10. The Benefits of the Mediator's Work (Qs 57-90)
57
What benefits hath Christ procured by his mediation? A. Christ, by his
mediation, hath procured redemption,(1) with all other benefits of the covenant
of grace.(2)
(1)Heb. 9:12.
(2)2 Cor. 1:20.
58 How
do we come to be made partakers of the benefits which Christ hath procured ? A.
We are made partakers of the benefits which Christ hath procured, by the
application of them unto us,(1) which is the work especially of God the Holy
Ghost.(2)
(1)1 John
(2)Tit. 3:5,6
59 Who
are made partakers of redemption through Christ? A. Redemption is certainly
applied, and effectually communicated, to all those for whom Christ hath
purchased it;(1) who are in time by the Holy Ghost enabled to believe in Christ
according to the gospel.(2)
(1)Eph.
1:13,14; John 6:37,39; John 10:15,16
(2)Eph. 2:8; 2 Cor. 4:13
60 Can
they who have never heard the gospel, and so know not Jesus Christ, nor believe
in him, be saved by their living according to the light of nature? A. They who,
having never heard the gospel,(1) know not Jesus Christ,(2) and believe not in
him, cannot be saved,(3) be they never so diligent to frame their lives
according to the light of nature,(4) or the laws of that religion which they
profess;(5) neither is there salvation in any other, but in Christ alone,(6) who
is the Saviour only of his body the church.(7)
(1)Rom.
(2)2 Thess.
1:8,9; Eph.
(3)John 8:24;
Mark
(4)1 Cor.
(5)John
(6)Acts
(7)Eph. 5:23
61 Are
all they saved who hear the gospel, and live in the church? A. All that hear the
gospel, and live in the visible church, are not saved; but they only who are
true members of the church invisible.(1)
(1)John 12:38-40; Rom. 9:6; Matt. 22:14; Matt. 7:21; Rom. 11:7
62
What is the visible church? A. The visible church is a society made up of all
such as in all ages and places of the world do profess the true religion,(1) and
of their children.(2)
(1)1 Cor.
1:2; 1 Cor. 12:13; Rom. 15:9-12; Rev. 7:9; Ps. 2:8; Ps. 22:27-31; Ps. 45:17;
Matt. 28:19,20; Isa. 59:21
(2)1 Cor.
7:14; Acts
63
What are the special privileges of the visible church? A. The visible church
hath the privilege of being under God's special care and government;(1) of being
protected and preserved in all ages, notwithstanding the opposition of all
enemies,(2) and of enjoying the communion of saints, the ordinary means of
salvation,(3) and offers of grace by Christ to all the members of it in the
ministry of the gospel, testifying, that whosoever believes in him shall be
saved,(4) and excluding none that will come unto him.(5)
(1)Isa.
4:5,6; 1 Tim. 4:10
(2)Ps.
115:1,2,9; Isa. 31:4,5; Zech. 12:2,3,4,8,9
(3)Acts
(4)Ps.
147:19,20; Rom. 9:4; Eph. 4:11,12; Mark
(5)John 6:37
64
What is the invisible church? A. The invisible church is the whole number of the
elect, that have been, are, or shall be gathered into one under Christ the
head.(1)
(1)Eph. 1:10,22,23; John 10:16; John 11:52
65
What special benefits do the members of the invisible church enjoy by Christ? A.
The members of the invisible church by Christ enjoy union and communion with him
in grace and glory.(1)
(1)John 17:21; Eph. 2:5,6; John 17:24
66
What is that union which the elect have with Christ? A. The union which the
elect have with Christ is the work of God's grace,(1) whereby they are
spiritually and mystically, yet really and inseparably, joined to Christ as
their head and husband;(2) which is done in their effectual calling.(3)
(1)Eph. 1:22;
Eph. 2:6-8
(2)1 Cor.
