fays, "Yea doubtless, and I count all things lofs, - that I

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may know him, and the power of his refurrection, and the " fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto " his death; if, by any means, I might attain unto the re" furrection of the dead."

" Now unto him that died and rose again, that he might "be Lord both of the dead and of the living; to that living " one that became dead, and is alive for evermore, and has "the keys of hell and death, be everlasting glory and do. " minion." Amen.

QUERIES

149

QUERIES put to Mr. Glas, by the synod of Angus and Mearns, with his ANSWERS, in April 1728.

Query 1.

Sit your opinion, That the Christian magistrate has no more power concerning church-matters than a private believer? or not?

Answer. If the church be of this world, or if it be nation. al, and established by the laws of the kingdoms of this world with civil sanctions, and if it have jurisdiction over the magi. strate's subjects in their civil rights, then the magiftrate's power must be in and about the matters of such a church; but in the kingdom of heaven, or in the church of Chrift, which is not of this world, the magiftrate's power, whether he be Christian or not, has no place.

Quer. 2. Is it your opinion, That earthly power, or power of the magistrate, ought not at all to be employed for advan. cing the kingdom of Christ? or not?

Ans. The kingdom of Christ, which is not of this world, cannot be advanced by earthly power, or the power of the magistrate, any otherwise than as all things are working toge. ther for the advancement of it.

Quer. 3. Is it your opinion, That it is unlawful to enact laws, with penalties, in favour of religion? or to defend the true religion by arms? or not?

Ans. The Lord Jesus Christ hath not annexed civil sanc. tions to his laws, and the true religion cannot be defended by arms, as may the natural and civil rights and liberties of mankind: it must be defended another way, Eph. vi. 11. 12. 13. 2 Cor. x. 4.

Quer. 4. Is it your opinion, That no argument can be drawn for the Christian magistrate's acting for the reformation of religion, and fuppreffing of false worship, from the examples of magiftrates under the Old Testament? or not?

Ans. It is my opinion, till I see otherwise.

Quer. 5. Is it your opinion, That the kingly office of the kings of Judah and Israel was an ecclefiaftical office? or not? Anf. It is my opinion, That the kingly office of David, and the kings that fat upon his throne, was ecclesiastical. Quer. 6. Is it your opinion, That the magistrate ought not to give civil encouragement to good Christians, living in his dominions, more than any other good subjects? or not? Anf.

1

Anf. Civil encouragement given by the magistrate respects his good subjects as such.

Quer. 7. Is it your opinion, That the countenance of civil authority to the church is a hindrance to religion or reformation? or not?

Anf. It is not my opinion; but I have thought, that the encouragement given by Constantine and his fuccessors to the clergy, however they designed it, served to raise Antichrift to his throne.

Quer. 8. Is it your opinion, That the magistrate ought to give liberty to heretics, and all false teachers, to perform their worship, and spread their opinions, and hinder none of them, if they carry otherwise as good subjects? or not?

Ans. The magiftrate can punish none that carry as good fubjects.

Quer. 9. Is it your opinion, That the church of Ifrael was but a typical church; and God's covenant with them was but typical and temporary, promising nothing but earthly bleffings, and a carnal inheritance? or not?

Ans. That church which consisted of all Ifrael according to the flesh, was a type of that church which confifts of all the Ifrael according the spirit; and that typical church enjoyed only earthly bleffings, and an earthly inheritance, by virtue of the covenant at Sinai, which could not give them spiritual bleffings, and the heavenly inheritance, any other way than as it was subservient unto the better covenant established on better promises, by which all true believers among them obtained eternal blessedness.

Quer. 10. Is it your opinion, That the old Sinai covenant made with the church, was but a type, figure, or shadow of the new covenant that God was to make with his New-Testament church? or not?

