QUEST. 20. Did God leave all mankind to perish in the estate of sin and misery? ANSW. God having out of his mere good pleasure, from all eternity, elected some to everlasting life, did enter into a covenant of grace, to deliver them out of the estate of sin and misery, and to bring them into an estate of salvation by a Redeemer. Q. 2. When man joined with the devil in a conspiracy against God, did God treat him in the same way? A. No: he had a purpose of grace and love towards some of Adam's race; and therefore immediately after the fall, declares his fixed intention of assuming the human nature, in the person of the Son, that therein he might redeem lost man, and bruise the head of the old serpent, that had ruined him, Gen. iii. 15. Q. 3. When did God's purpose of grace and love, towards any of Adam's family, commence or begin? A. It never had a beginning, for he loved them from everlasting, Jer. xxxi. 3. Eph. i. 4. 2. 4. Can any reason be given why God has [elected] fallen man, rather than fallen angels, and why he elected [some] of Adam's race, and not others of them? to acquiesce in this, that God did it [out of his mere good pleasure], Eph. i. 5. Matt. xi. 6. Q. 5. To what happiness did God ordain his elect from among men? A. He ordained them to [everlasting life], Acts xiii, 48. "As many as were ordained to eternal life, believed." Q. 6. Did God make choice of any to eternal life, because of their foreseen faith and holiness? A. No: because faith and holiness are the fruits and effects of election, and therefore can never be the cause thereof, Eph. i. 4, 5, 6. Q. 7. Is Christ the cause of election? A. No: the free love of God sent Christ to redeem the elect, and therefore he could not be the cause of electing love, John iii. 16. Q. 8. Did not Christ procure God's love to an elect world? A. No: the Father himself loved them, John xvi. 27. Q. 9. If Christ is not the cause said to be chosen in him? of election, why are the elect A. Because in one and the same decree of election, the love of God lighted both upon the head, and upon the memA. It is dangerous to dive in-bers, considered as in him, Eph. to the reasons of holy and adora- | i. 4. ble sovereignty; it becomes us Q. 10. By whom is it that God brings any of Adam's race unto eternal life? A. [By a Redeemer], Rom. xi. 8. Q. 11. How are sinners of mankind to be viewed in relation to a Redeemer? transaction entered into for their deliverance, by price and power? A. Yes; Psal. lxxxix. 3. "I have made a covenant with my Chosen." Q. 17. How is that covenant A. As lawful captives, Isa. called? xlix. 24. Q. 12. What is it to redeem the lawful captives? A. It is to pay down a sufficient ransom to offended justice for their deliverance, and to rescue them by mere force and power out of the hands of Satan, Isa. xlix. 25. Q. 13. What ransom is laid down to offended justice for their deliverance? A. Nothing less than the precious blood of Christ, or his obedience unto the death, 1 Pet.i. 19. Q. 14. What right and title has the Redeemer, to take the captives by force out of the hands of Satan? A. [A covenant of grace]. Q. 18. Why called a covenant of grace? A. Because it is a covenant of eternal life and salvation to sinners, to be given them in a way of free grace and mercy, Jer. xxxi. 33, 34. Q. 19. Are not heaven and earth both concerned in this covenant? A. Yes; because it is a covenant of peace betwixt them, Isa. liv. 9, 10. Q. 20. Who is the party contractor on Heaven's side? A. It is God himself, the proposer of the covenant, and the offended party, Psal. lxxxix. 3. A. The demands of law and justice being satisfied, he has a Q. 21. Whether is it God eslawful right, both by donation sentially considered, or as in the and purchase, to rescue his person of the Father, that is the captives out of the hands of Sa-party-contractor on Heaven's tan by his divine power, John side? xvii. 2. A. God essential considered Q. 15. Why did the Redeem-is the party contractor on Heaer, in dealing with justice, lay ven's side, in the person of the down a price; but in dealing Father. with Satan, act by way of power? A. Because God being the creditor had a right to demand a price, but Satan being only the jailor, has no law right to detain the prisoner, after the creditor is satisfied; and yet, refusing to quit hold of his captives, the Redeemer's power must be put forth for their deliverance, Luke xi. 22. Q. 22. Who is the party contractor on man's side? A. It is Christ, the chosen of God, as he is called, Luke xxiii. 35. Q. 23. Wherein consists the making of this covenant? A. In the mutual agreement betwixt God and his chosen One. Q. 24. When was this cove Q. 16. Was there a covenant nant made? A. From all eternity, or before the world began, Tit. i. 2 Q. 25. "With whom was the covenant of grace made?" A. "With Christ as the second [or last] Adam; and in him with all the elect as his seed, Gal. iii. 16."* Q. 26. Why is Christ called the last Adam, 1 Cor. xv. 45? A. Because as the first Adam was the fœderal head of all his natural offspring, in the covenant of works, so Christ is the last Adam, because he was the fœderal head of his spiritual seed in the covenant of grace; the last covenant that ever will be made about man's eternal happiness. Q. 27. How was the covenant of grace made with Christ as the second or last Adam? Q. 30. What was the ancient usage in making of covenants? A. It was to cut a beast in twain, and to pass between the parts of it, Jer. xxxiv. 18. Q. 31. What doth this usage import, as applied to God's making a covenant with his Chosen? A. It imports, that it was a "covenant by sacrifice," Psal. A. The Father purposed that a remnant of lost mankind 1. 5. should be the members of Q. 32. What was the sacrifice Christ's body, and gave them in this covenant? Q. 33. What was the sword that cut this sacrifice asunder? A. It was divine justice, Zech. xiii. 7. to him for that end; and Christ A. It was Christ himself the standing as second Adam, ac-party contractor on man's side, cepted the gift, John xvii. 6; Heb. ix. 26. as also, the Father proposed to him as the last Adam, the covenant of grace in the full tenor, condition, and promises thereof, to which he consented; and thus the covenant of rich grace was concluded between them; Zech. vi. 13.