A. That portion of God's people who, having fought their fight and kept the faith, are now in heaven, resting from their labours. — Eph. V. 27; Rev. iii. 21, xiv. 13.
Q. 6. Are not the church of the Jews before the birth of Christ, and the church of the Christians since, two churches?
A No ; essentially they are but one,® differing only in some out- ward administrations. — Eph. ii. 11-16; 1 Cor. x. 3; Gal. iv. 26, 27; Heb. xi. 16, 26, 40.
Q. 7. Can this church be wholly overthroimi on the earth?
A. No; unless the decree of God may be changed, and the pro- mise of Christ fail. — Matt. xvi. 18, xxviii. 20; John xiv. 16, xvii.; 1 Tim. iii. 15; 2 Tim. ii. 19.
CHAP. XVII.— Of Faith.
Q. ] . By what means do we become actual members of this church of God?
A. By a lively justifying faith,^ whereby we are united unto Christ,
^ The elect angels belong to this church,
2 No distance of time or place breaks the unity of this church : licaven and earth, from the beginning of the world unto the end, are comprised iu it.
^ No mention in Scripture of any chuich in purgatory.
^ This is the catholic cliurch;— tliough that term be not to be found in the Word in this sense, the tiling itself is obvious.
5 The pope, challenging unto himself the title of the head of the catholic church, is blasphemously rebellious against Jesus Chi ist.
^ This is that ark out of which whosoever is shall surely perish,
' Of this faith the Holy Spirit is the efficient cause, theWor(l,the instrumental; — ■ the Law indirectly, by riiscoverirg our misery; the Gospel immediately, by holJ- inu; forth a Saviour.
486 THE PRINCIPLES OF
the head thereof. — Acts ii. 47, xiii. 48; Heb. xi. 6, xii. 22, 23, iv. 2; Rom. V. 1, 2; Eph. ii. 13, 14.
Q. 2. What is a justifying faith ?
A. A * gracious resting upon^ the free promises of God in Jesus Christ for mercy, ^vvith a firm persuasion of heart, that God is a reconciled Father unto us in the Son of his love. — " 1 Tim. i. 1 6 ; Job xiii. 15, xix. 25; Rom. iv. 5. — ''Heb. iv. 16; Rom. viii. 38, 39; Gal. ii. 20; 2 Cor. v. 20, 21.
Q. 3. Have all tJds faith?
A. None but the elect of God. — Tit. i. 1 ; John x. 26 ; Matt. xiii. 11; Acts xiii. 48; Rom. viii. 30.
Q. 4. Do not, then, others believe that make profession ?
A. Yes ; with, first, historical faith, or a persuasion that the things written in the Word are ti-ue, James ii. 19 ; secondly, temporary faith, which hath some joy of the affections, upon unspiritual grounds, in the things believed.— Matt. xiii. 20; Mark vi. 20; John ii. 23, 24; Acts viii. IS.
CHAP. XVIII. — Of cue Vocation, or God's Calling us.
Q. 1. How come we to have this saving faith?
A, It is freely bestowed upon us and wrought in us by the Spirit of God, in our vocation or calling. — John vi. 29, 44 ; Eph. ii. 8, 9 ; Phil. i. 29; 2 Thess. i. 11.
Q. 2. What is our vocation, or this calling of God?
A, The free, gracious^ ^ act of Almighty God, whereby in Jesus Christ he calleth and translateth us from the state of nature, sin, wrath, and corruption, into the state of grace and union with Christ, by the mighty, effectual working of his Spirit in the preaching of the Word.— Col. i. 12, 13; 2 Tim. i. 9; Deut. xxx. 6; Ezek. xxxvi. 26; Matt. xi. 25, 26; John i. 13, iii. 3, 8; Eph. i. 19; Col. ii. 12; ] Cor. iv. 7; James i. 18; 2 Pet. ii. 20; Acts xvi, 14.
Q. 3. What do we ourselves perform in this change, or work of our conversion?
A. Nothing at all, being merely^ wrought upon by the free grace and Spirit of God, when in ourselves we have no ability to any thing that is spiritually good. — Matt. vii. 18, x. 20; John i. 13,
' Faith is in the understanding, in respect of its being and subsistence,— in the will and heart, in respect of its effectual working.
2 Onr effectual calling is the first effect of our everlasting election.
^ We have no actual interest in nor right unto Christ, until we are thus called.
* They who so boast of the strength of free-will in the work of our conversion, are themselves an example what it is being given up to so vile an error, — destitute tff the grace of God.
THE DOCTRINE OF CtlRIST. 487
XV. 5; 1 Cor. xii. 3, ii. 5; 2 Cor. iii. 5; Epli. ii. 1, 8; Kom. viii. 26; Phil. i. 6.
Q. 4. Doth God thus call all and every one?
A. All within the pale of the church are outwardly called by the Word, none effectually but the elect. — Matt. xxii. 14; Rom. viii. SO.
CHAP. XIX. — Of Justification.
Q. 1. Are we accounted righteous and saved for our faith, when we are thus freely called?
A. No, but merely by the imputation of the righteousness of Christ, apprehended and applied by faith ; for which alone the Lord accepts us as holy and righteous. — Isa. xlhi. 25 ; Rom. iii. 23-26, iv. 5.