A. The Poffibility of a Perfect and Unfinning Obedi

ence,

2. What in the Second Covenant?

A. The Impoffibility of it: And therefore Faith and Repentance are required to atone for the Defects of our Difobedience.

2. With whom were these Covenants made?

A. Both with Adam; one before, the other after his Fall.

Q. But feeing we are now under the Covenant of Grace, and Baptism is the Sign of that Covenant; and in Baptifin you fay you were made a Member of Chrift; what do you understand by that?

A. That when I was baptized, I entred into Covenant with God, and was then made a Member of Christ's Church.

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2 But why is a Member of Christ's Church faid to be a Member of Chrift?

A. For the fame Reason that the Church is call'd the Spiritual Body of Chrift; and Christ is the Head of that Body, Eph. i, 22, 23. And he hath put all things under His Feet, and gave Him to be the Head over all things to the Church, which is His Body, &c..

2. What do you learn from this first Privilege of the Gofpel-covenant?

A. First, I learn to believe in Chrift as the Head of His Church.

Secondly, I learn, That our Bodies being the Members of Chrift, we ought to poffefs them in Sanctification and Honour. Shall I take the Members of Chrift, and make them the Members of an Harlot? God forbid, 1 Cor. vi. Is. And

Thirdly, That we ought to be united to Chrift, as our Head, by Faith, and to one another as Fellow-members, by Love. And fo St. Paul exhorts us, 1 Cor. xii.25,26,27. That there fhould be no Schifm in the Body, but that the Members fhould have the fame Care one for another: And whether one Member fuffer, all the Members fhould fuffer

with it, or one Member be honoured, all the Members fhould rejoyce with it: For we are the Body of Christ and Members in particular.

A Child of God and an Inheritour of the Kingdom of Heaven.

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AS not God by the Right of Creation the Common Father of us all? How is it then that we are not only made Members of Chrift, but alfo Children of God in Baptifm?

A. Because by the Sin of Adam we loft the Image of God: And when Men ceased to be like God, in Righteousness and true Holinefs, they were cut off from God; God would be no longer a Father to them.

2. How then are we now made his Children ?

A. By Adoption and by Covenant, the Relation of Children belonging to us, not as we are Men, but as we are the Difciples of Christ Jesus. For to thofe that believe in Him, and are baptized in His Name; to them only bath He given the Power or Priviledge to become the Sons of God, John i. 12.

2. For what Reafon may all Baptized Perfons call themselves the Children of God?

A. Because being in Baptifm made the Members of Chrift, they muft (in fome fort) bear the fame Relation to God, as Chrift their Head does. And for this Reafon the Apostle affures us, Heb. ii. 11. Chrift is not afbamed to call us Brethren: And our Saviour bids Mary tell His Difciples, 1 afcend to My Father and your Father, John xx. 17. And the common Language of the Scripture is; We are predeftinated to the Adoption of Sons; We have receiv'd the Spirit of Adoption, whereby we cry Abba, Father.

From what Texts of Scripture do you conclude that Men are not naturally born in this Relation to God?

A. From Gal. iii. 16. Te are all the Children of God by Faith in Chrift Jefus. And from 1 John iii. 1. Behold what manner of Love the Father bath beftow'd upon us, that we fhould be called [or fhould be] the Sons of God. 2. What may be the Benefit of this Priviledge?

A. We may be from hence affur'd that God hath the Pity, the Bowels of a Father for us.

Pity,

. And what should we all learn from hence?

A. To be thankful to God for this great Mercy; To be Followers of God as dear Children; to fhew the Fear, the Love, the Obedience of Sons to Him.

Inheritours of the Kingdom of Heaven.

2 Tar

HE Laft Priviledge of Chriftians is, That they are made Inheritours of the Kingdom in Heaven: What is meant by that?

A. It is to be made Heirs of God to an Heavenly Kingdom.

Q. Is the Kingdom of Heaven opened to all Men in general?

A. It does not appear fo to be from Scripture: For if Children, then Heirs, Heirs of God, and Joynt-Heirs with Chrift, Rom. viii. 17.

Q. But how is a Kingdom in Heaven fecur'd to every particular Chriftian, if he perform his Part of the Chriftian Covenant ?

A. By Chrift's purchafing it for us: And therefore it is called our Purchafed Poffeffion, Ephef. i. 14. And it is further fecur'd to us by Gift, the Promife, the Oath of God: He hath confirmed it by an Oath, Heb. vi. 17.

Renounce the Devil and all his Works.

T

HE Priviledges of your Chriftian Birth-right have been now explained to you: What ought you to learn from them?

A. To

A. To endeavour to continue to be what I was made in Baptism; to preferve the Title to Heaven that was then given me, and my Coheirfhip with the Bleffed Jesus to the Crowns and Glories of it.

2. Can you then forfeit thefe Priviledges and Advantages?

A. Yes; and I fhall then ceafe to be what I was made in Baptifm, when I cease to do what was then promifed for me.

2. What was the first thing that was promifed and engag'd for you?

A. That I fhould renounce the Devil and all his Works. What is meant by the Devil? Is that a Name contriv'd only to affright timorous Men?

A. No; it is a Name that belongs in common to all the Fallen Angels, and chiefly to him that was chief amongst them.

2. Did then fome of the Angels fall from their Obedience?

A. Yes; they fell, as Man did, from their Firft Eftate, and are now referved in everlafting Chains under Darkness, unto the Judgment of the Great Day, Jude vi. 2. But if the Devil and his Angels are in this Eftate, what Reafon have we to fear them?"

A. Tho' they are doom'd to Hell, they are not yet confined to it; they are as yet Prisoners at large; are fuffer'd to go to and fro in the Earth, Job i. 7. and have very great Power over Wicked Men especially; a fad Example of which we have in the Traitor Judas, Luk. xxii. 3. 2. But is their Malice equal to their Power?

A. Yes; and much greater. The Devil is come down amongst us, having great Wrath, faith the Voice in the Revelations; and walks about like a roaring Lyon, feeking whom he may devour, i Pet. 5. 8.

2. Are there many of thefe dreadful Enemies to Mankind?

A. Yes; there is too great Reafon to believe they are very numerous; because there is mention made of

B 2

Legion

Legion of Devils (the Name of a great Multitude) caft out of one Perfon, Mark v. 9.

2. What is it to renounce them?

A. 'Tis not only to do it in Word, but in Deed, and in Truth; and so as to have no Fellowship with them. Q. Why! Who are they that have fo?

A. Chiefly Three forts of Perfons: They that worfhip Devils, as did the Heathens of old: They that 'enter into Contracts with them, as Witches and Wizards: And, Thirdly, They that advise with Cunning Men in their Distress, as Saul did with the Witch of Endor, I Chron. X. 13.

2. What is meant by the Works of the Devil?

A. All Sin; especially thofe Sins the Devil is chiefly charged with, as Lying, Envy, Pride, Malice, Sedition, and Drawing others into Sin.

Q. What is it to renounce these?

A. 'Tis for ever to avoid them; and to have no Fellowship with the Devil in these unfruitful Works of Darkness.

. But what Obligation is there from Scripture fo to do?

A. I am therein affured; He that committeth Sin is of the Devil, 1 John iiì. 8. And there is no Communion, nor can be, between Chrift and Belial.

The Pomps and Vanities of this wicked World.

Q. Y what Method, do you think, may be best explain'd the fecond thing we renounced in Baptifm; The Pomps and Vanities of this wicked World? A. By explaining what is meant by the World in general; what by this wicked World in particular; and what by the Pomps and Vanities of it; and how each of thefe are to be renounced by us.

Q. What