or human: all faith being founded folely and entirely upon a teftimony.

Q 31. How then is the perfon of Chrift, God man, to be conceived?

A. It can be conceived no other way, than by faith and fpiritual understanding: or, by the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, Eph. i. 17.

Q3. What improvement ought we to make of Christ's incarnation?

A. To claim him as our own, in virtue of his wearing our nature, faying, Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given Ifa. ix. 6.; or, which is the fame thing, to follow the practice of Ruth, in lying down at the feet of our bleffed Boaz, faying, Spread thy skirt over me; that is, take me, a poor bankrupt finner, into a marriage relation with thee, for thou art my dear kinfman, Ruth iii. 9.

23. QUEST. What offices doth Chrift execute as our Redeemer ?

ANSW. Chrift, as our Redeemer, exccuteth the offices of a prophet, of a priest, and of a king, both in his eftate of humiliation and exaltation.

Q. 1. What is the general office of Chrift, which refpects the whole of his undertaking, and runs through the whole of the covenant made with him?

A. It is his being the only Mediator between God and man, 1 Tim. ii. 5. There is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the man Chrift Jefus.

Q. 2. What doth the office of a Mediator between God and men fuppofe?

A. It fuppofes a breach between them, occafioned by fin on man's part, Ifa. lix. 2.

Q3. Could a mere verbal interceffion make up this breach?

A. By no means; nothing lefs than a full reparation for all the damages which fin had done to the honour of God, and his law, could do it away, Ifa. lii. 1c.

Q4. Was none but Chrift fit for being Mediator in this respect?

A. None elfe: becaufe there was no other who flood related to the two families of heaven and earth, which were at variance, in fuch a manner as he did.

25. How ftood he related to thefe two families?

A. By being, from eternity, God equal with the Father, he stood naturally and effentially related to heaven, John x. 30; and by confenting to become man, he food voluntarily and freely related to earth, Phil ii. 6, 7.

26. What are the branches of Chrift's mediatory office; or the particular offices included thereia?

A. They are three; namely, his office of a [Prophet], Deut. xviii. 15.; of a [Prieft], Pfal. cx. 4.; and of a [King], Pfal. ii. 6.

27. Have each of thefe offices the fame relation to the covenant whereof he is Mediator.

A. His priefly office, as to the facrificing part of it, refpecting the condition of the covenant, belongs to the MAXING of it; but his prophetical and kingly offices, with the interceffory part of his priestly office, refpecting the promifes of the covenant, belong to the ADMINISTRATION thereof.

Q. 8. What refpect have thefe offices to our mifery by fin?

A. The prophetical office refpects our ignorance; the prieftly office our guilt; and the kingly office our pollu tion' or defilement.

29. What is Chrift made of God to us, in virtue of thefe offices for the removal of thefe miferies?

A. As a prophet he is made of God to us wisdom; as a Prieft, righteoufnefs; and as a King, fanctification; and as vefted with ALL thefe offices, he is made of God to us complete redemption, 1 Cor. i. 30.

Q10. Was he ordained or appointed unto thefe offices?

A. Yes, from all eteraity; 1 Pet. i. 20. Who verily was fore ordained before the foundation of the world?

11. What were the neceffary confequences of this eternal defignation ?

A. His miffion and call.

2. 12. Wherein confifted his mission?

A. In his being promifed, Ifa vii. 14. ; and typified under the Old Teftament, John iii. 14; and in his being actually fent, in the fulness of time, to affume our na

fure, and finifh the work which was given him to do, Gal. iv. 4, 5.

2. 13. Was he formerly called unto his mediatory office?

A Yes: he did not take this honour unto himself, but was called of God, as was Aaron, Heb. v. 3, 5.

2. 14. Of what parts did his call confift?

A. Of his unction and inauguration.

Q 15. What do you understand by his undtion? A. The confecrating of him to all his mediatory offices, John x. 36. ; and the giving of the Spirit, with all his gifts and graces, without meafure unto him, for his being fully furnished for the execution of thefe offices, John iii. 4

2. 16. In which nature was Chrift anointed wih the Spirit?

A. The perfon of Chrift was anointed in the humn nature, which was the immediate receptacle of all gift and graces, Pfal. lxviii. 18, Thou haft received gifts for men ; Margin, in the man; that is, in the human nature.

