Glory, when the Senfe of his Mercies melts our Hearts into holy Joy, Love and Admiration, that we can fay, Thou, Lord, haft made me glad, through thy Works, therefore will I triumph in the Works of thy Hands, Pf. xcii. 4. Q. But can you give me any particular Reafons of this Duty, why you are obliged, after the Reception of God's Mercies, to fuch a thankful Return of Praifes? A. Yes; and, among many, I will only briefly open those three: ft, God requires and expects it, it is fo fpecial and particular a Part of his Glory, as he will never part with it, and this is dear to him, he will not endure to be defrauded of it, much lefs that it be given to another; we find this Refervation of Praise expressly made by him in Pf. I. 15. Call upon me in the Day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. 2dly, We are under manifold Engagements to render it to the Lord; 1ft, For all the Mercies and Prefervations we have received from his Hand in general. 2dly, Shall Idols, Dunghill Deities receive their Sacrifices and Praises from the Heathen for their receiving Benefits? Should then the true God be forgotten, and robbed of his due Honour? 3dly, We, as true Believers, have formally and expreísly obliged our Souls to it by folemn Vows and Promises; would we free then our Souls from the Guilt of Perfidioufnefs against God, we must give him the Glory due to his Name, and pay the Vows which our Lips have uttered. Laftly, Would we keep our Benefits and Mercies which we have received from our merciful Father, we must be grateful, elfe by Ingratitude. we will be deprived of them, and the Mercies we might have in our future Diftreffes and Wants, will be withheld from us; for he that is ungrateful for Mercies received, provokes God to remove them; thus it fell O 2 out out with ungrateful Ifrael, Hof. ii. 5, 8, 9. Therefore we must use all God's Mercies with Thankfulness; and is it true, that fuch Christian Duty cannot be done, without the Concurrence of God's Grace? We muft pray to the Lord, that he may enable us, our Souls with their Faculties, our Bodies with all their Members to be living Inftruments of his Praife and Glory. Q. Cannot we merit Heaven by our good Works? A. No; because the best of our Works are imperfect and impure in themselves; and as far as they are pleafing to God, we muft impute them to the free Grace of God in Chrift, 1 Cor. iv. Whe maketh thee to differ from another? Now if thou didst thou receive it, why dost thau glory, as if thou hadst not received it? And Ifa. Ixiv. 6. We are all as an unclean Thing, and all our Righteousnesses are as filthy Rags. Luke xvii. 10. So likewife ye, when ye shall have done all thofe Things which are commanded you, fay, we are unprofitable Servants we have done that which was our Duty to do. Q. Hath not Christ merited Heaven for us? A. Yes, even as we have heard before, and confequently, all our good Actions cannot deferve Heaven, otherwife Chrift's Satisfaction would be imperfect, or God fhould be unjust, in afking a double Satisfaction, Gel. ii. 21. If Righteousness came by the Law, then Chrift died in vain. Q. Why are we then to perform good Works? 4. Because it is the Command of our Lord, Tit. iii. 8. I will that thou affirm conftantly, that they which have believed in God, may be careful to maintain good Works; thefe Things are good, and profitable unto Men. Q. Are then all Believers bound to perform good Works? A. Yes; that follows on our Redemption by Chrift, Eph. ii, 10. For we are his Workmanship, created in Chrift Jefus unto good Works, which God hath before ordained, that we should walk in him, Q. To Q. To what end must we perform good Works? A. 1ft, To the praife of God. 2dly, To an Affurance of our Faith. 