cx. 3.; and makes them willing to embrace a Saviour, and a great one, as freely offered in the gofpel, Ifa. xliv. 5.

Q. 25. In what condition doth he find his elect ones, when he comes to fubdue them to himself?

A. He finds them prisoners, and lawful captives, Ifa. lxi. I.

Q. 26. How doth he loose their bonds?

A. By his Spirit, applying to them the whole of his fatisfaction, whereby all demands of law and justice are answered to the full, John xvi. 8,—12.

227: What is the confequence of anfwering the demands of law and juftice, by the Spirit's applying the fatisfaction of Chrift?

A. The law being fatisfied, the frength of fin is broken, and therefore the fting of death is taken away, 1 Cor. xv. 56, 57.

2. 28. What follows upon taking away the fling of death?

A. Satan lofeth his power over them; and that being loft, the prefent evil world, which is his kingdom, can hold them no longer, Gal. i. 4.

Q. 29. What comes of them, when they are feparated from the world that lies in wickedness?

A. The very moment they are delivered from the power of darkness, they are tranflated into the kingdom of God's dear Son, Col. i. 13.

Q3. Are they not in the world after this happy change?

A. Though they be in the world, yet they are not of it, but true and lively members of Chrift's invifible kingdom; and therefore the objects of the world's hatred, John xv.

19.

231. When Christ as a king hath fubdued finners tohimfelf, what other part of his royal office doth he exercise over them?

A. HE RULES and governs them; hence called the Raler in Ifrael, Micah v. 2.

232 Doth the rule and government of Christ diffolve the fubjection of his people from the powers of the earth? A By no means he paid tribute himself, Mat. xvii. 27; and hath ftri&ly commanded. that every foul be fubject to the higher powers, because there is no power but of

God; and the powers that be, are ordained of God, Rom.

xiii. I.

2. 33. In what things are the fubjects of Chrift's kingdom to obey the powers of the earth?

A. In every thing that is not forbidden by the law of God: but when the commands of men are oppofite to the commands of God in that cafe, God ought always to be obeyed, rather than men, Acts v. 29.

2. 34. How doth this glorious King rule his fubjects? A. By giving them the laws, Pfal. cxlvii. 19.; and miniftering to them the difcipline of his kingdom, Heb. xii. 6. 235. What are the laws of Chrift's kingdom?

A They are no other but the laws of the Ten Commandments, originally given to Adam in his creation, and afterwards published from Mount Sinai, Ex. xx. 3,

18.

2. 36 How doth Chrift fweeten his law to his fub

jects?

A. Having fulfilled it as a covenant, he gives it out to his true and kindly fubjects as a rule of life, to be obeyed in the ftrength of that grace which is fecured in the promise, Ezek. xxxvi. 27.

2. 37. Doth he annex any rewards to the obedience of his true fubjects?

A. Yes: in keeping of his commandments, there is great reward, Pfalm xix. 11.

238. What are thefe rewards?

A. His fpecial comforts and love-tokens, which he beftows for exciting to that holy and tender walk, which is the fruit of faith, John xiv. 21.

239. Why are thefe comforts called rewards?

A. Because they are given to a working faint, as a further privilege on the back of duty, Rev. iii. 10.

Q40. Is it the order of the new covenant, that duty fhould go before privilege?

:

A. No, the matter ftands thus: the leading privilege is the quickening Spirit, then follows duty and duty, performed in faith, is followed with further privilege, till pri vilege and duty come both to perfection in heaven, not to be diftinguished any more, John iii. 2.

24. What is the difcipline of Chrift's kingdom?

. Fatherly chafifement; which, being neceflary for the W 'fare of his true fubjects. is fecured for them in the promile, Palm lxxxix. 30-35.

2. 42. To what promife of the covenant doth fatherly chaftifement belong?

A. To the promise of fanctification, being an appointed mean for advancing holiness in them, Heb. xii. ic. Ifa.

243. What other act of kingly power doth Chrift exercife about his subjects, besides fubduing them to himself, and ruling of them?

A. He DEFENDS them like wife, Pfal. lxxxix. 18. Lord is our DEFENCE.

44 Against whom did he defend them?

The

A. Against all their enemies; fin, Satan, the world, and death, Luke i. 71 1 John iv. 4. Hof. xiii. 14. 245. Who are their worst enemies ?

A. The remains of corruption within them, which are not expelled during this life, but left for their exercise and trial, Gal. v. 7.