217. When was he inaugurated into his mediatary offices?

A. Although, in virtue of his affuming the huma nature, he was born to the execution of them, yet he was not folemnly inftalled into the public exercise of these offices, till his baptifin.

Q. 18. What was the folemnity of his inauguratin or inflalment at that time?

A. The heavens were opened, the Spirit of God defended like a dove, and lighted upon him and lo, a veice from kaven, faying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well peafed, Mat. iii. 16, 17.

2. 19. Why was Chrift vefted with this threefdd office?

A. The nature of our falvation required that it hould be revealed by him as a Prophet; purchafed by him as a Prieft; and applied by him as a King.

Q. 20. Did ever all thefe offices center in any on perfon but Chrift alone?

A. No; for, in order to fet forth the vaft imporance of thefe offices, as united in the person of Chrift, nae of thefe who were typical of him under the old Teftanent, were ever clothed with all the three: this honour was referved for himself, as his peculiar dignity and prroga

tive; John xiv. 6. I am the way, and the truth, and the life : that is, the way in my death, as a Prieft; the TRUTH in my word, as a Prophet: and the LIFE in my Spirit, as a King.

fices?

21. In what eflates doth Chrift execute all these of

A. [Both in his ftate of humiliation] on earth, and in his eftate of [exaltation] in heaven.

Q22. What do you underftand by Chrift's executing of his offices?

A. His doing or fulfilling what was incumbent upon him, in virtue of each of thefe offices, Mat. iii. 15.**

Q. 23. Are the offices of Chrift the proper fountain from when the promises do flow?

A. No; the proper fountain and fpring of all the promifes, is the fovereign will and good pleafure of God; hence is the bvereign will of God fet in the front of all the promiles, WILL put my law in their inward parts; and I WILL be their God; I WILL forgive their iniquity; and I WILL remember their fin no more, Jer. xxxi, 33, 34.: I WILL take away beflony heart out of their flesh; and I WILL give you an heart of flesh, &c. Ezek xxxvi. 26, 27.

24. What connection then have the promifes with the offices of Chrift?

A. They are revealed to us by Chrift, as a Prophet, Heb. i. 2. ; confirmed by his blood, as a Prieft Heb. ix. 16.; and efectually applied by his power, as a King, Pfal. cx. 3.

Q25. Is the order in which the offices of Chrift are here lid down, the very order in which they are executed?

A. Yes for it is the order laid down in fcripture, 1 Cor. i. 3

226. By whom is this order inverted?

A. By the Arminians and other legalifts, who make Chrit's kingly office the first which he executes, in the applicaion of redemption.

227. How do they make Chrift's kingly office the first which he executes ?

A By alleging that Chrift, as a King has, in the gof pel, given out a new preceptive law, of faith and repentance. by obedience, whereunto we come to be entitled unto Chrift and is righteousness.

Q. 28. What is the danger of this scheme of doctrine?

A. It is a confounding of law and gofpel; and a bringing of works into the matter and cause of a finner's justification before God, contrary to Rom. v. 19. and Gal. ii. 16.

Q. 29. When faith clofes with Chrift, does it not close with him in all his offices?

A. Yes; for Chrift is never divided: we must have him wholly, or none of him, John viii. 24.

Q30. Which of his offices doth faith act upon for juftification?

A. Upon his priestly office only: for the great thing a guilty finner wants is righteousness, to answer the charge of the law; and the enlightened finner fees that Chrift, in his priestly office, is the end of the law for righteousness, Rom.

x. 4.

Q. 31. What may we learn for encouragement from Chrift's being clothed with this threefold office?

A. That fince all thefe offices have a relation to us, we may warrantably employ him in every one of them; that in like manner as he is made over of God unto us, fo we may actually have him for our wisdom, righteousness, fanctification, and redemption, 1 Cor. i. 3c.

24. QUEST. How doth Chrifi execute the office of a Prophet?

ANSW. Chrift executeth the office of a Prophet, in revealing to us, by his word and Spirit, the will of God for our falvation.

Q. I. Is Chrift exprefsly called a [Prophet] in fcripture?

A. Yes: Acts iii 22.; where Peter applies the words of Mofes to him, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you, of your brethren, like unto me, &c.

Q. 2. Why does he bear this name?

A. Because he has made a full revelation of the whole counfel of God, concerning the falvation of loft finners of mankind, John xv. 15.