Imatges de pàgina
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A. God by his providence permitted fome of the angels, wilfully and irrecoverably, to fall into fin and damnation, limiting and ordering that, and all their fins, to his own glory; and established the reft in holiness and happiness'; employing them all, at his pleasure, in the administrations of his power, mercy, and justice3.

Q. 20. What was the providence of God toward man in the estate in which he was created?

A. The providence of God toward man in the eftate in which he was created, was, the placing him in paradife, appointing him to drefs it, giving him liberty to eat of the fruit of the earth", putting the creatures under his ́dominion, and ordaining marriage for his help"; affording him communion with himself', inftitut

and through him, and to him, are all things; to whom be glory for ever. Amen. Ifa. 63. 14. So didit thou lead thy people to make thyself a glorious name.

c Jude 6. And the angels who kept not their first eftate, but left their own habitation, he hath referved in everlasting chains under darkness, unto the judgment of the great day. 2 Pet. 2. 4. Heb. 2. 16. John 8. 44.

d Job 1. 12. And the Lord faid unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power, only upon himself put not forth thine hand. Luke 10. 17. Mat. 8. 31.

e..Tim. 5-21, I charge thee

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ing the fabbath", entering into a covenant of life with him, upon condition of personal, perfect, and perpetual obedience", of which the tree of life was a pledge; and forbidding to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, upon the pain of death".

Q. 21. Did man continue in that estate wherein God at firft created him?

4. Our first parents, being left to the freedom of their own will, through the temptation of Satan, tranfgreffed the commandment of God, in eating the forbidden fruit, and' thereby fell from the estate of innocency wherein they were created,

Q. 22. Did all mankind fall in that first tranfgreffion?

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A. The covenant being made with Adam, as a public person, not for himself only, but for his posterity; all mankind defcending from him by ordinary generation', finned in him and fell with him in that first tranfgreffion".

Q. 23. Into what eftate did the fall bring mankind?

A. The fall brought mankind into an estate of fin and mifery'.

Q. 24. What is fin?

A. Sin is any want of conformity unto, or tranfgreffion of any law of God, given as a rule. to the reasonable creature".

Q. 25. Wherein confifts the finfulness of that eftate whereinto man fell?

A. The finfulness of that eftate whereinto man fell, confifteth in the guilt of Adam's first

naked. And Adam and his wife bid themselves from the prefence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. v. 13. And the Lord God faid unto the woman, What is this that thou haft done? And the woman faid, The ferpent beguil ed me, and I did eat. With 2 Cor, 11. 3. and Eccl. 7. 29. r Acts 17. 26. And hath made of one blood all nations of men.

f Gen. 2. 17. But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou

eatest thereof thou fhalt furely die, Compared with Rom. 5. 12 to 20 verfe, and with 1 Cor. 15. 21, 22.

tRom. 5. 12. Wherefore, as by one man fin entered into the world, and death by fin; and fo death paffed upon all men, for that all have finned. Gal. 3. 10. For as many as are of the works of the law, are under the curfe: for it is written, Curfed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.

v Rom. 3. 23. All have fin

fin", the want of that righteoufnefs wherein he was created, and the corruption of his nature, whereby he is utterly indifpofed, difabled, and made oppofite unto all that is fpiritually good, and wholly inclined to all evil, and that continually; which is commonly called original fin, and from which do proceed all actual tranfgreffions".

Q. 26. How is original fin conveyed from our firft parents unto their pofterity?

A. Original fin is conveyed from our first parents unto their pofterity by natural generation,

ned, and come thort of the glory of God. 1 John 3. 4. Sin is the tranfgreffion of the law. Gal. 3. 10-12.

w Rom. 5. 12. 19. Wherefore, as by one man fin entered into the world, and death by fin and fo death paffed upon all men, for that all have finned. By one man's difobedience many were made fin ners. I Cor. 15. 22.

x Rom. 5. 6. For when we were yet without ftrength, in due time Chrift died for the ungodly. Rom. 3. 10 to 20. As it is written, There is none righteous, no not one: There is none that understandeth; there is none that feeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable, there is none that doeth good, no not one. Eph. 2. 1, 2, 3. And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trefpaffes and

So

fins, &c. Rom. 8. 7, 8. Be-
cause the carnal mind is enmi-
ty againft God for it is not
fubject to the law of God,
neither indeed can be.
then they that are in the flesh,
cannot please God. Gen. 6. 5.
And God faw that the wick-
edness of man was great in
the earth, and that every im-
agination of the thoughts of
his heart was only evil conti-
rually.

y James r. 14, 15. But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own luft, and enticed. Then when luft hath conceived, it bringeth forth fin and fin, when it is finifhed, bringeth forth death. Mat. 15. 19. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications thefts, falfe wit nefs, blafphemies.

fo as all that proceed from them in that way, are conceived and born in fin.

Q. 27. What mifery did the fall bring upon mankind?

A. The fall brought upon mankind the loss of communion with God", his difpleafure and curfe; fo as we are by nature children of wrath", bond flaves to Satan, and juftly liable to all punishments in this world and that which is to comed

Q. 28. What are the punishments of fin in this world?

:

z Pfal. 51. 5. Behold I was fhapen in iniquity and in fin did nty mother conceive me. Job 14. 4. Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one. Job 15. 14. What is man, that he fhould be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he fhould be righteous? John 3. 6. That which is born of the flesh, is flesh.

a Gen. 3. 8, 24. And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day; and Adam and his wife hid themfelves from the prefence of the Lord God, amongst the trees of the garden. So he drove out the man: and he placed at the eaft of the garden of Eden, Cherubims, and a flaming

fword, which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

b Eph. 2. 2. 3. Wherein in time paft ye walked, according to the courfe of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the fpirit that now worketh in the children of difobedience. Among whom alfo we all had our converfation in times paft, in the lufts of our flesh, fulfilling the defires of the flesh, and of the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

c 2 Tim. 2. 26. And that they may recover themselves out of the fnare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will. Luke 11. 21, 227 Heb. 2. 14.

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