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 THE 
 
 Shorter Catech 
 
 ISM 
 
 WITH PROOFS, ANALYSES, AND ILLUSTRATIVE 
 ANECDOTES, Szc. 
 
 Jfor ^earhers mxlb Jjarents. 
 
 By the 
 
 REV. ROBERT STEEL, D.D. 
 
 L^m^^ 
 
 mr^ 
 
 ^anbait: 
 
 T. NELSON AND SONS, PATERNOSTER ROW. 
 
 EDINBURGH ; AND NEW YORK. 
 

 ->' 
 
PEEFAOE. 
 
 Catechisms for the instruction of the young in Christian truth 
 were called forth by the great Reformation of the sixteenth 
 century. In this good work the Bohemian Reformer of the 
 previous age had led the way on a limited scale. But Luther's 
 Catechism became the household book of German families. It 
 marked an epoch in the history of religious teaching. His 
 smaller Catechism, which chiefly deserves the name, " is truly a 
 great little book," says Dr. SchafF, "with as many thoughts as 
 words, and every word telling and sticking to the heart as well 
 as the memory." It was an immense boon to the people, and 
 would alone have immortalized its author. It treats of the 
 Commandments, the Apostles' Creed, the Lord's Prayer, Bap- 
 tism, and the Lord's Supper. 
 
 The Heidelberg Catechism was prepared for the palatinate, 
 where Calvinistic theology prevailed. It is more full and 
 thorough than that of Luther, though not so well adapted to 
 early youth. Yet it became very popular, and was rapidly trans- 
 lated into several European languages. In the first part it treats 
 of Sin and Misery, of E;edemj)tion, and of Christian Life ; in the 
 second part the Creed and the Sacraments are explained ; and 
 in the third, the Decalogue and the Lord's Prayer. The execu- 
 tion is admirable, and has been universally admired. "Its 
 language is dignified, terse, nervous, popular, and often elo- 
 quent. It is the language of devotion as well as of instruction." 
 
iv PREFACE. 
 
 This Catechism is used among the Reformed as distinguished 
 from the Lutheran in Germany. It has had an honoured place, 
 since the union of the Lutheran and Reformed, in the German 
 Evangelical Church ; and it is used in the Christian instruction 
 of the Imperial Family. It passed into Holland ; and with many 
 emigrants into America and the Cape of Good Hope. It is 
 the most cherished symbol of the Dutch and German Reformed 
 Churches in America; and at the union of the Presbyterian 
 Churches in 1870 it was formally sanctioned for use in any 
 congregation desiring it. At the Reformation period it was 
 reprinted in Scotland, and had the sanction of the General 
 Assembly. 
 
 The Presbyterians of Scotland, however, got one of native 
 authorship in 1581, when Mr. John Craig, a coadjutor of 
 Knox, compiled his admirable Catechism. The General As- 
 sembly approved of it, and requested him to make an abridg- 
 ment for the benefit of youth ; which was accordingly done, 
 to the satisfaction of the Assembly, in 1591. This abridg- 
 ment continued in use till the period of the Westminster 
 Assembly. 
 
 The shorter Catechism of Craig, after a few historical 
 questions, discusses the Apostles' Creed, the Ten Command- 
 ments, and the Lord's Prayer, and concludes with the means 
 of grace and the way of salvation. The answers are all brief, 
 and for the most part of equal length. Young people brought 
 up on it soon became well acquainted with their Bibles ; and 
 catechisms became so popular in Scotland that James VI., at 
 Hampton Court Conference, said, *' Every son of a good woman 
 in Scotland thinks he can write a catechism." 
 
 We give specimens from the larger Catechism of Craig, first 
 printed in Edinburgh by Henrie Charteris in 1581, and in 
 London in 1589. It has recently been reprinted by the Rev. 
 Dr. H. Bonar in his work on the Catechisms of the Scottish 
 Reformation, with historical preface. 
 
PREFACE. V 
 
 FIKST QUESTIONS. 
 
 Ques. Who made man and woman ? 
 
 -4ns. The Eternal God, of his goodness. 
 
 Ques. Whereof made he them ? 
 
 Ans. Of an earthly body and an heavenly spirit. 
 
 Ques. To whose image made he them ? 
 
 Ans. To his own image. 
 
 Ques. What is the image of God ? 
 
 Ans. Perfect uprightness in body and soul. 
 
 Ques. To what end were they made ? 
 
 Ans. To acknowledge and serve their Maker. 
 
 Ques. How should they have served him ? 
 
 Ans. According to his holy will. 
 
 Ques. How did they know his will ? 
 
 Ans. By his works, word, and sacraments. 
 
 Ques. What liberty had they to obey his will ? 
 
 Ans. They had free will to obey and disobey. 
 
 OP THE SACRAMENTS. 
 
 Ques. What is a sacrament ? 
 
 Ans. A sensible sign and seal of God's favour offered and given to us. 
 
 Ques. To what end are the sacraments given ? 
 
 An^. To nourish our faith in the promise of God. 
 
 Ques. How can sensible signs do this ? 
 
 Ans. They have this office of God, not of themselves. 
 
 Ques. How do the sacraments differ from the word ? 
 
 Ans. They speak to the eye, and the word to the ear. 
 
 Ques. Speak they other things than the word ? 
 
 Ans. No; but the same diversely. 
 
 Ques. But the word doth teach us sufficiently ? 
 
 Ans. Yet the sacraments with the word do it more effectually. 
 
 Ques. What, then, are the sacraments to the word ? 
 
 Ans. They are sure and authentic seals given by God. 
 
 Ques. May the sacraments be without the word ? 
 
 Ans. No ; for the word is their life. 
 
 Ques. May the word be fruitful without the sacraments ? 
 
 Ans. Yes, no doubt ; but it worketh more plenteously with them. 
 
 Ques. What is the cause of that ? 
 
 Ans. Because more senses are moved, to the comfort of our faith. 
 
 THE WESTMINSTER ASSEMBLY'S CATECHISMS. 
 
 These Catechisms were composed by the celebrated Assembly 
 of Divines which met at Westminster July 1643, by the 
 authority of the Parliament of England. Those who were sum- 
 moned to this Assembly were ten peers and twenty commoners 
 
VI PREFACE. 
 
 as lay assessors, and one hundred and twenty-one divines. Four 
 commissioners were sent from the Church of Scotland, others 
 were also added, making in all thirty-two lay assessors and one 
 hundred and forty-two divines. The Scottish commissioners 
 had no vote. 
 
 The Parliament had abolished Episcopacy in England, and 
 desired a scriptural government of the Church. Five bishops 
 were named on the list of members ; one of these attended the 
 first day, and another excused his absence on the ground of 
 necessary duty. Twenty-five members declined to attend be- 
 cause the king had not called the Assembly. Only sixty-nine 
 clerical members were present the first day ; the average atten- 
 dance was between sixty and eighty. Not more than twenty 
 spoke frequently ; the rest thought and voted in silence. 
 
 The Assembly sat five years, six months, and twenty-two 
 days, and held one thousand two hundred and sixty-three ses- 
 sions. The result of the long deliberation was, the Confession 
 of Faith, the Larger and Shorter Catechisms, the Sum of Sav- 
 ing Knowledge, the Directory of Public Worship, and the Form 
 of Presbyterial Government — which are generally bound to- 
 gether. 
 
 The Church of Scotland ratified these documents ; and they 
 have ever since been accepted as the subordinate standards of 
 all Anglo-Saxon Presbyterians throughout the world. 
 
 The Catechisms are purely doctrinal, and contain nothing on 
 Church government. They were the first attempt to unite 
 different denominations in one manual of truth for the young. 
 
 TTie Larger Catechism was prepared chiefly by Dr. Anthony 
 Tuckney, Professor of Divinity and Vice-Chancellor of the 
 University of Cambridge. The Shorter Catechism, too, was 
 prepared under the care of Dr. Tuckney, who was the Convener 
 of the Committee on the Catechisms ; but it is believed that 
 the Rev. John Wallis, M.A., had the chief hand in framing this 
 concise form of sound words. ]\Tr. Wallis was a young man, and 
 
PRPJFACE. Vll 
 
 an eminent mathematician of the University of Cambridge. 
 He was afterwards Professor of Geometry at Oxford, and one 
 of the founders of the Royal Society. He was a minister of 
 the Church of England, and though not a member of the West- 
 minster Assembly of Divines, was appointed an amanuensis. 
 He survived all his fellow-labourers in that famous Assembly, 
 and died in 1703, at the age of eighty-eight. 
 
 Catechisms have been greatly employed in the Church since 
 the Reformation of the sixteenth century. They have largely 
 contributed to the establishment of the people in the truth. 
 
 The Shorter Catechism has taken a higher place and exercised 
 a wider influence than the Larger. It has been taught in 
 schools, and has been acquired by all Presbyterian youths. 
 Persons of riper years prefer it to the Larger, and it is at the 
 present day more distinctive of our belief than any other of our 
 standards. 
 
 Richard Baxter said of it in his day, "It is the best Cate- 
 chism I ever saw — a most excellent sum of the Christian faith 
 and doctrine, and a fit test to try the orthodoxy of teachers." 
 Dr. Ashbel Green said in his admirable Lectures : "It is ex- 
 actly this kind of instruction which is at the present time most 
 urgently needed in many, perhaps in most of our congregations. 
 It is needed, to imbue effectually the minds of our people with 
 * the first principles of the oracles of God ; ' to indoctrinate them 
 soundly and systematically in revealed truth, and thus to guard 
 them against 'being carried about with every wind of doctrine,' 
 as well as to qualify them to join in the weekly service of the sanc- 
 tuary with full understanding, and with minds in all respects 
 prepared for the right and deep impression of what they hear." 
 
 It may be interesting to reproduce the Act of the General 
 Assembly of the Church of Scotland : — 
 
 " At Edinburgh, July 28th, 1648. Session 19.— The General Assembly, 
 having seriously considered the Shorter Catechism, agreed upon by the 
 
viii PREFACE. 
 
 Assembly of Divines sitting at Westminster, with the assistance of Commis- 
 sioners from this Kirk, do find, upon due examination thereof. That the said 
 Catechism is agreeable to the word of God, and in nothing contrary to the 
 received doctrine, worship, discipline, and government of this Kirk : And 
 therefore approve the said Shorter Catechism, as a part of the intended 
 uniformity, to be a Directory for catechising such as be of weaker capacity.' 
 
 To make the Catechism an efiective agent for good, many ex- 
 planations of its truths have been prepared during the past. 
 The present effort is to put into the hands of parents, and 
 especially teachers in Sabbath schools, an edition of the Cate- 
 chism that combines exposition with anecdote and illustration. 
 Thus it is hoped that the instruction may be made more inter- 
 esting and effective. 
 
THE SHOETEE CATECHISM, 
 
 INTEODUCTIOK 
 
 Quest. 1. What is the chief end of 7nan ? 
 
 Ans. Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for 
 
 ever. 
 
 1 Cob. X. 31. Whether therefore ye eat, 
 or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the 
 glory of God. 
 
 1 Cob. vi. 20. For ye are bought with a 
 price : therefore glorify God in your body, 
 and in your spirit, which are God's. 
 
 Ps. Ixxiii. 25. Whom have I in heaven but 
 thee ? and there is none upon earth that I 
 desire beside thee. Ver. 26. My flesh and 
 
 my heart faileth : but God is the strength 
 of my heart, and my portion for ever. 
 
 IsA. xliii. 21. This people have I formed 
 for myself ; they shall show forth my 
 praise. 
 
 Rom. xiv. 8. For whether we live, we 
 live unto the Lord; and whether we die, 
 we die unto the Lord: whether we live 
 therefore, or die, we are the Lord's. 
 
 I. Man's chief end is the fulfilment of God's design in his creation. — There is 
 design in a watch : its end is to fulfil that design. This is so in all the works 
 of God, but especially in man. Man is a creature, and adapted to the de- 
 sign of his Creator. 
 
 II. Man^s chief end is to glorify God. — This is in reference to God — the 
 claim of duty. 
 
 1. What is it to glorify God? His essential glory cannot be increased, 
 but his glory may be declared. This is done by all creation, animate and 
 inanimate, rational and irrational : Ps. xix. The heavens declare his glory, 
 and all his works praise him : Ps. cxlv. 10. Man is to glorify God intelli- 
 gently and actively. 
 
 2. How is God to be glorified by man ? By knowing and loving him ; and 
 by serving him in heart, word, and deed. 
 
 TTI. Man's chief end is to enjoy God for ever. — This is in reference to himself 
 —the experience of advantage. 
 
 1. What is it to enjoy God? It is love and happiness in the knowledge 
 and love of God. It is to rest in him, Ps. cxvi. 7, and to be in union with him. 
 
10 '" *- * c''* ; ; tH5 SHORtER OATECHISM. 
 
 2. How are we to enjoy God? By the means which he has appointed. 
 By the study of his Word, the exercise of prayer, and by faith and love. 
 
 3. Where are we to enjoy God? It can be done here in this life partially, 
 when he is known by his forgiving love and quickening grace. It will be 
 done fully hereafter. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. Sinners cannot glorify or enjoy God except through Christ. He is the 
 only Mediator and Saviour : 1 Tim. ii. 5. 
 
 2. Believers in Christ are bound to glorify and enjoy God. They are in 
 the light, and must shine ; are planted, and must bear fruit ; are God's chil- 
 dren, and are to be like him and with him. 
 
 3. Heaven may be really begun on earth : Col. iii. 1, 2. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 George Herbert has illustrated this subject in the following quaint verse : — 
 
 " O that I were an orange tree, 
 
 That busy plant ! 
 Then I would always laden be, 
 
 And never want 
 Some fruit for Him that dresseth me." 
 
 Lady Glenorchy in her diary relates that she was being seized with a 
 fever which threatened her life, "during the course of which," she says, 
 "the first question of the Assembly's Catechism was brought to my mind, 
 ' What is the chief end of man ? ' as if some one had asked it. When I con- 
 sidered the answer to it, ' To glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever,' I was 
 struck with shame and confusion. I found I had never soiight to glorify 
 God in my life; nor had I any idea of what was meant by enjoying him for 
 ever. Death and judgment were set before me ; my past sins came to my 
 remembrance ; I saw no way to escape the punishment due unto them, nor 
 had I the least glimmering hope of obtaining the pardon of them through the 
 righteousness of another." From this unhappy state she was shortly after 
 delivered by believing in the Lord Jesus as the only Saviour of the guilty. 
 She employed her subsequent life in the service of God, and had her happi- 
 ness in God. 
 
 An eminent minister, after having been silent in company for a consider- 
 able time, on being asked the reason, signified that the powers of his mind 
 had been solemnly absorbed with the thought of eternal happiness. " Oh,i 
 my friends," said he, with an energy that surprised all present, "consider 
 what it is to be for ever with the Lord — for ever, for ever, for ever ! " 
 
 The Rev. Dr. James Hamilton said: "At present Jesus is constantly near 
 his own, but his own do not constantly desire to be near to him. Here, it is 
 only by faith that believers enjoy his presence ; there, they shall see him as 
 he is. Now, the Lord Jesus follows his own whithersoever they go, but they 
 do not always follow him. Then, it will be different, for they will follow 
 the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. And all that is wanting to complete the 
 promiae is what death's twinkling will supply. Now, it is, * Lo, I am with 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 11 
 
 you alway ; ' and then, it is, 'And so shall we be ever with the Lord.' ' Ever 
 with the Lord.' At once, and for ever. At once ! for absent from the body 
 we are present with him. So near is Jesus now that— like the infant waking 
 from its dream, it looks up, and lo ! she sits beside it — waking up from this 
 life-dream, the first sight is Jesus as he ik At once ! no flight through 
 immensity, no pilgrimage of the spheres ; for the everlasting arms are the first 
 resting-place of the disembodied soul. It will be in the bosom of Immanuel 
 that the emancipated spirit will inquire, 'Where am I?' and read in the 
 face of Jesus the answer, ' For ever with the Lord.' For ever ! To be with 
 him for a few years, as one way with another John and Peter were ; to be 
 with him one Lord's day, as the beloved disciple subseqiiently was ; to be 
 with him a few moments, as Paul caught up into the third heaven was — how 
 blessed ! But to be ever with the Lord ! — not to-day only, but to-morrow, 
 —nay, neither to-day nor to-morrow, but now, now, one everlasting now." 
 
 '-' ' For ever with the Lord ! ' 
 Amen — so let it be ! 
 Life from the dead is in that word ; 
 'Tis immortality. 
 Here, in the body pent. 
 Absent from him I roam. 
 Yet nightly pitch my moving tent 
 A day's march nearer home." — Montfjomery. 
 
 The Rev. James Hervey used to take his Hebrew Bible or Greek Testa- 
 ment with him to the tea-table and start a conversation upon a verse. The 
 Rev. W. Romaine, one of his friends, said, "This was generally an improving 
 season. The glory of God is seldom promoted at the tea-table, but it was at 
 Mr. Hervey's. Drinking tea with him was like being at an ordinance ; for 
 it was sanctified by the word of God and prayer," 
 
 " Two things," said the Rev. S. Pierce, " are causes of daily astonishment 
 to me: — the readiness of Christ to come from heaven to earth for me; and 
 my backwardness to rise from earth to heaven with him. But, oh ! how 
 animating the prospect ! A time approaches when Christians shall rise to 
 sink no more— to be ' for ever with the Lord ! ' To be with the Lord for a 
 week, for a day, for an hour— how sweetly must the moments pass ! but to 
 be /or ever with the Lord — that enstamps salvation with perfection, that 
 gives energy to our hopes, and a dignity to our joy, so as to render it unspeak- 
 able and full of glory." 
 
 Dr. Pay son said, after long and severe affliction endured by him, "God 
 has been cutting off one source of enjoyment after another, till I find that I 
 can do without them all and yet enjoy more happiness than ever in my life 
 before. There can be no such thing as disappointment to me, for I have no 
 desire but that God's will may be accomplished." 
 
 The venerable philosopher Thomas Carlyle said in 1876 : "The older I grow 
 (and I now stand on the brink of eternity) the more comes back to me the 
 first sentence in the Catechism, which I learned when a child, and the fuller 
 and deeper its meaning becomes, ' What is the chief end of man ? To glorify 
 God, and to enjoy him for ever.' " 
 
12 
 
 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 The Rev. Dr. Humphrey also made a statement to this effect : " For my- 
 self, though I confess with shame, when my mother used to give me my 
 little task, and teach me the chief end of man, I would gladly have been 
 excused from both, and wondered what good thing they could ever do ine. I 
 subsequently found abundant cause to be thankful for her fidelity and 
 perseverance. I was astonished, when I began to read the Bible seriously, 
 and to collect and arrange its doctrines, to find what a fund of definitions 
 and important scriptiural tniths I had treasured up for the occasion. This, 
 I doubt not, accords with the experience of thousands who, like myself, once 
 loathed the Assembly's Catechism." 
 
 "When I was about to leave Berlin on my return to America," said the 
 eminent Dr. Charles Hodge of Princeton, "the friends whom God had given 
 me in that city were kind enough to send me an album, in which they had 
 severally written their names and a few lines of remarks. What Neander 
 wrote was in Greek, and included these words, ' Nothing in oneself ; all 
 things in the Lord, whom alone to serve is a glory and a joy.' " 
 
 " A charge to keep I have, 
 A God to glorify, 
 A never-dying soul to save. 
 And fit it for the Bky."— Wesley. 
 
 Quest. 2. What rule hath God given to direct us how lue may 
 ghinfy and enjoy him f 
 
 Ans. The word of God, which is contained in the scriptures 
 of the Old and New Testaments, is the only rule to direct us 
 liow we may glorify and enjoy him. 
 
 Eph. ii. 20. And are built upon the 
 foundation of tlie apostles and prophets, 
 Jemu Christ himself being the chief comer 
 stone. 
 
 2 Tim. iii. 16. All Scripture is given by 
 inspiration of God, and is profitable for 
 doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for 
 instruction in righteousness. 
 
 Heb. 1, 1. God, who at sundry times and 
 in divers manners spake in time past unto 
 the fathers by the prophets, Ver. 2. Hath 
 in those last days spoken unto us by his Son. 
 
 2 Pkter i. 21. For the prophecy came 
 not in old time by the will of man : but 
 holy men of God spake as they were moved 
 by the Holy Ghost 
 
 RoM. XV. 4. For whatsoever things were 
 written aforetime were written for our 
 learning, that we through patience and 
 comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. 
 
 ISA. viii. 20. To the law and to the testi- 
 mony : if they speak not according to this 
 word, it is because there is no light in 
 them. 
 
 Ps. xix. 7. The law of the Lord is per- 
 fect, converting the soul : the testimony of 
 the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. 
 
 Jer. X. 23. The way of man is not in 
 himself: it is not in man that walketh to 
 direct his steps. 
 
 Ps. cxix, 105. Thy word is a lamp unto 
 my feet, and a light unto my path. 
 
 T. Man needs a rule to direct him in fulJiUing the chief end of his heinff.— 
 The light of nature is not sufficient to guide: Jer. x. 2.1. This is confessed 
 by convicted sinnera : Acts ii. 87, xvi. 80. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. IS 
 
 II. God has revealed a rule in his Word. — It is a revelation from God, not 
 a philosophy of man : Micah vi. 8 ; Ps. cxix. 9. 
 
 III. The rule of faith and duty is a writing. — It is the mind of God in the 
 language of men. It was written partly in Hebrew and partly in Greek, 
 and a very small part in Chaldee : Ezra iv. 8-vii. 27 (letters, decrees, etc.); 
 Jer. X. 11 ; Dan. ii. 4-vii. Translated into English by Wicliffe out of the 
 Vulgate, 1378 ; by Tyndale from the Original, 152G ; by Coverdale, 1538 ; 
 and by forty-seven divines in 1611 (the Authorized Version — now revised). 
 
 IV. It is contained in the Old and Neiv Testaments. — The Old, in Hebrew, 
 contains 39 books by thirty authors : they are historical, poetical, and pro- 
 phetical. The New, in Greek, contains 27 books by eight authors : they are 
 historical, doctrinal, and prophetical. Thus there is very great variety. 
 
 V. The Scriptures are genuine and authentic. — They were written by the 
 authors whose names they bear. Evidence is copious, various, conclusive. 
 Dr. Kennicott collated 630 manuscripts, and De Rossi 734, in Hebrew ; 600 
 manuscripts have been examined in Greek. They relate facts — supported 
 by contemporary and credible testimony. 
 
 The Scriptures were received as authentic in the early Church. Our Lord 
 and his apostles, as well as the Jewish Church, received the Old Testament 
 as the word of God. There are 263 direct quotations from the Old Testa- 
 ment in the New with this reference, and about 350 allusions in other 
 places. In the first four centuries as many as 50 authors testify to facts of 
 the gospel narrative. They refer to the New Testament as Scripture. 
 
 VI. The Scriptures are the ivord of God. —This is proved by various lines of 
 argument : — 
 
 1. External evidences, such as history, prophecy, miracles. 
 
 2. Internal evidence^, such as the character of Christ, and their purity, har- 
 mony, and adaptation to man. They ^^rofess to be inspired by God: 2 Tim. 
 iii. 16. 
 
 VII. The Scriptures are the rule of our faith and duty. 
 
 1. They are the only rule : Isa. viii. 20 ; Micah vi. 6-9. 
 
 2. They are an infallible rule : Ps. cxix. 160. 
 
 3. They are a perfect rule: 2 Tim. iii, 15-17 ; Gal. i. 8, 9. 
 
 4. They are a plain rule : John v. 39. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. The Bible is the best book, and should therefore be most studied. 
 
 2. God's Holy Spirit is promised to interpret it, and should be sought. 
 
 3. The Bible should be obeyed. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 When the Duke of Wellington, then Sir Arthur Wellesley, was in India, 
 an officer dining at the mess where he presided was sporting infidel senti- 
 ments. Sir Arthur, wishing to put down such conversation, said, "S , 
 
 did you ever read Paley's ' Evidences ' ? " The reply was in the negative, 
 "Well, then," said Sir Arthur, "you had better read that book before you 
 talk in the way you are doing." The occurrence passed away, and the con- 
 versation was soon forgotten, but the reference to Paley's work led Colonel 
 
14 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 S to inquire after it; and having obtained a copy, to read it with the 
 
 most serious attention. He rose from the perusal of it with the fullest con- 
 viction of the falsehood of the system he had formerly adopted, and of the 
 divine origin of Christianity. But he did not stop here ; he was determined 
 to examine the Book itself, which he was thus satisfied was a revelation from 
 God. The result was that he cordially received this revelation of mercy, 
 saw and felt his need of a Saviour, and, believing in Jesus, became a Chris- 
 tian, not in name only, but in deed and in truth. 
 
 Naimbauna, a black prince from Africa, arrived in England in 1791. The 
 gentleman to whose care he was intrusted took great pains to convince him 
 that the Bible was the word of God, and he received it as such with great 
 reverence and simplicity. " When I found," said he, " all good men minding 
 the Bible, and calling it the word of God, and all bad men disregarding it, I 
 then was siu-e that the Bible must be what good men call it — the word of God." 
 
 An old negro, who could not read or write, being asked how he knew the 
 Bible to be the word of God, said, " I know it by its efifects upon my own 
 heart." 
 
 Sir W. Jones wrote on the blank leaf of his Bible : "I have regularly and 
 attentively perused these Holy Scriptures, and I am of opinion that this 
 volume, independently of its divine origin, contains more sublimity, more 
 exquisite beauty, more pure morality, more important history, and finer 
 strains of poetry and eloquence, than can be collected from all other books, 
 at whatever age or in whatever language they may have been written." 
 
 A sceptical prince once asked his chaplain to give him some clear evidence 
 of the truth of Christianity in a few words. The chaplain replied, " The 
 Jews, your majesty." He meant that the entire Jewish history was a 
 testimony to the truth of the Scriptures. 
 
 "Even as a literary composition," says Dr. Angus, "the sacred Scriptures 
 form the most remarkable book the world has ever seen. They are of all 
 writings the most ancient. They contain a record of events of the deepest 
 interest. The history of their influence is the history of civilization and 
 happiness. The wisest and best of mankind have borne witness to their 
 power as an instrument of enlightenment and of holiness ; and having been 
 prepared by men * who spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost,' to 
 reveal ' the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent,' they have 
 on this ground the strongest claims upon our attentive and reverential regard." 
 
 "I must confess to you," said Rousseau, "that the majesty of the 
 Scriptures astonishes me. The holiness of the evangelists speaks to my 
 heart ; and their work has sucM strong and striking characters of truth, and 
 is, moreover, so perfectly inimitable, that if it had been the invention of men, 
 the inventor would bo greater than the greatest of heroes." 
 
 "What book is that?" said a merchant to a young man, when a book fell 
 out of his carpet bag as he was bringing out his certificates. "It is the 
 Bible, sir," said he. " And what are you going to do with that book in New 
 York ? " said the merchant. Tlic lad looked seriously into the merchant's 
 face and said, " I promised to my mother I would read it every day; and I 
 shall do so." The merchant took him at once into his office, and he became 
 no valuable as to be taken into partnership. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 15 
 
 " The Bible," said Henry Rogers, *' is not such a book as man would have 
 made, if he could ; or could have made, if he would." 
 
 Sir Walter Scott, just before his death, said to his son-in-law, Mr. Lock- 
 hart : "Read to me." "From what book shall I read?" he asked. "Can 
 you ask?" said Sir Walter; "there is but one." "I chose," said his 
 biographer, "John xiv. He listened with mild devotion, and said, 'Well, 
 this is a great comfort.' " 
 
 " I remember reading," says Dr. Gumming, " that in cutting down an oak 
 that must have been two hundred years old at the very least, there was 
 found in the heart of the oak a musket biiUet. When it was stated to the 
 peasants and villagers that it was so, they said it must be a trick — that the 
 woodmen must have stuck it in, and pretended that it was found in the oak. 
 But when men of science and practical knowledge investigated it, they found 
 beyond all doubt that the bullet was in the heart of the oak, and there was 
 no opening by which it could be inserted, and no symptoms of a rent by 
 which it could have been inserted. But a country gentleman turned over 
 the leaves of his history, and he discovered that in that very forest, when 
 that tree must have been a mere sapling, a great battle was fought ; that the 
 presumption, nay, the certainty, was that a bullet had fastened in the 
 sapling ; that as it grew and broadened in bulk, in size and form, for two 
 hundred years, it had grown over the bullet, and the bullet had come to be 
 embedded and inserted in the very heart of it, vdthout any opening by which 
 it could have entered in past times : and thus the difficulty which perplexed 
 at first, became solved and easily explained by further and more extensive 
 research. In the same manner, when we meet with difficulties in Scripture, 
 if we cannot explain them to-day, let us lay them up for investigation to- 
 morrow, and we shall find that as we grow, in light all will become plain." 
 
 " Within this Sacred Volume lies 
 The mystery of mysteries ; 
 Happiest they of human race 
 To whom our God hath given grace 
 To read, to mark, to think, to pray. 
 To know the right, to learn the way. 
 But better they had ne'er been born 
 Who read to doubt, or read to scorn."— Scott 
 
 ]Miss Catherine Sinclair has remarked that "the lines inscribed by Lord 
 Byron on the blank leaf of a Bible testify the existence occasionally of 
 thoughts and feelings in his mind such as it would have been weU for himself 
 and his readers if he had more faithfully cultivated and more frequently 
 expressed ; but he who could speak at times in language and feelings so far 
 above the ordinary reach of man, yet delighted perversely to baffle his better 
 nature, and disappoint the hopes of all who admired his genius, while they 
 
 lamented the profligacy of his habits Those lines show how capable he 
 
 was of thoughts and feelings such as the Christian could have delighted to 
 honour." 
 
16 
 
 THE SHOKTER CATECHISM. 
 
 Quest. 3. What do the Scriptures princijmlly teach ? 
 Ans. The Scriptures principally teach what man is to believe 
 concerning God, and what duty God requires of man. 
 
 2 Timothy i. 13. Hold fast the form of 
 sound words, which thou hast heard of 
 me, in faith and love which is in Christ 
 Jesus. 
 
 RoM. iv. 3. For what saith the Scrip- 
 ture? 
 
 Luke x. 26. What is written in the law? 
 how readest thou ? 
 
 Heb. xi. 8. Through faith we under- 
 
 stand that the worlds were framed by the 
 word of God. 
 
 Josh. i. 8. This book of the law shall not 
 depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt 
 meditate therein day and night, that thou 
 mayest observe to do according to all that 
 is written therein: for then thou shalt 
 make thy way prosperous, and then thou 
 shalt have good success. 
 
 I. All Scripture is important and useful, hut not all equally so, or essential to 
 salvation. — There are references to the history of nations, to customs, to 
 natural science, etc., all worthy of study and full of instruction. 
 
 II. Scripture principally teaches what we are to believe concerning God. 
 
 1. Its revelation of God is to be believed. Its evidence is satisfactory— its 
 disclosures therefore demand faith ; they are as the authority of God, and 
 declare the truth concerning his nature, purposes, and works. 
 
 2. True knowledge of God is saving : John xvii. 3. 
 
 III. Scripture pHncipally teaches also what duty God requires of man. 
 
 1. Duty is what we owe to God. 
 
 2. The will of God is the duty of man ; that will is revealed in the Scrip- 
 tures : Ps. cxix. 105 ; Luke x. 25, 26. 
 
 3. The law of God reaches the heart and conscience : Jer, xxxi. 32-34. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. The Bible is the only authority in matters of faith : Acts xvii. 11. 
 
 2. The Bible is the only standard of human duty : Deut. xxix. 29. 
 
 3. Faith and obedience are closely united ; they are as the spring and the 
 stream— as the seed and the fruit. Faith in Christ produces Christian life. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 The celebrated John Locke was once asked by a relative what was the 
 shortest and surest way for a young gentleman to attain a true knowledge of 
 the Christian religion. " Let him study," said the philosopher, " the Holy 
 Scriptures, especially the New Testament. Therein are contained the words 
 of eternal life. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth 
 without any admixture of error for its matter." 
 
 The Count Oxensticrn, Chancellor of Sweden, remarked to an English 
 ambassador who paid him a visit : " I have seen much and enjoyed much 
 of this world, but I never knew how to live till now. I thank my good God, 
 who has given me time to know him, and likewise myself. All the comfort 
 I have, and all the comfort I take, and which is more than the wliole world 
 can give, is the knowledge of God's love in my heart, and the reading of 
 this blessed book " (laying his hand on the Bible). 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 17 
 
 A poor boy, going to a Sabbath school, was met by a companion, who 
 invited him to play the truant; but he absolutely refused and went to 
 school. When this came to be known, the boy was asked what it was that 
 kept him from complying with the temptation. He answered, "Because I 
 read in my Bible, ' My son, ivhen sinners entice thee, consent thou not.'" 
 
 " View it in what light we may, the Bible is a very surprising phenomenon. 
 In all Christian lands this collection of books is separated from every other, 
 and called sacred ; others are profane. Science may differ from them, not 
 
 from this This collection of books has taken such hold on the world as 
 
 no other. The literature of Greece, which goes up like incense from that 
 land of temples and heroic deeds, has not half the influence of this book 
 from a nation alike despised in ancient and modern times. It is read of a 
 Sunday in all the thirty thousand pulpits of our land. In all the temples of 
 Christendom is its voice lifted up week by week. The sun never sets on its 
 gleaming page. It goes equally to the cottage of the plain man and the 
 palace of the king. It is woven into the literature of the scholar, and colours 
 the talk of the street. The bark of the merchant cannot sail without it ; 
 no ship pf war goes to the conflict but the Bible is there. It enters men's 
 closets; mingles in all the grief and cheerfulness of life. The affianced 
 maiden prays God in Scripture for strength in her new duties; men are 
 married by Scripture. The Bible attends them in their sickness ; when the 
 fever of the world is on them, the aching head finds a softer pillow if such 
 leaves lie underneath. The mariner escaping from shipwreck clutches this 
 first of his treasures, and keeps it sacred to God. It goes with the pedler 
 in his crowded pack ; cheers him at eventide, when he sits dovni dusty and 
 fatigued ; brightens the freshness of his morning face. It blesses us when 
 we are born ; gives names to half Christendom ; rejoices with us ; has sym- 
 pathy for our mourning ; tempers our grief to finer issues. It is the better 
 part of our sermons. It lifts man above himself ; our best of uttered prayers 
 are in its storied speech, wherewith our fathers and the patriarchs prayed. 
 The timid man, about awaking from this dream of life, looks through the 
 glass of Scripture and his eye grows bright ; he does not fear to stand alone, 
 to tread the way unknown and distant, to take the death-angel by the hand 
 and bid farewell to wife, and babes, and home. Men rest on this their 
 dearest hopes. It tells them of God and of his blessed Son ; of earthly 
 duties and of heavenly rest. Foolish men find in it the source of Plato's 
 wisdom, and the science of Newton, and the art of Raphael ; wicked men 
 use it to rivet the fetters on the slave. Men who believe nothing else that 
 is spiritual believe the Bible all through ; without this they would not con- 
 fess, say they, even that there is a God. 
 
 " Now for such effects there must be an adequate cause. That nothing 
 comes of nothing is true all the world over. It is no light thing to hold, 
 with an electric chain, a thousand hearts though but for an hour, beating and 
 bounding with such fiery speed. What is it, then, to hold the Christian 
 world, and that for centuries ? Are men fed with chaff and husks ? The 
 authors we reckon great, whose word is in the newspaper and the market- 
 place, whose articulate breath now sways the nation's mind, will soon pass 
 away, giving place to other great men of a season, who in their turn shall 
 
18 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 follow them to eminence and then oblivion. Some thousand 'f among 
 writers ' come up in this century, to be forgotten in the next. But the 
 silver cord of the Bible is not loosed, nor its golden bowl broken, as Time 
 chronicles his tens of centuries passed by. Has the human race gone mad ? 
 Time sits as a refiner of metal ; the dross is piled in forgotten heaps, but the 
 pure gold is reserved for use, passes into the ages, and is current a thousand 
 years hence as well as to-day. It is only real merit that can long pass for 
 such. Tinsel will rust in the storms of life. False weights are soon detected 
 there. It is only a heart that can speak, deep and true, to a heart ; a mind 
 to a mind ; a soul to a soul ; wisdom to the wise, and religion to the pious. 
 There must, then, be in the Bible mind, conscience, heart and soul, wisdom 
 and religion. Were it otherwise, how could millions find it their lawgiver, 
 friend, and prophet? Some of the greatest of human institutions seem 
 built on the Bible ; such things will not stand on heaps of chaff, but moun- 
 tains of rocks. 
 
