That there fhall be weeping and wailing, and gnafbing of Teeth: Mat. viii. 12. xiii. 42, 50. All which Phrases, however they be understood, muft denote Suffering, as well as Punishment: An Eternity of Pain, not an Eternal State of Death and Infenfibility. Befides that Everlafting Death or Deftruction, would not otherwife be, properly speaking, an Everlasting Punishment. For as foon as Men are thus Dead, they ceafe to fuffer; and for that very Reafon, ceafe to be punifh'd. And one may as well fay, that a Malefactor, who was Executed for his Crimes a hundred Years ago, ftill continues to be punish'd by the Magiftrate; as that after a Man fhould be once annihilated, he should continue to be Punish'd, for his Sins, by God Almighty.

6.2. Wherein do you fuppofe the Everlafling Happiness of the Righteous fhall Confist?

A. As to the Particulars of it, they are altogether Unknown to us; nor indeed are we able in our prefent Eftate, perfectly to comprehend the Greatnefs of them. Thus much in Ge- 1 Cor. x neral, we are told; that they fhall be placed 42, &c. in a moft Glorious and Perfect State; free from Phil. i. 21. all Sin, and from all Suffering: Where they Rev. xxi. 4. 1 John iii. 2. fhall Enjoy all the Pleafure and Satisfaction, Pfal, xvi. I that their Natures, then vaftly enlarged, fhall be capable of. They fhall dwell in the Prefence of God; fhall be continually entertain'd, not only in the Contemplation, but with the Fruition, of all the Riches of his Goodnefs, and Glory. They fhall be Companions with the Holy Angels; and pafs their time, in the Greateft Love of God, and of One Another, that can be imagined. They fhall turn all their Service, into Praise and Wonder; fhall have nothing left to wifh or defire of Him. And they fhall both Love, and Serve, and Praise

Him, with fuch Rapture, and Satisfaction, with fuch Joy to themselves, as well as fuch Fervour towards God, as no Thoughts can Conceive, nor is it poffible for us, by any Words, to exprefs the Greatness of it. i Cor. ii. 9. Compare Ja, Ixiv. 4.

PART

PART III.

Of the GOSPEL OBEDIENCE.

SECT.

1.2:

XXI.

HAT was the third Thing
which your Godfathers, and
Godmothers promised for
you at your Baptifm?

A. That should keep
God's Holy Will and Com=
mandments, and walk in the fame All the
Days of my Life.

2. 2. Do you account it to be Neceffary for you, herein also, to fulfil what they Promifed

for you

?

Of Obedience in General.

A. I do; and that fo Neceffary that I can- Mat. vii, 21, not be faved without it.

24, &c.

3. 2. Do you then expect to be Saved by xix. 17, Virtue of your Own Good Works?

A. God forbid: On the contrary, I am perfuaded that when I fhall have done All that I can, I fhall be but an Unprofitable Servant: Luke xvii. 10. But however, I muft fincerely Endeavour, what in Me lies, to keep God's Commandments; and then I am affured that God will Reward Me, not according to my Deferts, but according to his Own Mercy, and Promifes to Us in Jefus Chrift.

4. 2. Are you able, of yourself, by your Own Natural Strength, to keep God's Commandments? A. No, I am not: For in Me, that is to fay, in my Flesh, dwelleth no Good Thing. Rom. vii. 18.

18.

a Mat. xxii. 37, &c.

xix. 21.

* 2 Cor. vii. 11. xiii. 9.

Col. i. 28.

It is the Grace of God which muft work in me, both to Will, and to Do, according to his good Pleafure. Phil. ii. 13.

5. 2. Being thus affifted by the Holy Spirit, can you Perfectly keep God's Commandments? A. No, I cannot, nor will it ever be poffible for me in this Life to do it. a I must serve God SinMat. v.48. cerely, with all my Heart; b I muft ferve him ZealOufly, with all my Strength; I muft go as far as I can, and as the Measure of the Grace which he is pleased to allow me, will enable me to do, towards Perfection: But to difcharge a Perfect, that is to fay, an Unfinning Obedience, to God's Commandments; this neither I can, nor did ever any one else, but he who was God, as well as Man, do it. For, in many Things we Offend all : Jam. iii. 2. And, if we fay that we have no Sin we deceive ourJelves, and the Truth is not in Us. 1 John i. 8.

1 Pet. v. 10.

Mat. xxii.

37. Compare

6. 2. Will not this undervalue the Grace of the Holy Spirit, by which we are Sanctified?

A. Not at all: Forafmuch as I afcribe to That the Glory of all the Good I do; and take to myfelf, the Shame of whatsoever is Evil, or Defective in Me.

7.2.-What think you of Thofe of the Church of Rome, who, notwithstanding this, talk of Works of Supererogation; and thereby pretend not only Perfectly to keep God's Commandments; but to do even More, than God Required them to have done?

A. I think that they neither understand themfelves nor their Duty: It being certain that the Measure of our Duty, is to Love the Lord our God with all our Heart, and with all our Soul, and with all our Strength: Beyond which, as Deut. x. 12. it is not poffible for any Man to Go; so neither is there any One that can justly fay, He has ever, for any long time together, abfolutely come up to the utmoft height of it.

8. 2. Seeing then our Obedience cannot be brought to Perfection in this Life; what is that Obedience which God does now Require of Us, in Order to our Salvation?

Coloff. i. 22.

A. It is the Obedience of an Honest, Humble, Pfal. cxix. Sincere Heart: Such as Leads us, in the First 16. Place, to an Univerfal Obfervance of all God's 1 Cor. xv. Commandments. Secondly, to a hearty Endea- 58; vour to come up to as perfect a Discharge of Our I Theff. ni. Duty, according to the Measures of them, as 13. v. 23. our prefent Condition will admit of. And that, Mat. xxii. Thirdly, with Conftancy, and Perfeverance, un- 2 Pet. iii. to our Lives End. Mat. x. 22. 1 Cor. i. 8. 18, 1 Pet. i. 13. Heb. x. 38, 39. Rev. ii. 10.

SECT.

1.2. HAS

XXII.

37.

Of the Mea

fure of it as reduced to the

Ten Com

AS there been any fuch Collection mandments made, of the main Branches of what in particular,

and the Rules laid down for the Expofiti

we are to Do; as we had in the Creed, of what we are to Believe? A. There is fuch a Collection, and that de- on of Them. liver'd by God himfelf, in what we commonly call the Ten Commandments.

2. 2. Do thofe Commandments, which were Given by God to the Jews, ftill continue in Force, and Oblige us Chriftians?

A. Yes, they do; Mat. v. 17, &c. and that Mat. xix. 16, in Some Measure more ftrictly, than they did 18. xxii. 37. Them: The most Part, if not All of them, Rom. xiii. 9. having been either more fully Expounded, or Jam, ii. 8. more perfectly Delivered to us, by Chrift in the New Teftament, than they were firft given by God to the Jews in the Old. See Mat. v, vi, vii, Chapters.

3. 2. Why do you call Them the Ten Com mandments?