THE Door Open for Sinners AND THE Duty of Saints TO Iesus Christ FITTED To the Understanding of the Meanest Capacity In a plain way of QUESTION and ANSWER By EDWARD BUCKLER Preacher of the Gospel 1 Cor. 2.2 I determined not to know any thing among you save Jesus Christ and him Crucified 1 Cor. 3.2 I have fed you with milk and not with meat for hitherto ye were not able to bear it neither yet now are ye able LONDON Printed by J. Astwood behind St. Christophers-Church in Thredneedle-street the back-side of the Royal Exchange 1695. TO THE READERS That are within my CHARGE Dearly beloved Friends YOV are a numerous people amongst whom the Providence of God for the space of five years last passed hath set me to preach the Gospel of his Son I have made it my business to intreat you in Christs stead to be reconciled unto God whom I bless from my heart for any success that he hath given his Ordinances with you But the harvest is great and the labourer but one a weak a very weak and an unworthy one and many of you remain yet ungathered Two things in the course of my Ministry I have very much dwelt upon and in both I have observed a great difficulty One is to perswade you to seek after righteousness life and happiness out of your selves in Jesus Christ The other that whatever you are in your selves there you may find it the Gospel freely tendering the greatest sinners a gracious Saviour and the emptiest soul a full Christ And because a continued discourse in which these truths have been delivered unto you might not possibly with ease enough get into some mens understandings and might with too much slip out of most mens memories I have drawn them into a plain short and familiar way to provide against both You may not think that I leave this paper with and commend it to you as containing all that you ought but as informing you of what you first and principally must know of the Mystery of Salvation by Jesus Christ And that it may do your souls good which is all the design it hath upon you I shall with it commend unto you these few Directions 1. Lay up the answer to every question in your memories that you may have at least the speculation of every truth contained in it 2. Turn to every text of Scripture that is quoted and see how it proves that for which it is brought 3. Get if possibly you can by heart as well the Scriptures as the Answers that these truths appearing to be the truths of Jesus Christ they may come in with a divine authority upon your souls which shall be the daily prayer of Your Servant in the Work of the GOSPEL E. B. THE Door Open for Sinners AND THE Duty of Saints TO Iesus Christ Quest WHO made the World and all Creatures in it Answ a God who is b an Eternal c Infinite d Immutable e Omnipotent f Independent g Holy h Wise i Just k Gracious l Spiritual m Being Distinguished into n Father o Son and p Holy Ghost q each of which is with the other equally God a Gen. 1.1 Act. 17.24 b Psal 90.2 1 Tim. 1.17 c Job 11.7,8,9 Psal 139.7 c. Jer. 23.23,24 d Psal 102.27 Mal. 3.6 Jam. 1.17 e Exod. 6.3 Job 42.2 Psal 115.3 f Exod. 3.14 g Psal 5.4,5 Isa 6.3 Hab. 1.13 h 1 Tim. 1.17 Psal 104.24 Heb. 4.13 i Job 34.10,11,12 Psal 145.17 k Exod. 34.6,7 Psal 145.8,9 l Joh. 4.24 m Exod. 3.14 n Eph. 1.3 o Joh. 3.16 p Luke 11.13 q Eph. 1.3 Rom. 9.5 Act. 5.3,4 1 Joh. 5.7 Q. Which were the most excellent of all the Creatures that God made Ans Angels and Men. Q. Wherein did the excellency of Man consist A. Mans excellency was in this that God created him after his own r Image which consisted especially in his Original s righteousness and holiness and rendred him capable of serving and enjoying God r Gen. 1.26 s Ephes 4.24 Q. Was eternal happiness due unto man in his created condition for that righteousness and holiness which God endowed him withall A. No otherwise then as God had engaged himself by Covenant to give it him in case he obeyed the contents of that Conant as he threatned him with death in case of t Rebellion t Gen. 2.17 Q. What were the contents of that Covenant A. That the Law which God then gave Man should be perfectly obeyed Q. What Law was that A. It was the summ of those ten Commandments which God afterward repeated to the Jews so that though in fewer words and with less noise Adam had as full a charge in the u Garden as Israel had from Mount * Sinai u Gen. 2.17 * Exod. 20.1,2 c. Q. Did God covenant with all mankind in covenanting with Adam A. Yes for we were all in him Legally as in our representative and Naturally as in our common root Q. Did we keep this Covenant that God made with us or did we break it A. We did x break it almost as y soon as we entred into it x Gen. 3.6 Eccles 9.27 y Psal 49.12 Q. What case are we in by reason of this breach A. We are all z sinners and so subject to all that sin deserves the a Curse of the Law the b Wrath of God and c Eternal damnation z Rom. 3.9,10 c. Rom. 5.12 a Gal. 3.10 b Eph. 2.3 c Rom. 6.23 Q. What way is there now for you as the case now stands to be delivered from all this and to be brought into a condition of Grace and life A. I must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and I shall be saved Act. 16.31 Q. Are you sure that if you believe you shall be saved A. I am sure of it forasmuch as the Gospel d all along holds out Salvation by Christ in a way of believing d John 3.14,16 Acts 13.39 Rom. 3.28 Q. What is it to believe A. To believe is e to receive and accept of Jesus Christ as he is f Freely tendred in the Gospel g to sinners and to h trust in him only for Life and Salvation e John 1.11,12 Joh. 5.43 Col. 2.6 1 John 5.12 f Isa 55.1 John 3.14 Apoc. 22.17 g Mar. 2.17 h Psalm 2.12 Eph. 1.13 Q. But have you any ground to think that Christ doth belong unto you A. The Gospel doth not any where say the contrary and it offers Christ indefinitely to i all that are within the sound of it and consequently to me also i Mar. 16.15 Isa 55.1 Apoc. 22.17 Q. But are you sufficiently prepared and duly qualified to receive Christ A. I know my self to be a k sinner and in a lost condition and I see nothing to the contrary in the Gospel but that this is enough k Mark 2.17 l Luke 19.10 1 Tim. 1.15 Q. Do you think that Christ is tendered in the Gospel to Sinners as Sinners A. I do think so and hope upon sufficient grounds Q. What grounds I pray