1 Quest. 1. Of Peace of Confcience. WHAT doth the A. In the language of the Old Testament it fignifies all temporal good; 1 Sam. xxv. 6. Peace be both to thee, and peace be in thine house, and peace be unto all that thou haft. Andin the New Testament all special good; as 2 Theff. iii. 16. Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always. Q. 2. What are the kinds of special peace ? A. There is a twofold peace; one without us, by reconciliation; Rom. v. 1. Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God. And peace within us, by way of confolation; Col. iii. 15. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts. Q. 3. What did our peace cost Chrift? A. It cost him bloody stripes and sufferings; Ifa. liii. 5. The chaftisement of our peace was upon him; and by his stripes we are healed. Q. 4. Can none have true peace but such as are in him? A. No; others may have falfe peace; Luke xi. 21. When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace. But believers only have true peace; Rom. v. I. Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Q. 5. Have all believers peace in their confciences at all times? A. No, they are always in a state of peace, but have not always the sense of peace; Ifa. 1. 10. Who is among you that feareth the Lord, and obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God. Q. 6. What is that which hinders the sense of peace in believers? A. Their fins against the Lord, and grieving of his Spirit; Ifa. lix. 2. But your iniquities have separated between you and your God; nd your fins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. Q. 7. What maintains the state of peace when the fenfe of peace is loft? A. Christ's continual and potent interceffion with the Father for us; 1 John ii. 12. My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye fin not: And if any man fin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jefus Christ the righteous. Q. 8. What is the best way to maintain our peace with God? A. Strict walking by gospel rules; Gat. vi. 16. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them. Q. 9. Doth this peace come and go with outward peace? A. No; we may enjoy this when no peace is to be had in the world; John xvi. 33. These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. 2. 10. What is the first instruction from hence ? A That the wicked are in a fad case at all times, but especially in evil times; Ifa. lvii. 20, 21. But the wicked are like the troubled fea when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, faith my God, to the wicked. Q. 11. What is the second instruction from hence ? A. That the chief care of a Christian should be to keep his peace with God; Jer. xvii. 17. Be not a terror to me; thou art my hope in the day of evil. Q. 12. What is the last instruction from hence ? A. Let the faints long to be in heaven, the state of full and perfect peace; Ifa. lvii. 2. He shall enter into peace; they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness. Quest. 1. HOW Of Joy in the Holy Ghost. many forts of joy are there among men ? And A. There is a fenfitive joy; Acts xiv. 17. Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness. A finful joy; Prov. xv. 21. Folly is joy to him that is deftitute of wisdom. And a spiritual joy; Rom. v. II. not only fo, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Q. 2. Why is fpiritual joy called joy in the Holy Ghost? A. Because the Holy Ghost is the author of it; Gal. v. 22. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, &c. Q. 3. What is the first thing begets joy in the faints? 4. The first thing they joy in is, their juftification before God; Ifa, lxi. 10. I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my foul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath cloathed me with the garments of fal-vation, he hath covered me with the robes of righteousness. Rom. v. 11. And not only so, but we also joy in God, through our Lord Jesus Chrift, by whom we have now received the atonement. Q. 4. What is the fecond thing that breeds this joy? 4. Hope of glory breeds joy in the saints; Rom. v. 2. And rejoice, in hope of the glory of God. Q5. What is the instrument by which the Spirit conveys this joy? A. Faith is the instrument of it; Phil. i. 25. And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all, for your furtherance and joy of faith. Q. 6. What is the first property of this joy ? A. It is joy unspeakable, and full of glory; 1 Pet. i. 8. Believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of glory. Q. 7. What is the second property of it? 4. That it is not in the power of men to deprive the faints of it; John xvi. 22. And your joy no man taketh from you. Q.8. What is the third property of it? A. It makes the foul free and cheerful in the ways of obedience; 1 Pfal cxix. 32. I will run the ways of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart. Q9. What is most destructive to a Chriftian's joy? A. Sin, especially fin against light; Pfalm li. 8. Make me to hear joy and gladness, that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Q. 10. hat should be the main care of a Christian in this world? A To maintain his joy in God to the last; Acts xx. 24. But none of these things move me; neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy. QII Have not hypocrites their joys as well as real Christians? A Yes, but the joy of the hypocrite is not grounded upon scripture-warrant, and will vanish away, and will come to nothing at last; John v. 35. He was a burning and a thining light; and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light. Q. 12. What is the first inference from hence? A. Let all that expect joy in the Holy Ghost, see that they preserve purity of confcience and conversation; 2 Cor. i. 12. For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our confcience, that in fimplicity and godly fincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to youwards. Q. 13. What is the last inference? A. That religion is no melancholy thing, but the fountain of all ✔joy and pleasure; Prov. iii. 17. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. Quest. I. D Of the Increase of Grace. OTH all true grace increase and grow? A. Yes, it doth, like the morning light; Prov, iv. 18. The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. And for that end God hath appoint ed ministers and ordinances; Eph. iv. 11, 12. And he gave fome, apostles; and fome, prophets; and fome, evangelifts; and fome, paftors and teachers; for the perfecting of the faints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. Q. 2. Cannot falfe or feeming grace grow? A. It may fpring up, and seem to flourish for a time, but comes not to perfection; Luke viii. 14. And that which fell among thorns, are they, which when they have heard, go forth, and are.choaked with the cares, and riches, and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. Q. 3. What is the first refpect in which grace grows? A. It grows by deeper rooting itself in the foul; Eph. iii. 17. That Chrift may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye being rooted and grounded in love, may be able, &c. Q. 4. What is the second respect or manner of its growth? A. It grows in respect of its greater fitness and readiness for acts ! of obedience; Col. i. 11. Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and long-fuffering with joyful nefs. Q. 5. What is the third respect or manner of its growth? A. It grows in respect of its abilities to fix the mind more steadily on spiritual things. Hence grown Christians are called spiritual men; Gal. vi. 1. Ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness. Q. 6. Why must all true grace grow? A. Because there is a stature to which Christians are appointed; Eph. iv. 13. Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Chrift. Q. 7. What are the causes of a Christian's growth? A. Union with Christ; John xv. 4. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. And his bleslings on the ordinances; Ifa. lv. 10, 11. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give feed to the sower, and bread to the eater; fo shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth; it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall profper in the thing whereto I sent it. And providences; Phil. i. 19. For I know that this shall turn to my falvation through your prayers, and the fupply of the Spirit of Jesus Chrift. Q. 8. May not true grace sometimes decay? A. Yes, it may? Rev. ii. 4. Nevertheless, I have somewhat againft thee, because thou hast left thy first love. But not utterly; I John iii. 9. Whosoever is born of God, doth not commit fin; for his feed remaineth in him. Q.9. What is the first inference from hence? A. To bless God for gospel-ordinances; Pfal. xcii. 13, 14. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord thall flourish in the courts of our God; they shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing. Q. 10. What is the second inference? A. Hence we fee the miferable state of them that grow worse and worse; Jude, ver. 12. These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: Clouds they are without water, carried about of winds: Trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the root. Q. 11. What is the third inference? 4. Christians should not be difcouraged at their weakness in grace, for they have a merciful Christ; Ifaiah xlii. 3. A bruited reed shall he not break; and the fimoaking flax thail he not quench; he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. And a fure promife; Job xvii. 9. ( The righteous also shall hold on his way; and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger. Q. 12. What is the last inference? A. That all true Christians draw daily nearer and nearer to the ☐☐ heavenly and perfect state; 2 Cor. iv. 16. For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day; Rom. xiii. 11. For now is our falvation nearer than when we believed. Quest. 1. Of Perfeverance. THAT is perfeverance to the end? W A. It is the steady and conftant continuance of Christians in the ways of duty and obedience, amidst all temptations and difcouragements to the contrary; Col. i. 23. If ye continue in the faith, grounded and fettled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven, whereof I Paul am made a minister. Q. 2. Do all that profess Christ continue in him? A. No: many that at first zealously profess him, afterwards fall away; John vi. 66. From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Q. 3. Why do not all persevere ? A. Because all professors have not a good root and foundation; Matth. xiii. 20, 21. But he that received the feed into stony places, ✓ the fame is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; yet hath he not root in himself, but endureth for a while; for when tribulation or perfecution arifeth because of the word, by and by he is offended. 1 Q. 4. What is the first ground of the faints perfeverance? A. God's electing love, in which they are given to Christ; John x. 29. My Father which gave them me is greater than all; and none is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. Q. 5. What is the second ground of perfeverance ? A. The immortal nature of fanctifying grace; John iv. 14. But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. 1 John iii. 9. For his feed remaineth in him. Q. 6. What is the third ground of it? A. The covenant of grace'; Jer. xxxii. 40. And I will make an everlafting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart froin me. Q. 7. What is the fourth ground of it ? A. Chrift's effectual interceffion; Luke xxii. 32. But I have pray ed for thee, that thy faith fail not. Q. 8. Are there no declinings of grace in the faints? A. Yes, there are; Rev. ii. 4. Nevertheless I have fomewhat |