sub= mit our wl^ole doctrine. If we err, we must err, because we exalt the holy book of God too high, and humble the sinner too low by it, that we commend the grace of God too much, and thus comfort the delivered sinner too much, and excite him too powerfully to holiness and to glorify God. O happy and blessed error ! by which, sinking ciown in our own sinful nothingness, and swallowed up in the sea of God's all sufiicjent grace, we lose ourselves altogether in his honour, Uiat we may be nothing at all, and liii alone may be ^11 in all to eternity. If we will not be enthusiasts, Vvho teach indifferently whatever- occurs to their minds, (as they pretend) through the Spirit, without -vibove and contrary to the word of God, we need not, hov.'ever, be natural men, who have not the Spirit, as if we would banish the Spirit out of the church. For we knov/ very well from the word of God that "the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God ; tnat they are foolishness to him, and that he cannot know them, be- cause they are spiritually discerned," I Cor. ii. 14. We teach a i^ving, eft'ectual enlightening, regeneration, repentance, faith, sane- tification, consolation, leading and preservation by the Holy Spirit, But we deny that the Holy Spirit takes the word out of our hands, when he leads us : for he influenceth the minds of those whom he favours with, and according to his word : with, by and in subservi- ence to the word he enlightens and persuades the understanding, so that it contemplates the mysteries of God with a persuasion of mind: •• we.see the light in God's light," Psalm xxxvi. 9. " He shines into tbe hecirt to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God m the face of Jesus Christ," 2 Cor. iv. 6. and thus " the gospel comes not in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and iiv much assurance," Ii Thess. i. 5. so that " we receive the word preach- ed, not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, as the word of God ; >\hich effectually v orketh in them that biilieve," 1 Thcss. ii. 13. PREFACE. x!x Whereby the will is also sweetly and heartily persuaded, and thus powerfully moved by the Spirit to cleave to the Lord, and to fulfill his will, in obedience to him. See Ezek. xxxvi. 26, 27. Yea, the believer " is changed by the Spirit after the glory of Christ," which is exhibited by the word, 2 Cor. iii. 18. And he is " made free by knowing the truth," John viii. 32. When we will not allow reason a higher authority than the word, or an equal authority with the word, nor say that free will consists in indifference, but that it is in bondage to sin, and a servant of it, do we then deny our reason and will, and declare our reason and will to be useless ? By no means. We think that we cannot apprehend the divine mysteries, except by, and with our reason, and that we cannot be converted and wrought upon, unless with our will. But we say that reason hath not an equal authority with the word of God, much less a higher authority than the word, obliging us to believe it : yea, that reason, as it exists at present in every sinner without the actual enlightening of the Holy Spirit, is dark, foolish, and confused : see 1 Cor. ii. 14, and that the will is "a will of the flesh, and of the mind," Eph. ii. 3. yea, that it neither can, nor will, nor can be will- ing to love that which is good in a saving manner, nor convert itself: although the sinner, in consequence of his reasonable nature, always remains capable of conversion, and when God converts him, is wrought upon in a reasonable manner, his understanding and reason are enlightened, and he thereby becomes capable of apprehending spiritual things with his reason, according to the measure of their reve- lation ; and he thus becomes willing, when he was before unwilling, and cries of his own accord, uncompelled, and willingly to the Lord, "Turn thou me, and I shall be turned," Jer. xxxi. 18. for "God takes the stony heart from him and gives him a heart of flesh," Ezek. xxxvi. 26. As we do not deny the efficacious working of the Holy Spirit, although we are not enthusiasts ; nor that men possess reason and a will, though we are not Pelagians ; so also we will not deny that the Lord hvMth given a certain power to his church, and ordered that she should be governed by overseers, although we will not submit to the Popish yoke, because it is too Antichristian. We know that we ought to " acknowledge them who labour in the church, are over her in the Lord, and admonish her ; and that we ought to esteem them very highly in love for their works sake," 1 Thess. v. 12, 13. See also Matt. xvi. 19. xviii. 17, 18, 2 Cor. x. 8. xiii. 10. Heb. xiii. 17. and what we have said on the thirty first Lords day. But this power is only ministerial, and not superior to the word, much less contrary 4bt PREFACE. to it, taking' it from the members of the church, and rendering; it useless to them. This power must be merely subservient to the word, subduing, and rendering tiie mind of every person obedient to it. See 2 Cor. x. 4, 5, 6 But we ought not, in matters of faith, to " call any man oui master or father, because Christ only is a master, and God only a father" in this respect, Matt, xxiii. 8, 9, 10. And therefore wc think that we may, without any oficnce, esteem the Keformed or Protestant church to be the true church, and her doctrine to be pure, according to, and on account of the word of God. The other matter, reader, which so greatly concerns thee and every other person, is, that it bel-.oovcs thee to inquire whether thou art in a state of grace, a child of God, the property of Christ, a tem- ple of the Holy Ghost, and so a true member of the church of God. It will not suffice to render thee eternally happy here and hereafter, that thou conversest in the true church, as an outward member, and that thy name is enrolled in the register of the church : many such " children of the kingdom shall be cast into utter darkness," Matt, viii. 12. We may be in the true church, and be without grace. See Matt. xxii. 11, 14. There is chaff as well as wheat in the thresh- ingfloor of the church. There are vessels of dishonour, as well as of honour in the house of Ciod. There are more evil than good hearers of the word. There were many in the church of Sardis, who were dead, while they had the name, that they were alive, and there were but {cw, who had not defiled their garments. In the family of Noah there was also a wicked Ham, and in that of Abraham there was an Ishmael : Esau was a son of Isaac £tnd Rebekah, as well as Jacob. The carnal Israelites ate and drank also of the spiritual meat and drink, I Cor. x. 1,5. Among the companions of Jesus there were some who forsook him, and Judsis, one of the apostles, was a devil, John vi. 66, 70, 71. It is no sign that a person is in a good state, when he enjoys the outward privileges of the church. See Luke xiii. 24, 27. Although thou wert a teacher of the church, thine office would not make thee a christian inwardly, nor pieserve tiiee from perdition. See Matt. vii. 22 23. A person may " be enlightened, taste the heavenly gift, be made a partaker of the Holy Ghost, taste the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come," and nevertheless be destitute of those " better things which accompany salvation, and so fall away/' Heb. iv. 4, 9. Therefore inquire with concern how it is with thee in this respect, whether thou be a christian in the letter, or in the spirit : whether thy work be in appearance only, or or in truth ; whether the root of the mat- ter be in thee, or not. God desireth truth in the inward parts ; thou PREFACE. xxi i;ast the greatest concern in this affair ; it is a matter, upon which thy salvation and damnation depends. Therefore " examine thyself" again and ap:ain, " whether thou be in the faith, prove thine own- self," 2 Cor. xiii. 5. Zeph. ii. 1,2. Dost thou obtain the Spirit, who causeth thee to know the things which are freely given thee of God, rejoice, thank him, and conduct thyself worthy of his won- derful and free grace, and endeavour to render others partakers of St, and to allure them to communion with God. and comfort his peo- ple with the consolation, wherewith God hath comforted thee. Dost thou perceive that thou art yet destitute of the essentials of Christi- anity, give thyself no rest, but earnestly endeavour to partake of the Redeemer Christ entirely, and to become his property. These two important matters are also seriously urged by the Hei- delberg catechism. For in the first place it forbids us to teach and believe any thing, which the gospel doth not teach us, and which God hath not revealed to us in his word. See questions 19, 21, 22- It instructs us in the great mystery of the divine Trinity, and the blessed dispensation of the Triune God, only because Ciod hath re- vealed himself thus in his word, questions 24, 25. When it treats of the nature, kind, and efficacy of the sacraments, it appeals only to the word of God, Questions 71, fZ, and it humbleth the sinner to the lowest degree according to that word : it exalts the grace of God to the highest, in order to comfort and quiet the humbled sinner in a clear and effectual manner, and upon certain grounds : and it urges in the most forcible manner the deli ered sinner to a holy gratitude, and to glorify the infinitely gracious God. On the other hand it shoY,rs for examination how a person, who becomes the entire property of Christ, and therefore a partaker of the only comfort and the supreme good, is led and influenced by God, and how one, who is destitute of this, may attain to it by humiliation, a true faith in the only and perfect Saviour, and an evangelical hoHness, and gratitude. We have endeavoured to follov/ our instructor in this path, when " we have frequently shown from the doctrines which we have ex- plained according to the word of God, both the falsehood of the doc- trine of our adversaries, and the purity and truth of the doctrine of our reformed church. After treating of an important benefit, we have shown by certain marks, which are found in every believer, and in believers only, who nre the real partakers of such a great benefits We conceive indeed that no mi'n can improve a benefit to his spiritual advantage and comfort, unless he be conscious, that he hath an indis- putable right to that benefit : and that even the favourites of God are often exceedingly uncertain, perplexed, and doubtful whether D xxii PREFACE, they have truth in their inward parts. It was necessary then, m order that we might speak comfortiibly to the children of God, that we should exhibit the work of God, which he had wrought in their souls, plainly by evidences, that they might behold it on every side, and as it were near at hand, and thus obtain assurance of heart be- fore the Lord. We thought also that it was our duty to separate the vile from the precious, and that we ought therefore to show by evi- dences who also deceived themselves with false imaginations, that thc*y mii^ht recover themselves out of the snare of the devil in which they are taken captive at his will, and might thus flee from the wrath to come. We are the less scrupulous about treating souls in this detecting manner, because we observe that the word of God precedes us in this method ; for it calleth the sinner again and again to him- self, and admonisheth him seriously to examine and prove himself: the holy prophets and apostles often proposed to the people, and earnestly insisted upon certain evidences of a person's good and evil condition. See only at present the eighth chapter of Paul's epistle to the Romans, and the epistles of John, which contain many eviden- ces of this kind. We are not apprehensive that sinners will be driven by this method of instruction to an irrecoverable despair, like Cain and Judas, who after all did not arrive to that phrensy through a particular discovery of their graceless condition by evidences, but through their own enormous abominations, which rendered their consciences outrageous. Hast thou, reader, ever observed that any person was brought to such a total despair through a serious dis- covery of his condition to him. I ask not, whether thou hast ever seen any person, who attained to a conviction, that he was yet grace- less, and was exceedingly troubled on account of this ; for such trou- ble is salutary, and reriders the sinner susceptible of the divine gracco See Mati. v. 3, 6, ix. 12, 13. It is also produced by the Holy Spirit, John xvi. 8, 9. and it rendered Peter's sermon profitable. Acts ii. 37. But 1 ask vv'hether thou hast ever seen any person, who was reduced to an irrecoverable despair of the grace of God by such a serious discovery, and by exhibiting certain evidences to him ? I have not s I have indeed seen only one person in all my life, who truly and entirely despaired of the grace of God, and that out of my congrc'.^ation : v/hich person did not arrive to that despair by a serious and soul alarming sermon, and by an exhibition of evidences, but by his own wilful ungodhness. Truly wc need not be afraid that v;c will render any person too uneasy by a frequent proposing of evi- dences, and by a particular address to him, in the second person ^ our people are indeed too insensible, they are not so easily influenc- PREFACE. ^xia ed to rcpentance. The prophets and apostles did not speak so gen- e-rally to ths people, and inform them that there were such and such wicked persons in the \yorId, and in the church : but they used to address the guilty in a direct manner, and say, " Thou art the man" 1 Sam. xii. 7. " Thou hast neither part nar lot in this mat- ter," Acts viii- 21. «4 Thou child of the devil." Sec, Acts xiii. 10, 1 1. '.• O foolish Galatians," &c. Gal. iii. 1, 3, 4. v. 2, 7. This is also required by the national synod of Wesel, holden in the year 1561, when it saith, " They shall direct all that they say to these two prin- cipal points of the gospel, to wit, faith and conversion : and the preachers, in doing this, shall aim at, as their only mark, and incul- cate the true mortification and quickening of man : they shall en- deavour to penetrate with their sermons, as much as possible, through all the secret veils, and into all the hiding places of the souls ot their hearers ; and not only dwell upon gross acts of iniquity, and public sins, but also expose the hidden hypocrisy of the heart, and bring forth thence to light, and remove in the most convenient manner, that seed-plot and sink of all manner of ungodliness, pride, unthank- fulness," £cc. In this manner have we also endeavoured not only to lop oft' certain unfruitful branches, which bear gall and wormwood, but also to penetrate, as much as we were able to the bottom of the heart, and so to the root of iniquity, and to lay it bare, that this evil tree might fall and die of its own accord. Suffer me, my worthy reader, to detain thee yet a little, while I say something to thee concerning our excellent Heidelberg cate- chism. When, being yet a young man, I entertained a desire, and being doubtful of myself, I had a serious disposition to work out my salvation with fear and trembling, I presently set a high value upon this little book, because I perceived that it would contribute to the attainment of my object. I observed that it proposed in a very per- spicuous manner the method in which God conducted skiners to sal- vation by discovering to them their misery, deliverance and grati- tude : it shewed me the true nature of the exercises of miserable souls, of those who were seeking to be saved, and of those who were thankful ; and what seemed exceedingly striking and beautiflil to me was, that the instructor introduced his pupil, as speaking concerning the exercises of a convinced, believing, and holy person, as his ouii, and not proposing the heads of doctrine only as positive truths. The more I saw these things in this little book, the more I was enamour- ed with it. I was exceedingly grieved, when I heard Papists, Soci- nians, and Remonstrants, with whom I conversed much in my youth, Opeak reproachfully of it. But I do net regret it, it hath been oj[ so ..^^ PREFACE. much the more service to me. I was also induced thereby to publish this treatise of mine upon that little book, that I might, if possible^ edify others by it, heartily wishing that they may derive the same, yea, greater advantage from it, than I have derived. Let no man nevertheless be so ill natured, as to think that I, or any other of our denomination, look upon the catechism as a little bible, Wc would rather see it and all other good books banished out of the world, than that it should be equalled with the v;ord of God, which was imme- diately and infallibly inspired by himo We believe the doctrines of the catechism, not on account of the cni^ichisrn, but or,ly on account of the word of God, out of, and according to which the catechism •was composed. Do we esteem this little book, v.^e nevertheless love the word of God still more. We commend this treatise, only be- cause it explains the book of God clearly to us, and recommends it to us. They who report of us that we consider the catechism as our little bible, know better ; at least they would know better, if they did not foster bitter envy and strife in their hearts. No man wiU speak disparagingly of the catechism, who knows how it was intro- duced into the world, for what purpose it was composed, in what manner it was received, combatted and established, and of how great advatange it hath been to the church. It is known, that it v/as composed by Zacharias Ursiniis and Cas- parus Olevianus, both exceedingly famous divines and professors in the university of Heidelberg, at the conamand of Frederick the third, prince Palatine, surnamed the pious. The occasisn of composing; it, was, that the Ubiquitists, a sect of Lutherans, who held that the body of Christ was omnipresent, being desirous of introducing their opinion in a violent and furious manner, opposed the orthodox by every method : " The schools," says that famous prince Palatine, in the preface to the catechism, " were fallen into contempt, the tender youth were neglected, there was no steady nor uniform m.ethod o(' teaching the doctrines of Christianity. Hence it came to pass, that the unskillful youth were not rightly instructed, or according to any certain rule ; but just as every teacher fancied ; or they were not instructed at all, but rem.aincd entirely stupid and ignorant," &c. It was the design of that excellent prince to establish by this catechism a general form of hannonious doctrines for the churches and schools. Thus he speaks in his preface, " Therefore we ordered our divines, and the pastors of the churches in our electoral principality to com- pose a catechism, that is, a brief oral instruction in the principal doc- trines of the christian religion, in German and Latin, from the word of God ; that the preachers and schoolmasters might have a certain P R E F A C lil. XXV tend fixed form, accordino^ to which they mii^ht instruct the tender youth in the churches and schools, to the end thar they might not brino- in new doctrines, according to their own fancies, or propose such as agreed not with the word of Cod." bee also Melchiov .Kdams in the life of Uisinus, pa;;, mihi, 534. Thus was this catechism composed, revised, and, as agreeable to the word of God, approved by the piincipal divinr-s of the Palatu ale, assembled for that purpose. It was printed first at Heidelberg, in the year 1563, and recommended to the churches and schools of the Palatinate, that it might serve for the maintenance of an uniform method of instruction, inotder to prevent divisicns and schisms, and to avert the reproaches, that were cast upon the doctrine of the Pala- tine churches. Moreover, the pious Prince Palatine sent this cate- chism to all the Refoi'med churches, in every part of Christendom, who approved of it, as appears from the answers of those churches, deposited in the archives of the Palatinate. See the ecclesiasical history of James Trigland, page 360, The light of evangelical truth, beaming forth with so much splendor in the Palatinate, shone too Dright to remain within the limits of that country, it broke pre- sently through to our dear Nether ands, where this catec'u^m was also soon known, translated and printed, and, as agreeable to the word of God, adopted in the synod of Embden^ in the year 1571 where it was also thought necessary, tl at v/e should use it in the churches of the Netherlands ; this was further renewed, and cnjon- cd in the national synod of Dordrecht in the year 1578. And once more in the national synod of Dordrecht, in the year 1618 and 1619, where it was revised, approved, and estabiished, and highly com- mended by the foreign divines, who were invited to the synod, and especially by the divines of Great Britain. Hear what Triglund baith of this in his history of the church, page 1 145. " I well re- member," saith that learned man, " what I have also frequently, and \ipon different occasions related, that the divines of Great Britain highly extolled that little book, and said that neither their churches, nor the French had such a suitable catechism : that the men who liad composed it, had been unusually asiiisttd by the Spirit of God at the time, that they had in sundry other matters excelled several divines, but in composing that cutechisn^, they had excelled them- selves.*' He who doth evil liateth the light : that whicli is opposed by none but evil men must be good : and v,'e ougiit to hi;ve a higher opinion of this catechism as orthodox, because so many men of a corrupt mind have v.'i'.hstood and cbmbatt-d it with all tlieir ii;ight, ths^ XXVI PREFACE. Ihey might, if possible, banish it out of the church, as though it were ciroijcous. Tins booK was no sooner pubUshed, than it was fiercely anacked by the Ubiquitsts : see what ivlelchior Adams relates con- cerning tins matter in the Hfe of Zacharias Ursinus, page 534, 535, and not by those only, but also by the Papists. These stirred up the empcrou; against it, so that he ordered the pious Prince Palatine, without hearing him, to suppress iiis catechism, and threatened that if he reiused, he should not be acknowledged an evangel'cal prince but should he excluded from the religious peace and from the em- pire. But this gallant hero, laying his catechism beside his bible, declared that he would defend that li'tle book against any one, who would dis])ute with hmi which so affected the emperour, that he said to him, " Frederick, thou art the most pious of us all ;" upon which he suspended, and annulled his decree, and tolerated the cate- chism : yea, some of the states, who were present, also subscribed it: and this oppjsirjon added new lustre to the catechism. The Papists, thwarted in this manner, ceased not however to attack the catechism again and again, in order to extirpate it. A certain John Andrews Koppeiisttin, a Dominicsn monk and parish priest at Hei-. delberg, laboured in particular more than ary of his party, to alienate the church of Heidelberg from her catechism, and seduce her un- awares *o follow the beast, and to worship him : he showed for thi^ purpose horns like tliose of the Lamb, but he spoke like the dragon, wiien he wrote against this catechism his " Uncalvinized calvinistic Heidelberg catechism." He was wonderfully skillful in showing the horns of the Lamb, while he spoke like the dragon, and in chang- ing the language of the church in our catechism into the language of the whore of Rome, almost in every qtiestion ; observe for in- stance our fifth quesiion ; '^ Canst thou keep all these things per- fectly." He answers, " wajr/me," certainly, or exceedingly, or '* very well with God." For I am by nature, although corrupt, " inclined with the help of grace, to love" God and my neighbour: And in this manner doth he sport with almost every question of our cate- chism. i3ut he hath been completely answered by many, and par- ticularly by Theodorus Strakkius The Remonstrants opposed the catechism no less than thescc When they proposed to introduce a nevv^ doctrine into the church, they lell presently upon this book ; for they saw that they were condemned in it. They lay hid, and concealed themselves with secrecy : when they were asked v/hat fault they found with the doc- trine of the church, they would not declare it, except in a national synod, and ihev laboured in the mean while by evjry contrivance in. PREFACE. xxvfi fneir power to hinder the calling of a free synod. If a synod shoulV I shall express my gratitude to God for such deliverance. No man will pursue any work freely, unless he propose to him- self some honourable, pleasant, or profitable end. The end renders the worker active. If this were not so, the most useful occupations would be relinquished, and a man would become more sluggish than the most ^tupid animal. Who would have any inclination to exer^ cise himself in a fatiguing employment, or to expose his life to the E i THE ONLY COMFORT OF BELIEVERS. inclemency of a boisterous sea, or to unders^o the dangers of a haz- ardous war, or to practise any art or science, or to employ himself in any mercantile business, if the hope of honour, pleasure, or profit did not urge him on ? Reward certainly sweetens and excites to labour : Cod himself, willing that man should work out his salva- tion with fear and trembling, encourageth him by rewards. " Your work shall be rewarded," said the prophet to Asa, that he might in- cite him to proceed with the reformation which he had begun, 2 Chron. xv. 7. Therefore salvation is likened to a crown, which was wont to be hung up at the end of the race, that the runners, fixing their eyes upon it, might be encouraged to press on for it with the greater eagerness. Paul hath an eye to this custom, 1 Cor xi. 24, 2.:>. Philip, iii. 12, IS, 14. "Moses had respect unto the recompence of the reward." And this caused him to despise every other con- sideration, that he might obtain it, Heb. ix. 24, 25, 2f> What is the end of the Christian religion, and of the Christian doctrine ? Is it not to make the sinner everlastingly happy ? " The knowledge of the truth, which is according to godliness, is also in and unto the hope of eternal life." Titus i. 1, 2. A man must indeed prcpose the glory of God to himself for his chief end : but the glory of God dot', not oppose the happiness of man, but is promoted by it : yea, the glory of of God is the salvation of man, and the salvation of man is God's glory. Therefore the apostle saith that " God will recompence rest to those who are troubled, when he shall come to be glorified in his saints," 2 Thess i 6, 10, But in order to succour the weakness of man, who can not form such a perfect idea of the divine glory ,*as of his own welfare, and is therefore more influenced by his own welfare, the Lord will encourage him more by salvation, than by his own glory. It is therefore commendable in the teacher of the Christian doc- trine, that he sets before his pupil, first ot all, his chief good and his only comfort in the first question, that he may incite him to a more earnest inquiry and pursuit after the means to obtain that comfort, in the second question ; which are afterwards more fully explained and enforced throughout the whole catechism. Two particulars are therefore here inquired into and explained. I. What is the only comfort of a Christian ? II. The means by which that comfort is to be obtained. I. The instructor speaks of "comfort," of comfort "in life and in death." of an "only" comfort, and particularly of "thy" comfort. Comfort denotes sometimes that cheerful frame of mind, whereby a person is M'ell disposed under any pressing, or apprehended evil, ami ■when the evil is removed, is greatly rejoiced, as we see in Paul, who I. LORD'S DAY, Q. 1, 2. 3 was " filled with comfort, and was exceedingly joyful in all his tribu- lation," 2 Cor. vii. 4. But sometimes the word comfort signifies any good word or work, whereby such an agreeable frame is produced. Ill this sense is the word used, Zech. i. 13. " And the Lord answer- ed tlie angel that talked with me, with good words, and with com- fortable words." In this last sense must the word comfort be under- stood here, as the instructor shows in the answer. Although life is precious to a man, (" skin for skin, and all that a man hath will he give for his life :" this the devil himself knew, Job i. 4.) nevertheless it is better to die than to live without comfort. God hath created mm so, that he c \n not hve without refreshment. But he hath nothing in himself that can comfort him ; he must seek all, even the least, out of himself; and therefore as he is empty and void in himself, he pants and longs for that which can afford him satisfaction, and cries out, " Who will show us any good P" Psalm iv. 7. If WQ contem-plate man as a sinner, we see that innumerable evils compass him about. " He is of few days, and full ot trouble," Job xiv. 1. He hath forfeited all that would be good for him, and he hath deserved all that is destructive to him. He is too impotent and too wicked to be able or willing to seek his restoration. He hath reason to fear every moment, that the anger of God will take him away by a dreadful death, and summ n him betare his inexorable triounal. As a sinner, he is " Magormissabib, a terrour round about, a terrour to hims-lf, and to all his friends," Jer. xx. 3, 4. Let him strive ever so much to be cheerful, and labour to banish all fear out of his heart, he hath notwithstanding many severe twinges in his soul, and '* even in laughter his heart is sorrowful," Prov. xiv. 13. Is he a believer, and therefore beloved by the Lord, he hath still need of comfort; for " his afflictions are many," Psalm, xxxi-. 19. They are brought to him in " full cups," Psalm Ixxiii. 10. All that is without him sets itself against him : the world is against him, even those of his own household will be his foes : the devil is enrag- ed at him, and •' like a roaring lion, seeketh to devour him," 1 Pet. V. 8. The power of his corruptions is a body of death to him : the Lord his God '* hides his countenance," sometimes " from him, deals with him as an enemy, and writes sometimes bitter things against him," Job xiii. 24, 26. And he is often afraid, that his expectation which he hath of the life to come, will forsake him in his death. May not the instructor then ask, v/hat can comfort him in his life ? Ahhough a person could subsist without comfort, in his life, yet he can not be without it in his death. For that which gtill refresheth^ 4 THE ONLY COMFORT OF BELIEVERS, Z man during his life, becomes a burthen to him in his death : pain and anguish will then cause him to lament bitterly ; he beholds death as a king of terrours ; his long smothered sins and hushed conscience begin to bestir themselves, and fill the soul with terrour, and the fear of eternal destruction causeth him to cry out for ant^uish of heart. And how many fears possess even believers on their death beds is known to those, whose office it is to visit the sick.* And therefore the instructor hath weighty reasons to inquire concerning; our comfort in death, What shall quiet a person amidst sq many distresses ? It must be an only comfort. The heart of man hath many and insatiable de- sires, and his evils are manifold : and therefore he hath need of many consolations. There is nothing in the v.'orld that can fully satisiy him : though he should have ever so much, there will always be something besides what he hath already, after which he will pant. The round world can not fill the triangular heart : there is surely nothing of all that he seeth, that can support and quiet him against the fear of death and God's insupportable wrath. Therefore he must' endeavour to obtain an only comfort, which alone is sufficient for the mind under every affliction, and at all times, and which Avill thus be *' a strong consolation," Heb. vi. 18. This is called but " one thing" by David and (Christ, Psalm xxvii. 4. Luke x. 41, 42. The instructor doth not choose to fight at random^ and merely to beat the air, but he asks with application to the man himself, what is '' tny " only comfort ? and he asks the believer in particular this question, that he may learn of him, for the information of others, what is the true comfort ; the believer knows it best : " Evil men understand not judgment ; but they that seek the Lord understand all things," Prov. xxviii. 5. We must nottherefoie ask simply with the captious Papists and Remonstrants, what is the only comfort, or what is the only comfort of a believer ; for every man must be- lieve for himself: ''the righteous must live by his faith," Hab. ii. 4. Lvery man must be examined with respect to what he himself believes, and whether " he is faithful to the Lord," Acts xvi. 15. Of what profit is it to know what the comfort of others is, if we our- selves do not partake of it ? What account doth the believer now give of this comfort of his ? doth he say with the men of this world, and with the old philoso- * The author hath respect to a custom of the Dutch Church in Holland, of appointing a certain person in the congregation a stated visitor of the sick, whose business it is to instruct, admonish and comfort the sick, as their ca£S TVay require- I. LORD'S DAY, Q l, 2. 5 phers, " who becam evain in their imaginations, and whose foolish hearts were darkened, and who, professing themselves to be wise, became fools," Rom. i. 21,22. that I possess great riches, that I take my fill of the pleasures of this world, that I am laden with hon» ours, that I harden myself against adverse occurrences, or that I de- light myself with contemplating the mysteries of nature ? No ; all this is loo low for such an elevated mind : he knows that the least blast of adversity can dissipate such idle consolations. He hath a higher revelation, accompanied with a heart ravishing experience, which teacheth him that his " only comfort in life and deaih is, that he is with body and soul, not his own, but belongs to his faithful Saviour Jesus Christ." " To be ones own with body and soul, both in life and death," is the condition of one, who is not subject to, nor a slave of another ; but who is his owa lord and master, as the Jews pretended that they were, when they said to our Saviour, John viii. 33. " We are Abra- ham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man : how say est thou then, Ye shall be made free \" Man was, in consequence of his creation, the property of God, and was his servant ; but by means of sin he hath broken the yoke and bui*sten the bonds ; he hath apos- tatized from God to himself, and hath tlius set himself free from his Maker, and is become a servant to himself ; he is a man of Belial, without yoke, "sliding back, as a backsliding heifer," Hosea iv. 16. Therefore his heart and actions proclaim, if he do not say it with his mouth, " Our lips are our own ; who is lord over us ?" Psalm xii. 4. " He strengthens himself against the Almighty," and speaks proudly with the Jews, Jer. ii. 31. " We are lords, we will not come unto thee." He aims at and pursues also solely that which is his own, and not that which is the Lord's, Philip, ii. 21.. " His belly is his God," Philip, iii. 19. Yea, he is so proud, and so pufTed up with a conceit of himself, that he admires none so much as himself, and with the prince of Tyre, " he sets his heart as God's heart." Ezek. xxviii. 1, 6. But though this freedom, that a person is his own, may appear exceedingly pleasant and agreeable to the sinner, it doth not ne^ er- theless contain a sufficient consolation. For he hath nothing in and .of himself, that can afford him satisfaction. He cannot expect it neither of God, against whom he hath rebelled. He is obnoxious also to the most grievous judgment of God, of being abandoned to himself, to every abomination, and to every distress, with the Israe.- ites and with the Gentiles, Psalm Ixxxi. 11, 12. Rom i. 26, 27, 28. There is not a more arrant slave than he, who belongs to himsef. 6 THi: ONLY COMFORT OF BELIEVERS. for he 13 "a servant of sin." John viii. 3, 4, Rom. vi* 20, "a child of the devil," John viii, 44, and "a captive in his snare at his will,'* 2 Tim. li. 26. Filled with self love, he doth not perceive this, but slights and disregards it ; yet in the hour of his death, he will expe- rience it to his terrour, and with the rich man he will not obtain even •' a drop of water to cool his scorching tongue," Luke xvi. 24. The true Christian conducts therefore more prudently^ inasmuch as he seeks his comfmt " in belonghig to Chri*t Jesus, his faithful Saviour, with body and soul, both in life and death," like an entire servant and bondman, who is not his own, but belongs wholly to his master. " He that is called, being free, is Chrir.t's ser\^nt," saith Paul, 1 Cor. vii. 22. Jesus claims him for ** his inheritance aiKl passession," Psalm ii. 8. He is "the peculiar treasure" of the Lord above other men, Exod. xix. 5, his segullah^ " property," which word, is also translated " the peculiar treasure of kings,'^ Eccl- ii. 8. Bond- servants were in ancient times deemed a person's riches, see Gen» xxiv. 35. Thus also the Christian is the riches, "the portion and- the lot of the inheritance" of Christ. Deut. xxxii. 