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strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work."

All inordinate affections to any thing that is his.

Col. iii. 5, 6: "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth: fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: for which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience."

Q. 82. Is any man able perfectly to keep the commandments of God?

A. No mere man since the fall is able in this life perfectly to keep the commandments of God, but doth daily break them, in thought, word, and deed.

No mere man.

Christ perfectly obeyed the law, [Heb. iv. 15; 1 Pet. ii. 22;] but he was not "mere man.”

No mere man is able perfectly to keep the commandments of God.

Rom. vii. 14, 15, 18, 19, 21-25: "For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do, I allow not: for what I would, that do I not: but what I hate, that do I. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good, I find not. For the good that I would, I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. I find then a law, that when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God, after the inward man: but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. Oh, wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God,

through Jesus Christ our Lord. So, then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin."

But doth daily break them, in thought, word, and deed.

1 John i. 8: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

Job ix. 20: "If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me. If I say I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse."

Ps. cxix. 96: “I have seen an end of all perfection; but thy commandment is exceeding broad."

Gen. viii. 21: "The imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth."

James iii. 2: "In many things we offend all.”

Ps. xix. 12: "Who can understand his errors Cleanse thou me from secret faults."

Q. 83. Are all transgressions of the law equally heinous?

A. Some sins in themselves, and by reason of several aggravations, are more heinous in the sight of God than others.

Matt. xii. 31, 32: "Wherefore I say unto you, all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

Matt. x. 14, 15: "And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Verily, I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city."

Luke xii. 47, 48: "And that servant which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did

according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required; and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.'

Heb. x. 28, 29: "He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?"

Matt. xi. 20-24: "Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not: Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works which have been done in thee had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee."

Q. 84. What doth every sin deserve?

A. Every sin deserveth God's wrath and curse, both in this life and that which is to

come.

Rom. vi. 23: "The wages of sin is death."

Ezek. xviii. 4: "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." Gal. iii. 10: "Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them."

Matt. xxv. 41, 46: "Then shall he say unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”

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. 85. What doth God require of us, that we may escape his wrath and curse due to us for sin?

A. To escape the wrath and curse of God due to us for sin, God requireth of us faith in Jesus Christ, repentance unto life, with the diligent use of all the outward means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption.

God requireth of us faith in Jesus Christ.

John vi. 29: "Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent."

1 John iii. 23: "This is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ."

Acts xvi. 31: "And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." John iii. 16: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Mark xvi. 16: "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."

Repentance unto life.

Luke xiii. 3: " Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."

Diligent use of outward means.

Rom. x. 17: "So, then, faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

Phil. ii. 12, 13: "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."

Luke xiii. 24: "Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and

shall not be able."

Matt. vii. 7: " Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and ye shall find: knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

Isa. lv. 3: "Incline your ear, and come unto me; hear, and your soul shall live."

Heb. ii. 3: "How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation ?"

Q. 86. What is faith in Jesus Christ?

A. Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we receive and rest upon him alone for salvation, as he is offered to us in the gospel.

A saving grace.

John i. 12, 13: "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them which believe on his name; which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."

Eph. ii. 8: "For by grace are ye saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God."

Whereby we receive and rest upon him alone for salvation, as he is offered to us in the gospel.

Matt. xi. 28, 29: "Come unto me, all ye that labour

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