 "What is the secret cause of this wide and deep influence ? It must be 
 found in the Bible itself, and must be adequate to the effect. To answer 
 the question, we must examine the Bible, and see whence it comes, what it 
 contains, and by what authority it holds its lilace."— Theodore Parker. 
 
 The Rev. George Gilfillan said : — " It has pressed into its service the 
 animals of the forest, the flowers of the field, the stars of heaven — all the 
 elements of nature. The lion spurning the sands of the desert, the wild roe 
 leaping over the mountains, the lamb led in silence to the slaughter, the 
 goat speeding to the wilderness ; the tree blossoming in Sharon, the lily 
 drooping in the valley, the apple-tree bowing under its fruit ; the great rock 
 shadowing a weary land ; the river gladdening the dry place ; the moon and 
 the morning star ; Carmel by the sea. Tabor among the mountains ; the dew 
 from the womb of the morning, the rain upon the mown grass, the rainbow 
 encompassing the landscape; the light, God's shadow; the thunder, his 
 voice ; the wind and the earthquake, his footsteps ; — all such varied objects 
 are made, as if naturally designed from their creation, to represent Him to 
 whom the Book and all its emblems point. Thus the quick spirit of the 
 Book has ransacked creation to lay its treasures on Jehovah's altar, xmited 
 the innumerable rays of a far-streaming glory on the little hill Calvary, and 
 woven a garland for the bleeding brow of Immanuel, the flowers of which 
 have been culled from the garden of a universe." 
 
 " There is a difference which even childhood may discern," says Dr. 
 Guthrie, "between the manner in which the doctrines and duties of the 
 gospel are set forth in the Word of God, and their more formal arrangement 
 in our Catechisms and Confessions. They are scattered over the face of 
 Scripture, much as the plants of nature are distributed upon the surface of 
 the globe. There, for example, we meet with nothing that corresponds to 
 the formal order, systematic classification, and rectangixlar beds of a botanical 
 garden ; on the contrary, the creations of the vegetable kingdom lie mingled 
 in what, although beautiful, appears to bo wild confusion. On the same 
 moor, in the same meadow, the naturalist collects grasses of many forms, 
 and finds both enamelled with flowers of every hue. And in those primeval 
 forests which have been planted by the hand of God, and beneath whose 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 19 
 
 silent and solemn shades man still walks in savage freedom, trees of every 
 form and foliage stand side by side like brothers. With the everlasting hills 
 around me, far from the dust and din, the mingled splendour and squalor of 
 the city, I have sat on a rocky bank to wonder at the varied and rich profu- 
 sion with which God had clothed the scene." 
 
 Dr. Guthrie says again, in reference to the systems of doctrine : — " While 
 the trees and flowers that clothe the fields of nature are thus dispersed over 
 the wide surface of the earth, there are mountain regions lying within the 
 tropics where in the course of a single day the traveller finds every vegetable 
 form peculiar to every line of latitude between the equator and the poles. 
 These are all laid out in regular arrangement. Leaving the palms which 
 cover the mountain's feet, he ascends into the region of the olive ; from 
 thence he rises to a more temperate climate, where vines festoon the trees, 
 or trail their limbs along the naked rock ; still mounting, he reaches a belt 
 of oaks and chestnuts ; from that he passes to rugged heights, shaggy with 
 the hardy pine ; by-and-by the trees are dwarfed into bushes ; rising higher, 
 his foot presses a soft carpet of lowly mosses ; till, climbing the rocks where 
 only lichens live, he leaves all life below : and now, shivering in the cold, 
 panting in the thin air for breath, he stands on those dreary elevations 
 where eternal Winter sits on a throne of snow, and waving his icy sceptre, 
 says to vegetation, ' Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further.' Like some 
 such lofty mountain of the tropics, there are portions of the divine Word 
 where, in a space also of limited extent, within the short compass of a 
 chapter, or even part of it, the more iirominent doctrines of salvation are 
 brought into juxtaposition, and arranged side by side, almost in systematic 
 order." 
 
 Father Hyacinthe, while still an eloquent preacher of the Roman Catholic 
 Church, in a charity sermon at Lyons, delivered before the principal families 
 of the city, asked if they knew why Prussia triumphed on the field of battle 
 in the war with Austria, and said, " It is because the nation is more enlight- 
 ened, more religious, and because every Prussian soldier has the Bible in his 
 knapsack. I will add, that what produces the power and superiority of 
 Protestant principles is, that they possess and read the Bible at their own 
 firesides. I have been twice in England, and have learned that the Bible is 
 the strength of that nation." 
 
 An African prince was sent on an embassy to the court of Queen Victoria, 
 and he asked her to tell him the secret of England's greatness. The Queen 
 did not bring out her jewels, like Hezekiah, but handing him a beautifully 
 bound copy of the Bible, said, "Tell the prince that this is the secret of 
 England's greatness." 
 
 A motion was once made in the English Parliament to raise and embody 
 the militia ; and, in order to save time, to exercise them on the Sabbath. 
 When the motion was about to pass, an old gentleman rose up and said, 
 "Mr. Speaker, I have one objection to this,— I believe in an old book called 
 the Bible." The members looked at one another, and the motion was 
 dropped. 
 
 In the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, during a cold age, one 
 of the members asked what right had they to send missionaries among the 
 
20 
 
 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 heathen. Dr. Erskine rose up and said, " Moderator, rax [reach] me that 
 Bible ; " and he read Christ's command in Matthew xxviii. 19, 20. 
 
 Archbishop Whately said, "A desire to have Scripture on our side is one 
 thing, and a desire to be on the side of Scripture is another." 
 
 St. Bernard is said to have found God in every duty, and communion with 
 him in every prayer. This was true, sincere, and complete Christian duty. 
 
 Lord Nelson gave his last signal at the battle of Trafalgar in these words, 
 which will be remembered as long as the language or even the memory of 
 England shall endure: "England expects every man to do his duty." It 
 was received throughout the fleet with a responsive burst of acclamation, 
 rendered sublime by the spirit which it breathed and the determination 
 it expressed, "Now," said Nelson, "I can do no more. We must trust to 
 the Great Disposer of events and the justice of our cause. I thank God for 
 this opportunity of doing my duty." After he was shot, and in his dying 
 hour, his last words were, " I thank God I have done my duty." 
 
 " Therefore love and believe ; good works will follow spontaneous, 
 Just as the day does the sun : the Right from the Good is an offspring. 
 Love in a bodily shape ; and Christian works are no more than 
 Animate Faith and Love, as flowers are the animate Springtide." 
 
 Lomjfdloio. 
 
 PAET I. 
 
 Quest. 4. What is God? 
 
 Ans. God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in 
 his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. 
 
 John iv. 24. God is a Spirit: and they 
 that worship him must worship him in 
 spirit and in truth. 
 
 Job xi. 7. Canst thou by searching lind 
 out God? canst thou lind out the Almighty 
 unto perfection ? 
 
 Ps. xc. 2. From everlasting to everlasting 
 thou art God, 
 
 James i. 17. The Father of lights, with 
 whom is no variableness, neither shadow of 
 turning. 
 
 Ex. iii. 14. And God said unto Moses, 
 I AM THAT I AM: and he said. Thus 
 Shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, 
 I AM hath sent me unto you. 
 
 Ps. cxlvii. 5. Great is our Lord, and of 
 great power: his understanding is infinite. 
 
 Rev. iv. 8. Holy, holy, holy. Lord God 
 Almighty, which was, and is, and is to 
 come. 
 
 Rev. XV. 4. Who shall nob fear thee, O 
 Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only 
 art holy. 
 
 Ex. xxxiv. 6. And the Lord passed by 
 before him, and proclaimed. The Lord, The 
 Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuf- 
 fering, and abundant in goodness and truth, 
 Ver. 7. keeping mercy for thousands, for- 
 giving iniquity and transgression and sin. 
 
 Ps. cxlv. 9. The Lord is good to all; 
 and his tender mercies are over all his 
 works. 
 
 Deut. xxxii. 4. A God of truth and with- 
 out iniquity, just and right is he. 
 
 The first and chief topic taught in the Scripture is the existence of God. 
 This is taught by his works, but much more clearly by his word. 
 I. The nature of God.— lie is a spirit, "an immortal, an immaterial, a 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 21 
 
 thinking, and an eternal substance." A spirit is invisible, and cannot be 
 conceived by an image. 
 
 II. The attributes of God. — These are of two kinds— incommunicable and 
 communicable. 
 
 1. Incommunicable — which belong to him alone. (1.) Infinity. He is 
 everywhere— unbounded : 1 Kings viii. 27 ; incomprehensible : Ps. cxlv. 3 ; 
 Job xxxvi. 26. (2.) Eternity: Ps. xc. 2, cii. 25-27; 2 Peter iii. 8. No begin- 
 ning — no end. (3. ) Unchangeableness : James i. 17. 
 
 2. Communicable — which may belong to his intelligent creatures, but which 
 are his in an infinite, eternal, and unchangeable degree. (1.) Wisdom: Ps. 
 cxlvii. 5. Knowledge of all — not by succession of ideas, but at one view. 
 The choice of best means for best ends. (2.) Power. Ability to do: Ps. 
 cxxxv. 6 ; Dan. iv. 35. Power in all his works — cannot do wrong. (3. ) Holi- 
 ness. Essential purity : Rev. iv. 8. This is his peculiar attribute. (4. ) Jus- 
 tice : Deut. xxxii. 4. Doing right — giving due justice in legislating, judging, 
 administering. (5.) Goodness. Absolute in himself, relative in creatures. 
 He made all good — God is love : Ps. cxlv. 9 ; 1 John iv. 8. Benevolent and 
 beneficent. (6.) Truth: Ex. xxxiv. 6; Matt. v. 18. Straightforward, true 
 in himself and to his promises. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. The worship of God must be spiritual : Phil. iii. 3. 
 
 2. Our highest excellence is God-likeness : 1 John iii. 2. 
 
 3. We can know God only through Christ : Matt. xi. 27 ; John xiv. 6-12. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Simonides, a heathen poet, being asked by Hiero, king of Syracuse, "What 
 is God?" desired a day to think upon it; and when that was ended he desired 
 two ; and when those were past, he desired four days ; thus he continued to 
 double the number of days in which he desired to think of God, before he 
 could give an answer. Upon which the king expressed his surprise at his 
 behaviour, and asked him what he meant by this. To which the poet 
 answered, " The more I think of God, he is still the more unknown to me." 
 
 "How," said an inquirer to a poor inhabitant of the Arabian desert, — " how 
 come you to be assured of the existence of God?" He replied, "By the same 
 way that I am able to tell by the print impressed on the sand whether a man 
 or a beast passed that way." 
 
 When Aristippus was shipwrecked on the island of Rhodes, seeing acci- 
 dentally a geometrical diagram drawn upon the sand, he said, "Courage, my 
 friends ; here are the traces of civilized men," The sight of one geometrical 
 figure was enough to convince him that an intelligent being was its author. 
 Now every part of creation is full of these diagrams. " God geometrizes,'" 
 said Plato. "When I read that," said one, "I was startled: the volume 
 was cast down ; it fell close to a beautiful little flower that looked fresh and 
 bright, as if it had just fallen from the bosom of the rainbow. I broke it 
 from its sUvery stem, and began to examine its structure. Its stamens were 
 five in number ; its green calyx had five parts ; its delicate coral base five, 
 
22 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 parting with rays, expanding like the rays of the Texas star. The last sen- 
 tence T had just read in the page of the pupil of Socrates was ringing in my 
 ears, 'God geometrizes ! ' There was the text, and this little flower in the 
 wilderness was the commentary. There suddenly passed, as it were, a faint 
 light before my eyes; I felt my heart leap in my bosom — the enigma of the 
 universe was open before me." 
 
 In the Westnainster Assembly the committee charged with the Catechism 
 is said to have paused before answering the question, "What is God?" 
 At length it was resolved that the youngest shovild try. He declined at first, 
 then reluctantly consented, but begged that the brethren would join in prayer 
 with him for guidance. He then in slow and solemn accents began, "0 God, 
 thou art a spirit," etc. When he ceased, one of the brethren wrote down that 
 sentence, which all accepted. The youngest member was George Gillespie, one 
 of the ablest in the Assembly, and a commissioner from Scotland ; but, as Dr. 
 Schaff has shovsoi,* there is very considerable doubt about this, as most of the 
 Scottish commissioners had left the Westminster Assembly before the Shorter 
 Catechism was discussed. It is possible that the sentiments embodied in this 
 answer may have been expressed in a prayer ; but several of the phrases were 
 embodied in a compendious catechism by J. F. , published in London in 1645. 
 The answer there is as follows: "God is a spirit; one, almighty, eternal, 
 infinite, unchangeable being, absolutely holy, wise, just, and good." 
 " God is everywhere, but he is not every thing." 
 
 Never, perhaps, was the relation which subsists between the natural evidence 
 and the inspired word more correctly or more sublimely expressed than by 
 the afflicted poet, who wrote the following lines, during a lucid interval, on 
 the walls of his cell, with a piece of coal, which has been well described as 
 a " live coal from off the altar : " — 
 
 " Tell them I AM, Jehovali said 
 To Moses, while earth shook with dread ; 
 
 And, smitten to the heart. 
 At once — above, beneath, around — 
 All nature, without voice or sound, 
 
 Replied, O Lord, Thou akt ! " 
 
 The evidence for the being of God has been summed up by Dr. James 
 Buchanan in sLx lines of argument : — 
 
 The first, proceeding on the mere fact of existence, as unconditioned, and 
 guided by the principle of "causality," or the law of "efficient causes," 
 establishes the existence of a necessary, self-existent, and eternal Being, 
 without determining, in the first instance, the nature and character of that 
 Being, or deciding whether it be God or the universe. 
 
 The second, proceeding not on the mere fact of existence, but on the exist- 
 ence of mind— an existence sui generis, which is immediately revealed in 
 consciousness, and which is conditioned or characterized by the well-known 
 properties of perception, intelligence, and voluntary activity, and guided also 
 by the principle of "causality," or the law of "efficient causes "—demonstrates 
 
 * " History o( the Creeds of Christendom." 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 23 
 
 the necessity of supposing either an infinite series of derived and dependent 
 intelligences, or the existence of a Supreme Intelligence, from which every 
 inferior mind derives its being and its powers. 
 
 The third, proceeding on the phenomena of conscience, and guided by the 
 instinctive idea of law and authority, establishes the existence of a living, 
 personal God, holy, just, and good ; and his character as a lawgiver, 
 governor, and judge. 
 
 The fourth, proceeding also on the fact of existence as conditioned, but 
 referring to a different class of phenomena, surveys the constitution and 
 course of nature as made known to us by experience and observation ; and 
 guided by the principle of "teleology," or the doctrine of "final causes," 
 establishes the existence of an intelligent, wise, and powerful Eirst Cause, 
 whose perfections are displayed alike in the material, the intellectual, and 
 the moral worlds. 
 
 The fifth, proceeding on the facts of history, whether these have been 
 traditionally transmitted by oral testimony, recorded in writing and other 
 memorials, or inferred from the existing state of the earth and its geological 
 calendar, establishes the fact of a creation by demonstrating the compara- 
 tively recent origin of the tribes and races by which the world is now 
 inhabited, and especially of the science and civilization of the human race. 
 
 The sixth, proceeding on a survey of the whole natural evidence, offers the 
 complement and sum of the proof, and seeks to make all the scattered rays 
 of light converge to one focus, so as to illustrate the majestic yet mysterious 
 character of him who is the sole Creator and supreme Governor of the world. 
 
 "When I was convinced there was a God," said the learned Dr. John 
 Duncan, afterwards Professor of Hebrew in Edinburgh, " I danced on the 
 brig o' Dee with delight, though I had fear he would damn me." This 
 feeling lived in his memory for fifty years, and rendered the spot sacred 
 where it was kindled. He had been three years in a dreamy pantheism, 
 bordering on atheism, out of which he was brought by the clear and con- 
 vincing lectures of Dr. Mearns, the Professor of Divinity at King's College, 
 Aberdeen, 
 
 Jean Paul Eichter, the thoughtful mystic of Germany, was for a time in a 
 similar abyss, but he was brought to believe in the being of God, " No one 
 in creation," he said, " is so alone as the denier of God. He mourns with an 
 orphaned heart that he has lost the great Father by the corpse of Nature." 
 Dreaming once, he tells us he thought he was told that there was no God, 
 and he awoke in distress ; but he wept for joy that it was not true — that 
 he could still pray to God. 
 
 Dr. Mason Good thus put the argument for the being of God from the 
 sight of the daisy, so common on all English fields :— 
 
 " Not worlds on worlds in phalanx deep 
 
 Need we to prove a God is here ; 
 
 The daisy, fresh from nature's sleep. 
 
 Tells of his hand in lines as clear, 
 
 "For who but he who arched the skies. 
 And ix)urs the dayspring's living flood, 
 
24 
 
 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 Wondrous alike in all he tries, 
 Could raise the daisy's purjile bud- 
 
 " Mould its green cup, its wiry stem, 
 Its fringed border nicely spin. 
 And cut the gold-embosomed gem 
 That, set in silver, gleams within ; 
 
 "And fling it, unrestrained and free, 
 O'er hill and dale and desert sod ; 
 That man where'er he walks may see 
 In every step the stamp of God." 
 
 Quest. 5. Are tliere more Gods than one ? 
 
 Ans. There is but one only, tlie living and true God. 
 
 Deut. vi. 4. Hear, O Israel: the Lord 
 our God is one Lord. 
 
 1 CoR. viii. 4. There is noue other God 
 but one. 
 
 IsA. xliv. 6. Thus saith the Lord the 
 King of Israel, and his Redeemer the Lord 
 of hosts ; I am the first, and I am the last ; 
 
 and beside me there is no God. Ver. 8. Is 
 there a God beside me? yea, there is no 
 God ; I know not any. 
 
 Jeb. X. 10. But the Lord is the true 
 God, he is the living God, and an ever- 
 lasting King. 
 
 I. Reason teaches the unity of God. 
 
 1. The harmony of creation illustrates one God. The utmost range of 
 telescopic and microscopic observation shows one system in the universe. 
 The design proves one Designer. 
 
 2. The necessary existence of God supports unity. The necessity which is 
 uniform always and everywhere must be one. 
 
 3. The infinite perfection of God precludes more than one. Natural reason 
 taught some of the Greeks this. 
 
 II. Sanpture teaches the unity of God. 
 
 1. He is the living God ; self -existent, and author of all other being : Acts 
 xvii. 24-28 ; 1 Tim. iv. 10 ; Ex. iii. 14 ; Rev. iv. 11. 
 
 2. He is the true God : 1 Thess. i. 9. There have been many called gods by 
 heathens. Polytheism is largely prevalent among men. The Greeks had 
 thirty thousand gods. All elements, etc., were deified both by Greeks and 
 Romans. (See Rom. i. ) Idolatry was largely prevalent. Dualism recognized 
 two gods, good and evil. Pantheism considers all the universe God — denies 
 a personality and character to God. Materialism recognizes no superior 
 Being at all. But the one God is actively interested in all his works. 
 
 1. The knowledge of the one living and true God requires us to acknowledge 
 and wor8hi[) him. Ignorance has led men to invent gods and worship them. 
 
 2. The possession of this knowledge lays us under the obligation of 
 enlightening others who are in heathen darkness. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 " I never had a sight of my soul," said the Emperor Aurelius, "and yet I 
 have a great value for it, because it is discoverable by its operations ; and by 
 my constant experience of the power of God, I have a proof of his being and 
 a reason for my veneration." 
 
 A little boy being asked, " How many Gods are there?" replied, "One." 
 " How do you know that? " "Because," said the boy, " there is only room 
 for one, for he fills heaven and earth." 
 
 When Galen, the ancient physician, who was atheistically inclined, had 
 anatomized the human body, and carefully surveyed the frame of it, viewed 
 the fitness and usefulness of every part of it, and the many several intentions 
 of every little vein, bone, and muscle, and the beauty of the whole, he fell 
 into a fit of devotion and wrote a hymn to his Creator. Galen was born a.d. 
 130, at Pergamus. He wrote many treatises, of which one hundred and 
 twenty-three now remain ; but these are not all genuine. He is one of the 
 most remarkable writers of antiquity, and has exercised great influence on 
 medical science. He did not know Christianity, though it was advancing in 
 his day. But he alludes, in one of his works, to Christians as remarkable 
 for their self-denial, temperance, chastity, and other virtues. - 
 
 Upon the frontispiece of a temple of Delphi was engraved the word EI 
 (Thou art). Plutarch sees in this the real name of God. He alone exists ; 
 existence does not belong to us, creatures of a day, placed between birth and 
 death. We may as well try to arrest the running stream as to arrest our 
 fugitive existence. He alone really is : he also is eternal, uningendered, and 
 not subject to change. The idea of plurality is inconsistent with the 
 Divinity; the Divine Being must be one alone, inasmuch as he is the 
 essential unity. 
 
 "There can be little doubt that the growth of astronomical knowledge 
 contributed greatly to bring about the transition from polytheism to mono- 
 theism; and that so soon as the heavens were clearly understood to be 
 subject to law, and the countless bodies which circle in them not to be 
 independent agents, but parts or members of a single mechanical or organic 
 system, the triumph of the latter was for ever secured." — Professor Flint, 
 D.B., LL.D. 
 
 "The personal in Deity is set forth in the Scriptures with awful distinct- 
 ness ; but in no other writings is the absolute, the infinite, the unconditioned, 
 the knowledge-surpassing, the time-and-space-transcending aspect of the 
 divine character so siiblimely presented;— the I AM THAT I AM, the 
 Being pre-eminently, who is, and was, and is to come, and whom no tense 
 can adequately describe; the One, the All, who 'fiUeth all things,' who 
 ' inhabiteth eternity ; ' of whom there is no similitude ; and with whom ' one 
 day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day ; ' whose * ways 
 transcend our ways,' and whose thinking is above our thinking, even as the 
 heavens, the infinite heavens, are higher than the earth.' " — Pr^'essor Taylor 
 Lewis. V 
 
 " It is possible to form an almost complete system of moriothe^n from the 
 Greek and Latin authors ; which, if it does not prove that such a^ystem had 
 
26 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 been precipitated into dogma, at least shows that it floated in the classic 
 
 mind Classic antiquity, behind its imagery of myth and above its 
 
 pantheon, recognized— feebly and fitfully, it is true, but nevertheless really 
 — the unity of the Godhead ; a fact sufficiently apparent to serve Christian 
 aiwlogists with an ai-gument. ' When they swear,' says Lactantius, ' when 
 they frame a wish, or when they return thanks, they do not name Jupiter, 
 but God.'" — Rev. S. Baring-Gould. 
 
 *' When Plato wrote anything in a grave and serious manner, his custom was 
 to preface his epistles with the mention of one God — though it is true, when 
 he wrote otherwise, he used the common mode of speaking, and talked of 
 other gods ; and it is observed in his writings that he sometimes uses this 
 phrase, ' If it please God,' or ' By the help of God,' not the gods,"— ^ey. T. 
 Ridgeley, B.D. 
 
 " The men of Athens were wont to banish from their city the solitary sceptic 
 that now and then appeared, and dared to doubt the existence of a Supreme 
 Intelligence. " — Pearson. 
 
 Baron Cuvier could trace the sublime unity, the universal type, the fontal 
 idea existing in the Creative Intelligence, which connects as one the mam- 
 moth and the snail. 
 
 Dr. M'Cosh says, " There is a Unity in the original composition as well as 
 in the construction of nature. No doubt this unity of order implies a con- 
 nection of forces, but a connection arranged by an intelligent mind, using 
 the forces to effect the contemplated end. This unity carries us up to the 
 Divine Unity, of which it is a proof. " 
 
 The eminent Chancellor of the Gei-man Empire, Prince Bismarck, who 
 has made so deep a mark upon the Fatherland, has made this striking con- 
 fession in one of his letters, afterwards published in a volume : — " I cannot 
 conceive how a man can live without a belief in a revelation ; in a God who 
 orders all things for the best— in a Supreme Judge from whom there is no 
 appeal ; and in a future life. If I were not a Christian, I should not remain 
 at my post for a single hour. If I did not rely on God Almighty, I should 
 not put my trust in princes. I have enough to live on, and am sufficiently 
 genteel and distinguished without the chancellor's office. Why should I 
 go on working indefatigably, incurring trouble and annoyance, unless con- 
 vinced that God has ordained me to fulfil these duties ? If I were not per- 
 suaded that this German nation of ours, in the divinely appointed order of 
 things, is destined to be something great and good, I should throw up the 
 diplomatic profession this very moment. Orders and titles to me have no 
 attraction. The firmness I have shown in combating all manner of absurdi- 
 ties for ten years past is solely derived from faith. Take away my faith and 
 you destroy my patriotism. But for my strict and literal belief in the truths 
 of Christianity, but for my acceptance of the miraculous groundwork of 
 religion, you would not have lived to see the sort of chancellor I am. Find 
 me a successor as firm a believer as myself and I will resign at once. But I 
 live in a generation of pagans. I have no desire to make proselytes, but am 
 constrained to confess my faith. If there is among us any self-denial and 
 devoUon to king and country, it is a remnant of religious belief unconsciously 
 clinging to our people from the days of their sires. For my own part, I prefer 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 27 
 
 a rural life to any other. Rob me of the faith that unites me to God, and I 
 return to Varzin to devote myself industriously to the production of rye 
 and oats." 
 
 " The God who reigns on high 
 
 The great archangels sing ; 
 
 And ' Holy, holy, holy,' cry, 
 
 Almighty King ! 
 Who was and is the same, 
 And evermore shall be ; 
 Jehovah, Father, great I AM, 
 We worship thee." — Olivers. 
 
 Quest. 6. How many persons are there in the Godhead ? 
 
 Ans. There are three persons in the Godhead, the Father, 
 the Son, and the Holy Ghost ; and these three are one God, the 
 same in substance, equal in power and glory. 
 
 Matt, xxviii. 19. Go ye therefore, and 
 teach all nations, baptizing them in the 
 name of the Father, and of the Son, and 
 of the Holy Ghost. 
 
 2 CoR. xiii. 14. The grace of the Lord 
 Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the 
 communion of the Holy Ghost, be with 
 you all. Amen. 
 
 2 John 3, Grace be with you, mercy, 
 and peace, from God the Father. 
 
 Heb. i. 8. But unto the Son he saith, 
 Thy throne, O God, is for ever and 
 ever. 
 
 John 1. 1. In the beginning was the 
 Word, and the Word was with God, and 
 the Word was God. Ver. 3. All things were 
 made by him ; and without him was not 
 any thing made that was made. 
 
 Eev. i. 8. I am Alpha and Omega, the 
 beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, 
 which is, and which was, and which is to 
 come, the Almighty. 
 
 Acts v. 3. But Peter said, Ananias, why 
 hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the 
 Holy Ghost? Ver. 4. Thou hast not lied 
 unto men, but unto God. 
 
 I. There are three persons in the Godhead. — This doctrine can only be 
 known by revelation. " The Trinity " was a term first used by Theophilus, 
 bishop of Antioch in Syria, in the later part of the second century. The 
 term " person " is not used as signifying a separate substance. 
 
 1. The Father is God : John i. 18, v. 26 ; Rom. i. 4. 
 
 2. The Son is God : Heb. i. 8 ; 1 John v. 20 ; Titus ii. 13, Revised Version; 
 Isa. ix. 6. Divine attributes are ascribed to him. Eternity : Micah v. 2. Un- 
 changeableness : Heb. xiii. 8. Omniscience : John xxi. 17. Omnipotence : Rev. 
 i. 8. Omnipresence: Matt, xxviii. 20. — Divine works are ascribed to him. 
 Creation: John i. 1-3; Col, i. 16, 17. Redemption: Heb. ix. 12. Judg- 
 ment: Rom. xiv. 10. Miracles. Resurrection of the dead : John v. 28,29. — 
 Worship is ascribed to him : John v. 23 ; Matt, xxviii. 19 ; Acts vii. 59, 60. 
 —Evidence of divinity in the Old Testament: Ps. ii., xlv., ex.; Isa. ix. — 
 His pi'c-existence attested by John i. 15, vi. 62, viii. 58 ; 2 Cor. viii. 9. 
 
 3. The Holy Ghost is .God. The names of God are ascribed to him : Acts 
 
28 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 V. 3, 4 ; Ex. xvii. 7, Ps. xcv. 7, with Heb, iii. 7-11.— Divine attributes are as- 
 cribed to him. Omnipresence : Ps. cxxxix. 7. Omnucience: 1 Cor. ii. 10, 11. 
 Omnipotence : Luke i. 35 ; Rom. viii. 11. — Divine w^ork. Creation : Gen. i. 2 ; 
 Jobxxvi. 13; Ps. civ. 30. Miracles: Matt. xii. 28; 1 Cor. xii. 9-11.— Wor- 
 ship : 2 Cor. xiii. 14. — His personality proved by Matt. xii. 31, 32; Mark liL 
 28, 29 ; and by his offices, etc. He knows, gives, works, etc. 
 
 II. The three Persons are the same in substance. — Not three Beings ; their 
 nature is not divided ; there is unity in them : John x. 30 ; xv. 20. The 
 formula of baptism teaches one personal God by three names. Plurality is 
 indicated in some names of God in the Old Testament, and is connected 
 with verbs in singular number : Gen. i. 26. " Remember now thy Creators : " 
 Eccles. xii. 1, margin. 
 
 III. The three Persons are equal in power and glory. — Their nature, attri- 
 butes, and glory are equal, equally worthy of the same honour, obedience, 
 and worship. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. This is a mystery to be believed, not explained. That which is above 
 reason is not contrary to reason. 
 
 2. Faith in this is necessary to salvation. It runs through the scheme of 
 grace. 
 
 3. Communion with God is aided by knowledge of this. 
 
 THE NICENE CREED, COMPOSED 325 A.D. 
 
 We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and 
 earth, and of all things visible and invisible : 
 
 And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten 
 of his Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, Very God of 
 Very God, begotten, not made, Being of one substance with the Father ; by 
 whom all things were made ; who for us men, and for our salvation came 
 down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin 
 Mary, and was made man, and was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate. 
 He suffered and was buried, and the third day he rose again according to the 
 Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the 
 Father. And he shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and 
 the dead : whose kingdom shall have no end. 
 
 And we believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, who pro- 
 ceedeth from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son 
 together is worshipped and glorified, who spake by the prophets. And we 
 believe in one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. We acknowledge one 
 baptism for the remission of sins, and we look for the resurrection of the 
 dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Sitting lately in a public room at Brighton, where an infidel was address- 
 ing the company upon the absurdities of the Christian religion, I could not 
 but be pleased to see how easily his reasoning pride was put to shame. He 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 29 
 
 quoted these passages: " I in them, and thou in me" — " I and my Father 
 are one ; " and that there are three persons in one God. Finding his auditors 
 not disposed to applaud his blasphemy, he turned to one gentleman and said 
 with an oath, "Do you believe such nonsense?" The gentleman replied, 
 *' Tell me how that candle burns." " Why," answered he, " the tallow, the 
 cotton, and the atmospheric air produce the light." — " They make one light, 
 do they not?" " Yes." — " Will you tell me hoio they are one in the other, 
 and yet but one light?" "No, I cannot." — "But you believe it?" He 
 could not say that he did not. The company instantly saw the application, 
 and smiled at his folly ; upon which the conversation was changed. 
 
 "When the Christian martyr Pionius was asked by his judge, ' What God 
 dost thou worship?' he replied, ' I worship him who made the heavens, 
 and who beautified them with stars, and who has enriched the earth with 
 flowers and trees.' — 'Dost thou mean,' said the magistrate, 'him who was 
 crucified?' 'Certainly,' said Pionius; 'him whom the Father sent for 
 the salvation of the world.' " — Dr. Liddon. 
 
 "If there be one doctrine of the faith which they [the early martyrs] 
 especially confessed at death, it is the doctrine of our Lord's divinity. This 
 truth was not only confessed by bishops and presbyters, philosophers like 
 Justin; soldiers such as Mauricus, and Tarachus, and Theodorus; young 
 men of personal beauty like Peter of Lampsacus ; or literary friends of high 
 mental cultivation as were Epipodius and Alexander ;— widows such as 
 Symphrosa ; and poor women like Domnina ; and slaves such as Vitalis ; 
 and young boys such as Martialis ; — the learned and the illiterate, the young 
 
 and the old, the noble and the lowly, united in this confession The 
 
 martyrs look paganism in the face, and maintain that, though Christ was 
 crucified, yet nevertheless Christ is God." — Dr. Liddon. 
 
 The ante-Nicene literature proves that in the first three centuries the 
 Church held the doctrine of the Trinity. Pliny the younger, in his cele- 
 brated letter to the Emperor Trajan, says that Christians were accustotned 
 to meet on a stated day " and sing hymns to Christ as God." 
 
 " Calvisianus said to the martyr Euplius, ' Pay worship to Mars, Apollo, 
 and ^sculapius.' Euplius replied, ' I worship the Father, and the Son, 
 and the Holy Ghost. I adore the Holy Trinity, besides whom there is no 
 God. Perish the gods who did not make heaven and earth, and all that is 
 therein. I am a Christian.' — Calvisianus, the prefect, said, ' Offer sacrifice 
 if thou wouldst be set at liberty.' Euplius replied, ' I sacrifice myself 
 only to Christ my God ; more than this I cannot do. Thy efforts are to no 
 purpose. I am a Christian.' — Calvisianus gave orders that he should be 
 tortured again and more severely. And while he was being thus tortured, 
 Euplius said, ' Thanks to thee, O Christ ! Help me, O Christ ! For thee 
 do I suffer thus, O Christ!' And he said this repeatedly: and as his 
 strength failed him, he went on repeating these or other exclamations with 
 his lips only ; his voice was gone." — From ^^ Ruinart," by Rev. Dr. Liddon. 
 
 The Rev. Thomas Scott, the judicious commentator, was long a Unitarian, 
 but by careful study of the Scriptures, accompanied by hearty prayer for 
 divine teaching, he says, " I was at length constrained to renounce, as 
 utterly indefensible, all my former sentiments, and to accede to the doctrine 
 
80 
 
 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 which I had so long despised. I could no longer avoid seeing that the offices 
 and works attributed in Scripture to the Son and Holy Ghost are such as 
 none but the infinite God could perform." Again he adds: "And being 
 assured from reason, as well as from Scriptiire, that there is not, and can- 
 not be, more Gods than one, I was driven from my reasonings, and con- 
 strained to submit my natural understanding to divine revelation; and, 
 allowing that the incomprehensible God alone can fully know the unsearch- 
 able mysteries of his own divine nature and manner of his existence, to 
 adopt the doctrine of a Trinity in Unity, in order to preserve consistency in 
 my own scheme." — ScoWs " Force of Truth." 
 
 " My heart demands the Trinity as much as my reason. I want to be sure 
 that God cares for us; that God is our Father; that God has interfered, 
 stooped, sacrificed himself for us. I do not merely want to love Christ, a 
 Christ, some creation or emanation of God, whose will and character, for 
 aught I know, may be different from God's. I want to love and honour the 
 infinite God himself, and none other will satisfy me. No puzzling texts 
 shall rob me of this rest for my heart, that Christ is the exact counterpart of 
 Him in whom we live and move and have our being. I say boldly, if the 
 doctrine of the Trinity be not in the Bible, it ought to be, for the whole 
 spiritual nature of man cries out for it." — Rev. Charles Kingsley. 
 
 " Hail, gladdening Light ! of his pure glory poured 
 Who is the immortal Father, heavenly, blest. 
 Holiest of holies, Jesus Christ, our Lord. 
 Now we are come to the sun's hour of rest ; 
 The lights of evening round us shine ; 
 We hymn the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit divine. 
 Worthiest art thou at all times to be sung 
 
 With undefiled tongue, 
 Son of our God, Giver of life alone ! 
 Therefore in all the world, thy glories. Lord, they own." 
 
