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his laws, appointing the work and duty of the creature, as alfo the rewards and punishments; James iv. 12. "There is one "Law-giver, that is able to fave and to deftroy." In this cafe his fovereignty immediately and indifpenfably binds the confcience of man, and no human authority can diffolve that obligation: Nor muft we fnuff at the fevereft command. (3.) The glorious fovereignty of God is difplayed in his providential administrations, appointing every man to that ftation and condition in which he is in this world; whether it be high or low, profperous or afflicted: Pfalm lxxv. 6. "I faid to the "fools, deal not foolishly, &c. for promotion cometh not from.. "the east, or the weft, but God is Judge; he putteth down ❝one, and fetteth up another." Let not them that are at the top of the world be lifted up; nor those that are at the bottom be dejected; for God çafts every man's lot, and changeth their condition at his pleasure; a word of his mouth plucks down the lofty, and exalts the lowly; he woundeth, and his hands make whole. Hence it becomes the afflicted to be still, and know that he is God, Pfalm. xlvi. 10. to put his mouth in the duft, and quietly to wait for his falvation: All our fretting and ftruggling cannot shake off the yoke which he hath put upon us; but a meek and quiet fubmiffion to his will, and compli ance with his defigns, is the best expedient to procure our freedom. There is not one circumftance of trouble befals you, without his order; nor can you expect deliverance, but by order from him.

Rule 2. Study the tranfcendent evil of fin, and what the demerit of the leaft fin that ever you committed is. This will becalm your tempeftuous fpirits, and at once work them into contentation with your prefent ftate, and admiration that it is no worse, Lam. iii. 22, 39, 40.

Confider, thou querulous and difcontented foul, that the wages of fin is death, Rom. vi. ult. that tribulation, anguish, and wrath, are due, by law, to every foul of man that doth evil; that fo often as we have finned, fo. often have we deferved hell and fhall we then charge God with feverity, for scourging us with the rods of gentle, fatherly, chastisements? Is this hell? Dare you fay the feverest affliction that ever was upon you, is above the demerit of your fin?

It is true, indeed, the Lord tells Jerufalem, that she had "received of his hand double for all her fins," Ifa. xl. 2. But that is not the language of flrict justice, but of compaffions rolled together. There is not a gracious foul in all the world, but will readily fubfcribe Ezra's confeffion, that God hath af

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flicted it less than its iniquities deserve, Ezra ix. 13. Oh ! if' once we measure our afflictions by our fins, we shall admire they are fo few, fo mild and gentle as they are!

Rule 3. Confider, what a difference there is betwixt the faints meeting with afflictions, and their parting with them. You meet them with trembling and astonishment, but you shall part with them with praise and thanksgiving; bleffing God for the manifold bleffings they have inftrumentally conveyed to your fouls. It is good for me, faith David, that I have been afflicted. By these things fin is prevented, difcovered, and mortified; the infnaring world imbittered, and the reft to come fweetened.

Many other excellent rules may be added: try these, and the bleffing of the Spirit accompany them.

To conclude; be not fwallowed up of forrows for what you have loft, but balance all the troubles of this life with the

hopes of the next. Your dear children are gone, your sweet hufband is gone; but confider who took them, and whither. It is faid of Enoch, Gen. v. 24. He walked with God, and "was not, for God took him." Mr. Upton is not, and yet he is he is not with men, he is with God: he ceafes not to be, though he ceafes to breathe: he is taken away, but God took him: he is better where he is, than where he was though he be not in your bofom, he is in Chrift's.

Imitate his zeal, plain-heartedness, diligence in duties, and you fhall fhortly meet him again, and never part any more; 1 Theff. iv. 15, 16, 17, 18. "For this we say by the word of "the Lord, that we which are alive, and remain to the com "ing of the Lord, shall not prevent them which are afleep. "For the Lord himself shall defcend from heaven with a fhout, "and with the voice of the archangel, and the trump of God: "and the dead in Chrift. fhall rife firft: Then we which are ❝alive, and remain, shall be caught up together with them "in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: And fo fhall we "ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another "with thefe words." Did you but know the deep emphafis of thefe words, ever with the Lord; I doubt not, but you would find comfort enough in them for yourfelf, and a great over, plus for the comforting of others.

ΑΝ

EXPOSITION

O.F THE

ASSEMBLY'S CATECHISM, With Practical Inferences from each Question:

As it was carried on in the Lord's Days Exercifes in Dartmouth, in the firft Year of Liberty, 1688.

TH

THE

PREFACE.

