nei

Chrift, Acts xx. 24. But none of thefe Things move me, ther count I my Life dear unto myself, fo that I may finish my Courfe with Foy, Phil. iii. 8, 9. I count all Things but Lofs for the excellency of the Knowledge of Chrift Jefus my Lord.

Q5. What is the fourth Property of fupreme Love? A. It centers the Soul in God as its only Reft, Pfal. cxvi. 7. Return unto thy Reft, O my Soul. And cannot be fatisfied till it come to the full Enjoyment of him, 2 Thef. iii. 5. The Lord direct your Hearts into the Love of God, and patient waiting for Chrift.

Q6. Why must we love God with a fupreme Love?

A. Because fuch a Love only fuits the tranfcendent Excellency of God. Commands all we are and have for God, and is the only Love that will continue to the End, Rom. viii. 35. Who fhall feparate us from the Love of Chrift?

Q. 7. What is it to love our Neighbour as ourfelves? A. It is the exact Obfervation and Practice of the golden Rule of Chrift, Matt. vii. 12. Therefore all Things whatsoever ye would that Men should do to you, do ye even fo to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Q. 8. Are all Men to be loved alike, and with the fame Degree of Love?

A. No; though we must love all Men with the Love of Benevolence; yet the Saints only with the Love of Complacency, Pfal. xvi. 3. But to the Saints that are in the Earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my Delight. And to fuch we must especially do good, Gal. vi. 10. As we have therefore Opportunity, let us do good unto all Men, especially unto them who are of the Houshold of Faith.

Q. 9. What is the first Instruction from hence ?

A. Hence we learn the Excellency of divine Love. Mofes expreffes the whole Duty of Man in the Commandments. Chrift hangs the whole Law upon thefe Two, Love to God, and our Neighbour, Mark xii. 30, 31. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine Heart, and with all thy Soul, and with all thy Mind, and with all thy Strength. This is the firft Commandment. And the second is like, namely, this, thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thyself; there is none other Commandment greater than thefe. And the Apostle reduces these

Two

Two into One, Gal. v. 14. For all the Law is, fulfilled in one Word, even in this, Thou shalt love thy Neighbour, as thyself.. Q. 10. What is the fecond Inference from hence ?

A. It convinces the holiet of Men how far fhort they come in their Obedience, to the Rule of Duty, and therein the Law is our Schoolmaster to bring us to Chrif, Gal., iii. 24. Q. 11. What is the third Inference from hence ?

A. It difcovers the Excellency and Perfection of the Law of God, Pfal. xix. 7. The Law of the Lord is perfect converting the Soul. And that we are highly to honour and magnify it as a Rule of Duty, though, we must utterly renounce it as the Way of our Juftification.

Q12. What is the laft Inference from hence?

A. That there is nothing too dear for a Chriftian in this World, but he must give it up by felf-denial, when it comes in Competition with his fupreme Love to God, Luke xiv. 26. If any Man come to me, and hate not his Father, and Mother, Wife, and Children, and Brethren, and Sifters, yea, and his own Life alfo, he cannot be my Disciple, i, e. love them lefs

than me.

Of the Preface to the Commandments.

ま

Quest. 43. WHAT is the Preface to the Ten Com

and 44.

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 Houfe of Bondage, 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 Commandments..

Q. 1. Why doth God ufe Arguments and Inducements to win Men to the Obedience of his Laws.?

A. Because he loves to work on Man as a rational Creature, according to the Principles of his Nature, Hof. xi. 4 I drew them with Cords of a Man, with Bands of Love. And because he delights in none but free and chearful Obedience,

Pfal.

Pfal. cx. 3. Thy People shall be willing in the Day of thy Power.

Q. 2. What is the firft Argument in this Preface ?

A. It is the Sovereignty of the Law-giver [I am the Lord] which should awe the Heart of every Man to Obedience. Jam. iv. 12. There is one Law-giver, who is able to fave and to deftroy.

Q. 3. What is the second Argument to Obedience?

A. Our Propriety in God by Covenant [I am the Lord thy God] This obligeth to Obedience, and aggravateth Difobedience, Pfal. 1.7. Hear, O my People, and I will speak; O Ifrael, and I will testify against thee; I am God, even thy God, Hof. ix. 1. Thou haft gone a Whoring from thy God.

Q4. What is the third Argument unto Obedience!

A. The Benefits of Redemption that they receive from God. Benefits perfuade to Duty; and the Goodness of God leads to Repentance, Rom. ii. 4.