 Hymn of second century. 
 
 Quest. 7. What are the decrees of God? 
 
 Ans. The decrees of God are his eternal purpose, according 
 to the counsel of his will, whereby, for his own glory, he hath 
 foreordained whatsoever comes to pass. 
 
 Eph, i. 11. Being predestinated accord- 
 ing to the purpose of him who worketh all 
 things after the counsel of his own will. 
 
 Eph. iii. 11. According to the eternal 
 purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus 
 our Lord. 
 
 Acts ii. 23. Him, being delivered by the 
 determinate counsel and foreknowledge of 
 God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands 
 have crucified and slain. 
 
 Luke xxii. 22. And truly the Son of man 
 goeth, as it was determined: but woe unto 
 that man by whom he is betrayed ! 
 
 Acts iv. 27. For of a truth against thy 
 holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, 
 both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the 
 Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were 
 gathered together, Ver. 28. For to do what- 
 soever thy hand and thy counsel determined 
 before to be done. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 31 
 
 Rom. xi. 36. For of him, and through ] Prov. xvi. 4. The Lord hath made all 
 him, and to him, are all things : to whom things for himself : yea, even the wicked 
 be gloiy for ever. Amen. I for the day of evil. 
 
 This is one of the most profound subjects, and has been discussed by 
 almost every philosopher. It was agitated and debated in the time of 
 Augustine, at the Reformation, and in the seventeenth century, vi'ith most 
 exhaustive fulness. 
 
 I. God has made decrees w purposes. — The decree is a purpose or appoint- 
 ment. God is an intelligent being, and therefore must have a plan. 
 
 II. The source of the divine decrees. — The counsel of his own will: Eph. i. 
 4, 5, 11. He could consult none ; no other could counsel him. 
 
 III. The character of the divine decrees. — 1. They are eternal: Acts xv. 18. 
 
 2. They are wise: Rom. xi. 33, 3. They are holy, just, and good : Rom. ix. 
 14-21. 4. They are absolute: Isa. xlvi. 10; Dan. iv. 34, 35. 5. They are 
 unchangeable : Mai. iii. 6 ; Heb. vi, 17, 18 ; 2 Tim. ii. 19. 
 
 IV. The object of the divine decrees. — His own glory: Prov. xvi, 4; Eph. i. 
 6, 12 ; Rom. xi. 36. Every rational being has an end in view in all purpose 
 and conduct ; so has God. His glory is the highest possible end he can have 
 in view. 
 
 V. The extent of the divine decrees. — Whatsoever comes to pass in time and 
 eternity. 1, This embraces the events of time, general and particular. 
 God is in history. 2. This embraces the circumstances and actions of men, 
 
 3. Everlasting salvation of souls: Eph. i. 6; John xv. 19; Rom. ix. 22, 23; 
 Matt. vii. 23; Rev. xvii. 8. Prophecy proves divine decrees; the ground 
 of prophecy is foreknowledge, and the foundation of that is purpose. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. God is not in any case the author or approver of sin : Hab, i, 13, Sin is 
 disobedience to God's law, God is holy. 
 
 2. God's revealed will, not his secret purpose, is our rule of duty : Deut. 
 xxix. 29. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Some preachers near Olney, says the Rev. John Newton, dwelt on the 
 doctrine of predestination. An old woman said, "Ah, I have long settled 
 that point ; for if God had not chosen me before I was born, I am sure he 
 would have seen nothing in me to have chosen me for afterwards." 
 
 Two persons were discussing this question on one occasion ; the one said to 
 the other, " Did God know absolutely all things that were to come to pass ? " 
 *'0h, certainly." — "How did he know? was it a guess?" "No," — "Did 
 any one tell him?" "No." — " Could he be mistaken ? " "No." — "Could 
 the event have been otherwise than as he foresaw it?" "No." — "Then 
 how is his knowledge so infallible ? " The only intelligible answer is, Because 
 he appointed it. 
 
 A person in the lower ranks at Lochwinnoch, Scotland, whose life and 
 practice had not been inconsistent with that of a genuine Christian, was 
 nevertheless a great speculator on the high points of divinity. His un- 
 
 3 
 
82 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 hallowed humour stuck to him on his deathbed, and he was wont to perplex 
 and puzzle himself and his visitors with knotty questions on the divine 
 decrees and such other topics. Thomas Orr, a person of very different 
 character, was sitting at his bedside, endeavouring to turn his attention to 
 what more immediately concerned him. "Ah, William," said he, "this is 
 the decree you have at present to do with : ' He that believeth shall be saved; 
 he that believeth not shall be damned.'" 
 
 When King William III. was asked whether he could believe in this 
 doctrine of foreordination, his reply was: "I cannot help believing it; for 
 I cannot degrade my Maker below the character of a wise man, by thinking 
 that he acted without a plan, and without regarding the consequences of 
 what he did." 
 
 " It has been well said that the more we enlarge the diameter or sphere of 
 light, the more too do we enlarge the circumambient darkness, so that with 
 a wider field of light on which to expatiate, we shall have a more extended 
 border of unexplored territory than ever ; or, which is the same thing, a 
 greater number of unresolved, nay, of unresolvable, questions to grapple 
 with." — Dr. Chalmers. 
 
 In the realm of matter God has arranged all according to fixed and 
 continuous laws. But the mental world is also siibject to laws, and under 
 the absolute control of Him who made and upholds all things. God has 
 appointed the order of the one, and has he not done so in the case of the 
 other? Most are ready to admit that God's knowledge is absolute and 
 stretches over all the future. "What God knows beforehand shall be — 
 that and no other must be." 
 
 PROPOSITIONS REGARDING PREDESTINATION. 
 
 1. That throughout the Bible there is ascribed to God not merely the 
 universal creation, but the universal government of all things. God not 
 only prevails over man when opposed to him, but he must overrule all his 
 volitions and doings universally. 
 
 2. This foreknowledge, and of consequence this preordination and control 
 of the Divinity over human affairs, and so over human volitions, is strikingly 
 evinced in the prophecies of Scripture. It greatly enhances the proof when 
 we find that it is the moral world which is the great theatre of almost all 
 the prophecies. Take as specimens — Cyrus, in Isa. xlv. xlvi. ; Nebuchad- 
 nezzar, Jer. xxvii. 4-8; the death of Christ, Acts iv. 27, 28; Pharaoh, 
 Rom. ix. 
 
 3. The words used— "predestinate," "foreknow," etc.— refer to absolute 
 and unconditional sovereignty on the part of God. 
 
 4. The decree regarding the salvation of men must be referred to the 
 past eternity. 
 
 "The Confession of Faith and the Catechisms of the Westminster Assembly 
 do not make \ise of the word ' reprobation,' which is commonly employed by 
 theologians upon this subject; and the reason of this undoubtedly was that 
 it is an expression very liable to be misunderstood and perverted, and thus 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 33 
 
 fitted to excite a prejudice against the truth which Calvinistic theologians 
 intend to convey by it."— Dr. Wm. Cunningham. 
 
 "All that the highest human ability, ingenuity, and acuteness can effect 
 has been brought to bear upon the discussion of this subject; but the 
 difficulties attaching to it have never been fully solved, and we are well 
 warranted in saying that they never will, unless God give us either a fuller 
 revelation or greatly enlarged capacities; although, perhaps, it would be 
 more correct to say that, from the very nature of the case, a finite being can 
 never fully comprehend it, since this would imply that he could fully com- 
 prehend the infinite mind." — Dr. Wm. Cunningham. 
 
 " There is nothing in this doctrine to authorize the charges of its opponents, 
 that it implies that God formed a large part of the human race only to make 
 them for ever miserable; or that little infants are consigned to hell; or that 
 God is arbitrary, severe, and cruel." — J. R. Boyd, D.D. 
 
 "Whenever you hear Calvinists or Calvinism charged with these or any 
 similar sentiments, remember that the party who does it is either ignorant 
 or malignant— he either does not know what we believe, or he wilfully 
 misrepresents our sentiments. He draws his own terrific consequences from 
 our principles, and then charges us with them. But we ourselves draw no 
 such consequences ; and we earnestly contend that they do not necessarily 
 or fairly follow from anything we hold." — Dr. Ashhell Green. 
 
 " Happy the man who sees a God employed 
 In all the good and ill that chequer life ! 
 Resolving all events, with their effects 
 And manifold results, into the will 
 And arbitration wise of the Supreme. 
 
 Did not His eye rule all things, and intend 
 The least of our concerns (since from the least 
 The greatest oft originate) ; could chance 
 Pind place in his dominion, or dispose 
 One lawless particle to thwart his plan ; 
 Then God might be surprised, and unforeseen 
 Contingence might alarm him, and disturb 
 The smooth and equal course of ms affairs." — Cmvper. 
 
 Quest. 8. How doth God execute his decrees ? 
 Ans. God executeth his decrees in the works of creation and 
 providence. 
 
 Eev, iv. 11, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to 
 receive glory and honour and power : for 
 thou hast created all things, and for thy 
 pleasure they are and were created. 
 
 Ps. ciii. 19. The Lord hath prepared his 
 
 throne in the heavens; and his kingdom 
 ruleth over all. 
 
 Dan. iv. 35. He doeth according to his 
 will in the army of heaven, and among the 
 inhabitants of the earth. 
 
 The divine decrees are carried out in the great work of creation, and in 
 the course of providence which is ever going on. "Creation" implies original 
 
84 
 
 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 and successive nature; "providence'' implies the oversight and government 
 of all that is comprehended in the creation. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 The difference between God's execution of the work of creation and that 
 of providence is this: He executed the work of creation entirely without 
 means ; whereas he executes the work of providence generally in the use of 
 them. But whatever use God may make of second causes in executing his 
 purposes^ they are all but instruments in his hand to bring about his glorious 
 designs. 
 
 " Deep in \inf athomable mines 
 Of never-failing skill, 
 He treasures up his bright designs, 
 And works his sovereign wilV'—Cmoper. 
 
 Quest. 9. What is the work of creation ? 
 
 Ans. The work of creation is, God's making all things of 
 nothing, by the word of his power, in the space of six days, 
 and all very good. 
 
 Gen. i. 1. In the beginning God created 
 the heaven and the earth. 
 
 Heb. xL 3. Through faith we understand 
 that the worlds were framed by the word 
 of God, so that things which are seen were 
 not made of things which do appear. 
 
 Ex. XX. 11. For in six days the Lord made 
 heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in 
 them is. 
 
 Gen. i. 31. And God saw every thing 
 that he had made, and, behold, it was very 
 good. 
 
 I. Creation was from nothing. — It arose from the will of God. God is the 
 first great cause ; he alone is uncreated. Creation is vast ; there is reason 
 to believe that 75,000,000 of stars may be visible by the telescope; and Baron 
 Zach supposes that there are 100,000,000 of stars. Their distances are great. 
 Light travels at the rate of 12,000,000 of miles in a minute ; yet some stars 
 are so distant that it would take 1,640 years for a ray to reach the Earth. 
 Lord Rosse's telescope has revealed nebulae whose light would take 2,000,000 
 of years to reach our Earth. There is a plurality of worlds. Geology reveals 
 countless ages of this world, and a great many plants and animals now 
 extinct. There are 1,200,000,000 of mankind. The animal creation com- 
 prises 300,000 species. There are 56,000 different kinds of herbs known to 
 botanists— many more exist ; 30,000 animalcules have been found in a drop 
 of water. 
 
 II. Creation was by the word of God. — " He spake, and it was done," Ps. 
 xxxiii. 9. The eternal Son is called the Word of God, John i. 1 ; by him 
 the worlds were made, Col. i. 16. 
 
 III. 2^hc period of creation.— Six days. This period has been much contro- 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 85 
 
 verted. It is sometimes referred to various ages of the past. It is some- 
 times referred to the present order of things only: the order is — first, hght; 
 second, the firmament ; third, dry land and herbs ; fourth, the arrangement 
 of luminaries ; fifth, fishes and fowls ; sixth, beasts and man. We can afford 
 to wait for more light on this subject. 
 
 IV. The character of creation. — All was ^^ very good.'''' This goodness con- 
 sisted in their perfection of nature and adaptation ; abundant evidence of 
 this primeval goodness exists still. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. The greatness of God. This is fitted to draw forth reverence and worship. 
 
 2. Human goodness of character best fulfils the design of our Creator. This 
 is found through Christ : 2 Cor. v. 17. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 A person, whose name was John Thorp, was greatly harassed for the 
 space of two years with temptations to deny the existence of God. While 
 passing through a wood, a falling leaf stuck between his fingers. He felt a 
 powerful impression to examine its texture, and holding it between his eye 
 and the sun, and reflecting on its exquisitely curious and wonderful forma- 
 tion, he was led into an extensive contemplation on the works of creation ; 
 and tracing these back to their First Cause, he had in a moment such a 
 conviction of the existence and ineffable perfections of God that his distress 
 was removed, and he prosecuted his journey rejoicing in God and admiring 
 him in every object that presented itself to his view. 
 
 Among the ancient philosophers of every school it was universally accepted 
 as an indubitable axiom that the origination of any new existence out of 
 nothing is impossible, — that is, Ex nihilo nihil fit. All therefore, theists and 
 atheists alike, repudiated the idea of creation. In modern times the deniers 
 of the doctrine of absolute creation {ex nihilo) have been either pantheists or 
 atheists. Pantheism, as the term indicates, signifies that system which 
 maintains that all phenomena, whether spiritual or material, are to be 
 referred to but one substance, and that the universal substance of God. 
 Thus matter and mind are declared to be only different modifications of one 
 substance. The atheist says that there is no God ; the pantheist, that every- 
 thing is God. The atheist says that the present system of the universe has 
 developed in unbroken succession from eternity. 
 
 The universal opinion of all geologists. Christians and infidels, theists and 
 atheists, is, that the material composing our globe has been in existence for 
 incalculable ages ; that it has passed through many successive stages in its 
 transition, probably from a gaseous, certainly from a molten condition, to 
 its present constitution ; and that it has been inhabited successively by many 
 different orders of organized beings. 
 
 " In Mars," says Sir D. Brewster, " we see continents, and oceans, and 
 green savannas. The surfaces of Venus and Mercury show mountain chains 
 of great elevation. These planets are surrounded with atmospheres like our 
 own, and the clouds are seen floating in that of Mars, Jupiter has its 
 atmosphere, the moon has its atmosphere, and so has the sun; and these 
 
36 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 phenomena all go to prove the fitness of the planets and the sun, and if so, 
 all other suns and their systems, for the support of life in forms unknown to 
 us, but adapted to each celestial locality." 
 
 Christians are taught in the Scriptures how the creation was originated. 
 Though the proper office of the Bible is to teach religion and morality, yet 
 it gives information on many things besides. Physical facts are important 
 even in the revelation of God's will. Creation is a physical fact, and the 
 Bible teaches us to confess that God made all things, and to say, "We 
 believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth." 
 
 Creation took its origin in the will of God. Whatever changes may have 
 been developed in time, they were the result of the original wUl in creating. 
 Scripture attributes all to God, who is above and distinct from the whole 
 universe. 
 
 *' Robert Dick, the baker, and geologist and botanist of Thurso, after much 
 searching in nature, was of opinion that dogmatism in interpretation was 
 equally out of place in geology as in divinity. He thought that man's 
 proper work at present was to search and acquire new facts and materials 
 for the formation of further knowledge. Theories might wait. Certainly 
 the time had not yet arisen for harmonizing the 'Testimony of the Rocks' 
 with the first chapter of the book of Genesis." — Dr. S. Smiles: Life of 
 Robert Dick. 
 
 " About half a century ago, a Chinese boy, in one of the suburbs of Canton, 
 threw away the idols of his family, became an atheist, and ran away to 
 America. In the city of New York he supported himself as a porter, and 
 spent his Sundays on the streets or on the shores of Hoboken. Curiosity 
 led him one day to look into a church, and he was astonished to find no idols 
 there. He asked the next day an explanation of his employer, who replied 
 by simply putting a Bible into his hands. The first chapter of Genesis con- 
 verted him; he became a Christian, and was educated, and returned a Chris- 
 tian teacher to China. He was in the same class with us in 1839, and we 
 bear joyous testimony to his good sense, ability, and character, and to the 
 genuineness, so far as men could judge, of the conversion wrought in him by 
 the first chapter in Genesis." — Rev. Thomas Hill, D.D., LL.D. 
 
 " There is no creatm-e on earth that does not fulfil its mission except man ; 
 none but what promotes God's glory except the one that boasts his image. 
 All God's works praise him : the song of birds, the lowing of cattle, the 
 chime of the sea-waves, the sighing of the wind, all creatures, all sights, all 
 sounds are full of worship. Man, once the high priest of creation — the 
 mysterious yet glorious link between the material and the spiritual — has put 
 off his Eden robes, and no longer ministers a holy Levite before the Lord." — 
 H. Gill. 
 
 " The degenerate plant has no consciousness of its own degradation, nor 
 could it, when reduced to the character of a weed or a wild flower, recognize 
 in the fair and delicate garden-plant the type of its former self. The tamed 
 and domesticated animal, stunted in size and subjugated in spirit, could not 
 feel any sense of humiliation when confronted with its wild brother of the 
 desert, fierce, strong, and free, as if discerning in that spectacle the noble 
 type from which itself had fallen. But it is different with a conscious, moral 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 37 
 
 being. Reduce such an one ever so low, yet you cannot obliterate in his 
 inner nature the consciousness of falling beneath himself ; you cannot 
 blot out from his mind the latent reminiscence of a nobler and better self 
 which he might have been, and which to have lost is guilt and wretchedness." 
 — Dr. J. Caird. 
 
 An antiquary in Italy, reading in a book that there was a portrait of 
 Dante painted by Giotto, was led to suspect where it had been placed. 
 There was an outhouse used for storing hay and wood. He got permission 
 to examine the walls. After experimenting upon the white- washed surface, 
 he detected signs of the picture, and by loving care he brought out to view 
 the image of the Tuscan poet. Sin has covered over the image of God 
 in man, but by the cleansing operation of the Spirit the likeness can be 
 reproduced in his soul. 
 
 Dean Swift, who probably got the idea from the Roman orator Cicero, 
 said that he would no more believe that the universe was formed by a for- 
 tuitous concourse of atoms than that the accidental jumbling of the letters 
 of the alphabet would fall by chance into an ingenious and learned treatise of 
 philosophy. 
 
 Plato acknowledged his conviction of the existence of a great Creator upon 
 observing that all the world could not make so insignificant a creature as 
 a fly. 
 
 "A gentleman, who had discharged the thought of God from his mind, 
 while travelling in Australia was led in a remarkable way to a belief in his 
 existence. His own account of it is as follows : ' Journeying on a day as 
 close and sultry as can well be imagined, I became, after some hours' travel, 
 so weary that at length I cast myself down beneath the most shady tree I 
 could find, unable to hold out any longer, and determined to await the cool 
 of the evening. As I lay thus, after some time I saw the seed-stem of a little 
 plant close before me move in the slightest degree several times, each time 
 accompanying the motion with a single low, sharp sound, like the tick of a 
 watch. Interested to discover the connection between the motion and the 
 sound, I leaned over and examined it. It was a small plant, with a short 
 and more than proportionably thick flower-stem, having a single seed-pod 
 at the extremity. The seed-pod was an oblate spheroid, not much larger 
 than a garden pea; but it was composed of a number of sections, which, 
 shrinking as it ripened, separated themselves from one another, and finally 
 each section detached itself at the bottom of the stalk, which ran right 
 through to the upper side, and sprang out, nearly straining itself ; so that 
 eventually, when all the sections had extended themselves, it would be 
 something like an open unbrella. But to the extremity of each of these 
 sections, before it sprang out, on the inside was attached a single small round 
 seed, which was cast, by the spring of the section to which it belonged, to a 
 considerable distance. I struck the stem lightly, and thus artificially ex- 
 pedited the process of disjunction, and found that the seeds were thrown out 
 upwards of two feet. On paying close attention to the plant itself, I observed 
 that its stem was so stiff that the wind could have no power to sway it to 
 and fro, and thus scatter the seed ; so low, likewise, that amidst the sur- 
 rounding grass the wind could scarcely ever reach it in force sufficient to 
 
88 
 
 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 carry the seed away ; and lastly, that it was placed in the midst of leaves, 
 all outspreading upwards and outwards in a funnel form from the root, so 
 that if the seed were not cast beyond them they would catch and carry it 
 back again to the bosom of the plant itself. The disadvantage, then, was 
 threefold, and so complete in the whole as to bar this little fraction of nature 
 from the performance of one of its grand generic offices, — that of properly 
 depositing its seeds. Nothing could relieve it but some mechanical contriv- 
 ance ; and not only was it a contrivance in itself, but there were design and 
 adaptation in fixing the very juncture of its operations. The seed should 
 not be thrown off till it was ripe ; and till it was so ripe that its very 
 reservoir began to separate into fragments, this mechanical contrivance could 
 not act. The completion of the ripening process was the condition on which 
 the contrivance for scattering the seed depended for coming into action. It 
 was an instance of design and contrivance so indisputable that there was no 
 leaving it to be accounted for in any way but by the agency of a God.' " — Dr. 
 Leif child. 
 
 " The spacious firmament on high, 
 
 With all the blue ethereal sky. 
 
 And spangled heavens, a shining frame. 
 
 Their great Original proclaim. 
 
 The unwearied sun, from day to day, 
 
 Does his Creator's power display ; 
 
 And publishes to every land 
 
 The work of an Almighty hand. 
 
 " Soon as the evening shades prevail. 
 The moon takes up the wondrous tale, 
 And, nightly, to the listening earth 
 Repeats the story of her birth ; 
 While all the stars that round her burn, 
 And all the planets in their turn, 
 Confirm the tidings as they roll, 
 And spread the truth from pole to pole." — Addison. 
 
 Quest. 10. How did God create man ? 
 
 Ans. God created man male and female, after his own image, 
 in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, with dominion over 
 the creatures. 
 
 Gen. L 27. So God created man in his 
 own image, in the image of God created he 
 him ; male and female created he them. 
 
 CoL. iii. 10. And have put on the new 
 man, which is renewed in knowledge after 
 the image of him that created him. 
 
 EccLES. vii. 29. God hath made man up- 
 right. 
 
 Eph. iv. 24. And that ye put on the 
 new man, which after God is created in 
 righteousness and true holiness. 
 
 Gkn, L 28. And God blessed them, and 
 
 i'-iB 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 39 
 
 God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multi- 
 ply, and replenish the earth, and subdue 
 it : and have dominion over the fish of the 
 sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over 
 
 every living thing that moveth upon the 
 earth. 
 
 Ps.,cxxxix. 14. I will praise thee; for I 
 am fearfully and wonderfully made. 
 
 I. God created man. 
 
 1. This is evidenced by his constitution. 
 
 2. It is attested by Scripture. God created one man and one woman : 
 Gen. i. 27 ; ii. 7, 21, 22. This seems to be opposed to the new doctrine of 
 the development of man from lower animals. 
 
 II. The nature of man. — He is a material and spiritual being. Scripture 
 attests this : — 
 
 1. By the account of his creation : first, the body was made out of dust ; 
 and secondly, the spirit was breathed into him : Gen. ii. 7. 
 
 2. By the account of the dissolution of body and soul by death : Eccles. 
 xii. 7. 
 
 3. By words used in the New Testament, "spirit" and "soul," to signify 
 the rational and immortal part of man : Luke i. 46, 47, viii. 55 ; Matt. x. 28 ; 
 Heb. vi. 19. St. Paul uses three expressions — " spirit and soul and body:" 
 1 Thess. v. 23 ; Heb. iv. 12. 
 
 4. By stating that while the body waits in the grave, the spirit at death 
 goes immediately to God : 2 Cor. v. 1-8 ; and is with Christ : PhU. i. 23, 24. 
 
 III. Man was made in the image of God : Gen. i. 26. — This is not corporeal, 
 but spiritual ; for God is a spirit. Man is therefore a rational, moral, and 
 free agent. This image is said to consist in — 
 
 1. Knowledge : Col. iii. 10. This refers to the understanding. He was 
 capable of discerning and knowing. 
 
 2. Righteousness : Eph. iv. 24. This refers to the will. He was disposed 
 to righteousness. His will was conformed to the law of God. The con- 
 science was regulated by the will of God. 
 
 3. Holiness: Eph. iv. 24. This refers to the affections. He was pure, 
 and loved good. He was capable of enjoying God as the highest good. 
 
 IV. Man was endowed with dominion over the creatures: Gen. i. 28. — The 
 dignity and authority delegated to man may be said to belong to the image 
 of God in which he was created. He was the vicegerent of God on earth. 
 His constitution is royal. God's footstool was his throne : Ps. vlLi. How 
 largely is this manifested in the supremacy of man over the earth still ! 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. Man as a creature is bound to fulfil his Maker's design. 
 
 2. Sin has marred the image of God in man. But the ruin contains evi- 
 dence of former glory. 
 
 3. The soul may be renewed in the image of God through the redemption 
 by Christ Jesus. 
 
 4. Man was created for social happiness. His wife was a help meet for 
 him. He was to live in holy and happy fellowship. 
 
40 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 It is recorded of an atheist that after listening to a lecture by Dr. Marshall 
 on the profound science that was visible in the double hinges of the joints in 
 the human frame, the demonstrations of the lecturer produced such over- 
 whelming conviction on his mind of the existence and wisdom of God, that 
 with great emphasis he suddenly exclaimed, "A man must be a fool indeed, 
 who, after studying his own body, can remain an atheist ! " 
 
 Sir Wniiam Hamilton caused this sentence to be inscribed over his chair 
 of philosophy in the University of Edinburgh : "The greatest thing in the 
 world is man; and the greatest thing in man is mind." 
 
 Dr. Watts, the sacred poet, hearing one refer to his small size, made 
 the following impromptu : — 
 
 *' Were I so tall as reach the pole, 
 Or grasp the ocean with a span, 
 I must be measured by my soul — 
 The mind's the standard of the man." 
 
 " It is evident that there is a manifest progress in the succession of beings 
 on the surface of the earth. This progress consists in an increasing similarity 
 to the living fauna ; and among the vertebrates, especially in their increasing 
 resemblance to man. But this connection is not the consequence of a direct 
 lineage between the faunas of different ages. There is nothing like parental 
 descent connecting them. The fishes of the Palaeozoic age are in no respect 
 the ancestors of the reptiles of the Secondary age ; nor does man descend from 
 the mammals which preceded him in the Tertiary age. The link by which 
 they are connected is of a higher and immaterial nature ; and their connec- 
 tion is to be sought in the view of the Creator himself, whose aim in forming 
 the earth, in allowing it to undergo the successive changes which geology has 
 pointed out, and in creating successively all the different types of animals 
 which have passed away, was to introduce man upon the surface of our globe. 
 Man is the end towards which all the animal creation has tended from the 
 first appearance of the first Palaeozoic fishes." — Agassiz. 
 
 " For him volcanic fires had fused and crystallized the granite, and piled it 
 up into lofty table-lands. The never-wearied water had for him worn and 
 washed it down into extensive valleys and plains of vegetable soil. For hhn 
 the earth had often vibrated with electrical shocks, and had become inter- 
 laced with rich metaUic veins. Ages of comparative quiet had followed 
 each great revolution of nature, during some of which the long-accumu- 
 lating vegetables of preceding periods were for him transmuted into 
 stores of fuel ; the ferruginous deposits of primeval waters were becom- 
 ing iron ; and successive races of destroyed animals were changed into 
 masses of useful limestone. The interior of the earth had become a store- 
 house, in which everything necessary was laid up for his use, in order that, 
 when the time should come for him to open up and gaze upon its treasures, — 
 ' on the blessings of the deep that lieth under,' ' on the chief things of the 
 ancient mountains and the precious things of the lasting hills,'— he might 
 gratefully recognize the benevolent foresight of the Being who had prepared, 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 41 
 
 selected, and placed them there And for him many of these successive 
 
 changes of the earth had been commemorated by geological monuments, 
 which, when uncovered and deciphered, should convince him that all its 
 revolutions had been conducted under the superintending eye of Infinite 
 Wisdom. All this may be said to have taken place for him ; not, indeed, 
 exclusively and supremely, but in the sense that, as every end to be 
 answered by creation must be supposed to be included in the divine pur- 
 pose, and as the coming of man was calculated to answer the highest end at 
 that time attained, every preceding end may be regarded as a means in 
 order to its attainment." — Dr. J. Harris. 
 
 " Man scarce had risen, obedient to His call 
 Who formed him from the dust, his future grave, 
 When he was crowned as never king was since. 
 God set the diadem upon his head, 
 And angel choirs attended. Wondering stood 
 The new-made monarch, while before him passed. 
 All happy, and all perfect in then- kind, 
 The creatures summoned from their various haunts 
 To see their sovereign and confess his sway." — Cowper. 
 
 An officer in India having once rambled into a jungle adjoining the 
 British encampment, suddenly encountered a great tiger; the rencontre 
 appeared equally unexpected on both sides, and both parties made a dead 
 halt, earnestly gazing on each other. The gentleman had no firearms, and 
 was aware that a sword would be no effective defence in a struggle for life 
 with such an antagonist. But he had heard that even the Bengal tiger 
 might be sometimes checked by looking him firmly in the face. He did so. 
 In a few minutes the tiger, which appeared to be preparing to take its final 
 spring, grew disturbed, shrunk aside, and attempted to creep round upon 
 him behind. The officer turned constantly upon the tiger, which still con- 
 tinued to shrink from his glance ; but darting into a thicket, and again 
 issuing forth at a different quarter, it persevered for above an hour in this 
 attempt to catch him by surprise, till at last it fairly yielded the contest, 
 and left the gentleman to pursue his walk, who, as may be easily believed, 
 in all haste took a straight direction to the tent. 
 
 Matthew Henry says that woman was not made out of Adam's *' head to 
 rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his 
 side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart 
 to be beloved." 
 
 *' But man He made of angel form erect. 
 To hold communion with the heavens above ; 
 And on his soul impressed his image fair. 
 His own similitude of holiness. 
 Of virtue, truth, and love ; with reason high 
 To balance right and wrong, and conscience quick 
 To choose or to reject ; with knowledge great. 
 Prudence and wisdom, vigilance and strength. 
 To guard all force or guUe ; and, last of all, 
 
42 
 
 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 The highest gift of God's abundant grace, 
 
 "With perfect, free, unbiased will. Thus man 
 
 Was made upright, immortal made, and crowned 
 
 The king of all ; to eat, to drink, to do 
 
 Freely and sovereignly his will entire ; 
 
 By one command alone restrained, to prove. 
 
 As was most just, his filial love sincere. 
 
 His loyalty, obedience due, and faith." — Pollok. 
 
 Quest. 11. What are God's works of providence ? 
 
 Ans. God's works of providence are, his most holy, wise, 
 and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures, and 
 all their actions. 
 
 Ps. cxlv. 17. The Lord is righteous in all 
 his ways, and holy in all his works. 
 
 IsA. xxviii. 29. This also cometh forth 
 from the Lord of hosts, which is wonder- 
 ful in counsel, and excellent in working. 
 
 Ps. Ixvi. 7. He ruleth by his power for 
 ever. 
 
 Heb. i. 3. Upholding all things by the 
 word of his power. 
 
 Ps. xxxvi. 6. O Lord, thou preservest 
 man and beast. 
 
 Acts xvii. 28. For in him we live, and 
 move, and have our being. 
 
 Ps. cxlv. 15. The eyes of all wait upon 
 thee ; and thou givest them their meat in 
 due season. Ver. 16. Thou openest thine 
 
 hand, and satisfiest the desire of every liv- 
 ing thing. 
 
 Matt. x. 29. Are not two sparrows sold 
 for a farthing? and one of them shall not 
 fall on the ground without your Father. 
 
 Ps. ciii. 19. The Lord hath prepared his 
 throne in the heavens; and his kingdom 
 ruleth over all. 
 
 Ps. xxxiii. 10. The Lord bringeth the 
 counsel of the heathen to nought: he 
 maketh the devices of the people of none 
 effect. Ver. 11. The counsel of the Lord 
 standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart 
 to all generations. 
 
 Prov. xvi. 9. A man's heart deviseth his 
 way : but the Lord directeth his steps. 
 
 I. There is a Divine Providence. — The evidence for this abounds. 
 
 1. From the perfections of God. His infinite being, wisdom, goodness, 
 righteousness, and power, all testify that he would not leave unregulated the 
 world which he created. He had a definite object in view, and arranged for 
 its fulfilment, in the course of nature. 
 
 2. From conscience. This gives us a sense of our responsibility to God. It 
 is ever accusing or else excusing. Why ? Because of responsibility. Our 
 sense of dependence throws us ujion God's providence. 
 
 3. From the history of the world. A design is apparent in movements of 
 the world, and a higher and stronger hand than that of man brings out 
 results. 
 
 4. From Scripture. The natural world is cared for : Ps. civ. 19, cxxxvi. 
 5-9, cxlvii. 8. The brute creation: Ps. civ. 21-29,. cxlvii. 9; Matt. vi. 26, 
 X. 29. The affairs of men : 1 Chron. xvi. 31 ; Isa. x. 12-15; Dan. ii. 21. 
 
 II. The agency of Providence. 
 
 1. In preserving his creatures. He sustains them : Ps. cxlv. 15, 16. Ho 
 provides for them : Ps. cxxxvi. 25 j Col. i. 17. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 43 
 
 2. In governing them : Ps. Ixvi. 7 ; Acts xvii. 28 ; Job xxxiv. 13 ; 1 Sam, 
 ii. 6-9 ; Luke i. 51-53 ; James iv. 13-15. 
 
 III. The extent of Providence. — All his creatures, and all their actions — a 
 wide sphere. See under I. 4 (p. 42). It extends to the actions of man. 
 
 1. The free acts : Ex. xii. 36 ; 1 Sam. xxiv. 9-15 ; Ps. xxxiii. 14, 15 ; Prov. 
 xvi, 1, xix. 21, XX. 24; Jer. x. 23; Phil, ii, 13. These are all subject to 
 God's higher will. 
 
 2. The sinful acts: 2 Sam. xvi. 10, xxiv. 1; Ps. Ixxvi. 10; Rom. xi. 32; 
 Acts iv. 27, 28. God cannot be the author or approver of sin, but he can 
 overrule the sinful acts of men. 
 
 IV. The character of Providence. 
 
 1. Most holy : Ps. cxlv. 17. All tend to promote holiness. All are con- 
 sistent with his own holy character, and with the moral constitution of the 
 creature, and with a righteous government. Ho permits sin : Acts xiv. 16 ; 
 Gen. iii. ; Job i. 12, ii. 6-10. He orders circumstances so that wickedness 
 takes a course which he has determined to permit : Acts ii. 23, iii. 18. He 
 restrains sin : Ps. Ixxvi. 10. He overrules it for good : Gen. 1. 20 ; Acts 
 iii. 13. 
 
 2. Most wise : Rom. viii. 28 ; Ps. civ. 24. The case of Joseph in Egypt, 
 the career of Moses, David, and others, show this. 
 
 3. Most powerful : Dan. iv. 35. None can resist it. This is seen in the 
 overthrow of empires in the past, and in the movements of our own time. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. It is our duty to learn from every providence. Thus David did from 
 his deliverance from the lion and the bear, and argued for his future safety : 
 1 Sam. xvii. 34-37. 
 
 2. It is our duty to be submissive to providence. As Job when he said, 
 " The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away ; blessed be the name of 
 the Lord :" Job i. 21. " Thy wiU be done : " Matt. vi. 10. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 " God has the qualities of a good governor as well as of a great architect," 
 said Leibnitz, the great philosopher. 
 
 The Book of Esther details a series of the most wonderful providences in 
 behalf of the Jewish people, when in danger of a universal massacre. 
 
 In some parts of mechanism I have observed different artists employed in 
 different branches of the same machinery : in this division of labour each 
 man performs his allotted portion, in utter ignorance, perhaps, of the portion 
 assigned to others, but also of the ultimate application of his own. Busy in 
 executing his single pin, or spring, or wheel, it is no part of his concern to 
 understand the work assigned to others, still less to comprehend the scheme 
 of the master. In the meantime, the master unites, by apt junctions and 
 articulations, parts which were not known to be capable of connection, com- 
 bines the separate divisions without difficulty, and thus accomplishes the 
 original plan which had previously existed in his inventive mind. 
 
