fays, "Yea doubtlefs, and I count all things lofs, that I 66 may know him, and the power of his refurrection, and the "fellowship of his fufferings, being made conformable unto "his death; if, by any means, I might attain unto the re"furrection of the dead."

"Now unto him that died and rofe again, that he might "be Lord both of the dead and of the living; to that living 66 one that became dead, and is alive for evermore, and has "the keys of hell and death, be everlasting glory and do. "minion." Amen.

QUERIES

149

QUERIES put to Mr Glas, by the fynod of Angus and Mearns, with his ANSWERS, in April 1728.

Query 1. S it your opinion, That the Christian magistrate has no more power concerning church-matters

than a private believer? or not?

Anfwer. If the church be of this world, or if it be nation. al, and established by the laws of the kingdoms of this world with civil fanctions, and if it have jurifdiction over the magi. ftrate's fubjects in their civil rights, then the magiftrate's power must be in and about the matters of fuch a church; but in the kingdom of heaven, or in the church of Christ, which is not of this world, the magiftrate's power, whether he be Christian or not, has no place.

Quer. 2. Is it your opinion, That earthly power, or power of the magiftrate, ought not at all to be employed for advan cing the kingdom of Chrift? or not?

Anf. The kingdom of Chrift, which is not of this world, cannot be advanced by earthly power, or the power of the magiftrate, any otherwife than as all things are working toge. ther for the advancement of it.

Quer. 3. Is it your opinion, That it is unlawful to enact laws, with penalties, in favour of religion? or to defend the true religion by arms? or not?

Anf. The Lord Jefus Chrift hath not annexed civil fanc tions to his laws, and the true religion cannot be defended by arms, as may the natural and civil rights and liberties of mankind: it must be defended another way, Eph. vi. 11. 12. 13. 2 Cor. X. 4.

Quer. 4. Is it your opinion, That no argument can be drawn for the Chriftian magiftrate's acting for the reformation of religion, and fuppreffing of false worship, from the examples of magiftrates under the Old Teftament? or not?

Anf. It is my opinion, till I fee otherwise.

Quer. 5. Is it your opinion, That the kingly office of the kings of Judah and Ifrael was an ecclefiaftical office? or not? Anf. It is my opinion, That the kingly office of David, and the kings that fat upon his throne, was ecclefiaftical. Quer. 6. Is it your opinion, That the magiftrate ought not to give civil encouragement to good Chriftians, living in his dominions, more than any other good fubjects? or not?

Anf.

Anf. Civil encouragement given by the magistrate respects his good fubjects as fuch.

Quer. 7. Is it your opinion, That the countenance of civil authority to the church is a hindrance to religion or reformation? or not?

Anf. It is not my opinion; but I have thought, that the encouragement given by Conftantine and his fucceffors to the clergy, however they defigned it, ferved to raise Antichrift to his throne.

Quer. 8. Is it your opinion, That the magiftrate ought to give liberty to heretics, and all falfe teachers, to perform their worship, and fpread their opinions, and hinder none of them, if they carry otherwife as good subjects? or not?

Ans. The magiftrate can punish none that carry as good fubjects.

Quer. 9. Is it your opinion, That the church of Ifrael was but a typical church; and God's covenant with them was but typical and temporary, promifing nothing but earthly bleffings, and a carnal inheritance? or not?

Anf. That church which confifted of all Ifrael according to the flesh, was a type of that church which confifts of all the Ifrael according the fpirit; and that typical church enjoyed only earthly bleffings, and an earthly inheritance, by virtue of the covenant at Sinai, which could not give them spiritual bleffings, and the heavenly inheritance, any other way than as it was fubfervient unto the better covenant established on better promises, by which all true believers among them obtained eternal bleffednefs.

Quer. 10. Is it your opinion, That the old Sinai covenant made with the church, was but a type, figure, or fhadow of the new covenant that God was to make with his New-Teftament church? or not?

