Church and State by Ezra and Nehemiah, which is the End of the HISTORICAL Part of the Old Teftament..

During all this Time there is an Account given of the feveral Prophets and Meffengers which were fent from God on fpecial Occafions, to reveal his Mind and Will to Men: And there is also a larger and more particular Narrative of the Lives or Tranfactions of fome extraordinary Perfons, feveral of which are much interwoven with the Series of the Hiftory: But there are others which seem to ftand feparate and diftinct; fuch are the Affairs relating to Job, a rich Man of the Eaft; Jonah, a Prophet in Ifrael; and Efther, the Queen of Perfia; to which I have added fome Account of Jeremiah and Daniel the Prophets, in diftinct Chapters.

At the End of thefe I have put in two Chapters before the Beginning of the New Teftament, which contain an Hiftorical and Prophetical ConNECTION betweeen the Old Teftament and the New; of which I have given an Account in the Introduction to thofe particular Chapters, as well as in the general Preface.

CHAP. I.

The Hiftory of Mankind before the Flood.

1 Queft. HOW came this World into Being? Answer. In the Beginning the great God made Heaven and Earth, and all Things that are in them, Gen, i. 1. Exod, xx, II.

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2 Q. How

2 Q. How did God make all Things?

A. By his powerful Word; for he commanded, and it was done, Gen. i. 3, 6, 9, &c. Heb. xi. 3. Pfalm xxxiii. 9.

Note, We are also informed in the New Teftament, that GoD created all Things by his Son JESUS CHRIST, Eph. iii. 9. and that his Name is The WORD of GOD, John i. 3. Rev. xix. 13.

3 Q. What Time did God fpend in making the World?

A. God, who could have made all Things at once, by his perfect Wisdom and Almighty Power, chofe rather to do it by Degrees, and spend fix Days in making the World, with the Creatures that are in it, Gen. i. 31. Exod. xx. 11.

4 Q. What was his Work on the first Day? A. He made Light, and divided it from the Darkness, and the Evening and the Morning were the first Day, Gen. i. 3, 5.

5 Q. What did God make the fecond Day?

A. The Air, or the lower Heavens, which are here called the Firmament, and the Clouds, which are the Waters above the Firmament, ver. 6. 6 Q. What did he do on the third Day?

A. He feparated the Earth from the Sea, and made the Trees and Herbs to grow out of the Ground, ver. 9-12.

7 Q. What was the Work of the fourth Day? A. The Sun, Moon and Stars, which were appointed to give Light upon the Earth, and to make our Days, our Months, and our Years,

ver. 14, 19.

8 Q. What was the fifth Day's Work?

A. The Birds and the Fishes, which were both made out of the Water, ver. 20-23.

9 Q. And

9 Q. And what was the fixth and laft Day'sWork?

A. Creeping Things, Beafts and Man, which were all formed out of the Earth, ver. 24-26; and God blessed his Creatures, and pronounced his Works all very good, ver. 28, 31.

10 Q. What did God do the feventh Day?

A. God refted from his Work of Creation, and fet apart the feventh Day for a holy Sabbath, or a Day of Reft, Gen. ii. 2, 3.

IQ Who were the firft Man and Woman that God made?

A. Adam and Eve, Gen. v. 1, 2. 1 Cor. xv. 45, Gen. iii. 20.

12 Q. In what Manner did God make Adam? A. He framed his Body out of the Duft of the Ground, and then put a living Soul within him, Gen. ii. 7.

13 Q. How did God make Eve?

A. He caft Adam into a deep Sleep, and formed Eve out of one of his Ribs, and then brought her to him to be his Wife, Gen. ii. 20, 21, &t.

14 Q. In what State did God create them?

A. God created them both in his own Likenefs, in a holy and happy State, which is called the State of Innocence, Gen. i. 26.

15 Q. Where did God put Adam and Eve, when he had made them?

A. Into the Garden of Eden, to keep it, and take Care of it, that even in the State of Innɔcence and Happiness, they might have fome Wor to be employed in, Gen. ii. 15.

16 Q. What was their Food in that Garden? 4. God gave them Leave to eat of any of the Herbs, Plants or Fruits that grew there, except

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the

the Fruit of oneTree, which he forbid them to tafte of on Pain of Death, Gen. i. 29. and ch. ii. 16, 17. 17. Q. What was the Name of that Tree?

A. It was called the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, because as foon as Man eat of it, he would know Evil to his Sorrow, as well as he knew Good before to his Comfort, ver. 17. and ch. iii. 5.

18 Q. As there was one Tree fo dangerous, that it exposed him to Death if he eat of it, was there not alfo a Tree that would fecure him from Death?

A. Yes, there was a Tree called the Tree of Life, placed in the midft of the Garden, whofe Fruit was alfo able to have preferved him in Life, if he had continued to obey God, Gen. ii. 9. and chap. iii. 22. and it is reasonably fuppofed to be defigned as a Pledge or Seal of eternal Life to him, if he had continued in his Innocency.

19 Q. What was the Religion of Adam in the State of Innocency?

A. The Practice of all the Duties toward God, and toward his Creatures, which the Light of Nature or Reafon could teach him; together with his Obfervance of this one pofitive Precept of abftaining from the Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge; and this was given him as a special Teft or Trial of his Obedience to his Maker. This is called the DrsPENSATION of INNOCENCE.

20 Q. How did Adam behave himself in this Time of his Trial?

A. He eat of the Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, which God had forbid him on Pain of Death, Gen. ii. 17. and chap. iii. 6.

21 Q. How came Adam to difobey God, and eat of this forbidden Tree?

A. Eve was first perfuaded to eat of that deadly

Fruit,

Fruit, and then the perfuaded Adam to eat of it too, Gen. iii. 12.

22 Q. Who tempted Eve to eat of it?

A. The Evil Spirit, that is, the Devil, which Jay hid in the Serpent, Gen. iii. 1. 2 Cor. xi. 3. and for this Reafon he is called the old Serpent, Rev. xii. 9.

23 Q. What Mifchief followed from hence?

A. As Adam finned against God, so he brought in Sin and Death among all Mankind, who were his Children; and they have fpread through all Generations, Rom v. 12.

24 Q Then God did not put Adam and Eve to Death as foon as they had finned?

A. Nog but they were condemned to die, and became liable to Sickness and Death; they were driven out of the Garden of Paradife, that they inight not taste of the Tree of Life, and they were appointed to labour hard for their Food all their Days, Gen. ii. 19, 23.

25 Q, Did God, who fpared their Life, fhew them any further Pity?

A. Yes; he gave them a kind Promife, and clothed them with the Skins of Beafts, because they were naked, Gen. iii. 15, 21.

26 Q. What was the kind Promise that he gave them?

A. That the Seed of the Woman bould bruife the Head of the Serpent who tempted them to fin, Gen. iii. 15

27 Q Who is this Seed of the Woman?

A. The Lord Jefus Chrift, the Son of God, who in due Time was born of a Woman, Gal. iv. 4. 28 Q What is meant by his bruifing the Serpent's Head?

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A. That