9. and that net in. part, but entirely " Vv'ith body and soul, with which he must glorify God," because " he is not his own, but bought with a price," 1 Cor* vi 19, 20. Yea, he belongs to Christ forever, both in life and death, as the apostle also teacheth in the text. His Lord Jesus Christ is his faithful Saviour, '' a God of perfect salvation, and to whom be- long the issues from death," Psalm Ixviii, 20. As this is truly an excellent condition, of which glorious things are spoken, therefore our catechism explains it at large in lour par- ticulars, showing, first, how a believer is made the property of Christ, secondly, how he is preserved as his property, thirdly, how assured, and fourthly, sanctified, 1. The believing Christian was God's property formerly, but by sin he v.'ithdrew himself in a treacherous manner from God ; and rendered himself his own property ; but by grace he is become the property of Jesus Christ, his faithful Saviour : for the Father, who had chosen him for himself, gave him to his Son in the eternal cove- nant of redemption : '* They were thine, and thou gavest them me,"^ saith the Saviour to his Eatber, John xvii. 6. The Son also owns and claims the elect sinner as his by a marriage covenant, Ezek. xvi. 8. Hosea ii. 18, 1 9. Whereby, being "brought under the bond of the covenant, he joins himself to him to be his servant," Isaiah Ivi. 6, and " says and subscribes with his hand, I am the Lord's," Isaiah xliv. 5. But to abide with the instructor by the expression of belonging to a p^Tbon, we must say that the believer belongs to I. LORD'S DAY,Q. 1,2. f Christ by virtue of a purchase. Ainoni^ Abranam's servants, who belonged to him, tiiere were those aho, whom he had '' bought with money," Gen. xvii. 12. Therefore the believer sahh, that '^ his faith- ful Saviour hatli perfectly satisfied with his precious blood for all his sins." He had rendered himself guilty before God by his sins, and was therefore, as God's prisoner, kept and shut up under the law, that he mi;^ht, when the Jud^e saw fit, be led forth to punishment, and satisfy for his guilt ; but the Saviour his surety took his guilt upon him, and satistied for it by his suffering and obedience, that he might claim the elect sinner for himself, according to the prophecy, Isaiah lid. iO* " When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed." Therefore his satisfaction is also considered as ••' the ransom " and price of redemption, Matt. xx. 28. 1 Tim. ii. 6. Whereby the elect sinner is also delivered from his guilt : " In "Whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins," saith Paul, Eph. i. 7. For he paid, not the half, or a part, but the whole price for all the sins of his people : " The blood of Jesus Christ, the bon of God, cleanseth us from all sins," 1 John i. 7. " For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified," Heb. X. 14. Which blood, or bloody suffering is "precious," accor- ding to the declaration of the catechism from 1 Peter i. 18, 19. For the Person, his suffering, the deliverance from evil, and the pur- chase of good by his blood, manifest that it is exceedingly precious. Therefore he, for whom the Son of God paid the price of redemp- tion, doth properly belong to his Redeemer. « He hath purchased his church with his own blood," Acts xx 28. and he hath " bought her with a price," 1 Cor vi. 19, 20, Moreover, the believer is Christ's property by conquest. It was a custom in ancient times, as it is still among^ many nations, to re- duce conquered enemies to servitude. The faithful Saviour delivers the elect sinner from the power of the devil, who held him " a cap- tive in his snare at his will," 2 Tim. ii. 20. The righteous judg- ment of God subjects the sinner, as a capital offender, to the power of the devil : *^ The devil had the power of death," Heb. ii. 14. And therefore the devil, according to the opinion of some expositors, is called " a lawful possessor, whose captives should be taken away from him and escape," Isaiah xlix. 24, 25. Inasmuch now as the faithful Saviour hath paid the full price of redemption, the devil ought to release and discharge the sinner ; but the tyrant refuseth : therefore the Saviour employs strength and power, in order to wrest his purchased property by his Spirit from him through an effectual calling and conversion : " He binds tiie strong man. and spoils his « THE ONLY COMFORT OF BELIEVERS. goods," Mark iii. 27. The sinner himstlf resists, he delights in his cruel bondage : " he will not come to Jesus, that he may have life everlasting," John V. 40. But this great and mighty Hero " girds his sword on his thigh, and he makes his arrows sharp, so that peo^ pie fall under him," Psalm xliv. 3, 4, 5. For this " he ascended on high, and led captivity captive : he received gifts for men ; yea, for the rebeilious also that he might dwell among them," Psalm Ixvili. A8. And thus he appropriates to himself those whom he hath de- livered : " Thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, fear not : for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name, thou art mine," Isaiah xliii. 1. 2. If the person who is delivered were left to his own care, he would soon, (yea, sooner than Aidam before the fall) be over-master- ed by the devil, who seeks continually to wrest him from his Lord : but his '^ faithful Lord establishes and keeps him from the evil one," 2 Thess. iii. 3. " He is kept by the po^Yer of God through faith unto salvation," I Peter 1,5. "Having loved his ov/n, he loveth them unto the end," John xiii. 1." For the Lord will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance," Psalm xliv. 14. He could not shed his precious blood in vain. Yea, " he preserves him so, that without the will of his heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from his head," according to his promise. Matt. x. 30. Luke xxi. 18. How then should he suffer the body and soul of him whom he hath purchased, delivered and owns, to be subject to the power of his principal enemy, the devil ? The believer^ oppressed by many afflictions, vt-ith mdeed some- times with Gideon, " If the Lord be with us, why then hath all this evil befallen us?" Judges vi- 13. But he considers not that «' all things must work together for good to him," according to the apostle, Rom. viii. 28. For his adversities are only " chastisements for his profit, that he may be a partaker of God's holiness," Heb. xii. lOo ITea, God preserves him by this discipHne, " that his soul may not depart from him, and that he may not be condemned with the world,'* Jer. vi. 8. I Cor. xi. 32 It is true, sin is the most grievous of all evils, to the people of God, and causeth them to fear that they will one day fall by the hand of the infernal Saul : but their wise and faithful Saviour knows how to direct sin contrary to its nature, for the good of the believer, in order that he may humble his soul by it, render him more earnest, watchful and dependent upon him ; that his v/onderful wisdom, faithfulness, unchangeable love and pow^ er may be glorified the more, in the admirable way, in which he I. LORD'S DAY, Q. 1,2. ^ leads those who belong to him to glory. See this in Peter, Matt. kxvi. 31, S5, Jolmxxi. IS. 2 Cor. xii 7, 8, 9, lOi 3. But this doth not afford him a sufficient consolation, nor quiet him fully, unless he be also assured of it. " Therefore his laithful Saviour assures him by his Holy Spirit of eternal life." Since he is become the property of Jesus, who delivers and preserves him, he may also expect an everlasting and happy life : and that not, as an uncertainty ; for he is assured of it by the Holy Ghost, whom Jesus gives him to be a " comforter " to him, John xiv, 16, 26. xv. 26. and an " earnest and seal of his inheritance," 2 Cor. i. 20, 21, 22, 33. Eph. i. 13, 14. iv. 30. And thus, like the servants of old, he is marked with his Lord's seal, to assure him that he is his pro- perty, and that he will be " kept to everlasting life." See Rev. viii^ 3, 8. And how doth he attain to this assurance ? Is he permitted to look into the book of life ? or doth he hear a voice from heaven ? or doth he obtain it by an imagination of his own spirit ? No, but by a secret persuasion of the Spirit of God, according to his word, (a) Sometimes the Holy Spirit enables him to form a believing syl- logysm, by which he sets before him from the word, the true marks of those who belong to Christ. For '' we know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren," 1 John iii. 4. He convinceth him of this truth : " For the Spirit bears witness, that the Spirit" (who speaks in the word) " is the truth," 1 John v. 6. He enlightens the soul, '* that she may know the things that are freely- given her of God," 1 Cor. ii. 12. And he teaches the believer to conclude, and " bears vritness with his spirit that he is a child of God." (b) Sometimes the Spirit gives him, upon the outgoings of his soul to the Lord for reconciliation and ^race, an undisturbed peace and tranquility of mind, by which the former fear and pertur- bation of the soul is hushed. " He speaks peace to his people and to his saints." Psalm Ixxxv. 8. (c) Sometimes the Holy Spirit speaks comfortably to his people, and saith, " I am thy salvation," Psalm XXXV. 5. " Thy sins are forgiven thee," Mark ii. 5. "I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight." Exod. xxxiii« 13. This ravishes the soul with a wonderful joy, and is accompani- ed with so much secret light and power, that she doubts not that it is the voice of the Holy Spirit, which suggests it to her, and so the Spirit causcth the believer to feel the beginnings of eternal joy in his heart, " embracing his soul in love," Isaiah xxxviii. 17, and " shed- ding the love of God abroad in his h«art," by which he is then most powerfully assured, that his '* hope will not make him ashamed;^" Rom. V. 5. F 10 THE ONLY' COMFORT OF BELIEVERS, • 4. May a believer live them as he lists ? We say, he may, for he will live holy. Jesus his faithful Saviour "makes him " by his Spirit " sincerelywilhng and ready to live henceforth" not to himself, but *' unto him." To live unto Jesus is to surrender oneself to him, as his property, and to deny oneself, in order to live only to the service of Jesus, and according; to his will. See this in the text, and Titus ii. 14 The believer is willing and ready to live such a life ; for he is one of that '• most willing people," Psalm ex. 3, He hath " a will- ing mind," 1 Cor. viii. 12. " He makes haste, and doth not delay to keep God's commandments," Psalm cxix. 60. And he "follows after perfection," Philip, iii. 12, 13, 14. For "the love of Christ con- straineth him," 2 Cor. v# 14, 15. But he attains not to this by his own spirit but by the " Spirit of his Lord, whom he puts into the midst of nim, and who causes him to walk in his statutes, and keep his judgments, and do them," Ezek. xxxvi, 27. Who can doubt now that the only comfort of a sinner in life and death is, that he belongs with body and soul both in life and death to Christ, For 1. Is he the Lord's, the Lord is then also his, and that entirely, and in whatsoever he is, hath and doth. "Blessed is the nation, whose God is the Lord ; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance," saith David, Psalm xxxiii 12. " The portioia of Jacob is not like them : for he is the former of all things, and Israel is the rod of his inheritance ; the Lord of hosts is his name," Ter. X. 1 6. Esau may say, " I have much ;" but Jacob can say, " I have all," Gen. xxxiii. 9, 11. Inasmuch as the believer belongs to Cnrist, therefore whatever exists, belongs to the believer, I Cor. iii. 21, 23, 23. 2. There is nothing that deprives bf'lievers of their comfort so much as their guilt, and the power of the devil. But Jesus Christ hath fully satisfied for all their sins, and " hath delivered them from all the power of the devil, and from the fear of death by his death," Heb ii. M, 15. Thus " Joshua the high-priest was comforted, when he stood with filthy garments and Satan at his right hand to resist him, before the angel of the Lord. For the Lord said unto Satan, the Lord rebuke thee, O Satan even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee : and to Joshua he said. Behold I have caus- ed thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment," Zech. iii. 1, 5. 3. The fear of evil to come cannot deprive a Christian of his com- fort, since his faithful Saviour watches over him, and preserves him so carefully, tiiat without the will of his Heavenly Father not a hair I. LORD'S DAY, Q. 1,2. U can fall from his head. " He keeps him as the apple of his eye, and hides him under the shadow of his wings," Psalm xvii. 8. " He is a wall of fire round about him, and he that toucheth him toucheth the apple of his eye," Zech. ii. 5. 8. Doth any evil befall him, through the wise ordination of his Saviour, it may afford him consolation, that it will work together for his good, and he may, " glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation worketh patience ; and patience experience; and experience hope." Rom. v S, 4. 4. " If in this life only he had hope in Christ, he would of all men be the most miserable," as Paul speaks, I Cor. xv. 19. But it can afford him a full consolation, that he hath an expectation of an ever- lasting life, founded not upon an uncertainty, but upon the plainest and most certifying grounds ; for God gives him his word, his Spirit, his covenant seals, yea, his'* oath, to show the inimutabihty of his counsel, that he may by these immutable things, in which it is im- possible that God should he, have strong consolation," Heb. xi. ir, IB. 5. There is nothing that disturbs his comfort more than the natu- ral sluggishness and backwardness of his heart to live entirely to him only : but his Lord undertakes to render him willing and ready to this, " to run without being weary and faint ; for he giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no strength," Isaiah xl. 29, 30. " He enlargeth his heart, that he may run the way of his command- ments," Psalm cxix. 32, and "rejoice in the way of God's testimo- nies, as much as in all riches," vs 14. We may not doubt that believers under the old testament did also belong to their faithful Saviour Jesus Christ, both in life and death. They were also on this account " comforted on every side, and glori- ed therein," Psalm Ixxi. 21. cvi. 4, 5. cxix. i7^ 94. Jer. x. 16, They were confident that he had, as their surety, taken their sins upon him, and would certainly satisfy for them, and that they were therefore already delivered from all the power of the devil, carefully preserved, and assured, and sanctified by his Spirit. And therefore we cannot believe that God did still demand satisfaction of them for their guih, and that they were still under the law, under wrath, the curse, under bondage to fear, and under the fear of death. The surety had not indeed paid fully for their sins, but they were, notwith- standing fully forgiven, on account of the future satisfaction of the surety, of whom alone the Father demanded it. The Spirit of conso- lation was not indeed poured out in such an abundant measure as under the New Testament j but more and less alters not the nature of thin^-s. 12 THE ONLY COMFORT OF BELIEVERS. II. But how shall a sinner, who is still his own, obtain this comfort, and how shall he preserve it, after he hath obtained it ? " It is neces- sary that he should know three things, First, how great his sins and misery are." This he is taught in the second, third, and fourth Lord's ^ day. He knows this, not by a bare literal understanding of it, and V by being able to give a proper account of it to others, but by seeing and feeling the g^reatness of his sins and misery in himself with pain and concern, and having an earnest desire to be delivered from his sins and misery, like Kphraim, Jer. xxxi. 18, 19., and David, Psalm li. 3, 4, 5. and like the Corinthians, 2 Cor. vii. 9, 10, II. *' Secondly, He must know how he may be delivered from all his bins and mise-'y." The instructor showeth the manner in which the sinnei is delivered, from the fifth to the thirty-second Lord's day. We know this deliverance by faith, whereby, understanding the suf- ficiency and willingness of the Deliverer, through the Spirit, with persuasion of mind, we flee to him, choose him, embrace him,*and own him upon his invitation and call. And so this knowledge is faith. *' By his knowledge shall my righteous servmt justify many," saith the Fither, Isaiah lii, 2 Finally, " he must know how he shall express his gratitude to God for such deliverance," whereby, from a view of his unworthiness, and the greatness of this benefit, he doth with joy, and surrendering himself to the Lord, to serve him, glorify, and praise him with his heart, his mouth, and whole conversation. See this in David, Psalm ciii, civ. Of this doctrine of c;ratitude the catechism treats from the thirty-second to the last Lord's day. That these three things are necessary, in order to live and die happily in this comfort, appears (a) Because no man is capable of this comfort, unless he be heartily sorry for his sins and misery. For *' blessed are they that mourn : for they shall be comforted," Matt. v. 4, (b) But though a person be ever so sorry for his sins and misery, he cannot and will not obtain deliverance, but will with Cain and Ju- das fall into despair, unless he have a knowledge of the deliverance, (c) Doth he possess a knowledge of the deliverance, and is he not thankful for it, his soul will still not enjoy, or be refreshed with com- fort. It is in proportion to " the fear of the Lord, that the comfort of the Holy Ghost is multiplied," Acts ix. 31. The Christian doctrine is therefore very properly comprehended in these three particulars, as especially calculated to obtain the only comfort. The compilers of the catechism were induced to adopt this iiiethod by the example of Paul, in his epistle to the Romans. For that highly enlightened man speaks there first of the misery of the I. LORD'S DAY, Q. 1, 2. 13 sinner, from chapter i. 18, to chap. iii. 21. At which place he begins the doctrine of the deliverance, which he concludes with chap. xi. 36. And to this he annexes the doctrine of gratitude, in the five last chapters. In this excellent way doth the Lord God also conduct the sinner to the only comfort; We see it in the Jailer, Acts xvi. 19, 34. And believers will improve these three particulars every day after their repeated discomforting backslidings, as we see in the ex- amples of David and Paul, Psalm xxxii, and li. Rom. vii. 24, 25. APPLICATION. See nov/, hearers, the truth of the doctrme of our Reformed Church* Surely that doctrine is true, and according to the word of God, which proposes a perfect and steadfast consolation to the sinner in all his afflictions by proper means. For to this end was the whole word of God written, as Paul testifieth, Rom. xv. 4. " Whatsoever things were written afore time were v/ritten for our learning ; that we, through patience and comfort of the scriptures, might have hope." Who can now suspect our doctrine of falsehood, and who may be compared to us, when we discover the most proper method to obtain a sufficient comfort, to the glory of God's free grace." Verily neither the Papists, nor the Socinians, nor the Remonstrants, nor any who favour them. The vain-glorious, free, and indifferent will of the sin- ner is their only aim, and only comfort, to which they accommodate every doctrine of the Christian religion. For on account of this indif- ferent v/ill, they will deny either the reality or the perfection of the Saviour's satisfaction. They do not know how to reconcile an effec" tual deliverance from the power of the devil to the freedom of the will, nor yet the particular care and regard of the Lord, to his peo- ple, nor his wonderful direction of evil to the good of those whom he owns for his. That believers should have an assurance of eternal life, and should be made by the Holy Spirit in an effectual manner willing and ready to live to their Lord, these men will not believe, because this would be a forcing of the will. Rather than this idol should be cast down from its throne, they will reject all these com* fortable doctrines, and seek their comfort in being their own by this free will. The true Christian is therefore more considerate, since he places his supreme good and comfort in being deUvered from him* self, and in belonging entirely and for ever to his Lord. But, hearers, is this also your only comfort ? I ask not what ought to be your comfort, or wherein it consists, but what is your comfort, and what is your chief and only solace and satisfaction? Truly the most of you neither have nor seek comfort in belonging to Christ. For U THE ONLY COMFORT OF BELIEVERS. 1. Ye seek your satisfaction in being esteemed and beloved by men, in getting and handling many goods, elegant houses, delightful gardens, beautiful clothes, precious jewels, and delicious meats and drinks captivate you so, that ye indulge yourselves in them without restraint, and do, as it were, lose yourselves in them. 2. Ye certainly aim at being entirely your own in all that ye do. What is it that influences you in all that ye do and forbear ? is it not merely your own honuur, profit and pleasure ? do ye not live entirely according to your own fancy ? Is not your will your law ? can ye endure to serve God so strictly, as not to will, do, or forbear aught, but what he will ? Ye will not suffer any one to reprove you ; that he may not interrupt you in your dissolute career : and doth your conscience convince and check you, ye siiHe ity and will not indeed suffer yourselves to be disquieted. 3. It is surely iniquity in which ye rejoice. Through the vanity of your minds ye amuse yourselves with idle speculations: ye can ponder with delight on abominable and malicious sins, which your corrupt hearts continually suggest : musing on wine, revenge, las- civiousness, iniquity, jesting and foolish talking is as agreeable to you, as if it were your salvation : " Ye rejoice to do evil, and deiight in the frowarduess of the wicked," Prov. ii. 14. Alas friends I is this your comfort, ye are then yet your own, and are therefore, " without Christ, aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world," Eph. ii. 12. What evidence have ye then that your sins do not stand uncancelled in God's book of ac- counts ? ye are surely yet under the power of the devil : and what will preserve you from destruction ? God will not, for he is not your God, since ye are rebellioufi against him : Satan will not, for he seeks your eternal misery : neither will those things in which ye delight : for "even in your laughter your hearts will be sorrowful," Prov xiv. 13, Though your hearts rejoice, and ye ai'e not afraid, these things v/ill forsake you in death : and how will your conscience, which ye have soothed so long, and all your evil iniquities then fly in your face, and summon you before the dreadful tribunal of God, to which death will hurry you, that ye may receive tiie reward of your works in the comfortless lake of fire, where, with the rich man, ye will not obtain a d/op of water from a poor L.izai as to cool your tongues. %et this uifect you ^viih concern, that ye may " recover out of the snare of the devil, in which ye are taken captive at his will," 2 Tim. ii. 26. Cor.ne with the prodigal son to yourselves, that ye may learn the greatness of your shis and misery, and may " repent of your I. LORD'S PAY, Q. 1, 1. 15 wickedness, saying, what have I done ?" Jer. viii. 6. for this would drive you out of yourselves, to seek and to find deliverance in the Son of God. Doth any one say. it is my comfort, that I belong tp Jesus Christ ? But hast thou sufficient evidences of this ? for a person may think that he is in this happy condition, and deceive himself with vain im- aginations. A man may also suppose that he is his own, when he truly belongs to Christ : " There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing : and there is that maketh himself poor, and yet hath great riches," saith the wisest of kings, Prov. xiii. 7. It is therefore necessary, that every one should examine himself, with respect to this important matter, seriously and strictly. " Examine yourselves whether ye be in the faith, prove yourselves," as Paul admonisheth, 2 Cor. xiii. 6. and attend to these true evidences, that a person be- longs to Christ. 1. He who is not his own, but belongs to Christ Jesus, hath sur- rendered himself entirely to him and that for ever, and willingly, in order that he may be his : '' He saith and subscribes with his hand, I am the Lord's," Isaiah xliv. 5. and that not only to be saved by him, but also to serve him. For " he joins himself to the Lord to serve him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be his servant," Isaiah Ivi 6. 2. Such a person will not rest, nor receive comfort, until he bath manifest evidences that the Lord Jesus hath accepted of him as his property, satisfied for all his sins, and delivered him from all the power of the devil. He must be clearly and effectually assured by the Spirit of eternal life from his own experience, before he will re- joice in the hope of the glory of God, Rom. v. 5. A single mark, a single gleam of hope is not sufficient for him, he wishes that, " God would say to his soul, I am thy salvation," Psalm xxxv. 3. He knows how many deceive themselves in this weighty matter, he knows the deceitfulness of his own heart, and how dangerous deceit is here: and therefore he seeks for palpable, and as it were sensible evidences. 3. This person hath as great a delight in living willingly to the Lord, as in sensible comfort : « It is joy to the just to do judg- ment," saith Solomon, Prov. xxi. 15. Therefore he sighs and cries to the Lord, " O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes! Make me to go in the path of thy commandments, for therein do I deUght," Psalm cxix. 5, 25, Doth he perceive that he is sluggish and heartless, and that iniquities prevail over him, it is to him, as it was to the apostle, Rom. vii. 24. " a body of death." 4. Such an one hath not attained to this comfort like others by a 16 thpl only comfort of believers. strong imagination, or by his birth among Christians, or by a civil and externally religious behaviour, or by enjoying the church privi- leges of baptism and the Lord's supper, M^ith which those who are Christians only for fashion sake content themselves ; but by an af- fecting discovery of the greatness of his sins and misery ; by an earnest seeking and wrestling to obtain Christ, and his righteousness, and by striving to lead a thankful lite. This is his manner at the be- ginning of his conversion, and this is also his daily work ; and he ob- tains hereupon comfort of God repeatedly. Are these things to be found in you, be assured then of your great salvation, and conduct yourselves worthily of it. 1. By heartily praising and exalting the Lord on account of it in all your conversation : For " ye are not your own, but are bought with a price : therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's," 1 Cor. vi. 18, 19. '' O give thanks unto the Lord, for he i^ good : for his mercy cndureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the vnemy-" Psalm cvii, 1, 2. Contemplate a while your salvation, en- deavour to understand the excellence of it, until you are filled with comfort, and transported to praise the Lord. When the soul is satis- fied with marrow and fatness, the mouth will utter praises with joy- ful lips. Psalm Ixiii- 5. 2. Are ye not your owh, but Christ's, deny then also yourselves. Ye must be nothing, and he must be your all, ye must be servants^ and he your Lord. Ye must empty yourselves of your own wisdom, wdl, honour, profit and pleasure, that his wisdom will, honour, profit and pleasure may possess and govern your souls : yea, ye must esteem shame, loss and pain, if he should inflict them upon you, for his sake, your honour, profit and pleasure. He saith, " If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me," Matt. xvi. 24. He even requires, Luke xiv. 26, that the person who will be his disciple, should h?.te father, mother, wife, v.hildrcn, brethren, and sisters, yea his own life also," to wit, when any of these beloved objects comes in competition with him. 3. " Moreover, brethren, be joyful, be of good comfort," as Paul aJmonisheth, 2 Cor. xiii. 11. This will be the life of your life :" lie not sorry, for the joy of the Lord is your strength," Neh. vjiio i 1. Ye have abundant reason : see only what your faithful Saviour hath done for you, and will yet do. Will ye suffer your heads to hang down as a bulrush ? it doth not become you : ye will bring up an evil repoit upon your faithful Saviour. Let those who are still under the power of t!^e devil, sorrow, naonni ?nd weep ; but as for I. LORD'S DAY, Q. l, 2. 17 you, lift up your heads, and let not " the consolations of God be small with you," Job xv, 11. But take good heed also that your consolation do not issue in vain dissoluteness, that it may not be im- bittered to you, but "rejoice with trembling," Psalm ii. 11. 4. Are your adversities many, are there fightings without, and fears within, are ye afraid that ye will one time or other be destroyed by the power of your indwelling corruption, by the mighty pressure of the wicked world, and by the powerful temptations of the devil, know that your faithful Saviour will deliver you out of all these dan- gers. Psalm xxxiv, 19. His tender care over you is so great, and he preser^'cs so, that not a hair can fall from your heads, without the will of your Heavenly Father : " He gives his sheep eteraal life, they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of his hand : his Father, who gave them him, is greater than all, and none is able to pluck them out of his Father's hand," John x. 28, 29. It is true, your difficulties beset you a long time ; yet be not discouraged on this account, as though the l^ord did not regard you, nor your sor- rows, like Asaph, Psalm Ixxiii. 10, 14. and the church, Isaiah xl. 27. For adversities are not evidences that the Lord hates you ; « For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth," and he will cause all this evil to work for your good, therefore be patient and submit to him, as Paul speaks, Heb. xii. 6, 12. and resign yourselves to his care with a holy carelessness : " Commit your way unto the Lord : trust also m him, and he shall bring it to pass," Psalm xxxvii. 5. 1 Peter iv. 19. v. 7, 5. EstabUsh your assurance upon the witnessing of the Holy Spirit in his word, and in your hearts ; for ye will otherwise, with all your advantages, labour in vain for comfort : " Give all diligence to make your calling and election sure," 2 Peter i. 10. Are ye shaken, ex- amine yourselves, 2 Cor. xiii. 5. Can ye deny the marks that have been exhibited ? hath not God at sundry times assured you in the clearest and most powerful manner by his Spirit, yea so, that ye thought ye could never doubt again, that ye were the Lord's ? \K ell then, judge that it is even so, Rom. vi. 11.2 Cor. v. 15. 6. Shew yourselves also willing and ready to live henceforth to him. Ye are not your own lords, but he is your Lord, and ye belong to him, that ye may be only for his service. Let none of you then live to himself, but to him, to whom he belongs. ^>ee the text, and 2 Cor. V. 15. But shew yourselves to be his by an earnest and fer- vent zeal to do his will, and to serve him. " For he gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works," Titus ii. U, Are G 18 THE ONLY COMFORT OF BELIEVERS. ye in the mean time overtaken in a fault, and thereby subjected tor darkness, know then also this part of your misery, huml3le your- selves on account of it, embrace your Deliverer for reconciliation and sanctification : for '» he is made this to you," 1 Cor. i. 30. and arise with Hezekiah again, Isaiah xxxviii. 15. " to go softly all your days, on account of the bitterness of your soul." 7. Doth it please the Lo»'d to lead you a long time in an uncom- fortable way, do not dispute the propriety of his conduct ; " God is greater than man. Wherefore shouldst thou then strive with him ? foi he giveth not account of any of his matters," Job xxxiii. 12, 13. Let it suffice you, that the Son of God hath done so much, and will do so much to make you his own. Remember that he hath his eye upon you to comfort you as much as is needful for you, in his own time. Hear how he himself speaks, Isaiah Ivii. 18. " I have seen his ways, and will heal him ; I will lead him also, and restore comforts to him, and to his mourners." When others shall have no more com- fort, then shall ye enjoy your full share of it ; for as Paul foretells, I Thess. iv. 17, 18. " We shall be taken up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air ; and so we shall ever be with the Lord. Where- fore comfort one another with these words." Amen. ( 19 ) THE KNOWLEDGE OF MISERY OUT OF THE LAW. II LORD'S DAY. Rom. iii. 20. By the law is the knowledge of sin* Q. 3. Whence knoweH thou thy misery ? A. Out of the law of God. Q, 4. fVhat doth the law of God require of us ? A. Christ teaches us that briefly, Matt. xxii. 37 — 40. « Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy mind, and with all thy strength. This is the first and the great command, and the second is like to this. Thou sValt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commands hang the whole law and the prophets." Q. 5. Canst thou keefi all these things perfectly ? A. In no wise ; for I am prone by nature to hate God and my neighbour. B LESSED are they that moum : for they shall be comforted," saith the Consolation of Israel, Matt. v. 4. Altliough the sinner is so ex- ceedingly miserable, he will not mourn : mourning would indeed disturb his sinful joy. Doth his conscience reprove him at times, he stifles it, and blesses himself in his heart, saying that he shall have peace, although he walks in the imagination of his heart. But hi& comfort is vain, and will forsake him, when death seizeth on him- True and godl> comfort belongs to none but those who mourn for their misi^ry : for they only are capable of comfort : " The Messiah was sent to comfort those only who mourn," Isaiah Ixi. 2. There- fore the Lord requires first and chiefly of his people, that they should acknowledge their iniquity, in order that he may restrain his anger which is kindled against them, and favour them with his loving kind- ness, Jer. iii. 11,13. It is the first work of the Comforter, the Hdy 20 THE KNOWLEDGE OF MISERY Ghost, when he is about to dispose the sinner for comfort, to " con- vince him of his sins." The men at the feast of Pentecost, the jailer, and Paul, did not obtain comfort, before they knew their misery, and cried out with concern, " What shall we do?" Acts ii. 37. ix. 6. xvi. 30. Our instructor proceeds also in this manner, in order to comfort the sinner. He had set before his pupil the only comfort in all its lustre, in the first question. The pupil, eager to obtain this comfort, asks his teacher, what he must know, and therefore do, that he may live and die happily in this comfort. Hereupon he is taught that he must know, first, how great his sins and miseries are, in the second question. But inasmuch as the sinner cannot learn his sins and misery of himself, therefore he inquires, 1. Whence he shall learn his misery in the third and fourth question, 2. Wherein it consists, from the fifth to the eleventh question. In this Lord's day we are taught, I. In general that we know our misery out of the law, in the third question. II. And it is then explained in particular, how we are convinced out of the law of our misery, in the fourth and fifth questions. I. Truly the angels, who apostatized from God, are also exceed- ingly miserable : their sins have made them devils, and subjected them to eternal damnation. For " God spared not tl e angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment," 2 Peter ii. 4. Jude vs. 6. " Everlasting fire is prepared for the devil and his angels," Matt. XXV. 41. " The whole creation also is become subject to vanity, and to the bondage of corruption : it groaneth and travaileth in pain until now," Rom. viii. 20, 21, 22. But the instructor speaks not of the misery of the angels, nor of the misery of the whole creation, but only of man's misery : because we have the greatest concern in the knowledge of our own misery, and we are thereby led to seek for deliverance : but there is no hope of deliverance for the angels : " For verily the Saviour took not on him the nature of angels ; but he took on him the seed of Abraham." Heb. ii. 16. Is the whole creation miserable, it is on account of, and to aggravate the misery of man, which he ought to know. That man is miserable, and that his misery consists in sin, in punishment, and in an inability lo deliver himself, this the instructor will show in the sequel, out of the law. He teaches us now only how we attain to a knowledge of our misery by the law. There is none so near to a man, as the man himself : " The spirit of man OUT OF THE LAW. II. LORD'S DAY. Q. 3, 4, 5. 