Q. 5. How can Deliverance out of Egypt, be an Argument to them that never were in Egypt?

A. As that Deliverance was a Type of our Deliverance, fo it is an Argument to us, and an Argument from the less to the greater; fo it obligeth us more than them, Luke i. 74, 75. That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the Hand of our Enemies, might ferve him without Fear, in Holiness and Righteoufnefs before him all the Days of our Life.

Q. 6. What is that Deliverance we have? and how doth it oblige us to Obedience ?

A. Our Deliverance is not from Egypt, but from Hell. Who hath delivered us from the Power of Darkness, and hath tranflated us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, Col. i. 13. And our Perfons are bought by the Redeemer to glorify God. 1 Cor. vi. 19. What, know ye not that your Body is the Temple of the Holy Ghoft, which is in you; for ye are bought with a Price; wherefore glorify God in your Body, and in your Spirits

which are God's.

Q. 7. Is it not mercenary to serve God upon the Account of Benefits received, or to be received?

A. He that makes religious Duties Mediums to attain carnal Advantages only, is of a worfe than mercenary Spirit. Hof. vii. 14 And they have not cried unto me with their Hearts, L

when

when they bowled upon their Beds; they affembled themselves for corn and wine, and they rebelled against me. But to be quickened by Mercy to Duty is not mercenary, but Evangelical. Hof. iii. 5. They hall fear the Lord and his Goodness.

Q. 8. What is the firft Inference from hence?

A. That great is the Condescention of God to Man, that he will ufe Arguments to induce him to Obedience, who might exact it only by his Sovereignty, and juftly damn us for our Difobedience, 2 Cor. v. 20. Now then we are Embaffadors for Chrift, as though God did befeech you by us, we pray you in Chrift's flead, be ye reconciled to God.

Q. 9. What is the fecond Inference from hence ?

A. That the more Mercy any receive from God, the more Obligations are laid on them to obey him, Pfal. cxvi. 1, 2. I love the Lord because he hath beard my Voice, and my Supplication; because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.

Q. 10. What is the third Inference from hence ?

A. The more Mercies and Favours any Man fins againft, the greater is that Man's Sin, and the forer will be his Punishment, Amos iii. 1, 2. You only have I known of all the Families of the Earth; wherefore I will punish you for all your Iniquities.

Q. 11. What is the fourth Inference from hence?

A. That God's Expectations are greater, where his Mercies and Favours have been fo, Ifa. v. 4. What could have been done more to my Vineyard, that I have not done it? Wherefore when I looked that it should bring forth Grapes, brought it forth wild Grapes.

Q. 12. What is the last Inference from hence?

A. That Memorials of God's Mercies are to be kept by us, to provoke us to conftant and chearful Duties of Obedience, Exod. xvii. 14. And the Lord faid unto Mofes, Write this for a Memorial in a Book, and rehearfe it in the Ears of Joshua, Pfal. ciii. 2, 3. Bless the Lord, O my Soul, forget not all his Benefits.

Of

Of the First Commandment.

Queft. 45. WHICH is the firft Commandment?

A. The First Commandment is, thou

fhalt have none other Gods before me.

Q. What is the firit Duty enjoined in the first Commandment?

A. It is to know and acknowledge the Existence or Being of God, and confequently condemns all Atheism, both in Judgment and Practice, Heb. xi. 6. He that cometh to God muft believe that he is, and that he is a Rewarder of them that diligently feek him, Pfal. xiv. 1. The Fool bath faid in his Heart,

there is no God.

Q. 2. What is the fecond Duty of the firft Command

ment ?

A. It requires all Men to know and acknowledge the Unity of God, Deut. vi. 4. Hear, O Ifrael, The Lord our God is one Lord. And condemns Polytheifm, or Plurality of Gods, 1 Cor. viii. 5, 6. For though there be that are called Gods, whether in Heaven or in Earth, as there be Gods many, and Lords many; but to us there is but one God.

Q. 3. Whence fprang the Opinion of more Gods than one at first in the World?

A. It fprang from Ignorance of God's Omniprefence and Omnipocence. Hence came their vain Imaginations, Rom. i. 21. Because that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their Imaginations, and their foolish Heart was darkened. They thought the Prefence and Power of God might reach one Place, and not another, 1 Kings xx. 23. And the Servants of the King of Affyria faid unto him, Their Gods are Gods of the Hills, therefore they were fronger than we; but let us fight against them in the Plain, and furely we shall be ftronger than they.

Q4. What were the firft Creatures worshipped as Gods? A. Probably the heavenly Bodies, Sun, Moon and Stars, becaufe of their Splendor and Influences; thefe as Heralds, do proclaim God to the World, Pfal. xix. 1, 2. The Hea vens declare the Glory of God, and the Firmament fheweth his bandy Work. Day unto Day uttereth Speech, and Night unto

L 2

Night