Q. 46 How doth he defend them against these inward foes!

A. By keeping alive in them the spark of bely fire, in the midst of an ocean of corruption, and caufing it to make head against the fame, until it quite dry it up, Kom. vii.

24. 25.

2 47. What are the acts of Chrift's kingly office, with refpect unto his people's enemies?

A They are his [reftraining and conquering] of them, 1 Cor. xv. 25. He must reign till he hath put all his enemies under his feet.

248 Whence is it that this glorious King, and his fubjects, have the fame enemies?

A. He and they make up that one body whereof he is the head, and they are the members 1 Cor. xi, 12.; and therefore they cannot but have commen friends and foes, Zech. ii. 8.

249. What is it for Chrift to reftrain his and his peo. ple's enemies?

A It is to over-rule and difappoint their wicked pur. poses, Ifa. xxxvii. 29.; to fet limits to their wrath, and to bring a revenue of glory to himself out of the fame, Pfal. Ixxvi. 10.

250. What refraints doth he put upon them?

A. He bounds them by his power, as to the kind, dèPART I.

X

gree, and continuance of all their enterprifes and attacks upon his people, Job i. 12. and ii. 6.

251. What is it for Chrift to conquer all his and his people's enemies?

A. It is his taking away their power, that they cannot burt the leaft of his little ones, with refpect to their spiritual ftate, Lake xi. 22.

252 How doth he conquer them?

4. He hath already conquered them in his own perfon, as the head of the new covenant, by the victory he obe tained over thera in his death, Col. ii. 15.; and he conquers them daily in his members, when he enables them by faith, to put their feet upon the neck of their vanquished foes, Rom, xvi. 1c.

253. What may we learn from Chrift's executing his kingly office?

་

That though believers, while in this world, are in the midst of their enemies, as lambs among wolves, Luke x. 3. yet by this mighty King, as the breaker, going up be fore them, Mic. ii. 13. they fhall be more than conquerers through him that loved them, Rom. viii. 37.

27. QUEST. Wherein did Chrift's bumili atión confift?

ANSW. Chrift's humiliation confifted in his being born, and that in a low condition, made under the law, undergoing the miferies of this life, the wrath of God, and the curfed death of the crofs; in being buried, and continuing under the power of death for a time.

2, 1. What do you understand by Christ's [huiniliation in deneral?

A. His condefcending to have that glory, which he had with the Father, before the world was, John xvii. 5. veiled for a time, by his coming to this lower, world, to be a man of ferrera, and acquainted with grief, fa. li. 5.

2.2. Was Christ's humiliation entirely voluntary? A. It was voluntary in the highest degree; for, from eternity, he rejoiced in the habitable parts of the earth, and his delights were with the fons of men, Prov. viii. 31.

23. What was the fpring and fource of Chrift's humiliation?

A. Nothing but his own and his Father's undeferved love to loft mankind, Rom. v. 6 1 John iv, 10.

24. What are the feveral steps of Chrift's humiliation, mentioned in the answer?

A. They are fuch as refpect "his conception and birth, "his life, his death, and" what paffed upon him " ofter " his death until his refurrection *."

Q. 5. How did Chrift humble himself in his concep tion and birth?

A. In that, being from all eternity the Son of God, in "the bofom of the Father, he was pleafed, in the fulness of "time, to become the Son of man, made of a woman; "and to be born of her," in a very low condition, John i. 14, 18. Gal. iv. 4. †”

Q. 6. What was the flow condition] wherein he was born?

A. He was born of a poor woman, though of royal defcent; in Bethlehem, an obfcure village: and there laid in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn, Luke ii. 4, 5 7 Q. 7. Why is the pedigree and defcant of Chrift, according to the flesh, fo particularly deferibed by the evange Lifts ?

A To evidence the faithfulness of God in his promise to Abraham, Gen. xxii. 18. and Dávid, Pfal. cxxxii. 11, that the Meftah fhould fpring out of their feed.

Q8. Why was Chrift born in fuch a low condition?

A. He fooped fo low, that he might lift up finners of ma: kind out of the horrible pit and miry clay, into which they were plunged, Pfal. xl. 2.

9. 9. What improvement ought we to make of the incarnation and birth of Chrift, in fuch circumstances of more than ordinary abasement ?

A. To admire the grace of our Lord Jefus Chrift, that though he was rich, yet for our fakes he became poor, that

* Larg. Cut. 2, 46,

↑ Abid 2.47.