21 which is in him, knoweth the things of a man," saith the apostle, 1 Cor. ii. 11. And yet we must shew him his misery, which cleaveth to him, and the means, whereby he may attain to the knowledge of it- This appears strange ; but his misery is natural to him, and he is so accustomed to it, that he doth not consider it as misery : he thinks that it ought to be with him as it is. But sin hath so bewil- dered him : he is, as it were, through the bewitching power of ini- quity, beside himself, and bereaved of his reason, and he busies him- self only with things, which do not concern him. If he shall be healed, he must, with " the prodigal son, come to himself," Luke xv. 17, and like " Ephraim, become acquainted v/ith himself," Jer. xxxi. 19. But what shall discover the sinner's misery to him ? The law of God is the best mean ; *' by the law is the knowledge of sin," saith the text. We read of a ceremonial Jaw, by which God prescribed to Israel the manner of the external worship. Paul calls it, " the law of commandments, contained in ordinances," Eph. ii. 15. God gave also a civil law, by which the civil state of Israel was to be regulated. Of this law Nichodemus spoke, when he said, John vii. 51. " Doth our law judge any man before it hear him, and know •what he doth ?" The word of God speaks also of a moral law, ex- pressed in ten commandments. Israel could learn their misery in some measure from the ceremonial law, because all the blood-shed- dings and washings, which were enjoined on them, showed them their capital uncleanness, and that they could not look for salvation, except through the perfect sacrifice of the Messiah, who was to come, as Paul teacheth, Heb. x. 1, 10. The civil law discovered also after a certain manner the sins of Israel : for when the judges punished the outward abominations of the people, often with great severity, the people of the Lord might conclude thence, with the greatest pro- priety, that he, who was a righteous, all-knowing, and almighty judge, would much more, and with much greater severity, mark and punish sins, yea, even those of the soul. But the moral law is much better calculated to convince the sinner of his misery. The law of cere- monies, and the civil law were given to Israel only, and determined merely the outward worship, and the outward righteousness among men : but the moral law w*s given, not to Israel only, but to all the posterity of x^dam : " it proves both Jews and Gentiles to be all un- der sin ; it stops every mouth, and declares the whole world to be g'M\y before God," Rom. lii. 9, 19. and it discovers the inmost and rnoRi hidden corruption and sinful lusting of the heart: " I had not known lust to be sin," saith Paul, " if the law had not said, Thou ahalt net co^t," Rom. vii. T. Of this law the text also speaks, as n THE KNOWLEDGE OF MISERY appears from what the apostle had said before, that he had "proved according to this law that both Jews and Gentiles were all under sin," and particularly that they were guilty of the sins, which are condemned in this law, and were therefore " all guilty before God," vrs. 9, 19. And to this law the instructor also hath respect here, as he shows from the demand of the law in the fourth question. II. But how shall we be convinced of our misery out of the law? We must in the first place know what God requires in his law, and then compare ourselves therewith. The instructor asks, with respect to the first particular, " What doth the law of God require of us ?" and he answers, that '' Christ teacheth us that briefly. Matt. xxii. 37, 38, 39, 40 " where the Saviour reduces the v/hole sum of the law to the love of God and our neighbour, and so to two commandments, or tables, according lo Deut. vi. 5, and Lev. xix. 18. The first table^ or first commandment saith, " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God," who is the self existent, and the only existing God, and who promis- ed himself as such by his covenant to his people, and is therefore worthy to be loved. " To love him" is to have a high esteem of him ; to desire him, in order to be most intimately united to him and to enjoy him, to be satisfied and rejoice in hiuj, and to conduct in all things according to his mind. 1 may not expatiate here : see only Song V. 8 — 16. vii. 6. John xiv. 21, 23. We must love God " with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mmd," and according to Luke X. 27, " with all our strength," and so, " with all our mijjht," Deut. vi. S. These several words betoken all the faculties of the soul; if we will distinguish them, the heart v/ill then denote the in- most desire and inclination oi the mind ; the soul will be the will ; the mind expresseth the apprehension, judgment, and all the thoughts ; emd the strength and might represent in what manner the soul and body should contribute all that they have, and exert themselves to love God : and thus the Saviour would show by this accumulation of words, that we ought to love God perfectly, and without any defect. For it will soon appear, that the perfect demand of the covenant of works is exhibited in this passage ; yea, in whatever condition man may be, he is, and remains obligated by nature to love God perfectly, on account of his loveliness : and if there be any defect in his love, h€ sins, and must humble himself, and seek reconciliation. To love- God thus is "the first commandment," because it is commanded before the love of o\u' neighbour, and because love to God is ..'jie source, from which love to our neighbour must flow : " Belov (j, " saith the disciple, wiiom Jesus loved, " let us love one another . for love is of God," 1 John iv. 7, This is also the first copimap■' In no wise : for I am prone by nature to hate God and my neighbour " It is supposed here, that we must keep the law perfccllvj according to the covenant of works, if we shall enter into lifcr *' If tb.ou v.ilt enter into life, keep the commandments," saith OUT OF TilC LAW. II. LORD'S DAY, Q. 3, 4, 5. 2? Christ to the young man, who sousjht his righteousness by the law, Matt. xix. 17. See also Luke x. 2S, 26, 27, 28. It is shown in the exposition of the seventh question, that naan was once able to keep the law, and in the exposition of the eighth, that he cannot keep it now, and of the ninth, that he is still obligated to keep it. We will therefore not busy ourselves at present with proving, that man is without strength for that which is good, because we must do this in order upon the eighth and ninth questions. It will suffice at present, to know that the sinner hath not kept the law, " but is prone l)y nature to hate God and his neighbour." This ansv/er is an occasion of great offence to the Pelagians : they imagine that human nature hath not been violated, or that it hath been at most only weakened, and that the will of man is free, and that he can keep the law per- fectly ; but they add for decency's sake, « with the help of God," and they say " that nature, although corrupt, is inclined with the help of grace to love God and our neighoour." But the grace of God doth not help, but it changes nature : >' We must be changed by the re- newing of our mind," Rom. xii. 2, and " become new creatures/' 2 Cor. V. 17. Eph. ii. 10. Nature is indeed wholly degenerate, men are " a crooked and perverse generation," Deut. xxxii. 5. But it behooves us, lest we should be misconstrued.te inquire what we are to understand here by nature, and how it is prone to hate God and our neighbour. By nature we do not understand here the upright, or the new created nature of man ; for this is inchned to love God and our neighbour ; but the corruption of man, which is become as it were, his nature, so that " he is a natural man, not having the Spirit," Jude vrs. 19. 2 Cor. ii. 14. and thus nature is " the old man, and the body of sin," Rom. vi. 6, which remains still in part in the regenerate, as Paul complains, Rom. vii. This is the sense in which the catechism useth the word nature here ; for it speaks of a man who lives yet under the broken covenant of works, w!io is " a child of wrath by nature," Eph. ii. 3, and who is not yet delivered, but must be dealt with, in order to his deliverance. This corrupt " nature is prone to hate God and our neighbour.'* Thus speaks the instructor according to the word oftiod: If we should cite every passage of scripture, which declares this expressly, we should extend our discourse to an undue length, and weary both you and ourselves. See what is said on this subject, Exod. xx. 5« Numb. X. 35. Deut. vii. 10. xxxii. 41. Job. xv 25, 26. Psalm xxi- 8. Ixviii. 1. Ixxxi. 15. cxxxix. 20. Prov. viii. 36. John xv. IS, 23, 24. Rom. i. 30. viii. 7. And not only the nature of some abomina- ble wretches, who sin against God with a high hand, but the nature 28 THE KNOWLEDGE OF MISERY of every individual, is so degenerate. Paul " proves that Jev^^s and (Gentiles are all under sin ; as it is written, There is none righteous, no not one : they are all gone out of the way," Rom. iii 9? 18, and although the word of Crod did not assert this, experience would still teach it. He who attends to the emotions, issues, and inclinations of the heart in himself, and in others, will be convinced by experi- ence, that what the instructor saith here is the truth. For (1) all the thoughts, considerations, and imaginations of sinful nature con- cerning what God hath revealed or commanded, are wholly "con- trary to God's thoughts," Isaiah Iv. 8. " The carnal mind is enmity against God : for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can il he," saith the apostle, Rom. viii. 7. There are " imaginations and high things, that exalt themselves a5i:ainst the knowledge of God," 2 Cor X. 5. For whence else proceed so many evil and hate- ful opinions and iniquities, that do, as it were, deluge the world ? (2) Sinful nature doth not surely love God ; for where, and in what man, who hath no more than nature, do we see tliat high estimation of the Lord, that ardent desire of union with him, and of enjoying him, that cheerful satisfaction in God, and that steadfast inclination to do his will, and that of hone other, heartily ? It is certain, that where there is no love, there must be hatred : and that v/here there is hatred, there is no love : See this. Judges xiv. 16. xvi. 15. (3) The sinner loves nothing by nature but sin. This appears from all those evil emotions of the sinful nature, and from the sinners cherishing of thos'j emotions.. He seeks his honour, pleasiire and profit in sin» I^e is so closely wedded to it, that " though such a fool should be brayed in a mortar with a pestil among wheat, yet would not his foolishness depart from him," Prov. xxvii. 22. Now he who so loves that which the Lord hates, doth not he hate the Lord ? surely the Lord judges so : '* He I'aat sinneth against me, wrongeth his own soul ; all they that hate me love death," saith he by the mouth of Solomon, Prov. viii. 36. (4) The sinner ends with all that he ieth in himself. It is the nature of love to God to do all things for the Lord's sake, even " eating and drinking," 1 Cor. x. 31, but the sinner is prone by na- ture to do all things for his own sake : he imagines " that he is some- thing, and some great one," with Theudas and Simon the sorcerer, Acts V. 36. viii. 9, and he therefore wishes that all things should issue for him, and so " he sets his heart as God's heart," Ezek. xxviii. 2. He aims even at the throne and crown of God : for " he stretch- eth out his hand against God, and strengtheneth himself against the Almighty ; he runneth upon him, even upon his neck, upon the thick bosses of his buckler/' saith Eliph^3, Job xy. 25, 26, And this OUT OF THE LAW. 11. LORD'S DAY, Q. S, 4 5. 29 is natural to the sinner, he hath inherited it with his nature from his parents, who, while they were in Paradise, wished to " be hke Ood," Gen. iii. 5, 6, 22. And what think ye ? is not this hating God ? (5) Kow doth the nature of man act, when God walketh contrary to man ! How fretful and sullen is nature ! how doth she censure the dealings of God, and complain with great discontentment, as though God afflicted her wron:^-fully ! When the sinner is hardly bestead and hungry, he then frets, curses his God and king, and looks up- ward," Isaiah viii. 21. Even when the wind and weather arc not as he wishes, he murmurs, and requires that God should wait on him as his slave with all his elements ; and when he doth not, he cen- sures the government of the Lord. What an abominable monster is man ! and into what a bottomless pit of horrible wickedness is he fallen headlong 1 (6) Further, doth God attempt to excite the sinner to obey and love him, by convincmg him sensibly of his hateful heart, and of his abominal)le condition, and by drawing him from his sweet sins, that he may bring him under his yoke, how doth hQ struggle against it, " like a heifer unaccustomed to the yoke, that he may break those bands, and cast away those cords from him 1" Psalm ii. 3. He will not bov/ and yield to such strait bonds : " He is stiff-necked, and uncircumcised in heart and ears, he resists the Holy Ghost," Acts vii. 51. Yea, he is unwilling to do the least thuig, by which he may serve God : " he says. Behold what a weari- ness is it ! and ye have snuffed at it, saith the Lord of hosts," Mai. 1. 13. Once more, (7) The natural man hates his neighbour, and therefore he doth not love God, but hates him. This the beloved disciple of Christ teacheth us, I John iv. 20. Sinful man is prone by nature not only to hate God, but " his neighbour also," We were sometimes hateful and hating one another," saith Paul, Tit. iii. 3. Do wc not see this daily in our- selves and in others ? (a) For nothing is more evident, than that one man despises another : every one thinks that he is the best, and the worthiest, and he therefore esteems his neighbour less than himself, and he cannot endure it, that he is honoured and loved more than himself: he will be angry with him, and will not be able to " speak peaceably to him," as Joseph's brethren manifested their hatred to him, " when they saw that his father loved him more than all his brethren," Gen. xxxvii. 4. (b) It is certain, and daily experience sheweth it, that the natural man hath but little inclination to do good to his neighbour, when he cannot gain aught by it himself. When his neighbour hath need of him, and desires aught of him, he will behave himself proudly and despitefully toward him, because he will 3p THE KNOWLEDGE OF MISERY pot spare aught of what he hath, as Nabal showed his hatred to David, 1 Sam. xxv. 10, 11. (c) Who knows not that the sinner can- not endure to see the welfare of his neighbour ? will not the honour, profit or pleasure of another, fill him with envy, and cause him to persecute his neighbour even to death ? The Pharisees had no other reason for opposing Jesus and his apostles with such a great malig- nity. Matt, xxvii. 18. Acts v, 14 — 18. (d) How often do we see the smncr start up, inflamed with intense hatred and violent anger, on account of the smallest injury, which he suffers, or only imagines that he suffers : he is forthwith ready with wicked Lamech to re- venge it sevenfold," Gen. iv. 23, 24. (e) How can any one under- take to vindicate the wicked inclinations of sinful nature," it surely manifests its v.'ickedness, when it hates even those who endeavour to amend and save it by faithful reproofs and admonitions : the sin- ner cannot indeed brook that his sins and eternal misery should be so plainly and nakedly discovered to him. " He hates him who re- bukes in the gate, and he abhors him who speaks uprightly," Amos V. 10. See also Isaiah xxix. 21. t Kings xxii 8. But with what cloaks of shame will men hide this filth of sin ? (1; Will it be said, that the person v/ho speaks here is a believer, who professed in the first question that he belonged to Christ, and who is truly inclined tolove God and his neighbour ? This v/ould appear some- what plausible, if the catechism were a confession, which every be- liever made upon each question concerning himself and the temper of his mind, and not an instruction in the Christian doctrine, which introduceth one while a believer as speaking, and then an unconvert- ed person, and thus here a smner, who is subject to a broken cove-, nant ot works. And admit that a believer speaks here, it is never- theless with respect to his former condition, when he had such a v/icked nature, and with respect to the old man and nature, which still remains in him in a great measure, as Paul speaks of himself, Rom. vii. (c) Doth this answer disturb the weak tvoo much, we may not therefore reject any necessary article of the fundamental doctrines of Christianity. The weak must be instructed, and convinced of their corrupt nature : but I do not believe that weak believers are offended at this ; for they see, and are too much grieved on account of their evil nature. They are the Pelagians who are offended here, for they will not be discovered to themselves that they may seek their whole salvation in Christ alone. (3) If we do not see such de- pravity in all men, it is either because we have not eyes to see it, because m my lu.ve no:: an opportunity to exert their hateful nature. Peter could suv from his iove to Christ, " I will in no wise deny OUT OF THE LAW. II. LORD'S DAY. Q. 3, 4, 5. 3i thes;" but not -when he ^vas in the hall of Caiaphas : others are prevented by restraining grace from sinning against the Lord, as Abirnelech, Gen. xx. 6 : and some are converted and strive against themselves. (4) If men cannot hate God as the supreme f^ood, they can hate l;im as the supreme evil. The sinner is blind, and the loveliness of God is hidden from him : the opinions that he forms of God are hateful : " The way of the Lord is not equal," saith the sinner, Lzek. xxxiii. 20, and " it is vain to serve God," 2cc. Mai. iii. 14, 15, and therefore he hates God. If we now compare our evil nature with the commands of God, we will see clearly and plainly, that we are miserable and abominable. For it appears kence, (a) that we are altogether different from what v/e ought to be. We ought to love God and our neighbour perfectly, and this ought to be natural to us. But instead of this we are prone by nature to hate God and our neighbour, and we are thus *' a crook- ed and perverse generation," Deut. xxxii. 5. Philip, ii. 15. (b) It appears hence also, that v/e have no portion in the life which was promis'jd upon the perfect love of God and our neighbour : but that we deserve death and the curse, and are already condemned thereto. " For as many as art of the works of the law are under the curse : for it is written. Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them," Gal. iii. 10. (c) It is also evident, that as long as we are thus disposed, we cannot amend our conduct, and therefore cannot surmount our misery. For our nature is wholly degenera.e, we cannot do any thing but sin and transgress the law of God by hating him and our neighbour ; this is indeed become our nature ; and who can alter his nature and natural disposition ? " Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots ? then ye also may do good, that are accustomed to do evil," saith the Lord to his own people, Jer. xiii. 23. And thus the law teacheth the sinner his misery, (1) As a rule, which showeth him that he v/as obli cd under the sanction of a promise of life, and a threatening of death, to love God and his neighbour perfectly. The conscience, enlightened and informed by the law, acknowledges and approves of this obligation, and saith \vith Paul, Rom. vii. i2. " The law is holy ; and the com.raandment is holy, and just, and good." 2. The law is also an accu-^er, and witness to him, and as such awakens his sleeping conscience, and calls him to himself, and be- fore the tribunal of God, to behold there with shaine his hateful and evil nature, and his abominable conduct. *' There is one that ac- cuseth you, even Moses," saith the Saviour, John v. 45. And thus 32 THE KNOWLEDGE OF MISERY " the word" of the law " is a judge of the thoughts and intents of the hearts," Heb. iv. 12 See also Rom. li 14, 15. 3. The law teacheth him his misery also as a judge, who upon comparing; the duty of man with his irregular conduct, pronounces the dreadful sentence of eternal condemnation on him : *' For the law worketh wrath," Rom. iv. 5. " It stops the moutli" of the trans- gressor, Rom. iii. 19, renders him anxious, ashamed, humble, con- cerned, and tender, 1 Kings xxii. 11, 10, and causes him to confess his sins, and to justify God, Psalm li. 4. liut as no word of God, nor any use which man can make of it will affect the mind, unless the Spirit of the Lord himself influence the heart, so neither can the law of God, nor a man's meditations, teach him his misery, unless the Spirit of the Lord accompany them, and " convince him of sin, of righteousness and judgment," John xvii. 8, cause him to " mourn and lament bitterly," Zech. xii. 10, and thus become to him " a Spirit of bondage to fear," Rom. viii. 15. APPLICATION. If time would permit, we might easily show fiom Vk'hat hath been said, (a) in opposition to the Socinians, that the love of our enemies was commanded under the Old Testament also, inasmuch as our enemies are also our neighbours, and the love of our neighbour is enjoined by the law and the prophets : (b) in opposition to the Pa- pists, that a sinner is not justified before God by the law, because *' by the Jaw is the knowledge of sin." Paul teacheth us this, Rom. iii. 19, 20. (c) and in opposition to the Aniinomians, or adversaries of the law, that the law must siill be preached strictly : for we learn thus to know our misery, which is certainly necessary. But we may not busy ourselves with these, though othet wise exceedingly weighty matters. We hasten to conclude, and have still many important matters to lay before you for your profit. Behold, friends, how we learn our misery from the law, and how we are conducted by it to deliverance, and to a blessed consolation. What think ye ' have ye, (I speak to you all, and to each of you in particular) have ye I say already seen in the law your misery with sorroiv, shame, and concern ? Is it evident to you, and do ye know experimentally, and with anxiety, that ye have such an evil disposi- tion, and are therefore hateful, and deserve condemnation ? Ye have been now so long instructed in the law. Sabbath after Sabbath it hath been *ead in your hearing ; * if ye have had any decent edueation, • Tins refers to a custom of the Dutch church in Hollancf, of reading the ten commandments every sabbath, at the beginning; of publick worship, which custom is still retained in some o*" the Dutch churches in America, It is the practice to read also the creed, and a chapter from either the Old or New- Testament, at the beginning of worship- dtjT OF THE LAW. II. LORD'S DAY, Q. 5, 4, 5. 33 ye have been made to learn and say it by heart ; and how often hath t.he law been explained to you fully, and in order. But who, yea who hath learned his misery out of it, so that it hath humbled him ? surely very few. With the church of Laodicea, our present Chris- tians imagine that '^' they arc become rich, and increased in c;oods, and have need of nothing : and they know not that they arc v.'retch- ed, and miserable, and poor, and blintl, and naked," Rev. iii. 17. Is not this true, is it not a glaring truth ? For, 1. The most of you have never yet " come to yourselves" with the prodigal son, Luke xv. 17. Ye concern yourselves with every thing that doth not belong to yoii, but with respect to yourselves, ye are never at home, and always r,trangers ; the honours, pleasures and profits of the world do so influence your whole heart, your whole soul, your whole understanding, and your whole strength, and do so captivate your affections, that those visible things " have shut your eyes, that ye cannot ses ; and your heart that ye cannot understand ; ye feed upon ashes ; a deceived heart hath turned you aside, so that ye cannot deliver your souls, nor say, is there not a lie in our right hand ?" Isaiah xliv. 18,20. And therefore " ye do not repent of your wickedness, saying, what have I done ?" Jer viii. 6. 2. Many of you think that your heart is good : ye depend upon it and "trust in it, like the fool," Prov. xxviii. 26. Because ye are not guilty of any public and scandalous enormities, which are cog- nisable by the magistrate, but are decent and devout, therefore ye are ready to say v/ith that presumptuous young man, Matt. xix. " All these things have I kept from my youth up : v>^hat lack I yet ?" Sometimes ye survey yourselves with pleasure and admiration, be- cause ye are so wise, diligent, good natured, exceedingly virtuous, and not so wicked and abominable as this and that person : and ye are even ready to thank God for it v/ith the Pharisee, Luke xviii. 1 1, 12. Ye will never believe that ye hate God, and your neighbour, and no man is able to convince you of it. Ye may believe, and be 'able to deriionstrate from the word of God against the adversaries. that man is prone by nature to hate God and his neighbour; but that ye in particular are co evil and perverse, ye cannot either see or believe. 3. It is true, ye ail know that ye are great sinners : but how do ye knov/ this ? out of the lav/, and by comparing yourselves with it? No, but only from report and heresay. For how many sins have ye ? ye say indeed that your r/ms are more in number than the hairs of your head ; this ye have heard from others, and ye only repeat it without thought arr.ertheTT* : for ve c?nnot mention six sinr., of which 34 THE KNOWLEDGE OF MISERV ye are guiUy. For ye are not, as ye imagine, idolaters, profancrs of God's name and day : ye have always been, (according to your opin- ion) even during your childhood, obedient to your parents : ye are strangers to murder, whoredomj theft, lying, and coveting your neigh- bour's goods, and have an aversion from such abominations. Where then are all your sins, about which ye make such an ado, as if ye knew them all exceedingly well ? But ye know neither the spiritu- ality of the law, nor the hateful sink of your own heaits. 4. And, friends, if ye knew your misery, would ye have so many cloaks of shame at hand to excuse your sins, when they are discoY- cred to you, and also " flatter yourselves so in your own eyes, when your iniquity is found to be hateful ?" Psalm xxxvi. 2. Would it indeed displease you so, when your abominable and miserable condi- tion was clearly discovered to you, and when we would awaken you out of your beloved carelesness ? would y e take it so ill, when men did not honour nor love you, but exposed you to shame, loss and pain ? If ye knew your hateful and damnable character, ye would certainly see that ye deserved every reproach and vexation ; yea, ye would be amazed, that such monsters as ye are, should enjoy any good. 5» It is true, some of you know their misery, they see without searching that they are abominable : for their sins are manifest, and every one sees them ; or do they commit sins privately, conscience accuseth them, and tells them that while they conduct in this man- ner, they cannot be saved. But I pray you who are thus, tell us, have your sins and misery ever affected your hearts, and rendered you concerned and anxious, so that they caused you to cry out ear- nestly, " What must we do to be saved ?" Acts xvi. 30. Others are seized like " Felix, with fear," Acts xxiv. 25, but they soon recover from their seasick qualms : when your hearts are wounded in this manner with a sharp arrow, what is it that relieves you so soon ? yc cannot retain those grievous thougjhts with you, but endeavour to divert, or banish them by doing this or that : or ye suppress them by some duty, by breaking off this or that sin, by reading your bible, baying a prayer, weeping heartily, until your mind be somewhat cased, and upon this all your distress, and according to your imagi- nation, all your misery is at an end : or ye dispel your concern by vain imaginations, that it is your duty to believe in Christ, that your gloomy thoughts proceed only from the devil and from your unbe- lief: and thus ye deceive yourselves with vain imaginations, and '• say not, there is no hope ; for ye have found the life of your hands; therefore ye ar^ not grieved," Isaiah Ivii. 10. Or ye become des- OUT OF THE LAW. II. LORD'S DAY. Q. 3, 4, 5. 3:. perate, and think it is so now : if I must perish, how can I help it ? as well 1 as another : and so ye indulge & pernicious discouragement and carelessness, saying with your heart and actions, like the impeni- tent Jews, Ezek. xxxiii. 10. *• If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live ?" But, hearers, ye who are thus disposed, this aggravates your misery, that ye do not yet know it. To hate so, and to be so hate- ful, and not to know it, or not to know it rightly, how dreadful is it ' How shall ye be delivered ? '• Are we blind also r" said the Pharisees. Jesus said unto them. If ye were blind, ye woidd have no sin ; buf now ye say, v/e see, therefore your sin remaineth," John ix, 40, 41. If ye knew your misery out of me mw, as ye ought, ye would flee to the Mediator and be deliverea : but now ye remain in yourselves, and so under the curse of the broken covenant of works, as Paul speaks. Gal. iii. 10 .\nd ye do not yet possess "Christ for justifi- cation, which is the end of the law," Rom. x. 4. What hath bewitch- ed you ? what do ye imagine ? Have ye nothing to do with God ? Is he not holy and just f do ye think that it is a matter of indiffer- ence to him, whether ye love or hate him and your neighbour ? He will most surely and most severely recompense and punish the abominations of your hearts and actions. Do ye not believe it, hear then the man after God's own heart say, Psalm xxi 8 — 12. " Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies ; thy right hand shall find out all them that hate thee. Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger : the Lord shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them," &c. What say ye ? Arc ye desirous to be delivered from your misery, and to become other persons, than ye are, or are ye not ? Will ye remain as ye are, and suffer your hearts to wander after the W' rid and sin without concern ? Go on then, but know that your end will be bitterness. But are ye desirous to obtain grace and salvation, and will ye earnestly endeavour henceforth to save your souls in God'f? way. 1. Believe then that ye are so abominable, that ye hate God and your neighbour, and are therefore in the highest degree punishable before that dreadful judge, that ye may begin to suspect yourselveSj and to be afraid. Whether ye see it or not, it is nevertheless the truth, that ye are hateful, and hate one another. God saith it in his word ; the reformed church, with which ye hold, teaches it from the scripture, and there is not one of those who are delivered, but he sees it experimentally in himself, and it would lead you also into 36 TKE KNOWLEDGE OF MISERY the way of cleliverance, if ye saw it. " Only acknowledge thine \nU quity," saith the Lord, Jer. iii. 3. 2. Know that ye are still bound to the law of works in order, under the san' tion of a promise of life, and a threatening of death, to love God and your neighbour perfectly : and that since ye have not done this, and because of youi wicked nature, cannot do it, ye are still under the curse. For as long as the sinner is and abides in l.is misery, and hath not been convinced, truly regenerated, and convert- ed, and haih not saving faith in Christ, so long he is and abides under the law of works, and therefore *' under the curse," Gal, iii. 10. 3. Examine yourselves with a full purpose of heart by the law, and see lio w far ye have declined from the demands of it. Read the catechism once and again from the thirty third to the forty fifth Lord's day, and see what virtues are commanded and what vices are forbidden in the law: and consider thoroughly your heat and ac- tions, that ye may see by the law how crooked and pervt rse ye are. " Lxamint: yourselves strictly, yea examine yourselves strictly, O ye listless people," Zcph. ii. 1. 4. Is there any one, who beholds with shame, concern and distress, his hating, hateful and punishable nature, let him flee to *' Christ, the end of the law," Rom. x. 4. Sinner, thou who art concerned ; he calls to thee, and invites thee, *' Look unto me, and be saved," saith he, Isaiah xlv. 22. "Come, he will not cast thee out," as he saith, John vi 37 Do not stand still and ponder on the abominable- ness and gieatness of thy sins, nor on the small measure of thy sor^ row; It is great enough, if it render thee distressed, and dri^e thee out of thyself: our concern is not our Saviour, nor is it in itself agreeable to the Lord ; but it must serve merely to cause the sinner to seek his salvation cut of himself in the Son of God. But with respect to you, O believers, (a) See from what, and how ye are delivered : that hateful sin of yours, with wliich ye formerly hated God and your neighbour, is through the love of God to mankind for- given : ye are renewed after the image and love of God, and have obtained a new, yea, "a divine nature," Titus iii. 5,6. 2 Peter i. 4. The lav/ cannot condemn you any lon;j,er : " for ye are dead to the law through the body of Christ," Rom. vii. 4. " Sin," even your wicked nature, " shall not have dominion over you, for ye are not under the law, but under grace," Rom vi. 14. Christ, the Son of God haih borne for you the curse, to which ye had exposed y©urselves by your wicked hatred, and " hath delivered you from the curse of the law, having been made a curse for you," Gal. iii. 13. Yea, the Lord God hath made t'.r't In-' M'hich condemned you, serve you, tliat ye might be delivered OUT OF THE LAW. II. LORD'S DAY, Q. 3, 4 5. 37 from it by Christ, when he convinced you by the law, that he might drive you out of yourselves, and cause you to seek life with him : <^« For f through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God," saith the apostle. Gal. ii. 19. Behold this is what we say, observe God's great and free grace and love in this, admire it, and praise the Lord, with Paul, 1 Tim. i? 13, 14, 15. (b) Love now the Lord your God with all your might and most heartily. " I will love thee heartily, O Lord my strength," said David, v/hen the Lord had deUvered him from all his enemies. Psalm xviii. 1. And love, for the Lord's sake, your neighbour as yourselves. " For this commandment have we from him, that he v/ho loveth God, love his brother also," 1 John iv. 21. Ye are indeed dead to the lav/, and it is not given to you, as a condition of the covenant of %^ orks, to seek life by it, and to be condemned by it ; but it is given to you a-; a rule of gratitude : it is indeed an expression of the image of God. Ye are and always remain bound to the Lord, to love him and your neighbour : he is worthy to be loved and obeyed on his own account ; he hath imprint- ed the law of love on your hearts ; yea his great love to you hath bound your natural obligation to love him, more strongly on you, and the love of Christ should constrain you," 2 Cor. v. 14. (c) Exer- cise yourselves yet daily in seeking a knowledc^e of your miseries through the lav/, with Paul, Rom>. vii. Is it become your nature to love God and your neighbour, your nature is nevertheless not per- fect : there are still many wicked humours in it, which oppose God and your neighbour: "Ye knov/," with the apostle, Rom. vii. 18, " that in you, that is, in your flesh, there dwelleth no good thing : for to will is present with you ; but hew to perform that which is good, ye find not." This would conduce to your happiness, it would hum- ble your souls, cause you to make use of Christ more, and to be more watchful, (d) Humble and abase yourselves in secret before the Lord, and before your neighbour. Will ye exalt yourselves on ac- count of the excellency of the revelation, tliat God hath delivered you out of your hateful and miserable condition ? We cannot boast of aught but what we have of ourselves, and what is worthy to be boast- ^A of. But what is it that ye have of and in yourselves ? is it not that ye hate God and your neighbour, and have rendered yourselves damnable and detestable ? are yc not so hateful now ? Is there not now yet wickedness enough in your nature to make you repeatedly ashamed ? Is there aught that is good in your soul ? " Who maketh you to differ ? and v/hat have ye that ye have not received ? and if ye have received it, why do yc glory, as if ye had not received it ?" 1 C>or. iv. 7. And why have ye received it ? becau^.e yc were sq 38 THE KNOWLEDGE OF MISERY, &c. virtuous and amiable, or should become so of yourselves ? Ye know v/hat ye have been, and still would be, if God should leave you to yourselves ; " For by grace are ye saved, through faith ; and that not of yourselves ; it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast," Eph. ii. 8, 9. Therefore acknowledge your unworthi- ness, and shrink into nothing in your owa eyes on account of this divine grace, with Paul 1 Cor. xv. 8, 9, 10, Do ye stand in need of any thing, ask it of the Lord with humility. Doth he chastise you, justify him, and submit to his hand ; for though it should lie ever so heavy on you, ** he doth still not deal with you after your sins, nor reward you according to your iniquities," Psalm ciii. 10. If he should afflict you more grievously than he dotb, it would be only according to the demerit of your wickedness. Do evil men trample upon you, and tread you under foot, ye ought not to be so angry • can any man wrong you, who have so often, and in the highest de- gree wronged and hated both God and man ? lay your hand then. upon your mouth, with David, who said, 3 Sam. xvi. 10. "Let him curse : for the Lord hath said to him, Curse David. Who shall then say. Wherefore hast thou done so?" Hear how Paul enjoins on be- lievers, Titus iii. 2 — 7, " To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness to all men. For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, he saved us," Sec. Do ye see any one fall into a hateful iniquity, do not wonder at it, and do not despise him ; that root of wickedness exists in you also; and God restrains it, that it doth not spring up, and bring forth still more abominable fruits : "but restore such an one in the spirit of meekness, considering your^ selves, lest ye also be tempted," Gal. vi. 1. Thus ye will " use the law lawfully, and it will be good for you," agreeably to I Tim. i. 8. For according to the words of the apostle, Gal. vi. 16. "As many as walk according to this rule, peace and inercy shall be upon them." Amon. 1 ( 39 ) THE FIRST CAUSE OF GOOD AND EVILe III LORD'S DAY. Eccl. vii. 29. Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made mart upright ; but they have sought out many inventions. Q. 6. Did God then create man so evil and perverse f A. By no means ; but God created iiian good, and after his own image, in righteousness and true holiness, that he might rightly know God his Creator, heartily love him, and live with him in eternal hap- piness to glorify and praise him. Q. 7. Whence then proceeds this depravity of human 7iature ? A. From the fall and disobedience of our first parents, Adam and Eve, in Paradise ; hence our nature is become so corrupt, that we are all conceived and born in sin. H APPY is the man who knoweth the cause of things ; for hav- ing such an insight into the nature of matters, he hath a wonderful delight in his contemplations. It tends more especially to render a person happy, that he knows the first cause of good and evil ; since he learns thus to avoid the evil, and pursue the good, to praise the first cause of the good, and to detest the evil. If I know not the first cause of the good that I enjoy, I shall foolishly kiss my own hands ; and if I understand not the origin of the evil that befalls me, I shall soon with the wicked Jews say, " The Way of the Lord is not equal," Ezek. xxxiii. 17, 20. The foul head spring of all the errors, that have deluged the heathen, Jewish and Christian world hath bubbled up only from an ignorance of the true causes of good and evil. Many of the ancient heathens imagined that there were two God's, a good God, who was the cause of all that was good, and an evil God, who was tiie author of all that ivas shameful, hurtful and painful ; and in this they were followed by thr ManicheeS; otherwise called Chris- 40 THE FIRST CAUSE OF GOOD AND EViL tians. Others thought that the cause of good and evil in man was the contrariety of his soul and body, two principles, or parts of man, which were opposed one to another. The ancient and modern Pela- f ians have adopted this opinion, and they say that the soul is created with a free will, and the body with a certain carnal concupisence, and that the former is the cause of good, and the latter of evil; It is also natural to the sinner, through self love, to excuse himself, and to accuse his Maker of the evil. It is an evil disposition, which he hath inherited of his father Adam, who said to the Lord, " The woman, whom tiiou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and 1 did eat," Gen. iii. !