Q. 38. Why are the scriptures said to be [the ONLY rule] to direct us, how we may glorify and enjoy God? A. Because none but God, the author of the scriptures, could by them, show the way, how he himself is to be glorified and enjoyed, by fallen sinners of mankind, Micah vi. 6-9. Matt. xi. 25-28. may be deduced from scripture, 2 Tim. iii. 15, 16, 17. Gal. i. 8, 9,"* Q. 42. Are plain and necessary scripture consequences to be admitted as a part of the rule, as well as express scriptures? "As A. Yes: as is evident from the instance of our Lord, in proving the doctrine of the resurrection against the SadduQ. 39. Although the light of cees, Matt. xxii. 31, 32. nature, or natural reason, should touching the resurrection of the not be the only rule, yet may it dead, have ye not read that not be admitted as a sufficient which was spoken to you by rule, to direct us how to glorify God, saying, I am the God of and enjoy God? A. By no means; because of its utter incapacity to give the smallest discovery of Christ, the Mediator of the new covenant, 1 Cor. ii. 14. who is the only way of salvation for lost sinners of Adam's family, John xiv. 6. Q. 40. Is it enough to assert, that the word of God is the principal rule to direct us? Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living." Q. 43. Are the scriptures a clear and perspicuous rule? A. All things necessary to be known, believed, and observed for salvation, are so clearly laid down in one place of scripture or other, that every one, in the due use of ordinary means, may A. No: because this would attain to a sufficient understandleave room to conceive of ano-ing of them, Psal. cxix. 105. ther rule, beside the scriptures, 130.f which, though it might not be Q. 44. Are human and uncalled the principal one, yet written traditions, how ancient might be in itself abundantly soever, to be admitted as a part good and sufficient, for direct- of the rule? ing sinners to their chief end; which is false, and contrary to scripture, Luke xvi. 29. 31. Isa. viii. 20. Acts iv. 12. Q. 41. Wherein consists the perfection of the scriptures? A. It consists in this, That, "the whole counsel of God, concerning all things necessary for his own glory, man's salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down in scripture, or by good and necessary consequence Confession, chap. i. § 6. A. No: all human traditions are to be examined by the scriptures; and, "if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them," Isa. viii. 20. Q. 45. Can the heathens, by all the helps they have, without revelation, attain to such a knowledge of God, and his will, as is necessary to salvation? A. By no means: for they are declared to be "without God, + Ibid. chap. i. § 7. and without hope in the world," versies of religion, and examining Eph. ii. 12. "And where there is the decrees and doctrines of no vision, the people perish,' "men? Prov. xxix. 18. there being "no other name under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved," but that of Jesus, Acts iv. 12. Q. 46. Is the light within men, or the Spirit without the word, which is pretended to by the Quakers, and other enthusiasts, to be used as any rule for our direction? A. No: because whatever light or spirit is pretended to, without the word, it is but darkness, delusion, and a spirit of error, 1 John iv. 1. 6. Q. 47. In what language were the scriptures originally written? A. The Old Testament was written originally in Hebrew, and the New Testament in Greek. Q. 48. Why ought the scriptures to be translated into the vulgar language of every nation where they come? A. Because sinners of mankind have a right unto, and interest in the scriptures, Prov. viii. 4; and are commanded, in the fear of God, to read and search them, John v. 39. Q. 49. Who is the supreme judge, in whose sentence we are to rest in determining all contro A. "No other but the Holy Spirit speaking in the scripture, Matt. xxii. 29. Acts xxviii. 25,”* Q. 50. Why are the books called the Apocrypha to be rejected as no part of the canon of scripture? A. Because they were not written in the original language of the Old Testament; nor acknowledged for scripture by the Jews, to whom the oracles of God were committed; and have nothing of that impress of majesty, holiness, and efficacy, which shines so conspicuously in the scriptures of the Old and New Testament: and because they were written after Malachi, whose book is called, the end of the Prophets; and do contain many false things, contradictory and heretical. Q. 51. Wherein consists the incomparable excellency and usefulness of the scriptures? A. They are the well furnished dispensatory of all sovereign remedies, Psal. cvii. 20; the rich magazine of all true comfort, Rom. xv. 4; and the complete armoury of all spiritual weapons, Eph. vi. 13-18; and the unerring compass to guide to the haven of glory, 2 Pet. i. 19. QUEST. 3. What do the scriptures principally teach? ANSW. The scriptures principally teach, what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man. Q. 1. What is it [to believe] | what the scriptures teach? A. It is to assent and give credit to the truths thereof, be • See Confession, chap. i, § 10 cause of the authority of God, whose word the scriptures are, John iii. 33. "He that hath received his testimony, hath set to his seal that God is true." "The man which doth those things, shall live by them," Rom. x. 5. Q. 7. Is this order inverted in the covenant of grace, or gospel Q. 2. Are we to believe no-revelation? thing in point of faith, and do nothing in point of duty, but what we are taught in the scriptures? A. No: because the scripture is the only book in the world of divine authority; and the revealed will and command of God therein, being so exceeding broad, nothing is incumbent on us to believe and do, but what is either directly, or consequentially prescribed therein, Isa. viii. 20. Q. 3. Why are the scriptures said [principally] to teach matters of faith and practice? A. Because though all things revealed in the scripture be equally true, yet every thing therein is not equally necessary to salvation, 1 Cor. vii. 12, 13. Q. 4. What is the order of doctrine laid down in this question? A. Faith or believing is made the foundation of duty, or obedience; and not our obedience, or duty, the foundation of our faith, Tit. iii. 8. Q. 5. Why are the things to be believed, set before the things to be practised? A. To distinguish between the order of things in the covenant of grace, from what