Of keeping the law,
An Exposition of the Assembly's Catechism. lvii. 17. For the iniquity of his covetousness was Iwroth, and smote him, &c. And where it reigas, it becomes idolatry ;
Col. iii. 5. And covetousness, which is idolatry.
Q. 12, What is the first inference from hence ?
A. It calls allmen to humiliation for the inordinacy of their affections towards the world, their discontent with their own, andenvyings of others conditions.
Q13. What isthesecondinferencehence ?
A. As ever we would keep clear from this tin, let us make God our portion; Psalm xvi. 5. 6. The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance, and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.
And labour to get the soul-satisfying comforts of his Spirit John iv. 14. But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him, shall never thirst, &c.
2Cor. vi. 10. As having nothing, and yet poslessing all things.
Q. 14. What is the last inference hence ?
A. It God has given us a fufficiencyof the things of this life for our necessity, let us be satisfied, though wewantother things for our delight ; 1Tim. vi. 8. And having food and raiment, let us be therewithcontent. And relieve ourselves by an expectation of those better things laid up in heaven for us, if we be believers ; James ii. 5. Hath notGodchosen the poor of this world, rich in faith, andheirs of the kingdom, which he hath promised to them that love him.
Of keeping the Law.
Quest. 82.
S anyman able perfectly to keep the commandments of God ?
A. Nomereman since the fall, is able in this life perfettly to keep the commandments of God, but doth daily break them in thought, word, and deed.
Q. 1. Wherein doth the perfect keeping of God's law con fit?
A. It consists in the perfect and constant conformity of the internal and external actions of heart and life, to every command of God ; Gal. iii. 10. Cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
Matth. xxii. 37, 38, 39. Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thyGodwith all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
2. But if am an commit no external act against the law,
An Exposition of the Assembly's Catechism.
mayhenotbe said perfectly to keep it, although in mind or thought he should tranfgrefs ?
A. Nos for an inward motion of finintheheart, that never breaks forth into act, is a violation of the law, and brings the soul under the curse of it; Matth. v. 24, 22. Ye have heard that it was faidby them of old time, Thou shalt not kill : And whosoever shall kill, shall be in danger of the judgment.
Bar Ifay unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother withoutacause, shall be in danger of the judgment, &c. Andver.
27, 28. Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery. But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh uponawoman to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
Q. 3. May not a man keep the law if he keep some of its commands, though he cannot keep everyone of them punctually?
A. No, he cannot; for the transgression of anyone command in the least degree, is a breach of all, and brings the curse of the whole upon a man's foul; James ii. 10. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend inonepoint, he is guilty of all.
Q. 4. Was the law never kept by any finceitwasmade?
A. Yes, Adam in his innocent state kept it; for he was made upright; Eccl. vii. 29. God made man upright, &c.
And Christ perfectly kept it; Matth. v. 17. Thiok not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil, Q. 5. What is the firstreasonwhynomere maninthislife cantulfil and keep the law of God perfectly ?
A. It is because the law of God is perfect, and the best of men in this life are imperfect ; Plalm xix. 7. The law of the Lord is perfect, &c.
Eccl . vii. 20. For there is not a just man upon earth, thatdoeth good, and sinneth not.
Q. 6. But may notmen perfectly keep it when regenerate, and born of God?
A. No; becauseeveninthe regenerate there is a law of fin, which wars against the law of God ; Gal. v. 17. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh, &c.
Rom. vii. 22, 23. For 1delight in the lawofGod after the inwardman. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, &c.
And though they are said not to fin, 1 John iii. 9. Whosoever isbornofGod, doth notcom mit fin, ớc. That is not to be taken absolutely, but comparatively, as theyoncedid, and others still do.
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Q. 7. But did not Christ command the young man to keep the law ?
A. It is true, that Christ did put the young man upon this task ; Matth . xix. 17. It thou wiltenter into life, keep the com. mandments.
But it was not on a supposition that he was able to do it; but to convince him of the impossibility of justification that way.
L Q. 8. But doth not the apostle say, that the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in believers ?
A. It is true that the apostle doth say so, Rom. viii. 4. but the meaning is not, that we fulfil it in our own persons, by our complete obedience to it ; but it is fulfilled in us, by our union with Christ, who perfectly kept it; and the righteousness of the law, which is in Christ, becomes ours, by God's imputation of it to us ; Rom. iv. 23, 24. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him ; but for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up
Jesus our Lord from the dead.
Q. 9. What is the first inference from hence ?
A. That justification by our own works is utterly impossible to the holiest of men ; Gal. ii. 16. For by the works of the law shall no flesn be justified; Psalm ciii. 3. If thou, Lord, shouldst mark iniquities ; O Lord, who shall stand ?