-• Therefore if the foolish sinner shall become wise and happy, he must learn to ascribe righteousness to his Maker, and accuse hunself to his own shame, that he is himself the cause of his destruction, like Daniel, who said, " O Lord, righteousness belongeth lo the^, but to us, confusion of faces," Dan. ix. 7. Indeed nothing is more ceViuin, than that God alone is the author of all happiness, and man the author of all his misery. Therefore the wisest of king? saith, tccl. vii. 29. " Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright ; but they have sought out many inventions." It is therefore the glory, the wisdom and happiness of the reform- ed church, that she teaches more than all others who are out of her pale, that the Lord God alone is the source bf all good, and the sin- ner the cause of ail his evil, that she may thus humble miserable man by the knowledge of his misery, which he hath procured to himselfi) arid may induce him to seek deliverance, and a happy con- solation of the Lord. For to this end doth the i istructor show him how evil and perverse he is, in the fifth question ; and that God is not the cause thereof, in the sixth question ; but he himself through his parents, in the seventh question. There are therefore two particulars here, that require our illus- tration. I- That the wickedness of man doth not proceed from God, Question six. II. But from man himself, Question seven. I. Ws have taught in the loregoing discourse, that "we are by nature prone to hate God and our neighbour." Nearly all those who are out of our church take occasion hence to slander us, as though -.ve taught that God was the author of sin, and of our wickedness and perversencss, because we receive our nature from God. But we protest against this in the strongest terms, and say that God neither is, nor can be the author of sin. We proclaim to the whole world with Elihu, " Far be it from God that he iJiould do wickedness, and III. LORD'S DAY, Q. 6, 7. 41 from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity," Job xxxiv. 16. Sin is more contrary to the nature of God, than darkness to light, and hell to heaven ; " He is not a God who hath pleasure in wicked- ness," Psalm V. 4. "He is of purer eyes than to behold evil, and he cannot look upon iniquity." Hab. i. 13. " Let no man say, when he is tempted, I am tempted of God : for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man," James i. IS. Neither can any one infer from our doctrine by a just consequence, that we represent God as the author of our wickedness and perverseness ; for although our nature is of God, it v/as not created by God so wicked ; for « God made man good :" so our church teaches with the catechism from the word of God, which saith. Gen. i. 31. " God saw all that he had made, and behold, it was very good." And wherein doth that goodness consist ? The Socinians say, in the essence and in the essential parts of man, without any original righteousness, and only in fiuris naturalibus^ or that man was neither good nor evil, when he v/as created : they even maintain that man •was created as ignorant as a child, not knowing that he was naked. And the Jesuits and Remonstrants proceed so far, that they dare maintain that thert v/as a certain carnal lusting in man immediately after his creation, and that his flesh and lusts strove and rebelled against his reason and spirit. If this were so, man would have come out of his Maker's hands a sinful, ignorant and unholy creature. And this reproach ought therefore not to be cast upon us, but upon our adversaries ; for it will naturally follow from these heterodox asser- tions, that God made man evil and perverse. But it will appear more clearly anon. Wc teach better things concerning the innate goodness of man. We say that it consists in a moral and virtuous goodness whereby man is qualified, as a reasonable creature, to glorify his Maker ; for the goodness of evejry creature consists in its possessing such per- fections, as belong to the nature of that creature, that it may ex- press and declare, in a manner agreeable to its nature, the glorious perfections of its Creator. Man being a reasonable creature, and therefore much m.cre excellent than other creatures, ought to glorify God in a reasonable manner, and thus more than other creatures. But how could he glorify his Maker in a reasonable manner, if he were created without ori^^lnal righteousness, in such ignorance, and with a certain lusting against his spirit ? The reasonable creature can- not exist in a state of indifference, or be neither good nor evil, any more than he can be neither alive nor dead : he must necessarily be one or the other, either good or evil : and he cannot be good, unles*^ K 42 THE FIRST CAUSE OF GOOD AND EVIL. he have a moral goodness, and be endued with a pure apprchensidh of God's perfections, and a sincere love to God, so as to know, lov^, enjoy and praise him. Solomon saith also, '* that God made mart upright," and he opposes that uprightness to " man's inventions which he hath sought out," and to his perverseness, Eccl. vii. 29. And therefore the instructor saith, " that God did not create man so wick- ed and perverse, but good, and thus alter his image." The Lord God having created the heaven, the earth and the sea, with all that in them is, " did last of all form man out of the dust of the earth, and he breathed into his nostrils the breath of life ; thus man became a living soul," Gen. ii. 7. " But as it was not good that man should be alone, God made Adam an help meet for him," even his wife, " out of one of his ribs," and brought her to him for his lawful wife. Adam also owned, took, and loved her as such, Gen. ii. 18 — 25. God gave them both also the law of marriage, that they should cleave to one another," Gen. ii. 3*, 25, " and be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth," Gen. i. 28, and thus " hath God made of one blood all the nations of men, to dwell upon the face of all the earth," Acts xvii. 26, That man might be the chief orna- ment of all God's works, God created him after his image. There- fore the Father, acting after the manner of men, excited, as it were, tlie ^on and the Holy Ghost, to perform some great work in the creation of man, saying. Gen. i. 26. " Let us make man in our im- age, after our likeness. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him." It is absurd in the Papists to dis- tinguish these two words so, as if " image" related to natural endow- ments, and likeness to graces and supernatural endowments, as though the image of GoJ were not natural to man. Image and like- ness denote the selfsame thing, and are joined together to express it with greater emphasis and force, and to show that the image was exceedingly like God, and a likeness that expressed and depicted God in man : one thing can be like another, as one cg^ may be like another, but it is not therefore an image of that other. But an im- age is sr;niething, which is fashioned after something else, and is therefore like it. Man was then made m the image of God, because God was the pattern after which he was made ; and if I may so speak, because God depicted himself in man, and made man like himself. Not that God gave his essence and life, as he hath it in himself, to man ; for in this manner ** hath he given only to his Son to have life in himself," John \. 26. The Son of God alone is " the brightness of God's glory, and the express image of his person," Ileb. i. 3. Neither is God a body after which the body of man was III. LORD'S DAY, Q. 6, 7. 45 formed, as the ancient A.nthropomorphists imagined ; for « God is a spirit," John iv. 24. But God made man so after his ima^e, that he expressed a certain likeness of his communicable attributes in him, whereby he became " a partaker of the divine nature," 2 Peter i. 4. Not that God transferred his attributes to man, for he would then have made him a God : but that man was made after them, so as to possess a certain hkeness to them, and that he obtained a certain sketch of those divine perfections. We must inquire more particularly wherein that ima^e and Hke- ness, in which man was made, consists. The soul, the spirit of man, which hath in itself an ability to act from itself, though in dependence on God, with understanding and will, is an image of God, and ex- hibits a certain likeness of God. Some maintain that the image of God doth not consist in the essence of the soul, but that the soul is only the panel, on which the image is expressed : we may assert that the soul is the panel ot the moral and virtuous goodness of man. But that the soul itself is not the ima8;e of God, but only the panel and subject of God's image, this we do not assert, because the nature of the thing and the word of God forbid it. For the essence and the spirituality of the soul are matters, in which it is like God, "who is a spirit," John iv. 24.. Are not the heathens, who are destitute of the moral and virtuous goodness of God's image, still " the offspring of God," so far as he is a spirit, which cannot be expressed by an image ? Acts xvii. 28, 29. We may " not curse, nor kill any man, because he is made in the image and likeness of God," Gen. ix. 6, James iii. 9. Not because he was once made in the image of God ; but because he is still God's image : for otherwise the reason why we may not kill or curse any man ceaseth. Doth the sinner now " come short of" the image and " glory of God," according to Pom. iii. 23, it is with respect to the virtuous goodness, in which he was created. This moral and virtuous goodness is indeed the principal and most glorious part of God's image. It is also called original right- eousness, and consists (1) in the knowledge of God, and of divine things. We must now " put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him," according to. Paul, Cell. iii. 10. He hath certainly respect to the image in which man v/as created in the beginning : he saith that it consisted in knowl- edge : he supposeth that this knowledge is obscured, and that the image of God is now become old, and that we must be again renew- ed after that same image. The first man was therefore not so sim- ple and ignorant : for we must be renewed in knowledge after the image of that man : if ke had been created in a childish ingorance, 44. THE FIRST CAUSE OF GOOD AND EVIL. he would have been ridiculously foolish ; for a full grown man, as Adam was when he came out of his Maker's hands, who is childish, IS contemptible : surely ^* the soul without knowledge is not good," Prov. xix. 2. If Adam were created in such ingorance, how did he know the nature of the animals, and of his wife ? Gen. ii. 19 — 23. He certainly knew Cod, he was accustomed to his visits, Gen. iii. 8, and was acquainted with his law, Gen. ii. 16, 17. iii. 2, 5, surely not only by divine revelation, but also by creation ; for if that law be still written in the hearts of his posterity ; accordiug to Rom. ii. 14, 15, how much more was it then written in his heart, when he came new and pure out of the hands of his Maker. After the fall, his eyes "Were indeed opened, and he knew that he was naked," Gen. iii. 7, but this doth not imply that he knew not before that he was without any clotliing ; for otherwise sin would have made him wiser, and the lying promises of Satan, " that his eyes should be opened, and that he should like God know both good and evil," Gen. iii. 5. would not then have been detestable. It remains therefore certain that Adam knew God, and his obligation to him, by the image of God, by which he knew, as by a beam from God's own light, what God knew, and what he would reveal to him. For the knov/ledge that depicts God, IS not barely a common and literal apprehension of divine things, but " a seeing of the light in God's light," Psalm xxxvi. 9, and " an in= shining of God into the heart, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God," 2 Cor. iv. 6, Now such a knowledge and seeing of God must necessarily produce a divine holinsss in the soul ; for " we, beholding the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory," 2 Cor. iii. 13. And therefore the moral goodness of God's image consists also (2) " in true righteousness and holiness," by vrhich man surrendered himself with a perfect heart to the Lord, to do his will, according to that la^7 and truth of God, which his understanding represented to him to be holy, just and good. That the image of God consisted in this also, the apostle teacheth us when he saith, Fph. iv. 24. " And put on the new man* which after God is created in true righteousness, and holiness." So our translators render the Greek words, according to the usual style of the scriptures : but others, ibllov/ing mofe the order of the Greek words read, " in righteousness and holiness of truth." The sense is the same : righteousness and holiness are two words, which design one and the same thing, but with great beauty, and with a strong emphasis, as if wc should say, a righteous holiness, and a holy right- eousness. But if we will distinguish the words, and consider each as t»ignifying something different from the other, we must then refe? III. LORD'S DAY, Q. 6, 7. 45 righteousness, not to a right to demand life, inasmuch as Adam had not that right, and it moreover doth not now flow from the image of God, but from the imputed righteousness of Christ ; but we must re- fer the righteousness of the image of God to our neighbour, and the holiness to God : and so these two words express the whole sum of the law, which was innate to man with the image of God. Man being endowed with such a rational and virtuous soul, was also created lord of all the creatures, that he might govern and make use of them, as the vicegerent of God, under him, and to his ser- vice : " Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea," &c. saith the Lordj Gen. i. 26, 29. The Socinians, who will not allow that man had any original righteousness before the fall, and are nevertheless forced to believe that nian was created after the image of God, say that the image of God consisted only in dominion. But how could man gov- ern the creatures according to the will of God, if he had no virtuous goodness ? The creature would have groaned against him, as it doth now against its sinful and rigorous lord, Rom. viii. 19 — 22. That the image of God consists nevertheless partly in dominion, and that this dominion is not only a consequence of the image, this Paul teacheth us, when he saith that " the man," on account of his domin- ion over the woman, " is the image and glory of God ;" and that "the woman, on account of her dominion under and by reason of the man, " is the glory of the man," 1 Cor. xi. 7. Inasmuch as this excellency of the soul presently extended itself to the body, and the image of God pertaineth to the whole man, therefore man was im- mortal, not only according to the soul, but also according to the body, which being created of the dust of the earth, and consisting of flesh and blood, could die ; but would, through the sustaining power of God, have continued alive for ever, if man had not sinned. For how could such a destructive and horrible evil as death is befall man, while he was not guilty of any iniquity ? Death was threatened only in consequence of sin, Gen. i. 17, and '^ the wages of sin is death," Rom, vi. 23. God did not, moreover, pronounce the sentence of death upon Adam, until he had sinned. Gen. iii. 13. That the image of God consists in immortality, this Paul saith, 1 Cor. xv. 49, where he teaches that when we shall receive our immortality again, " we shall bear the image of the heavenly." The image of God, in which man was created, had its ends, and served (1) " That man might rightly know his Creator." For to this end was his understanding filled with such a clear light, that he might behold God in his glory and lovelin&ss: (2) « That he might 46 THE FIRST CAUSE OF GOOD AND EVIL. love him heartily." For God's law of love was innate to him with the imaijje of God through that righteousness and holiness. Wheia he pursued this through the image of God, it served also, that he. might (3) *' live with God in eternal happiness." For when he knew and loved God so, the Lord could not but manifest his pleasure in him by a reciprocal love, and this would render him happy. By such a conduct, so worthy of God, he fulfilled the law of the cove- nant, which promised him eternal happiness ; for wliich end he had also the tree of life, in order to seal that happy life to him by a sac- rament, Gen. ii. 9. But the chief end of the divine image was, (4) " that he might glorify and praise God ;" for since he knew that God was the most worthy, and since he loved and enjoyed him as such, he could not but exait him in the highest degree. The Remonstrants imagine, that these things could not be the ends of God's image, no, not according to our opinion, because God would then have failed of his end by the fall of Adam, and of all mankind in him, and because we teach that God created the great- est part of ma!;ikind to be damned ; but this is a horrible calumny : v/e do not teach that God created man to be damned, as if the crea- tion of man were a cause of his damnation : sin alone is the caus^ o$ his damnation, on account of which God punishcth him, as he threatened according to his eternal decree, in which he purposed to. pass by certain persons with his grace, and to punish them justly : but besides this, we say, that when God created man in his image, he did not intend to effect that all men should live with him in eter- nal happiness : for this would then undoubtedly be accomplished ; since he always obtains his end by his almighty power, on account of the unchangeableness of his counsel : for " he w^orketh all things after the counsel of his own will, " Eph. i. 1 1. We must also distin- guish between the end of the worker and of the work. The end of God's work, to wit, the creation of man in his image, was indeed, that he might, by knowing and loving God, live with him in eternal happiness : for the image of God qualified him for this end, and urged him to pursue it : but this was not the end of the V/orker, even of God : for he intended to render the glory of his justice, mercy and grace, wonderful in fallen men, and for this end he suf- fered them to fall. See Rom, xi. 32, And God hath also obtained this end. The Jesuites aesert that this image was a supernatural gift, be- stowed upon man in order to restrain the furious lusts of the flesh, as it were, with a golden bridle : and therefore that man, having lost that image, is now indeed without that supernatural gift ; but that ill. LORD'S DAY, Q. 6, 7. 47 liis nature is not therefore so corrupt, as we teach. In opposition to Hvhich we say, that the ima^e of God, and particularly that virtuous goodness, or original righteousness, iid not constitute any essential part of man, by which he \' as made man, as his soul and body do ; but it is evident that this righteousness, and permit me to say in a good sense, supernatural grace was nevertheless natural to man, that is, his nature could not have been good, if he had not been created in the image of God. For (a) the image of God was innate to man with his nature. Gen. i. 26, 37. (b) His nature would not otherwise have been created good, since a man without knowledge, righteous- ness and holiness is sinful and hateful to God. See this Eph. iv. 18. (c) Man could not then have pursued nor obtained the end of his creation ; lor how can he, who is naturally without knowledge, and filled with fleshly lusts, warring against his spirit, know, love and praise God aright ? (d) Adam, though fallen, hath transmitted the remains of God's image with his nature, to his posterity ; for " the Gentiles do by nature the things contained in the law," Rom. ii. 14, 15. How much more would he then, if he had continued to stand, have transmitted the divine image itself to his seed ? but this would mot have been possible, if the image of God had not been natural to him. What our adversaries object here, that man could not then have fallen, is of no force, because Adam, although naturally good, Vas nevertheless created changeable, and was capable of being seduc- edi Were not the angels created naturally good and holy ? and some of them nevertheless fell. How dare our adversaries then reproach us in such a shameless manner, and say that we teach that man was created by God so wicked and perverse ? They give us reason to suspect them of such a wicked opinion. For if man were created so ignorant, and with a certain evil lusting, then God created him wicked and perverse, in- asmuch as ignorance, and lusting after evil is wicked and perverse. They will doubtless allow that man fell through his natural inclina- tions to evil, (admitting that these inclinations were not sinful in themselves.) Ought not man then to be excused, since he only fol- lowed his natural and innate inclination ? yea, ought not God to be accused, since he created man with such an inclination, and no better ? but our adversaries have need of such cloaks of shame, if they will defend with any plausibility their un violated reason, and indifferent freewill. Is man nevertheless so wicked and perverse, and did not God Create him so, but good and in his image, '* whence then pro- ceeds this* depravity •f human nature ?" We ought to know this, it 48 THE FIRST CAUSE OF GOOD AND EVIL concerns us, that knowing the ground of our disease, we may seek in a right manj^tr to be healed. The wisest of kings had found that " man himself had songlit out many inventions," Eccl. vii. 29. And the instructor, escplaining this more particularly from the word of God, leads us to " the fall of our first parents, whereby our nature is become so corrupt." If we will form proper conceptions of our corruption through the fall of Adam, we must know that God entered into a covenant of works with Adam, and that Adam was able to keep the covenant. We have shown before on the second Lord's Day the nature and reality of this covenant. We must now see that he could keep the cove= nant. For God would not otherwise have made a covenant with him, it would indeed have been to no purpose. Adam's understanding and will being endued with original righteousness, he was able to know and love God perfectly, and thus to fulfil the condition of the cove- nant. He needed without doubt, God's preventing influence : but we may nevertheless say, that he had an ability to continue in the covenant, on account of his habitual virtuDusness, in consequence of his having been created in the image of God, as a man in health hath an abilicy to do his daily work, although he needeth the ordinary influence of God for that also, according to Acts xvii. 28. P'or that God created man independent in his actions, so that, when left to himself, he could do his duty without the preventing influence of God, is a most absurd imagination ; for man would then have been made a God, who could govern himself, of and by himself. We must also know that Adam and Eve, the first human couple, were our parents, of whom God hath made the whole race of men, as we have shown before. Now when God entered into a covenant with Adam, he established it with Tve also, yet so that she was reck- oned in her husband. And therefore the misery of their posterity is generally referred more to Adam than to Eve. But God did not enter into a covenant with Adam, as a private person, who should stand or fall only for himself, but also as the father, and as the head of all mankind, who should descend from him, and for whom he should stand and fall : as kings and princes enter into covenants with one another, not only for themselves, but also for their children and subjects, who exist now, and will exist hereafter. And in this man- ner did God establish the covenant of works with Adam, and in him, as the head, with the whole human race. For the appendix of the ;;ovenant of works, to wit, the law of marriage. Gen. i. 28. ii. 24, 25, was e:iven to Adam, and in him to all his posterity. See this Matt. xix. 3, 4, 5, 6» Eph. v. 31. All Adam's posterity were crea- III. LORD S DAY, Q. 6, 7. 49 ttd in him after the image of God, as the remains of that image in the Gentiles still manifest, Rom., ii. 14, 15. Paul requireth, Rom. V. 14 — 19, that we should consider ('hrist as the head of believers in the covenant of grace, after the example of Adam : but how shall we understand this, unless Adam be also the head of his posterity in the covenant of works. But although Adam possessed such a glory and excellency, he nevertheless fell into a deep abyss of horrible misery through Lis diso- bedience, by which, contrary to the command of God, enforced with the promise of life, and the threatening of death, he ate of the tree cf knowledge of good and evil, by which he also broke the covenant, as the Lord saith, Hosea vi. 7 : for that tree was prohibited to him, as a trial of his obedience. But how could these exceedingly wise and holy persons, who had such an ability, be guilty of such a base conduct. The serpent be- guiled Eve through his suhtilty, saith Paul, 2 Cor. xi. 3. from Gen. iii. 1 — 6. " The serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field," saith Moses, Gen. iii. 1. But although he were ever so subtil, and more so than any beast of the field, he could nevertheless not per- form such an evil and subtil work of himself, for he was irrational and speechless : but the devil having apostatized from God, and l^emg subjected by him to eternal punishment, without any hope of mercy, inflamed with hatred against Ciod, and envy against the hap- py man, and with an ambitious desire to rule over him, made use of, and possessed this beast for that purpose, and so enticed man by means of it. For " the devil was a murderer of man from the be- ginning," John viii. 44, and he is on this account himself called " the great dragon, and the old serpent," Rev. xii. 9. It is therefore de- testable in a certain person * to say that the devil was the first author of sin, according to the declaration of scripture, and nevertheless to teach that neither the serpent, nor the devil could deceive man, and thus to deride the whole account of Moses. Perhaps he could not speak otherwise, after he had once determined that the essence of a spirit was simply thought, and that it hath no power at all to act upon that which is bodily. • The author hath respect here to Dr. Balihazer Becker, a pastor of the re- f«rm«d church of Amsterdam. He was a great admirer of the Cartesian phi- Josophy, and was so far nrisled by it, as to deny all the accounts, which the scripture p;ives of the power of the devil, and evil spirits: as also the exis- tence of ghosts and wjzards. He published these sentiments in a book, which he intitled. The world bewitched. He was deposed from his pastoral offisf -90 accouat of these opinions ; but persevered in them until hia deaths L 50 THE FIRST CAUSE OF GOOD AND EVIL. The devil belni^ exceedingly subtil, and abusing also the subtil nature of the serpent, conducted his temptation in a most subtil man- ner. For (I) it was subtil in him, that he did not tempt man from 'vithin, by acting upon his imap,ination, with wicked injections : for he would then have met with an immediate repuls-i : there were no traitors as yet in the mind of man, with whom he could correspond and conspire to destroy him. But he attacked man from without, that he mig;ht penetrate into his soul by means of his sight and hear- ing, and etfect a total confusion there. (2) He appears not to man in a terrifying form, but conceals his hideousness under the serpent^ which was not a disagreeable object to upright man ; by which he might induce him to think that he was favoured with a message from God by an angel of light through the means of this serpent, in an extraordinary manner ; for the wise man knew that the serpent v/as not endued with reason, and that he had not a man's voice. (S) He doth not tempt him in opposition to any command of the moral law of love, which was written upon his heart ; for he knew very well that his soul would be immediately seized with horror, and would forthwith resist such an attack ; but he assails him with the positive and probationary command, that he should not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, because man might be more easily brought to this, since there was neither good nor evil in eating or not eating of that tree, considered in itself and without respect to the divine prohibition. (4) It ^yas also exceedingly crafty in the devil, that he did not attack the man first, but the woman, who was the weakest, and that wnen she was in her weakest condition and alone, that he might by her seduce the man (5) He doth not tempt her to sin forthwith, and like an open enemy ; fer he would then have been soon resisted ; but he tempts in a very gradual manner, and with subtil reasons, that he may conceal his deceit. He doth it (a) by asking a question . " Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden ?" He speaks not of the tree of knowledge, but of every tree of the garden, in general : he feigns as though he were a stranger who knew of nothing ; and that he may not create suspi- cion, he asks as one who was ignorant, and wished for information, that he may thus obtain an opportunity of entering into a discourse with her, and of causing her to stagger, and doubt whether God, when he permitted her to eat of every tree, forbade her to cat just of that one tree. He olfers to her for consideration hereby, whether she had not misunderstood, or whether she rightly remembered the Olds of God. (b) The woman not thinking that it was her enemy, III. LORD'S DAY, Q. 6, 7. 51 who was before her, enters into a discourse with him, and declares lo him how kindly God had permitted them to eat of every tree, but that he had forbidden them to eat of the tree of kno\vledtj;e, and had threatened them with deaih in the severest terms, if they did eat- The subtil serpent, the father of lies, that he may rid her of the fear of the danger, which attended her eatinp: of the forbidden tree, de- fies the threatening and saith, " Ye shall not surely die," and per- haps he feigns as though he were a good angel, who was sent by God to inform her that her time of probation was at an end, that God had therefore revoked that command and his threatening, and that she had consequently no reason to fear death, inasmuch as God did now freely permit them to eat of that tree, as well as of the rest, (c) But God had nevertheless forbidden them to eat of that tree, and those holy persons did not wish to act contrary to the divine prohi- bition, although it were not dangerous ; and why then should they eat of the tree ? was there no danger in eating, there was no advan- tage neither. Therefore the subtil deceiver saith, that they should derive a great advantage from eating : " In the day ye eat thereof, your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as Gods, knowing good and evil." He endeavours to persuade them that they were yet very simple pe'^sons, who knew but little ; but that by eating of that tree they should attain to a great, yea, to a godlike knowledge, which was exceedingly desirable for man : yea, he endeavours to insinu- ate to the woman that the tree was on this account called the tree of knowledge* And that she may believe him, and eat of the fruit with- out scruple, he swears, and appeals to the allknowingness of God, to satisfy her, " God doth know" saith he. The woman huving entered into such a discourse with her enemy, listened attentively to his false sophistry, doubted whether God had so strictly forbidden her to eat, or whether she had rightly under- stood him, believed the devil, dismissed her fear of death, coveted the good which he had falsely promised her, and stirred up her de- sire by " seeing that the tree was good for food, and pleasant to the eye, and desirable to make one wise : and she took of the fruit, and ate, :md gave also to her husbaad with her, and he did eat." Thus the woman was deceived by the devil, and she, perhaps solicited by the devil, deceives her husband : in what manner Moses relates not : but we may reasonably suppose that she proposed the arguments of the serpent to him with a womanly and sweet voice, by which Adam suffered himself to be enticed, and thus imitated the sin of his wife. Therefore when it is said, I Tim. ii. 14, " Adam was not deceived ; but the woman being deceived was in the trans- H2 THE FIRST CAUSE OF GOOD AND EVIL. gression," v^e must understand it so that he was not deceived firsts nor immediately by the devil, but by the woman. We cannot believe that our parents fell on the same day, on which they were created. For the many events which happened on that day left no time for the fall, which is related briefly, but happened more circumstantially ; since on that day the beasts of the field were created, Adam was made, Eve formed of one of his ribs, while Adam was in a deep sleep, marriage, and the law of marriage insti- tuted, and the covenant of works established. Besides this, God pronounced all things good at the end of the sixth day, Gen. i. 31, Add to this, that " God rested on the seventh day from all his works, and was refreshed," Exod. xxxi. 17, which God would not have done, if man had fallen en the sixth day, for"tht.t grieved him at his heart," Gen vi. 6. It is also improbable that man continued not a certain space of time, and at least not a few days or weeks in his happy state, that he might employ himself in contemplating God, loving him, and delighting himself in glorifying him. He was un- doubtedly accustomed to God's drawing near to him, since he knew it by " the cool " or wind '* of the day." Gen. iii. 8. Let none of us think that our first parents were guilty of a small sin in eating of the forbidden tree ; for it was an exceedingly great and dreadful sin. Paul calls it " a sin, transgression, offence, disobe- dience," Rom. v. They transgressed by this sin the whole law of love, loving the creature more than the Creator : they broke God's covenant of friendship : they despised his threatening of death, and contemned the promised life : they believed the devil more than their gracious Creator : they refused the blessed enjoyment of God, and sought their pleasure in the forbidden creature : they fell from God to his malicious enemy, the devil ; yea, they wished to be Gods, and like God, for which they arc derided, Gen. iii. 22, and that at the suggestion of the wicked spirit, who hid himself in a beast. All this was so much the more aggravated, because God had created them exceedingly glorious, and had given them a noble, wise and holy soul, which could govern all the other creatures ; they were able to abstain from the forbidden tree, the command was not diffi- cult to observe, nothing compelled them to eat of it, they had all things richly in the garden to enjoy. But that which causes this sin to appear still more detestable, is the misery which they procured by it, not only to themselves, but also to all their posterity^ But although this sin was so detestable, it did nevertheless not happen without the providence of Ciod. If " even a sparrow fall not to the ground without the will of God," how much less then could ^Xjan, who was created perfect, and all mankind fall inlo such a gricv^ ni. LORD'S DAY, Q. 6, 7. 