(3)1 Pet. 5:10; 1 Cor. 1:9
67
What is effectual calling? A. Effectual calling is the work of God's almighty
power and grace,(1) whereby (out of his free and special love to his elect, and
from nothing in them moving him thereunto(2)) he doth, in his accepted time,
invite and draw them to Jesus Christ, by his word and Spirit;(3) savingly
enlightening their minds,(4) renewing and powerfully determining their wills,(5)
so as they (although in themselves dead in sin) are hereby made willing and able
freely to answer his call, and to accept and embrace the grace offered and
conveyed therein.(6)
(1)John 5:25;
Eph. 1:18-20; 2 Tim. 1:8,9
(2)Tit.
3:4,5; Eph. 2:4,5,7,8,9;
(3)2 Cor.
(4)Acts
26:18; 1 Cor. 2:10,12
(5)Ezek.
11:19; Ezek. 36:26,27; John 6:45
(6)Eph. 2:5; Phil. 2:13; Deut. 30:6
68 Are
the elect only effectually called? A. All the elect, and they only, are
effectually called;(1) although others may be, and often are, outwardly called
by the ministry of the word,(2) and have some common operations of the
Spirit;(3) who, for their wilful neglect and contempt of the grace offered to
them, being justly left in their unbelief, do never truly come to Jesus
Christ.(4)
(1)Acts
(2)Matt.
22:14
(3)Matt.
7:22; Matt. 13:20,21; Heb. 6:4-6
(4)John 12:38-40; Acts 28:25-27; John 6:64,65; Ps. 81:11,12
69
What is the communion in grace which the members of the invisible church have
with Christ? A. The communion in grace which the members of the invisible church
have with Christ, is their partaking of the virtue of his mediation, in their
justification,(1) adoption,(2) sanctification, and whatever else, in this life,
manifests their union with him.(3)
(1)Rom.
(2)Eph. 1:5
(3)1 Cor. 1:30
70
What is justification? A. Justification is an act of God's free grace unto
sinners,(1) in which he pardoneth all their sins, accepteth and accounteth their
persons righteous in his sight;(2) not for any thing wrought in them, or done by
them,(3) but only for the perfect obedience and full satisfaction of Christ, by
God imputed to them,(4) and received by faith alone.(5)
(1)Rom.
(2)2 Cor.
(3)Tit.
3:5,7; Eph. 1:7
(4)
(5)Acts 10:43; Gal. 2:16; Phil. 3:9
71 How
is justification an act of God's free grace? A. Although Christ, by his
obedience and death, did make a proper, real, and full satisfaction to God's
justice in the behalf of them that are justified,(1) yet in as much as God
accepteth the satisfaction from a surety, which he might have demanded of them
and did provide this surety, his own only Son,(2) imputing his righteousness to
them,(3) and requiring nothing of them for their justification but faith,(4)
which also is his gift,(5) their justification is to them of free grace.(6)
(1)
(2)1 Tim.
2:5,6; Heb.
(3)2 Cor.
(4)Rom.
(5)Eph. 2:8
(6)Eph. 1:7
72
What is justifying faith? A. Justifying faith is a saving grace,(1) wrought in
the heart of a sinner by the Spirit(2) and word of God,(3) whereby he, being
convinced of his sin and misery, and of the disability in himself and all other
creatures to recover him out of his lost condition,(4) not only assenteth to the
truth of the promise of the gospel,(5) but receiveth and resteth upon Christ and
his righteousness, therein held forth, for pardon of sin,(6) and for the
accepting and accounting of his person righteous in the sight of God for
salvation.(7)
(1)Heb. 10:39
(2)2 Cor.
(3)Rom.
(4)Acts 2:37;
Acts 16:30; John 16:8,9; Rom. 5:6; Eph. 2:1; Acts 4:12
(5)Eph. 1:13
(6)John
(7)Phil. 3:9; Acts 15:11
73 How
doth faith justify a sinner in the sight of God? A. Faith justifies a sinner in
the sight of God, not because of those other graces which do always accompany
it, or of good works that are the fruits of it,(1) not as if the grace of faith,
or any act thereof, were imputed to him for his justification;(2) but only as it
is an instrument by which he receiveth and applieth Christ and his
righteousness.(3)
(1)Gal.
