being many, or, tho' they are many, are but one Body; fo alfo is Chrift, or the Chriftian Church, 2 Cor. xii. 12.-And in this Senfe every one who is, according to our Lord's Appointment, received by Baptism into his Church, and made a Member of it, is thereby made a Member of Chrift. —And though our Union between each other and him, which is thus strongly reprefented by this Similitude, does very fignificantly point to us our Duty both to him and to one another; yet I conceive, that the Points to which the Church directs our Attention in this part of the Catechifm are, the Benefits which we receive by that Union to our Lord as our Head. -Our Union to one another does indeed plainly fhew us, that we should have the fame Care one for another; and whether one Member fuffer, all the reft should fuffer with it, or if one be honoured, all the rest should rejoice with it.-And our Union to Chrift, as the Head over all things to the Church, does as plainly fhew, that as in the natural Body the Hand or Foot never disobey the Head, fo we should be in all things fubject to our Lord's Commands, and ready to obey and honour him.But what we are here chiefly to confider is, the Advantages of that Union to ourselves; the Church is here fpeaking of the Benefits or Privileges of Perfons baptized, and not of their Duty; and thefe Advantages are, that by being thus united to our Lord, and he to

us,

us, we are in a peculiar Manner entitled to his Affiftance and Protection, are become the more immediate Objects of his Care and Providence, and have an authorized Claim to the more immediate Guidance of his Holy Spirit. These Benefits are described by St. Paul, ftill carrying on the fame Similitude, when he fays, that from him the Head, all the Body, by Joints and Bands having Nourishment minifred, and being knit together, increaseth with the Increafe of God; that is, that he conveyeth all neceffary Nourishment, and Strength, and Vigour to all the Members of his Church, every one of which is thereby enabled to grow in Grace mightily, till he comes to the Meafure of the Stature of the Fulness of Christ; or, in other Words, till he is become a perfect Man, and as brought every Thought into Subjection to the Laws of Chrift.-Great therefore is the Privilege of having his Grace and Strength to help and perfect our Weaknefs. Great the Advantage of having his Providence to protect us, and guard us against all. our Enemies.

2. The fecond Privilege is that of being made the Children of God; which alludes to the Account the Holy Scriptures give us of our natural State.-Every Man is, no doubt, the Child of God, as having been created by him. -But the facred Writers tell us, that all Men have by Sin forfeited the Benefits of this Sonfhip;

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ship; that they are thereby eftranged from God, and at Enmity with him, Rom. viii, 7.

And that as Death hath passed upon all Men, in that all have finned, (Rom. v. 12.) fo the Apostles and primitive Chriftians were by Nature the Children of Wrath, even as others, Eph. ii. 3.-And confequently that God could not any longer confider them as his Children and Servants, prepared and ordained by him to Glory, but as Veffels of Wrath, fitted by themselves for Deftruction.-And our Happinefs is, that this Enmity, which it was absolutely out of our Power to take away, is by our Bleffed Lord removed far from us.-He has taken away the Hand-writing which was against us, and has reconciled us to God; and one Privilege of Baptifm is, that we are thereby entitled (if we perform our Parts) to the Benefits of that Reconciliation.-That is, we are again restored to the Love and Favour of God, in as perfect a Manner as if we had not finned; and are again entitled to that Tendernefs, Compaffion, and Love, only infinitely greater in degree, which affectionate Parents fhew to their own Off-fpring; that like as a Father pitieth his own Children, even fo will the Lord be merciful to them that love and obey him in Christ Jesus.-And this Restoration to God's Favour is what the Scripture means by our being adopted to be his Sons, and our having that Spirit of Adoption, whereby we ap

proach

proach him with Confidence as his Children, and cry Abba, Father.

The third Privilege is, that of being Inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven.-Our Bleffed Lord told Pilate, that his Kingdom was not of this World.-He came to establish and mani· feft a Kingdom indeed, but it was a Kingdom of perfect and eternal Glory, prepared in the Heavens; that is, that he might reign for ever with God the Father in that happy Place, where he is pleased to display his Glory in the most confpicuous Manner.-And as he came to erect this Kingdom himself, so likewise to purchase the fame Inheritance for others; and it is our Happiness that by Baptifm we are admitted to the Hope of it, and were entitled to it. That we were then made Fellow-Citizens of the Saints, and of the Houshold of God; were as it were brought unto Mount Sion, the City of the living God, and to the innumerable Company of Angels, and to the Affembly of the Firft-born, which are written in Heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the Spirits of juft Men made perfect; and therefore declared to be the Heirs of God, and Joint-Heirs with Chrift (Rom. viii. 17.) of this heavenly Kingdom.

Such are the ineftimable Benefits, to which we are admitted by our Baptifm; but ftill it must be remembered, that our Title to them is built on this Condition, that we perform what

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what our Sureties then promised for us; which we are told in the next Question and Anfwer was this:

First, That we should renounce the Devil and all his Works, the Pomps and Vanities of this wicked World, and all the finful Lufts of the Flefb.

Secondly, That we should believe all the Articles of the Chriftian Faith. And,

Thirdly, That we should keep God's holy Will and Commandments, and walk in the fame all the Days of our Lives.

The firft Condition is, that we should renounce or avoid every thing that is finful; which is fo expreffed by renouncing, &c. becaufe the Devil, and the World, and Luft, are the three great Sources of all Temptation, and the Tempters that lead us into all kinds of Wickedness.

The Devil, or Satan, that is, the Chief or the whole Company of fallen Angels, appear from the Holy Scriptures to have been the Authors of all Sin, with refpect to Men at leaft; and having fallen from their own Happiness by disobeying their Maker, are now become Tempters of the Brethren, and endeavour to make us as wretched as themfelves, by drawing us from our Duty.-And therefore all Sins in general are called the Works of the Devil, which our Bleffed Lord came into the World to deftroy.-But by his Works, as

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