53 ous sin and misery ? God did not compel man to sin, nor move him to it, yea, he did not deprive him of his natural abilities, and habitual powers : but it is certain that God decreed to permit his fall. How could the Mediator otherwise have been *' foreordained, and slain from the foundation of the world," I Peter i. 20. Rev. xiii. 8. Further, we cannot doubt but that God suffered the devil to tempt him ; for even " the Spirit of God led Jesus into the wilderness, that he might be tempted by the devil," Matt. iv. 1. We must also allow that God did not powerfully influence man, to preserve him from falling, but that he left him to himself; for he should otherv/ise not have fallen : God was also not obliged to bestow such a powerful influence upon man. It is true, man fell necessarily, but not by a necessity of com- pulsion, but of consequence : since neither the decree of God, nor his permission of Satan, nor his withholding of his active influence- either moved or compelled him inwardly ; but he fell by himself, and by his own free choice, and by seeking out many inventions. We know that many inexplicable difficulties occur here : but we also know that not only the word of God, but reason also teacheth us that God is an independent sovereign, that nothing happens without his will, that man depends upon God in all that he doth, and that there cannot be any religion that doth not contain unsearchable mysteries, and that if we exempt this fall from the providence and government of God, we will deprive him of his sovereign jurisdic- tion, and introduce the fortune of the Epicureans, or the fate of the Stoics. The Lord also remembered this sin, by punishing it severely : not only the devil was cursed in his instrument ; but our first parents also were punished with death, accordmg to the divine threatening, Gen. ii. 17. " In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." There is no reason why we should not understand death here in its greatest extent, of temporal, spiritual and eternal death : they did not indeed die temporally on the day on which they sinned : but the Lord may, consistently with his justice and truth, moderate and defer punishment : the sentence of death was pronounced upon them that same day : yea, on that very day they began to die by all the evil occurences, which were presently denounced and inflicted upon them. Gen. iii. 16—24. They died also spiritually ; for they were instantly deprived of the image of God, " their understanding was darkened, and they were alienated from the life of God." B'ph. iv. 18. This soon appeared, since they knew not that God was allknow- ing and every where present, when " they thought to hide themselves ft'om him among the trees of the garden, and Adam covered his 54 THE FIRST CAUSE OF GOOD AND EVIL. transgression, and hid his iniquity in his bosom," Jcb xxxi. 53. The man excused himself, and blamed hi? ^vife, who had deceived him, yea, blamed God, who had given him such a deceiving wife : and the woman shifted the blame from herself upon the serpent ; Gen. iii. 12, 13. Let us not ask here, how a single action could do all this, since a wise man doth not lose all his wisdom by one foolish action : for this sin of Adam was a bond of iniquity, which disorder- ed the whole human constitution. They deserved by this one sin to be deprived of the divine image, since they did not make a good use of it. When man withdrew from his obedience to his Creator and Law- giver, and apostatized to the creature, to sin and Satan, he was then justly condemned to become a slave of the creature and of Satan. '' For of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bon- dage," 2 Peter ii. 19. Our first parents undoudtedly deserved eter« nal death : and they soon experienced the bitter beginnings of it ; *^ they hid themselves for fear of the Lord among the trees of the garden," Gen. iii. 8, 9, 10. They endeavoured, though in vain, to escape from the wrath of God, which was kindled against them on account of their sin : they felt indeed that they deserved " to be pun- ished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power, and that he would take vengeance in flaming fire," 2 Thess. i. 8, 9 ; for they were forthwith driven from his presence and " from the tree of life, out of Paradise, the entrance of which was guarded by Cherubims with a flaming sword," Gen, iii. 23, 23, 24. Since it was now " impossible for the law" to justify them, because " it was become weak through the flesh," they should not have escaped the wmth to come, if God had not, according to his inconceivable grace, entertained thoughts of peace toward them, and promised them the seed of the woman, the Mediator, in his humiliation and exaltation, in order to conquer Satan, and to procure them regeneration, justification, sanctification, perseverance and sal- vation. And therefore we must believe that they were delivered from the curse of the law, and were rendered partakers of all the benefits of the Mediator with eternal salvation. ** By this fall and disobedience our nature is become so corrupt,, that we are all conceived and born in sin," saith the instructor. This corruption of our nature is usually called by divines " Original (or hereditary) sin, because we inherit it of our parents by our concep- tion and birth. Hear what David saith. Psalm li. 5 " Behold I ■was shapen in iuiquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me." We do not inherit the sin of our immediate parents, but of Adam, and we inherit particularly his first sin by our birth of our parents : for Jir. LORD'S DAY, Q. 6, 7. -' 65 it was only that first sin, by which he broke the covenant of God for himself and his posterity. See Rom. v. 12, 18. Original sin is either our natural guilt, or our natural pollution, flowing from our natural guilt. Our natural guilt is called imputed original sin, and our natural pollution is called inherent original sin. Imputed original sin is Adam's first sin, which is imputed by God to every individual of his posterity in consequence of the broken covenant of works, on account of which every individual is declared guilty. The most of those who are out of our church, as the Pela- gians, Socinians, Mennonites and Remonstrants, deny this imputed original sin, : yea, the J:insenists also oppose it, although they admit inherent original sin But the word of God teacheth us this imputed original sin : for the covenant of works, which we have explained and proved before, was m?de not only with Adam, but in him, as the head of the covenant, with all mankind also, wlio should descend from him, from which it necessarily follows that Adam did not break that covenant only for himself, but also for all his posterity, and that he rendered both himself and us guilty. Further, " v/e are children of \.rath by nature, " Eph. ii. 3. Children, who have not yet any actual sin, are subject to every kind of misery, and to death. How can_^ God conduct toward them with so much severity, if they have no sin ? is there unrighteousness with God ? God forbid : it must then be on account of Adam's sin. Paul explains this at large, Rom. V. 12 — 22. His design is to show that believers obtain reconciliation and righteousness by one Christ, vrs. 8 — 1 1. He explains this by the connexion between Adam and us his members in his first sin, and the manner in which we become guilty by that sin ; therefore he saith, vrs. 14, that " Adam was a figure of him who was to come." In what wanner was he a figure ? " as by the disobedience of that one man many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one many shall be made righteous," vrs. 17, 18, 19. From which it therefore evidently appears, that the sin of Adam v.'as reckoned our sin, as the righteousness of Christ is reckoned the righteousness of believers. He sa'th also to the same purspose, vrs. 12, " By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death psssed upon all men." Therefore the sin of Adam is the cause ot the death of all men, yea, even of the death of children, who have not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, vrs. 14. How is this possible if Adam s sin be not imputed to all ? The apostle saith also, vrs. 12, " in whom," namely Adam, " ail have sinned :" surely not actually, but in him, considered as their head. And if we translate the words r/iA hoo fiantes eemarton, not " in whom," but " because all have sin- irb THE FIRST CAUSE OF GOOD AND EVIL. fled," as many do, the sense will be the same, and teach us that sili have sinned by Adam's sin, and are therefore worthy of death. He illustrates this further, when lie saith vrs. 15 — 19, " Through the dffence of one, many be dead. The judgment is by one who sin- ned. The judgment was by one to condemnation. By the offence of one liian death reigned by one. By the offence of one judgment ta.me upon all men to condemnation. By one man's disobedience many were made sinners." Who can preser^e the fot'ce of these words without admitting such an imputed guilt ? It is not just, say our adversaries, that anolher man's sin, which we ourselves have neither committed, nor consented to beforehand, should be imputed 10 us, and that v/e should be reckoned guilty on account of that sin* But how will it consist with the justice of God, that he inflicts so many, and such grievous judgments, yea, death itself upon children, if they inherit not the guilt of Adam's sin, and have not themselves* any actual sin ? Moreover, we must not consider Adam's sin, as the bin of any other private man, but as the sin of all mankind in Adamj as their covenant head. Inasmuch as the sin of Adam corrupted his nature, therefore our nature is also become corrupt through his sin imputed to us : which corrupt nature constitutes our inherent original sin, whereby all the children of Adam being deprived from their birth of the image of God, having their understanding darkened, their conscience defiled, being disinclined to that Avhich is good and prone to evil, possess a wicked disposition of heart, the active source of every wicked desire, and of every sinful action : Surely this inherent original sin consists not in a mere deprivation of the divine image, but also in a wicked disposition of the heart : therefore it is called " the old man, the body of sin, fiesh, the law of sin," Rom. vi. and vii. The Pelagians, Soci- nians. Remonstrants and Mennonites, deny also this inherent original sin. The Jansenists, who deny imputed original sin, confess never- theless the inherent ; but the Jesuits, who acknowledge imputed original sin, deny the inherent : they vvill indeed allow that man is nov,' destitute of the divine image, which was given to him before tiie fail, as a golden bridle, to restrain the lusts of the fiesh : but they believe not that he hath such a wicked disposition. But all this is (a) directly contrary to the word of God, which teachcth us this in- herent original sin : Adam, created at first in the image of God, which he lost by sin, " begat a son in his own likeness, after his image," Gen. v. 1, 3, Adam was sinful, and his son was born after that sinful image of him. " Every imagination of the thoughts of myn'8 hvart is only evil, and that continually," Gen. vi, S, and indeed III. LORD'S DAY, Q. 6, 7. «? ««fpom his youth," Gen. viii»SK Man is called "a transgressor from the womb," Tsakh xIviH. 8. And it is thus with all men, who proceed from Adam by ordinary generation, Mary, the mother of the Lord i50t excepted. Job asserts it : " Who can brin?: a clean thing out of an unclean ?" Job xiv* 4. The Saviour also saith, John iii. 6. " That which is born of Hesh is flesh " (b) The general pre- valence of ignorance and concupiscence manifests also our inherent original sin ; for if it were not natural to man, and innate to him, it would not be so general, and cleave so fast to him ; at least his un- violated freewill, of which our adversaries boast so much, would sub- due it at last, and the world would become better, (c) The necessity of the new birth, the circumcision and baptism of children manifests the depravity and impurity of the first birth. ("he! is angry with him, and "' will take vengeance on him in flaming fire, and punish him with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the gl »ry of his power," 2 i'hess. i. 8, 9. If the sinner could deliver himself, he would surmount his wretchedness: but that which aggra- vates his miserv to the uttermost is, that he cannot recover himself: he cannot disengage himself from sin, and the sinfulness of his na~ ture, he is too effectually intangled in it, " his iniquities compass him about, and he is holden with the cords of his sins," Prov. v. 22. It is impossible for him to convert, to regenerate himself, and to keep the law of God ; for " the carnal mind is enmity against God, it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be," saith Paul in the text. The instructor also teacheth us this in these two questions^ that he may humble the sinner, and prepare him for deliverance. The instructor, that he may lead the sinner to his Deliverer, teacheth him his misery out of the law, and particularly that he is prone to hate God and his neighbour, Questions 3, 4, 5, and that though he was created at first in the image of God, he hath lost that image by sin, and is now born in sin. Questions 6, 7. What must he do now ? he ought to reform and restore himself ; but he is un- able to do this ; for he is so corrupt, that he is wholly incapable of doing any good, and is inclined to all wickedness. The instructor, that he may exhibit the doctrine of the sinner's inability, proposes, I. The doctrine. Question 8, and then refutes, II. An objection against it. Question 9. I. We teach with the catechism according to the word of Godi that " man is so corrupt, that he is wholly incapable of doing any. good, and inclined to all wickedness." This was gain-said of old by the Pelagians, and Semipelagians, and is still by the Socinians, Re- monstrants, Jesuits and many Mennonites. Although they allow that man is become somewhat weak by sm, as a sick man, and can- not do that which is good without difficulty, they nevertheless hold that he hath still an ability to understand clearly all that is necessary for him to believe, hope and do, in order to obtain salvation : yea, also to desire, to hunger, to thirst, and pray for grace, to purpose and resolve to do good : yea, the Socinians think that man is still able to perform <^hat which is good, and obey the will of God, and That he needs only to exert himself for this purpose. They talk in. LORD'S DAY, Q. 8, IV. LORD'S DAY. Q. 9. 6? indeed of God's as&isting grace, but they do not mean any thing by- it, but the nature of the free and indifferent will, or a general and suiiicicnt grace, vriiich God bestows, according to the new covenant, on every man, but which doth not effect any thing, until our good free will first seek, and render it effectual. The reason why they entertain this opinion is, their idea that *' God created man only with natural endowments, or neither good nor evil ; that the image of God is not natural to man, but supernatural ; that therefore the sin- i.i,er hath not lost any natural but only supernatural gifts and powers; that original sin consists not in a sinful, but only in the want of a holy disposition, ^nd that the freedom of the will consists in indiffer- ence, whereby a person can incline himself to good as well as evil." And if ne will examine the foundation of this erroneous conception somewhat more thoroughly, we shall perceive that the fundamental cause of it is pride, self-love, ignorance of the nature of sin and hG.i- ness. For why else dp these men plead so much in favour of sinful nature, and teach that the first motions of lust are not sinful, and that the virtuous actions of the heathens are pleasing to God ? That we may not merely beat the air, we must also explain our opinion, and therefore the state ot this controversy , and to this end observe, (a) that man as man depends in all his natural actions and motions upon God. God hath indeed given him, as a rational and living creature, a natural ability and habit to do whatever is human, but he is determined by God's eternal decree, and hath need of the preventing, co-operating and determining influence of God's ordinary providence for each action, and is unable to do aught without it. See Isaiah x. 15. Acts xvii. 28. But we do not treat of this inability here, but on the tenth Lord's day. (b) The sinner, being guilty, is unable to satisfy for himself. Matt. xvi. 26. \^' e do not treat of this inability neither here, but on the fifth Lord's Efay. (c) Moreover, the di .pute is not concerning the state of integrity, of grace, or of gloiy ; for man hath power in these conditions to do that which is good. But the dispute relates to the state of nature and of sin, after the fall, before regeneration, in which the sinner is wholly unable to do that which is good, (d) When we say that man is unable to do that which is good, we do not speak then of natural good, as eating, drinking, working ; nor of civil good, as honesty and justice in our dealings with others ; nor of ecclesiastical good, as performing eccle- siastical duties ; for we allow that an unregenerate sinner can do very much, in his endeavours to perform these good things, Mark vi. 20. Luke xviii. U, 12. But we speak hereof the true saving good, /< those better things that accompany salvation," Heb. vi. 9, which m THE INABILITY OF THE SINNER TO DO GOOB. are good by their own nature, as conversion, faith, hope and love with respect to God ; or that are indifferent in themselves, neither good nor evil, but which become good and agreeable to God, by- certain good qualifications, to vrit, that they are done in faith, to the glory of God, and according to his law : these qualifications render all ecclesiastical, civil and natui'al good pleasing to God, and without them the Lord detests it, Prov. xv. 8. See this demonstrated more at large upon the ninety first question, (e) Inasmuch as we say that the siiiner is unable to do good, and our adversaries also acknowledge that man is in some measure not able, it therefore behooves us t» inquire wherein we differ from them with respect to their inability. They assert that the inability consists only in the loss of the super- natural gift of God's image, whereby the sinner is indeed destitute of that good, but is not wholly corrupt, and is only as it were half dead, as though a person could exist in an intermediate state, or be neither alive nor dead. They liken impotent man also to a blind, deaf and dumb person, who is indeed unable to see, hear and speak^ but nevertheless still desires and endeavours to be healed : and they gay, that God, seeing this desire and endeavour, assists him by his grace, which heals him, when he only makes a proper use of it. But we assert with the word of God. (1) that the inability of the sinner to do good consisteth in the loss and v^ant of spiritual life, that '' he is dead in trespasses and sins," Eph. ii. 1. He is separated from God, the life of the soul, ^* alienated from the life of God," Eph. iv. 18, without either smell or taste : he hath no spiritual judgment to discern spiritual things, 1 Cor. li. 14. " Ke calls evil good, and good evil," Isaiah v. 20. He hath no relish nor delight in good, Isaiah vi. 10, " evil is sweet in his mouth," Job xx. 12, 13. Yea, " he is past feeling," Eph iv. 10. And it is thus not only with the Gentiles, but aliso with the Jews, Rom. iii. 9 — 18, and with nominal Christians, to whom the gospel is preached : " they have the name that they live, but are dead," Rev. iii. 1. (2) This inability to do good consists not ijnly in the loss of good, but also in a willing subjection and bondage to, and under the dominion of sin and Satan. The sinner is not free, but " a servant of sin," he must " be made free," John viii. 32 — 56. Rom. vi. 17. He is overcome by corruption, and is thus a servant of it, 2 Peter ii. 19. He is " taken captive in the snare of the devil," 2 Tim. ii. 26. And that willingly : for " he walketh according to thfe course of this world, according the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience," Eph, u. 3» This inability to do good consists also in the natural aversion gf th^ sinppr frcm good, and in his natural inclination to e\iKvf ill. LORD'S DAY, Q. 8. IV. LORD'S DAY, Q. 9. 69 which he hath a wonderful delight and pleasure. " The carnal mind is enmity against God : it is not subject to the la\v of God, neither indeed can be," Rom. viii. 7. Yea, the sinner " hath pleasure in un- righteousness," 2 Thess. ii. 12, Therefore The question and the state of this controversy is, -whether the sin- ner hath any capacity at present for true saving good, which our adversaries assert, but we deny : also whether he is wholly incapable of doing any good, and inclined to all wickedness. This the Pela- gians and Semipelagians deny : but we affirm, according to the word of God. For, 1. That saith expressly, that man is incapable in this respect: •"' When we were yet without strength, Christ died for the ungodly," saith Paul, Rom. v. 6. What ability or inclination to do that which is good can he have, whose " carnal mind is enmity against God , for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can it be," Rom. viii. 7. BeHevers themselves are in a great measure unable, according to their sinful part : " they are ready to halt," Psalm xxxviii. 17. <• In their flesh there dweileth no good thing," Rom. vii. 18. "Of themselves they are not sufficient to think any thing, as of themselves : but their sufficiency is of God," 2 Cor. iii 5- ^ Without Christ they can do nothing," John xv. 5. How th^n shall tiie sinner, who is yet left to himself, be capable of doing that which is good ? 2. ^t hath been shown before from the word of God, that the sin- ner is spiritually dead, a slave of sin and of Satan, backward to good, and inclined to evil ; how then can he heartily pursue that which is good ? is it not contrary to his nature ? a dead man surely cannot stir : a slave who is fast bound with cords, must not he do the will of his lord ? If he were not a willing slave, we should then observe certain virtuous essays in him, in order to be delivered : but no, he struggles against his deliverance, he is pleased with the shackles of his sins. And can he then either desire or perform any good thing, that is pleasing to God ? it would be contrary to his nature, " He counts the excellent things of God's law strange," Hosea viii. 12. He is like " a withered branch, which cannot bear fruit of itself," John xv- 4, 5, 6, like '' a corrupt tree, that cannot bring forth good fruit," Matt. vii. 16, 17, 18, hke " an offspring of vipers: how can he speak good things, when he is evil, and when his mouth speaketh out of the abundance of his evil heart," Matt. xvii. 34, 35, and, " hke an Ethiopian, who cannot change his skin, and a leopard, who can- not change his spots, so the sinner who is accustomed to do evil, 'lannot do good," Jer. xiii. 23. <' He is hard, his neck ia an iron ro THE INABILITY OF THE SINNER TO DO GOOD. sinew, and his brow brass," Isaiah xlviii. 4. So immovable is he :; what then can he do of himself? 3. The corruption of the smner hath taken entire possession of iiim : he is altogether " flesh," John iii. 3. " In which there dwelleth no good thing," Rom» >ii. l«. " His mind is fleshly," Coll. ii. 18. It is not only " darkened," Eph. iv. 18. but *' darkness" itself, Eph. v. 8. *' It receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God : they are fool- ishness to it, neither can it know them," I Cor. ii- 14. " The con- science of the sinner is also evil," Heb. x. 22. *^ Deceitful above all things and desperately wicked," Jer. xvii. 9. " defiled," Titus i. IS, and it hath '« dead works," Heb. ix. 14. The will is wholly corrupt, it is " a will of the flesh," Eph. ii. 5. It suggesteth every abomina- tion, as " evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, foriaications, thefts, false witnesses, blasphemies," Matt. xv. 19. It rebels against God ; " re- sists his holy bpirit," Acts vii. 51. It pursues after iniquity, and delights therein, Prov- ii 14. The greedy desire of the sinner can- not be bridled, but is like a furious horse ; it is eat^er and pants like insatiable dogs only after the things that are visible, apd that are abominable, Isaiah Ivi. 11. 12. Doth any one endeavour to restrain it, It becomes more eager and vehement. " Sin takes occasion by the commandment, and works all manner of concupiscence" in man, Rom. vii. 8, and all his motions are crooked and perverse, he is " disobedient, deceived- serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, &c Titus iii 3. Yea, the whole body, and all the members of it are " instruments of unrighteousness, servants of un- cleanness and of iniquity to iniquity," Rom. vi. 18, 19. " The eyes have their lust," 1 John ii. 16. Behold the abomination of the tongue, ^^it is a world of iniquity," James iii. 6, 7, 8. The ears are uncir- cumcised and heavy, they cannot hear," Jer. vi. 10. Matt. xiii. 15. " The throat is an open sepulchre, the tongue useth deceit, the poi- son of asps is under the lips, the mouth is fuU of cursing and bitter- ness, and the feet are swift to shed blood," Bom. iii. 15, 14, 15. How can such a disordered creature cither conceive, desire or do aught that is good, when all that is in him is corrupt ? 4. This corruption is natural to man, and is become proper t© him by his birth : " The imaginations of the thoughts of his heart are only evil continually from his youth," Gen. vi. 5. viii. 21. Sin cleaves to him most intimately, defiles and poisons all the good that he endeavours to do : « nothing is pure to him," Titus i. 15. " His sacrifice is an abomination to the Lord," Prov. xv. 8. Sin is become necessary to the sinner, on accounfof his sinful nature : he cannot, yea, he will not do aught but »in, Rom. viii. f. What ability; can hr then have to do th?.t which is irood ^ IIL LORD'S DAY, Q. 8. IV. LORD'S DAY, Q. 9. n 5. The sinner must be regenerated, "whereby he is renewed after the image of God through the Holy Ghost, of the seed of the word, and obtains a new divine light and life, the power of sin is broken in him, and he thus receives a new ability to do the will of God." See Titus iii. 5. 2 Cor. iv. 6. Eph. ii. 5, 10. Jer. xxxi. 33, 34. xxxii. 40. Ezek. xxxvi. 26, 27. It will not be proper to say more of regenera- tion here, for we have introduced it only to explain the misery and inability of man. Must the sinner be reg^enerated, as Jesus sailh, John ill, 3, 5, he is then, without regeneration, incapable of doing good ; for he should not otherwise have need of it. Regeneration fumisheth him with new powers, which would not be necessary, if he had them before regeneration. The sinner would also be able to regenerate himself, for regeneration is the principle of every good, that is acceptable to God ; but man cannot effect his regeneration : for regeneration is a " renewing by the Holy Ghost," Titus iii. 5. •' a new creation," 2 Cor. v. 17. Eph. ii. 10, " a resurrection from the dead," Eph. ii. 5. 6, "a taking away the stony heart, and givinc^ an heart of flesh," Ezek. xxxvi. 26, and '' a drawing," John vi. 44. Coll. i. 13. n. The creature, though ever so corrupt, will through his pride not know it, will not see his abominableness, nor be ashamed of it ; but seeks every cloak of shame, and saith therefore by the mouth of our adversaries, that " God would do injustice to man, if he required of him in his law, that which he could not perform." The adver- saries of the light think that God ought to establish a new covenant with the sinner, and grant him a sufficient grace, that he may be able to mcline his will to keep the law of God, before he requires aught of him in his law. (a) But this mind of the flesh is enmity against God, it disputes unrighteously against God's right with respect to man, and accuseth him falsely of iniquity. For God's right is not founded upon man's ability, but upon his own incomparable glory and absolute sovereignty over all ; '< For-asmuch as there is none like unto the Lord, therefore he is great, and his name is great in might, and therefore it appertaineth to him that men should fear him," Jer. x. 6, 7. Man could not deprive him of that right by his sinful inability ; for if he could, he would be able by his sin to dis- solve his obligation to obey God, to set himself free fiom his Maker, and to excuse his impenitent and obstinate rebellion, (b) God doth not demand in his law of the impotent sinner that which is absolute- ly and always impossible for him ; for instance, that he should " mea- sure the waters in the hollow of his hand, and mete out the heavens with a span," Sec. Isaiah xl. 12. This would be ion just, since God 72 THE INABILITY OF THE SINNER TO DO GOOD. hath not given him power to do it ; but God demands in his law of the sinner that which was once possible for him, and for which he gave him an abiHty, when he created him after his imaeje : " God made man capable of performing it," saith the instructor. This hath been shown before ; now God may surely demand that of man with usury, which he had given him, that he might gain by it for hiS Lord. See Matt. xxiv. 19, 30. (c) Is the sinner now unable, he is himself the cause of it : *' Man by the instigation of the devil, and his own wilful disobedience, deprived himself and all his posterity of those divine gifts." It is not therefore unrighteous in God to de- mand of the waster of his gifts that which through his own default he can now neither give nor do. " The master justly demands of his servant the ten thousand talents, which he oweth him, although he hath not wherewith to pay," Matt, xviii. 24, 25. See also Luke xvi. 1, 2. It is not proper to object here, that it was sinful in man to deprive himself of that gift, even the image of God, and an ability to do good, but that God deprived him of it as a punishment : for God deprived him of it on account of his sin, in order to punish him, and man de- prived himself of it, because he deserved such a punishment by his bin, and also actually defaced and destroyed the image of God im himself by his sin. It happens in other cases, as well as in this, that a man's sin is also a punishment inflicted by God, who often punish- eth one sin with another, Rom. i. 21 — 28. Doth the instructor say, that man deprived himself of those gifts "• by his wilful disobedience," we need not say instead of this by "his voluntary apostacy," in order to gratify the Remonstrants; aeeing Paul calls Adam's sin " his disobedience." Was it not suffi- ciently great ? was it not committed without necessity ? had man need of aught, that he was forced to eat of the forbidden tree ? did he not commit that sin against his better knowledge ? Eve certainly knew that God had forbidden her to eat of that tree. Gen. iii. 3, Why should we not then call that sin, wilful disobedience ? God, say they, did not give Adam power to believe in Christ, and bo he could not deprive himself and his posterity of that gift ; there- fore God cannot demand faith in Christ of the sinner, unless he give liim power to exercise that faith. But this is a vain objection : for Adam was able to believe all that God declared and revealed to him : but in^ismuch as the Son of God had no manner of relation to Adam, 'as Tvltdiator and Saviour, before the fall, and was therefore not re- vealed to him as such, we may therefore say, that Adam had ne vevclaiion nor opportunity to believe in Christ, but not that he had Iir. LORD'S DAY, Q. 8. IV. LORD'S DAY, Q. 9. 73 no power to believe in him. Our adversaries, not satisfied yet, con- ceive that it would not become God, and that it would not be wise in him to demand of man that which he cannot perform, because it Would be to no purpose. But although the sinner be ever so impotent, God's demand in his law is not to no purpose : the forty fourth Lords day will inform us of what service the strict preaching of the law is to the regenerate, although they cannot keep the law perfectly. But we speak here of unregenerate sinners, who are either elect sinners, or reprobates. God's demand in his law is not to no purpose with respect to repro- bates, inasmuch as that demand restrains them from enormous out- breakings in wickedness, whicii v.ouid destroy human society, (iod's demand serves also to condemn them, and teach them to justify God, when he destroys them. God's demand would appear to be to no purpose, if he could not indemnify himself upon them : but God can now punish them for the satisfaction of his justice, according to his demand, enforced by threatenings : as <' the lord demanded pay- ment of his servant, who owed him ten thousand talents : and v/iien he had nothing wherewith to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made," Matt, xviii. 24, 25. With regard to the elect, the de- mand of God serves to convince them, and drive them to the Media- tor, that they may be regenerated and converted ; " For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth,'* Rom. X. 4. Therefore God accompanieth his demand in the law with the offer and promise of the gospel, which is " the power of God to salvation," Rom, i. 16, yea, also with his Spirit, John xvi. 8—11 1 Thess. i. 5. Dead Lazarus was unable to arise from the dead, but the command of Christ was not therefore to no pu'^pose, since his calling v/ith a loud voice was the mean of raising Lazarus from the dead, v/hen he added his lifegiving power to his voice, John xi. 41, 42, 43, 44. The tolal inability of the sinner to do good doth not however de- stroy the freedom of his will. The freedom of the will is essential to man, and belongs to the essence of the will, therefore he cannot lose his freedom, unless he also lose his humanity : but he hath by sin lost the virtuousness and holiness of his v/iil ; and hence he wills nothing but evil, and is unable to will that which is good. Our ad- versaries hold that the freedom of the will consists in indifference, or an ability to incline, like a balance, to good or evil: but if the freedom of the will consists therein, we will then confess that the inability of the sinner destroys the freedom of his will ; for the vJiJ! O ri THE INABILITY OF THE SINNER TO DO GOOD. is in this respect a slave, " a servant of sin," and niiust " be made fiee," Jolm viii. 3 4, 3ft. But the freedom of the will consists not in indifference; for it is certain, that the will cannot will an^^ht, but whut the understanding^ representeth to it as good, and that Avhich is represented to it by the understanding: as evil, it cannot embrace. Since now the understanding is darkened, and ^* calls evil erood, and good evil," Isaiah v. 20, how can the will then be indifferent, and 'desire the good, as wjli us t'le evil ? :;od, t'.e angels ; nd ulorified men 'lave a perfect free \vill, and yet they are not indifferent, nor can they wiii evil as well as good : but the freedom of the will con- sists in being able to will something with inclination and pleasure, in a r^- jsonable manner, after a previous consideration, and without constraint; and in (his manner the sinner wills evil freely, and not good : *'- ile hath pleasure in unrighttousness," 2 Thess ii. 12. Have not tiie devils a free will ? do they not deli^j^ht in every kind of wickedness ? surely they do : and they art siili unable to do good. vSee John viii. 44, Free will consists not therefore in indifference, but in doing something with inclination and pleasure; and so it is not d;.-stroyed by an inabilty to do good. Is man then like a stock or a stone, with respect to that which is good ? thus ask our adversaries. We answer t' at the dinner, though Wfiolly un.ble to do good, is not so unfit and incapuble of being con- verted and regenerated as a stock or stone • for as a stock or stone are wholly incapable of forming an image of themselves, and are nevertheless more capa!.)Ie of being formed into an image tlian water, so impotent man is more capable of being renewed after the image of God, of being converted and regenerated, than a stock or a stone ; as dead Lazarus > as more capable and fit to be raised to life by the voice of the Saviour, than the grave-stone, John xi. 43, 44. The smner, t'.ough dead in trespasses and sins, retai s still his natural powers of unde'-standing and will, which are capable of being endued witn light b\v\ iifc ; oe hath also certam remains of God's image, (aLhough he hatj lost the holy and v.rtuous part of it) and he hath tlius also a ceitam obscure knowledge of (^od and his law, Rom. i. Si. ii. 14, 15, an.l this renders iiim fit to be influenced to con- version. Paul endeavoured to convince the Athenians by their natu- ral knowiedge and bcrvicc of Ggd, Acts xvii. 23—29. 1;L LORD'S DAY, Q. 8. W. LORD'S DAY, Q. 9. 75 APPLICATION. The doctrine of human inability remnlns then irrefia9;able. And therefore those do exceedingly ill, wiio say that man retains yet in his fallen condition an ability to p.-eserve himself continually from erroufs. This according to our opinion cannot and ought not to be said : it is indeed contrary to tlie word of God, which saith thai « the curiud mind is enmitv against God," Rom. "viii. 7, and that *' we are not suilkient of ourselves, to think any thing as of our- selves," 2 Cor. iii. 5. This assertion seems also to contradict the fourteenth article of our Netherland confession, which saith that, " the light which is in us is changed into darkness," &c. yea, it is »ieeting oiu adversaries half way. The instructor saith " that we are wholly incapable of doing any good, and incUned to all wickedness, except we be rejjenerated by the Spirit oi God." Is the regenerated mim then perfectly restored, and hath he a perfect ability to do that which is good ? no, but he is still m a great measure unable, as Jesus and Paul say, John vi. 5. 2 Cor. iii. 5. 1 his will also be s!iown more fully on the forty fourth Lord's divy. There is nevertheless a great difference between the inability of a regenerate, and an unregenerate man. For (a) the Haiural man is altogether dead in sins, and must be made alive, if he shall be capable of receiving tlie inHuence of God, in order to per- for n living actions : but tlie regenerate hath only need that his h .bitaal life should be awakened, enkindled and pronioted by the in- fluence of ood in order that he may do thxt which is pleasing to God. (b) A reg--nerate man is workingly and actively employed with and on account of the mflucnce of God in endeavouring *o do thai which is good : '' He can do all things through Christ strength- ening him," Philip, iv. 13, and he is thus himself a secondary cause of his good actions : but an unregenerate man is altogether passive in receiving the grace ol regeneration and conversion, as a dead man, who doth not co-operate to his resurrection, (c) A believer enjoys always a greater or less influence of divine grace, and doth good in X^roportion to it : '' The Lord doth not turn away from him to do him good, but puts his fear into his heart, that he may not depart from him," Jer. xxxii. 40. But the unregenerate is wholly left to himself, and is without the influence of divine grace," like a branch, wiiich is separated from the vine, and is withered," Jo: n xv. 6. What think ye now, hearers ? are ye also so incapable of doing gOQdj and incline.-! to all wickedness ? do ye eee it experimemallf 76 THE INABILITY OF THE SINNER TO DO GOOD. and with concern in yourselves ? or are ye regenerated by the Spirit of God ? have ye learned your inability thereby, and hath your soul obtained a desire and a power to conduct acceptably to God ? Surely ye have not. 1. Who are indifferent and unconcerned, whether ye must, or can do good, and whether ye must be regenerated. Your thoughts ex- tend not so far, ye think that ye must provide for something else, even youi bodily welfare, as if ye had nothing to do with God, and were not under any obUgations to him. " Ye slide back, like a back- sliding heifer," Hosea, iv. 1 6. 2. Nor ye neither, who with *=' Herod do many things," Mark vi. 20, and with the Jews " have a zeal for God," Rom. x. 2. But are these good things better than heathenish, or Socinian, civil and ex= ternally rehgious virtues, consisting in a forsaking of evil, and doing good externally, without any chancre or regeneration of the heart? things which do not accompany salvation, which men can do from a natural conscience, and by common grace, like Abimelech, Gen, XX. 4, 5, 6. But ye do not perform them from a principle of the life of regeneration, nor from an union of your souls v/ith Jesus, as the true vine : " to be dead to yourselves, and to live in God with Christ is hidden from you," Coll. iii. 3. If ye knew this, and en- deavoured to practise it, ye would see experimentally your inability to do good, and your inclination to all wickedness, and would be concerned. 3. And ye do not know your inability, and are not regenerated, who, when ye have once discovered your duty, and are convinced of your abominable conduct, defer your conversion until this or that opportunity, and so think that ye are able to convert yourselves at any time. Or if ye do not defer your conversion, ye are however not so convinced of your inability, that ye are concerned ; for ye are presently ready to purpose and promise idly that ye will not com- mit this vY that sin any more, and that ye will now live better lives than heretofore, which commonly ends in a certain outward morality, or not even in that, as Isriel promised inconsiderately, that "what- soever the Lord had spoken they would do," Exod. xix. 8. xxiv. 3. But what became of their promise ? they violated it in a shameful manner, when they made a molten calf for themselves, and wor- shipped it, Exod. xxxii. 