(2)Rom. 4:5;
Rom.
(3)John 1:12; Phil. 3:9; Gal. 2:16
74
What is adoption? A. Adoption is an act of the free grace of God,(1) in and for
his only Son Jesus Christ,(2) whereby all those that are justified are received
into the number of his children,(3) have his name put upon them,(4) the Spirit
of his Son given to them,(5) are under his fatherly care and dispensations,(6)
admitted to all the liberties and privileges of the sons of God, made heirs of
all the promises and fellow-heirs with Christ in glory.(7)
(1)1 John 3:1
(2)Eph. 1:5;
Gal. 4:4,5
(3)John 1:12
(4)2 Cor.
(5)Gal. 4:6
(6)Ps.
103:13; Prov. 14:26; Matt. 6:32
(7)Heb. 6:12; Rom. 8:17
75
What is sanctification? A. Sanctification is a work of God's grace, whereby they
whom God hath, before the foundation of the world, chosen to be holy, are in
time, through the powerful operation of his Spirit(1) applying the death and
resurrection of Christ unto them,(2) renewed in their whole man after the image
of God;(3) having the seeds of repentance unto life, and all other saving
graces, put into their hearts,(4) and those graces so stirred up, increased and
strengthened,(5) as that they more and more die unto sin, and rise unto newness
of life.(6)
(1)Eph. 1:4;
1 Cor. 6:11; 2 Thess. 2:13
(2)
(3)Eph.
4:23,24
(4)Acts
11:18; 1 John 3:9
(5)Jude 20;
Heb. 6:11,12; Eph. 3:16-19; Col. 1:10,11
(6)
76
What is repentance unto life? A. Repentance unto life is a saving grace,(1)
wrought in the heart of a sinner by the Spirit(2) and word of God,(3) whereby
out of the sight and sense, not only of the danger,(4) but also of the
filthiness and odiousness of his sins,(5) and upon the apprehension of God's
mercy in Christ to such as are penitent,(6) he so grieves for(7) and hates his
sins,(8) as that he turns from them all to God,(9) purposing and endeavouring
constantly to walk with him in all the ways of new obedience.(10)
(1)2 Tim.
(2)Zech.
12:10
(3)Acts
(4)Ezek.
18:28,30,32; Luke 15:17,18; Hos. 2:6,7
(5)Ezek.
36:31; Isa. 30:22
(6)Joel
2:12,13
(7)Jer.
31:18,19
(8)2 Cor.
(9)Acts
26:18; Ezek. 14:6; 1 Kings 8:47,48
(10)Ps. 119:6,59,128; Luke 1:6; 2 Kings 23:25
77
Wherein do justification and sanctification differ? A. Although sanctification
be inseparably joined with justification,(1) yet they differ, in that God in
justification imputeth the righteousness of Christ,(2) in sanctification his
Spirit infuseth grace, and enableth to the exercise thereof;(3) in the former,
sin is pardoned;(4) in the other, it is subdued:(5) the one doth equally free
all believers from the revenging wrath of God, and that perfectly in this life,
that they never fall into condemnation;(6) the other is neither equal in all,(7)
nor in this life perfect in any,(8) but growing up to perfection.(9)
(1)1 Cor.
(2)
(3)Ezek.
36:27
(4)Rom.
(5)
(6)Rom.
(7)1 John
2:12-14; Heb. 5:12-14
(8)1 John
1:8,10
(9)2 Cor.
7:1; Phil.
78 Whence ariseth the imperfection of
sanctification in believers? A. The imperfection of sanctification in believers
ariseth from the remnants of sin abiding in every part of them, and the
perpetual lustings of the flesh against the spirit; whereby they are often
foiled with temptations, and fall into many sins,(1) are hindered in all their
spiritual services,(2) and their best works are imperfect and defiled in the
sight of God.(3)
(1)Rom.