Ans. The nation taken into covenant with God at Sinai, was a type of the heavenly nation related unto him in the new covenant; the redemption of that people out of Egypt, was a type of the eternal redemption of all the people of God by Jesus Chrift; Mofes, the mediator of that old covenant, was a type of Jesus Chrift, the Mediator of the new covenant; the inheritance belonging to that covenant or teftament, was a type of the inheritance in the New Teftament; the blood wherewith that old covenant or teftament was dedicated, was a type of the blood of Christ sealing the new covenant; and that old covenant, which is made old, Heb. viii. and is caft out, with the people covenanted, Gal. iv. even that first testament

stament dedicated with the blood of beasts, was a type or pattern of the new covenant or testament in the blood of Jesus Christ. Heb. ix. 15.-23.

Quer. 11. Is it your opinion, That the commands or precedents under the old testament, for national covenanting, were not moral, but typical, earthly, and Jewish, and ought not to be imitated by any Chriftian nation? or not?

Anf. I know no nation truly Christian, but the holy nation, the kingdom of Chrift; which is not of this world, and is gathered out of all nations: this is the only nation bringing forth the fruits of the kingdom of God, and with this nation there is an everlasting covenant.

Quer. 12. Is it your opinion, That it was unwarrantable for our ancestors to carry on reformation by national covenanting? or not?

Ans. It is my opinion, That the covenants commonly called the national covenant, and the folemn league and covenant, were without warrant in God's word; and that all the true reformation that has been in these lands, was carried on by the word and spirit of the Lord Jesus, by the New Testa

ment.

Quer. 13. Is it your opinion, That those who suffered in the late times, for adhering to such national covenant engagements, were in so far unenlightened? or not?

Anf. It is my opinion; while, at the same time, I highly honour and value them, and the light they had, and their sufferings for Christ.

Quer. 14. Is it your opinion, That these covenant-engagements have a tendency to lead men off from that foundation that God hath laid in Zion? or not?

Anf. It is my opinion, That the founding of churchcommunion, upon that extensive uniformity, which is the great scope of the covenants, national and folemn league, had a tendency to lead off men from Christ, the foundation that God has laid in Zion, and the corner-stone, in whom all the building of God is fitly framed together; and I judge it to be the duty of all his people, to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, and to forbear one another in love, in their differences, about several parts of the forefaid uniformity.

Quer. 15. Is it your opinion, That there is no warrant for a national church under the New Testament? or not?

Anf. It is my opinion: for I can fee no churches instituted by Chrift, in the New Testament, beside the universal, but congregational congregational churches; neither do I see, that a nation can be a church, unless it could be made a congregation, as was the nation of Israel; and my opinion about the church seems to me to agree with the account our reformers have given of it, in the Scottish confession, sworn to in the national cove. nant, to which I here refer.

Quer. 16. Is it your opinion, That the members of the visible church are only those who have the credible marks of regeneration? or not?

Ans. The members of the visible church are only those whom our Lord points out to us, and commands us to love, with a peculiar love, in his new commandment, John xiii. 34.35.

Quer. 17. Is it your opinion, That the body of believers, or church-members, have a right to determine the admission or non-admiffion of perfons to the Lord's table, together with the ministers and elders? or not?

Anf. None can be admitted to communion in the Lord's supper, with a congregation of Chrift, without the consent of that congregation; and there must be a profession of mutual brotherly love in them that partake together in that ordi

nance.

Quer. 18. Is it your opinion, That the admission of unbe. lievers to the Lord's table doth pollute the ordinance unto fellow-believing communicants, and hinder saints from enjoying communion with the Lord, and with one another, in that ordinance? or not?

Ans. The admiffion of visible unbelievers to that ordinance mars the visible communion of faints in it; and so far as their communion with the Lord, in the ordinance, is con. nected with that visible communion, so far it mars that also.

Quer. 19. Is it your opinion, That a single congregation of believers, with their paftor, are not under the ecclefiaftical jurifdiction and authority of superior church-judicatures, nor cenfurable by them, either as to doctrine, worship, or practice? or not?

Anf. A congregation or church of Jesus Christ, with its prefbytery, is, in its discipline, subject to no jurisdiction un

der heaven.

Quer. 20. Is it your opinion, That a single congregation of believers hath power, not only to chuse, but to ordain their own paftors? or not?

Ans. If by ordination be meant the laying on of hands, it

is not my opinion.

Quer.