4. Do ye say, we know that we cannot do any good of ourselves, but only by the grace of Ciod ? Do ye then do all things, not of yourselves, but by the grace of God ? or doth the knowledge of our Inability, of regeneration, and doing all things by the grace of God III. LORD'S DAY, Q. 8. IV. LORD'S DAY. Q. 9. 77 consist in a bare understanding; of these things, or in empty words ? hath not the grace of God only the name, and your natural endeav- ours the deed ? And how do ye know this ? only from hearsay ? Ye do not then know your inability, as ye ought, to your salvation. "The Spirit of God alone conAinceth the world of sin," and of ina- bility, by means of the word, John xvi. 8. He causeth a person to see the strength of his corruption, and his wicked inclinations, he teaches him the spuntuality of the law, and he sets him to work, and so he sees his frequent deviations from his duty, and consequently his mability also with concern and grief, and he cries for help, iiee this in Paul, Rom. vii. Have ye not learned your inability in this manner, ye do not then know it as ye ought, and your knowledge of your misery doth not yet conduce to your deliverance. 5. Perhaps one or another of you will say, I see indeed, and that experimentally, that I have no strength ; for I have indeed purposed in my mind to forsake this and that sin, and lead a better life, but I have learned by the event that I am unable to accomplish my pur- pose : but what effect hath such a discovery upon you ? doth it pro- duce distress of raind, and an earnest desire to be regenerated ? it doth not in many : but it renders them careless, they seek to excuse themselves of doing tlieir duty, and think, if God do not grant me his grace, how can I help it, that I do not perform that which is good : in the mean while they do inwardly and secretly rejoice that they have found such a cloak lor their shame, and they indulge their depravity : and when they are exhorted to do their duty, and are reproved on account of their sins, they think or say, what can I do, when God doth not give me what he commands ? and so with oui* adversaries they accuse God of "doing them injustice, by requiring of them what they cannot perform," and they cry out with the Jews, " If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live ?" Ezek. xxxiii. 10. Is it thus with you, know then that ye are still under the broken covenant of works : and therefore the whole law, and the curse of it are against you : tor ye have done nothing hitherto but break the law by sinning, and the cur ,e is denounced against him, who " con= tinueth not in all things that the law commands," Gal- iii. 10. Ye have yet your evil nature, which is " wholly incapable of doing any good, and inclined to all wickedness," ye are not yet " born again, and cannot therefore enter into the kingdom of God," John iii. 5, And how shall ye, continuing thus, be delivered ? for ye cannot do aught else but sin, ye cannot regenerate yourselves, nor pay your debt, nor escape from the hands of your Judge. r8 THE INABILITY OF THE SINNER TO DO COOt>. Are ye in some measure concerned about your salvation, behold then your desperate misery, be anxious, cry out, '' there is no hope,** Isaiah Ivii. 10, and ask with sohcitude, "What shall we do to be saved ?" Acts ii. 37. xvi. 30, Abide under tlie niinistration of tliei gospel, if it may please God to beget you with the word of truth," J..n)es i. 18, and cry unto God that he would exert his power upon you, to convert you, like the church, Lam. v, 20. '^ Turn us O Lord, unto thee, and we shall be turned." liut, believers, who have been regenerated b) the Spirit of God, and favoured by the free grace of the Lord with a new light and life: 1. Consider yourselves as obligated to obsu've and keep al! God's commandments, and to be a praise in the earth. For ye are net only his creatures, connected with him by nature, to do his will, but also '' his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained, that ye should walk in them," Ejjh* ii. 10. Ye have the beginnings of the new life, new powers, and " help is laid for you upon one who is mighty," Psalm Ixxxix. 19, " and ye receive of his fvdnebs, and grace for grace," John i. 16, Are ye still subject to a great impotency, as well as to other corrup- tions, this doth not discii rge you from your duty : but the Lord re- veals this to you, not to discharge you from your duty, but that he may induce you to depend on nim and his power, to strengthen yourselves in him, that " his power may be perfected in your weak- ness," and that ye may thus ''- be strong, when ye are weak," 2 Core xii. 9, 10. 2. Beuare that ye never begin, nor endeavour to perform your, duty in your own strength. The regenerate often act in this manner, and particularly (a) when they set about a dut\ , which tV.ey judge to be necessary, rashly, with might and main, witliout serious considera- tion, and without humbly looking up to the Lord for his influence. (b) V^'hen they expect so much good from their own resolutions : they have a great desire to do the will oF God in all things, and they measure their ability by tl-.eir desire, thcr.°fore they form great reso- lutions, and they are confident that they will accomplish those reso- lutions ; but they are ashamed of the event : for God willing to ac- quaint them with themselves, suffers them to fall iiAo grievous sins. See this in Peter, Matt, xxvi 33, 34, 35. xxvii. 69—75. (c) Then also, when they endeavour to eft'ect, and to force themselves into a good frame by their natural meditations, by their elTorts in their own strength, and their bodily exertions, (d) They work also in their own strength, when they endeavour to woik above their st-at^. til LORD'S DAY, Q. 8. tV. LORD'S DAY, Q. 9, 79 to wit, when a child attempts to do the work of a young man, or of n father in Christ. He sees with how much assurance, light purity, holiness and strength, this and the other advanced Christian works, and he hath a mind to do the same after him ; but he doth not suc- ceed, It is above the power, and beyond the attainment of a child, (d) \lso w-icn they work above their frame. We are sometimes in a dark and in a dull frame, and far from the Lord : but if we will do our duly then in such a clear, lively and hearty manner, as when we are in the licfbt, and enlivened, and near to God, we go in our Own might, and not " in the strength of the Lord God," Psalm Ixxi. 16 (f) Once more, we work in our own strength, when we become fretful and are discouraged, because we have not done our duty as we wished and 'loped to t'o it, we show by this conduct that we look- ed for much good from our own exertions : whereas whatever we do but sin, we do only by the free grace of God. The Christian, we say, ought to beware of working in his own strength : he cannot of himself do aught that is pleasing to God ; ** Not by miglit nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts," Zech. iv. 6. Works done in our own strength are strav ge fire, and they will exceedingly darken, perplex and disturb the soul. 3. Learn by all means to perform your duty in a manner that is 'suitable to your state and frame. By a state we must understand that measure of advancement in the spiritual life, vvhich one hath above another. One is a child, and another is a youth and a man in Christ, according to 1 John ii. 12, 13, 14. A child hath not that steadfast assurance ot the love of God, which a jouth and a man have. A youth and a man are more intent upon a knowledge of hall then work ac- cording to his ability, he must observe and inquire where, and in what manner God wotketh in him ; say not, when I am barren, dark, dull and sor owful, the Lord doth not then work in me, and I can- not then effect any thin'.i: : for in whatsoever evil frame the soul may be, the i ord doth still work in her in one way or another; for "the Spirit iibideth in and with you for ever," John xiv. 16. And he is ttever mactive in you. When the mind is in an evil frame, we see it with more or less compunction, and this proceeds from the Holy Spirit, who couvinceth of sins. We ought to begin our work here by looking into our sinful frame, which would excite in us shame and sorrow, would cause us to inhale the influence of " the north and south wind" of the Spirit, Song iv. 16, and in all our exercises '^ run after the Lord, when he draweth" us. Song i. 4. 4. Stir lip the divine gift of regeneration, " which is in you," 2 Tim. i 6, that it may mcrease, be improved and confirmed in you ; we must " grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ," according to 2 Peter iii. 18, and we must "be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might," Eph. vi. 10. Ttierefore abide under the dispensation of the means of grace, for they are the nourishment of our spiritual life : As newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby," 1 Peter ii. 2. Converse much with the most zealous and lively of the godly : " He that walketh with wise men shall be wise," saith the wisest of kings, Prov. xiii. 30, and " iron sharpcneth iron : so a man sharpcMieth tiie countenance of his friend," Prov, xxvii. 17. When we observe our neigl. hour's improvement in wisdom, his weaned- ntss from the world, his heavenly-mindeilness and zealousness in that which is good, wc are then scizt^d with a holy emulation to imi- tate his noble example, as "the zeal of the Corinthians provoked very many," 2 Cor. ix. 2. Engage also much m acts of communion with God : " Acqu int now youi'selves with him, and be at peace ' thereby ti:ood shall come unto you," Job xxii. 21. Yea, stir up your- selves daily, " lift up your hearts in the ways of the Lord," with Je!\osbaphat 2 Chron. xvii. 6. lnduk:e not any manner of slackness, looking dili'^eiuly, lest any mm fail of tie grace of God," Heb. xii. 15. Are yt sometimes seized wiil» spiritual bluttgishness and drowsi- ness, like the spouse, Song v. 2, 3, do not nourish it, but rouse. III. LORD'S DAY, Q- 8. IV. LORD'S DAY, Q. 9. 81 bestir yourselves, and " lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight path for your teet," 8cc. Heb. xii. 12, 13, 14o Look up to the Lord Jesus, "who is become all things to you, yea, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption," Coll. iii. 11- I Cor. i. 30. Go to him, open your hearts to him. employ your faith, that it may " receive" of all his influences, and ♦' grace for -race of his fulness," John i. 16, and seek through the conduits of the promises ; yea, let your operative faith employ him, and improve him with respect to his office, in order to live by him and by his power, like Paul, who saith," I am crucified with Christ ; and I live ; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me : and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the fuith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me," Gal. ii. 20. We must enter into the strictest union with him, if we will perform aught that is acceptable to God : " I am the vine," saith he, John xv. 5. " and ye are the branches : he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: £;r without ine ye can do nothing." In every condition wait for the inbreathings of the Holy Spirit, and conduct according to it, like the apostles, who being " filled with the Holy Ghost, spake as the Spirit gave tliem utterance," Acts ii. 4. And therefore turn the sails of your understanding and will toward him with hearty desires, sighings and prayers, and catch tlie wind of his grace, that it may drive you on with a full gale in all your exercises, like " Jesus, who returned in the power of the Spirit unto Galilee,** Luke iv. U. 5. Are ye regenerated, behold your happiness and salvation. " Ye who were dead, have been made alive, are risen with Christ, and set with him in heavenly places," Eph. ii. 5, 6. Give him also the honour of it : " he hath formed you, that ye should show forth his praise," Isaiah xliii. 21. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ," saith Peter 'who according to liis great mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope," 1 Peter i. 3. " Is it given you to grow in the courts of our God, to be fat and flourishing in old age, it is that ye may show that the Lord is upright," Psalm xcii. 13 — 16. Have ye the power and the ability to perform any good work, " do not say in your heart, My strength and the might of my hand hath gotten me tiiis power: but ye shall remember the Lord your God ; for it is he that giveth you power," Dent. viii. 17, 18. " For who maketh thee to differ from another ? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive ? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it ?" I Cor. iv. 7. " I have laboured more abundantly than they all : vet not I, but the grace P 82 THE INABILITY OF THE SINNER TO DO GOOD. of God, which was with me," saith Paul, 1 Cor. xv. 10. Whatever ye have, bring it to the source from which it hatii flowed to you, like Dai/ id, who considered his own, and his people's wilHngness to contribute abundantly for the building of the temple, as wrought in thera by lh« i^^ord, and glorified the Lord on account of it, saying, 1 Chron. xxix. 14. " V^' ho am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort ? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have wc given thee." Doth it afflict you, that there remains so great a force, and often such an overbearing power of corruption in you, '• sin shall neveithe- less not have dominion over you ; for ye are not under the law, but under grace," Rom. vi. 1 4. Doth it grieve you, that ye have so little strength to walk m a manner, that is acceptable to God, remem- ber that ye have to do with a most gracious Lord, who accepteth of our sincere endeavours ; " For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what a man hath, and not according to what he hath not," 2 Cor, viii, 12. Your God, who hath given you the life of regeneration, and " hath begun the good work in you, will perform it, until the day of Jesus Christ," Philip, i. 6, " and he will fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power ; that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glori- fied in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God, and the LiOrd Jesus Christ," 2 Thess. i. 1 1, 12. He will waft your souls on by his power, until he shall bring them to those regions, where no sin, nor any inclination to iniquity shall be found, and where ye shall with perfect ability follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. How " blessed is the man, whose strength is in God, in whose heart are the ways of them, who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well : the rain also filleth the pools. They go from strength to strength : every one of them in Zion appeareth before God." Amen- ( 83 ) THE P LM\T I S H M E N T OF SI N. SEQUEL OF THE IV. LORD'S DAY, Romans i. 18. • The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness, and unripjhteousness of men. Q. 10. Will God sjiffer such disolKdienct and rebellion to go un- punished ? . A. By no means ; but is terribly displeased with our original as well as actual sins; and will punish them in his just judgment, temporally and eternally, as he hath declared, *' Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things, which are written in the book of the law to do them," Q. 11. lis not God then also tnerafidf A. God is indeed merciful, but also just ; therefore his justice re- quires, that sin, which is committed against the most high majesty of God, be also punished with extreme, that is, with everlasting pun- ishment, both of body and souL T, HINE own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslid- ings shall reprove thee : know therefore and see, that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord God of hosts," Jer, ii. 19, The sinner delights and rejoices in the evil of sin, as though it were exceedingly good and pleasant : for " he calls good evil, and evil good," Isaiah v. 20. " His taste is corrupt, and therefore evil is sweet in his mouth : he spares it, and forsakes it not ; but keeps it still within his mouth." Yet hoAv bitter will it prove to him ! " His meat in his bowels shall be turned, it shall be the gall of asps within bim," Job XX. 12, 13, 14. Sin is in itself exceedingly evil and bitter: 84 THE PUNISHMENT OF SIN. for thereby we forsake the Lord, the rock of salvation : we deny hit. holiness, righteousness, and supreme authority, we " stretch out our hands against God, and strengthen ourselves against the xMmighty : we run upon him, even on his neck, upon the thick bosses of his buckler," as Eliphas speaks, Job xv. 25, 26. Godly persons, seeing their sins, and th^ abominable disposition of their mind are exceed- ingly sorry for their sms, the abominable nature of sin, more than the punishment of it, causeth them M'ith Job to " abhor themselves, and to repent in dust and ashes." But that which renders sin, so exceedingly evil and bitter in itself, still more evil and bitter, is the evil consequence of it : for sin not only blinds a person, renders him a slave of himself, averse from God, and unable to do good ; but it renders him also guilty, and subjects him to the most bitter punish- ment. " Thy way," saith the Lord to Judah, who had been so severely punished, Jer. iv. 18, '< and thy doin8:s have procured these things unto thee, this is thy wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reacheth unto thy heart." God requireth that the sinner should *«know and see this," that he may lay it to heart, Jer. ii. 19. Where- fore? will the Lord torment him before the time? No, but he chooseth that the sinner should humble himself, should look out for deliver- ance, and become capable of it. The Lord God would "remember his cov'-nant" for the salvation of his people, v/ho had Ijeen griev- ously punislied," if their uncircumcised hearts sliould be humbled, and they should accept of the punishment of their iniquity," Lev, xxvi. 41, 42. Behold how the rod of God's chastisement humbled Ephraim, and conduced to his deliverance, Jer. xxxi. 19, 20. This is the design of our instructor, when he teacheth the sinner the knowledge of his misery, as the first mean of obtaining deliver- ance. Question 2, for which purpose he shows him in the first place •whence he must learn to know his misery, Question 3, 4, and then wherein it consists, namely (a) in sin, the abominable nature and cause of which are shown, Question 5, 6, 7. (b) In the evil conse- quences of it, as an inability to do good. Question 8, 9, and the grievous punishment which God inflicts upon the sinner. Question 10, 11. We have seen formerly, to wit. Question 6, 7, in what manner the sin of Adam is punished ; we must now attend to the manner in which God is displeased with sins in general. The instructor doth two things here : I. He declares the punishment of sin, Question 10. , II. He refutes an argument against the punishment of sin, Ques- tion 11. I, The deserving cause of the evil of punishment is the evil of sin IV. LORD'S DAY, Q. 10, 1 1. &5 for " God is displeased both with our original and actual sins»" Ori- ginal sin is that which we have inherited by our birth, and hath been exhibited in the foregoing 7th question. Actual sin is that which we ourselves commit and act in thought, word and deed, by omitting to do that which is commanded us, and by doing that which is for= bidden us, whether against the first or second table of the law, with respect to God, ourselves, and our neighbour. These several sins are either reigning in the unregenerate, who are willing slaves of sin : *' Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin," John viH. 3, 4, or sins which do not reign, to wit, in the regenerate, who are often " brought into captivity to the law of sin, which is in their members," contrary to their will and inclination, by the power of corruption, Rom. vii. 23. Every sin deserves death by its own nature : " The wages of sin is death," saith Paul, Rom. vi. 23. And there- fore the Papists contradict the word of God, when they distinguish sins into venial, wliich do not deserve death, and mortal, which de- serve death by their abominable nature more than other sins. One sin is indeed greater, and is punished with greater severity than another. See John xix. 11. Matt. xi. 21 — 24 but the least sin de- serves death, inasmuch as it is committed asjainst the most high majesty of God, and against his law, which threatens the trans- gressor with death. John speaks indeed of " a sin unto death, and of a sin, which is not unto death," 1 John v. 16, 17, but a sin which is not tinto death, doth not mean a sm which by its own nature doth not deserve death, and is pardonable, but only a sin which God doth not punish with death in all who are guilty of it, and of which many obtain forgiveness, >• hich cannot be said of the sin unto death, since that is the unpardonable sin against the Holy Ghost, " whereby a person maliciously rejects and opposes, without a powerful tempta- tion of endangering his life, or other temptations of such a nature, the truth of tlie gospel, which is according to godliness, of which he hath been assured by an inward enlightening and conviction of the Holy Spirit." See concerning this sin, Matt. xii. 31, 32. Heb. vi. 4, 5, C. x 26 — 29. Because this sin is unpardonable, therefore John calls it " a sin unto death, for which a person may not pray, and which thejfcwho are bom of God cannot commit," 1 John v. 16, 17, 1 8. God could indeed forgive that sin, but it doth not please him to forgive it, because it obstinately, and with a final and persevering impenitence, rejects the conviction of the Holy Ghost, and so the last mean of conversion : " For it is impossible for those who were once enhghtened, &c. if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance," Heb, vi, 4, 5, 6, 86 THE PUNISHMENT OF SIN. God inflicts punishment on account of all these sins in his displease ure, or anger. Anger in man is a vehement and vexaiious peitur^ bation of nis mind, whereby he is urgtd to avenge hi'x.seli of his neighbour, on account of some real, or supposed injui'y doiic to him. Bui the i-ord God being simple, independent, and uhchangeabiy an4 perfectly happy, cannot suffer such a painful agitation of mind. When nevertheless anger is ascribed to him, ''.ve must understand it in a sense which is worthy of him, and by way of analogy, agreeably to his word, which designs by the anger of God, (a) his holy aver- sion and dislike to the sinner and his sin, by which he is injured in the highest degree ; as a man, who is angry, is averse from the per- son, who hath injured him. And so it is said of God, that " he is of purer eyes than to behold evil, and that he cannot look upoi^ iniquity," Kab. i. 13. " Jesus looked round about upon the Jews with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts," Mark iii. 5» Therefore the anger of God is called also, after the manner of men, " the grief of his heart," Gen. vi. 6. Isaiah Ixiii. 10, " his hatred,'*- Psalm V. 5, 6, and " his vexation," Psalm xcv. 10. (b) His holy and righteous will and purpose to punish the sinner. " God will punish sin," saith the instructor, in order to explain tlie anger of God. '' He that believeth not the Son shall not see life ; but the wrath of God abideth on him." John iii. 56. That is, the will of God to punish him in due time, although his long suffering spare him yet. 'I'here- fore the anger of Gud is also called " his desire," Hosea x. 10. (c) Finally, the anger of God denotes also the punishments and judg= ments, which he inflicts on the sinner, \ipon account of his sins : '' The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodHness and unrighteousness of men," saith our text. See this signification also, iVlatt. iii. 7. Rom. iii. 5. Thus the catechism also explains the anger of God by " his just judgment, by which he punisheth sins temporally and eternally." Since now God, when he punisheth, takes vengeance of sin, obtains satisfaction, and glorifies his hohness, justice and power, therefore he is said " to rejoice," Deut. xxviii. 63, "to comfort hmiselt," Isaiah i. 24, and *' to be refreshed,'* Amos v. 9, when he punishes sin. "God punishes sin then by his just judgment, temporally and eternally." Temporally in this life, both with bodily and spiritual plagues. Bodily punishments are all that is shameful, hurtful, and painful to the sinner. " God pouretli contempt upon him, even upon princes," Psalm cvii. 40, which is the most intolerable evil, that can befall the proud sinner: Saul and Ahithophel slew themselves, because they could not endure contempt, I Sam xxxi. 4, 5. 2 Sam. xviii. 2f?- IV. LORD'S DAY, Q. 10, 1 1. 8f The Lord plagues the transgressor also sometimes with poverty : " he becomes as a moth and rottenness unto him," Hosea \\ 12, and " curses hi.s blessings," Mai. ii 2, so ti.at the sinner must cry out with distress, " What shall I eat ? what shall 1 drink ? and where- witnal shall I be clothed?" Matt. vi. 25. And as if thisvWere not grievous enough, " God distributeth sorrows to him in his anger," Job xxi. 17. " He is also chastened with pain upon his bed, and the multitude of his bones with strong pain : so that his life abhorreth bread, and his soul dainty meat. His flesh is consumed away, that it cannot be seen, and his bones that were not seen stick out. Yea, his soul draweth near unto the grave, and his life to the destroyers," Job xxxiii. 19 — 22. God visits the sinner with fevers, consumptions, pestilence, biles, wounds, and other plagues of that kind, which " bring him to the king of terrours, drive him out of light into dark- ness, and chase him out of the world," Job xviii. 14, 18. He is attacked wnthall these evil plagues immediately by God himself, and by his evil enemies in his own person, in his household, and in the land in which he dwells. See how all this and still more is threaten- ed, Lev. xxvi. and Dent, xxviii. But man sins chiefly with his soul, and therefore his soul also is attacked with the most grievous spiritual judgments, (a) God smites the soul with blindness and darkness of understanding. Man is by nature spiritually blind : nevertheless he hath still some natural knowledge of divine things ; but even "that which he still hath is justly taken away from him," Matt. xiii. 12. " His foolish heart is still more darkened," Rom. ii 21, and so he deceives himself: " he saith, I am rich, and increased in goods, rnd he knows not that he is wretched and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked," Rev. iii. 17. God, in whom he hath the greatest concern, is hidden from him : " the gospel of salvation is hidden from him," 2 Cor. iv. 3, and " God sends him a strong delusion, so that he believes a lie ;" 2 Thess ii. 11. (b) To this is added hardness of heart, so that he becomes hke a stone, insensible and impenitent. Before this he could sometimes relent on account of his sins, and be afraid of des- truction ; but God, being greatly displeased with him, suffers " his heart to wax gross, makes his ears heavy, and shuts his eyes, lest he should see with his eyes, and hear with his ears, and understand with his heart, and be converted and healed," Isaiah vi. 9, 10. (c) God also abandons him to the thraldom of his sins, so that " his own ini- quities take him, and he is holden with the cords of his sins," Rev. V. 22. Yea, the Lord lets his lusts loose on him, which seize him and drive him forward, and so he is given over to a reprobate mind, AS THE PUNISHMENT OF SIN. to do those things which ar« not convenient," Rom. i. 28. (d) He is also punished by God with the overlording of Satan. '' The God of this world blinds his mind, that the light of the gospel may not shine unto him," 2 Cor. iv. 4. That potent ruler drives him from sin to sin, " he v,^orks in the children of disobedience," Eph. ii. 2, 3, and ^* takes them captive in his snare at his will," 2 Tim. ii. 26. Yea, he will sometimes •' terrify" them, as he did Saul, 1 Sam xvi. 14. (e) God s spiritual judgment sometimes proceeds so far with the sinner, that he gives him up to a restless conscience, which torments him contLUually. Ihat will upbraid him continually with his improper conduct, will present God to him with teriour, as a righteous judge, and will even in laughter afflict his heart with sorrow ; and that gnawmg worm will cause him to choose with Judas even strangling. Matt, xxvii. 5. But what danger would there be, if the sinner were punished only in this life, his end draws near, and after death he will not suffer any more : but that which must cause him to cry out for grief of heart is, that God will plague him for ever with '* the punishmtnt of ever- lasting fire," Jude vrs. 7, and with " the damnation of hell," Matt, xxiii. 33. By which, (1) he will be depi'ived of all that was honoura- ble, pleasant and profitable to him in this life, and that did in some measure divert and moderate his distress : he may not have " a mioistencd finger to cool his tongue :" and nothing but a painful re- membrance of " the good things, v/hich he had received in his life- time," will remain with him, and afflict him g evously, Luke xvi. 24, 25. Yea, what will distress him most, he w Ml be excluded from the enjoyment of the only blessed God ; for " he will be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power," 2 Thess. i. 9, He is now indeed alienated from the life of God ; but he doth not knew God, nor the happiness of communion with him^ and he doth not concern himself witn these things; and therefore his separation from Cod doth not grieve him, or he flatters himself with a vain hope, that God will yet be favoura- ble to him : but when a dreadful eternity shall surprize him, he will then know expenmentally, and with anguish of soul what God is, what it is to enjoy him, what to be separated and estranged from Iiim ; how his vain hope will abhor him, and leave him to the great- est distress, without any relief. (2) He will not only miss all that is good, but he will also be subjected to a painful feeling of all that is evil : for (a) " God will not meet him as a man," Isaiah xlvii. 3, but " he will stir up all his wrath," Psalm Ixxviii. 38, and cause the sinner to ►< drink of the wrath of the Almighty," Job xxi. 20. Can IV, LORD'S DAY, ^. 10, U. 89 a man not endure that his neighbour, whose good will he seeks and needeth, should behold him in wrath, how insupportable then will " the power of God's anj^er and indii^nution be to liim I" Psalm xc. ii. The damned will cry out n.ore than t-.e heathen and Roman persecutors, when they were defeated at the bpening of the sixth seal, Rev. vi. 16, 17. " to the mountains and rocks. Fall on uy, and hide us from the face of him that sitieth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb : for the great day of his vvraih is come ; and who shall be able to stand ?" (b) The sinner's conscience will also rage terribly against him, and gnaw and sting him like a *' worm,'* Mark ix. 44, 46, 48. Ii will continually upbraid him with all his iniquities, in their ag^^ravating circumstances : that he hath sinned dreadfully against such an exalted Majesty, against so many obliga- tions and faithful warnings, and that he hath in such a senseless manner lost his invaluable salvation for a few insignificant trifles, (c) And what will afflict him equally with this is, that he will always persist in sinning, that he will, in the most horrible manner curse himself and his neighbour, with whom he had sinned during his life, yea, that he will " blaspheme God because of his pains," like the worshipers of the beast, when " the fifth viol shall be poured out Upon his seat," Rev. xvi. 10, 11. Sin is now indeed the element of the sinner, but it will then be to him like seething water to aliving fish, although it cannot live out of the water, which is its element. This misery will be aggravated by the circumstances of place, of society, and duration. The transgressor will be cast and shut up in a most dreary place, as '* in a prison," 1 Peter iii. 19, ".in hell," Luke xvi. 23. "the deep," Luke viii. 31. " the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone," Rev. xxi. 8. ''the outer darkness,'* Matt. viii. 11. All these terrifying descriptions of the place of the damned ought to affect the sinner with the greatest horrour, and cause him to flee from the wrath to come. There the wicked wight will also be with the most horrible sinnersj with whom no person of the least morality could converse here. For " the lake of fire is the portion of the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolators, and all liars," Rev. xxi. 8. There is no person who is more hated than a hypocrite ; but hell is the proper abode of such, Matt. xxiv. 51. And surely those monsters will not be there to practise their enormities for sport, but to torment one another, when they will upbraid one another with a hellish mafignity, that they have occasioned each others' perdition. The devils will also be there, a?* Q do THE PUNISHMENT OF SlS\ in their inheritance, Matt. sxv. 41, and will sene as " tormentors" of the guilty sinner. Matt, xviii. 34. If the season ot punishment continued thous:^nds of years, there would still be an end of it ; but that which will be insupportable to the damned person, and which will sink him into the lowest depth of despair i^. that his pains will be eternal, eternal beyond the utmost reach of thouglit. For there will be *' an everlasting fire, and ever- lasung punishment," Matt. xxv. 41, 46. " He may seek death, but it will flee from him ; his worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." The s ul of the sinner must undergo this, as soon as in death it departs from the body. For we consider it as an opinion, to which we ouo-ht not to assent, because it is too dangerous, that the essence of the soul consists only in thought, and that it is not therefore capa- ble of residing in any place : for thou.2:ht being an act must there- for.^ proceed from a being, which actually thinketh, and besides this, we must sav that the soul being in no place, and therefore no where, doth really not exist at all : and what becomes of tl^e soul, whea it departs from the body ? is it no where ? how is the believer thea blessed, when he dies ? according to Rev. xiv. 1 3, and how are the un- godly punished ? " do not the spirits go into prison then ?" I Peter iii, 19. And how do those of Sodom and Gomorrah suffer the vengeance of eternal fire ?" Jude vrs. 7, according to the body ? No, the fire by which their cities and bodies were burned, hath been quenched long since. The body is indeed freed from the condemnation of hell some- time , but it will be raised up again, and united to the soul, which it had served as an nistrument in sinning, in o**der to be punished like- wise : for '' many shall arise to shame and everlasting contempt," Dan. xii. 2, to be cast with body and soul into hell," where they will weep with their eyes, and gnash their teeth," Matt. xiii. 42, and gnaw their tongues for pain," Rev. xvi, 10. But how do the Socinians strengthen the hands of the ungodly, when they teach that the heathens, who have not had the gospel, will be annihilated, and suffer only a painless punishment of loss and deprivation, that they shall not see the face of God ; but that those who have had the gospel, and nevertheless shghted and rejected it, shall be consumed by a dreadful fire at the last day, with great tor- ment, and then be annihilated. If an ungodly man can believe this, he will become still more ungodly. Such a doctrine supposes that the soul is mortal, contrary to the nature of it, and to the Avord of God* The word of God testifieth also, that all the ungodly "shall IV. LORD'S DAY, Q. 10, i u ^l depart into everlasting fire, and into everlasting torment," Matt. xxv. 41, 46, and that '^ their worm shall not die, and that their fire shall not be quenched," Mark ix. 44. "■ The heathens do not know God," saith Paul, i Thess. iv. 5. Now " God will take vengeance in fli.m- ing fire on them who do not know him, as well as on them, who do not obey the gospel," 2 Thess. i 8. The men of Sodom and Go- morrah, who were heathens, and not of the family of Abraham, nor in the covenant, *' suffer even until this day the ver.geance of eternal nre," Jude vrs. 7. Surely the apostle doth not mean the fire by which they were consumed, since that was not the eternal fire, for it doth Rot burn any more. Behold in this manner doth God punish sins ; but dotli he pimish only actual sins thus? and not original sin alho ? suely he is dis- pleased with that also, and will punish it with temporal an.' eternal judgments ; for must not young children, who have only original, and not actual sins, suffer many sorrows, yea, death itself ? and are not these miseries a punishment of their original sin ? we may not think that these miseries are not inflicted upon them by God, nor that God visits them therewith, without regard to any sinfulness or punishment; for we should then deny either tlie providence of Clod, or his mercy ; but may we think that children who die without com- mitting any actual sins are punished for ever and damned ? We must speak cautiously here. It is certain, that the children of believing parents are received with their parents into covenant with God, ac- cording to Gen. xvii. 7. Acts ii. 39, and are therefore called " holy" 1 Cor. i'. 