(2)Heb. 12:1
(3)Isa. 64:6; Exod. 28:38
79 May
not true believers, by reason of their imperfections, and the many temptations
and sins they are overtaken with, fall away from the state of grace? A. True
believers, by reason of the unchangeable love of God,(1) and his decree and
covenant to give them perseverance,(2) their inseparable union with Christ,(3)
his continual intercession for them,(4) and the Spirit and seed of God abiding
in them,(5) can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of
grace,(6) but are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.(7)
(1)Jer. 31:3
(2)2 Tim.
(3)1 Cor.
1:8,9
(4)Heb. 7:25;
Luke 22:32
(5)1 John
3:9; 1 John
(6)Jer.
32:40; John 10:28
(7)1 Pet. 1:5
80 Can
true believers be infallibly assured that they are in the estate of grace, and
that they shall persevere therein unto salvation? A. Such as truly believe in
Christ, and endeavour to walk in all good conscience before him,(1) may, without
extraordinary revelation, by faith grounded upon the truth of God's promises,
and by the Spirit enabling them to discern in themselves those graces to which
the promises of life are made,(2) and bearing witness with their spirits that
they are the children of God,(3) be infallibly assured that they are in the
estate of grace, and shall persevere therein unto salvation.(4)
(1)1 John 2:3
(2)1 Cor.
(3)Rom.
(4)1 John 5:13
81 Are
all true believers at all times assured of their present being in the estate of
grace, and that they shall be saved? A. Assurance of grace and salvation not
being of the essence of faith,(1) true believers may wait long before they
obtain it;(2) and, after the enjoyment thereof, may have it weakened and
intermitted, through manifold distempers, sins, temptations, and desertions;(3)
yet are they never left without such a presence and support of the Spirit of God
as keeps them from sinking into utter despair.(4)
(1)Eph. 1:13
(2)Isa. 1:10;
Ps. 88:1,2,3,6,7,9,10,13,14,15
(3)Ps.
77:1-12; Cant. 5:2,3,6; Ps. 60:8,12; Ps. 31:22; Ps. 22:1
(4)1 John 3:9; Job 13:15; Ps. 73:15,23; Isa. 54:7-10
82
What is the communion in glory which the members of the invisible church have
with Christ? A. The communion in glory which the members of the visible church
have with Christ, is in this life,(1) immediately after death,(2) and at last
perfected at the resurrection and day of judgment.(3)
(1)2 Cor.
(2)Luke 23:43
(3)1 Thess. 4:17
83
What is the communion in glory with Christ which the members of the invisible
church enjoy in this life? A. The members of the invisible church have
communicated to them in this life the first-fruits of glory with Christ, as they
are members of him their head, and so in him are interested in that glory which
he is fully possessed of;(1) and, as an earnest thereof, enjoy the sense of
God's love,(2) peace of conscience, joy in the Holy Ghost, and hope of glory;(3)
as, on the contrary, sense of God's revenging wrath, horror of conscience, and a
fearful expectation of judgment, are to the wicked the beginning of their
torments which they shall endure after death.(4)
(1)Eph. 2:5,6
(1)Eph. 2:5,6
(2)Rom. 5:5
compared with 2 Cor. 1:22
(3)Rom.
5:1,2; Rom.
(4)Gen. 4:13; Matt. 27:4; Heb. 10:27; Rom. 2:9; Mark 9:44
84
Shall all men die? A. Death being threatened as the wages of sin,(1) it is
appointed unto all men once to die;(2) for that all have sinned.(3)
(1)Rom.
(2)Heb. 9:27
(3)Rom. 5:12
85
Death, being the wages of sin, why are not the righteous delivered from death,
seeing all their sins are forgiven in Christ? A. The righteous shall be
delivered from death itself at the last day and even in death are delivered from
the sting and curse of it;(1) so that, although they die, yet it is out of God's
love,(2) to free them perfectly from sin and misery,(3) and to make them capable
of further communion with Christ, in glory, which they then enter upon.(4)
(1)1 Cor.
