What Offices Doth Christ Execute as Our Redeemer?

Answ. Christ as our Redeemer, executetb

the office of a prophet, of a priest, and of a king, both in his estate of humiliation and exaltation.

Q. To what different kinds of offices was- Christ anoint* ed? A. To general and particular offices.

Q. Wherein do Christ’s general and particular offices differ?

A. Christ’s general offices are executed in every thing which he doth for our salvation -7 but his several particular offices are executed only in part of his work.

Q. To what general office* was Christ anointed I

A. To the offices of Mediator and Redeemer.

Q. What is the business of a Mediator?

A. It is to reconcile parties at variance, Job ix. 33.

Q^ Between whom is Christ a Mediator?

A. Between God and sinful men, 1 Tim. ii. 5.

Q. Can there be any other Mediator between God and

man

A. No; for none other has a proper interest in both parties j nor, can any lay his hand upon them both for their reconciliation, Job ix. 33. 1. Tim. ii. 5, 6.

Q. How hath Christ a proper interest in both parties I

A. He is God’s Son, and bur brother and kinsman.

Q. By what doth Christ remove God’s legal enmity against us? A. By his righteousness and intercession.

Q. How. doth Christ saw our real ‘enmiiy against God?

A. By enlightening our minds and subduing our wills.

Q, What do you mean by a Redeemer?.

A. One who recovers back that which was forfeited and enslaved.

Q. From what doth Christ redeem us sinful men?

A. From our spiritual slavery and bondage, Tiu ii. 14.

(£. To whom are we naturally in spiritual bondage?

A. To law and justice, to sin and Satan, Isa. xlix. 24.

Q. By what means doth Christ redeem sinners I

A. By price and power, or by purchase and conquest.

Q. How doth he redeem us from the law and justice of God? A. By the infinite price of his blood, 1 Pet. i. 19.

Q. How doth Christ redeem us from sin and 6atan?

A. By the infinite power of his Spirit, in teaching, subduing, rulings and defending us, Psalm ex. 2, 3.

$00 Oj ‘Christ ‘$ Offices in general. Quest. 23.

Q. Why is not a price given to Sin and Satan, as well

as to the law and justice of God? A. Because sin and

Satan have no just right to enslave sinners, except what

depends upon the law and justice of God, 1 Cor. xv. 56.

Q. Who typified Christ as our Redeemer?

A. The kinsman redeemer under the law, in his redeeming his brother or near kinsman, Ruth iv. Lev. xxvii.

Qj In what doth cur redemption by Christ resemble that?

A. Christ buys back our persons from slavery, and our inheritance from mortgage; he avengeth our biood upon Satan cur murderer; and, by marriage with our nature and persons, he raiseth up a seed of saints, and fruits of good works, Rev. v. Isa. lxiii. John xv.

Q^ To what particular offices was Christ anointed?

A. To the offices of prophet, priest, and king.

Q. Did ever these three offices properly meet in any other?

A. No j but Christ is the way to God as a priest, the truth as a prophet, and the life as a king, John xiv. 6.

Q. How do you prove that Christ fa a prophet?

A. The scriptures call him a prophet like to Moses.

Q. How do you prove that Christ is a priest?

A. He is often so called in scripture, and God swears that he is a priest for ever, Psalm ex. 4. Heb. v. 7.

Q^ How do you prove that Christ is a king?

A. The scripture often affirms it, and God calls him his king set upon his holy hill of Zion, Psalm ii. 6.

Qj, Why behoved Christ to have all these three offices?

A. To cure our threefold misery of ignorance, guilt, and bondage. Acts xxvi. 18. Col. i. 13. Tit. ii. 14.

Qj How doth Christ cure our ignorance?

A. By becoming the wisdom of God ‘to us as a prophet.

Q. How doth Christ cure our guilt? A. By betoming the Lord our righteousness as-a! priest, 1 Cor. i, 30.

£). How doth Christ deliver us from bondage?

A. By becoming our sanctif cation and redemption as a &in.

Q. What connection hath our salvation with those offices of Christ? A. He purchased our salvation as a priest, reveals it as a prophet, and applieth it as a king.