 "Every department of existence in the universe is so intimately related to 
 
U THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 all the rest, that every change taking effect in one necessarily affects the 
 others. All effects, moreover, occur in successions of causes and effects, 
 each link in turn being the effect of what precedes, and the cause of what 
 follows. In the present order of things it would be impossible to secure 
 certain general ends without necessarily determining all those particular 
 events upon which these general ends depend ; and thus, as no event is 
 isolated, since even the least event springs from and contributes to the 
 general system, every event must be presided over to that end. The notion 
 of a general providence, a particular one excluded, is as absurd as that of a 
 chain without links. 
 
 "The great drama of a nation's politics, and the most mighty changes in 
 the history and character of mankind, may hinge on circumstances of the 
 most trivial nature. One of the most remarkable instances of this sort is 
 found in the history of Mohammed. When his pursuers followed hard upon 
 him to take his life, they were turned away from the mouth of the cave in 
 which he had the moment before taken shelter, by the flight of a bird from 
 one of the shrubs which grew at its entry. For they inferred that if he had 
 recently passed that way the bird must previously have been frightened 
 away, and would not now have made its appearance. It is a striking 
 remark of the historian, that this bird by its flight on this occasion changed 
 the destiny of the world. 
 
 " The winds that sunk the Spanish Armada, which threatened at once the 
 Protestant religion and the liberties of England ; and again, the favourable 
 breezes which enabled William of Orange, when these privileges were 
 endangered, to escape the fleet that was ready to seize him, and land in 
 safety on our shores — these are providential occurrences in which pious 
 minds have ever delighted to discover the hand of God, and this too with 
 
 reason Nor can we regard as less striking the discussions which drove 
 
 the Pilgrim Fathers from England to found in the far West a country which 
 should acknowledge its inferiority to England only in this respect, that the 
 one is the mother and the other the daughter." — Dr. M' Cosh's "Method of 
 Divine Government." 
 
 " * All these things are against me,' thought good old Jacob, when he 
 exclaimed in the bitterness of his soul, ' Joseph is not, Simeon is not, and 
 will ye take Benjamin away ?' And it did seem as if all these bereavements 
 would 'bring down his gray hairs with soitow to the grave.' But it was all 
 cleared up when he saw the waggons which Joseph had sent to carry him 
 and all his numerous family down to Egypt, and save them alive during the 
 terrible seven years' famine. So Joseph himself must have thought when hia 
 brethren cast him into the pit ; when they sold him as a slave to the Ish- 
 meelites ; and when, upon the false charge of an adulterous woman, he was 
 thrown into prison without any hope of relief, or any prospect of it, except 
 by a violent and ignominious death. But how was it when he found himself 
 suddenly raised to the vice-royalty of Egypt, and that God had sent him 
 down to preserve the life of his venerable father, and of the very brethren 
 who had so cruelly sold him to the passing caravan ? ' All these things are 
 against us,' undoubtedly thought our Puritan ancestors, when they were 
 persecuted from city to city, and could find no secure resting-place short of 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 45 
 
 this great Western wilderness [of America] ; but God sent his angel before 
 them, and what glorious foundations of civil and religious liberty did they 
 lay upon these shores, for the building up of a great nation ! We see in all 
 these, and in numberless other striking examples, how much better care God 
 takes of his people than they could of themselves, and how he overrules the 
 most adverse and trying events for their highest good. Indeed, this is a 
 matter of every-day experience. Almost any person who has arrived at the 
 age of forty can recollect times when his favourite plans were thwarted, and 
 it did seem as if the course of Providence was against him, when, as it 
 proved in the end, it was all in his favour, and saved him from losses or 
 calamities in which the carrying out of his plans would inevitably have 
 involved him." — Dr. Humphrey. 
 
 *' Let us judge of Providence with caution. * I will wait on the Lord, who 
 hideth himself from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him.' There is 
 a Jewish tradition concerning Moses, quoted by Addison, which strikingly 
 illustrates this. That great prophet was called up to the top of a mountain 
 by a voice from heaven, where, in a conference with the Supreme Being, he 
 was permitted to propose to him some questions respecting the government 
 of the universe. In the midst of this divine colloquy he was commanded to 
 look down on the plain below. At the foot of the mountain there issued out 
 a clear spring of water, at which a soldier alighted from his horse to drink. 
 He was no sooner gone than a little boy came to the same place, and finding 
 a purse of gold which the soldier had dropped, took it and went away with it. 
 Immediately after this came an infirm old man, weary with age and travel- 
 ling, and, having quenched his thirst, sat down to rest himself by the side 
 of the spring. The soldier, missing his purse, returns to search for it, and 
 demands it of the old man, who affirms that he had not seen it, and appeals 
 to Heaven in witness of his innocence. The soldier, not believing his prot 
 estations, kills him. Moses fell on his face with horror and amazement, 
 when the divine voice thus prevented his expostulations : — ' Be not sur- 
 prised, O Moses, nor ask why the Judge of the whole earth has suffered this 
 to come to pass. The child is the occasion that this old man's blood is spilt 
 but know that the old man whom thou sawest was the murderer of that 
 child's father.' He that believeth shall not make haste. Let us study 
 Providence by the light of Scripture, and remember that here we walk by 
 faith, not by sight. Let us consider that however unfavourable the external 
 condition of the good may be, they have consolations within them to strengthen 
 and cheer them." — Dr. Henry Belfrage. 
 
 Some few years ago, a remarkable trial for murder took place in Paris. 
 The facts Avere briefly as follows : — A man who had lived unhappily with his 
 wife determined to poison her. Long he waited his opportunity of adminis- 
 tering the deadly powder. One day the husband, unobserved by his wife, 
 mixed the poison in her food ; but when he had done so he could not endure to 
 see her eat it ; and making some excuse, he arose and left the table. During 
 his absence from the room, her eye was attracted by a spider which let itself 
 down by its thread from the ceiling upon her plate, over which it crawled. 
 Disgusted at the sight, she could 'not eat her portion ; but thinking that as 
 her husband had not seen it it would not affect him, she changed the plates 
 
46 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 before he re-entered the room. The man ate, and in a short time was seized 
 with cramp, and every sjonptom of poison was evident. The woman was 
 taken into custody on suspicion of having poisoned him. She declared her 
 innocence, and on being questioned related the circumstance of the spider, 
 whieh caused her to change the plates. The husband, struck by the wonderful 
 work of a Httle spider in staying his hand from murder, confessed all and died. 
 
 The following inscription is on a tombstone in Jamaica : — " Here lies the 
 body of Lewis Galdy, Esq., who departed this life at Port Royal, 22nd Dec. 
 1736, aged 80. He was born at Montpellier in France, but left that country 
 for his religion, and came to settle in this island ; where he was swallowed 
 up in the great earthquake in 1692, and, by the providence of God, was by 
 another shock thrown into the sea, and saved by swimming until a boat 
 took him up. He lived many years after in great reputation, beloved by all 
 who knew him, and much lamented at his death." God is a God of provi- 
 dence as well as a God of grace. " Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing ? 
 and one of them shall not fall on the gi-ound without your Father. But the 
 very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of 
 more value than many sparrows," Matt. x. 29-31. 
 
 Do you remember a terrible shipvirreck which occurred not many years 
 ago on our west coast, and how those who were saved, out of a large number 
 that perished, owed their hf e to one wakeful man ? He was no watchman of 
 the coast-guard, no pilot on the look-out for homeward-bound ships, but only 
 an old infirm seaman, who had gone to bed with the rest of the world. He 
 had courted sleep that night, but, for no reason that he could fancy, his eyes 
 were kept waking. Weary of turning and tossing on a restless bed, he rose 
 and walked the floor. With an old sailor's love of the sea, he drew aside 
 the curtain of his cottage window, to gaze out on the heaving deep. He saw 
 a ship rushing through the fog right into the jaws of death. He gave the 
 alarm; boats were manned, and many were saved. 
 
 " And chiefly thou, O Spirit ! that dost prefer 
 Before all temples the upright heart and pure, 
 Instruct me, for thou know'st ; — thou from the first 
 Wast present, and, with mighty wings outspread. 
 Dove-like sat'st brooding on the vast abyss, 
 And mad'st it pregnant : — what in me is dark. 
 Illumine ! what is low, raise and support ! 
 That to the height of this great argument 
 I may assert eternal Providence, 
 And justify the ways of God to men." — Milton. 
 
 Quest. 12. What special act of providence did God exercise 
 toward man in the estate wherein he was created ? 
 
 Ans. When God had created man, he entered into a cove- 
 nant of life with him, upon condition of perfect obedience; 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 47 
 
 forbidding him to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and 
 evil, upon the pain of death. 
 
 Gen. ii. 16. And the Lord commanded 
 the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden 
 thou mayest freely eat: Ver. 17. But of 
 the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, 
 thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day 
 that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely 
 die. 
 
 RoM. vii. 10. The commandment.. ..was 
 ordained to life. 
 
 Gen. iii. 3. God hath said, Ye shall not 
 eat of it, neither shall ye touch it. 
 
 Rom. vi. 23. The wages of sin is death. 
 
 Gal. iii. 12. The law is not of faith: but, 
 The man that doeth them shall live in them. 
 
 " It is thus stated," says Dr. Boyd : " that soon after the first man was 
 created, God made a law that he should not eat of a certain tree called the 
 tree of the knowledge of good and evil; that to secure his obedience to this law, 
 God threatened that the greatest evil— namely, death — would come upon him 
 should he fail to keep it ; that it would be thus understood, that while he 
 continued obedient he should enjoy life, and all the benefits of his Creator's 
 approbation and love; that this law, with its threatening and implied pro- 
 mise of life, is called a covenant of life, — that is, an agreement by which life 
 and happiness would have been permanently secured to our first parents 
 had they continued to obey this particular command — a command most easy 
 to be kept, and for transgressing which no excuse can be made." 
 
 I. The nature of a covenant. — It is an agreement between two parties, and 
 reciprocally binding. The essential elements are (1) contracting parties, and 
 (2) conditions. It is, however, a condescension on the part of God to deal 
 thus with his creature man. This is called a covenant, Hos. vi. 7 ; see also 
 margin. 
 
 II. The parties in this covenant. — These are, God on the one side as moral 
 governor, and man as a free moral agent on the other. 
 
 Adam stood for his race, as evidenced (1) by the scriptural parallel between 
 Adam and Christ: Rom. v. 12-19; 1 Cor. xv. 22, 47; (2) by the fact of 
 human suffering and death (Gen. ii. 17, iii. 17-19) consequent upon 
 his sin. 
 
 III. The condition of this covenant. — Perfect obedience — perfect in prin- 
 ciple, parts, degrees, and duration. This condensed obedience into one act 
 —the not eating of the forbidden fruit. Thus it was a covenant of works. 
 Man had ability to keep it. He was made upriglit : Eccles, vii. 29. " As the 
 matter forbidden was morally indifferent in itself, the command was admir- 
 ably adapted to be a clear and naked test of submission to God's absolute 
 will as such." 
 
 IV. The promise of this covenant. — The promise was not expressly stated, 
 yet that it was life, or confirmation in a holy character, and in the blessed- 
 ness of God's favour, is evidently implied in the very language of the threat- 
 ened penalty, as appears clearly from Matt. xix. 16, 17; Gal. iii. 12. This 
 life was the union of the soul with God. Its continuance was unending bliss 
 of soul and body. 
 
 Y. The penalty of this covenant. — This was declared to be death — the penal 
 consequence of sin. The separation of the soul from God is spiritual death: 
 Matt. viii. 22; Eph. ii. 1; 1 Tim. v. 6; Rev. iii. 1, xx. 6-14. It does not 
 
 4 
 
48 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 refer to mere dissolution of the body. It is that death from which Christ 
 redeemed us. 
 
 VI. The signs of the covenant. — These were two trees. 1. The tree of the 
 knowledge of good and evil — forbidden, a beacon to warn them. 2. The 
 tree of life— free for use, a pledge of blessing. These were the sacraments 
 of that first economy. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. The condescension of God in relating himself to man so closely. 
 
 2. The responsibility of man, and his privilege. Duty was to be happiness. 
 
 3. There was forbidden fruit even in paradise. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Man was placed in very favourable circumstances by this special act of 
 Divine Providence. He was made good. He had a wife for a companion, 
 as pure and good as himself. He was placed in a happy home — a garden 
 provided for his residence by his Father in heaven. He had occupation to 
 interest his mind and keep him active. He had authority over the creatures. 
 He had a day of sacred rest for the refreshment of his body and soul. He 
 had the favour of God. He had, above all, a covenant engagement by 
 which his obedience was fenced and stimulated. These elements conspired 
 to make man happy as well as good, and to show that God purposed to do 
 him good and to promote his bliss. God condescended to become his moral 
 instructor by making known his will, and encouraging him to obedience. 
 *' In the whole of the divine procedure relative to this matter respect is had 
 to man's appetencies and capacities, physical, moral, and social." 
 
 As the first morning opened before the entranced eye of the first man in 
 innocence, he may well have burst forth into strains like those which Milton 
 has ascribed to him in the great epic of " Paradise Lost:" — 
 
 '* These are thy glorious works, Parent of good ! 
 Almighty ! Thine this universal frame. 
 Thus wondrous fair ; thyself how wondrous then ! 
 Unspeakable ! who sitt'st above these heavens. 
 To us invisible, or dimly seen 
 In these thy lowest works ; yet these declare 
 Thy goodness beyond thought, and power divine." 
 
 Of the many trees "pleasant to the sight and good for food" with which 
 God stored and beautified the earthly paradise, two are specially distin- 
 guished by name — " the tree of the knowledge of good and evil," and "the 
 tree of life." They are thus specified because of their important relation to 
 the history of the temptation and fall. Further, as befitting their char- 
 acter, they were planted in a conspicuous and commanding situation — '* in the 
 midst of the garden." These trees had a sacramental character— outward 
 signs of the covenant relation in which man stood to God, and pledges of 
 God's covenant to him. The tree of life in the Book of Genesis is one ; in 
 the Book of Revelation it is a forest : " In the midst of the street, and on 
 either side of the river, was there the tree of life." The tree of life in Gen- 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 49 
 
 esis was for the single pair ; in the Apocalypse it is for nations, yielding fniit 
 of twelve kinds, and every month — or rather, perhaps^ as bearing twelve 
 crops, one every month. 
 
 " 'The precept given to Adam was at once the test of his obedience and 
 the token of his dependence. A moral precept would not have answered so 
 well, for moral duties recommend themselves by their intrinsic fitness as 
 well as by the authority which enjoins them. But in this precept man had 
   only the mere will of God to regard as the rule of his obedience. It has 
 been thought strange that the trial of man was not by something more 
 grand. But this is to measure the Deity by ourselves. The eye fixes on the 
 state of the mind, and that is discovered in the smallest matters. If a 
 feeble temptation prevailed, could a more powerful one have failed of suc- 
 cess ? ' It may be remarked, too, that by this test alone was he to be tried, 
 that in no other quarter was his innocence to be brought into peril; and 
 when to this we add the gentleness of it, we must admit that the terms in 
 which it has been condemned are no less foolish than they are impious." — 
 Dr. Belfrage. 
 
 *' Primitive man was brought into a constitution of things in which every 
 object was calculated and designed to influence him, and each to influence 
 him differently from all the rest. But then he himself was endowed with a 
 constitution capable of classifying these objects according to their real im- 
 portance, and of regulating their power over himself accordingly. Hence 
 the spirit and design of the primal prohibition. It told him, in effect, that 
 he possessed a fixed constitution, including the power of self-government ; 
 that he stood at the head of created things, and was capable of governing 
 them ; that he must not, therefore, allow himself to be governed by them ; 
 and that his security, happiness, duty, required that his will should har- 
 monize with the supreme will ; in a word, that his constitution was formed 
 in harmony with the divine constitution, and could find perfection only by 
 voluntary conformity to it." — Dr. J. Harris. 
 
 " There was light in his understanding, sanctity in his will, and rectitude in 
 his affections ; so that his members yielded to his affections, his affections to 
 his will, his will obeyed his reason; and his reason was subject to the will 
 of God." — Thomas Boston. 
 
 " Again and again on the monuments of Egypt do we find this tree of life, 
 with many branches and many fruits. Often from the midst of its leaves 
 and boughs a female arm is stretched, (the Wisdom of the Book of Proverbs?) 
 pouring from a golden urn streams of living water into the thirsty lips of 
 
 men and women and children And it is the same more or less with the 
 
 hieroglyphs of other nations. On the ruins of great Assyrian cities which 
 have been recently laid open and brought among us, we find everywhere the 
 sacred tree ; obviously the most holy of all symbols, beneath which kings and 
 priests stand in veneration. The religion of the Zend-a-vesta also looks to 
 a mysterious tree as connected with all the life and joy and blessedness 
 which belonged to the kingdom of Ormuzd. Even in the tree-worship of 
 Buddhism, in the legend which connects the sacred fig-tree with its founder's 
 attainment of that supreme wisdom by which he became one with the 
 impersonal intelligence of the universe, which he strangely identified with 
 
60 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 the highest blessedness attainable by man, we may iwssibly trace a dim, 
 distorted refraction of the beauty of the original symbol." — Rev. E. H. 
 Plumptre, D.D. 
 
 "In Eastern poetry they tell of a wondrous tree on which grew golden 
 apples and silver bells ; and every time the breeze went by and tossed the 
 fragrant branches, a shower of these golden apples fell, and the living bells 
 they chimed and tinkled forth their airy ravishment. On the gospel tree 
 there grow melodious blossoms — sweeter bells than those which mingled with 
 the pomegranates on Aaron's vest, holy feelings, heaven-taught joys;... and 
 when the Holy Spirit breathes upon the soul, there is the shaking down 
 of mellow fruits, and the flow of healthy odours all around, and the gush 
 of sweetest music, whose gentle tones and joyful echoings are wafted through 
 all the recesses of the soul." — Dr. James Hamilton. 
 
 *' Be strong, live happy, and love ! But, first of all. 
 Him, whom to love is to obey ; and keep 
 His great command : take heed, lest passion sway 
 Thy judgment to do aught, which else free will 
 Would not admit : thine, and of all thy sons. 
 The weal or woe in thee is placed ; beware ! 
 I in thy persevering shall rejoice. 
 And all the blest. Stand fast ! to stand, or fall. 
 Free in thine own arbitrement it lies. 
 Perfect within, no outward aid require ; 
 And all temptation to transgress repel." — Milton. 
 
 Quest. 13. Did our first parents continue in the estate wherein 
 they were created ? 
 
 Ans. Our first parents, being left to the freedom of their own 
 will, fell from the estate wherein they were created, by sinning 
 against God. 
 
 EccLES. vii. 29. Lo, this only have I 
 found, that God hath made man upright ; 
 but they have sought out many inven- 
 tions. 
 
 Gen. iii. 13. And the woman said, The 
 serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. 
 
 Rom. v. 12. By one man sin entered into 
 the world, and death by sin. 
 
 I. The original state of man. — He was left to the freedom of his o^vn will. 
 Free agency is an essential characteristic of human nature. It consists in a 
 liberty of choice and will. Man was endowed with intelligence, reason, and 
 conscience, and with responsibility for his actions. He was also created holy 
 and righteous. But his state was fallible, and made dependent upon his free 
 will. His duty was made plain by promise and by threatening. 
 
 II. The fall from that state. —Man fell from righteousness into guilt, from 
 holiness into depravity, from liberty into bondage, from the love of God into 
 enmity, and from happiness into misery. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 61 
 
 III. The cause of the fall of our first parents. — It is here stated to be sin 
 against God. God had given them a law, had entered into covenant with 
 them, had laid them under obligation. They had accepted his arrangement, 
 and were possessed of its privileges. But they sinned, and broke the cove- 
 nant; they disobeyed God, and transgressed his law: Rom. v. 12; Hos. 
 vi. 7, margin. The sin was their own deliberate act. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. Man was accountable to God for his actions. 
 
 2. God ever deals with us as responsible. 
 
 3. One sin transgresses the whole law, as it sets God's authority at 
 defiance : James ii. 10. 
 
 4. One sinner can destroy much good : Joshua vii. 
 
 5. One sin can ruin a soul : Ezek. xviii. 4. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 A godly minister, having preached on the doctrine of original sin, was 
 afterwards waited on by some persons, who stated their objection to what 
 he had advanced. After hearing them, he said, "I hope you do not deny 
 actual sin too." "No," they replied. The good man expressed his satis- 
 faction at their acknowledgment ; but to show the folly of their opinions in 
 denying a doctrine so plainly taught in Scripture, he asked them, "Do you 
 ever see a tree growing without a root ? " 
 
 "I overheard a discourse," says one, "something like altercation, between 
 a deacon, his son, and servants. Some one had informed him that the cattle 
 had broken into the corn-field, and were making great ravages. His servants 
 were ordered to make haste and turn them out, and repair the breach. 
 ' How came they in there ? ' said one. ' Which way did they get in ? ' said 
 another. 'It is impossible; the fences are good,' said a third. 'Don't stand 
 here talking to no purpose,' cried the deacon with increased earnestness ; 
 * they are in the field destroying the corn. I see them with my own eyes. 
 Out with them speedily, and put up the fence. ' As I approached he became 
 more calm. ' Your pardon, sir ; these fellows have quite vexed me. They 
 make one think of our pastor's sermon on the origin of sin ; spending his time 
 needlessly inquiring how it came into the world, while he ought to be exhort- 
 ing us to drive it out.' " 
 
 When the English Reformer, John Bradford, saw a culprit on his way to 
 the scaffold, he is reported to have said, " There, but for the grace of God, 
 goes John Bradford." 
 
 Melancthon, after he was advanced in the Christian life, was accustomed 
 to say, in reference to the native corruption in him, that he found " the old 
 Adam stronger than the young Melancthon." 
 
 When Colonel Gardiner received a challenge to fight a duel, he replied, 
 " I fear sinning, though you know, sir, I do not fear fighting." 
 
52 
 
 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 Set not thyself against God's any law ! 
 The train that speeds thy neighbour to his home 
 May crush the hfe from out thee shouldst thou dare 
 To cross the line before it." — S. W. Partridge. 
 
 Quest. 14. What is sin? 
 
 Ans. Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, 
 the law of God. 
 
 1 John ili. 4. Whosoever committeth 
 sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is 
 the transgression of the law. 
 
 James iv. 17. To him that knoweth to do 
 good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. 
 
 Gal. iii. 10. Cursed is every one that 
 
 continueth not in all things which are writ- 
 ten in the book of the law to do them. 
 
 Pbov. xxiv. 9. The thought of foolishness 
 is sin. 
 
 1 John v. 17. All unrighteousness is 
 sin. 
 
 Sin is a great evil in the sight of God, and stands in opposition to the law 
 of God. Man was made under law, and bound to obey. 
 
 I. Sin is any want of conformity unto the law of God. — The law of God is 
 his revealed will in the moral nature of man, or conscience, and in the 
 Scripture. It is extensive as man's being. Want of conformity indicates 
 more than negation. It is the want of purity of heart and will— want of 
 congeniality with the holiness of God. Not coming up to the standard given 
 by God is sin : 1 John iii. 4. The corrupt heart is sin, and brings forth 
 corrupt fruit : Luke vi. 44, 45. A want of entire obedience is sin : James 
 ii. 10. 
 
 II. Sin is transgression of the law of God : 1 John iii. 4. — The law defines 
 duty and limits moral conduct. Disobedience of that law is passing the 
 boundary, and is sin. The transgression of a law of nature is sin : Rom. 
 ii. 14, 15. Much more is a breach of written law a sin : James iv. 17. 
 
 III. Sin occasions guilt and pollution. — It makes the transgressor answer- 
 able to divine justice. It deserves punishment, because blameworthy. It 
 defiles the soul, and makes it morally vile both to the sinner and to God. It 
 degrades the soul. Scripture speaks of sins of ignorance, Lev. iv. 2, as 
 needing forgiveness ; and of sins of presumption or deliberate act : Ps. xix. 13. 
 The want of right affections, and the acts of wrong affections, are sins in 
 the sight of God, and polluting to the soul. 
 
 IV. Sin is the condition or act of a moral agent, such as man. — It cannot 
 truly be ascribed to any creature devoid of intelligence and responsibility. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. Sin is a great evil in the sight of God. He says, " Oh, do not this 
 abominable thing that I hate : " Jer, xliv. 4. 
 
 2. It is ruinous to all who indulge it. " Be sure your sin will find you 
 out:" Num. xxxii. 23; Ezok. xviii. 4. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 53 
 
 3. It ought to be always guarded against. " How can I do this great 
 wickedness, and sin against God?" Gen. xxxix: 9. "Abstain from all 
 appearance of evil:" 1 Thess. v. 22. "My little children, these things 
 write I unto you, that ye sin not : " 1 John ii. 1. 
 
 4. " Christ hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, to bring us 
 to God:" 1 Peter iii. 18. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. . 
 
 A minister explaining the distinction between sins of omission and com- 
 mission, said, " Behold yonder fire which lately burned with so much bright- 
 ness. It is now dull. Let it alone, it will soon go out; but if you pour 
 water on it, you will put it out." The first is omission, the second com- 
 mission. 
 
 Archbishop Ussher in his last days was often heard praying, " Lord, forgive 
 my sins, especially my sins of omission." 
 
 At a missionary station in South Africa, among the Hottentots, a question 
 was asked at some chUdren in a class : " Do we possess anything that we 
 have not received of God?" A little girl five years old immediately 
 answered, "Yes, sir; siN." 
 
 A rich lady one day, when she heard a person speaking of all as sinners, 
 said with great surprise, " But ladies are not sinners !" " Then who are?" 
 she was asked. " Just young men in their foolish days." The Bible says, 
 " There is no difference : for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of 
 God:" Rom. iii. 22, 23. 
 
 " The existence of sin," says Dr. Hodge, "is an undeniable fact. No man 
 can examine his own nature, or observe the conduct of his fellow-men, with- 
 out having the conviction forced upon him that there is such an evil as sin. 
 This is not a purely moral or theological question. It falls also within the 
 province of philosophy, which assumes to explain all the phenomena of 
 human natiu-e as well as of the external world. Philosophers, therefore, of 
 every age and of every school have been compelled to discuss this subject." 
 
 The Rev. John Newton once said of a certain preacher, "I never heard 
 him preach but once ; and then he made this observation : ' If you ask me 
 what a sinner is, I answer, he is a young devil ; and if you wish to know 
 what a devil is, I answer, an old sinner.' " 
 
 Jeremy Taylor says that whosoever sins against light, kisses the lips of a 
 blazing cannon. 
 
 " The young," says Mr. Ward Beecher, " are seldom tempted to outright 
 vsdckedness ; evil comes to them as an enticement. The honest generosity 
 and fresh heart of youth would revolt from open wickedness and undisguised 
 vice. The adversary conforms his wiles to their nature. He tempts them 
 to the basest deeds by beginning with comparatively innocent ones, gliding 
 to more exceptionable, and finally to positively wicked ones." " My son, if 
 sinners entice thee, consent thou not." 
 
 " Resist beginnings. Whatsoe'er is ill, 
 Though it appear light and of little moment, 
 Think of it thus : that what it is, augmented 
 
54 
 
 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 Would run to strong and sharp extremities ; 
 
 Deem of it, therefore, as a serpent's egg. 
 
 Which hatched, would, as its kind, grow mischievous ; 
 
 Then crush it in the shell." — Shakespeare. 
 
 Quest. 15. What was the sin whereby our first parents fell 
 from the estate wherein they were created ? 
 
 Ans. The sin whereby our first parents fell from the estate 
 wherein they were created, was their eating the forbidden fruit. 
 
 Gen. iii. 6. And when the woman saw 
 that the tree was good for food, and that it 
 was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be 
 desired to make one wise, she took of the 
 fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also 
 unto her husband with her ; and he did 
 eat. Ver. 7. And the eyes of them both 
 were opened, and they knew that they 
 were naked. Ver. 8. And Adam and his 
 
 wife hid themselves from the presence of 
 the Lord God amongst the trees of the 
 garden. 
 
 Rom. v. 17. By one man's offence death 
 reigned by one. 
 
 2 Cor. xi. 3. The serpent beguiled Eve 
 through his subtilty. 
 
 1 Tim. ii. 14. The woman being de- 
 ceived was in the transgression. 
 
 I. The forbidden fruit was the tree of knowledge of good and evil.—Oi 
 this they were not to eat, upon the pain of death. It was forbidden, not 
 because it was evil in itself, or because God grudged the advancement of our 
 first parents in knowledge and happiness, but to try their obedience to his 
 holy will. 
 
 II. The temptation to sin. — There was a tempter. He is called "the 
 serpent" in Gen. iii. ; but in Rev. xii. 9, xx. 2, he is identified with Satan. 
 In 2 Cor. xi. 3, the apostle refers to " the serpent who beguiled Eve ;" and 
 he represents Satan as a deceiver in the same chapter, verse 14. Our Lord 
 calls the devil "a murderer from the beginning," and " the father of lies :" 
 John viii. 44. In the apocryphal Book of Wisdom it is said, " Through envy 
 of the devil came death into the world : " ch. ii. 24. 
 
 The serpent spoke as the agent of Satan to question God's command and 
 the danger of eating. He encouraged Eve to eat by holding out the prospect 
 of advantage. 
 
 III. Thei/ yielded to temptation.— The woman saw that the tree was good 
 for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and that it was a tree to 
 be desired to make one wise. She ate, and then tempted her husband to 
 eat. He also yielded to the temptation, and they both fell into sin. First 
 they doubted God's word, and then they were filled with pride. 
 
 IV. The immediate effects of the first sin.—l. They were ashamed, from 
 a sense of defilement and degradation. 2. They were afraid of God, from a 
 sense of disobedience and guilt. "These effects," says Dr. Hodge, "were 
 unavoidable. They prove the loss, not only of innocence, but of original 
 righteousness, and with it the favour and fellowship of God, The state, 
 therefore, to which Adam was reduced by disobedience, so far as his subjec- 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 55 
 
 tive condition is concerned, was analogous to that of the fallen angels. He 
 was absolutely and entirely ruined. It is said no man becomes thoroughly 
 depraved by one transgression. In one sense this is true. But one trans- 
 gression, incuiring the wrath and curse of God and the loss of fellowship 
 with him, as efifectually involves spiritual death as one perforation of the 
 heart causes the death of the body, or one puncture of the eyes involves us 
 in perpetual darkness." 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. Beware of trifling with a plain commandment of God. Forbidden fruit 
 should always be avoided. 
 
 2. Beware of the flatterer who tempts you to sin. " Cease, my son, to 
 hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge : " 
 Prov. xix. 27. 
 
 3. The Word of God was the weapon by which the second Adam, the 
 Lord Jesus Christ, overcame the tempter. Use this sword. There is 
 none like it. " It is written. Thou shalt not." 
 
 4. Let us be thankful that Christ came to redeem us from the curse of the 
 law. He can help us to withstand the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, 
 and the pride of life. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 "Many have puzzled themselves," said the Rev. John Newton, "about 
 the origin of evil. I observe that there is evil, and that there is a way to 
 escape it ; and with this I begin and end." 
 
 " Two things," says Dr. M'Cosh, "are needful to the beauty and benefi- 
 cence of that star which shines in the expanse. There is its light, and there 
 is the regularity of its movement in its allotted course. Conceive this star, 
 while retaining the former of these qualities, to lose the latter ;— it might, in 
 its now wayward career through the heavens, carry along with it dismay and 
 trouble to every world which it approached, and that just because its fire 
 was still unextinguished. There is still, we acknowledge, light flashing 
 from man's character, as from a star ; but it is as from a wandering star, 
 
 whose progress we view with anxiety and alarm The star first wanders 
 
 from its path, and gives, in consequence, its light and heat to objects dif- 
 ferent from those which its light was intended to irradiate ; and then losing, 
 as it wanders further off, its light and heat altogether, it departs into the 
 blackness of darkness for ever." 
 
 The Rev. Thomas Doolittle occupies more than nineteen folio pages to 
 show the greatness of this first sin, however trivial it may seem to a careless 
 and worldly mind. He shows its greatness (1) by ten sins of the woman, 
 which went before the eating of that fruit ; (2) by ten sins of Adam and Eve 
 included in it ; (3) by ten great evils to them and their descendants that fol- 
 lowed after it ; (4) by ten aggravating circumstances attending it ; (5) by the 
 ten commandments all being broken by it. 
 
 In the reign of King Charles I. the goldsmiths of London had a custom 
 of weighing several sorts of their precious metals before the Privy Council. 
 On this occasion they made use of scales poised with such exquisite nicety 
 
56 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 that the beam would turn, the master of the company affirmed, at the two 
 hundredth part of a grain ! Noy, the famous attorney -general, standing by 
 and hearing this, replied, " I shall be loath, then, to have all my actions 
 weighed in these scales." "With whom I heartily concur," says the pious 
 Hervey, " in relation to myself. And since the balances of the sanctuary, 
 the balances in God's hand, are infinitely exact, oh, what need have we of the 
 merit and righteousness of Christ to make us acceptable in his sight and 
 passable in his esteem." 
 
 "The devil," says Boston, "shoots his darts by the eye into the soul, 
 which is weaker now than it was in the primitive state, and more liable to 
 deception. Therefore watch your eyes and ears. Have a care of sensuality. 
 Eating ruined Adam and Eve, and still ruins many." Strong drink also 
 destroys many every year. 
 
 " There is a tree called the manchineel, which grows in the West Indies. 
 Its appearance is very attractive, and the wood of it is very beautiful. It bears 
 a kind of apple resembling the golden pippin. This fruit looks very tempt- 
 ing, and its smell is very fragrant ; but its sap or juice is so poisonous that 
 if a few drops of it fall upon the skin, it raises blisters and occasions great 
 pain. The Indians dip their arrows into this juice, that they may poison 
 their enemies when they wound them. Providence has so appointed it that 
 one of these trees is never found but there also grows a white-wood or a 
 fig-tree, the juice of either of which, if applied in time, is a remedy for the 
 disease caused by the manchineel. Now when I read this account, I thought 
 of sin and salvation. Sin, like this poisonous apple, looks pleasant to the eye, 
 and men desire it — eat it, and die. We may think there is no harm in such 
 a thing ; it is only a little sin. But who would eat only a little poison ? The 
 least sin, if not forgiven, will ruin our souls for ever. This is fruit which must 
 not be tasted ; yea, it ought not to be looked upon or thought of. It is sin 
 which gives to the darts of Satan all their fiery qualities, and to the arrow 
 of Death all its bitterness. Now, all who have looked upon the fruit of this 
 tree have desired it, and have eaten of it ; and if not delivered from its fatal 
 effects will surely die. But there is a remedy at hand ; it is the precious 
 blood of the Son of God, which cleanseth from all sin." 
 
 " Not balm new-bleeding from the wounded tree. 
 Not Blest Arabia with its spicy groves. 
 Such fragrance yields." 
 
 " Man by his sins and transgressions has wandered far from God, from 
 his essence. 'Twas in the beginning fast by the tree of knowledge he fell, 
 and it hangs o'er the fall to this day : in the thought is the ialV— Bishop 
 Tegner. 
 
 Quest. 16. Bid all mankind fall in Adam^s first transgression? 
 
 Ans. The covenant being made with Adam, not only for 
 
 himself, but for his posterity ; all mankind, descending from 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 57 
 
 him by ordinary generation, sinned in him, and fell with him, 
 
 in his first transgression. 
 
 Gen. i. 28. And God blessed them, and 
 God said unto them, Be fruitful, and mul- 
 tiply, and replenish the earth. 
 
 Gen. ii. 16. And the Lord God com- 
 manded the man, saying, Of every tree of 
 the garden thou mayest freely eat: Ver. 
 17. But of the tree of the knowledge of 
 good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it : for 
 in the day that thou eatest thereof thou 
 shalt surely die. 
 
 KoM. V. 12. Wherefore, as by one man 
 
 sin entered into the world, and death by 
 sin ; and so death passed upon all men, for 
 that all have sinned. Ver. 15. Through the 
 offence of one many be dead. Ver. 16. For 
 the judgment was by one to condemnation. 
 Ver. 17. By one man's offence death 
 reigned by one. Ver. 18. Therefore as by 
 the offence of one judgment came upon all 
 men to condemnation. Ver. 19. By one 
 man's disobedience many were made sinners. 
 1 Cor. XV. 22. In Adam all die. 
 