(2)Isa.
57:1,2; 2 Kings 22:20
(3)Rev.
14:13; Eph. 5:27
(4)Luke 23:43; Phil 1:23
86
What is the communion in glory with Christ, which the members of the invisible
church enjoy immediately after death? A. The communion in glory with Christ,
which the members of the invisible church enjoy immediately after death, is, in
that their souls are then made perfect in holiness,(1) and received into the
highest heavens,(2) where they behold the face of God in light and glory,(3)
waiting for the full redemption of their bodies,(4) which even in death continue
united to Christ,(5) and rest in their graves as in their beds,(6) till at the
last day they be again united to their souls.(7) Whereas the souls of the wicked
are at their death cast into hell, where they remain in torments and utter
darkness, and their bodies kept in their graves, as in their prisons, till the
resurrection and judgment of the great day.(8)
(1)Heb. 12:23
(2)2 Cor.
5:1,6,8; Phil.
(3)1 John
3:2; 1 Cor.
(4)Rom.
(5)1 Thess.
(6)Isa. 57:2
(7)Job
19:26,27
(8)Luke 16:23,24; Acts 1:25; Jude 6,7
87
What are we to believe concerning the resurrection? A. We are to believe, that
at the last day there shall be a general resurrection of the dead, both of the
just and unjust:(1) when they that are then found alive shall in a moment be
changed; and the self-same bodies of the dead which were laid in the grave,
being then again united to their souls for ever, shall be raised up by the power
of Christ.(2) The bodies of the just, by the Spirit of Christ, and by virtue of
his resurrection as their head, shall be raised in power, spiritual,
incorruptible, and made like to his glorious body;(3) and the bodies of the
wicked shall be raised up in dishonour by him, as an offended judge.(4)
(1)Acts 24:15
(2)1 Cor.
(3)1 Cor.
(4)John 5:27-29; Matt. 25:33
88
What shall immediately follow after the resurrection? A. Immediately after the
resurrection shall follow the general and final judgment of angels and men;(1)
the day and hour whereof no man knoweth, that all may watch and pray, and be
ever ready for the coming of the Lord.(2)
(1)2 Pet.
2:4; Jude 6,7,14,15; Matt. 25:46
(2)Matt. 24:36,42,44; Luke 21:35,36
89
What shall be done to the wicked at the day of judgment? A. At the day of
judgment, the wicked shall be set on Christ's left hand,(1) and, upon clear
evidence, and full conviction of their own consciences,(2) shall have the
fearful but just sentence of condemnation pronounced against them;(3) and
thereupon shall be cast out from the favourable presence of God, and the
glorious fellowship with Christ, his saints, and all his holy angels, into hell,
to be punished with unspeakable torments, both of body and soul, with the devil
and his angels for ever.(4)
(1)Matt.
25:33
(2)Rom.
(3)Matt.
25:41-43
(4)Luke 16:26; 2 Thess. 1:8,9
90
What shall be done to the righteous at the day of judgment? A. At the day of
judgment, the righteous, being caught up to Christ in the clouds,(1) shall be
set on his right hand, and there openly acknowledged and acquitted,(2) shall
join with him in the judging of reprobate angels and men,(3) and shall be
received into heaven,(4) where they shall be fully and for ever freed from all
sin and misery;(5) filled with inconceivable joys,(6) made perfectly holy and
happy both in body and soul, in the company of innumerable saints and holy
angels,(7) but especially in the immediate vision and fruition of God the
Father, of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, to all eternity.(8)
And this is the perfect and full communion, which the members of the invisible
church shall enjoy with Christ in glory, at the resurrection and day of
judgment.
(1)1 Thess.
(2)Matt.
25:33; Matt. 10:32
(3)1 Cor.
6:2,3
(4)Matt.
25:34,46
(5)Eph. 5:27;
Rev. 14:13
(6)Ps. 16:11
(7)Heb.
12:22,23