glorious gofpel of Chrift, who is the image of God, fhould thine into them. Q. 14. What is the laft inference? A. That Chrift's ordinances and minifters should be moft welcome to the people to whom God fends them; Ifa. lii. 7. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publifheth peace, that publifheth falvation, that faith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth. Queft. 96. Of the Manner of Hearing. WOW is the word to be read and heard, that it may become effectual to falvation? A. That the word may become effectual to falvation, we must attend thereunto with diligence, preparation, and prayer, receive it with faith and love, Tay it up in your hearts, and practife it in your lives. Q.1. If the matter we read or hear be good, is not that enough for our falvation? A No, God requires that the word be read and heard in a due manner, and the manner of hearing is of special regard with God; Luke viii. 18. Take heed therefore how ye hear, &c. Q. 2. How many things belong to the due manner of hearing? A. Three forts of duties belong to it; fome antecedent, as preparation and prayer; fome concomitant, as due diligence and retention; and fome fubfequent, as practice. Q. 3. What is due preparation for hearing? A. It confifts in ferious confideration of the greatnefs and holiness of that God whom we approach in hearing the word; Acts x. 33. Now therefore we are all here prefent before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God. And awing the heart even to a degree of holy trembling thereby; Ifa. Ixvi. 2. To him will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. Q.4. What is the principal confideration thus to awe the heart? A. The word is in its own nature a heart-fearching word; Heb. iv. 12. For the word of God is quick and powerful, and fharper than any two-edged fword, piercing even to the dividing afunder of foul and fpirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a difcerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And that eventually it will be the favour of life or death to us; 2 Cor. ii. 16. To the one we are the favour of death unto death; and to the other the favour of life unto life, &c. Q5. What elfe belongs to due preparation to hear? 4. The difcharging of the heart from worldly cares; Matth. xiii. 7. And fome fell among thorns, and the thorns fprang up and choaked them. And carnal lufts; James i. 21. Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and fuperfluity of naughtinefs, and receive with meeknefs the ingrafted word, which is able to fave your fouls. Q. 6. What is the third act of due preparation? A. Longing after the word for further communications of grace by it; 1 Pet. ii. 2. As new-born babes defire the fincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby. Ifa. ii. 3. And many people shall go and fay, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion fhall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerufalem. Q. 7. What is the fecond antecedent duty of hearing? 4. Prayer is an antecedent duty to hearing the word, and that oth for the affiftance of the minifter; 2 Theff. iii. 1. Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free courfe, and be glorified, even as it is with you. And our own illumination; Pfalm cxix. 18. Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. Q. 8. What elfe fhould we pray for? A. That God would pour out his Spirit with the word, according to that promife, Prov. i. 23. I will pour out my Spirit upon you, I will make known my words unto you. Q.9. Doth unpreparedness for the word always hinder its efficacy on the heart?" A. No, God fometimes is found of them that fought him not; Ifa. lxv. 1. I was found of them that fought me not, c. But it is a fin to neglect it, and needs a pardon of God. Q. 10. What is the firft motive to prepare for folemn duties? A. That it argues the fincerity of the heart, and in that cafe God will be merciful to infirmities; 2 Chron. xxx. 18, 19. For a multitude of the people, even a multitude of Ephraim and Manaffeh, Iffachar and Zebulun, had not cleanfed themfelves, yet did eat the paffover, but not as it is written; wherefore Hezekiah prayed for them, faying, The good Lord be merciful towards him that prepareth his whole heart to feek the Lord God, the God of his fathers, though he be not cleanfed according to the purification of the fanctuary. Q.11. What is the fecond motive? A. It is a fweet fign that God will make that duty fuccessful for which the heart is prepared; Pfalm x. 17. Thou prepareft their heart; thou bendeft thine ear to them. Q. 12. What is the third motive to prepartion? 4. The majesty and jealoufy of God, to whom we approach, obliges us to folemn preparation; Heb. xii. 28, 29. Whereby we may ferve God acceptably, with reverence and godly fear; for our God is a confuming fire. Q. 13. But muft a man neglect the duty, if his heart be not duly prepared for it? A. No; for that would be to add a new fin to a former, and ag gravate it the more. 1 Q. 14. In what manner muft the prepared heart go to the word? A. Not in dependence on its own preparations, but upon the Spi rit's affiftance; Pfal. lxxi. 16. I will go forward in the ftrength of the Lord God, &c. Q. 15. What is the first act of faith due to the word? A. The affenting act of faith is required to the word read or preached, whereby we acknowledge it to be of divine authority; 2 Tim. iii. 16. All fcripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for inftruction in righteoufnefs; 2 Peter i. 21. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God fpake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. Q. 16. What is the fecond act of faith required of us? A. An applying act of faith is alfo required of us; Rom. xv. 4. For whatfoever things were written aforetime, were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. Q.17. What is the firft end in applying the word? A. It is firft to be applied to our conviction both of fin and mifery Acts ii. 37. Now when they heard this they were pricked in their hearts, and faid unto Peter, and to the reft of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Q. 18. What is the fecond end, or ufe of applying it? 4. It must be applied for our guidance and direction to Chrift; John vi. 45. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learn ed of the Father, cometh unto me. Q. 19. What is the third use to which it must be applied? A. We must apply it for our direction through the whole courfe of Christian duties; 2 Pet. i. 19. We have alfo 2 more fure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts. Q. 20. What other use must we apply it to? A. It must be applied for our comfort in all inward and outward troubles; Rom. xv. 4. For whatsoever things were written aforetime, were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the fcriptures might have hope. Q. 21. On what account are we to receive it with love? A. We are to love it for its author's fake, because it is the word of A. The holiness and purity of it deferves and engages our love to it; Pfalm cxix. 140. Thy word is very pure; therefore thy fervant loveth it. Q23. What is the third motive to engage our love to it? A. The great and conftant usefulness of it to our fouls, as that we cannot fubfift without; Job xxiii. 12. I have efteemed the words of his mouth more than my neceffary food. Q. 24. How doth this love to the word manifeft itself. A. Our love manifefts itself in our longing after it; Pfalm cxix. 20. My foul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judg ments at all times. Our diligent attendance on it; Acts x. 33. Immediately therefore I fent unto thee, and thou haft well done that thou art come. Now therefore are we all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God. Q. 25. How is faith and love evidenced to the word after hearing it? A. By preferving it carefully in our hearts and memories; Pfalm cxix. 11. Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not fin against thee. Q. 26. What is the best cure for a bad memory ? A. Labour to get an high efteem of it, and an experimental feeling of it, and frequently meditate on it; Pfalm cxix. 16. I will delight myself in thy ftatutes: I will not forget thy word. Pfalm cxix. 93. I will never forget thy precepts; for with them thou haft quickened me. Pfalm cxix. 99. Thy teftimonies are my meditation. Q. 27. How is faith and love principally manifefted to the word after hearing? A. It is principally manifefted by bringing forth the fruits of it in our lives; Col. i. 5, 6. For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gofpel, which is come unto you, as it is in all the world, and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth alfo in you, fince the day ye have heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth. Q. 28. What is the use of all this? 4. This ferves to reprove our formal and dead hearing the word, and excites us all to evidence and exercise more faith, love, and obedience, in hearing it. Queft. 91. Of Sacraments as Means of Salvation. H WOW do the facraments become effectual means of falvation? A. The facraments become effectual means of falvation, not from any virtue in them, or in him that doth adminifter them, but only by the blessing of Chrift, and the working of his Spirit in them that by faith receive them. Q. I. What is the firft proper fenfe of this word facrament? A. It primarily fignifies a folemn oath taken by foldiers, when they lift themselves under a prince or general; and this oath was mutual. Q. 2. Why do we use it, seeing it is not a scripture word? A. Though the word be not found in fcripture, yet the thing intended by it is, and that brings the word in ufe; for in the facraments God obliges himself to us by confirming his covenant by it; Rom iv. 11. And he received the fign of circumcifion, a feal of the righteouf ness of the faith, which he had yet being uncircumcifed: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not eircumcifed; that righteoufnefs might be imputed unto them alfo. And we oblige ourselves to God; Rom. vi. 3, 4. Know ye not that fo many of us as were baptized into Chrift, were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptifm into death, that like as Chrift was raifed up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even for we alfo fhould walk in newness of life. Q3. What is here meant by falvation? A By falvation is meant our complete and final deliverance from fin and mifery, both temporal and eternal. From fin, Matth i. 21. For he thall fave his people from their fins From mifery, Theff. Even Jefus who delivereth us from the wrath to come. Q4. What is a mean of falvation? i. 10. A. A mean of falvation fignifies any appointment of God, where by he promotes and accomplishes his defign of facing our fouls; fo the word is a mean; Rom. i. 16. For I am not afhamed of the gofpel of Chrift, for it is the power of God unto falvation, to every one that believeth. Q5 How doth the word and facraments differ as means of falva tion? A. The word is appointed to be the first means of begetting faith; 1 Cor. iii. 5. Who then is Paul? And who is Apollos? But minif ters by whom ye believed, &c. Sacraments are to feal and confirm it; Rom. iv. 11. And he received the fign of circumcifion, a feal of the righteoufnefs of faith, &c. Q. 6. What is meant by an effectual mean of falvation? A By an effectual mean, is meant fuch a mean as fully obtains and accomplishes the end it was appointed for, 1 Theff. ii. 13. Becaufe when ye received the word of God, which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men; but (as it is in truth) the word of God, which effectually worketh alfo in you that believe. Q. 7. Do not all the means of falvation prove effectual to men? A. Though the means of falvation prove effectual to all God's elect, yet they are fo to no others; Acts xxviii. 23, 24. And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging, to whom he expounded and teftified the kingdom of God, perfuading them concerning Jefus, both out of the law of Mofes, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening. And fome believed the things which were spoken, and fome believed not. Q. 8. Do not the facraments fave all that partake of them; A. No, they do not; baptifm may pafs on a caft-away; As viii. 23. For Iperceive that thou art in the gall of bitternels, and in the bond of iniquity. And the Lord's fupper may be received unworthily; 1 Cor. xi. 27. Wherefore, whofcever fhall eat this bread, and drink |