-"The counsel of peace shall be between them both." Q. 28. How are we to conceive of the covenant of grace, in respect of order and being? A. Although the covenant of grace was the second covenant, in respect of order and manifestation to the world, yet it was first in respect of being, Q. 34. How is Christ the party contractor on man's side, to be considered in this covenant? A. He is to be considered as the head and representative of his spiritual seed, Isa. lix. 21. Q. 35. How doth it appear that Christ is the head and representative of his spiritual seed in this covenant? A. From the making of the promises originally to him; and from his being the surety of the covenant. *Larger Cat. Quest. 31. Q. 36. When were the pro- everlasting love, Jer. xxxi. 3. mises made unto him? so the covenant of grace is an everlasting covenant, Heb. xiii. 20. A. Before the world began; which, in scripture style, is the same as from eternity, Tit. i. 2. "In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began." And there was none before the world began, to whom the promise of eternal life could be made personally, but to Christ as the head and representative of his seed. Q. 37. How do you prove, from scripture, that Christ was surety for his spiritual seed in this covenant? A. From Heb. vii. 22.-"By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better Testament?" Q. 38. In what sense was he surety for them? A. He was their surety in a way of satisfaction for all their debt of obedience and punishment, by taking it wholly on himself, as for persons utterly insolvent. Q. 41. Who is the party represented and contracted for in the covenant of grace? A. The elect of mankind. Q. 42. What understand you by the elect of mankind? A. A certain number of mankind chosen, from eternity, to everlasting life. Q. 43. How doth it appear, that the elect were the party represented and contracted for? A. Because the party with whom the covenant was made, is called God's CHOSEN, Psalm lxxxix. 3. "I have made a covenant with my Chosen;" that is, with Christ, as contracting for all the chosen, or elect of God. Q. 44. Why are the elect called Christ's seed, Psalm lxxxix. 4? A. Because he begets them with the word of truth, James Q. 39. How is Christ's being i. 18; and they are born again the surety of the covenant, an to him in their regeneration, evidence of its being made with John iii. 3. him as the representative of his seed? A. Because by his being surety for them, he became one with them in the eye of the law: hence is Christ said, not only to be made sin for us, but we are said to be "made the righteousness of God in him," 2 Cor. v. 21. Q. 40. Why was the covenant of grace made with Christ as the head and representative of his spiritual seed? A. That the love of God, and the covenant of grace, might be of the same eternal date; for, as the love of God is an Q. 45. Why is Christ said to take on him the seed of Abra-` ham, Heb. ii. 16. and not rather the seed of Adam? A. To show that it was the elect only that he represented; in as much as the seed of Abraham are but a part of Adam's seed, which includes all mankind. Q. 46. How are the elect of God to be considered in this covenant and fœderal representation? A. They are to be considered as lost sinners, and as utterly unable to help themselves in whole or in part, Hos. xiii. 9; and yet withal as given to Christ by the Father, as objects of eternal, sovereign, and free love, John xvii. 6.9. Q. 47. Wherein does the freedom of this electing love appear? A. In pitching upon objects altogether unlovely, Ezekiel xvi. 6. Q. 48. Wherein does the sovereignty of it appear? A. In pitching on some such unlovely objects, and passing by others in the same condition, Rom. ix. 21. Q. 49. Was it any disparagement to the fœderal representation of the second Adam, that he represented only some of mankind, whereas the first Adam represented the whole of his race? A. No: because it was unspeakably more for Christ to undertake and contract for one sinner, than for Adam to contract for a whole righteous world. Q. 50. Is what is called by some divines, the covenant of redemption, a distinct covenant from the covenant of grace? Q. 52. How do you prove from scripture, that there are but two covenants, whereof the covenant of works is one? A. From Gal. iv. 24. where it is said" These are the two covenants, the one from Mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage.' وو Q. 53. How doth it appear that the one from Mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, is the covenant of works? A. Because the generating of bond children excluded from the inheritance, Gal. iv. 30. is a distinguishing character of the covenant of works, which cannot agree to the covenant of grace under any dispensation thereof. Q. 54. Was then the covenant at Mount Sinai a covenant of works? A. The covenant of works was only repeated at Mount Sinai, together with the covenant of grace; to show to all Israel, that the clearing of both the principal and penalty of the covenant of works, was laid on Christ, as the condition of the covenant of grace. Q. 55. Does the scripture make mention of the blood of any more covenants but one? A. Although Christ alone engaged from eternity to pay the price of our redemption, on which account the covenant is wholly of free grace to us; yet A. The scripture makes there is no warrant from scrip- mention of the blood of the coture, to suppose a covenant of venant, in the singular number, redemption distinct from the co-four several times, namely, venant of grace. Exod. xxiv. 8. Zech. ix. 11. Q. 51. How many covenants Heb. x. 29. and xiii. 20; but are there for life and happiness no where speaks of the blood of to man in scripture reckoning? the covenants, in the plural num. A. They are but two in number. ber: whereof the covenant of Q. 56. What is the native works is one, and consequently consequence of the scripture's the covenant of grace must be mentioning the blood of the cothe other. venant, in the singular number, |