exists in him in the most perfect manner: whatever is lacking in you, can be found in him. He hath a fulness of grace to supply all your deficiencies: he is perfectly adapted to all your necessities : "in him, and in his love, there is a breadth, length, depth, and height, and to know this fil's us with all the fulness of God,” Eph. iii. 18, 19. It affords a wonde fol joy to the soul to contemplate him, "she wa ks in the light of his countenance, and rejoices in his name all the day long," Psalm lxxxix. 15, 16. Yea, "she is changed after the glorious image of the Lord, which she beholds with open face, from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord," 2 Cor. iii. 18. 3. Behold now your happiness, and the great kindness, that hath been shown to you: what hath God the Lord done for you, that he might deliver you from punishment, and restore you to favour ? He doth not merely admit a surety, but he appoints his Son, in his everlasting council to be one; he sends him in the likeness of sinful flesh, inflicts on him the punishment of your sins, in your stead, receives you into his covenant, gives you this Mediator and Deliverer to be wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption to you, causes you to embrace him, and publishes the gospel, even the gospel of fulfilment to you. How obscurely was it published to the fathers! but it is announced with exceeding clearness to you. What a burthensome service did he impose on the fathers! but he hath freed you therefrom. How earnestly did they desire these days, that they might see thrist in the flesh! but they might not live until these days, and God hath provided some better thing for you: "Blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears. for they hear. "For verily I say unto you, that many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them," saith the Redeemer of Israel, Matt. xiii. 16, 17. hejoice then exceedingly on account of this salvation, which hath been accomplished: "It should be said in this day, Lo, this is our God, we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord, we have waited for him, we will be glad, and rejoice in his salvation,” Isaiah xxv. 9. "Rejoice then greatly in the Lord, let your souls be joyful in their God, for he hath clo hed you with the garments of salvation, he hath covered you with the robe of righteousness,” Isaiah Ixi. 10. Yea, "let all the seed of Israel glory in the Lord,” Isaiah xlv. 25. 4. Improve therefore your Mediator and all his fulness, as your necessities require," receiving of his fulness, and grace for grace," John i. 15. "That he may supply all your needs according to his riches, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power." Philip. iv. 19. & Thes. i. 11. Behold continually your wuts, your darkness, gui t, sinfulness, and other miseries; and see that there is a fulness of wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption in him against all this, particularly for you; go to him with your distresses, receive of his fulness against them, and suck therefrom, through the conduits of the promises, whatever ye need; suffer him to execute his office upon you, for "he is all, and in all,” Coll. iii. 11, and "is exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins," Acts v 31. 5. Finally, to conclude, "Only walk worthily of the gospel of Christ," Phil. i. 27, that is humbly, believingly, joy fully, h lily, circumspectly, and with self-denial toward all things out of him. "For," as the apostle saith, Titus ii. 11, 12, 13, "the grace of God, which bringeth salvation, hath appeared to all men; teaching us that denying ungodliness, and worldiy lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world: looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ," Amen. SAVING FAITH. VII. LORD'S DAY. John iii 36. He that believeth on the Son, hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son, shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. Q. 20. Are all men then, as they perish in Adam, saved by Christ? A. No; only those who are ingrafted into him, and receive all his benefits, by a true faith. Q. 21. What is true faith? A. True faith is not only a certain knowledge, whereby I hold for truth all that God has revealed to us in his word, but also an assured confidence, which the Holy Ghost works by the gospel in my heart; that not only to others, but to me also, remission of sins, everlasting righteousness and salvation, are freely given by God, merely of grace, only for the sake of Christ's merits. Q. 22. What is then necessary for a Christian to believe? A. All things promised us in the gospel, which the articles of our undoubted catholic Christian faith briefly teach us. Q23. What are those articles? A. 1. "I believe in God the Father, Almighty Maker of heaven and earth. II. And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord. III. Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary. IV. Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried. He descended into hell: V. The third day he rose again from the dead: VI. He ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty : VII. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. VIII. I believe in the Holy Ghost: IX. I believe an holy catholic church: the communion of saints X. The forgiveness of sins: XI. The resurrection of the body: XII. And the life everlasting, Amen." "THE word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith." Thus speaks Paul of the disobedient Israelites, "to whom the gospel was preached, as well as to us," Heb. iv. 2. The gospel is more profitable to man, than aught besides; for it reveals Christ and all his benefits to him, it offers all grace and salvation to him, it orders him to receive the Saviour for himself, it promiseth him all salvation in the Saviour, and he is saved only by the gos pel," 1 Cor. xv. 1, 2. This salutary gospel was preached to the disobedient Israelites also in the wilderness, when God established his covenant of grace with them on Sinai, although with a legal administration, when "he sent" his Son, "the angel in whom his name was, before them,” Exod. xxiii. 20-23, "promised him to them, as a prophet, like Moses," Deut. xviii. 16-19, and when he typified him "by the manna, by the rock," 1 Cor. x. 3, 4, and by all the ordinances of the ceremonial law, Coll. ii. 17. Heb viii. 5. x. 5, but although the gospel is so exceedingly profitable," it did not profit them, because it was not mixed with faith; for they had not an heart to understand," Deut. xxix. 4. "They did not look to the end of that which is abolished; but their minds were blinded." 2 Cor. iii. 13, 14. "When they heard the voice of the gospe" they hardened their hearts, and they could not enter in, because of unbelief," Psalm xcv. 7-11. Heb. iii. 14-19 For it is faith which renders the gospel profitable to man; for by faith a person not only acknowledges it to be true and divine, and is moved and influenced by it, 1 Thess. i. 15, but he doth also by faith receive the Saviour, and all bis saving benefits for himself, according to the offer of the gospel, which saith, "He who believeth on the Son hath everlasting life, &c. John iii. 36. This the instructor also teacheth us. He had taught in the foregoing Lord's day, that our Lord Jesus Christ was the perfect Saviour of sinners, and he had proved this from the gospel; but now he shows that Christ is nevertheless not a "Saviour, and that the gospel is not profitable to all who have perished in Adam, but only to those, who, according to the gospel, are ingrafted into him and receive all his benefits by a true faith. In order that he may give us a proper account of this faith, he speaks of it at large, showing (1) how necessary it is, Question 20. (2) Wherein it consists, Question 21. (3) What is the object of it, Question 22—58. (4) in what respect it is profitable, Question 59-64 (5) How it is wrought and confirmed, Question 65-85. We must at present explain only three particulars with respect te faith. I. The necessity of it, Q. 20. Il. The brief representation of the object of it, Q. 22, 23. 1. It is taken for granted here, that "all men are cursed,” that is, condemnable "in Adam," because this is taught in the seventh question. It is asked now, whether "all men, as they have perished in Adam, are also saved by Christ?" This question appears strange, since it is universally acknowledged, that all men are not saved by Christ. There have indeed been certain persons, who have taught that all men were saved; but they have been few, and their erroneous opinion hath long since been dead with them. The instructor intends therefore something else by this question, and indeed whether men be saved from their birth by Christ, without any intervening act of the soul, as they perish in Adam by their birth, without any act of the person who is born. For there are many careless persons, who fondly imagine that they shall be saved by Christ, although they do nothing to obtain him for salvation. The catechism, in order to root out such a false imagination, shows that we cannot be saved by Christ from our birth, without any act of our own, as we have perished in Adam: but that, in order to be saved, we must be incorporated into Christ by faith, since we are not in Christ by nature, nor proceed from him by our birth, as we are by nature in Adam, and proceed from him by our birth. And therefore some act must be done, whereby we are ingrafted into him supernaturally, which act is faith; but we would rather say that this question is asked, because there have been certain persons of old, to wit, the Pelagians and Semipelagians, and because there are still certain persons, to wit, the Jesuits and Remonstrants, and many who collude with them, who conceive that, as all men were brought into a state of perdition by Adam, so all men are brought into a state of salvation by Christ, that Christ died for all men, and merited salvation for all, as Adam, according to our doctrine, deserved perdition by his sin for all. This errour proceeds from another erroneous opinion.. These men hold that Christ did not satisfy the justice of God for all the sins of his people, but only the will of God, which did not demand all, but only a small part; that Christ having obeyed this will, God, |