14. Q. What is sin?

A. Sin is any want of conformity unto or transgression of the law of God.

Q. What is meant by the law of God which sin is a breach of?

A. By the law of God, is meant the commandments which God the Creator, and supreme King and law, giver hath laid upon all the children of men, his creatures and subjects, as the rule of their obedience.

Q. 2. Where is the law of God to be found.

A. The law of God in some part of it, and more darkly, is to be found written upon the hearts of all men, Rom. ii. 14. But most plainly and fully it is to be found written in the word of God.

Q. 3. How many kinds of laws of God are there in the word of God?

A. 1. There is a judicial law, which concerned chiefly the nation of the Jews, and in every respect doth not bind all other nations. 2. There is the ceremonial law, which was in no part of it binding upon any, but for a time; namely, before the coming of Christ who fulfilled this law, and abrogated it. 3. There is the moral law, written at first by God himself in tables of stone, which is a standing rule of obedience unto the end of the world.

Q. 4. What is meant by want of conformity to the law of God?

A. By want of conformity to God's law, is meant both unsuitableness and disagreeableness to the law, and a not observation, and not obedience to it.

Q. 5. What sin doth want of conformity to the law include?

A. The sins included in the want of conformity to the law of God, are, 1. Original sin, and that natural enmity in the heart against the law of God, Rom. viii. 7. The carnal mind is enmity against God; and it is not subject to his law, neither indeed can be, 2. All sins of omission the former is want of conformity of heart, the latter a want of conformity of life to God's law.

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Q. 6. What is it to transgress the law of God? A. To transgress the law is to pass the bounds which are set in the law.

Q. 7. How doth it appear that the transgression of the law is sin?

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A. It doth appear from 1 John ii. 4. Whosoever - committeth sin transgresseth the law, for sin is the transgression of the law.

Q. 8. Is nothing a sin then, but what is against God's law?

A. Nothing is a sin, but what God hath either expressly, or by consequence forbidden in his law.

15. Q. What was the sin whereby our first parents fell from the estate wherein they were, created?

A. The sin whereby our first parents fell from :the estate wherein they were created, was their eating the forbidden fruit.

Q. 1. Why did God forbid our first parents to eat of this fruit.

A. Not because there were any, intrinsical evil in the fruit of the forbidden tree, it being as indifferent in sitself to eat of this tree as any other tree in the garden But Dod did forbid them to eat of the fruit of the tree to try their obedience.

Q. 2. Could this sin of eating the forbidden fruit be very hanious, when the thing itself was indifferent?

A. 1. Tho' the eating of the fruit was indifferent in itself, yet when so expressly forbidden by God, it ceased to be indifferent, but was absolutely unlawful, and a great sin. 2. This sin of eating the forbidden fruit, was such a sin, as included many other sins, as it was circumstantiated.

Q. 3. What sins did the eating of the forbidden fruit include?

A. The sins included in our first parents' eating the forbidden fruit, where, 1. Rebellion against God their Sovereign who had expressly forbidden them to eat of this tree. 2. Treason, in conspiring with the devil, God's enemy against Ged. 3. Ambition, in aspiring

to a higher state: namely, to be as God. 4. Luxury, in indulging so much to please the sense of taste, which did inordinately, desire this fruit. 5. Ingratitude to God, who had given them leave to eat of any tree in the garden besides. 6. Unbelief, in not given credit to the threatning of death, but believing the de vil, who said, they should not die, rather than God, who told them, they should surely die, did they eat of this, fruit. 7. Murder, in bringing death by this sin, upon themselves, and all their posterity: These and many other sins were included in this sin of our first parents eating of the forbidden fruit, which did render it exceeding hanious in the sight of God.

16. Q. Did all mankind fall in Adam's first transgression ?

A. The covenant being made with Adam, not only for himself, but for his posterity; all mankind decending from him by ordinary generation, sinned in him, and fell with him in his first transgression.

Q. 1. Did all mankind without any exception, fall ip, Adam's first transgression?

A. No: For our Lord Jesus Christ, who was one of Adam's posterity, did not fall with Adam, but was perfectly free both from original and actual sin, Heb. vii. 29. Such an high priest became us, who was holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, } Pet. ii. 22. Who did no sin.

Q. 2. How was it that the Lord Jesus Christ es caped the fall with Adam?

A. Because our Lord Jesus descended from Adam by extraordinary generation, being born of a virgin, Matth. Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, (before they came together) she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

this.

Q3. Did all the posterity of Adam besides Christ fall in his sin?

A. All the posterity of Adam besides Christ, de scending from him by ordinary generation, did fall in his first sin, Rom. v. 12. By one man sin entered

into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.

Q. 4. How could all the posterity of Adam, being then unborn, fall in the sin?

A. All the posterity of Adam were in him before they were born, and so they sinned in him and fell with him, I Cor. xv. 22. As in Adam all die, so in

Christ shall all be made alive.

Q. 5. How were all Adam's posterity in him when he first sinned?

A. 1. They were in him virtually, they were in his loins; and as Levi is said to pay tithes in Abraham when only in his loins, Heb. vii. 9- So Adam's posterity sinned in his loins. 2. They were in him representatively Adam was the common head, and representative of all mankind.

Q. 6. What reason is there that the posterity of Adam should fall with Adam their representative?

A. Because the covenant of works, wherein life was promised upon condition of obedience, was made with Adam, not only for himself but also for his posterity: therefore as if Adam had stood, all his posterity had stood with him; so Adam falling, they all fell with him.

Q. 7. How could Adam be the representative of all his posterity, when there was none of them in being to make choice of him for their representative?

A. 1. It was more fit Adam should be the representative of his posterity than any else, being the father of them all. 2. Though they did not choose him for their representative, yet God did choose him, and God made as good a choice for them, as they could have made themselves.

17. Q. Into what estate did the fall bring mankind?

A. The fall brought mankind into an estate of sin and misery.

18. Q: Wherein consists the sinfulness of that estate whereinto man fell?

A. The sinfulness of that estate whereinto man fell,

consists in the guilt of Adam's first sin, the want of original righteousness, and the corruption of his whole nature, which is commonly called original sin, together with all actual transgressions which proceed from it.

Q. 1. How many sons of sins are there which denote the sinfulness of the estate of man by the fall? A. There are two sorts of sins: namely origina sin, and actual sin.

Q. 2. Wherein doth original sin consist?

Original sin doth consist in three things, 1. In the guilt of Adam's first sin. 2. In the want of original righteousness. 3. In the corruption of the whole

nature.

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Q. 3. How are the children of men guilty of Adam's first sin.

A. All the children of men are guilty of Adam's first sin by imputation; as the righteousness of Christ the second Adam, is imputed unto all the spiritual seed, namely, to all believers; so the sin of the first Adam is imputed to all the natural seed which came forth of his loins, Rom. v. 1. As by one man's disobedience many were made sinners: so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

Q. 4. What is included in the want of original righ teouness?

A. The want of original righteouness, doth include, 1. Want of true spiritual knowledge in the mind, 11 Cor. ii. 14. The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, neither can he know them, be' cause they are spiritually discerned.

2. Want of inclination and power to do good, and want of all spiritual affections in the will and heart, Rom. vii, 18. In me (that is my flesh) dwelleth no good thing; and how to perform that which is good, I find not.

Q. 5. Is the want of original righteousness a sin? Ves: Because it is a want of conformity to the law of God. which requireth original and habitual Highteousness as well as actual.

Q. 6. If God withhold this original righteousness, is not he the Author of sin?