Q. What connection have the gospel-promises in general with these three offices of Christ?

A. Christ reveals the promises as a prophet, confirms them by his blood as a priest, and applieth them as a king.

Q. Are GhristV offices the proper fountain of the gospel.promises in the original making of them?

A. No j in that respect they flow from the infinite, free, and sovereign love of God, Jer. xxxi. 3.

Q. Do:h not the accomplishment of the promises on us flow from the offices of Christ?

A. Yes -, 1 Cor. i. 20;

Q. What promises are accomplished by Christ’s executing the ofrrice of a prophet A. The promises of light, leading, knowledge, and instruction, Isa. xlviii. 17.

Q. What promises st and immediately connected with Christ’s priestly office? A. The promises of pardon,

peace, reconciliation, acceptance, &c. Isa. liii. 5, 11.

Q. What promises are accomplished by Christ’s executing his kingly office? A The promise of regeneration, sane tinea tion, de-fence, and preservation from enemies, and victory over them, &cv Psalm ex:. 2- — 6.

Q^ In what different orders do Christ’s offices stand related to one another? A. In their natural order of dependence upon one another, and in their order of execution upon the Hearts of sinners..

£). How do they stand in their natural order?’

A; The priestly office possesses the first place, the pro* pheticai the second, and the king/j- the last, Psalm xxii.

Q. Why must Christ’s priestly office stand first in the natural order? A*. Because divine justice;

cannot admit of our being blessed with instruction or deliverance, till first in order of nature our sins be atoned forj and God, as-reconciled through Christ’s death,1 must be Ahe matter which he as a prophet doth teach y■ and his blood must be the price of his kingdom, Isa. liii. 2, — 12. Psalm ii. &, — Hi

(^ Why must Christ’s prophetical office stand before his kingly ?: A. Because his saving instructions are the means of our subjection to him as our king, Isa. liv. 13.

Q. Where is this natural order of Christ’s offices clearly represented? A: In the 22d Psalm 5 where Christ first suffers as a priest, then declares Gods name to his brethren as a prophet, and at last becomes governor among’ the nations as a king..

Q. What is the order of Christ’s offices in their execution upon us?

A. The prophetical office possesseth the first place, the prietly the second, and the kingly the last.

Q. Why must his prophetical office be first executed on us? A. Because till we are savingly taught by him as

our prophet, we can neither know, nor believe in him as our priest for remission and acceptance, Gal. i. 15, 16.

Q^ WThy must the priestly office stand before the kingly in this order of execution upon us?

A. Because till the death of Christ as a priest be applied to our conscience, for removing our guilt, and slaying our enmity against God, there can be no deliverance from the bondage of sin, or subjection to Christ as a king, Heb. x. 22.l&c.

Q. Is it very dangerous to invert the true order of Chrises offices? A. Yes y it is ruining to our souls.

Q. Who invert this order? A. Such as place Christ’s kingly office before his priestly, by teaching, that Christ in the gospel has given us a new law of sincere obedience, by observation of which, we become entitled to Christ and his righteousness, Rom. ix. 31, 32.

Q. What is the danger of that doctrine? A. It

makes our justification to depend on the worksf the law.

Q^ Do sinners close with all Christ’s offices at once?

A. Yes ‘y Christ cannot be divided, 1 Cor. i. 13.

Q. To which of these offices must we fly for justifying righteousness? A. Only to the priestly, Rom. iii. 24.

Q. Doth Christ fully execute all his offices? A. Yes.

Q. What mean you by Christ’s executing his offices?

A. His doing the work which belongs to each of them,

Q. In what estates doth Christ execute his offices?

A. In his estate of humiliation, and of exaltation.

Q. Why did he first in order of nature execute them in 2n estate of humiliation? A. Because by his humiliation he procured to himself the honour of executing them in an estate of exaltation, Phil. ii. 7, — 10. Isa. liii.

Q. How long shall Christ continue to execute his offices?. A. To all eternity, Heb. xiii. 8.

£). How prove you that Christ will be a prophet for ever? A. From the Lamb’s (or Christ’s) being called

the light of heaven, which is everlasting, Isa. Ix. 19.

Q. How prove you that Christ will be a priest for ever?

A. God sware to him, Thou art a priest for ever, Psal. ex. 4. Heb. vii. 3, 16, 24, 25, 23.

Q. How prove you that Christ will be a king for ever?

A. Of his kingdom there shall be no end; and he shall reign for ever, Isa. ix. 7. Luke i. 35. Psalm xlv. 6.

O. How should we improve these offices of Christ?

A. By receiving and employing him in them all in their due order, for wisdom, righteousness, and sanctification.