 I. Adam was the covenant head of his posterity.— This is proved (1) by 
 the comparison between Christ and Adam in 1 Cor. xv. ; (2) from the origi- 
 nal gifts to Adam in Gen. i. ; (3) from the apostle's argument in Rom. v. ; 
 (4) from the narrative of the fall in Gen. iii., Adam is regarded as a public 
 person— his posterity are regarded as involved in his acts ; (5) similar cases : 
 Ex. XX. 5; Joshua vii. (Achan); 2 Sam. xxi. 1-10; 1 Kings xv. 29, 30; 
 2 Kings xxiii. 26 (Manasseh). 
 
 II. The human race siyined in Adam, and fell with him. — This was not 
 because Adam was the natural head of the race, but because he was the 
 federal head. Legal consequences follow the conduct of the legal head. 
 This is shown by the apostle in Rom. v. 12-21. The offence of one is there 
 said to induce condemnation on all men. Infants also are liable to death, 
 though they have not personally sinned. "Through the offence of one 
 many be dead : " Rom. v^ 15. As Christ was not descended from Adam by 
 ordinary generation, he could not be represented by Adam. He was "holy, 
 harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners : " Heb. vii. 26. 
 
 III. The fall of the race was in Adam's first transgression.— That was the 
 breaking of the covenant. "The unquestionable fact is that Adam's sin 
 involved the race in ruin. Whatever difficulty exists in the matter lies 
 there. The doctrine of imputation vindicates the justice of God, by maintain- 
 ing that all men had a probation under favourable conditions, and that their 
 present suffering has been inflicted according to law." 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. The evil of sin, which affects so many. 
 
 2. The influence of parents on their posterity. 
 
 3. The need of a second Adam is demonstrated by the fall of the first. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 " The imputation of Adam's sin has been the doctrine of the Church in all 
 ages. It was the doctrine of the Jews, derived from the plain teaching of 
 the Old Testament Scriptures. It was and is the doctrine of the Greek, 
 Latin, Lutheran, and Reformed Churches. Its denial is a novelty. 
 
 " Considering the advantages of Adam's character and circumstances in 
 
58 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 paradise, our probation in him appears immeasurably more favourable than 
 it would be if each individual of us could have a separate probation in the 
 dawn of moral agency, in infancy. Adam, being made after the image of 
 God, was as capable of keeping the covenant as any of his posterity could 
 ever be supposed to be ; that he should fulfil it was as much his personal 
 interest as that of any of his descendants, his own felicity no less than theirs 
 being at stake ; and he was intimately related to the persons whom he repre- 
 sented, and had the strongest inducement to take care of his numerous off- 
 spring, as well as of himself. 
 
 " What is thus clearly revealed in the Word and providence of God finds a 
 response in the very constitution of our nature. All men are led as it were 
 instinctively to recognize the validity of this principle of representation. 
 Rulers represent their people ; parents their children ; guardians their 
 
 wards Men may dispute as to the grounds of the headship of Adam, but 
 
 the fact itself can hardly be questioned by those who recognize the authority 
 of the Scriptures. It has therefore entered into the faith of all Christian 
 Churches, and is more or less clearly presented in their authorized symbols." 
 — Dr. Hodge. 
 
 " It was not because we ourselves had sinned that we became corrupt, for 
 radically and primarily our corruption is not the consequent but the cause 
 of our sins. Nevertheless it is a consequent, but the consequent of Adam's 
 sin, not of ours." — Dr. Chalmers. 
 
 "Had nothing further been revealed to us in Scripture than the mere fact 
 that all men have, and bring with them into the world, ungodly and depraved 
 natures, it would have been our duty to have received this upon God's 
 authority, though he might have given us no explanation whatever of it, and 
 though we might have been utterly unable to devise any ; and even as 
 matters stand, om- first and most important duty in regard to this subject is 
 just to ascertain whether this be so, in point of fact, or not. But the Scrip- 
 ture does plainly trace the fact which it asserts of the universal corruption 
 and depravity of man's nature to our connection with Adam, and to the 
 first sin of our first parents ; and does contain plain enough indications that 
 this controversy is based on a constitution, arrangement, or covenant which 
 God made, which in itself is perfectly equitable, and in virtue of which 
 Adam's trial or probation was to be the trial or probation of the whole 
 human race." — Dr. Wm.' Cunningham of Edinburgh. 
 
 " What shall we principally aim to teach our children?" said some Sabbath- 
 school teachers to a venerable minister. " That they are sinners," answei-ed 
 he. — " And what in the next place?" "The same : tell it to them over and 
 over again ; make it the first part of your instructions, and make it the last, 
 because it is all-important. But this must be added, ' It is a faithful say- 
 ing, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to 
 save sinners.' " 
 
 "The burden of my ministry for fifteen years," said a minister lately, " has 
 been Christ for all sinners out of hell, and hell for all sinners out of Christ." 
 
 " Man sinned : tempted, he ate the guarded tree : 
 Audacious, unbelieving, proud, ungrateful. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 59 
 
 He ate the interdicted fruit, and fell : 
 
 And in his fall, his universal race ; 
 
 For they in him by delegation were, 
 
 In him to stand or fall, to live or die." — Pollok. 
 
 Quest. 17. Into what estate did the fall bring mankind? 
 Ans. The fall brought mankind into an- estate of sin and 
 
 misery. 
 
 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. 
 
 Gal. iii. 10. Cursed is every one that 
 continueth not in all things which are 
 written in the book of the law to do them. 
 
 Prov. xiii. 21. Evil pursueth sinners. 
 
 I. The state of sin is common to all men. — Both Jews and Gentiles are all 
 under sin, says the Apostle Paul : Rom. iii. 9. "The whole world lieth in 
 vdckedness," says St. John : 1 John v. 19. This refers to the moral condi- 
 tion of all men. It cannot be accounted for in any other way than that 
 revealed in Scripture. The Bible alone attempts to account for it in a 
 reasonable way. The Darwinian hypothesis, that man was developed from 
 lower animals, does not account for the sinful condition of mankind. 
 
 II. Sin brought misery. — That is, a state of pain, sorrow, fear, and death. 
 "Evil pursueth sinners : " Prov. xiii. 21; and the Preacher says (Eccles. viii. 
 6), "The misery of man is great upon him." The jealousies, strifes, fight- 
 ings and wars of men, show an ample amount of misery caused by sin. The 
 records of jails, asylums, hospitals, show the same. The human heart is 
 capable of experiencing great misery in this world. "Destruction and 
 misery are in their ways : " Rom. iii. 16. What misery is caused by the fierce 
 outburst of unlawful passions, of envy, covetousness, and revenge ! What 
 misery is an awakened conscience with the memory of sin ! 
 
 III. Christ can bring sinful, miserable souls, to peace and holiness. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 " Our most veritable, though saddest, impressions of man's greatness, as a 
 creature, we shall derive from the magnificent ruin he displays. In that 
 ruin we shall distinguish fallen powers that lie as broken pillars on the 
 ground ; temples of beauty, whose scarred and shattered walls still indicate 
 their ancient, original glory ; summits covered with broken stones, infested 
 by asps, where the palaces of high thought and great aspirations stood, and 
 righteous courage went up to maintain the citadel of the mind — all ruin now — 
 * archangel ruined.' 
 
 "So of the remarkable picture given by Paul in the first chapter of the 
 Epistle to the Romans. In one view we are disgusted, in another shocked, 
 doubting whether it presents a creature most foolish and vile, or most 
 sublimely impious and wicked." — Bushnell. 
 
60 THE SHOKTER CATECHISM. 
 
 " A being full of contradictions, man is the most wretched of creatures, 
 since the other creatiires have no wants transcending the bounds of their 
 nature. Man is full of desires and wants that reach to infinity, and can 
 never be satisfied. His nature is a lie, uniting the greatest poverty with the 
 greatest pride." — Pliny. 
 
 " We have seen a piece of rock lying bare and exposed at the base of a huge 
 precipice. From the shape of that lesser rock you see that it is a fragment, 
 that it was once joined to the rocks above, that the frosts and storms of 
 winter have loosened it; and there it lies, useless and cumbersome, and 
 utterly incapable of being united by human art to the parent mass from 
 which it has been dissevered. It is a picture of the soul of man torn from 
 its God, and fallen into a dreadful abyss. We have only to examine that 
 soul to discover that it was once united to God, but that it has now been cut 
 off, and with no hope, so far as human agency is concerned, of the two being 
 united. 
 
 "Looking internally, and at the soul itself, we find that not only is there 
 a schism between man and his Maker, but in the very nature of man him- 
 self. He has in his heart a law which condemns the very heart in which it is 
 placed. He approves of a deed, and neglects to perform it ; he disapproves of 
 a deed, and rushes to the commission of it. Moral excellence is lauded, and 
 yet loathed by him ; while sin is condemned, and yet cherished." — Dr. M'Cosh 
 
 "They stood aloof, the scars remaining, 
 Like cliffs that had been rent asunder ; 
 
 A dreary sea now flows between. 
 And neither heat, nor frost, nor thunder. 
 
 Shall wholly do away, I ween. 
 
 The marks of that which once hath been." — Colei^idge. 
 
 John Howe, in the " Living Temple," thus writes : — " The stately ruins are 
 visible to every eye, that bear on their front, yet extant, this doleful inscrip- 
 tion, 'Here God once dwelt.' Enough appears of the admirable frame and 
 structure of the soul of man to show the Divine Presence did some time reside 
 in it ; more than enough of vicious deformity to proclaim He is now retired 
 and gone." Again he says : — "You come as into the ruined palace of some 
 great prince, in which you see here the fragments of a noble pillar, there the 
 shattered pieces of some curious imagery ; and all lying neglected amongst 
 heaps of dirt. He that invites you to take a view of the soul of man gives 
 you but such another prospect, and doth but say to you, * Behold the 
 desolation.' " 
 
 Cyrus, the king of Persia, long attended by courtiers and by armies, and 
 honoured by many victories, ordered these words to be engraved on his tomb : 
 " man, whatever thou art, and whencesoever thou comest, I know thou wilt 
 come to the same condition in which I now am. I am Cyrus who brought the 
 empire to the Persians. Do not envy me, I beseech thee, this little piece of 
 ground which covereth my body." 
 
 "Know withal. 
 Since thy original lapse, true Liberty 
 Is lost, which always with right Reason dwells 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 61 
 
 Twinned, and from her hath no dividual being ; 
 Reason in man obscured, or not obeyed, 
 Immediately inordinate desires 
 And upstart passions catch the government 
 From Reason ; and to servitude reduce 
 Man, till then free." — Milton. 
 
 Quest. 18. Wherein consists the sinfulness of that estate 
 whereinto man fell? 
 
 Ans. The sinfulness of that estate whereinto man fell, con- 
 sists 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 trans- 
 gressions which proceed from it. 
 
 EoM. V. 18. By the oflfence of one judg- 
 ment came upon all men to condemnation. 
 
 KoM. iii. 10. There is none righteous, 
 no, not one. 
 
 Ps. li. 5. Behold, I was shapen in 
 iniquity ; and in sin did my mother con- 
 ceive me. 
 
 Eph. ii. 3. And were by nature the 
 children of wrath, even as others. 
 
 Rom. vii. 18. For I know that in me 
 (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good 
 thing. 
 
 Rom. vii. 8. But sin, taking occasion by 
 the commandment, wrought in me all 
 manner of concupiscence. 
 
 Matt. xv. 19. For out of the heart pro- 
 ceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, 
 fornications, thefts, false witness, blas- 
 phemies. 
 
 Job xiv. 4. Who can bring a clean thing 
 out of an unclean ? not one. 
 
 RoM. viii. 7. Because the carnal mind is 
 enmity against God : for it is not subject 
 to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 
 
 The doctrines taught here are founded upon Holy Scripture, and are of 
 importance in relation to the scheme of divine grace. 
 
 I. The guilt of Adam's first sin. — "As Adam was the federal representative 
 as well as the natural head and root of all his descendants, the guilt (that is, 
 legal responsibility) of his public sin, which closed his probation and theirs, is 
 righteously imputed to them ; and its penal consequences — the wrath of 
 God, divorcement from his Spirit, spiritual, natural, and eternal death — are 
 inflicted upon them, in the line, and in part through the agency, of natural 
 generation." 
 
 Adam's sin is imputed to his posterity, not in the sense of personal tres- 
 pass, but legal responsibility. ' ' God never regards Adam's sinful dispositions, 
 or character, as ours ; nor his act of eating the forbidden fruit as our act, as 
 a matter of fact ; but the legal responsibility of his act God does righteously 
 impute to us. Since Adam was our legal representative, we are legally 
 responsible for his action in that character." 
 
 There could be no punishment— no legal consequences of sin without this 
 imputation — prior to personal trespass. But children die. The apostle iu 
 Rom. V. 12-21, connects this with Adam's sin. 
 
62 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 "All Christians hold that our present condition is in consequence of 
 Adam's sin. But if the legal responsibility of Adam's sin is not imputed, it 
 would follow that all these consequences have been arbitrarily inflicted, 
 without any legal ground whatsoever. Yet Paul calls these consequences a 
 'condemnation:' Rom, v. 16-18." — Dr. A. A. Hodge. 
 
 II. The want of original righteousness. — This implies our natural want of 
 purity of character in the sight of God, and the want of conformity to the 
 will of God. 
 
 III. The corruption of the whole nature, or Original Sin. — All men are by 
 natvire corrupt. The moral nature is tainted. The soul is not without 
 character tiU it acts morally. It has moral sinfulness by nature. The whole 
 man is corrupt. 
 
 1. The understanding is depraved: 1 Cor. ii. 14; 2 Cor. iv. 4; Eph. iv. 18; 
 Col. i. 21. 
 
 2. The affections are depraved : Matt. xv. 19, 20. 
 
 3. The will is depraved : Rom. vi. 12-19, vii. 5-23. 
 
 4. The necessity of regeneration implies total depravity : John iii. 3. It is 
 a radical change : Ezek. xxxvi. 26 ; 2 Cor. v. 17. 
 
 5. The general prevalence of sin implies that all are sinful. A universal 
 effect must have a universal cause. 
 
 6. The universality of death implies original sin. 
 
 7. The nature and necessity of redemption attest the universal prevalence 
 of sin. 
 
 8. Infant baptism, like circumcision, attests original sin. 
 
 The natural corruption affects all the actions of men. It is a leprosy that 
 has spread over all our moral nature. It is a virits which taints the whole 
 being. It is a nursery of all evil deeds. All proceed from the depraved 
 heart. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. Our corruption is as old as ourselves. 
 
 2. Children as well as parents need cleansing and regeneration. 
 
 3. Let us apply to the Mediator for justifying righteousness and sanctify- 
 ing grace. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 The Rev. Dr. Milne, the devoted missionary to the Chinese, thus wrote 
 of his conversion :—" The book which God made use of more especially for 
 convincing me of my sin and misery was Boston's ' Fourfold State,' which I 
 read with the deepest attention. It conducted me into my own heart, dis- 
 covered the evil which lay before me in the chambers of imagery— the monstrous 
 ingratitude to God which marked all my conduct, and the iX)llutions of 
 original and actual sin with which my soul was contaminated. I saw that I 
 was necessarily under the strongest and most righteous obligations to God, 
 and had never for one hour of my life discharged these, but lived in rebellion 
 against the Author of my life : so I was justly under the curse of God's right- 
 eous law, and exposed to everlasting misery." But he found a Saviour, dedicated 
 himself to his service, and became a most useful missionary to the heathen. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 63 
 
 "It is true that we are full of sin, both original and actual: whosoever 
 denieth it is a double sinner, for he is both a sinner and a liar. To deny sin 
 is most plainly and clearly to prove it ; because he that saith he has no sin 
 lieth, and by lying proveth that he hath sin." — Hoolcer's Sermons. 
 
 Plato, the great Greek philosopher, though a heathen, said, " I have 
 heard from the wise men that we are now dead, and that the body is but our 
 sepulchre." Again he says, " The cause of vitiosity is from our parents and 
 first principles, rather than from ourselves." Socrates asserted the corrup- 
 tion of human nature when he was once accused of having a base and lewd 
 disposition; his disciples, who knew the contrary, would have beaten the 
 offender, but Socrates said, " I was once naturally the character he describes, 
 but I have been regenerated by philosophy." 
 
 Every Christian acknowledges the corruption of human nature, and may 
 say with the apostle, " By the grace of God I am what I am." 
 
 A caviller once asked the shrewd Dr. Nettleton, " How came I by my 
 wicked heart?" " That," he replied, " is a question which does not concern 
 you so much as another — namely, How can you get rid of it ? You have a 
 wicked heart, which renders you entirely unfit for the kingdom of God ; and 
 you must have a new heart, or you cannot be saved ; and the question which 
 now deeply concerns you is. How shall you obtain it?" As the man mani- 
 fested no wish to hear anything on that subject, but still pressed the ques- 
 tion how he came by his wicked heart, Dr. Nettleton told him that his 
 condition resembled that of a man who is drowning, while his friend is 
 attempting to save his life. As he rises to the surface of the water he 
 exclaims, "How came I here?" "That question does not concern you 
 now," says the friend : " take hold of this rope." — " But how came I here ?" 
 he asks again. " I shall not stop to answer that question now,'' replies his 
 friend. — " Then I'll drown," says the infatuated man; and spurning all pro- 
 ferred aid, sinks to the bottom. 
 
 " The proper study of mankind is Man. 
 Placed on this isthmus of a middle state, 
 A being darkly wise, and rudely great ; 
 With too much knowledge for the sceptic side. 
 With too much weakness for the stoic's pride, 
 He hangs between ; in doubt to act or rest ; 
 In doubt to deem himself a god or beast ; 
 In doubt his mind or body to prefer ; 
 Bom but to die, and reasoning but to err; 
 Alike in ignorance, his reason such. 
 Whether he thinks too little or too much : 
 Chaos of thought and passion, all confused ; 
 Still by himself abused or disabused ; 
 Created half to rise, and half to fall ; 
 Great lord of all things, yet a prey to all ; 
 Sole judge of truth, in endless error hurled, 
 The glory, jest, and riddle of the world \"—Pope. 
 
64 
 
 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 Quest. 19. What is the misery of that estate whereinto man 
 fell ? 
 
 Ans. All mankind by their fall lost communion with God, 
 are under his wrath and curse, and so made liable to all 
 miseries in this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell for 
 ever. 
 
 Gen. iii. 8. Adam and his wife hid 
 themselves from the presence of the Lord 
 God amongst the trees of the garden. Ver. 
 24. So he drove out the man ; and he 
 placed at the east of the garden of Eden 
 cherubims, and a flaming sword which 
 turned every way, to keep the way of the 
 tree of life. 
 
 Ps. V. 4. For thou art not a God that 
 hath pleasure in wickedness : neither shall 
 evil dwell with thee. Ver. 5. The foolish 
 shall not stand in thy sight : thou hatest all 
 workers of iniquity. 
 
 Eph. ii. 3. And were by nature the 
 children of wrath, even as others. 
 
 Gal. iii. 10. Cursed is every one that 
 continueth not in all things which are 
 written in the book of the law to do 
 them. 
 
 Rom. i. 18. The wrath of God is re- 
 vealed from heaven against all ungodli- 
 ness and unrighteousness of men, who 
 hold the truth in unrighteousness. 
 
 RoM. vi. 23. The wages of sin is 
 death. 
 
 Matt. xxv. 41. Then shall he say also 
 unto them on the left hand, Depart from 
 me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, pre- 
 pared for the devil and his angels. 
 
 I. The loss of communion with God. — Adam was made the friend of God, 
 and had the privilege of fellowship ; but he forsook God, and thus lost that 
 communion. " Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the 
 Lord God amongst the trees of the garden." Hence he was without God 
 in the world ; which is the effect of sin still. 
 
 II. Mankind are under God's wrath and curse. — Sinners have displeased 
 God and broken his law. He is angry with sinners every day. The punish- 
 ment of sin is due to the sinner. He is therefore said to be under a curse : 
 " Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written 
 in the book of the law to do them." 
 
 III. Liable to the miseries of this life. — These are of two kinds, outward 
 and inward. Outward miseries of this life are sickness, losses, disgrace, 
 poverty, oppression, war and all its issues. Inward miseries are fear, sor- 
 row, vile affections, hardness of heart, blindness of mind, envies, jealousies, 
 hatred. 
 
 IV. Liahle to death.— *^ The wages of sin is death." Death passed upon 
 all men, for all have sinned. 
 
 V. Liable to the pains of hell for ever. — ^There is a place of punishment 
 where sin is dealt with by God. There is the loss of all good, and the inflic- 
 tion of pain. The parable of the rich man, and other expressions on this 
 subject in the teaching of the Saviour, however figurative, imply real en- 
 durance of woe. The worm, the fire, the gnashing of teeth, indicate agony 
 of pain. Sin is not punished in this life, and therefore must be punished in 
 the next world. Jesus delivers us from " the wrath to come : " 1 Thess. i. 10. 
 Sin and misery are thus taken away by the Saviour from all that believe in 
 his name, 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 65 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Cicero, in his Tusculan Questions, states that Damocles was one of the 
 companions and flatterers of Dionysius the elder, tyrant of Syracuse, and 
 that he extolled his patron on account of his great felicity in possessing such 
 vast wealth and power. The tyrant invited him to try what his happiness 
 was, and placed him at a magnificent banquet, surrounded by every kind of 
 luxury and enjoyment; but in the midst of it Damocles saw a naked sword 
 suspended over his head by a single horse-hair ! The sight quickly dispelled 
 all his visions of happiness. — Over the sinner, amidst his enjoyment of the 
 pleasures of sin for a season, is suspended the sword of God's wrath against 
 sin, which may at any moment fall on him. 
 
 Madame de Pompadour, who enjoyed the friendship of Louis XIV. of 
 France, and the pleasures of the brilliant court, made this confession: — 
 " What a situation is that of the great ! They only live in the future, and are 
 only happy in hope. There is no peace in ambition ; it is always gloomy, 
 and often unreasonably so. The kindness of the king, the regards of the 
 courtiers, the attachment of my domestics, and the fidelity of a large num- 
 ber of friends make me happy no longer. I have caused my house in Paris 
 to be magnificently furnished ; well, that pleased me for two days. My 
 residence at Bellevue is charming, and I alone cannot endure it. Benevolent 
 people relate to me all the news and adventures of Paris : they think I 
 listen ; but when they have done I ask them what they said. In a word, I 
 do not live ; I am dead before my time. I have no interest in the world. 
 Everything conspires to imbitter my life." 
 
 This is the verdict of Lord Chesterfield, the celebrated courtier: — "I have 
 seen the silly round of business and pleasure, and have done with it all. I 
 have enjoyed all the pleasures of the world, and consequently known their 
 futility, and do not regret their loss. I appraise them at their real value, 
 which in truth is very low ; whereas those who have not experience always 
 overrate them. They only see their gay outside, and are dazzled with their 
 glare ; but I have been behind the scenes. I have seen all the coarse 
 pulleys and dirty ropes which exhibit and move the gaudy machine ; and 
 have seen and smelt the tallow candles which illuminate the whole decora- 
 tion to the astonishment of the ignorant audience. When I reflect on what 
 I have seen, what I have heard, and what I have done, I can hardly per- 
 suade myself that that hurry of bustle and pleasure of the world had any 
 reality ; but I look upon all that is past as one of those romantic dreams 
 which opium commonly occasions, and I do by no means wish to repeat the 
 nauseous dose for the sake of the fugitive dream. Shall I tell you that I 
 bear this melancholy situation with that meritorious constancy and resigna- 
 tion that most men boast ? No, sir ; I really cannot help it. I bear it 
 because I must bear it, whether I will or not. I think of nothing but 
 killing time the best way I can ; — now that time has become mine enemy, it 
 is my resolution to sleep in the carriage during the remainder of the 
 journey." 
 
 When Charles IX. of France was importuned to put to death Admiral 
 Coligni, the eminent Protestant, he for a long time refused to do so, either 
 
66 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 publicly or secretly ; but at last he gave way, and consented in these memor- 
 able words : " Assassinate Admiral Coligni ; but leave not a Huguenot alive 
 in France to reproach me." So came the Massacre of St. Bartholomew. 
 When the soul resolves to do wrong, it does not like to have any accuser 
 within to reproach it. But you cannot take away the sting ! 
 
 We have heard of some who were practically in hell before death. Most 
 of us are now acquainted with those who are suffering daily and hourly 
 torture in body or mind, or both, as the result of wrong-doing. The power 
 to enjoy evil, or even to derive temporary advantage from it, has gone for 
 ever. Surely now they will loathe and forsake it. Reason counsels them so 
 to do, friends urge them, and failing vital powers warn against delay. They 
 may loathe the torturing evil, but do they forsake it ? How seldom ! 
 
 Mr. J. B. Gough has described his misery through drunkenness when 
 delirium tremens was on him. Those who saw him after it might have said, 
 as was said of Dante when he passed through the streets after having pub- 
 lished his " Inferno," " There goes the man who has been in hell ! " 
 
 It is said of Cesare Borgia that in his last moments he exclaimed, " I have 
 provided, in the course of my life, against everything except death; and 
 now, alas! I have to die, although entirely unprepared." 
 
 " Ah, Mr. Harvey," said a dying man, " the day in which I ought to have 
 worked is over, and now I see a horrible night approaching, bringing Av-ith it 
 the blackness of darkness for ever. Woe is me ! when God called I refused. 
 Now I am in sore anguish ; and yet this is but the beginning of sorrows. I 
 shall be destroyed with an everlasting destruction." 
 
 St. Bernard, in one of his discourses, speaking of the stings of conscience 
 as like the misery of hell, remarks that "men should go alive into hell, that 
 they may not go there when they are dead." 
 
 " There is such a thing as being ' salted with fire;' a never annihilating, but 
 still consuming torture. You may escape the viper and the wreck ; you 
 may by prudence make this world painless, more or less ; — you cannot escape 
 from yourself. Go where you will, you carry with you a soul degraded, its 
 power lost, its finer sensibilities destroyed. Worse than the viper's tooth is 
 the punishment of no longer striving after goodness, or aspiring after the 
 
 love of God There is no punishment equal to the punishment of being 
 
 base. To sink from sin to sin, from infamy to infamy — that is the fearful 
 retribution which is executed in the spiritual world. The fang is in your 
 soul." — F. W. Robertson. 
 
 "Did you ever happen to see that most soft-spoken and velvet-handed 
 steam-engine at the Mint ? The smooth piston slides backward and forward 
 as a lady might slip her delicate finger in and out of a ring. The engine 
 lays one of its fingers calmly, but firmly, upon a bit of metal ; it is a coin 
 now, and will remember that touch, and tell a new race about it when the 
 date upon it is crusted over with twenty centuries. So it is that a great, 
 silent-moving misery puts a new stamp on us in an hour or a moment, and 
 as sharp an impression as if it had taken half a lifetime to engi'ave it." — 
 OHver Wendell Holmes. 
 
 " I could not have thought," said a pious lady, " that any one could have 
 suffered so much and yet live ; and if God inflicts such sufferings upon his 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 67 
 
 own children, what must the pains of hell be to the wicked ! sin ! sin ! 
 remember all sorrow and suffering are the fruits and effects of sin. I cannot 
 think what the wicked do on a death-bed, when the horrors of the mind are 
 added to the pain of the body." 
 
 " What a fearful crowd 
 
 Of wild emotions, passions, fears, and hopes, 
 
 Rush like a fierce tornado on the heart, 
 
 Burning and maddening by their demon-dance. 
 
 And leaving desolation in their train ! 
 
 Wars hot as ever rocked a continent, 
 
 Or made a planet struggle in its path, 
 
 Are daily fought within the bleeding soul 
 
 Of many a child of Adam." — Dr. Leask. 
 
 " Descend, O sinner, to the woe ! 
 
 Thy day of hope is done ; 
 Light shall revisit thee no more. 
 Life with its sanguine dreams is o'er, 
 Love reaches not yon awful shore ; 
 
 For ever sets thy sun ! 
 
 " No river of forgetfulness, 
 
 As poets dreamed and sung, 
 Rolls yonder to efface the past. 
 To quench the sense of what thou wast. 
 To soothe or end thy pain at last, 
 
 Or cool thy burning tongue. 
 
 *' No God is there ; no Christ, for He 
 
 Whose word on earth was Come, 
 Hath said Depart ; go, lost one, go. 
 Reap the sad harvest thou didst sow, 
 Join yon lost angels .in their woe ; 
 
 Their prison is thy home. 
 
 " Descend, O sinner, to the gloom ! 
 
 Hear the deep judgment-knell 
 Send forth its terror-shrieking sound 
 These walls of adamant around. 
 And filling to its utmost bound 
 
 Thy woful, woful hell. 
 
 " Depart, O sinner, to the chain ! 
 Enter the eternal cell : 
 To all that's good, and true, and right. 
 To all that's fond, and fair, and bright. 
 To all of holiness and light, , 
 
 Bid thou thy last farewell ! " 
 
 Horatius JBonar, D.D. 
 
68 
 
 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 Quest. 20. Did God leave all mankind to perish in the estate 
 of sin and misery ? 
 
 Ans. God having, out of his mere good pleasure, from all 
 eternity, elected some to everlasting life, did enter into a cove- 
 nant of grace, to deliver them out of the estate of sin and 
 misery, and to bring them into an estate of salvation by a Re- 
 deemer. 
 
 2 Thess. ii. 13. But we are bound to 
 give thanks alway to God for you, breth- 
 ren beloved of the Lord, because God hath 
 from the beginning chosen you to salvation 
 through sanctiflcation of the Spirit and 
 belief of the truth. 
 
 Eph. i. 4. According as he hath chosen 
 us in him before the foundation of the 
 world, that we should be holy and without 
 blame before him in love: Ver. 5. Hav- 
 ing predestinated us unto the adoption of 
 cliildren by Jesus Christ to himself, ac- 
 cording to the good pleasure of his will. 
 Ver. 11. In whom also we have obtained 
 an inheritance, being predestinated ac- 
 cording to the purpose of him who work- 
 eth all things after the counsel of his own 
 will. 
 
 Ps. Ixxxix. 3. I have made a covenant 
 with my chosen. 
 
 Gal. i. 4. Who gave himself for our 
 sins, that he might deliver us from this 
 present evil world, according to the will of 
 God and our Father. 
 
 2 Tim. i. 9. Who hath saved us, and 
 called us with an holy calling, not accord- 
 ing to our works, but according to his own 
 purpose and grace, which was given us in 
 Christ Jesus before the world began. 
 
 Rom. xi. 5. Even so then at this present 
 time also there is a remnant according to 
 the election of grace. 
 
 1 Peter i. 2. Elect according to the fore- 
 knowledge of God the Father, through sanc- 
 tiflcation of the Spirit, unto obedience and 
 sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. 
 
 God is so merciful that he does not leave, as justly he might, all men to 
 perish in then- state of sinfulness ; he has ever designed to save some of them 
 by means of a Redeemer. 
 
 I. The covenant of (irace. — "This word occurs thirty-three times in the 
 New Testament, and is almost uniformly translated covenant when it refers 
 to the dealings of God with his ancient Church, and testament when it refers 
 to his dealings with his Church under the gospel dispensation. Its funda- 
 mental sense is that of disposition, arrangement : in the classics, generally 
 that specific form of arrangement or disposition called a testament ; which 
 sense, however, it properly bears in but one passage of the New Testament 
 —namely, Heb. ix. 16, 17 " {Dr. A. A. Hodge). There is a covenant of grace 
 between the Father and the Son providing for the redemption of men : Isa. 
 liii. 10-12 ; Ps. Ixxxix. 3 ; Isa. xlii. 6, 7 ; John x. 18 ; Luke xxii. 29 ; John 
 xvii. 4, 5 ; Phil. ii. G-11. 
 
 II. The Author of the covenant of grace. — It was the design of God, and had 
 its source in his infinite love : Eph. i. 5 ; — his mere good pleasure. 
 
 III. The commencement of the covenant— 'Ftovd. eternity : Jer, xxxi, 3 ; Eph. 
 i. 4 ; 2 Thess. ii. 13. Choice in God was not dependent on man, and did 
 not originate in time. 
 
 IV. The objects of this covenant.— ^\ni\&r& as such, in the estate of sin and 
 misery, are embraced in this covenant. It expressed the divine compassion 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 69 
 
 on the fallen and the depraved. As sinners they are capable of experiencing 
 its blessings, and in view of this it was arranged. 
 
 V. The ^mrpose of this covenant. 
 
 1. To deliver them out of an estate of sin and misery. To remove the 
 curse of the law from the sinner, and to remove the effects of sin out of the 
 sinner. 
 
 2. To bring them into an estate of salvation. This includes pardon or jus- 
 tification, adoption, and sanctification, and all the blessings that accompany 
 or flow from them. 
 
 VI. The Agent of the covenant of grace. — It is wrought out by a Redeemer, 
 by one able to place himself in the sinner's position, and to discharge the 
 obligations due by the sinner : Gal. iii. 13. The name Bedeemer has direct 
 reference to the state of sinful and guilty men. They were lawful captives, 
 and ere they could be saved had to be bought back : Isa. xlix. 24 ; Titus ii. 
 14 ; 1 Cor. vi. 20. Man was of himself insufficient. A Redeemer was neces- 
 sary — one who could claim kindred, and act the part of a kinsman, as Boaz 
 to Ruth. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. Learn the love of God in providing salvation. 
 
 2. The necessity of faith in Christ as our Redeemer in order to be saved. 
 
 3. The duty of making our calling and election sure. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Lord Bolingbroke, the celebrated infidel, was one day reading in Calvin's 
 "Institutes," when a clergyman of his lordship's acquaintance came on a 
 visit to him. Lord Bolingbroke said, "You have just caught me reading 
 John Calvin. He was indeed a man of great parts, profound sense, and 
 vast learning. He handles the doctrines of grace in a very masterly manner. " 
 " Doctrines of grace!" replied the clergyman; "the doctrines of grace have 
 set all mankind by the ears." " I am surprised to hear you say so," said 
 Lord Bolingbroke,—" you who profess to believe and to preach Christianity. 
 Those doctrines are certainly the doctrines of the Bible, and if I believe the 
 Bible I must believe them. And let me tell you seriously, that the greatest 
 miracle in the world is the subsistence of Christianity, and its continued 
 preservation as a religion, when the preaching of it is committed to the care 
 of such unchristian wretches as you ! " 
 
 " The sovereignty of God in the dispensation of his providence is evinced 
 in his dealings both with nations and with individuals. It cannot be be- 
 lieved that the lot of the Laplanders is as favourable as that of the inhabitants 
 of the temperate zones ; that the Hottentots are in as desirable a position as 
 Europeans ; that the people of Tartary are as well off as those of the United 
 States. The inequality is too glaring to be denied. Nor can it be doubted 
 that the rule that God adopts in determining the lot of nations is his own 
 good pleasure, and not the relative claims of the people affected by his provi- 
 dence. The same fact is no less obvious as concerns individuals Some 
 
 have all their faculties, others are bom blind or deaf ; some are rich, others 
 are sunk in the misery and degradation of abject poverty The same prin- 
 
70 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 ciple is carried out with regard to the communication of religious knowledge 
 and advantages. God chose the Jews from among all the families of the 
 earth to be the recipients of his oracles and the divinely instituted ordinances 
 
 of religion. The rest of the world was left for centuries in utter darkness 
 
 It is therefore vain to adopt a theory which does not accord with these facts. 
 It is in vain for us to deny that God is sovereign in the distribution of his 
 favours, if in his providence it is undeniable that he acts as a sovereign." — 
 Dr. Hodge. 
 
 A pious old woman in Albany once remarked, " Ah, I have long settled 
 that point ; for if God had not chosen me before I was bom, I am sure he 
 woidd have seen nothing in me afterward to have chosen me for." 
 