Anf. The nation taken into covenant with God at Sinai, was a type of the heavenly nation related unto him in the new covenant; the redemption of that people out of Egypt, was a type of the eternal redemption of all the people of God by Jefus Chrift; Mofes, the mediator of that old covenant, was a type of Jefus Chrift, the Mediator of the new covenant; the inheritance belonging to that covenant or teftament, was a type of the inheritance in the New Teftament; the blood wherewith that old covenant or teftament was dedicated, was a type of the blood of Chrift fealing the new covenant; and that old covenant, which is made old, Heb. viii. and is caft out, with the people covenanted, Gal. iv. even that first te

ftament

ftament dedicated with the blood of beafts, was a type or pat tern of the new covenant or teftament in the blood of Jesus Chrift. Heb. ix. 15.-23.

Quer. 11. Is it your opinion, That the commands or precedents under the old teftament, for national covenanting, were not moral, but typical, earthly, and Jewish, and ought not to be imitated by any Chriftian nation? or not?

Anf. I know no nation truly Chriftian, but the holy nation, the kingdom of Chrift; which is not of this world, and is gathered out of all nations: this is the only nation bringing forth the fruits of the kingdom of God, and with this nation there is an everlasting covenant.

Quer. 12. Is it your opinion, That it was unwarrantable for our ancestors to carry on reformation by national covenanting? or not?

Anf. It is my opinion, That the covenants commonly called the national covenant, and the folemn league and covenant, were without warrant in God's word; and that all the true reformation that has been in these lands, was carried on by the word and spirit of the Lord Jefus, by the New Testa

ment.

Quer. 13. Is it your opinion, That those who fuffered in the late times, for adhering to fuch national covenant engagements, were in fo far unenlightened? or not?

Anf. It is my opinion; while, at the fame time, I highly honour and value them, and the light they had, and their sufferings for Chrift.

Quer. 14. Is it your opinion, That these covenant-engagements have a tendency to lead men off from that foundation that God hath laid in Zion? or not?

Anf. It is my opinion, That the founding of churchcommunion, upon that extenfive uniformity, which is the great scope of the covenants, national and folemn league, had a tendency to lead off men from Chrift, the foundation that God has laid in Zion, and the corner-ftone, in whom all the building of God is fitly framed together; and I judge it to be the duty of all his people, to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, and to forbear one another in love, in their differences, about feveral parts of the forefaid unifor mity.

Quer. 15. Is it your opinion, That there is no warrant for a national church under the New Teftament? or not?

Anf. It is my opinion: for I can fee no churches inftituted by Chrift, in the New Teftament, befide the universal, but congregational

congregational churches; neither do I fee, that a nation can be a church, unless it could be made a congregation, as was the nation of Ifrael; and my opinion about the church feems to me to agree with the account our reformers have given of it, in the Scottish confeffion, fworn to in the national cove. nant, to which I here refer.

Quer. 16. Is it your opinion, That the members of the visible church are only those who have the credible marks of regeneration? or not?

Anf. The members of the visible church are only those whom our Lord points out to us, and commands us to love, with a peculiar love, in his new commandment, John xiii. 34. 35.

Quer. 17. Is it your opinion, That the body of believers, or church-members, have a right to determine the admiffion or non-admiffion of perfons to the Lord's table, together with the minifters and elders? or not?

Anf. None can be admitted to communion in the Lord's fupper, with a congregation of Chrift, without the confent of that congregation; and there must be a profeffion of mutual brotherly love in them that partake together in that ordi

nance.

Quer. 18. Is it your opinion, That the admiffion of unbe lievers to the Lord's table doth pollute the ordinance unto fellow-believing communicants, and hinder faints from enjoying communion with the Lord, and with one another, in

that ordinance? or not?

Anf. The admiffion of vifible unbelievers to that ordinance mars the vifible communion of faints in it; and so far as their communion with the Lord, in the ordinance, is con, nected with that vifible communion, fo far it mars that alfo.

Quer. 19. Is it your opinion, That a fingle congregation of believers, with their paftor, are not under the ecclefiaftical jurisdiction and authority of fuperior church-judicatures, nor cenfurable by them, either as to doctrine, worship, or practice? or not?

Anf. A congregation or church of Jefus Chrift, with its prefbytery, is, in its difcipline, fubject to no jurisdiction under heaven.

Quer. 20. Is it your opinion, That a fingle congregation of believers hath power, not only to chufe, but to ordain their own paftors? or not?

Anf. If by ordination be meant the laying on of hands, it is not my opinion.

Quer.