Of love to God and man,
An Exposition of the Assembly's Catechism. transient, yet their consequences and effects are permanent; an act is soon done, a word soon spoken, a thought soon thought; but when done, spoken or thought they are placed, to account; Gal. vi. 7, 8. Be not deceived, God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap'; for he that foweth to the flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption ; but he that foweth to the spirit, shall of the spirit reap life everlasting.
Q. 10. What is the fourth inference from hence ?
A. That God will proceed with menbydifferent rules in the day of judgment, according to the different laws they lived under in this world ; Rom. ii. 12. For as many as have finned without law shall also perish without law; and as many as have finned in the law, shall be judged by the law.
Q. 11. What is the fifth inference from hence ?
A. That those who have finned against the clearest light, and best helps, will, iftheydie impenitent, bejudgedtothegreatest misery ; Matth. xi. 23. And thou Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shall be brought down to hell ; for if the mighty works which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.
Heb. ii.
3. How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation ?
Q.12. What is the sixth inference from hence?
A. That as we are to prize the moral law highly, as a rule of life ; Psalm cxix. 105. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path : So are we to bless God for the gospel dispensation, by which only we can attain to justification and salvation ; Heb. xii. 22. But ye are come to mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God,the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels.
Of love to God and Man.
Quest.42.What Hat is the sum of the ten commandments ?
A. The sum of the ten commandments is to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our mind; and our neighbour as ourselves.
Q. 1. What is the sum of the ten commandments ?
A. To love the Lord our God with a supreme love, and men with a sincere love, in and for him ; Matth. xxii. 37, 38 .
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment : The second is like unto it; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
An Exposition of the Assembly's Catechism.
Q. 2. What is the first thing contained in our supreme love to God?
A. It implies the loving of God purely and absolutely for himself.
The excellencies that are in him ; Cant. i. 3. Thy name is as ointment poured forth ; therefore the virgins love thee.
And the benefits we receive from him ; Psalm cxvi. 1 .
I love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice and my fupplication.
Q. 3. What is the second property of this supreme love ?
A. Supreme love devotes the whole man to God and Christ :
So that in life and death that man designs the glory of God as his main end ; Rom. xiv. 7, 8. For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself; for whether we live, we live unto the Lord, and whether we die, we die unto the Lord; whether we live therefore or die, we are the Lord's.
Q. 4. What is the third property offupreme love ?
A. It causes the soul todepreciate and flight all other things in comparison of God's glory, and an interest in Christ ; Ans xx. 24. But noneofthese things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy; Phil. iii. 8. I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.
Q. 5. What is the fourth property offupreme love ?
A. It centers the soul in God as its only rest ; Psalm cxvi.
7. Return unto thy rest, O my soul. And cannot be satisfied till it come to the full enjoyment of him ; 2 Thef. iii. 5. And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ."
Q. 6. Why must we loveGodwith a supreme love ?
A. Because such a love only suits the transcendent excellencyofGod; commands all we are and have for God ; and is the only love that will continue to the end; Rom. viii. 35. Who : shall separate us from the love of Christ ?
Q. 7. What is it to love our neighbour as ourselves ?
A. It is the exact observation and practice of the golden rule of Christ ; Matth. vii. 12. Therefore allthingswhatsoever yewould that men should do to you, do ye even so to them ; for this is the law and the prophets.
Q. 8. Are all men to be loved alike, and with the same degree of love?
A. No ; tho' we must love all men with the love of benevolence, yet the saints only with the love ofcomplacency ; Psal. xvi. 3. But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent in whom is all my delight.
Psalm xv. 4. In whose
An Exposition of the Assembly's Catechism. eyesavileperson is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the Lord. And to such 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 ofthehoushold of faith.
Q. 9. What is the first instruction from hence ?
A. Hence we learn the excellency of divine love.
Moses expresses the whole duty ofmaninten commandments : Christ hangs the whole law upon these two, love to God and our neighbour ; Mark xii. 30, 31. And thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength : This is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neigbour as thyself: There is none other commandment greater than these. And the apostle reduces these 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 second inference from hence?
A. It convinces the holiest ofmenhow far short they come in their obedience to the rule of duty, and therein the law was our school-master to bring us to Christ, Gal. ili. 24.
Q11 . What is the third inference from hence ?
A. It discovers the excellency and perfection of the law of God; Psalm xix. 7. The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: And that we are highly tohonour and magnify it as a rule of duty, though we must utterly renounce it as thewayofourjuftification.
Q. 12. What is the last inference from hence ?
A. That there is nothing too dear for a Christian in this world, but he must give it up by self-denial, when it comes in competition with his supreme love to God; Luke xiv. 26. If anymancome to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also,he cannot be my disciple ; (i. e.) Love them less than me.
Of the Preface to the ten Commandments.
W Hat is the preface tothetencommandments?
Quest. 43 .
A. The preface to the ten commandments isinthesewords, I am theLordthy God, which have brought thee out of the land ofEgypt, out of the house of bondage.
Q. 44. What doth the preface to the ten commandments teach us?
A. The preface to the ten commandments teacheth us, that
An Exposition of the Assembly's Catechism.
because God is the Lord, and our God, and Redeemer, therefore we are bound to keep all his commandments.
Q. 1. Why doth God use arguments and inducements to win men to the obedience of his laws ?
A. Because he loves to work on man asa rational creature, according to the principles of his nature ; Hos. 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 ; Psal. cx.
3. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power.
Q. 2. What is the first argument in this preface ?
A. It is the sovereignty of the Law-giver, [I am the Lord,] which should a we the heart of every man to obedience; James iv. 12. There is one Law-giver, who is able to save, and todeItroy.
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 aggravatethdisobedience ;
Píalm 1. 7. Hear, O my people, and I will speak ; O Israel, and I will testify against thee : I am God, even thy God. Hoíea ix.
1. For thou hast gone a whoring from thy God.
Q. 4. What is the third argument unto obedience ?
A. The benefits of redemption that they receive from God.
Benefits persuade to duty; and the goodness of God leadeth thee 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, so it isanargumenttous, and an argument from the less to the greater ; for it obligeth us more than them ; Luke i. 74, 75
That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness 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 ; Col.
1. 13. Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son. And our persons are bought by the Redeemer to glorify God; 1 Cor. vi.
19, 20. What, knowye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost , which is in you? For ye are bought with a price :
Therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
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