 A certain individual said to the Rev. Dr. Nettleton, " I cannot get along 
 with the doctrine of election." "Then," said he, "get along without it. 
 You are at liberty to get to heaven the easiest way you can. Whether the 
 doctrine of election is true or not, it is true that you must repent and believe 
 and love God. Now, what we tell you is, that such is the wickedness of 
 your heart, you will never do these things unless God has determined to 
 renew your heart. If you do not believe that your heart is so wicked, make 
 it manifest by complying with the terms of salvation. Why do you stand 
 cavilling with the doctrine of election ? Suppose you should prove it to be 
 false, what have you gained ? You must repent and believe in Christ after 
 all. Why do you not immediately comply vdth these terms of the gospel ? 
 When you have done this without the aid of divine grace, it will be soon 
 enough to oppose the doctrine of election. Until you shall have done this, we 
 shall still believe that the doctrine of election lies at the foundation of all 
 hope in your case." 
 
 To a man who manifested great opposition to the doctrine of election. Dr. 
 Nettleton once said : " If I should go to heaven, I feel as if I should wish to 
 say, in the language of the apostle, ' Who hath saved us, and called us with 
 an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own pur- 
 pose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.' 
 Now, if we should meet in heaven, and I should make use of this language, 
 wiU you quarrel with me there ? " 
 
 The late Rev. John Newton, when his memory was nearly gone, used to 
 say that, forget what he might, he never forgot two things : first, that he 
 was a great sinner ; second, that Jesus Christ was a great Saviour. 
 
 In the last will of the pious and learned Dr. Claudius Buchanan are these 
 words, written with his own hand : " I account the origin of my salvation 
 to be the love of God the Father, who loved my soul in Christ its head, before 
 the foundation of the world." 
 
 " A senator related to his son the account of the book containing the names 
 of illustrious members of the commonwealth. The son desired to see the 
 outside. It was glorious to look upon. ' Oh, let me open it,' said the son. 
 'Nay,' said the father; ' it is kno\vn only to the Council.' * Then,' said the 
 son, 'tell me if my name is there.' ' And that,' said the father, ' is a secret 
 known only to the Council, and it cannot be divulged.' Then he desired to 
 know for what achievements the names were inscribed in that book. So the 
 father told him, and related to him the achievements and noble deeds by 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 71 
 
 which they had eternized their names. ' Such,' said he, ' are written, and 
 none but such are written, in the book.' 'And will my name be there?' 
 said the son. ' I cannot tell thee,' said the father. ' If thy deeds are like 
 theirs, thou shalt be written in the book ; if not, thou shalt not be written.' 
 And then the son consulted with himself ; and he found that his whole deeds 
 were playing and singing, and drinking and amusing himself ; and he found 
 that this was not noble, nor temperate, nor valiant. And as he could not 
 read as yet his name, he determined to make his ' calling and election sure. ' 
 And thus, by patient continuance in well-doing, the end is crowned with 
 glory, honour, immortality, and eternal life." — E. P. Hood. 
 
 " Effectual calling is inseparably tied to this eternal foreknowledge or elec- 
 tion on the one side, and salvation on the other. These two links of the 
 chain are up in heaven in God's own hand ; but this middle one is let down 
 to earth into the hearts of his children, and they, laying hold on it, have sure 
 hold of the other two, for no power can sever them. If, therefore, they can 
 read the characters of God's image in their own souls, these are the counter- 
 part of the golden characters of his love in which their names are written in 
 the book of life. Their believing writes their names under the promises of 
 the revealed book of life, the Scriptures, and so ascertains them that the 
 same names are in the secret book of life that God hath by himself from 
 eternity. ' '—A rchbishop Levjhton. 
 
 " As Thine, Thou didst foreknow us 
 
 From all eternity ; 
 Thy chosen, loved ones ever, 
 
 Kept present to Thine eye. 
 And when was come the moment. 
 
 Thou, calling by thy grace, 
 Didst gently, firmly draw us, 
 
 Each from his hiding-place." 
 
 Quest. 21. Who is the Redeemer of God's elect? 
 
 Ans. The only Redeemer of God's elect is the Lord Jesus 
 Christ, who, being the eternal Son of God, became man, and so 
 was, and continueth to be, God and man in two distinct natures, 
 and one person, for ever. 
 
 ISA. lix. 20. And the Redeemer shall 
 come to Zion, and unto them that turn 
 from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord. 
 
 Gal. iv. 4. But when the fulness of the 
 time was come, God sent forth his Son, 
 made of a woman, made under the law, 
 Ver. 5. To redeem them that were under 
 the law, that we might receive the adop- 
 tion of sons. 
 
 Acts iv. 12. Neither is there salvation 
 in any other : for there is none other name 
 
 under heaven given among men, whereby 
 we must be saved. 
 
 1 Tim. ii. 5. For there is one God, and 
 one mediator between God and men, the 
 man Christ Jesus. 
 
 Heb. i. 8. But unto the Son he saith, 
 Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever : a 
 sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of 
 thy kingdom. 
 
 John i. 14. And the Word was made 
 flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld 
 
72 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 his glory, the glory as of the only begotten 
 of the Father,) full of grace and truth. 
 
 RoM. ix. 5. Whose are the fathers, and of 
 whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, 
 who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen. 
 
 CoL. ii. 9. For in him dwelleth all the 
 fulness of the Godhead bodily. 
 
 Heb. vii. 24. But this man, because he 
 continueth ever, hath an unchangeable 
 priesthood. 
 
 I. The Lord Je»as Christ is the Redeemer. — In Galatians iv. 4, 5, Christ is 
 spoken of as sent to redeem ; in 1 Timothy ii. 5, he is called the Mediator 
 between God and men. He is possessed of all qualifications, and is divinely 
 commissioned. 
 
 II. He is the only Redeemer. — This is directly proved by 1 Timothy ii. 5, 
 and by such passages of Scripture as show forth Christ fulfilling in our 
 behalf every mediator'ial function that is necessary ; both propitiation and 
 advocacy : 1 John ii. 1, 2 ; on earth and in heaven : Heb. ix. 12, vii. 25. He 
 exhausted all these functions : Heb. x. 14 ; and in him there is complete 
 salvation : Col. ii. 10 ; John xiv. 6 ; Acts iv. 12. There is no room for any 
 other. He invites us to himself : Matt. xi. 28 ; and to him the Holy Ghost 
 draws men : John xvi. 13, 14, 
 
 III. The Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God.—H.e is the second 
 person of the Godhead. His Sonship is as eternal as his Godhead. He is 
 called the only-begotten Son of God. The following texts support the 
 eternal Sonship : — Matt. xi. 27 ; Luke x. 22, as the Son knows the Father. 
 John i. 1-14, where he is shown to be the only -begotten Son as God, not as 
 Mediator. John v. 21, 22, x. 33-38, Father and Son are used to designate 
 two equal and divine persons. 1 John iii. 8; Rom. viii. 3; John iii. 17, 
 imply that the Son sent or manifested was the Son before he was sent or 
 manifested. 
 
 IV. The Lord Jesus Christ became man. — As Redeemer he required to be 
 our "kinsman." As man had sinned and suffered, he as man required to 
 bear our sins. Christ was really a man — he was made of a woman : Gal iv. 4. 
 He was made flesh : John i. 14. He is Emmanuel : Matt. i. 23. 
 
 V. The Lord Jesus Christ is God and man in two distinct natures. — By his 
 union to man he did not lose what was divine. He retains the full properties 
 of both natures. He is "very God of very God." He is truly a man, and 
 like to us. 
 
 VI. The Lord Jesus Christ is God and man in one person. — In many pas- 
 sages both natures are referred to, when it is evident that only one person 
 was intended, as Phil. ii. G-11. The union of two natures in one person is 
 also clearly taught us where the attributes and actions are predicated of 
 Christ in certain passages, whUe the person of whom these attributes and 
 actions are predicated is designated by a divine title : Acts xx. 28 ; Rom. 
 viii. 32, ix. 5 ; 1 Cor. ii. 8 ; Matt. i. 23 ; Luke i. 31, 32 ; Col. i. 13, 14. On 
 the other hand, in other passages divine attributes and actions are predi- 
 cated of Christ, while the person of whom these attributes and actions 
 are predicated is designated by a human title : John iii. 13, vi. 62 ; Rev. 
 V. 12. 
 
 VII. The Lord Jesus Christ is God and man for ever. — He died in his man- 
 hood, and rose and ascended as man. The union of the two natures is 
 
 ••'■:1l*i^. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 73 
 
 indissoluble and everlasting. He is a high priest for ever: Heb. vii. 25. 
 He wears our nature on the throne, and vvriU wear it for ever. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. How valuable must be the soul, when so great a Redeemer was required 
 to save it. 
 
 2. How glorious and adorable is the Redeemer in his unique person. 
 
 3. Look \into Jesus, the author and finisher of faith. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 The following is a most remarkable confession, and its authenticity is 
 abundantly certified. It is the First Napoleon's Argument for the Divine 
 Origin of the Scriptures ; in a conversation with General Bertrand at St. 
 Helena : — 
 
 "True, Jesus Christ offers to our faith a series of mysteries. He com- 
 mands us authoritatively to believe, and gives no other reason than his awful 
 word, / am God. True, this is an article of mere faith, and upon it depend 
 all the other articles of the Christian system ; but the doctrine of the divinity 
 of Christ once admitted, Christianity appears with the precision and clear- 
 ness of algebra. It has the connectedness and unity of a science. This 
 doctrine, resting upon the Bible, best explains the traditions prevalent in 
 the world. It throws light upon them; and all the other doctrines of 
 Christianity are strictly connected with it, as links of the same chain. The 
 nature of Christ's existence is mysterious, I admit ; but this mystery meets 
 the wants of man. Reject it, and the world is an inexplicable riddle; 
 believe it, and the history of our race is satisfactorily explained. Christianity 
 has one advantage over all systems of philosophy and all religions. Chris- 
 tians do not delude themselves in regard to the nature of things. You 
 cannot reproach them with the subtleties and artifices of those idealists 
 who think to solve profound theological problems by their empty disserta- 
 tions. Fools ! their efforts are those of the infant who tries to touch the 
 sky with his hand, or cries to have the moon as his plaything. Christian- 
 ity says simply : ' No man hath seen God but God. God reveals what he 
 is. His revelation is a mystery which neither imagination nor reason can 
 conceive. But when God speaks, man must believe.' This is soimd com- 
 mon sense. 
 
 " The gospel possesses a secret virtue of indescribable efficacy, a warmth 
 which influences the understanding and softens the heart. In meditating 
 upon it, you feel as you do in contemplating the heavens. The gospel is 
 more than a book ; it is a living thing, active, powerful, overcoming every 
 obstacle in its way. See upon this table this Book of books [and here the 
 Emperor touched it reverently] : I never cease reading it, and always with 
 new delight. Christ never hesitates, never varies in his instructions ; and 
 the least of his assertions is stamped with a simplicity and a depth which 
 captivate the ignorant and the learned, if they give it their attention. 
 Nowhere is to be found such a series of beautiful thoughts, fine moral 
 maxims, following one another like ranks of a celestial army, and producing 
 
74 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 in the soul the same emotion as is felt in contemplating the infinite extent 
 of the resplendent heavens on a fine summer night. Not only is our mind 
 absorbed, it is controlled ; and the soul can never go astray with this book 
 for its guide. Once master of our mind, the gospel is a faithful friend. 
 God himself is our Friend, our Father, and truly our God. A mother has 
 not greater care for the infant on her breast. The soul, captivated by the 
 beauty of the gospel, is no longer its own. God occupies it altogether ; he 
 directs its thoughts and all its faculties ; it is his. What a proof it is of the 
 divinity of Christ, that with so absolute an empire his single aim is the 
 spiritual melioration of individuals, their jiurity of conscience, their union 
 to truth, their holiness of soul. 
 
 " My last argument is, there is not a God in heaven if a mere man was 
 able to conceive and execute successfully the gigantic design of making him- 
 self the object of supreme worship by usurping the name of God. Jesus 
 alone dared to do this ; he alone said clearly and unfalteringly of himself, 
 I am God ; which is quite different from saying, / am a god, or, Thei'e are gods. 
 History mentions no other individual who has appropriated to himself the 
 title of God in the absolute sense. Heathen mythology nowhere j^retends 
 that Jupiter and the other gods themselves assumed divinity. It would 
 have been on their part the height of pride and absurdity. They were deified 
 by their posterity, the heirs of the first despots. As all men are of one 
 race, Alexander called himself the son of JujDiter; but Greece laughed at 
 the silly assumption ; and so in making gods of their emperors the Romans 
 were not serious. Mohammed and Confucius merely gave out that they were 
 agents of the Deity. Numa's goddess Egeria was only the personification 
 of his reflections in the solitude of the woods. The Brahmas of India are 
 only deifications of mental attributes. How then should a Jew, the par- 
 ticulars of whose history are better attested than those of any of his con- 
 temporaries — how should he alone, the son of a carpenter, give out all at 
 once that he was God, the Creator of all things ? He arrogates to himself 
 the highest adoration. He constructs his worship with his own hands, not 
 with stones, but with men. You are amazed at the conquests of Alexander ; 
 but he is a conqueror who appropriates to his own advantage, who incor- 
 porates with himself, not a nation, but the human race. Wonderful ! the 
 human soul, with all its faculties, becomes blended with the existence of 
 Christ. 
 
 " And how ? By a prodigy surpassing all other prodigies — he seeks the love 
 of men, the most difficult thing in the world to obtain : he seeks what a wise man 
 would fain have from a few friends, a father from his children, a wife from her 
 husband, a brother from a brother — in a word, the heart ; this he seeks, this 
 he absolutely requires; and he gains his object. Hence I infer his divinity. 
 Alexander, Caesar, Hannibal, Louis XIV., with all their genius, failed here. 
 They conquered the world, and had not a friend. I am perhaps the only 
 person of my day who loves Hannibal, Ctesar, Alexander. Louis XIV., 
 who shed so much lustre upon France and the world, had not a friend in all 
 his kingdom, not even in his own family. True, we love our children, but 
 it is from instinct, from a necessity which the beasts themselves obey ; and 
 how many children manifest no proper sense of our kindness and the care 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 75 
 
 we bestow on them — how many ungrateful children ! Do your children, 
 General Bertrand, love you ? You love them, but you are not sure of being 
 requited. Neither natural affection nor your kindness will ever inspire in 
 them such love as Christians have for God. When you die, your children 
 will remember you — doubtless while spending your money ; but your grand- 
 children will hardly know that you ever existed. And yet you are General 
 Bertrand ! And we are here upon an island where all your cares and all 
 your enjoyments are centred in your family. Christ speaks, and at once 
 generations become his by stricter, closer ties than those of blood ; by the 
 most sacred, most indissoluble of all unions. He lights i;p the flame of a 
 love which consumes self-love, which prevails over every other love. 
 
 " In this wonderful power of his will, we recognize the Word that created 
 the world. The founders of other religions never conceived of this mystical 
 love, which is the essence of Christianity, and is beautifully called charity. 
 Hence it is that they have struck upon a rock. In every attempt to effect 
 this thing — namely, to make himself beloved — man deeply feels his own impo- 
 tence : so that Christ's greatest miracle undoubtedly is the reign of charity. 
 He alone has succeeded in lifting the heart of man to things invisible ; and in 
 inducing him to sacrifice temporal things he alone, by influencing him to this 
 sacrifice, has formed a bond of union between heaven and earth. All who sin- 
 cerely believe in him taste this wonderful, supernatural, exalted love, which 
 is beyond the power of reason, above the ability of man ; a sacred fire brought 
 down to earth by this new Prometheus, and of which Time, the great 
 destroyer, can neither exhaust the force nor limit the duration. The more 
 I think of this, I admire it the more. And it convinces me absolutely 
 of the divinity of Christ. I have inspired multitudes with such affection 
 for me that they would die for me. God forbid that I should compare 
 the soldier's enthusiasm with Christian charity, which are as unUke as 
 their causes. But after all, my presence was necessary, the lightning of my 
 eye, my voice ; — a word from me, then the sacred fire was kindled in their 
 hearts. I do, indeed, possess the secret of the magical power which lifts the 
 soul; but I could never impart it to any one— none of my generals ever 
 learned it from me ; nor have I the secret of perpetuating my name and 
 love for me in the hearts of men, or of effecting these things without physical 
 means, 
 
 "Now that I am at St. Helena — now that I am alone, chained to this 
 rock, who fights and wins empires for me ? Who bestirs himself for me in 
 Europe? Who remains faithful to me? where are my friends? Yes, two 
 or three of you, who are immortalized by your fidelity ; ye share, ye alleviate 
 
 my exile Yes, my life once shone with all the brilliance of the diadem 
 
 and the throne; and yours, Bertrand, reflected that brilliance, as the dome 
 of the ' Invalides,' gilded by me, reflects the rays of the sun. But disasters 
 came, the gold gradually became dim, and now all the brightness is effaced 
 by the rain of misfortune and outrage with which I am continually pelted. 
 We are mere lead now. General Bertrand ; and soon I shall be in my grave. 
 
 " Such is the fate of great men. So it was with Caesar and Alexander, 
 and I too am forgotten : and the name of a conqueror and an emperor is a 
 college theme; our exploits are tasks given to pupils by their tutor, who 
 
76 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 sits in judgment upon us, awarding us censure or praise. How different the 
 opinions formed of the great Louis XIV. ! Scarcely dead, the great king 
 was left alone in his solitary chamber at Versailles — neglected by his 
 courtiers, and perhaps the object of their ridicule. He was no more their 
 master. He was a dead body, in his coflBn, the prey of a loathsome putre- 
 faction. 
 
 " Such is soon to be the fate of the great Napoleon. What a wide abyss 
 between my deep misery and the eternal kingdom of Christ, which is pro- 
 claimed, loved, adored, and which is extending over all the earth ! Is this 
 death ? is it not life rather ? The death of Christ is the death of a God." 
 
 The Emperor paused, and as General Bertrand did not answer, the 
 Emperor resumed : — 
 
 "You do not perceive that Jesus Christ is God? then I did wrong to 
 appoint you general ! " 
 
 The above is translated from a French tract, printed at Paris in 1859, with 
 the title " Napoleon." The narrative is confirmed by a letter from the Rev. 
 Dr. G. de Felice, Professor in the Theological Seminary at Montauban, 
 France, who states that the Rev. David Bogue sent Napoleon, while at St. 
 Helena, a copy of his " Essay on the Divine Authority of the New Testa- 
 ment," which eye-witnesses attest that he read with interest and satisfac- 
 tion. He also read much in the Bible, and spoke of it with profound respect. 
 And further, it is stated that there was a religious revival among the in- 
 habitants of St. Helena, which extended to the soldiers, who prayed much 
 for the conversion and salvation of the noble prisoner. 
 
 A French journal gives the following conversation related by Count de 
 Montholon, the faithful friend of the Emperor : — 
 
 " I know men," said Napoleon, " and I tell you that Jesus is not a 
 man ! The religion of Christ is a mystery which subsists by its own force, 
 and proceeds from a mind which is not a human mind. We find in it 
 a marked individuality, which originated a train of words and maxims 
 unknown before. Jesus borrowed nothing from our knowledge. He ex- 
 hibited in himself the perfect example of his precepts. Jesus is not a 
 philosopher ; for his proofs are miracles, and from the first his disciples 
 adored him. In fact, learning and philosophy are of no use for salvation ; 
 and Jesus came into the world to reveal the mysteries of heaven and the 
 laws of the Spirit. 
 
 "Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and myself founded empires; but 
 upon what did rest the creations of our genius ? Upon force. Jesus Christ 
 alone founded his empire upon love ; and at this hour millions of men would 
 die for him. It was not one day, or one victory, which achieved the triumph 
 of the Christian religion in the world. No ; it was a long war, a contest for 
 three centuries, begun by the apostles, then continued by the flood of Chris- 
 tian generations. In this war all the kings and potentates of earth were on 
 one side : on the other I see no army, but a mysterious force— some men 
 scattered here and there in all parts of the world, and who have no other 
 rallying-point than a common faitli in the mysteries of the Cross. 
 
 " I die before ray time, and my body will be given back to the earth, to 
 become food for worms. Such is the fate which so soon awaits him who has 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 77 
 
 been called the great Napoleon. What an abyss between my deep misery 
 and the eternal kingdom of Christ, which is proclaimed, loved, and adored, 
 and which is extending over the whole earth ! Call you this dying ? is it 
 not living rather? The death of Christ is the death of a God !" 
 
 Count Montholon, who heard the conversation of Napoleon with General 
 Bertrand, wrote to the latter, saying, " I do not think it is possible to 
 express better the religious belief of the Emperor." 
 
 Many years ago, at an assemblage of ministers, the late Drs. Mason and 
 Channing were present. The latter was strongly suspected — rather more 
 than suspected — of Unitarian tendencies, and some degi-ee of confident 
 challenging had already taken place. " Dr. Channing," said Dr. Mason to 
 him, "may I ask how long you have been in the ministry?" "Eleven 
 years," was the reply. " May I ask you once more, sir, what are your views 
 of the Lord Jesus Christ ?" There was a little hesitation, and then this reply, 
 "I have pondered the subject deeply, but have not exactly made up my 
 mind." Lifting up both hands in holy amazement, and with deep emotion. 
 Dr. Mason ejaculated, " What ! eleven years a preacher of the gospel and 
 not know what to think of Jesus Christ ! " 
 
 " O thou essential Word, 
 Who wast from the beginning 
 
 With God, for thou wast God ; 
 Thou hope of all the sinning, 
 Chosen, to save our race ; 
 
 Welcome indeed thou art, 
 Redeemer, Fount of grace. 
 To this my longing heart. 
 
 " Come, self -existent Word, 
 And speak thou in my spirit ; 
 
 The soul where thou art heard 
 Doth endless peace inherit. 
 Thou Light that light'nest all, 
 Abide through faith in me ; 
 Nor let me from thee fall, 
 Nor seek a guide but thee." — Laurenti. 
 
 Quest. 22. How did Christ, being the Son of God, become man ? 
 
 Ans. Christ, the Son of God, became man, by taking to him- 
 self a true body, and a reasonable soul, being conceived by the 
 power of the Holy Ghost in the womb of the Virgin Mary, 
 and born of her, yet without sin. 
 
 Heb. ii. 14. Forasmuch then as the chil- I Ver. 17. Wherefore in all things it behoved 
 dren are partakers of flesh and blood, he him to be made like unto his brethren, 
 also himself likewise took part of the same. I Matt. xxvi. 38. Then saith he unto them, 
 
78 
 
 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto 
 death. 
 
 Luke i. 35, And the angel answered and 
 said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come 
 upon thee, and the power of the Highest 
 shall overshadow thee : therefore also that 
 holy thing which shall be born of thee shall 
 be called the Son of God. 
 
 Luke ii. 7. And she brought forth her 
 firstborn son, and wrapped him in swad- 
 dling clothes, and laid him in a manger. 
 
 Heb. vii. 26. For such an High Priest be- 
 came us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, 
 separate from sinners, and made higher 
 than the heavens. 
 
 Luke xxiv. 39. Behold my hands and 
 my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, 
 and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and 
 bones, as ye see me have. 
 
 1 John i. 1. Which we have seen with 
 our eyes, which we have looked upon, and 
 our hands have handled, of the Word of life. 
 
 I. Christ in his incarnation took a true body. — He is called man : 1 Tim. 
 ii. 5. His common title was the Son of man — an expression found eighty 
 times in the Gospels. He is called the seed of the woman, Gen iii. 15 ; the 
 seed of Abraham, Acts iii. 25 ; the son of David, Luke i. 32. He ate, drank, 
 slept, was weary, increased in stature. He suffered hunger, thirst, pain; 
 died, and was buried. He rose again with flesh and bones. The human 
 body required redemption. ' 
 
 II. Christ as our Redeemer took a reasonable soul. — This was essential to his 
 humanity, to make it complete. He increased in wisdom, he groaned in 
 spirit, was troubled, and wept. He loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. 
 There was a " disciple whom Jesus loved." His " soul was exceeding sor- 
 rowful:" Matt. xxvi. 38. He gave up his soul in dying: Luke xxiii. 46. 
 The soul needed redemption, as the soul had sinned. 
 
 III. Christ as man was conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost. — He was 
 not descended from Adam by ordinary generation. His body was formed in 
 a miraculous manner, by the power of the Holy Ghost. This was announced 
 to the Virgin: Luke i. 35. God prepared for him a body: Heb. x. 5. 
 Christ assumed a body : Heb. ii. 14. 
 
 IV. Christ as man was born of the Virgin Mary. — He was the seed of the 
 woman. Gen. iii. 15; made of a woman. Gal. iv. 4, as prophesied in Isa. vii. 14. 
 The Gospels testify to this. 
 
 V. Christ was born without sin. — His miraculous conception prevented his 
 sharing in Adam's sin. Thus he was born of a virgin that his human nature 
 might be pure. He was "holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sin- 
 ners : " Heb. vii. 26. This was necessary that he might be a sacrifice for sin, 
 and a Redeemer of the sinful. 
 
 1. The unspeakable love of Christ in his incarnation. 
 
 2. The genuine sympathy of Christ by means of the incarnation. 
 
 3. The suitableness of Christ as a Saviour. 
 
 4. The perfect example of Christ to human nature. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 The following remarks of Basil the Great, bishop of Cseaarea in Cappa- 
 
 docia, in the fourth century, will be read with interest. They were ■WTitten 
 
 when the doctrine of the person of Christ was discussed:—" In what manner 
 
 is the Divinity in flesh ? As fire is in iron, not by transition, but by imparta- 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 79 
 
 tion. For the fire runs not to the iron, but remaining in its place it imparts 
 to the iron its own native power. Neither is it diminished by the imparta- 
 tion, even when it has wholly imparted itself. In the same way truly God 
 the Word was not moved out of himself, and yet dwelt among us, nor 
 sustained any change : ' And the Word was made flesh.' Neither was heaven 
 deserted of him who sustains it, when earth received the heavenly in its 
 bosom. Think not of any descent of the Divinity, for he passeth not from 
 place to place as bodies do ; neither fancy the Divinity to be changed into 
 flesh, for that which is immortal is immutable. Now, then, you will say, 
 Was not God the Word filled with corporeal infirmity ? We reply, Just as 
 fire receives not the properties of iron. Iron is black and solid, but at the 
 same time, being ignited, it puts on the form of fire, not darkening the fire, 
 but itself becoming shining ; and not cooling the flame, but itself becoming 
 heated. Even so, truly, the human flesh of the Lord was made a partaker of 
 the Divinity, but imparted not to the Divinity of its native infirmity. Or, 
 you do not admit that the Divinity operates like fire in this mortal flesh, but 
 you fancy something about the impossible from human infirmity; and 
 you doubt how the corruptible nature by fellowship with God could be pre- 
 served immortal ; and that while you see that the fire — for I still cling to 
 the simile — is not consumed by the rust of the iron. Learn, then, the mys- 
 tery. For this cause was God in the flesh, that he might slay death hiding 
 itself in it. For as an antidote dwelling in the body overcometh what is 
 poisonous, and as the darkness in a house is dispelled by the bringing in of 
 light, even so death ruling over human nature was consumed by the presence 
 of the Divinity." 
 
 Professor Wilson of Edinburgh remarked once : — " I could not conceive 
 that, were the good God to have incarnated himself as a man, he could 
 have formed an incarnation so like himself, so full, so dignified, so sublime 
 in its simpUcity as Jesus Christ. And since, how all the good, the true, the 
 chUdlike among men, have been attracted to him. He and the story of his 
 cross seem dipped down like a great magnet into a ruined world, to draw to 
 itself and redeem all who will believe on him." 
 
 A chaplain in the army in the Crimean War of 1855 wrote: — " There is 
 one truth especially, the inestimable value of which is called forth repeatedly 
 by the scenes I witness daily— I mean the perfect humanity of our blessed 
 Lord. I never see human beings so utterly worn with fatigue and privation, 
 so cut off from friends and relations, so torn and mangled in body, so racked 
 with pain, so agonized in soul, so thoroughly humbled, but the cross of 
 Christ comes directly before me. To be brief, notwithstanding all my 
 fellow-creatures suffer, the sufferings of Christ in our human body rise above 
 them ; and I am able to point the minds of the most wretched to that fact as 
 a proof of his sympathy with them and his love for them." 
 
 "Science tells us that underlying all the tumult and restlessness of the 
 waves of the ocean, over which the winds trample, there is a vast stratum of 
 altogether motionless water, so utterly tranquil, even when, through storm 
 and gloom, 'there is sorrow on the sea' (Jer. xliv. 23), that the tiniest and 
 most fragile shell at the bottom is not stirred, nor in the slightest abraded 
 by the turmoil above. It seems to me that this remarkable fact and pheno- 
 
 6 
 
80 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 menon may be taken as a sjonbol of our blessed Lord regarded as at once 
 'the man Jesus Christ' and 'very God.' In his human nature there was a 
 well of tenderness, that was easily stirred to softest tears; a depth of 
 yearning love, that was eager to flow out and pour itself into the lowliest 
 heart that would lay itself upon his broad bosom ; a measureless amplitude 
 of sympathy, that was ever ready to bear the heaviest, yea, all the burdens of 
 others ; and, I would add, a large and generous charity, that was quick to 
 anticipate confession and to lavish forgiveness — meeting the penitent self- 
 accusation and request of the returning prodigal, ' Make me as one of thy 
 hired servants,' with the welcome of a son. But underlying all there was 
 THE ETERNAL CALM — unstirred, unmoved — of his Divinity. What I have just 
 spoken of was as the tossings of the surface waves, that leave the infinite 
 depths of calm untouched." — Rev. A. B. Grosart, LL.D. 
 
 " How many brothers have you?" said a gentleman to a little boy. The 
 child stated the number, adding, "And one in heaven." "No, my son," 
 interposed his mother, "you have no brother in heaven." — "Yes, I have," 
 said the boy. " Did you not tell me that God was my Father, and that 
 Jesus Christ was his Son ? Then he must be my Brother in heaven." 
 
 "Christ's manhood is not unreal because it is impersonal; because in him 
 the place of any created individuality at the root of thought and feeling and 
 will is supplied by the person of the eternal Word, who has wrapped around 
 his being a created nature, through which, in its unmutilated perfection, he 
 acts upon human kind. Christ's manhood is not unreal because it is sinless ; 
 because the entail of any taint of transmitted sin is in him cut off by a super- 
 natural birth of a virgin mother ; and because his whole life of thought, feel- 
 ing, will, and action, is in unfaltering harmony vidth the law of absolute truth." 
 
 "Jesus Christ never once confesses sin; he never once asks for pardon 
 
 He never lets fall a hint, he himself never breathes a prayer, which implies 
 any, the slightest trace, of a personal remorse. From no casual admission 
 do we gather that any, the most venial sin, had ever been his."— ZT. P. Lid- 
 don, D.D., D.G.L. 
 
 When the Rev. Mr. Hunt was preaching, one Sabbath morning, in his 
 meeting-house, Horsleydown, on the mystery of godliness, he took occasion 
 to challenge the audience to explain how God became man, when a little 
 boy in the gallery rose and with much simplicity repeated the answer to the 
 qiiestion in the Catechism. Mr. Hunt then inquired if he could give the 
 Scripture proofs ; which, after a short pause, he did correctly. The vener- 
 able minister was much affected, publicly thanked him, called him his young 
 tutor, and invited him into the vestry after service, where several persons 
 handsomely rewarded his diligence. 
 
 " Amen ! Lord, we bless thee, 
 Bom for our salvation, 
 O Jesus ! for ever be thy name adored ; 
 Word of the Father, 
 Late in flesh appearing : 
 O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord." 
 
 Isidore of Spain. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 81 
 
 Quest. 23, What offices doth Christ execute as our Redeemer ? 
 
 Ans. Christ, as our Redeemer, executeth the offices of a 
 prophet, of a priest, and of a king, both in his estate of 
 humiliation and exaltation. 
 
 Acts iii. 22. Moses truly said unto the 
 fathers, A Prophet shall the Lord your God 
 raise up unto you of your brethren, like 
 unto me; him shall ye hear in all things 
 whatsoever he shall say unto you. 
 
 Heb. v. 6. As he saith also in another 
 place. Thou art a Priest for ever, after the 
 order of Melchisedec. 
 
 Ps. ii. 6. Yet have I set my King upon 
 my holy hill of Zion. 
 
 I. Christ is a Redeemer in the offices to tvhich he was appointed. — He " was 
 faithful to him that appointed him:" Heb. iii. 2. "Him hath God the 
 Father sealed : " John vi. 27. He carries his mediatorial character through- 
 out all his operations. He was completely qualified for his undertaking. 
 
 II. The offices lohich he executes. — These are three — that of a prophet, of a 
 priest, and of a king. These will be separately considered, but they all be- 
 long to our redemption. They were necessary to our salvation. Though 
 distinct they are not divided. 
 
 III. The spheres in which they are executed. 
 
 1. In his humiliation on earth. This stretches from his birth to his burial. 
 " I have glorified thee on the earth : " John xvii. 4. 
 
 2. In his exaltation in glory. This extends from his resurrection to his 
 second advent, and for ever. In heaven itself he appears in the presence 
 of God for us : Heb. ix. 24. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1, Christ is able to save sinners : Heb. vii. 25. 
 
 2. He is willing to save : John vi. 37. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 "We as fallen men are ignorant, guilty, polluted, and helpless. We need a 
 Saviour who is a prophet to instruct us ; a priest to atone and to make inter- 
 cession for us ; a king to rule over and protect us. And the salvation which 
 we receive at his hands includes all that a prophet, priest, and king, in the 
 highest sense of these terms, can do. We are enlightened in the knowledge 
 of the truth ; we are reconciled to God by the sacrificial death of his Son ; 
 and we are delivered from the power of Satan, and introduced into the 
 kingdom of God : all of which supposes that our Redeemer is to us at once 
 prophet, priest, and king. This is not, therefore, simply a convenient 
 classification of the contents of his mission and work, but it enters into its 
 very nature, and must be retained in our theology, if we would take the 
 truth as it is revealed in the Word of God."— Dr. Hodge. 
 
 "Important offices must be distributed among different men, on account 
 of human infirmity. One important function is generally quite sufficient for 
 the talents of the most gifted individual ; but Christ is fitted for them all, 
 and does as much justice to the duties of each as if it alone were sustained by 
 him. Melchizedek was king and priest, David and Moses were prophets and 
 
82 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 rulers ; but in none were all the three united till they were united in our 
 Redeemer. It is delightful to trace their union in various passages of 
 Scripture. Thus in the ninth chapter of Isaiah he is called Counsellor or 
 Prophet ; the Father of the everlasting age, or the Apostle and High Priest 
 of our profession ; and the Prince of Peace, on whose shoulder the govern- 
 ment is laid It is delightful to mark their union in the cross, in which I 
 
 see the altar of this sacrifice ; the school in which the passive graces of 
 religion are most affectingly taught ; and the scene of conflict in which Christ 
 spoils principalities and powers." — Dr. Belfrage. 
 
 " Join all the glorious names 
 Of wisdom, love, and power, 
 That mortals ever knew, 
 That angels ever bore ; 
 All are too mean to speak his worth. 
 Too mean to set my Saviour forth. 
 
 " Great Prophet of my God, 
 
 My tongue would bless thy name ; 
 By thee the joyful news 
 
 Of our salvation came, 
 The joyful news of sins forgiven, 
 Of hell subdued, and peace with Heaven. 
 
 *' Jesus, my great High Priest, 
 Offered his blood and died ; 
 My guilty conscience seeks 
 No sacrifice beside : 
 His powerful blood did once atone, 
 And now it pleads before the throne. 
 
 *' My Saviour and my Lord, 
 
 My Conqueror and my King, 
 Thy sceptre and thy sword. 
 
 Thy reigning grace I sing ; 
 Thine is the power ; behold, I sit 
 In willing bonds beneath thy feet." — Watts. 
 
 "Jesus ! my Shepherd, Husband, Friend, 
 My Prophet, Priest, and King, 
 My Lord, my Life, my Way, my End, 
 Accept the praise I bring." — Newton. 
 
 Quest. 24. How cloth Christ execute the office of a prophet? 
 Ans. Christ executf3th the office of a prophet, in revealing to 
 us, by his word and Spirit, the will of God for our salvation. 
 
 I 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 83 
 
 Deut. xviii. 18. I will raise them up a 
 Prophet from among their brethren, like 
 unto thee, and will put my words in his 
 mouth ; and he shall speak unto them all 
 that I shall command him. 
 