HAT catechizing is an ordinance of God, few will doubt, when they confider the apoftles did firft lay the fundamentals of religion; Heb. vi. 1. And "fed babes with “milk, teaching them the first principles of the oracles of "God," Heb. v. 12. and queftionless taught them in that manner, which was most suitable to the capacity of the learners, which may well be supposed to be by plain and short questions, and suitable answers thereunto; and therefore this has been a conftant practice in the church of God; and the primi tive church had a particular perfon appropriated thereunto, whom they called Catechift.

And fo all well-governed, and wifely managed churches, have still maintained and used it, as knowing the neceffity and usefulness thereof; for the younger fort to inform them in the principles of that religion whereinto they were baptized; and for the establishment of the adult and more aged therein.

Hence have iffued thofe little compofures of all the fundamental doctrines of faith and practice fo handled (which we call Catechifms) in the churches; and particularly in ours, whereof there are many and divers, whofe authors have well deserved for their endeavours to inform and edify the people thereby.

But among them all, none excel this little catechism of the Affembly, for orthodoxy, fulness, and method.

And because the answers therein are fome of them pretty

large, and treat of the most profound mysteries of our religi on; therefore several perfons have beftowed their good and laudable pains, fome in defcanting more largely, and proving by fcriptural reasons the particulars: one has fhewn the harmony thereof with the articles and homilies of the church of England (defigned, I fuppofe, to remove the prejudice which some have taken against it): others have parted the questions and anfwers into several little ones, under each, to make them more intelligible to younger ones, and more eafy to be remembred.

Among whom, worthy, orthodox, and excellent Mr. John Flavel may be ranked, who among other of his many moft profitable labours, applied himself to the chewing of this bread of life, or crumbling it into fmaller pieces, for the con venience of children, and, indeed, of all; wherein (as in all his other works) he hath fhewn himself a workman, that needs not to be ashamed.

There needs no other recommendation to this Pofthumous piece, but the worthy author's name; he was removed before he had completely finished it; he had prepared his questions and answers upon the fecond petition of the Lord's Prayer ; but lived not to propofe them in the public congregation. God then tranflated him into his kingdom of glory above, while he was fo induftrioufly endeavouring to promote the kingdom of grace below.

The other five remaining questions and answers (to complete the work) were done by a ruder hand; as may be easily dif cerned by any obfervant reader, who will find himself transferred from a plain, clear, and delightful ftile, method and manner, into more rough, diforderly and unpleasant ones; for, who, indeed, could equal this divine labourer? Not the compleater; who would account himself to have made very great attainments in divinity and usefulness, if he were left but a few furlongs behind him.

Let the reader use and peruse this piece, and he will fee caufe to blefs God for the author.

VAL E.

T

TO THE

READ E R.

HE Divine providence having unexpectedly caft my lot, for a few days, in Dartmouth, where that bleffed man of God, Mr. John Flavel, did for many years honour Christ, and

was honoured by him; I have been favoured with a fight of that moft judicious explication of the Affembly's Catechism, which is emitted here with.

Being defired to testify my respect to the worthy author, by prefacing this excellent labour of his with a few lines; I can truly fay, (as fometimes Beza of Calvin), Now Mr. Flavel is dead, life will be lefs fweet, and death lefs bitter to me.

My heart bleeds to look on this defolate place, and not to fee him, that, whilft living, was the glory of it.

But neither the author, nor his writings, ftand in need of the commendation of others, much lefs of minę.

His works, already published, have made his name precious in both Englands; and it will be fo, as long as the earth shall endure.

There are fome confiderations which may caufe the reader to expect (and he will not find himself difappointed therein) that which is extraordinary in this little manual; for the au thor's heart was very much engaged in doing this fervice for Chrift, in thus feeding his lambs. And he did himself defign the publication of what is here committed to the prefs; and was very defirous (with an holy fubmiffion to the will of God) to have perfected this work before his decease; but had strange intimations that he should finish his courfe before that could be done.

When he did, viva voce, deliver his meditations, there were many enlargements, and lively paffages, which are not here inferted nevertheless, here is as much as he thought needful for public view, not being willing that his book fhould be volu

minous.

In his laft Catechetical exercife, concerning Hallowing the name of God, he was exceedingly enlarged; but he must himfelf go into the kingdom of glory, when he intended to have difcourfed on that petition, Thy kingdom come.

He alfo began fome meditations on the Joys of heaven; but before he had an opportunity to express what had been in his heart, the Lord Jefus faid unto him, "Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." And thus doth it happen many times to the eminent and holy fervants of God.

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nother confideration, recommending what comes herewith, is, that it was amongft Mr. Flavel's laft works. The (godio phuala) last fayings of wife and great men have been efteemed oraculous; and the Scripture puts an emphasis on the last words of David, the fweet finger of Ifrael, 2 Sam. VOL. VII. M m m

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