they were in innocency, in the covenant of works, Gal. iii. 12. A. Yes: the promise is to be believed, and the promised privilege, namely, life, must be freely received; and upon this follows our obedience to the law, from gratitude and love, Jer. xxxi. 18, 19. Q. 8. How doth it appear that this is the order of gospel doctrine? A. Because this is the order that God laid, in delivering the law at Mount Sinai; the foundation of faith is first laid in these words of the preface, "I am the Lord thy God;" &c. which is the sum and substance of the covenant of grace; and then follow the Ten commandments, which are, as it were, grafted upon this grant of sovereign grace and love, Exod. xx. 2-18. Q. 9. Is this the order of doctrine laid down in the standards of the church of Scotland? A. Yes: as appears from this answer to that Question in the SHORTER CATECHISM, "What doth the preface to the ten commandments teach us?" The Answer is, "That because God is the Lord, and our God, and Redeemer; therefore we are bound to keep all his commandments." Q. 10. Are we then to keep the commandments, that God may become our God? Q. 6. What was the order of things in the covenant of works? A. No: for this were to slide A. Doing, or perfect obedience into a covenant of works; but to the law, was the foundation we are to keep them, BECAUSE of the promised privilege of life: he is our God, according to the See also Conf. chap. xvi. § 2. Larg. Cat. Q. 101. 104. tenor of the covenant of grace, Psal. xiv. 11. in metre," Because he is thy Lord, do thou him worship reverently." order, they were led back to a covenant of works, and the doctrine of the merit of good works, which is the foundation of the whole Antichristian superstruc Q. 16. Do not we find frequent Q.. 11. Why do men naturally think, that upon their doing so ture. and so, God will be their God? A. Because of the naturally in scripture, a reward promisbias of the heart of man, to the ed to good works, Psal. cxix. 1. order in the covenant of works, "In keeping of thy commanddo, and live, Rom. ix, 32. and ments there is a great reward:" chap. x. 3. Psal. lviii. 11. "Verily there is Q. 12. Does not this order a reward to the righteous?" make void the law, or weaken A. True; but this is a reward our obligation to the duties of grace, not of debt: the man that is rewarded, must be a beA. By no means; but rather liever in Christ, whose person establishes the law, and settles is first accepted, through his our obligation to duty upon its union to Christ by faith and the proper foundation: Rom. ii. imputation of his righteousness, 31. "Do we then make void before any of his works or duties the law through faith? God can be accepted, Eph. i. 6. Gen. iv. 4. thereof? forbid: yea, we establish the law." Q. 13. How is this order of doctrine further evinced? Q. 17. What may be said of the works of a man that has no faith? A. From the method of docA. They are dead works, and trine observed by the apostle Paul, who tells us, that all true so cannot please a living God. gospel obedience is the obedi- An evil tree cannot bring forth ence of faith, Rom. xvi. 26. And good fruit, Matt. vii. 18: and without Christ, and union with accordingly in his epistles, he first lays down the doctrine of him, we can do nothing, John faith to be believed; and, upon that foundation, proceeds to inculcate the duties that are to be practised. Q. 14. Does gospel obedience interest us in God, as our God? A. No: but it is a fruit and evidence of our interest in him, 1 John ii. 3. 5. xv. 4. 5. Q. 18. What is to be thought of those who inculcate moral duties, without discovering the necessity of the new birth and union with Christ by faith, as the spring of all acceptable obedience? A. They are foolish builders, Q. 15. Is there any danger of laying their foundation on the inverting this order, and of sand, perverting the gospel of making duty done by us, the Christ; against whom the aposfoundation of believing the Lord tle denounces an awful doom, Gal. i. 9. "If any man preach to be our our God? A. There is exceeding great any other gospel unto you than danger; for it is the very soul that ye have received, let him be of Popery. By inverting this accursed." QUEST. 4. What is God? ANSW. God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. Of the Nature and Perfections of God in general. Q. 1. What is the first funda- | A. Yes: for, "in him we live, mental truth to be believed, move, and have our being." No and upon which all other truths do depend? A. That God is; or, that there is a God: Heb. ix. 6. "He that cometh unto God, must believe that he is." Q. 2. Is this fundamental truth known by the light of natural reason? A. Yes: as the apostle declareth, Rom. i. 20. "The invisible things of God, from the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made; even his eternal power and Godhead." Q. 3. In what volumes has God discovered the knowledge of himself to all mankind? A. In the great volumes of creation and providence; which he opens to all the world. Q. 4. What says the volume of creation as to the being of a God? A. All creatures in general, and every creature in particular, say that God "made us, and not we ourselves," Ps. c. 3. Q. 5. What says the volume of Providence? A. It says, that the same God who gave us being, upholds us therein; and governs us to the end for which he made us, Heb. i. 3. Q. 6. Is not every man's own being, a convincing evidence that there is a God? man can have any hand in his own formation in the womb, Psal. cxxxix. 15, 16; nor can he add a cubit unto his stature, or make one hair of his head either white or black, Matt. vi. 27. and v. 36. Q. 7. Though the works of creation and providence declare that God is, can they also tell us what God is? A. They afford us some dark glimpses of his eternal power, wisdom, greatness, and goodness; but it is only by and through the scriptures of truth, set home on the soul by his Spirit, that we can attain the saving knowledge of God, and of his perfections, John v. 39. 2 Pet. i. 19. Rom. xv. 4. Q. 8. Who is it that reveals Gôd to the sons of men in the word? A. Christ, the eternal Son of God: "No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son. which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him,' John i. 18. Q. 9. What account of himself, has God given us in the scriptures? A. There are three short, but comprehensive descriptions which he has given of himself there; (1.) That God is light, 11 John i. 5. (2.) That God is |