 John i. 18. No man hath seen God at 
 any time ; the only begotten Son, which is 
 in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared 
 him. 
 
 John xv. 15. All things that I have heard 
 of my Father I have made known unto 
 you. 
 
 2 CoR. V. 19. God was in Christ, recon- 
 ciling the world unto himself, not imputing 
 
 their trespasses unto them ; and hath com- 
 mitted unto us the word of reconciliation. 
 
 John xiv. 16. And I will pray the Father, 
 and he shall give you another Comforter, 
 that he may abide with you for ever. Ver. 
 26. The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, 
 whom the Father will send in my name, he 
 shall teach you all things. 
 
 Acts xiii. 26. To you is the word of 
 this salvation sent. 
 
 John xx. 31. But these are written, that 
 ye might believe that Jesus is the Chi-ist, . . 
 and that believing ye might have life 
 through his name. 
 
 I. Christ is a pi'ophet.—Ke is one who declares divine truth. He speaks 
 for God to men. 
 
 1. He is divinely appointed : Dent, xviii. 15-19 ; Acts iii. 22. He was 
 anointed vidth the Holy Spirit that he might preach : Isa. Ixi. 1, 2. He has 
 exercised this office both before and since his incarnation. 
 
 2. As a prophet he teaches. This he does with authority, Matt. vii. 29 ; 
 with wisdom, Matt. xiii. 54; with love, John xv. 9; with patience, John 
 xvi. 12 ; and with power, Luke iv. 32, 
 
 II. Christ's ivork as a pi-ophet. 
 
 1. He reveals to us the will of God. This could not be discovered other- 
 wise than by revelation. We are by nature ignorant. The will of God is 
 that which is necessary to be known by men for their fulfilling their chief 
 end— glorifying God and enjoying him for ever. 
 
 2. The modes of his revealing the will of God. Christ is the revealer and 
 a revelation in himself. He revealed the Father : John xiv. 8-11. But 
 ordinarily he reveals the will of God, — (1.) By his word. This embraces the 
 Scriptures and all the forms of revelation contained within them. They 
 claim to be the word of God : 2 Tim. iii. 15-17. They preserve the glory 
 of Christ to us in his unique character. (2.) By his Spirit. It is by the 
 Spirit that the word is inspired ; it is by the Spirit that the word is 
 applied. The Spirit makes known the truth of the word and disposes the 
 heart to receive it : 1 Cor. ii. 11-14 ; John xvi. 13, Without the Spirit the 
 word is powerless. Judas, Simon Magus, etc., knew the word, but did not 
 receive its blessing. The Spirit enlightens by the word. 
 
 III. Christ's object in revealing the will of God. — It is to make us wise unto 
 salvation, 2 Tim. iii. 15 ; that we may know God, and Jesus Christ whom he 
 hath sent, and so have eternal life : John xvii. 3, They only are wise who 
 are wise unto salvation. Eastern sages and Greek philosophers alike needed 
 this wisdom. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. The necessity of being taught by Christ. Till taught savingly we are 
 in spiritual darkness : John iii. 19, viii. 12, xii. 46. 
 
 2. The value of the written word to instruct us in the will of God and the 
 way to God. It is as the star of Bethlehem to guide us to the Saviour: 
 2 Tim. iii. 15-17. 
 
84 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 3. The danger of neglecting the counsel of this great Prophet. The word 
 that can enlighten is at last to judge : Deut. xviii. 18, 19 ; John xii. 48. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 A sick woman said to Mr. Cecil : " Sir, I have no notion about God ; I 
 can form no notion of him. You talk to me about him, but I cannot get a 
 single idea that seems to contain anything." — "But you know how to 
 conceive of Jesus Christ as a man," replied Mr. Cecil. *' God comes down 
 to you in him full of kindness and condescension." — "Ah, sir, that gives me 
 something to lay hold on. There I can rest. I understand God in his Son." 
 "God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their 
 trespasses unto them." 
 
 "The character of Christ," says an eminent writer, "is a wonderful proof 
 of the divinity of the Bible. The Hindu cannot think of his Brahmin 
 saint other than as possessing the abstemiousness and austerity which he 
 admires in his living models. The Socrates of Plato is composed of elements 
 practically Greek, being a compound of the virtues necessary to adorn the 
 sage. A model of the Jewish teacher might easily be drawn from the 
 writings of the rabbis, and he would prove to be the very reflection of those 
 sc:-ibes and Pharisees who are reproved in the gospel. But in the life of our 
 Redeemer a character is represented which departs in every way from the 
 national type of the writers, and from the character of all ancient nations, 
 and is at variance Avith all the features which custom, education, religion, 
 and patriotism seem to have consecrated as most beautiful. Pour different 
 authors have recorded different facts, but they exhibit the same conception ; 
 a conception differing from all they had ever witnessed or heard, and 
 necessarily copied from the same original. And more : this glorious character, 
 while borrowing nothing from the Greek, or Indian, or Jew, having nothing 
 in common with established laws of perfection, is yet to every believer a type 
 of excellence." 
 
 " I esteem the Gospels," said Goethe, " to be thoroughly genuine; for there 
 shines forth from them the reflected splendour of a sublimity, proceeding 
 from the person of Jesus Christ, of so divine a kind as only the divine could 
 ever have manifested upon earth." 
 
 "The character of Jesus," said Dr. Channing, "is wholly inexplicable on 
 human principles." 
 
 " Give your enlarged spirit to the communion of his Word. Be free, be 
 disentangled. Let it teach, let it reprove, let it correct, let it instruct in 
 righteousness. And, by its wonderful delineations of the secrets of the divine 
 nature, and of the future destinies of the human race, let it elevate you 
 higher than the loftiest poetry doth ; and let it carry you deeper by its 
 pictures of our present and future wretchedness than the most pathetic 
 sentiment ever penned by the novelist ; and let it take affection captive by 
 its i)ictures of Divine mercy and forgiveness more than doth the sweetest 
 eloquence; let it transport you with indignation at that with which it is 
 indignant, and fill you with passion when it is impassioned ; when it blames, 
 be ye blamed; when it exhorts, be ye exhorted; when it condescends to 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 85 
 
 argument, by its arguments be ye convinced. Be free to take all its moods, 
 and to watch all its inspirations." — Edward Irving. 
 
 "Instead of leaving our faith to apprehend an infinite abstraction, Christ 
 has in his own person invested the Deity with that power over our minds 
 
 which a definite object alone can exercise The character of God, so 
 
 infinitely reduced, is to be seen in the life of Christ ; the excellences of Christ, 
 if infinitely magnified and restored to their original proportions, are to be 
 found in the perfections of God. The character of Christ is the conception 
 of a Being of infinite amiableness seeking to engage the heart of the world, 
 that reasons by analogy, and to enamour it of divine excellence." — Dr. 
 Harris. 
 
 " The Bible is a divine encyclopaedia in itself. It contains history the most 
 authentic and ancient, tracing it back to the first creation of our world ; and 
 'prophecy the most important and interesting, traced forward to its final 
 consummation ; journeys surpassing all others in the marvellousness of their 
 adventures and the dignity of their guide, for they were marked by miracles 
 at every step and in every movement directed by God ; the travels of the 
 most distinguished missionaries, the first preachers of the gospel ; and the 
 lives of the most illustrious personages, including the biography of the Son 
 of God ; events more wonderful than romance ever imagined ; and stories 
 more fascinating than fancy ever sketched ; the finest specimens of poetry 
 and eloquence, of sound philosophy and solid argument j models of virtue the 
 most attractive, and maxims of tvisdom the most profound ; prayers the most 
 appropriate in every variety of spiritual experience, and songs of praise that 
 would not be unworthy an angel's tongue ; precepts of unparalleled import- 
 ance, and parables of unrivalled beauty ; examples of consistent piety, suited' 
 to every situation ; and lessons of divine instruction, adapted to every age." 
 —White. 
 
 The Kev. Samuel Pearce, in a letter to the Rev. Dr. Ryland, wrote thus : 
 " I have never felt so deeply my need of a divine Redeemer, and seldom 
 possessed such solid confidence that he is mine. I want more and more to 
 become a little child, to dwindle into nothing in my own esteem, to renounce 
 my own wisdom, power, and goodness, and simply look to and live upon 
 Jesus for all." 
 
 Mr. Robert Aitken, a bookseller in Philadelphia, was the first person who 
 printed a Bible in that city. He was a Scottish Seceder, and an eminently 
 pious man. While he kept a book-store, a person called upon him and in- 
 quired if he had Paine's " Age of Reason " for sale. He told him he had not ; 
 but having entered into conversation with him, and found he was an infidel, 
 he told him he had a better book than Paine's " Age of Reason," which he 
 usually sold for a dollar, but that he would lend it to him if he promised 
 to read it ; and if, after he had actually read it, he did not think it worth a 
 dollar, he would take it again. The man consented, and Mr. Aitken put a 
 Bible into his hands. He smiled when he found what book he had engaged 
 to read, but said that he would perform his engagement. He did so ; and 
 when he had finished the perusal, he came back to Mr. Aitken, and expressed 
 the deepest gratitude for his recommendation of the book, saying it had 
 made him what he was not before — a happy man ; for he had found in it a 
 
86 
 
 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 Saviour and the way of salvation. Mr. Aitken rejoiced in the event, and 
 had the satisfaction of knowing that this reader of the Bible, from that day 
 to the end of his life, supported the character of a consistent Christian, and 
 died with a hope full of immortality. 
 
 " Young man," said Dr. Samuel Johnson on his death-bed, " attend to 
 the voice of one who has possessed a certain degree of fame in the world, 
 and who will shortly appear before his Maker — Read the Bible every day of 
 your life." 
 
 *' From me Christ required no miracles as witnesses of the truth ; he him- 
 self, his life, his thoughts, his actions, towered above the mist of centuries, 
 the one perpetual miracle of history, the holy ideal of a perfect humanity." — 
 Heinrich Zchokhe. 
 
 " One book has saved me, and that book is not of human origin. Long 
 had I despised it, long had I deemed it a class-book for the credulous and 
 ignorant; until, having investigated the gospel of Christ with an ardent 
 desire to ascertain its truth or falsity, its pages proffered to my inquiries 
 the sublimest knowledge of man and nature, and the simplest and at the 
 same time the most exalted system of ethics. Faith, hope, and charity were 
 enkindled in my bosom ; and every advancing step strengthened me in the 
 conviction that the morals of this book are as superior to human morals as 
 its oracles are superior to human opinions." — Professor Bautain of Strassburg. 
 
 " We bless the Prophet of the Lord, 
 That comes with truth and grace ; 
 Jesus, thy Spirit and thy Word 
 Shall lead us in thy wa,y&" —Waits. 
 
 Quest. 25. How doth Christ execute tlie office of a priest ? 
 
 Ans. Christ executeth the office of a priest, in his once offer- 
 ing up of himself a sacrifice to satisfy divine justice, and recon- 
 cile us to God ; and in making continual intercession for us. 
 
 Hbb. viii. 1. Now of the things which we 
 have spoken this is the sum: We have 
 such an High Priest, who is set on the right 
 hand of the throne of the Majesty in the 
 heavens. 
 
 Eph. v. 2. Christ also hath loved us, and 
 hath given himself for us an offering and a 
 sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. 
 
 Heb. ix. 12. Neither by the blood of 
 goats and calves, but by his own blood he 
 entered in once into the holy place, having 
 obtained eternal redemption for us. Ver. 
 25. Nor yet that he should offer himself 
 often, as the high priest entereth into 
 the holy place every year with blood of 
 others; Ver. 26. For then must he often 
 have suffered since the foundation of the 
 
 world: but now once in the end of the 
 world hath he appeared to put away sin by 
 the sacrifice of himself. 
 
 Heb. X. 14. For by one offering he hath 
 perfected for ever them that are sanctified. 
 
 RoM. iii. 24. Being justified freely by 
 his grace through the redemption that is 
 in Christ Jesus : Ver. 25. Whom God hath 
 set forth to be a propitiation through faith 
 in his blood, to declare his righteousness 
 for the remission of sins that are past, 
 through the forbearance of God. 
 
 1 Peter ii. 24. Who his own self bare our 
 sins in his own body on the tree. 
 
 Heb. ii. 17. In all things it behoved him 
 to be made like unto his brethren, that he 
 might be a merciful and faithful High 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 87 
 
 Priest in things pertaining to God, to make 
 reconciliation for the sins of the people. 
 
 Heb. vii. 24. But this man, because he 
 continueth ever, hath an unchangeable 
 
 priesthood. Ver. 25. Wherefore he is able 
 also to save them to the uttermost that 
 come unto God by him, seeing he ever 
 liveth to make intercession for them. 
 
 The priest is a public person who deals with a holy God on behalf of guilty 
 men. 
 
 The priest was chosen by God from among men, and thus qualified to offer 
 sacrifices and act as a mediator. He was to be compassionate. 
 
 I. Christ is a priest. — This is expressly declared: Ps. ex. 4, with Heb. v. 6, 
 vi. 20. Priestly functions are ascribed to him : Isa. liii. 10 ; Dan. ix. 24, 25. 
 
 Priests of the Jewish Church were sinful and temporary. Christ is divine, 
 holy, and everlasting : Heb. v. 5, vii. 26. 
 
 II. Christ's sacrifice. — It was himself. 
 
 1. To whom offered? To God : Heb. ix. 14. 
 
 2. For whom ? The guilty : Rom. v. 6 ; 1 Peter iii. 18. 
 
 3. For what purpose? (1.) To satisfy divine justice. He was a surety for 
 sinners : Heb. vii. 22 ; Isa. liii. 5, 10. He redeemed them : Gal. iii. 13 ; 
 Acts XX. 28. He purged sin away : Heb. i. 3. (2.) To reconcile us to God. 
 Man had offended God, and was at enmity with God. Christ made recon- 
 ciliation : Eph. ii. 15-18 ; Rom. v. 10 ; Col. i. 21. 
 
 4. How often ? Once only : Heb. x. 10, 14. Jewish sacrifices were all 
 imperfect and typical, and therefore frequent ; Christ's sacrifice was perfect, 
 and not needing repetition. 
 
 5. On what altar? His divine nature. This gave infinite value to the 
 sacrifice. The altar sanctified the gift. Christ's sufferings were penal and 
 vicarious, and were satisfactory as an atonement in the sight of God. God 
 himself appointed it, and has pronounced it worthy. God has set him forth 
 as a propitiation for justifying the ungodly who beheve in him. 
 
 III. Christ's intercession. — The jiriest is an advocate, and pleads for pardon 
 and for grace. 
 
 1. Christ did this on earth : John xvii. ; Luke xxiii. 34. 
 
 2. He does this in heaven : Heb. iv. 14-16. He appears in the presence 
 of God for us as our priest : Heb. ix. 12, 24 ; Rev. v. 6. He is our advocate 
 there : Acts ii. 33-36 ; Heb. vii. 25. He is there in our human nature. 
 
 3. His intercession still continues : Heb. vii. 25 ; — for every needed help 
 in danger, for grace to sanctify, for efficacy with the Father when we pray. 
 
 4. His intercession always prevails. The dignity of his person, the efficacy 
 of his sacrifice, the influence of his position, the wisdom of his requests, all 
 secure the object desired. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. Christ's atonement is the only ground of a sinner's hope for eternity. 
 
 2. To be in Christ is the sinner's safety. 
 
 3. The advantage of having such a Priest before God. "We may come 
 boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to 
 help in time of need. 
 
 4. The assurance of sympathy from Christ in all our trials and sorrows. 
 
88 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 " Though now ascended up on high, 
 He bends on earth a brother's eye ; 
 Partaker of the human name, 
 He knows the frailty of our frame." — Bruce. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 It is recorded of ^schylus, the Greek tragedian, who was found guilty 
 of violating the laws of his country, and condemned accordingly, that his 
 brother engaged to plead for him and secure his pardon. At the appointed 
 time he appeared in a crowded court. All expected to hear an eloquent appeal 
 to human sympathy ; but, to the gi-eat surprise of the assembly, the fraternal 
 advocate never opened his lips at all, but simply held up the stump of his arm 
 that had been dismembered in fighting the battles of his country at Salamis. 
 That was his plea, his only argument ; and it was enough. The court felt the 
 power of the appeal, and released the prisoner. — The guilty children of men 
 have an elder Brother who, as he pleads for them, exhibits his wounds. 
 
 " Five bleeding wounds he bears, received on Calvary, 
 They pour effectual prayers, they strongly speak for me. 
 Forgive him, oh, forgive ! they cry. 
 Nor let that ransomed sinner die." 
 
 Xenophon mentions an Armenian prince taken captive, together with his 
 queen, by Cyrus, who, on being asked if he desired the i-estoration of his 
 liberty, his kingdom, and his queen, answered, "As for my liberty and my 
 kingdom, I value them not ; but if my blood could redeem my wife, I would 
 cheerfully give it." Cyrus having generously restored him all, Tigranes 
 asked his queen what she thought of Cyrus's person. She replied, " I really 
 did not observe him ; my mind was so occupied with the man who offered 
 to give his life for my ransom, that I could think of no other." — Jesus 
 Christ has claims transcending this, for he has given his blood to ransom 
 us for ever. 
 
 In the American War a man was drafted for the army, but got off by 
 securing a substitute. He was again brought up, when he pleaded his death. 
 It was held that as his substitute had fulfilled the claims of the law for him, 
 he could not be taken again. It is said that he sought out the grave of his 
 substitute, and put up a stone with this inscription, " He died for me !" A 
 traveller found him adorning the grave with flowers, and asked if any of his 
 friends were bm-ied there. He replied, " He died for me ! " 
 
 Christmas Evans, an earnest and eloquent minister in Wales, was once 
 preaching on the depravity of man by sin, and of his recovery by the death 
 of Christ. In the course of his remarks, he introduced the following allegory 
 after the manner of Quarles in his "Emblems:" — "Brethren, if I should 
 compare the natural state of man, I should conceive of an immense grave- 
 yard, filled with ya^vning sepulchres and dying men. All around are lofty 
 walls and massive iron gates. At one of the gates stands Mercy, sad specta- 
 tress of the melancholy scene. An angel flying through the midst of heaven, 
 attracted by the awful sight, exclaims, * Mercy, why do you not enter and 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM, 89 
 
 apply to these objects of compassion your healing bahn?' Mercy replies, 
 'Alas! I dare not enter; Justice bars the way/ By her side a form 
 appeared like unto the Son of Man. ' Justice,' he said, ' what are thy 
 demands that Mercy may enter and stay the carnival of Death ?' 'I demand/ 
 said Justice, ' pain for their ease ; degradation for their dignity ; shame for 
 their honour; death for their life.' 'I accept the terms,' said the Son of 
 Man ; 'now, Mercy, enter,' ' What pledge do you give,' said Justice, ' for 
 the performance of these conditions?' 'My word, my oath,' said the 
 Deliverer. ' When will you fulfil them?' ' Four thousand years hence, on 
 the hill of Calvary.' The bond was sealed in the presence of attendant angels, 
 and committed to patriarchs and prophets. A long series of rites and cere- 
 monies, sacrifices and oblations, were instituted to preserve the memory of 
 that solemn deed ; and at the close of the four thousandth year, behold at 
 the foot of Calvary the incarnate Son of God ! Justice, too, was there, pre- 
 senting the dreadful bond to the Redeemer, and demanding the fulfilment 
 of its awful terms. He accepted the deed, and together they ascended to 
 the summit of the mount. Mercy was seen attendant at his side, and the 
 weeping Church followed in his train. When he had reached the top, what 
 did he with the bond ? Did he tear it in pieces, and scatter it to the winds 
 of heaven ? Oh no ; he nailed it to his cross. And when the wood was pre- 
 pared, and the devoted, willing Sacrifice stretched on the tree, Justice sternly 
 
 cried, 'Holy fire, come down from heaven and burn this Sacrifice.' The 
 
 fire descended and consumed his humanity ; but when it neared his divinity 
 it expired. Then did the heavenly hosts break forth in rapturous strains, 
 ' Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.'" 
 
 "Although the sufferings of Christ were not precisely, either in kind or 
 degree, the same that justice would have demanded of his people in person, 
 yet he suffered precisely that kind and degree of evil which the infinitely 
 righteous Judge demanded, as in his infinitely exalted person a satisfaction 
 equivalent in the rigour of justice to the penalty denounced by the law upon 
 all his people for whom he died. 
 
 "His satisfaction to divine justice for the sins of his people, therefore, 
 was perfect :— 1. Intrinsically, and in the rigour of justice ; 2. As so satisfy- 
 ing the law that it demands no penal evils whatsoever of believers, all their 
 sufferings being disciplinary ; 3. While it was perfect in securing the salva- 
 tion of all his elect, it is perfect also in its sufficiency for all men — thus laying 
 the foundation for the bona fide offer of an interest in his salvation to all who 
 will accept it."— Dr. A. A. Hodge. 
 
 " Christ's intercession is absolutely essential, Heb. vii. 25, because it is 
 necessary for him as Mediator, not merely to open up a way of possible 
 salvation, but actually to accomplish the salvation of each of those given him 
 by the Father, and to furnish each with an ' introduction ' to the Father : 
 John xvii. 12 ; Eph. ii. 18, iii. 12. The communion of his people with the 
 Father will ever be sustained through him as Mediatorial Priest : Ps. ex. 4 ; 
 Rev. vii, 17."— Dr. A. A. Hodge. 
 
 " The atoning work is done. 
 The victim's blood is shed. 
 
90 
 
 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 And Jesus now is gone 
 His people's cause to plead. 
 He stands in heaven their great High Priest, 
 And bears their names upon his breast. 
 
 " He sprinkles with his blood 
 
 The mercy-seat above ; 
 
 For justice had withstood 
 
 The purposes of love : 
 
 But justice now withstands no more, 
 
 And mercy yields its boundless store."— KcIIi/. 
 
 Quest. 26. How doth Christ execute the office of a king 2 
 Ans. Christ executeth tlie office of a king, in subduing us to 
 himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining and con- 
 quering all his and our enemies.' 
 
 Ps. ii. 6. Yet have I set my King upon 
 my holy hill of Zion. 
 
 John xviii. 37. Pilate therefore said 
 unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus 
 answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. 
 To this end was I born, and for this cause 
 came I into the world, that I should bear 
 witness unto the truth. Every one that is 
 of the truth heareth my voice. 
 
 Ps. ex. 3. Thy people shall be willing in 
 the day of thy power. 
 
 IsA. xxxiii. 22. For the Lord is our 
 judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord 
 is our king ; he will save us. 
 
 Ps. Ixxii. 8. He shall have dominion also 
 
 from sea to sea, and from the river unto 
 the ends of the earth. 
 
 1 CoR. XV. 25. For he must reign, till he 
 hath put all enemies under his feet. 
 
 Matt, xxviii. 18. And Jesus came and 
 spake unto them, saying, All power is 
 given unto me in heaven and in earth. 
 
 Rev. xvii. 14. These shall make war 
 with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall over- 
 come them : for he is Lord of lords, .and 
 King of kings. 
 
 1 Tim. vi. 15. Who is the blessed and 
 only Potentate, the King of kings, and 
 Lord of lords. 
 
 I. Christ as our Redeemer is a king.— This is proved by his titles, John 
 xviii. 37 ; Acts ii. 36 ; called the Prince of Life, Acts iii. 15 ; King of kings, 
 and Lord of lords, 1 Tim. vi. 15 ; Rev. xvii. 14, xix. 16. The prophecies 
 refer to him as such : Zech. ix. 9 ; lea. xxxii. 1 ; Ps. ii. 6-8. He has a 
 crown, a throne, Rev. iii. 21 ; a sceptre, Ps. xlv. 6. 
 
 II. The kingdom of Christ. 
 
 1. He has an essential kingdom as God. 
 
 2. He has a mediatorial kingdom as God -man. Christ's mediatorial king- 
 dom embraces the universe : Matt, xxviii. 18 ; Phil. ii. 9-11 ; Eph. i. 17-23. 
 It presents two great aspects : — (1) In its general administration as embracing 
 the universe as a whole ; (2) in its special administration as embracing the 
 Church. He has a kingdom of grace over believers, and a kingdom of glory 
 over all. He has a militant kingdom here, and a triumphant one hereafter. 
 His kingdom is spiritual, with spiritual laws, spiritual subjects, and spiritual 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 91 
 
 blessings and penalties. His kingdom rests on the basis of truth regarding 
 God and man, to which he bore witness. 
 III. What Christ does as a king. 
 
 1. He subdues us. We are rebellious subjects, and need to be subdued to 
 him. He destroys our enmity : Rom. viii. 7 ; 2 Cor. x. 4, 5. He makes us 
 willing in the day of his power : Ps. ex. 2, 3, 
 
 2. He rules us. He gives us his Word as our law, and works obedience 
 in us by his Spirit. 
 
 3. He defends us. We have five enemies, — Satan, sin, the world, the 
 flesh, and death. 
 
 4. He restrains his and our enemies. Our enemies have power, but Christ 
 keeps them in his chain. This he does by thwarting their designs against 
 his people, and by proving the superiority of his power to that of all others. 
 
 5. He conquers all his and our enemies. Christ's victory secures victory 
 to his people, as his enemies are also theirs. He gives his people victories as 
 they advance, and will give them a final triumph at last. Every sin over- 
 come is a spiritual victory to the believer. 
 
 Christ rules in his visible Church by prescribing the form and order and 
 functions of his Church, the officers who are to act as the organs of these 
 functions, and the laws which they are to administer. The Church has 
 power vested in her under Christ ; but it is (1) declarative, to expound the 
 Scriptures ; and (2) ministerial, to organize herself, administer ordinances 
 and sacraments, and exercise discipline. Admission to Christ's kingdom is 
 submission to him as King. Profession is the warrant for admission to the 
 visible Church. The Church is subject only to Christ in spiritual things. 
 The State is not one phase of the Church, and the Church is not one phase 
 of the State. They are essentially distinct, but both under law to Christ, 
 who is King of nations and King of saints. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. Christ has a right to subdue us to himself both by grant and by purchase. 
 
 2. It is a sad aspect of our state when Christ's enemies are our friends. 
 
 3. Christ's subjects may wait with patience for his kingdom of glory. 
 
 4. Christ makes his people kings, to sit with him on his throne : Rev. 
 iii. 21. 
 
 5. Christ is yet to be acknowledged as King of this world : Rev. xi. 15. 
 And for this he taught us to pray daily, "Thy kingdom come." 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 It has been said of Edward the Black Prince that he never fought a battle 
 that he did not win ; and the same has been said of the Duke of Wellington. 
 It was also said of the Duke of Marlborough that he never besieged a city 
 which he did not take. Shall that be said of men and yet denied concern- 
 ing the Most High God ? Is he less successful than some human generals ? 
 Shall these invincibly prevail, and grace be liable to defeat ? Impossible ! 
 
 ^Vhen Constantine beheld the luminous cross, this was the inscription: 
 " By this overcome I" 
 
92 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 It is said that when the Emperor Julian was mortally wounded, he fiUed 
 his hand with blood and cast it into the air, exclaiming, '* O Galilean, thou 
 hast conquered !" 
 
 When the Black Prince took John, king of France, prisoner, he conde- 
 scended to wait upon his royal captive at supper. Christ having once sub- 
 dued his people by his grace, waits on them afterwards to the end of their 
 lives. 
 
 It is said that the Emperor Sigismund destroyed his enemies by making 
 them his friends. This is pre-eminently true of Christ. 
 
 When an heir to the dukedom of Hamilton lay dying, he called his younger 
 brother to him, and said, with an air of hopeful assurance of glory, " Douglas, 
 you will be a duke, but I will be a king !" 
 
 The Rev. Thomas Watson put these questions : — " Have earthly kings 
 their image stamped upon the public coin ? But doth not Christ, as king, 
 do a greater thing than that, in causing his image to be drawn upon the 
 heart of every one of his subjects ? Is it not also the prerogative of this King, 
 above all, to engrave his laws upon the hearts of his subjects, and to rule his 
 voluntary subjects by his laws?" 
 
 A native of Raratonga, when describing the change produced by Christi- 
 anity, referred to three kings who ruled on the island. During the reign of 
 the first it was constant war, and all people lived in fear. Under the second 
 a famine prevailed. Under the third they were conquered by other tribes, 
 and experienced great distress. If a man went to fish, he rarely ever 
 returned ; and if a woman went any distance to fetch food, she was rarely 
 seen again. " But," said he, " we were then visited by another King — a 
 powerful King, a King of love — Jesus, the Lord from heaven. He has 
 gained the victory ; he has conquered our hearts. We are all his subjects ; 
 therefore we have peace and plenty in this world, and hope soon to dwell 
 Avith him in heaven." 
 
 When Mr. Dawson was preaching in South Lambeth on the offices of 
 Christ, he presented him as Prophet and Priest, and then as the King of 
 saints. He marshalled patriarchs and kings, prophets and apostles, mar- 
 tyrs and confessors of every age and clime, to place the insignia of royalty 
 upon the head of the King of the universe. The audience was wrouglit to 
 the highest pitch of excitement ; and, as if waiting to hear the anthem peal 
 out for the vast assemblage, the preacher commenced singing, " All hail, the 
 power of Jesus' name !" The audience started to their feet, and sang the 
 hymn as perhaps it was never sung before. 
 
 When a devoted Christian lay on his dying bed, and in great weakness, he 
 was heard to say, " Bring," His daughter was perplexed, and asked, " What 
 shall I bring?" Again the feeble voice said, "Bring." The perplexity of 
 the daughter increased. Then, with a convulsive effort, the dying man said, 
 
 " Bring forth the royal diadem, 
 And croMTi him Lord of all !" 
 
 and immediately expired. 
 
 " Come then, and, added to thy many crowns, 
 Receive yet one— the crown of all the earth, 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 93 
 
 Thou who alone art worthy ! It was thine 
 
 By ancient covenant, ere Nature's birth ; 
 
 And thou hast made it thine by purchase since, 
 
 And overpaid its value with thy blood. 
 
 Thy saints proclaim thee King, and in their hearts 
 
 Thy title is engraven with a pen 
 
 Dipped in the fountain of eternal love. 
 
 * * * * 
 
 Come then, and, added to thy many crowns, 
 Receive yet one, as radiant as the rest. 
 Due to thy last and most effectual work. 
 Thy word fulfilled — the conquest of a world ! 
 
 * * * * 
 
 One song employs all nations, and all cry, 
 * Worthy the Lamb, for he was slain for us ! ' 
 The dwellers in the vales and on the rocks 
 Shout to each other ; and the mountain-tops 
 From distant mountains catch the flying joy ; 
 Till, nation after nation taught the strain, 
 Earth rolls the rapturous Hosanna round." — Cowper. 
 
 Quest. 27. Wlierein did Christ's humiliation consist / 
 Ans. Christ's humiliation consisted in his being born, and 
 that in a low condition, made under the law, undergoing the 
 miseries of this life, the wrath of God, and the cursed death of 
 the cross; in being buried, and continuing under the power of 
 death for a time. 
 
 Phil. ii. 6. Who, being in the form of 
 God, thought it not robbery to be equal 
 with God : Ver. 7. But made himself of no 
 reputation, and took upon him the form of 
 a servant, and was made in the likeness of 
 men : Ver. 8. And being found in fashion 
 as a man, he humbled himself, and became 
 obedient unto death, even the death of 
 the cross. 
 
 Luke ii. 7. And she brought forth her 
 firstborn son, and wrapped him in swad- 
 dling clothes, and laid him in a manger. 
 
 Gal. iv. 4. But when the fulness of the 
 time was come, God sent forth his Son, 
 made of a woman, made under the law. 
 
 Is A. liii. 3. He is despised and rejected 
 
 of men ; a man of sorrows, and acquainted 
 with grief. 
 
 Matt, xxvii. 46. And about the ninth 
 hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saj'ing, 
 Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani ? that is to say, 
 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken 
 me? 
 
 Gal. iii. 13. Christ hath redeemed us 
 from the curse of the law, being made a 
 curse for us. 
 
 1 CoK. XV. 3. For I delivered unto you 
 first of all that which I also received, how 
 that Christ died for our sins according to 
 the scriptures ; Ver. 4. And that he was 
 buried, and that he rose again the third 
 day according to the scriptures. 
 
 Christ, though the Son of God, equal with the Father, and worshipped by 
 angels, humbled himself in becoming our Redeemer. His humiliation had 
 seven steps — a marvellous condescension. 
 
94 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 I. In his being horn. — This implies his pre-existence, or it could not have 
 been humiliation on his part. Christ born was God incarnate. In this he 
 emptied himself for a time of his glory. He was born of Mary, and was a 
 helpless, weak infant. Human nature received a high dignity when the 
 Son of God humbled himself to be born. 
 
 IT. In a loio condition. — This was marked in the poverty of Mary his 
 mother ; in the circumstances of his birth at Bethlehem, where he was bom 
 in a stable and laid in a manger. He lived in a humble family, wrought as 
 a carpenter, and had a lot of poverty. 
 
 III. Made under the law. — Though the Lawgiver, he became a subject, 
 under parental law, Luke ii. 51 ; the ceremonial law, Luke ii. 21 ; the moral 
 law, Matt. iii. 15, John xv. 10. Those to be redeemed were under the law 
 as transgressors. He took their law-room. ' 
 
 IV. Undergoing the miseries of this life. — Subject to poverty. Matt. viii. 20; 
 weariness, John iv. 6 ; hunger, Mark xi. 12 ; thirst, John xix. 28 ; calumny. 
 Matt. xi. 19 ; persecution, Mark xii. 12, 13 ; desertion of friends. Matt. xxvi. 
 56, 69-74 ; treachery, Luke xxii. 6 ; mockery, Luke xviii. 32 ; cruelty. Matt, 
 xxvii. 26-30. He submitted both to sinless infirmities of human life and to 
 voluntary sorrows and afflictions. 
 
 V. The im^ath of God. — The cup in his agony in the garden, and the deser- 
 tion on the cross, were symbols of his suffering at the hand of God. It is 
 not meant that God was angry with his Son, for he was ever well pleased 
 with him, but that Christ bore the wrath of God due to sin. This was the 
 most painful part of Christ's suffering and humiliation, and made him cry, 
 " My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me ? " He bore this all his life, 
 but chiefly at the last, to save sinners. 
 
 VI. The cursed death of the cross. — This was the most shameful kind of 
 death. Slaves only were crucified. It was called cursed : Gal. iii. 13. It 
 was lingering, excruciating agony. Psalm xxii. is a prophetic description of 
 Christ's experience on the cross. 
 
 VII. Being buried, and continuing under the power of death for a time. — 
 Christ was buried in the earth he had created. He lay in the grave three 
 days and nights (as usually reckoned in the East), to show that he was really 
 dead, and that he might go through our experience. He was a Prophet in 
 his himiiliation — our example, 1 Peter ii. 21 ; a Priest, in offering himself, 
 Heb. vii. 27; a King, that "he might destroy him that had the power of 
 death," Heb. ii. 14. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. The marvellous condescension of Christ. " Ye know the grace of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became 
 poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich : " 2 Cor. viii. 9. 
 
 2. Christ, the Son of God, was bom of a woman, made under the law, to 
 redeem us from the curse of the law, that we might be made sons and daugh- 
 ters of the Lord Almighty : Gal. iv. 4, 5. 
 
 3. Contentment under trials may be learned by following Christ, who left 
 us his example, that we should walk in his steps : 1 Peter ii. 21. 
 
 4. We may die in the Lord, since Jesus Christ died for us in our nature. 
 " Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord : " Rev. xiv. 13. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 96 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 King ^ropus of Macedonia is said to have condescended to make lan- 
 terns ; Harcatius, King of Parthia, to catch moles ; Biantes, of Lydia, to 
 file needles ; Charles V., Emperor of Germany, to make and regulate 
 watches. The Czar Peter condescended to become a ship carpenter and 
 blacksmith for a greater object — that he might instruct his subjects, 
 
 " His sceptre laid aside, with glorious hand 
 Unwearied plying the mechanic tool. 
 Gathered the seeds of trade, of useful arts. 
 Of civil wisdom, and of martial skill. 
 Charged with the stores of Europe, home he goes. 
 Then cities rise amid the illumined waste ; 
 O'er joyless deserts smiles the rural reign ; 
 Far distant flood to flood is social joined. 
 The astonished Euxine hears the Baltic roar ; 
 Proud navies ride on seas that never foamed 
 With daring keel before." 
 