14, and "the kingdom of God is promised to them," Matt, xix, 13, 14, 15. See our exposition uf iafant baptism, Lord's Day 27. But this is not the subject of inquiry here, but w." e'her God is displeased with the original sin of children, and whether he will punish it, as the instructor speaks ? and truly the word of God teaches us this, when it saith that " the whole world," and therefore children also " are guilty before God," Rom. iii 19. We are also « children of wrath by nature," Eph. ii. 3. Children are sometin^s punished with their parents, who are punished eternally, as we sec in the children of the first world, who perished in the flood with their parents, ** who are in prison," 1 Peter iii. 19, and this grievous judg* ment befell them on account of original sin also, according to Gen. vi. 5, 6, 7. Were not children punished in the fire of Sodom and Gomorrah ? and do not these suffer even until this day " the punish- ment of eternal fire ?" Jude vrs. 7. * * Our author doth not assert here absolutely, that any infants arc actually lost, bat h« only argweg frem r«rfain passage* of scriptur*, with rMpect to Is THE PUNISHMENT OF SIN. Because original sin is a punishment of Adam's sin, therefore the Remonstrants assert that God doth not punish original sin in this manner ; since one punishment would then be unjustly punished ■with another. But original sin is not only a punishment by a right- eous imputation of Adam's guilt, but it is also an inherent depravity, rendering man liable to punisiiment from his birth : he is called in- deed " a transgressor from the womb," Isaiah xlviii. 8- We must humble ourselves on account of it, with David, Psalm li. 5, and with him seek for the pardon of it, and God punishetb one sin in other instances with another, which sin is then again justly punished. It IS contrary to the word of Ciod, as we will show on the seventh Lord's Day, that Crod hath received all mankind, who fell in Adam, ^nd therefore children also into favour, and that he doth not conse- quently punish original sin. \V e do not speak here of the covenant of grace, mto which some children are received, but of the covenant of works, and of the manner in which God punisheth the posterity of Adam on account of the breach of this covenant. Doth God re- ceive all men graciously into a general covenant of grace, he will nevertheless, even according to the opinion of the Remonstrants, punish many of them ; for they teach that every individual of man- kind will not be eternally happy. It is true God forgave the sin of Adam, when he promised him the seed of the w mian . but it doth not follow therefrom, that he forgave the whole human race, who had sinned in him, that sin, and this matter, In such a manner, as to show, that we must not presume to decide positively, that all infants are saved ; neither doth the catechism, or any other standard of our church declare absolutely, that any infants, who die before I hey have committed £Ctual sins, are damned, but only with the word of God, that we are by nature child»-en of wrath, and that unless a person be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God and that those who die in their natural, or unregenerate state suffer not only for actual sins , but als© for their or.ginal, or birth sin. We cannot indeed tell, but that it may please God, of ^is nilinite compassion, to regenerate all those chrildren, whom he takes out of the world before they have committed ;iCtual sins. Leading divines have differed in their opinions concerning the future condition of in- fants. But although we cannot decide positively u'hat the actual state of infants may be after this life, nevertheless Christians in general have always conceived, tnat we have greater encouragement from scripture to hope well of infants, who die within the pale of the church, than of those who die without that pale, since the fermer are entitled to the promises, and therefore may be baptized, but the latter have no express promise, and therefore may not be btptired. Those Christians who have conceived that any children were lost, Jiave always holden that the.e was a great diflerence between the unhappines.-i p,f such, and of persons who have committed actual sins- IV. LORD'S DAY, Q, 10. li, 99 that he doth not punish them for it ; for if God forgave Kim his per- sonal sin, he did not therefore forgive the whole human race that sinj unless Adam were the head of the whole human race in the cove- nant of i^race, as well as in the covenant of works, which no man can say, who holds that Christ is the head of the covenant of grace, ac* cording to Rom. v. 15 — 19. 1 Cor. xv. 21, 22, 49. But how is God displeased with sin ? ** terribly," sai^h the in- structor. Therefore the an^^er of C^od is likened to the most terrible things, to wit, to 't a fire whjch burns to the lowest hell," Deut. xxxii. 22. to " instruments of death, a sharp sword, a bent bow and arrows," Psalm vii. 11, 12, 13, to "a grievous whirlwind from the Lord." Jer. xxiii. 19, to the " dregs" of a poisonous cup, Psalm Ixxv. 8. Jtr, xxv. 15, 16, and to the raging of a •' fierce lion, leopard and bear," Hosea xiii. 7. 8. There are also many examples of God's terrible anger. We will not speak now of the dreadful judgments that befell the old world. Sodom and the seditious company of Korah, see only how even the most 1 oly men have roared under a sense of (iod's anger. How was Job forced to complain of " the arrows of the Almighty," chap. vi. 4. Feman was " afflicted and ready to die from his youth iip,\ 8cc. Psalm Ixxxviii. 15 — 19. Row grievously the Son of God himself was oppressed l)y tlie wrath ot God we may see from his bitter complaints m the garden, and on the cross, and the distress of heaven and earth, whicli seemed to suffer with him, and on account of him. Matt. xxvi. 37 — 44. chap xxvii. 45 — 54 And when God attacks impenitent sinners, how doth it affright them, and what trembling siezes on them, saying, " Who among us shall dwell with devouring fire ? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burn- ings r" Isaiah xxxiii 14. Only represent to yourselves how sadly the damned weep with their eyes, how they gnash their teeth, how they gnaw their tongues, wring their hands, how they seek for death in vain, and blaspheme the God of heaven. We can also conceive that God is terribly displeased, when we consider that he is not de- ficient in wisdom to contrive terrible punishmepts, nor in power to execute them upon those who reproach his name. He denounceth his curse against the least sin, Gal. iii. 10. Many Bethshemites were punished with death, because they looked inquisitively into the ark, and Uzza, because he laid hold of it in an indiscreet manner, 1 Sam. vi. 19, 20. 2 Sam. vi. 6, 7. When we add to this that God will punish sin eternally, we may then also imagine how terribly God is displeased with sin. Since God is so terribly displeased with sin, he will also " cer- tainly" punish it, as he hath spokei;i, Deut. xxvii- 26. Gal. iii. 10c 04 THE PUNISHMENT OF SIN. "Cursed is every one that continueth not in all thini^s that are written in the book of the law to do them." This is the threatening of the covenant of works : for Paul proves from this sentence of cursing, that " as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse,'* Gal. iii. 10 ; to which curse pertain likewise all the threatenings de- nounced in the. word of God against the unconverted sinner ; for it is * the law only that worket • wrath," Rom. iv. 15, and therefore this sentence ot the curse is very properly referred by the inslructoi* to original, as well as to actual sin, inasmuch as both belong to the covenant of works. When this curse v/as announced to the Israelites* with whom God had already established his covenant of grace, Deut» xxxvi. 16, it was not, because he entered into a covenant of works with them, but because he chose to exhibit the broken covenant of works to them by the legal administration of the covenant of gr^ce^ in order that he might convince them, and urge them to the Mes- siah, who was to come. See Gal iii. 10 — 24. V'hen God saith this, we must also believe it, and be assu-ed that he will certainly punish sin ; for he is true in his threateninjjs as well as in his promises ; therefore Samuel said with respect to the judgment denounced against Saul, " He who is the strength of Israel will not lie ror re- pent ; for he is not a man that he should repent," 1 Sam. xv. 29. When the curses were denounced from mount Ebal, " all the people- should say Amen," Deut. xxvii. IS — 26. It is also " necessary," that God should punish sin, not only on account of his truth, since he hath said it, but also because it is natu- ral to him ; for it doth not proceed merely from his free good pleas- ure, but also from his nature, that he doth punish sin. For (1) "sin is committed against the most high majesty of God," his glory and sovereignty, which we must acknowledge, and also that we have to do with him. AH this is denied and rejected by the sinner, when he sinneth- as though God were not worthy to be feared, loved and serv- ed ; and so his most high majesty is dishonoured. Sirce now God loves himself, and therefore also his glorious majesty, with the greatest love, he cannot but be jealous of sin ; and what is the jeal- ousy of God, but an avenging punishment, whereby he restores his injured majesty to its proper lustre ? " He will by no means clear the guilty. His name is jealous, and he is a jealous God," Exod. xxxiv. 7, 14. Nahum i. 1,2. Therefore it is said, that he is glori-. fied, when he punishes sin. Numb. xiv. 2 1, 22, 23, and that he "com- forts" himself, when he taketh vengeance, Isaiah i. 24. (2) The. holiness of God hath a natural aversion from the sinner on acount of his sin, and it is natural to God to hate sin : " He is of purer eyoG.. IV. LORD'S DAY, Q. 10, lu 9i than to behold evil," Hab. i. 13 Can he therefore, who is holiness itself, exercise communion with the sinner, as he wouW do, if he did not punish him, but showed him favour r If it were possibk- for him not to hate sin, it would be possible for him to love it. How contrary this is to the holy nature of God, how averse he is from sin, and on account of it from the sinner, is known to all. What is God's hatred and aversion from sin and the sinner ? is it not the greatest punish- ment ? see Psalm v. 5, 6, 7. 2 Thess. i. 9. If God did not punish sin, he would then seem to be " like the sinner," Psalm 1 21, but when he punishes sin, he then shows that he is holy. Lev. x I, 2, 3. Ezek. xxviii. 22. (3) The justice of God, as judge of the whole earth re» quires also, that he should punish sin, surely the judiciary punish- ment of sin is an act not only of anger, but also of justice, " God is indeed a righteous judge, and a God who is angry every day," Psalm vii- 12. cxxix. 4. Rom. ii. 5. Is not this punitive justice of God as judge, natural to him, as well as his other natural perfections, which he cannot deny ? can we indeed conceive of God, as contrary to this judiciary justice, and as a judge, who is not righteous ? " The Gen- tiles know the judgment of God ; that they who commit such things are worthy of death," Rom. i. 32. How do the Gentiles know this ? by a revelation ? no, but by the light of nature, and by their own consciences, whereby " they do by nature the things contained in the law," Rom. ii. 14, 15. Now it is certain that they cannot know this judgment of God by the light of nature, if the punitive justice of God be not natural to him : for that which depends upon the free good pleasure of Cod, and upon his government no man can know by the light of nature, but only by revelation. If God did not punish sin, he would not do right, as a judge, either to himself or to the sinful creature, and therefore God is said to declare his righteousness when he punishes sin, Rom. iii. 25, 26. (4) The authority of God as a lawgiver, by which he requireth obedience of his rational crea- tures is natural to him : he cannot discharge man of his duty and obligation to keep his commands : " On account of his incomparable glory he may justly require that every one should fear him," Jer» X. 6, 7 If God can suffer the sinner to remain unpunished, he can then also discharge him of his obligation to obedience ; for when he did not punish the sinner, he would say that he could endure that tnan should not obey him, which surely cannot be. Let no man say that punishment is a strange work of God, and is not natural to him, because it is said, Isaiah xxviii. 21. "The Lord shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley x>{ Gibeon, tliat he may do his work, his strange work ; and bring 91^ THE PUNISHMENT OF SIN. to pass his act, his strange act ;" for the Socinians and others, who object this to us, must answer this objection themselves, inasmuch as they say that it is natural to God to punish the impenitent sinner^ who persists in sinning without reformation ; yet they will not allow this with regard to every sin, as they do with regard to impenitence, when nevertlieless impenitence is punishable only on account of its sinfulness, and not on account of its duration ; for duration is of itself pot si.'Kul, but in several mstances commendable. With regardi-to Jsaiaa xxviii 21, we do not read there, that God's work and act of punishing is strange to God, but only that it is strange : and to ^hom should it be strange ? to God? no: but to the transgressors, on whom God would inflict a strange and unusual pUi ishment. As God punishes sin terribly, certainly, and necessarily, so he pun- ishes it ''justly." In order that the punishment may be just, it must be equal to the sin^ and not exct- ed it : and so a just punishment is that " recompence of an errour which is meet," Rom. i- 2f ii. 6, Kow sin is committ. d against the most high majesty of God : but sin is grievous in proportion to the dignity of the pefson, against whom it is committed. See Job xxxiv. 18, 19. 1 Sam ii. 25. Since now sin is committed against the infinite God, and his most high majesty, therefore sin is also, in a certain respect, infinite, to wit, with respect to the infinite object of sin : " and therefore the justice of God requireth that sin, which is cbmmitted against the most high majesty of God, be punished with extreme, that is, with everlasting punishment, both of body and soul." Since now it doth not please God to annihilate the sinner, but to suffer him to exist for ever, there- fore it is also an act of justice to punish him for ever with a sensible punishment, because he hath sinned against God, who will exist for ever, and because he will continue to sin, on account of his abomi- nableness, which will cleave to him for ever. II. The careless sinner, unwilling to be disturbed by the terrible- ness and justice of the punishment, sooths and hardens himself with the mercy of God, as if that Would overcome and swallow up his justice ; in which he is strengthened by the Socinians, when they alledge the mercy of God against the doctrine of his punishing jus* tice, asking, " Is not God then also merciful?" We allow that God is indeed merciful, as well as just ; but God will not exercise mercy to the disparagement of his justice. To illustrate this we will ex- plain wherein the mercy of God consists, and in what manner it is exercised, and we will then show that it doth not militate against bis strict justice. Mercy in man is a sorrowful perturbation of mind, on account of IV. LORD'S DAY, Q. 10, 11. 07 the suffering of another, disposing him to rescue the sufferer. But the Lord God being independent, simple, unchangable, and perfectly- happy, cannot be affected with such an agitation and perturbation of mind : therefore, when it is said of him, after the manner of men, that he is merciful, it must be understood in a sense which is wor- thy of the nature of God ; and so the mercy of God is only his good- ness to the miserable, which he exerciseth, either by bestowing com- mon benefits even upon the vilest sinners, as Jesus aaith, Luke vi. 35, Sec. '* He is kind to the unthankful, and to the evil. Be ye, therefore, merciful, as your Father also is merciful." Or God exer» cises his mercy by conferring special and saving benefits in Christ upon the elect. Hear what Paul saith of this, Eph. ii. 45. " God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ." But although God is so merciful, he is also just : and, he requires that sin should be punished, and his mercy doth not abolish his vin- dictive justice ; for the attributes of God cannot militate, one ag-ainst anothef, whereby one wouh; detract from the lustre of another ; b\it one must increase the lustre of the other: therefore, the justice and mercy of God are joined together to his praise. See Exod. xxxiv. 6, 7. Psalm cxi 3, 4. cxii 4. cxvi. 5. When this is rightly considered, we will see, (a) that there is no force in this objection to deny the vindictive justice of God : for al- though God is merciful to the unthankful and evil, bestowing com- mon benefits on them, he will nevertheless punish them severely, if not in this life, yet after this life. Common mercy is not shown to them in order to exempt them from eternal punishment, but it only- moderates their punishment for a season, in order to afford them a testimony of the divine goodness, and invite them to repentance. 2 Peter, iii. 9. "that they may be without excuse." Rom. i. 19,20. " Do they despise the riches of the goodness, and forbearance, and longsuffering of God, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth them to repentance, they do after their hardness and impenitent hearts, treasure up wrath to themselves against the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of God." Rom. ii. 4, 5« Doth he show his special mercy to the salvation of the elect, this supposeth the satisfaction of his justice by Christ, whereby he hath borne their punishment. Isaiah liii. 4, 5. Rom. iii. 25, 26. (b) We may also learn from what hath been said before, that this objection proceeds from a mistaken notion of tlie divine mercy, and of man's sinful misery. The Socinians imagine tliat God, as well as man, is subject to the passions «f anger, sorix)w, and so also of mercy; and R 9i THE PUNISHMENT OF SIN, that he is moved by the misery of men, to abstain from punisbih^ him. and to dehver him. But such agitations of mind raihtatc against the independence, simplicity, unchangableness, and hap- piness of God ; and besides this, the sinful misery of man is not adapted to excite mercy and compassion, whereby God should be moved to deliver him ; but it is a misery Avhich excites hatred and detestation, and thus calls for the righteous anger of God. Psalm v. 4,5,6. J lab. i. 13. See how loathsome the sinner is described, Ezek. xvi. 1.5. How tan God be moved by such a misery to com- passion ? Must he not remove the Avorker of iniquity from his pre- sence ? " The way of the sinner is before God like the uncleanness of a lAenstruous woman ; therefore he pours his fury out upon him." Ezek. xxxvi. 17, 18. Can any man from pity take up a toad that hath been trodden under foot, and that wallows in its blood and poisonous spittle, lick )t, or kiss it, in order to heal it? surely no : he cannot look upon it, but must remove it from his sight. Much less can the holy God, wiiO is holiness itself, embrace in his special kindness and love, the hateful tinner, without a satisfaction to his justice. (e) We add also, that this objection is out of its place. God is merciful in the covenant of grace, but not in the covenant of works, which the sinner hath broken. Mercy hath no place in the broken covenant of works, but only justice ; " The law worketh wratli." Rom. iv. 15. All the mercy whereby God honours his people with saving grace, proceeds from the covenant of grace which supposeth the death of the iVTediator, and therefore God's vin- dictive justice. ITeb. ix 15. Since now this Lord's day treats of the righteous judgment of God, on account of our breach of the covenant of works, therefore the objection from the mercy of God in the covenant of Grace is out o( its proper place here. APPLICATION. In this manner do the Socinians deny by their doctrine the terrible displeasure of God, by which he punisheth sin. temporally and eter- nally, certainly and justly : but this is denied by you also, who have not yet tied to Christ by faith and conversion, in order to obtain his righteousness. For, 1. Ye do not yet know the demerit of your sins. If ye knew it, and believed the terrible displeasure of God on account of your sins, would ye not then fear and tremble more because of your sins, and those terrible punishments, which ye must expect ? woujd ye be sc*' careless, and "when ye do evil, skip for joy ?" Jer. xi, 15. IV. LORD'S DAY, Q. 10, 1 \. 99 2. When God punishes you in this life with many and grievous calamities, ye do not then perceive Ihat God doth this on account of your sins and impenitence : ye look not at him who smites you, but think that time and chance bring these things forth : ye think that they come to pass, as though " afflictions came forth out of the earth, and trouble sprang up out of the ground," Job v. 6. And so ye say with your deeds, " The Lord will not do good, neither will he do evil," Zeph. i. 12, 3. How often do ye harden yourselves against God's terrible judg- ments ! for when he smites you, ye do not relent ; and it doth not induce you to br.?ak oif your iniquities : but ye start up against his procedure, and add to your abominable sins, like " Ahaz, who in the time of his trouble, trespassed still more against the Lord," 2 Chron. xxviii. 22. " Doth God smite you, ye are not grieved ; doth he consume you, ye refuse to receive correction ; ye make your faces harder than a rock, and refuse to return," Jer. v. 3. Doth a fear for the wrath to come ever take hold of you, it is irksome to you, ye endeavour to stifle your consciences, and to " cover your transg:res ■ sions like Adam, by hiding your iniquity in your bosom," Job xxxi. 33. Gen. iii. 1?. 4. Ye flatter and deceive yourselves, thinking that ye wil^ not be punished &o severely : " When ye hear the words of this curse, ye do then bless yourselves in your hearts, saying, We shall have peace, though we walk in the imagination of ©ur hearts," Deut. xxix. 19. Ye think these threatenings have been denounced so long, nothing v/ill come of them, like '* the scoffers in the last days,' 2 Peter iii. 4. If yc dare not be so wicked, ye put the evil day far off, and think, the vision is yet for many days, and a man will not be misera- ble before the time ; but, friends, when God c'efers, he dot,ii not then desert, and when he defers, it ought not to render you more care- less and wicked, but it ought to '^ lead you to repentance," Rom. ii. 4. 2 Peter iii, 9. Dotli fear beset you, ye banish it, and flatter your= selves with the mercy of God, and with the sufferings of Christ for sin. But is G,od merciful to you with his saving favour ? and hath Jesus suff*ered for your sins ? he hath surely suff'ered for none but those ^'^ who turn from transgression," Isaiah lix. 20. Do ye hope that ye will turn yet ? wken ? when this or that opportunity occurs I but perhaps ere such an opportunity occurs, " the decree of God will; bring forth, the day will pass as the chaff", the fierce anger of the Lord will come upon you," Zeph. ii. 2. Ye say. We hope not ; but your hope is vain and ungrounded, it will forsake you. Do ye suffer niany affUctions, and do ye comfort yourselves with a hope, ths^t 100 THE PUNISHMENT OF SIN. these will be the full measure of your sufferings, and that ye win not be obliged to suffer hereafter ? this is nothing but deceit ; your suf- ferings in this world vill not diminish aught froncs your eternal pui>- ishment ; the> are only the beginnings of eternal sorrows. Or do- ye inna^nie, that ye are delivered from tht. wrath of God, because ye arc not so wicked as this or that person, but are civil and devout ? But was not the Pharisee so virtuous as thiS) and did not " he go down to his house unjustified ?" Luke xviii. 10 — 14. When ye have no more cloaks for your shame, when they have all been taken from you, and your abominableness and misery have been discovered to you, ye then think, it would be truly sad, that ye should be aban- doned to wretchedness ; and because your self-love will not suffer you to think the worst of yourselves, ye imagine that this Mill not befall you. But how exceedingly will ye be disappointed, when Cod will attack you, while ye do not expect it, with his almighty anger, and not as a man, when ye will bewail yourselves too late, and " mourn at the last, saying, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof? and have not obeyed the voice of my teach- ers, nor inchneJ mine ear to them that instructed me ? Prov v. 1 1, 12, 13. Do ye ask, What shall we nevertheless do ? will ye indeed do aught? if ye will, come then hither, and I will instruct you. (1) Behold your utter abominableness and woful misery: ye have ariginal and actual sins : the terrible wrath of God lieth upon you, and ye have reason to expect that God will attack you shortly vvith his fiery indignation. Because ye do not attend to this, therefore ye remain hardened, careless, and do not seek for any real recovery. That ye may therefore awake, behold the greatness of your misery, pause, and endeavour to understand it, that ye may be penetrated with grief and concern, " Examine yourselves strictly, yea, examine your- selves strictly, O ye listless people." Zeph. ii. 1, See Jer, ii. 19, 23. 2. Beware of accusing the Lord of excessive severity, or of in- justice : " Is God unrighteous, who taketh vengeance ? God forbid : for then how shall God judge the world ?" Rom. iii. 5, 6. Not only David said, Psalm cxix. 37. " Righteous art thou, O Lord, and up- right are thy judgments ;" but even the hardened Pharaoh cried out, Exod- ix. 2f . " The Lord is righteous, and I and my people are wicked." Do not do less than this, that the Lord may not compel . you by his mighty displeasure to such an acknoM'ledgment. 3. Earnestly endeavour to be delivered from your great misery. To be unconcerned whether we shall be saved or damned, to do nothing in order to escape damnation, and obtain salvation, is cer- tainly the greatest madness, of which a human being is capable : IV. LORD'S DAY, Q. iO, U. ipi «Be zealous therefore and repent," Rev. iii. 19. Do not imagine that a few ceremonies, or a mere heartless sigh will save a sinner : no, he must strive earnestly : " Strive to enter in at the strait £^ate i for many shall seek to enter in, and shall not be- able," saith the Saviour, Luke xiii. 24. " The violent only take the kingdom of heaven by force," Matt. xl. 12. We must, like one who is pursued and afraid, " flee from the wrath to come," Matt. iii. 7. 4. Do not seek any happiness or deliverance by your oWn doings, but only by fleeing to the Mediator Jesus, that " ye may be found in him, and obtain his righteousness," with Paul, Philip, iii. 7, 8, 9, for '• there is salvation in none other," Acts iv. 12. Jesus alone is " set forth of God to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness," Rom. iii. 25. Therefore look unto him and ha saved," Thus he calls to you, Isaiah xlv 22. 5. Be afraid of the least sin ; for it is committed against the niost high majesty of God, and he punishes it terribly. This should render every one fearful of sinning, like Job, who said — *' Destruc- tion from God was a terrour to me, and by reason of his highness I could not endure." Job xxxi. 23. He who persists in sinnine: wilful- ly and wittingly, cannot expect any mercy ; "but he who confesseth and forsaketh sin, shall obtain mercy " Prov. xxviii. 13. " Wash ye, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes, cease to do evil, learn to do well. Come now, and let us rea- son together, saith the Lord : though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Isaiah i l6, 18. But permit me to address you also, O believers, who, from a pain- ful and distressing view of your sins and demerits, have fled to the Mediator, and reject, with a holy displeasure, your indweUing corrup- tions >(i) see from v/hat ye are delivered. God, the Lord, was terri- bly displeased with you also, on account of your original and actual sins : but " Jesus hath delivered you from the wrath to come." ! Thes. i. 10, " The Lord hath sworn, that he will not be any more wroth with you, nor rebuke you." Isaiah liv. 9. '* There is no condemnation to them v/hich are in Christ Jesus." Rom. viii. 1. ^' To you also," who'have considered yourselves as "the greatest sin- ners, hath mercy been shown." 1 Tim. i. 13, 16. 2. Behold now, also, what the Son of God hath done for you. From pure and inconceivable love, he took all your original and actu- al sins upon himself, in order to deliver you : on account of them he subjected himself to the terrible displeasure of God, he suffered it in its utmost extent, and thus satisfied the justice of God for you. " To redeem you from the curse of th*-. law, he became a curse for you^** 1Q2 THE PUNISHMENT OF SIN. Gal. iii. 1 3. With what an ardent love did he love you, and how^ did the zeal of God's house eat him up, when your reproacheSit wherewith ye had reproached the Lord, fell on him!" Psalm Ixix. 9. Attend a while to this matter, endeavour to lof.^k deep into it, that ye may be filled with wonder, with abasins^ thoughts of your- selves, with joy and praise, and so may be able to comprehend with all the saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and hei8:ht ; and may know the love of Christ, which passeth know^ ledge, that ye may be filled with all the fulness of God." Eph. iii. 18, 19. Conduct yourselves v/ortbily of the inexpressible love and mercy that hath been shown to you. How great an aversion ought ye to manifest in all your behaviour to your original and actual sins ! how ought ye to strive against them, and mortify them ! and how to ex- ert yourselves to conduct in a manner that is pleasing to tht* Lord ! for what end did '^ Jesus give himself for you?" was it not, "that he might redeem you from all iniquity, and purify you to himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works ?" Titus ii. 14. Let then *' the love of Christ constrain you to live no more unto yourselves, but to him who died for you, and rose again-" 2 Cor. v. 14, 15. 4. Have compassion and take pity on tho-^e poor and miserable persons, who manifest by all their conversation, that they lie yet un-. der the terrible wrath of God, and do all that in you lies to save them : *^ Of some have compassion, making a difference, and others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire," saith holy Jude in his, epistle, verse 22, 23. Are ye yet often afraid of the displeasure of God, because ye have still so great a power of inbred corruption in yourselves, and com- mit so many actual sins ? Well, the terrible displeasure, and vin- dictive justice of God cannot assail you on account of these things ; Christ hath borne them, and delivered you theref om. It is true, the lawworketh wrath, and denounceth the curse against the sinner ; but your " sin was condemned in the flesh of , Christ, that the righteous- ness of the law might be fulfilled in you." Rom. viii. 3, 4. Doth the Lord render your condition unhappy by visiting you with many opiritual and bodily afflictions ? Those do not, however, proceed from the wrath oi God, but from his fatherly love and care ; *' that ye may be partakers of his holiness." Heb. xii. 5, 11. Ye shall one day be perfectly and for ever delivered from all your calamities, and be instated in the full enjoyment of God's blissful mercy and love : " For," as the apostle saith, 2 Cor. iv. 17, "our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worneth for us a far more exceeding and eternssj weight of glory" Amen. (103) THE NECESSITY OF A SATISFACTIOT^ Y. LORD'S DAY. Romans viii. 3, 4. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak, through the flesh, God sending his own Son, in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin condemned sin in the flesh : that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Q. 13. Since then by the righteoiis judgment of God, we deserve temporal and eternal fiunishrrient, is there no ivay by ivhich we may es- CB/ie that /lunishmeiit, and 6e again received into favour ? A. God will have his justice satisfied ; and therefore we must make this full satisfaction either by ourselves or by another. Q, 13. Can we ourselves, then, make this satisfaction ? A. By no means; But on the contrary, we daily increase our debt. Q, 14. Can there, then, be found any where, one who is a mere crea- ture, able to satisfy for us ? None : for first, God will not punish any other creature for the sin which man hath committed ; and fhrther, no mere creature can sustain the burden of God's eternal wrath against sin, so as to deliver others from it, Q. 15. What sort of a Mediator and deliverer must we then * eekfor ? A. For one who is very man, and perfectly righteous ; and yet more powerful than all creatures ; that is, one who is also very God. 'A. . LTHOUGH angels and men are the most glorious of all the creatures of God, nevertheless, many of the angels, and all men, have become the most miserable creatures, since they have revolted from; \04 TIIE NECESSITY OF A SATISFACTION. their Maker, and have rebelled against him ; and are therefore con* demned by him to eternal punishment : *' God spared not the an-, gels that sinned, but cast them down to hell." 2 Peter ii. 4. Thus, also, all men, " the whole world is become i^uilty before God ; for they have all sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Rom. iii. 19, 23. Although the nature of angels, yea, of the fallen angels, is much more excellent than that of men, nevertheless, fallen men have this eminent privilege above fallen angels, that God hath re- vealed a deliverance for fallen men, but not for fallen angels. The fallen angels have no hope of deliverance from their misery ; for »' God hath reserved them in everlasting chains, under darkness unto the judgment of the great day." Jude, verse 6. He hath not appointed a mediator and deliverer for them, as he hath given the man Christ Jesus to be a mediator between God and men, I Tim. ii. 5. who did not therefore unite the nature of angels to his Godhead, but that of men : for '* he took not on him the nature of angels, but the seed of Abraham," Heb. ii. 16. Therefore Paul extols so highly the love of God to man, when he saith, Titus iii, 4, 5. " After that the kind- ness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, he saved Us," Sec. In order now that the miserable sinner may become capa- ble of the deliverance, he teaches him his misery, that he may hum- ble him, and he reveals to him the deliverance in his Son. The Holy Spirit, who is sent by Jesus " convinceth the world of sin, and of righteousness," John xvi. 8, For *♦ they who are whole need not a physician, but they who are sick : and the Deliverei came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repen-ance," .'^att. ix. 12, 13. This the instructor also teacheth us, when he sreaks in his second part concerning tlie deliverance of man, for which he had prepared him in his first part, by teaching him his misery. The catechism instructs us in three things with respect to the deliverance : (1) the conditions which are required to the deliverance, Question 1 2 — 1 7- (2) The person who delivers, Question 18. 