3dly, To a holy Converfation. Q. Do we Praife God by our Works? A. Yes.. Matt. v. 16. Let your Light fo fhine before Men, that they may fee your good Works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven. And John xv. 8. Herein is my Father glorified, that you bear much Fruit, fo fhall ye be my Difciples. Q. Can you be affured of your Faith by the Fruit which it produceth? A. Yes; even as a Tree is known by it's Fruits, Fames ii. 18. Shew me thy Faith, without thy Works, and I will fhew thee my Faith, by my Works. As alfö, Fames ii. 26. As the Body without the Spirit is dead, fo Faith without Works is dead alfo.. Q. Will fuch a Performance of good Works, be Means to edify our Neighbours, and bring them to God?: A. Yes; fuch a Performance of good Works will give occafion to them to be afhamed, and excite them to Jealoufy, 1 Pet. ii. 12. Having your Converfation honest among the Gentiles, that they may by your good Works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the Day of Vifitation. And Pet. iii. 1. Matt. v. 15. Q. What do you infer from bence? I A A. That our Catechift has exceedingly well anfwered his Defign, diffolving the difficulty which was made about good Works, proving a neceflary Connection between Works and Grace, that Works ought to be produced as Fruits of our Faith and Union with Chrift, to glorify God, Matt. v. 16. Let your Light fo fine before Men, that they may fee your good Works, and glorify your Father, which is in Heaven. And to adorn our Profeffion, and magnify it's divine Creator; wherefore good Works are ftiled, graceful, ornamental, beautious Works, Tit. iii. 8. By which the Believer may be comforted; and the Purity of our Doctrine thereby appears. The 87th Question of the HEIDELBERG CATECHISM. ANNOT they then, who continue in their "A. No. For the Scripture faith, 1 Cor. vi. 9, 10. Neither the Unclean nor Idolaters, nor Adulterers, nor Thieves, nor Covetous, nor Drunkards, nor Revilers, nor Extortioners, and the like, fhall inherit the Kingdom of God. Q. What do you infer from hence? A. That there is an abfolute Neceffity of a true Change for every Man's Salvation; and how the Door of Salvation never can be opened without the Key of Regeneration, as Chrift affures civil and for. mal Nicodemus, That except he be born again, he cannot fee the Kingdom of God, John. iii. Q. But is not the Practice of Morality, and other civil Duties, enough? A. By no Means; no Reftitutions or Reformations, no common Gifts or Abilities, no religious Duties or Services, can fave any Man from Hell, without a Change of thorough Converfion, Rom. viii 8. They that are in the Flesh cannot pleafe God. Q. Can we not fatisfy and please ourselves with this, though we live in Sin, that yet God is a merciful God? A. Not in the leaft; but we ought to confider, that this merciful God, is alfo a God of Truth; and this God of Truth hath plainly affured us, that all these external Things fignify nothing to our Salvation, unless we become new Creatures, Gal. vi. 15. and John iii. Q. Can we not hope in God without this? A. No. If we hope in God, we must hope in his Word, P. exix. 81. And we find no fuch Word in the whole Bible, that warrants the Hope of Salvation in an unregenerate Perton; all fcriptural Hope is of a purifying nature, and evermore a Production of a holy Life, John iii. 3. Q. But Q. But fince Chrift died for the greatest of Sinners, may we not trust to be faved through him? A. Notwithstanding Chrift did fo, Converfion is his only Method of Salvation, Tit. ii. 14. And those that are not washed by Sanctification, have no Part in him, or in his Blood, John xiii. 8. He came not to fave Men continuing in their Sins, but to fave his People from their Sins, Matt. i. 21. And to lead us through Sanctification unto Salvation, 2 Thef. ii, 13. And whom and how he faves, Tit. ii. 13, 14. The 88th Question of the HEIDELBERG Q. IN CATECHISM. N how many Parts doth the true Converfion of "A. In two Parts; in the Mortification of the ❝ old, and the quickening of the new Man." The 89th Queftion of the HEIDELBERG CATECHISM. Q. WHAT is the Mortification of the old Man? "A. To be truly and heartily forry, that 66 we have offended God by our Sins, and more and 66 more to hate and fly from them." The goth Question of the HEIDELBERG CATECHISM. HAT is the Quickening of the new Man? "A. True Joy in God, through Chrift, "and an earneft and ready Defire to perform all good "Works with Affection and Pleafure, according to "the Will of God." The |