Note. I wish there had been something added here concern. ing Christ's office, as an example or pattern of holiness.

27. Q. Wherein did Christ's humiliation consist?

A. Christ's humiliation consisted in his being born, I and that in a low condition, made under the law, undergoing the miseries of this life, the wrath of God, and the cursed death of the cross, in being buried, and continuing under the power of death for a time.

The cursed death of the cross. So called, because it is written, "Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree;” that is, devoted to shame as well as death.

28. Q. Wherein consisteth Christ's exaltation ?

A. Christ's exaltation consisteth in his rising again from the dead on the third day, ascending up into heaven, in sitting at the right hand of God the Father, and in coming to judge the world at the last day.

Sitting at the right hand of God. Having power and authority over all things given him by God the Father.

29. Q. How are we made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ?

A. We are made partakers of the redemption purSchased by Christ, by the effectual application of it to us by his holy Spirit.

Redemption. Deliverance from sin and misery.

Effectual application of the redemption of Christ. The powerful conveying of the benefits of this redemption to us.

30. Q. How doth the Spirit apply to us the redemption purchased by Christ?

A. The Spirit applieth to us the redemption purchased by Christ by working faith in us, and thereby uniting us to Christ in our effectual calling.

Faith. Trust in Christ, or receiving him as proposed to us in the gospel. See A. 86.

Uniting us to Christ. Making us one with Christ, as the head and members are one.

31. Q. What is effectual calling?

A. Effectual calling is the work of God's Spirit, whereby convincing us of our sin and misery, enlightening our minds in the knowledge of Christ, and renewing our wills, he doth persuade and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ, freely offered to us in the gospel.

To convince us. To make us sensible.

Renewing our wills. Changing our old sinful inclinations, and giving us new and holy inclinations.

Embrace Jesus Christ. To receive him in all his offices, as our Prophet, our Priest, and our King, &c.

Gospel. The covenant of grace, or the proposal of pardon and eternal life to sinners, or the promise of it to those who repent and believe in Christ.

33. Q. What benefits do they that are effectually called partake of in this life?

A. They that are effectually called do in this life partake of justification, adoption, sanctification, and the several benefits which in this life do either accompany or flow from them.

To justify. To pardon sin, and receive a person into the favour of God, as though he were righteous.

To adopt. To take one that is a stranger to be a son.
To sanctify. To make our sinful nature holy.

Benefits. Privileges, blessings.

33. Q. What is justification?

A. Justification is an act of God's free grace, wherein he pardoneth all our sins, and accepteth us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and recieved by faith alone.

Free grace. Free and undeserved favour.

Imputed to us. Reckoned to our account and advantage. 34. Q. What is adoption?

A. Adoption is an act of God's free grace, whereby we are received into the number, and have a right to all the privileges of the sons of God.

35. What is sanctification?

A. Sanctification is the work of God's Spirit, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness.

Whole man. Our thoughts, memory, will, affections, and all

our faculties.

The image of God. That is, the likeness of his holiness.
To die unto sin. To forsake sin in heart and life.

To live unto righteousness. To follow after righteousness in heart and life.

36. Q. What are the benefits which in this life do accompany, or flow from justification, adoption, and sanctification?

A. The benefits which in this life do accompany or flow from justification, adoption, and sanctification are

assurance of God's love, peace of conscience, joy in the Holy Ghost, increase of grace, and perseverance therein to the end.

Conscience.

That faculty of the soul, whereby we pass a judgment concerning our good or evil actions.

Joy in the Holy Ghost. Holy rejoicing wrought in us by the Spirit of God.

Increase of grace. Growing in holiness.

Perseverance.

Continuance.

37. Q. What benefits do believers receive from Christ at their death.

A. The souls of believers are at their death made perfect in holiness, and do immediately pass into glory; and their bodies, being still united to Christ, do rest in their graves, till the resurrection.

Glory. State of honour and happiness in heaven.

United to Christ. That is, as the members are reckoned one with the head.

The resurrection. Rising from the dead at the last day.

38. Q. What benefits do believers receive from Christ at the resurrection?

A. At the resurrection, believers being raised up in glory, shall be openly acknowledged and acquitted in the day of judgment, and made perfectly blessed in the full enjoyment of God, to all eternity.

Believers. Those who receive Christ in all his offices, or trust in him as a Prophet, a "riest, and a King.

Acknowledged. Owned for the children of God.
Acquitted. Freed from all charges of sin.

Enjoy God. See A. 1.

To all eternity. Without end.

39. Q. What is the duty which God requireth of man? A. The duty, which God requireth of man, is obedience to his revealed will.

40. Q. What did God at first reveal to man for the rule of his obedience?

A. The rule, which God at first revealed to man for his obedience, was the moral law.

Moral law. The law which directs our manners, or our duty to God and man, anl is a rule to all mankind.

41. Q. Where is the moral law summarily comprehended?

1

A. The moral law is summarily comprehended in the ten commandments.

Summarily comprehended. Contained in short.

42. Q. What is the sum of the ten commandments ? A. The sum of the ten commandments is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, with all our mind, and our neighbour as ourselves.

To love our neighbour as ourselves. To do to others, as we think they ought to do to us in the like case.

43.Q. What is the preface to the ten commandments? A. The preface to the ten commandments is in these words: I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

Preface. One or more sentences, which go before to bring in something else afterwards.

Egypt, the house of bondage.

were made bondmen and slaves.

The land where the Israelites

44. Q. What doth the preface to the ten commandments teach us?

A. The preface to the ten commandments teacheth us, that because God is the Lord, and our God and Redeemer, therefore we are bound to keep all his com mandments.

Redeemer. See A. 20.

45. Q. What is the first commandment ?

A. The first commandment is, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me."

46. Q. What is required in the first commandment ? A. The first commandment requireth us to know and acknowledge God to be the only true God, and our God, and to worship and glorify him accordingly.

47. Q. What is forbidden in the first commandment? A. The first commandment forbiddeth the denying or not worshipping and glorifying the true God, as God, and our God, and the giving that worship and glory to any other, which is due to him alone.

Glorify God. See A. 1.

48. Q. What are we especially taught by these words. "before me," in the first commandment?

A. These words, "before me," in the first commandment, teach us, that God, who seeth all things, taketh notice of, and is much displeased with, the sin of having any other god.

49. Q. Which is the second commandment?

A. The second commandment is, "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or the likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: For I, the Lord thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, and shewing mercy unto thousands of them, that love me and keep my commandments.”

Graven image. The likeness of any thing fashioned with a tool, in order to worship it.

Jealous. Highly concerned for his own honour.
Visiting the iniquities. Punishing the sins.

50. Q. What is required in the second commandment? A. The second commandment requireth the receiving, observing, and keeping pure and entire all such religious worship and ordinances, as God hath appointed in his word.

ed.

Ordinance. Appointments of God.

Pure. Without mixture of the inventions of men.

Entire.

Without omitting any part of what God has appoint

51. Q. What is forbidden in the second commandment?

A. The second commandment forbiddeth the worshipping of God by images, or any other way not appointed in his word.

Images. The resemblance of any thing made by engraving, painting, carving, or casting in a mould, or any other way what

soever.

52. Q. What are the reasons annexed to the second commandment?

A. The reasons annexed to the second commandment are, God's sovereignty over us, his propriety in us, and the zeal he hath for his own worship.

Annexed. Joined.