19. (3) The manner in which we become partakers '^f him by faith. Lord's day vii. — xxxi* In this Lord's day we see, I. That a satisfaction to the justice of God is necessary, in order that we may be delivered. Question 12. II. By whom the satisfaction cannot, and by whom it can be made, Questions 13, 14, 15. I. The instructor saith that a satisfaction to the justice of God is necessary, in order tu our deliverance. The sinner hath by his sins deserved, according to the righteous judgrpent of God, temporal and eternal punishment. Therefore it belongs to his deliverance, V. LORD'S BAY, Q. 12— l5o 105 (a) *' that he should escape from that punishment" by a forgiveness of his sins, whereby he is discharged from his guilt, so that God is no more wroth with him, nor rebukes him, and there is no condem- nation to him. In this manner doth the apostle describe the deliver- ance, saying, " We have redemption through his blood, the forgive- ness of sins," Eph. i. 7. (b) " That he should be again received into favour." whereby he is restored to the kindness and love of God, and obtains grace and glory. The same apostle teacheth (.;s this, when he saith, ^ The Holy Ghost is the earnest of our inheritance^ until the redemption ot the purchased possession," Eph. i. 14. ^ Concerning, and with respect to such a deliverance, a distressed sinner, whom the catechism introduceth here as speaking, asks, Whether there be any way to obtain a deliverance ? For in this man- ner IS the elect sinner affected, when God disposes him for u deliv- erance : for (a) he is convinced ef his abominable temper and con- duct ; he sees that he is guilty in the highest degree, according to the righteous judgment of God, and that not only with a buie con- templation, and with his judgment, but so that he lays it to heart : he sees with shame and aversion from himself his horrible deformity; this distresses and afflicts him, so that he cries out, '* Wo unto me that I have sinned," Lam v. 16. With Ephraim "he bemoans himself, repents, is instructed, smites upon his thigh, is ashamed, yea, even confounded," Jer. xxxi. 18, 19. (b) He is also desirous to be delivered ; as he is at first exceedingly dark and confused, and doth not rightly know the true way to escape punishment, and to be again received into favour, therefoi e he begins to exert himself, in order that he may do all that he can devise, and that his confused apprehensions suggest, as conducive to his deliverance : one while he resolves that he will not sin any more, and then that he will serve God better : but he cannot advance, the power of his conuptions forces him repeatedly out of his way, and when he expects enlarge- ment under his distress, he is afflicted still more than he was before, because he sees by experience that matters become worse with him instead of better. What shall he do? he will pray most earnestly to God, that he would be gracious to him : but as soon as he begins, he finds his access unto God so barred up, that he cannot approach to him, and he becomes so confused that he cannot utter in an orderly manner a single sentence, capable of moving God. He begins anew, but it doth not avail ; this disturbs and perplexes him so, that he is ready to despair of himself, and of all that he doth, and '' he gaith, There is no hope ; for he doth not find the life of his handi and he is grieved," Isaiah Ivii. 10. Yea, he is afraid that there ii nt^ 3 106 THE NECESSITY OF A SATISFACTION. help for him, and that lie i< perhaps a reprobate ; and therefore ht sometimes resolves that he will not endeavour any more to be saved. But his distrcbs and fear of perdition will not suffer him to rest^ until, being wholly stripped and bare, he asks the word and servants of God, *' what he must do to be saved ?" like the jailer, Acts xvi. 30. What doth the instructor now do with such a person ? doth he say, like physicians of no value, Thou must not be so sad, this Sorrow- fulness proceeds from Satan, thou must banish it, God is merciful, Christ hath died for us, thou must beheve this firmly, forsake evil, and do good, and pray to God ? no : for this is only daubing with untempered mortar, it neither heals, nor relieves the soul. But the instructor, desirous that a godly sorro^v should penetrate the sinner, that the tranquillity of his mind may be perfect and established by a perfect righteousness of an all-sufficient Mediator, detains him a while under his concern, yea, he increaseth it by showing him, that there is no way to obtain deliverance, as long as the justice of God is not satisfied : he saith, God will have his justice satisfied," &c. The justice of God denotes here his natural right, by which he is entitled, on account of his glory and sovereignty, to require a perfect obedience of man. Therefore the prophet saith, " Who would not fear thee, thou King of nations ? for to thee doth it appertain," Jer. X. 7, and when man doth not obey him, to punish him temporally and eternally. Even " the Gentiles know the judgment (or right) of God, that they who do such things are worthy of death," Rom. i. 32. This right God hath expressed in his law, and it is therefore called, " the righteousness of the law," Rom. viii. 4. " For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, that the man who doth these things shall live by them," Rom. x. 5, and " cursed is every one who continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them," Gal. iii. 10. This is satisfied, (I) by suffering fully and completely the punish- ment threatened in consequence of sin : thus " God' made his Son, who knew no sin, to be sin," 2 Cor. v. 21, to wit, by inflicting the punishment of sin upon him. This is indeed sufficient to deliver the sinner from punishment, but it doth not give him a right to life ; and therefore a satisfaction requires also, (2) a perfect obedience, which the law of God demands in order to life : ** By the obedience of one many shall be made righteous," Rom. v. 19. God *' will " have his justice satisfied. The Socinians deny that God will have this, and they conceive that such a satisfaction is not necessary ; yea, that God can recede from his right, and that he hath actually receded from it, and hath therefore abolished the law of V^ LORD'S DAY, Q. 12—15. i07 Moses, and established a better law by Christ, as a new lawgiver^ =,nstead of the old law. The Remonstrants will indeed admit, that satisfaction must be made to God, in order to our deUvt^rance ; but not that the justice of God must be perfectly satisfied : but that nothing more is necessary, than that the will of God should be satis- fied, which doth not demand all that the sinner hath forfeited ; and that God, by a gracious estimation accepts of this, instead of a per- fect satisfaction. And they must speak ^lus, if they will maintain their doctrine, that Christ suffered for all men ; for if he satisfied the justice of God for ail men, then all men must be saved. Now all men are not saved, even according to the opinion of our adversaries, and so Christ could not have satisfied the justice of God for them. And therefore they say, that he hath by his death satisfied the will of God, and that God was moved thereby to establish a covenant of grace with all men, and to require of them, as the condition of that covenant, faith, obedience and perseverance, and that he gives them a sutiicient grace to fulfil those conditions. This doctrine is opposed by all the orthodox, who say that "God will have his justice satisfied." But how doth God will this ? only by his decree, and mere good pleasure, by which he could even have willed to forgive sin without a satisfaction, as he wills many things by his decree, which he might have willed otherwise, as that there should be more or fei^^er men than there are ? Thus some divines think on this subject. Or doth God will that there should be a satis- faction, on account of his holy and righteous nature, whereby he cannot be willing to forgive sin without a satisfaction : for instance, God will be obeyed by his reasonable creatures, and it is his will that what is reasonable should be holy, and he cannot will otherwise ? This we maintain with the most divines, and this is the doctrine of the catechism also, as appears from the words, " The justice of Gotl requires that sin, which is committed against the most high majesty of God, be punished with extreme punishment," Questisn 2, " God will have his justice satisfied," Question 12. " With respect to the justice and truth of God, satisfaction can be made for our sins no otherwise than by the death of the Son of God," Question 40. And we do not teach without reason, that God cannot, without a satisfac- tion to his justice, suffer the sinner to escape punishment, and re- ceive him again into favour: for, (besides what we have safid on the foregoing Lord's day, that sin must necessarily be punished) Paui saith. 1. Heb. ii. 10. " It became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many son^ to glory, to make th^ m THE NECESSITY OF A SATISFACTION- Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings." To make this Captain perfect through sufferings, signifies to make him a sacri- fic-. by his sufferings, and thereby to bring the children of God to salvation. This now became the high Ciod, of, and through whom, are a'l things ; and it would not have become him, either to bring his children to glory without such a satisfying sacrifice, or if he pould have done it without that sufferini^, to subject his Son, never- theless to such a painful 'suffering. The sufferings of Christ were certainly unnecessary, nnd to no purpose, if God could forgive sin of his mere good pleasure and free will, without satisfaction. 2. It was surely an evidence of the greatest love, that God gave his Son to be a propitiation, and punished him for the sinner. See Rom. v. 8. I John iv. 10. But there would not have been such an illustrious display of love in thiS, if God could have received the sin- ner into favour without a satisfaction ; since it would be a great in- stance of love to the Son of God, and to the sinner, if he did not de- mand a satisfaction, and forgive him his sin for nought. 3. The apostle saith also, that " God hath set Christ Jesus forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his right- eousness for the remission of sins that are past during the forbear- ance of God."* Rom, iii. 25. During the forbearance of God, that is, during the time of the Old Testament, many sins were commit- ted, and many of them forgiven, while there was yet no satisfaction made for sin, and it appeared thus, that God was merciful and for- bearing, but not that he was righteous (or just). God then, that he might declare his righteousness in the forgiveness of sins, set his Son forth in his sufferings for that purpose ; but why was this necessa- ry ? the sins w^ere already forgiven, if the satisfaction were not so necessary. 4. Add to this what the apostle saith, Heb. x. 4, " It is impossible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sin." Why is this impossible ? Only because it did not please God to take away sins by the blood of beasts ? No : but also bccatise the blood of irra- tional creatures bears no proportion to the sins of rational creatures, which are too abominable and filthy to be washen away by such irra- tional blood. If God could then take away sins without a satisfaction, why could they not be taken away by the blood of beasts offered up in sacrifice ? Since this, according to Heb. x 1, 4, 1 1, is impossible, \t is also impossible that God should forgive sin without a satisfac- * In rendering this passage, we have followed the Dutch translation ; the reason for which here, aa well as elsewhere, we have mentioned in cur adver- ^aen|)cn^ V. LORD'S DAY. Q. 12^15. 109 tioa. If any wish to see these reasons enlarged, and* enforced with others, we refer them to Witsius's Kconomy of the covenants hook 1. chapter 5, an;l book I(. chapter 8. It is needless to object here, (a) that God may recede from his strict right, since man ran do this, and that it is an eminent virtue to forgive injuries with a noble greatness of mind ; for though this is true with respect to private injuries, which one man doth to an- other ; and although man is bound to do this, because one man is a neighbour of another, and the law of God obligeth him to it ; never* theless, God cannot therefore recede fro -n his right, since he is not bound by any law to exercise such a virtue toward his creatures ; and since he cannot reeede from his right as a Judge in punishing sins, who m.ust do right, (b) Were the sins under the Old Testa- ment forgiven, without a foregoing satisfaction of the divme justice, they were, nevertheless, not forgiven, except on account of the sat- isfaction of the Surety who was ro come. See this Kom. iii. 25. Heb. ix. 15, In order that the ancient believers might look stead- fiistly to the future satisfaction of the Messiah, God described him, promised, and shadowed him forth to them in the ancient sacrifices. See Isaiah liii. Acts x. 43. Coll. ii. 17. Heb. x. 1, 14. (c) God could not, as the Socinians conceive, graciously abolish the law which threatens the curse in consequence of the least transgression • and establish another, which should require nothing but faith ; for the law is the transcript of God's holiness, which cannot be expres- sed bv any other law, ueless the divine holiness can have another form than it had before. God would then also deny his truth : for he hath said, " The soul that sinneth, it shall die ;" and he would now say, thou shalt not die according to my threatening, although my justice is not satisfied for thy sin. Doth the sinner not die noWf it is not in consequence of a hew law, but of a satisfaction for the establishment of the law, Roiii. iii. 2 1, 31. Rom. viii. 3, 4. (d) They think that God could bestow his Spirit, as well as his Son, to aRect the sinner with sorrow for his sin, and induce him lo confess th^t he had dishonoured (iod, that he might thus sanctify the name cf God; and that therefore a satisfaction was not necessary for this purpose. But this is an idle pretence ; for this would be an act of kindness^ and not of justice. See Zech. xii. JO. Now God must surely be glorified in his justice, as well as in his kindness, as he is by the satisfaction, Eph. i. 7* (e) They say further to no purpose,^ t.hat if vve hold a satisfaction to be necessary from the nature of God, we do then lim't God too much with respect to his power and liberty ; but'can we indeed say nftt Paul iim-ts tlie Lord too much;^ ^hen he tsacheth that " God cannot lie." litus i, 2. Heb. yi, 18, 1 Id THE NECESSITY OF A SATISFACTION. It is no impotency nor imperfection in God, that he cannot forgJYc tin without a satisfaction, any more than that I'* he cannot be terript* cd of evil," James iii. 13. (f; Finally, some say that God might, ia the work of redemption, have willed somethi'i^ different from what he hath willed For instance, God willed that Christ should s aisff for some sinners ; but he might have willed that he should satisfy fop all. And so they conceive that God, who hath now willed that satis- faction should be made for sin, might have willed to forgive sin with- out a satisfaction. But a satisfaction for some, or for all, affects not the divine holiness and justice, and so not the nature of thesatis> fcic'i'jn, but oaly ths ohjecr.s of the satisfaction. God mig'tt have de- creed from all eternity that his Son should suffer for all men, but not that some, or many sinners, should escape punishment, and ht again received into favour without a satisfaction. Since now a satisfaction to the justice of God is necessary, we therefore conclude " that we must make this satisfaction, either by ourselves, or by another." " We must make full satisfaction then, either by ourselves or by another." We should satisfy by ourselves, if we suffered and fulfil- led in our own persons the selfi-ame things, which aje required hj the law, in its strictest demands, and if this should deliver us with- out any intervening grace, or forgiveness : for it is the judgment of God that they who do evil things are worthy of death." Rom. i. 52. This is called by lawyers soliaio, payment, and by divines, " the righteousness of the law," accorc'ing Rum. x 5. And we should satisfy by another, if some other should take our pUce, as a surety, to stisfy for us, and in our stead This would, nevertheless, not ef- fect our deliverance by itself, but only by a favourable permission of the divine Judge, who should admit the surety, impute our debt to him, and his righteousness to us. And we should thus satisfy by another, not actively and indeed, but passively ; inasmuch as the satisfaction is made by another in our stead, and by imputa- tion. Arid therefore we cannot say that believers satisfy properly by t!ie surety, as if the Son of God were not a.i absolute surety, cjC^ firomisso^'^ under the Old Testament, who did not take the debt upon himself absolutely, but conditionally, to wit, if the elect should not mak- satisfaction themselves, and that he left it on them, and that God did on this occount continually charge and upbraid them with their sins ; for then they must have proffered the surety themseves, and God would not have trusted that his ^on would certainly satisfy i neither would he then have been " slain from the foundation of the ■w«rlU," Rev. xiii. 8. Neither wcndd the sacritfiaes of the Old Tes- V. LORD'S DAY, Q. 12— 15, HI tament have been shadows, which certified, like sacraments, the old believers, that he would truly take away sins ; and they would not have been admitted into heaven, inasmuch as they were still sub- ject to guilt. Therefore we must say that we satisfy passively by another, and throtigh the gracious imputation of God ; and this is called by lawyers, satisfaction satisfaction ; and by divines, " the right- eousness of the gospel, and of faith," according to Rora. i. 16, 17-^ X. 6, 11; because the law knoweth nothing of such a satisfaction, and it is revealed only in the gospel, and received by faith, although the law cannot disapprove of it, if the Lawgiver will admit and accept it ; for " the law is not made void by faith, but established." Rom. iii. 31. This satisfaction, whether it be made by ourselves, or by another, must be a " full " satisfaction. All that the law threatens must be suffered, and all that it commands must be obeyed : for otherwise God will still be " wroth " with the sinner, " and deliver him to the tormentors, till he shall pay all that is due to him," Matt, xviii. 34. And therefore the acceptilati*^ or gracious estimation of the Remon- strants, by which God would accept of a part of the satisfaction, instead of the whole, cannot be admitted here : for " the judgment of God is according to truth," Rom ii. 2. But can a satisfaction for a guilty person by another be admitted before the divine tribunal ? The Socinians say, nay, because humau tribunals will not permit an innocent person to be punished, and to make satisfaction, as a surety for another who is guilty ; but we con- ceive that this may very properly be admitted before the divine tri- bunal, if the supreme Judge will graciously permit it ; for (a) a surety is admitted in cases of debt by a secular judge. We may derive a proof from this, because the Socinians themselves infer from suretiship for debts, that grace and pardon cannot be exercised, if Christ made a perfect satisfaction, (b) One man hath also frequently been permitted to become a surety for another in cases of guilt, as Reuben and Judah becam.e sureties for Benjamin, Gen. xlii, 37. xliii. 9. xliv. 32, 33. See also Rom. v. 7. (c) It hath appeared from the seventh question, that the sin of Adam, whereby he became guilty, was imputed to us : why then cannot our guilt also be imputed to a proper surety ? (d) It will appear moreover hereafter that Christ became a surety, and that he satisfied ; and was therefore admitted before the divine tribunal, (e) Cannot one be admitted as a surety for another before a human tribunal in case of guiit, it is because no human judge is lord of the life of another, as neither is any man lord of his own" life, so as to become a surety for another x it would also VH Ti^E NECESSITY OF A SATISFACTION. be an injury to the community, if a good citizen should perish in making satisfaction for another, and the evil citizen should remain alive ; but \ye must consider matters otherwise before the divine tri- bunal, since Gr>d is lord of every man's life, and the surety, who is required here, is lord of his own life, according: to the fifteenth ques- tion : he can also deliver himself from death, and can reforii* and sanctify the abominab'e sinner, and so the kingdom of God will not be injured, but profited by his death. But would not God then recede from his right, contraty to what hath been ta'ight before ? no, for God's right would be satisfied, and there would only be a gracious translation, by which God's right, and the guilt of the sinner would be transferred from the sinner to the ^^rety, which was also done, according to Rom. iii. 20, 21. viii. 3, 4. 2 Cor. V. 21. If the sinner could now make full satisfaction by himself, or by another he would be delivered ; but it is certain, that he cannot satisfy by himself. The Papists imagine, " that we can make a par- tial satisfaction by ourselves., if we do not daily increase our debt by adding sm to sin." They distinguish between an equivalent satis- faction, which we cannot make by ourselves, and between an imper- fect satisfaction, which should nevertheless be sufficient, because God should forgive sins in consequence of it with a certain fitness. Wc can effect this imperfect satisfaction by many good works and suffer- ings, in and after this life, according to the Romanists ; but the word of God doth not acknowledge an imperfect satisfaction, but only a perfect one, and " man cannot answer God one a thousand, whea he contends with him," and demands satisfaction, according to Job X. 2, 3, Psalm cxxx. 3. and besides this we say, (a) that the price of the redemption necessary for a satisfaction is too precious for a man to pay it ; " he owes ten thousand talents," perfect obedience and «ternal punishment, and " he hath nothing wherewith to pay»" Matt, xvii. 24, 25. (b) <' We also increase our debt daily." This is done not only by those, who are uncommonly wicked, as the spiritual ** Babylon, whose sins," heaped one upon another, " reach unto heaven," Rev. xviii. 5, but by all other men, who are still under a broken covenant of works, of which the instructor speaks here, <^ hav- ing, according to the righteous judgment of G©d, deserved temporal and eternal punishments." Sec how they are exhibited in their com- plicated iniquities, Rom. iii. 9 — 19. Believers themselves do all offend in many instances, James iii' 2. See also 1 Kings viii. 46. Rev. XX. 9. Eccl. vii. 20. (c) Let us admit, that we should hencefor- ward be perfectly holy and sinless, wc could not thereby atone for our past guilt, because we owe this both at present and in future, V. tORD'S DAY, Q. 12—15, 112 and are thus unprofitable servants, Luke xviii. 10, and therefore our former debt would remain unpaid, and we have nothing wherewith to satisfy for it. But " can there not be found any where one, v/ho is a mere crea- ture, able to satisfy for us ?" If a mere creature should satisfy for us, he behooved to be either a rational, or an irrational creature. A ra- tional creature is either a mere man, or an angel ; but no mere man, who is not more than a man, can satisfy the justice of God for another. For, (1) no man is lord of his own life, and hath therefore no right to become a surety for another, in order to bear his guilt : therefore God also rejected the proffer of Moses, " that he would be blotted out of the book of God for the people," Exod. xxxii. 30 — 35, (2) That ^Vhich a man would be willing to do for another, he oweth for himself; for " every man shall bear his own burden," Gal. vi. 5. (3) A man cannot satisfy for himself, as we have shown before ; how shall he then satisfy for another ? (4) He who should satisfy for another, would be obliged to render that other, by an almighty and heart-changing grace, a partaker of his satisfaction and righteous- ness, if it should be profitable to him. Now no mere man can do this : he can at most only " plant and water ; but God giveth the increase," I Cor, iii. 4, 5. (5) Yea, if a mere man were even able tc do this, he would not be deemed worthy to do it, because those who were delivered by him, would be obliged to offer him the divine honours of faith^ love, hope, fear and worship, since he would truly have merited such honours of them - but no mere man may be hon- oured thus. See Isaiah xliv, 2 1 — 25. Jer. xvii, 5 — 8. (6) Add to this, that "no mere man can sustain the burden of God's wrath, so as to deliver others from it." Trulv the wrath of God is dreadful and in- supportable : hear what an eminently holy man saith of it, " Thou, even thou art to be feared, and who may stand in thy sight, when once thou art angry ?" Psalm Ixxvi. 7. xc. 11. And therefore " none can by any means redeem liis brother, nor give to God a ransom for him ; for the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever," Psalm xhx. 7, 8. Say not, could not God create a new man, who should be perfectly holy, and endue him with such strength, that he would be able to satisfy, to sustain his wrath, and effectually apply his righteousness to another : for thou shouldest not inquire wisely concerning this, since no such man can proceed from the corrupt posterity of Adam, nor love the sinner as his neighbour, and thus sa^sfy the demand of tbe law : moreover no man is capable -tof such power, inasmuch a* T 114 THE NECESSITY OF A SATISFACTION. it is an almig^hty power, since he would then be God, and no longef a creature, which is impossible. An anj^el, aU)iou5:h he excells in strength, and can slay a wholtJ army of a hundred fourscore and five thousand n^en, cannot satisfy for a sinner , for an anc^el hath no right to become a surety for the sinner, and he would not be able to apply tlie rir!;htcov,snes8 procu- red bv him, and would not be worthy to bt adn'itteci lo such an hon- ourable work ; and besides this. " God will not punish any other creatur'*" but man, " fo" the sin whirh man bath committed," be- cause no an^el can sufter tne iiUman punishment of death, so as to satisfv the demand of the hiW, nor love his ici2:hbonr as h'msclf, sinc^ he is not a neighbour of man. " Moreover^ no mere creature" ■(as an angel is) '^ can sustain the burden of God's eternal wrath, so as to deliver others therefrom." The glorious angers cannot endure even the bright lustre of the most holy countenance of God : they must hide and cover themselves before it, Isaiah vi. 2, 3 *' The devils," though exceedingly mi,a;hty and dreadful, *' tremble before the one only God,'* James iii. 19. How earnestly "do they pray, that they may not be tormented before the time, and be sent away into the deep !" Luke viii. 27 — 31. Cannot a satisfaction be made by any rational creature, perhaps irrational creatures, either living or dead, may effect something, if we offer them up to God for an atonement. This was the opinion, not only of the blind heathens, but also of the carnal Jews who sought their righteousness by keeping the moral law, and when they were guilty of sinning in one instance or another, imagined that they should be able to atone for their sins by bringing this or that gift for a sacrifice. This notion was also somewhat specious, since God him- self had enjoined by the ceremonial law, the sacrificial service of sin offerings, trespass offerings, and sacrifices of atonement ; but this is a false pretence. The justice of God cannot be satisfied by any sacri- ficial service : " for it is impossible, that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sin," Heb. x. 4* There is no proportion be- tween irrational or inanimate sacrifices, and the guilt of the soul : God doth not eat the flesh of bulls, nor drink the blood of goats," Psalm, 1 11. When the Jews would appease God by their sacri- ficing, he then said, that " he had not required this at their hands,'* Jer. vii. 21, 22, and he rejected it, Isaiah i. 13. Jer. vi. 20. Micha vi. 6, 7, 8. When he demands a satisfaction, he then refiiseth the sac- rificial service, and he substitutes a more perfect service in the stead of it. See Heb. x. 1 — 9, Did Ciod himself enjoin sacrifices for atone- Tsient, it was however not done in the broken covenant of works, in V. LORD'S DAY, Q. 12—15. 115 ©rder that men might escape punishment, and be again received in- to favour ; but in the covenant of grace, which was estabUshed with Israel, Exod. xix. which supposeth a satisfaction by a sufficient sure- ty. And thus, all those offerings, enjoined by the church-law of Israel, did not serve to effect a real satisfaction and atonement ; but to shadow forth and to prefigure the Surety, and his satisfying sacri- fice, that the covenant people of the Old Testament might look through all that outward service to him, and seek in his perfect sac- rifice, the real atonement. And thus, *' the law of sacrifices had a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things," Hcb. x. 1. Therefore the sinner cannot have a hope of effecting a satisfaction either by himself, or by any mere creature, in order that he may es- cape punishment, and be again received into favour. Is there then no door of hope open for him ? There is none, unless he can find a sufficient mediator and deliverer. He must indeed have a media- tor between God and himself, to deliver him ; not only a mediator of advocacy and intercession, for a mere creature could be such a me- diator : Moses was such a mediator and deliverer, Exod. xxxii. Deut. v. 5, but the sinner must have a mediator and deliverer, who can dehver him from his guilt, and satisfy the justice of God for him by a sufficient ransom ; and therefore he must have '• a medi- ator for the redempi ion of transgressions." Heb. ix. 15. But who, who in heaven or on earth is worthy or able to be such a mediator ? The instructer saith, he must have four great qualifications. Ques- tion 15. (a) ** Ihat he must be very man," who hath a human soul with a human body, and particularly of a human being, and so he must be man of man. (b) " That he must be a righteous man," one who is perfectly righteous and holy, agreeably to the demand of the law, (c) " And, nevertheless, more perfect than all creatures ; that is, one who is very God. "(d) He must also be God and man in one per- son ; therefore our catechism saith, who is " also" very God ; and in the Latin catechism we read, qui simul etiam sit verus Deus^ " who is withal, or at the same time also very God." Why the mediator must have these four qualifications, the instructor will teach us here- after. Question 16, 17 ; and so the sinner is still kept under his con- cern to know how he shall escape punishment, and be again received into favour, that his distress may be perfect, and he may be the more capable of a complete consolation. 116 THE NECESSITY OF A SATISFACTION. APPLICATION. But, hearers, how shall ye escape temporal and eternal punish- ment, which ye have deserved according lo the righteous judgment o( God, and be again received into favour ? Many do not even think of this, at least many of yx3U are not concerned about it ; '• the lust Of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, whoredom, wine and new wine take av/ay their hearts," 1 John ii. 16. Hosea iv. 11. Or the cares and business of this life, render them careless and unconcerned about their eternal welfare, and suffer them not to l>onder seriously upon their eternal salvation. But hear, voluptuous and poor worldling, whose *^ end is destruction? is not thine, whose Cod is tliy be'ly, whose glory is in thy shame, and who mindest earthly things," Phil. iii. 19^ Some think it is unnecessary to be solicitous about their eternal salvation. Is there any person who is afraid of eternal perdition, presently another will scoff at him, as if such a fearful person were silly and disordered in his understanding. Hath such a reviler of good things any compassion Vt'ith such a sorrowful person : how will he bestir himself to discourse with him, in order to dispel his anxiety 1 he will at least take care that he doth not himself become so melancholic ; he thinks ihat if he should, he would despair, and he doth not intend to listen so much to the devil, as if that conviction were a work of the devil, and not of " the Holy Spirit, who convin- cet*} the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment," John xvi. 8. Christ, he thinkb, hath died for our sins, and this he wili believe firmly, without doubting ; and he imagineth that such sorrow doth not agree with the joyful season of the New Testament, But, inendo ye who i^ardtn and deceive your hearts in this careless manner, how can ye so i-ely upon, and be so assured of an interest in the salisfa tion of Christ, which he hath accomplished ? Doth it belong to all men ? to you also ? must, and can ye believe this with- out ever having been concerned about your woful misery ? and do ye think, that under the New Testament we must not have any ' godly sorrow, which worketh repentance not to be repented ofj" ' oiiiraiy to 2 Cor. vii. 8 — 1 1, Surely none but " those who mourn, arc comforted and blessed," Mat. v. 4. Do ye say, we repent in- f'.eed of our sins ? is it indeed true, and not merely a vain assertion r iire ye ever affected with concern, distress, and a restless, earnest desire to escyj.'i iht- : ust !ved p'..n»shment, and to be again received .'ito favour ? Suui and Jndas said also, " I have sinned," I Sam- V. LORD'S DAY, Q. ]2— 15, 111 svi. 24— Matt, xxvii. 3, 4 ; but Ihey both « died in their iniquity/' yea, they murdered themselves. 1 Chron x. 13 — 1:5am. xxxi.*4. — .Matt, xxvii. 5. OtWers experience severe twinges of conscience, and are accord- ingly fearful, when with *' Felix, they hear of righteousness, tem- perance, and the judgment to come ;" Acts xxiv. 25 ; but they do not earnestly inquire after the way which is above, to depart from hell beneath ; for one endeavours to divert his anxiety by business or amusement, or by hardening and barring .up his heart, that the anguish of his heart may not be too much enlarged, or by turning away his ear from hearing severe preaching, which would convince him. Paul, who preaches so seserely, and who goads so sharply, must then "go his way." Acts xxiv. 25. Another gives up all hope, and thinks, how can I help it, if God will not receive me gra- ciously ? and he abandons himself to his careless sinfulness, or sin- ful carelessness. " This evil," saith he, " is of the Lord, what should I wait for the Lord any longer ?" 2 Kings vi. 33. A third will convert himself, he intends and promises it, he will not commit this and that sin any more ; he will serve God better, and attend public worship more dihgently than he used ; and he will offer this to God as a payment, at least in part ; and he hopes that God will remit the rest of what he oweth : but his promise is generally empty words, without effect : when his distress is over, his promise is also puffed away by the least blast of concupiscence. Doth he conduct :n some measure as he proposed, by forsaking a few sins, and doing a little good, he is then perfer lly easy, and trows that he is already a great saint, and a dearly beloved child of God. .And a fourth quiets himself with the calamities which he suffers in this world ; he hopes, and it is his comfort in his sorrow, that his present misery will con- stitute the full measure of his sufferings, and that he will not be obli- -ged to suffer any more hereafter ; as if his *uiFerings were a satis- faction to the justice of God, and not the beginning of his sorrows, atid so " he doth not say, there is no liope : he finds the life of his hand, and is not grieved." Isaiah Ivii. 10. " Hear this, O foolish people, and without understanding, who have eyes, but see not ; who have ears, but hear not." Jer. v. 21. 1 speak to you, who have not the least concern about your eternal welfare, and to you also, who consider all distress on account of your wicked condition to be unnecessary : to you also, who deceive your- selves with vain and false imaginations, and hush in such a careless manner, your awakened conscience Knov/ that ye will not by these means escape temporal and eternal punishment, nor return again tit THE NECESSITY OF A SATISFACTION^. into favour, for " God will by no means clear the guilty." Exod» xxxiv. 7. Do you think to harden your hearts against the Lord, and to have peace f God is able to trouble you. See how he dashed in pieces the hardened Israelites : " Therefore," saith he, Hosea xiii. 7, 8, *' I will be unto them as a lion ; as a leopard by the way will I observe them. I will meet them as a bear that is be- reaved of her whelps, and will rend the caul of their heart, and there will I devour them like a lion ; the wild beast shall tear them." Ob- serve how he troubled the proud Belshazzar, " his countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him ; the joints of his loins were loosed, and his kness smote one against another " Dan. v. 6. Ye know how Cain fared, when he would conceal his brother-slaughter. Gen iv. 9 — 13. Judas sought to hide his abominable deed with a kiss ; but how did his conscience awake and terrify him, and with what fury did it attack him ! Matt, xxvii. 3, 4, 5, 6 ; do ye hope that ye will not fare so ill, because ye are not the worst sinners ; be- cause ye intend to conduct better hereafter than ye have heretofore ; because ye must suffer so much at present ? Do ye think then with the Papists, that your doings and sufferings will cancel your debt, and merit the grace of (iod ? doth not God require that his justice should be satisfied ? and must ye not pay fully, either by youi-selves, or by another ? Do ye know how to deliver yourselves by a few outward ceremonies, and by suffering a few afflictions, and then " ex- acting all your labours " Isaiah Iviii. 2, 3. Therefore, *' awake yc who sleep, and arise from the dead." Eph. v. 14. " God will punish the men who are settled on their lees " Zeph, i. 12. *' Rise up, ye women that are at ease ; hear my voice, ye careless daughters, give ear unto my speech. Tremble, ye women that are at ease ; be troubled, ye careless ones ; strip ye, make ye bare, and gird sack- cloth upon your loins." Isaiah xxxii. 9. Or do ye think it is need- less for you to be concerned and distressed about your eternal condi- tion ? Doth not God then threaten *• a wo to those who are at ease in Zion, and careless m the mountains of Samaria?" Amos vi, 1. Is not your misery, your temporal and eternal punishment, which ye have deserved, according to the righteous judgment of God, griev- ous enough to affect you with the greatest concern ? can ye deliver yourselves, and satisfy the justice of God, either by your own suffeiv ings and doings, or by those of another creature ' will ye not be wholly at a loss here ? How v/ill a sinner deny all his own righteous- ness, and 6eek the righteousness of another, unless he be perfectly stripped and bare ? f» Will yc therefore escape punishment, and be again received into- V. LORD'S DAY, Q. 12—15. H^ favour: (!)• Entertain a greater concern about your salvation and damnation than ye have had heretofore. Will ye value .ind bestit yoiirbclves so for your body, your food and clothing, and neglect from mere iibikssness, your noble souls, and be so careless of them? Oh detestable madness 1 ye will strive to pass with honour through the world, but are unconctrneu i.cv/ it will fare with you, after ye are througn tiie world 1 How will ye btmoan yourselves, and say when it IS too late, " How have J hated instruction, and my heart despised reproo*', and have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me ?" Prov. v, 12, 13. What will ye then have of all these earthly goods, for which ye consume both your bodies and souls in so many difficult occupations ? ' for what doth it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul ? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul ?" Matt, xvi. 26. Therefore value, and bestir yourselves more for the welfare of you; souls, and *^ seek first the kingdom of God and his righteous- ness, and all other things shall be added unto you," Matt. vi. 33 (2) Impress it upon your minds, that all your own doings, as long as ye are not received into favour, will not avail to escape punishment, that ye may look off from them altogether, and may be wholly at a loss and confounded in yourselves. All your own works, how much soever ye bestir yourselves, are but " a vain oblation," Isaiah i. 12. Ye must be first received into favour through the perfect satisfaction of another^ if what ye do shall be acceptable to God. " The sacri- fice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord : but the prayer of the upright is his delight," Pror. xv. 8. " The Lord had respect first to Abel and then to his offering ; but when he hath no respect unto Cain, he is not pleased with his offeiing neither," Gen. iv. 3, 4, 5. (3) Is there any one among us, who is thoroughly anxious, and desirous of escaping the punishment, which he hath deserved, and of being again received into favour, and doth he cry out with the Igaoler, " What shall I do to be saved ?" Acts xvi. CO, let him know, that God hath demanded the satisfaction at the hands of his Son, and that he hath satisfied the justice of God for our guilt, even to the uttermost farthing, that God proffereth his Son to him, and that he must accept of him upon this offer, and choose him for himself: for ** God hath set his Son forth to be a propitiation through faith, in his blood, to declare his righteousness," Kom iii. 25- See also Isaiah xxvii. 4, 5, and chap. xlv. 22, 24, and what will be said upon the sixth and seventh Lord's day. (4) Believers, who have betaken your- selves to the Mediator c-nd Deliverer, and have denied all, yea, even your best performan