Q. 10. What is the second inference from hence ?
A. Hence we learn what an infinite mercy it is, that God sent Jesus Christ made under the law ; Gal. iv. 4, 5. But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, &c.
To do that for us we could never do for ourselves ; Rom. viii. 3, 4. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for fin condemned fin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us ; who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Q. 11. What is the third inference from hence ?
A. That the dreadful curse must needs lie on all unbelievers that are out of Christ; John iii. 36. He that believeth not the Son, shall not see life ; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
And seek their justification by the deeds of the law ; Gal. iii.
10. For as many as are of the works of the law, are under the curse, &c.
Q. 12. What is the fourth inference from hence ?
A. That a deluge of fin and miferybrake in uponthewhole world by the fall of Adam, and all his posterity being by him
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piungedunder both ; Rom. v. 12. Wherefore, as by one man finenteredintothe world, and death by sin: And so deathpaffedupon all men, for that all have finned.
Q. 13. What is the fifth inference from hence ?
A. That the popish doctrines of merits, and works of fupererogation, are false and groundless doctrines, springing out of the ignorance and pride of man's heart.
Q. 14. What is the last inference from hence ?
A. That all God's people should sigh under their unhappy necessity of sinning; Rom. vii. 24. O wretched man that I am, who shall delivermefromthe body of this death ! And long tó be with Christ in the perfect state ; Heb. xii. 23. And to the spirits of just men made perfect.
Of the inequality of Sin.
Quest. 83. ARE all transgressions of the law equally heinous ?
A. Somefins in themselves, and by reason offeveralaggravations, are more heinous in the fight of God than others .
Q. 1. Whence arifeth the first difference of fin ?
A. The first difference betwixt one fin and another, arifeth from the immediate object, against which the sin is committed; on this account, fins immediately committed against God, are more heinous than fins immediately committed against man';
1 Sam. ii. 25. If one man fin against another, the judge shalt judge him : But if am an sin against the Lord, who shall intreat for him ? And all fins of the first table are greater than those of the second : yet there are crying sins against the second.
Q. 2. What is the first sin noted for an heinous fin ?
A. The fin of murder is in scripture set down for an heinous and crying fin initsownnature ; Gen. iv. 10. Thevoiceofthy brother's blood crieth unto me from the earth.
3. What other sin is noted for a crying fin ?
A. The fin of oppression is noted in scripture for a crying fin ; Hab. ii. 11. For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.
Especially the oppreffionof the widow and fatherless ; Exod. xxii. 22, 23. Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child.
If thou afflict them in any wife, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry.
Q. 4. What is reckoned in scripture an heinous sin against the first table ?
A. The fin of atheism, or denying the being of God, is a fin of the first magnitude; Job xxxi. 28.
This also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge: for I should have denied
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This was the fin of Pharaoh; Exod.
2. And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I shouldobeyhis voice, to let Israel go ? I know not the Lord, neither will I let
Israel go.
Q5. What other sin is heinous in God's account ?
A. The fin of idolatry is a most heinous fin, and goes nearer to the heart of God than other fins do ; Ezek. vi. y. And they that escape of you, shall remember me among the nations whither they shall be carried captives; because I am broken with their whoith heart, which hath departed from me, and with their eyes, which go a whoring after their idols ; and they shall loath themselves, for the evils which they have committed in all their abominations.
Jer. xliv. 4. O do not this abominable thing that I hate.
Q6. What is the most heinous of all the fins in the world?
A. The fin against the holy Ghost is the most heinous of all other sins, and (hall never be forgiven by him ; Matth. xii. 31.
All manner of finandblafphemy shall be forgiven unto men ; but the blasphemy against the holy Ghost shall not be forgiven untomen.
Q. 7. From whence doth this scripture aggravate fin?
A. The Spirit of God in scripture aggravates and estimates fin, from the degree of light and knowledge men fin against ;
Luke xii. 47. And that servant which knew his Lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. Joha xv. 22. If I had not come, and spoken unto them, theyhadnothad fin: But now they have no cloak for their fin.
Q.8. What is the secondthing that aggravates sin?
A. The more mercies anyman fins against, the greater is his fin; Rom. ii. 4. Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness, and forbearance, and long-tuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance ? And especially when it is against spiritual mercies,and means of salvation; Heb. ii. 3.
How shall we escape, if weneglectsogreat salvation ? &c.
Q.y. Are heinous and crying fins capable of forgiveness ?
A. Yes; great and heinous fins are capable of forgiveness, upon true repentance; Ifa. i. 18. Though your fins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
Q. 10. From what fountaindoththe pardon of all fins, both great and small, flow ?
A. They all flow from the free grace of God; Luke vii. 41, 42.Andwhentheyhad nothing to pay, he frankly forgave