 What are all these compared with the condescension of Christ ? 
 
 " When he saw that there were none to help, Immanuel arose from his 
 jasper seat, and in a transport of love declared that his own arm should 
 bring salvation. According to this high determination, he dismantled him- 
 self of his robes of manifest glory, laid aside his imperial diadem, which 
 irradiates all the coasts of light, hasted down to the world on the wings of 
 compassion, resolved to conquer by dying," — Macgowan. 
 
 General Bauer, who commanded the Prussian cavalry in Holstein, was un- 
 known to his officers in relation to his birth and family. When encamped 
 near Husum, he took this mode of discovering himself : — He invited a miller 
 who lived in the neighbourhood, along with his wife, to dine with all the 
 field-officers. The miller and his wife came, but were ill at ease, till the 
 general told them that he meant it all in kindness. He then asked them of 
 their circumstances and of their family. The miller said that he got the mill 
 from his father. " Have you no brothers ? " said the general. He had two 
 living, and one who had gone away with the soldiers when he was young, 
 but who must have died long ago. The general, turning to his officers, 
 said, "You have always been curious to know who I was and whence I 
 came. I now inform you that this is the place of my nativity, and this 
 miller is my elder brother." Then turning to the miller on his right hand, 
 and to the miller's wife on his left, he embraced them, telling them that he 
 was the brother whom they supposed dead. The next day General Bauer 
 took the ofiicers to the mill, and showed them his birthplace with as much 
 interest as if he had been describing a battle. All admired the humility of 
 the general, — The Lord Jesus Christ left a high place to become our brother 
 in our humiliation ; and what a condescension it appears when we know that 
 he was the Son of God ! 
 
 A poor family, sitting together one cold evening around a little fire, was 
 addressed by the father thus : " I have been thinking a great deal of that 
 
 7 
 
96 
 
 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 scripture, * The Son of man hath not where to lay his head.' How wonder- 
 ful it is that we, who are so sinful, unworthy, and helpless, should be more 
 favoured than he was." The children joined in the talk, and then all united 
 in singing the hymn, " The Son of man hath not where to lay his head." 
 
 When Dr. Grosvenor's wife died, he said, " The cross of a dying Christ is 
 my support ; I fly from one death for refuge to another." 
 
 " By thy helpless infant years, 
 By thy life of want and tears, 
 By thy days of sore distress 
 In the savage wilderness. 
 By the dread mysterious hour 
 Of the insulting tempter's power, 
 Turn, O turn a favouring eye. 
 Hear our solemn litany. 
 
 " By the sacred grief that wept 
 O'er the grave where Lazarus slept, 
 By the boding tears that flowed 
 Over Salem's loved abode. 
 By the anguished sigh that told 
 Treachery lurked within thy fold, 
 From thy seat above the sky 
 Hear our solemn litany. 
 
 *' By thine hour of dire despair, 
 By thine agony of prayer, 
 By the cross, the nail, the thorn. 
 Piercing spear, and torturing scorn, 
 By the gloom that veiled the skies 
 O'er the dreadful sacrifice. 
 Listen to our humble cry. 
 Hear our solemn litany." — Sir B. Grant. 
 
 Quest. 28. W7ierein consisteth Christ's exaltation ? 
 
 Ans. Christ's exaltation consisteth in his rising again from 
 the dead on the third day, in ascending up into heaven, in sit- 
 ting at the right hand of God the Father, and in coming to 
 judge the world at the last day. 
 
 1 Cor. XV. 4. And that he was buried, 
 and that he rose again the third day ac- 
 cording to the scriptures. 
 
 Matt, xxviii. 5. And the angel answered 
 and said unto the women, Fear not ye : for 
 I know that ye seek Jesus, which was cruci- 
 fied. Ver. 6. He is not here: for be is 
 
 risen, as he said. Corae, see the place where 
 the Lord lay. 
 
 Acts i. 9. And when he had spoken these 
 things, while they beheld, he was taken 
 up ; and a cloud received him out of their 
 sight. Ver. 10. And while they looked 
 stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 97 
 
 behold, two men stood by them in white 
 apparel ; Ver. 11. Which also said, Ye men 
 of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into 
 heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken 
 up from you into heaven, shall so come in 
 like manner as ye have seen him go into 
 heaven. 
 
 Luke xxiv. 50. And he led them out as 
 far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his 
 hands, and blessed them. Ver. 51. And it 
 came to pass, while he blessed them, he 
 was parted from them, and carried up into 
 heaven, 
 
 EoM. viii. 34. Who is he that condemneth ? 
 It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is 
 risen again, who is even at the right hand of 
 God, who also maketh intercession for us. 
 
 Mark xvi. 19. So then after the Lord had 
 spoken unto them, he was received up into 
 heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. 
 
 Acts iii. 21. Whom the heaven must re- 
 ceive until the times of restitution of all 
 things, which God hath spoken by the 
 mouth of all his holy prophets since the 
 world began. 
 
 Acts xvii. 31. Because he hath appointed 
 
 a day, in the which he will judge the world 
 in righteousness by that man whom he 
 hath ordained ; whereof he hath given as- 
 surance unto all men, in that he hath 
 raised him from the dead. 
 
 Matt. xxv. 31. When the Son of man 
 shall come in his glory, and all the holy 
 angels with him, then shall he sit upon the 
 throne of his glory: Ver. 32. And before 
 him shall be gathered all nations : and he 
 shall separate them one from another, as a 
 shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats : 
 Ver. 33. And he shall set the sheep on his 
 right hand, but the goats on the left. 
 
 1 Thess. iv. 16. For the Lord himself 
 shall descend from heaven with a shout, 
 with the voice of the archangel, and with 
 the trump of God : and the dead in Christ 
 shall rise first : Ver. 17. Then we which are 
 alive and remain shall be caught up to- 
 gether with them in the clouds, to meet 
 the Lord in the air : and so shall we ever 
 be with the Lord. 
 
 Phil. ii. 9. Wherefore God also hath 
 highly exalted him, and given him a name 
 which is above every name. 
 
 Because he humbled himself so low he is exalted to glory. His exaltation 
 consists of four steps or stages. 
 
 I. His rising again from the dead on the third day. — This was attested by 
 witnesses of his appearance after the resurrection. The tomb was found 
 empty: Matt, xxviii. 5, 6; John xx. 1-8. He appeared frequently to his 
 disciples : — To the women returning to Jerusalem, Matt, xxviii. 9, 10 : to 
 Mary Magdalene at the sepulchre, Mark xvi. 9 ; John xx. 14-18 : to Peter, 
 Luke xxiv. 34 ; 1 Cor. xv. 5 : to two disciples going to Emmaus, Mark xvi. 12; 
 Luke xxiv. 13-31 : to the apostles while Thomas was absent, Mark xvi. 14 ; 
 Luke xxiv. 36 ; John xx. 19, 24 : to the apostles when Thomas was present, 
 John XX. 26 : to seven apostles by the Sea of Tiberias, John xxi. 1-14 : to the 
 apostles and above five hundred brethren on a mountain in Galilee, Matt, 
 xxviii. 16 ; 1 Cor. xv. 6 : to James, 1 Cor. xv. 7 : to the apostles at Jerusalem 
 and at Bethany, Luke xxiv. 33-36, 50 ; Acts i. 3-12. He appeared also to the 
 apostle Paul, 1 Cor. ix. 1, xv. 8. Christ's rising from the dead was foretold in 
 ancient prophecy, Ps. xvi. 10; and by himself, Mark ix. 9; Luke ix. 22. 
 The apostles constantly preached this as essential to Christianity : Acts ii. 32. 
 
 II. His ascension to heaven. — This occurred forty days after the resurrec- 
 tion, and from the eastern slope of Mount Olivet. The eleven apostles wit- 
 nessed it : Acts i. 9-11. It was necessary that he should ascend, to appear 
 in heaven for us, Heb. vi. 20 ; and to prepare a place for us, John xiv. 2. 
 
 III. His sitting at the right hand of God. — This exaltation to the place of 
 honour was because of his humiliation : Phil. ii. 8, 9 ; Heb. i. 3. It was for the 
 purpose of dispensing the blessings of redemption. Acts v. 31 ; of interceding 
 for us, Rom. viii. 34 ; and of exercising his kingly authority as Lord of all. 
 
98 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 IV. fits second coming, to judge the world at the last day. — The Father has 
 appointed him to be Judge because he is the Son of man : John v. 27 ; Acts 
 xvii. 31. This coming of Christ will be personal — "this same Jesus:" Acts 
 i. 11. It will be in great glory, Matt. xxv. 31 ; suddenly, 2 Peter iii. 10 ; and 
 for judgment of quick and dead, Matt. xxv. 31-46 ; Rev. xx. 11-13. Christ 
 executeth his offices in his exaltation — as Prophet, Acts ii. 33 ; as Priest, Rom. 
 viii. 34 ; as King, 1 Cor. xv. 25. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. The true way to honour is through humility— Hannah, 1 Sam. ii. 1-10; 
 Mary, Luke i. 46-55. 
 
 2. Suffering is before glory for Christ's people, as well as for himself: 
 2 Tim. ii. 11, 12. 
 
 3. What a friend we have in heaven ! 
 
 4. If Christ is to come again, we should look for him. 
 
 5. Let us exalt Christ in our heart and lives. Whoever exalts Christ 
 glorifies God. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Christ rose from the dead with the same body in which he died. It had the 
 print of the nails and of the spear ; but it was changed, and could appear in 
 a room though the doors were shut. It was further changed in the ascension. 
 It does not need food — it is no longer flesh and blood ; it is glorious, incor- 
 ruptible, immortal. It is the pattern for the resurrection bodies of his people. 
 
 " The ground of Christ's exaltation is twofold : — the possession of divine 
 attributes, by which he was entitled to divine honour and was qualified to 
 exercise absolute and universal dominion ; and secondly, his mediatorial 
 work. Both these are united in Heb. i. 3; Phil. ii. 6-11." — Dr. Hodge. 
 
 "To speak properly, God hath no right hand or left, for, being a spirit, he 
 is void of all bodily parts ; but it is a borrowed speech, a metaphor taken 
 from the manner of kings, who were wont to advance their favourites next 
 to their own persons, and set them at their right hand. Solomon caused a 
 seat to be set for his mother, and placed her at his right hand. So for Christ 
 to sit at the right hand of God is to be in the next place to God the Father 
 in dignity and honour." — Watson. 
 
 A little child, when djdng, was asked where she was going. "To heaven," 
 said the child. — " And what makes you wish to be there ? " said one. " Be- 
 cause Christ is there." — "But," said a friend, "what if Christ should leave 
 heaven?" "Well," said the child, " I will go with him." — Some time before 
 her departure she wished to have a golden crown when she died. "And 
 what will you do with the golden crown ? " asked a friend. " I will take the 
 crown," said the child, " and cast it at the feet of Christ." 
 
 A pious father, writing to his friends, remarked, "On January last I 
 dreamed that the gfreat day of judgment was come. I saw the Judge on his 
 great white throne, and all nations were gathered before him. My wife and 
 I were on the right hand, but I could not see my children. I went to the 
 left hand of the Judge, and there found them all standing in the utmost 
 despair. As soon as they saw me they caught hold of me, and cried, ' O 
 father, we will never part.' I said, *My dear children, I am come to try, 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 99 
 
 if possible, to get you out of this awful situation.' So I took them all with 
 me. But when we came near the Judge I thought he cast an angry look, and 
 said, 'What do thy children with thee now? They would not take thy 
 warning when on earth, and they shall not share with thee thy crown in 
 heaven ; — depart, ye cursed.' At these words I awoke, bathed in tears. A 
 while after this, as we were all sitting together on a Sabbath evening, I 
 related to them my dream. No sooner did I begin than first one and then 
 another, yea, all of them, burst into tears, and God fastened conviction on 
 their hearts. Five of them are rejoicing in Christ as their Saviour; and I 
 believe the Lord is at work with the other two, so that I doubt not he will 
 give them also to my prayers." 
 
 When the " Young Cottager" lay on her death -bed, the Rev. Legh Rich- 
 mond found her one day asleep, with her finger on the open Bible, at the 
 text, "Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom." He 
 wondered whether this was accidental or designed. Meantime she awoke 
 half-conscious, but saying, "Lord, remember me — remember me — a poor 
 child— Lord, remember me." 
 
 Richard Baxter said that if Christ were to come again in his day, it would 
 be the joyfulest day he ever had. A minister in Ayrshire once said, "I 
 know not when Christ will come, but I know that when he comes I will be 
 very glad to meet him." 
 
 " There is a machine in the Bank of England which receives sovereigns as 
 a mill receives grain, for the purpose of determining wholesale whether they 
 are of full weight. As they pass through, the machinery, by unerring laws, 
 throws all that are light to one side, and all that are of full weight to another. 
 That process is a silent but solemn parable for me. Founded as it is upon 
 the laws of nature, it affords the most vivid similitude of the certainty which 
 characterizes the judgment of the great day. There are no mistakes or par- 
 tialities to which the light may trust; the only hope lies in being of standard 
 weight before they go in." — Rev. W. Arnot. 
 
 " Christ, our hope, our hearts' desire, 
 Redemption's only spring ; 
 Creator of the world art thou, 
 Its Saviour and its King. 
 
 . " How vast the mercy and the love 
 Which laid our sins on thee. 
 And led thee to a cruel death 
 To set thy people free ! 
 
 " But now the bonds of death are burst. 
 The ransom has been paid ; 
 And thou art on thy Father's throne, ^ 
 
 In glorious robes arrayed. 
 " may thy mighty love prevail 
 Our sinful souls to spare ; 
 O may we come before thy throne, 
 And find acceptance there." — Ancient Hymn. 
 
100 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 Quest. 29. How are loe made imrtakers of the redemption 
 purchased hy Christ ? 
 
 Ans. We are made partakers of the redemption purchased 
 by Christ, by the eflfectual application of it to us by his Holy 
 Spirit. 
 
 Heb. ix. 12. Neither by the blood of 
 goats and calves, but by his own blood he 
 entered in once into the holy place, having 
 obtained eternal redemption for us. 
 
 John iii. 5. Jesus answered. Verily, 
 verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be 
 born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot 
 enter into the kingdom of God. Ver. 6. 
 That which is born of the flesh is flesh ; and 
 that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 
 Ver. 7. Marvel not that I said unto thee, 
 Ye must be born again. 
 
 John i. 12. But as many as received him, 
 to them gave he power to become the sons 
 of God, even to them that believe on his 
 name : Ver. 13. Which were born, not of 
 
 blood, nor of the wiU of the flesh, nor of 
 the will of man, but of God. 
 
 Titus iii. 5. Not by works of righteous- 
 ness which we have done, but according to 
 his mercy he saved us, by the washing of 
 regeneration, and renewing of the Holy 
 Ghost ; Ver. 6. Which he shed on us abun- 
 dantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour. 
 
 John vi. 63. It is the Spirit that quick- 
 eneth. 
 
 John xvi. 14. He shall receive of mine, 
 and shall show it unto you. 
 
 EzEK. xxxvi. 27. I will put my Spirit 
 within you, and cause you to walk in my 
 statutes, and ye shaU keep my judgments, 
 and do them. 
 
 The previous qiiestions relate to Christ as our Redeemer in his several 
 offices, as Prophet, Priest, and King. Here we are specially taught the work 
 of the Holy Spirit in the work of salvation. 
 
 I. Christ purchased redemption. — He gave himself a ransom. By his own 
 blood he obtained eternal redemption for us. This redemption is deliverance 
 from sin and the curse due to sin. 
 
 II. Redemption inust be applied to believers. — The physician may provide 
 medicine, but it must be applied in order to heal. The application requires 
 a divine agent. 
 
 III. Redemption is applied hy the Holy Spirit. — The Holy Spirit is God, 
 Acts V. 3, 4. (See Quest. 6.) He takes of the things of Christ and reveals 
 them to us, John xvi. 15 ; he renews the heart, John iii. 3-8. 
 
 IV. The Spirit's application of redemption is effectual to believers. — The out- 
 ward means, such as the word, sacraments, and prayer, may not be effectual : 
 Acts viii. 13-23. The Spirit of God works with saving effect : 1 Thess. i. 5. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. Believers in Christ are made partakers of redemption. 
 
 2. God gives his Holy Spirit to them that ask him, Luke xi. 13. 
 
 3. Beware of resisting the Spirit, Acts vii. 51; of quenching the Spirit, 
 1 Thess. V. 19; of grieving the Spirit, Eph. iv. 30; of vexing the Spirit, Isa. 
 Ixiii. 10; of blaspheming the Spirit, Matt. xii. 31. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 "An organ filled with the ordinary degree of air which exists everywhere 
 is dumb ; the touch of the player can elicit but a clicking of the keys. Throw 
 
 .1^ 
 
THE SHORTEii C.'ATKCtaiis:,!. 101 
 
 in not other air, but a steady current of the same air, and sweet but imper- 
 fect and uncertain notes respond immediately to the player's hand ; increase 
 the current to full supply, and every pipe swells with music. Such is the 
 soul without the Holy Ghost ; and such are the changes .which pass upon it 
 when it receives the Holy Ghost, and when it is filled withi the Holy Ghost." 
 — Rev. W. Arthur. 
 
 Several learned men tried to persuade a great scholar to believe in Chris- 
 tianity ; but it appeared to be in vain. A plain, honest person, however, 
 managed the argument in a different manner, by referring not so much to 
 logical reasoning as to the work of the Holy Spirit, so that at last the 
 scholar exclaimed, " When I heard no more than human reason, I opposed 
 it with human reason ; but when I heard the Spirit I was obliged to sur- 
 render." 
 
 Bishop Butler felt on his death-bed the need of personal interest in Christ. 
 He said to his chaplain, " Though I have endeavoured to avoid sin, and to 
 please God to the utmost of my power, yet from the consciousness of perpet- 
 ual infirmities I am still afraid to die." His chaplain said, "My lord, you 
 have forgotten that Jesus Christ is a Saviour." — "True," he replied; "but 
 how shall I know that he is a Saviour for me?" "My lord, it is written, 
 'Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out.'" — "True," said the 
 bishop, " and I am surprised that though I have read that scripture a thou- 
 sand times over, I never felt its virtue till this moment; and now I die 
 happy." 
 
 The apostle tells the Thessalonian converts, " The gospel came not unto 
 you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much 
 assurance:" 1 Thess. i. 5. 
 
 The Rev. Pliny Fisk writes thus in his diary : "There is nothing I desire 
 so much for myself and my friends as the influence of the Holy Ghost. I 
 am clearly convinced that my sins will prevail, and my lusts increase their 
 strength, in spite of all my efforts, unless the Holy Spirit purify and elevate 
 my affections. I am persuaded that he can give me humility, repentance, 
 benevolence, faith, love, and every grace. Blessed agent in the work of sal- 
 vation ! it is thine to sanctify. Oh, let thy purifying influences come into my 
 soul, and make me holy." 
 
 " Tell me," said a father to his son, " what difference you can detect between 
 two needles, one of which has received an electric shock, whilst the other has 
 not. I observe that the one has hidden virtues, which occasion will show, of 
 which the other has none. The electric shock has rendered the one needle a 
 magnet, which, duly balanced, will enable a man to find his way across the 
 trackless ocean. As this needle, so may the soul be which has received the 
 electric shock of the Holy Ghost: on the ocean of a sinful world it will 
 point wanderers to the haven of everlasting rest." 
 
 " Suppose we saw an army sitting down before a granite fortress, and they 
 told us that they intended to batter it down. We might ask them. How? 
 They point to a cannon-ball. — Well, but there is no power in that ! It is 
 heavy, but not more than a hundredweight or half a hundredweight. If all 
 the men in the army were to throw it, that would make no impression. 
 They say, No ; but look at the cannon. — Well, but there is no power in that; 
 
102 
 
 TflE SHO^TEB CATECHISM. 
 
 it is a machine and nothing more. But look at the powder. -r-Well, there is 
 no power in that ; a child may spill it, a sparrow may pick it up. Yet this 
 powerless powder and this powerless ball are put into this powerless cannon ; 
 one spark of fire enters it, and then, in the twinkling of an eye, that powder is 
 a flash of lightning, and that cannon-ball is a thunderbolt, which smites as if 
 it had been sent from heaven. — So is it with our church machinery of the 
 present day. We have our instruments for pulling down the strongholds ; 
 but oh for the baptism of fire !"—Bev. W. Arthur, 31. A. 
 " I believe in the Holy Ghost."— The Apostles' Creed. 
 
 " Come, Holy Spirit, come; 
 Let thy bright beams arise ; 
 Dispel the darkness from our minds. 
 And open all our eyes. 
 
 " Convince us of our sin ; 
 
 Then lead to Jesus' blood. 
 And to om* wondering view reveal 
 The secret love of God. 
 
 *' 'Tis thine to cleanse the heart. 
 To sanctify the soul. 
 To pour fresh life on every part. 
 And new-create the whole." — Hart. 
 
 Quest. 30. How doth the Sjnrit apply to us the redemption 
 purchased hy Christ ? 
 
 Ans. The Spirit applieth to us the redemption purchased by 
 Christ, by working faith in us, and thereby uniting us to Christ 
 in our effectual calling. 
 
 Eph. ii. 8. For by grace are ye saved 
 through faith ; and that not of yourselves : 
 it is the gift of God. 
 
 John vi. 35. And Jesus said unto them, 
 I am the bread of life : he that cometh to me 
 shall never hunger ; and he that believeth 
 on me shall never thirst. Ver. 36, But I 
 said unto you, That ye also have seen 
 me, and believe not, Ver, 37, All that the 
 Father giveth me shall come to me; and 
 Jiim that cometh to me I will in no wise 
 cast out. 
 
 Eph. iii. 17. That Christ may dwell in 
 your hearts by faith. 
 
 Gal. ii. 20. I am crucified with Christ : 
 nevertheless I live ; yet not I, but Christ 
 liveth in me : and the life which I now live 
 in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of 
 God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 
 
 1 Cor. i. 9. God is faithful, by whom ye 
 were called unto the fellowship of his Son 
 Jesus Christ our Lord. 
 
 1 Cor. xii. 27. Now ye are the body of 
 Christ, and members in particular. 
 
 I. The Spirit of God works faith in the soul.— Faith is represented in 
 Scripture as a divine operation, and as a human duty. The first aspect is 
 considered here. The second will be considered in Quest. 8G. The Spirit 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 103 
 
 works always by means when faith is produced. It requires the intelligent 
 action of the human soul. But the Spirit of God quickens the soul into the 
 new exercise, and enables it to trust on Christ. He changes the heart. 
 
 II. Faith unites the soul to Christ. — This union shows the need of the Spirit 
 of God. It shows the security and bliss of the believer. He is united to a 
 living Saviour as the branch to the tree, the limb in the body. St. Paul 
 said, " I live ; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me : and the life which I now 
 live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and 
 gave himself for me : " Gal. ii. 20. Faith is the hand by which we receive 
 Christ ; the Spirit is the power that moves it. The man with the withered 
 hand is an illustration. Christ commanded him to stretch it forth. He did 
 so, and felt he had the power, Christ asks us to believe, and he will give 
 the Spirit. 
 
 III. The period of this union to Christ is our effectual calling. — We are 
 called by the gospel, but called effectually by the Spirit. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. The necessity of the Spirit of God in conversion. 
 
 2. The necessity of faith in order to be united to Christ. 
 
 3. The happy relation of a believer to Christ. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 "The act of the Holy Spirit in implanting a new principle does not interfere 
 with the essential activity of the soul itself, but simply gives to that activity 
 a new direction ; for the soul, though active, is capable of being acted upon. 
 And although that soul is necessarily active at the very time it is regenerated, 
 yet it is rightly said to be passive with respect to that act of the Holy Spirit 
 whereby it is regenerated." — A. A. Hodge, D.D. 
 
 The Apostle Paul traced his conversion to God when he said, " It pleased 
 God, who... called me by his grace, to reveal his Son in me : " Gal. i. 15, 16. 
 
 "The Spirit acts upon the mind mediately, and not immediately. He 
 acts by the Word, and in the whole operation on the heart and understand- 
 ing of men there may be no contravention to the laws of o\ir known 
 philosophy." — Dr. Chalmers. 
 
 The Rev. William Guthrie of Fenwick, in the days of the Covenant, was 
 once benighted on a moor, and lost his way. He let his horse go as he might, 
 and by-and-by came to a farm-house. He asked leave to sit by the fire tQl 
 morning. While there a Roman Catholic priest was administering extreme 
 unction to the farmer's wife, who was dying. After the priest had gone 
 Mr. Guthrie asked the woman if she had peace with God. She said she had 
 not. He then spoke to her of the redemption purchased by Christ, and how 
 it was applied. God blessed his words, and enabled her to understand the 
 gospel, and to embrace the Saviour. She died triumphing in Jesus Christ. 
 Mr. Guthrie departed early, and when he reached the manse said to his wife 
 that he had seen a great wonder during the night. "I came to a farm- 
 house, where I found a woman in a state of nature ; I saw her in a state of 
 grace ; and I left her in a state of glory ! " 
 
104 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 " I have had six children," said Mr. Elliot, a devoted man, "and I bless 
 God for his full grace that they are all either with Christ or in Christ." 
 Oh that parents and teachers could say this of their children and scholars. 
 
 " Look at that locomotive as it snorts like a giant war-horse to its place in 
 the station at the head of the train. You have in that engine power of 
 amplest capacity to drag at swiftest pace the far-stretching carriages. Boiler, 
 tubes, pistons, fire, steam — all are in perfect order ; and that broad-browed 
 man gives assurance of ability to guide the charge committed to him. You 
 look ; carriage after carriage is filled, the hour has struck, the bell rung, and 
 yet there is no departure, no movement, nor would be till the 'crack of 
 doom ' if one thing remained as it now is. Aha ! the lack is discovered : the 
 uniting hooks that bind engine and train together were wanting. They have 
 been supplied. Like two great hands, they have clasped, and a screw so 
 rivets engine and carriage that they form, as it were, one thing, one whole, 
 and away through the dark sweeps the heavy-laden train vidth its freight of 
 immortals. Mark ! no one ever supposes that it is the uniting hook, or link, 
 or coupling that draws the train. A child knows that it is the engine that 
 draws it. Nevertheless, without that hook, or link, or coupling all the 
 power of the engine were of no avail ; the train would stand still for ever. 
 Exactly so, my brethren, is it in the relation of faith to Christ. It is not our 
 faith that saves us, but Christ that saves us." — Rev. Dr. Grosart. 
 
 " As the graft is kept in union to the stock by means of the clay which has 
 been applied by the gardener, so is the believer united to Christ by faith, 
 which is the gift of God. The clay cement keeps the parts together, but ha3 
 no virtue in itself : so faith is the means of union to Christ, but cannot of 
 itself save us. When the clay is removed from the tree, the graft is found 
 united to the stock ; so when faith is swallowed up in sight, then the perfect 
 union of Christ and his people is seen." — Dr. J. H. Balfour. 
 
 A house was on fire. All the inmates but one had escaped. He was a boy, 
 and found the flames coming up the staircase. He ran to a window, and 
 appealed to his father to save him. His father was on the ground, and 
 answered him, "Do not fear ; drop down, and I vfill be sure to catch you." 
 The boy crept out and hung by his hands, afraid to let go. — "Drop down, 
 my boy," said his father. " O father, I cannot see you," said the boy. — " But 
 I am here; trust me, I will save you." "I am afraid, father, that I shall 
 fall." — " Let go," cried the people ; " yotu" father wUl be sure to catch you." 
 The flames were coming near. He felt that if he remained he would be 
 burned. He dropped down, and in a moment was in his father's arras. 
 Thus drop into the arms of the Saviour. 
 
 " O holy Saviour, Friend unseen ! 
 The faint, the weak on thee may lean ; 
 Help me, throughout life's varying scene, 
 By faith to cUng to thee ! " 
 
 " Just as I am, thou wilt receive, 
 Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve ; 
 Because thy promise I believe, 
 
 O Lamb of God, I come."— Elliott. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 105 
 
 Quest. 31. What is effectual calling ? 
 
 Ans. Effectual calling is tlie work of God's Spirit, whereby, 
 convincing us of our sin and misery, enlightening our minds in 
 the knowledge of Christ, and renewing our wills, he doth per- 
 suade and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ, freely offered to 
 us in the gospel. 
 
 2 Tim. i. 9. Who hath saved us, and 
 called us with an holy calling. 
 
 KoM. viii. 30. Moreover whom he did 
 predestinate, them he also called. 
 
 John xvi. 8. And when he [the Spirit] is 
 come, he will reprove the world of sin, and 
 of righteousness, and of judgment. 
 
 Acts ii. 37. Now when they heard this, 
 they were pricked in their heart, and said 
 unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, 
 Men and brethren, what shall we do ? 
 
 Acts xxvi. 18. To open their eyes, and 
 to turn them from darkness to light, and 
 from the power of Satan unto God. 
 
 IsA. Iv. 1. Ho, every one that thirsteth, 
 come ye to the waters. 
 
 2 CoR. iv. 6. For God, who commanded 
 the light to shine out of darkness, hath 
 
 shined in our hearts, to give the light of 
 the knowledge of the glory of God in the 
 face of Jesus Christ. 
 
 EzEK. xxxvi. 26. A new heart also will I 
 give you, and a new spirit will I put within 
 you : and I will take away the stony heart 
 out of your flesh, and I will give you an 
 heart of flesh. 
 
 John vi. 44. No man can come to me, 
 except the Father which hath sent me draw 
 him: and I will raise him up at the last 
 day. 
 
 John vi. 37. All that the Father giveth 
 me shall come to me ; and him that cometh 
 to me I will in no wise cast out. 
 
 Matt. xi. 28. Come unto me, all ye that 
 labour and are heavy laden, and I will give 
 you rest. 
 
 Effectual calling is a divine work performed by the Holy Spirit. It is 
 gradual in its operation, but it is successful. There are two calls addressed 
 to men ; — one external, by the Word ; the other internal, by the Spirit with 
 the Word. 
 
 Effectual calling consists of five parts. 
 
 I. Conviction of sin. — All are sinners, but all are not convinced of sin. 
 The Spirit convicts the soul by showing the nature and extent of sin by 
 the law, and its criminality by the cross of Christ. The conscience is 
 alarmed by this. 
 
 II. Conviction of misery. — Sin is the cause of all misery. Many are 
 miserable without knowing the cause. An awakened soul con\dnced of sin 
 is unhappy and afraid of judgment. This is seen in the conviction of the 
 people on the day of Pentecost ; of the publican ; of the jailer. 
 
 III. Enlightening the mind in the knowledge of Christ. — This implies previous 
 darkness respecting Christ. The Spirit reveals Christ as a divine, sufficient, 
 gracious Saviour, willing to save the sinner. The gospel is the only means 
 used by the Spirit to enlighten the mind of the awakened sinner. 
 
 IV. Reneioing the ivill. — The will has been corrupted by sin, and needs 
 renewal by that Power which at first created it. We must be born again. 
 
 V. Persuading and enabling us to embrace Christ, freely offered to us in the 
 gospel.— The soul, through sin, is neither inclined nor able to embrace Christ; 
 but it is both persuaded and enabled to do so by the Spirit. The persuasions 
 consist of considerations addressed to mind and heart. The Spirit works 
 
106 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 according to the laws of human belief. He gives spiritual power to embrace 
 Christ as our Saviour. Christ is offered to us freely in the gospel. Nothing 
 is required on our part but to accept this free gift. Christ's invitation in the 
 gospel is very full and free. The sinner may accept him as he is offered. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. The great encouragement to earnest thought and convictions. 
 
 2. The necessity of thorough conversion. 
 
 3. How full and free is the gospel, and how admirably suited to the 
 ■wretched condition of sinful people in the world. 
 
 4. The duty and blessedness of accepting Christ. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 The Rev. Thomas Doolittle, a godly Puritan divine, was in the habit of 
 catechising his congregation every Lord's day. One Sabbath evening, after 
 having received the answer to this question, and having explained it, he pro- 
 posed that it should be answered personally by any one. There was a solemn 
 silence for a little ; then a young man arose, and with much feeling said, 
 " Effectual calling is the work of God's Spirit, whereby, convincing me of 
 my sin and misery, enlightening my mind in the knowledge of Christ, and 
 renewing my will, he did persuade and enable me to embrace Jesus Christ, 
 freely offered to me in the gospel." The scene was truly affecting, and the 
 congregation were bathed in tears. This young man had been convinced 
 by being catechised, and gave evidence of an entire conversion from care- 
 lessness and sin to an intelligent faith in Christ. 
 
 *' God draws his people, not with force, as mere machines, but with 'the 
 cords of a man, and with the bands of love.' The subject may be best un- 
 folded by a familiar illustration. How was it that Jacob was drawn into 
 Egypt? He was made to feel the pressure of a grievous famine ; he was in- 
 formed that there was plenty of corn in Egypt ; and that his dearly-beloved 
 Joseph was the lord of all that land, and that he disposed of the good things 
 to whomsoever he would. He was told, moreover, that Joseph had expressly 
 invited him, and had sent waggons for the conveyance of his family, together 
 with abundant provisions for the way ; and, finally, he was assured that at 
 the end of this journey all the good of the land of Egypt should be his. 
 Did he need, after this, to have a chain fastened round him to be dragged 
 into Egypt ? No ; all that he needed -was faith to believe the tidings ; 
 and when he was once persuaded of the truth of these things, he was 
 willing of himself to go into that good land. Thus God draws sinners. 
 He causes them to feel their need of mercy ; he informs them that Jesus 
 Christ has all heaven at his disposal ; that he has sent to invite them, assur- 
 ing them of all that is needful by the way, and all the glory of heaven at the 
 end. Thus a thorough belief of these truths bends the most stubborn heart, 
 and overcomes the most reluctant mind." — Rev. Charles Simeon. 
 
 Noah preached the coming flood to the old world for a hundred and 
 twenty years ; but only eight souls were saved thereby. To the Cities of the 
 Plain Lot preached ; but only three souls were chosen from them. Six hun« 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 107 
 
 dred thousand men, besides women and children, passed through the Red 
 Sea ; but only two entered the Promised Land. Gideon went to fight the 
 Midianites with thirty -two thousand men; but only three hundred were 
 allowed to participate in the victory. These are types of the " many called, 
 but few chosen." 
 
 A man once went to cast a stone at the Rev. George Whitefield while that 
 eminent evangelist was preaching at Exeter, but lacked courage as soon as 
 he heard the text. He afterwards went to Mr. Whitefield and said, " Sir, I 
 came to hear you this day with a view to break your head ; but the Spirit of 
 God, through your ministry, has given me a broken heart." From that day 
 he was changed, and lived a believer in Christ. 
 
 Near the Franconia Mountains, in America, a man lived fourscore years 
 without God, when he was startled to thoughts about God and eternity by 
 the death of a friend. He could hardly read, but by great labour he learned 
 and read the New Testament. " I wanted a religion that would be good 
 and strong," he said, " and that would keep by me and help me when I came 
 to die. So I cried to the Almighty, and he gave me a heart for the blessed 
 Testament." He read, and believed, and realized the great change, and 
 gave evidence of it. When Daniel Webster, the great statesman, who was 
 his brother-in-law, visited him, he was thus saluted: " I have had done for 
 me, Daniel, what neither you nor all the great men in the world could do 
 for me — I have got a new heart." 
 
 " Just as I am, without one plea 
 But that thy blood was shed for me, 
 And that thou bidd'st me come to thee, 
 O Lamb of God, I come !" 
 
 Quest. 32. What benefits do they that are effectually called par- 
 take of in this life ? 
 
 Ans. They that are effectually called do in this life partake 
 of justification, adoption, and sanctification, and the several 
 benefits which in this life do either accompany or flow from 
 them. 
 
 Rom. viii. 30. Moreover whom he did 
 predestinate, them he also called: and 
 whom he called, them he also justified : and 
 whom he justified, them he also glorified. 
 
 Eph. 1. 5. Having predestinated us unto 
 the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to 
 himself, according to the good pleasure of 
 his will. 
 
 1 Cob. 1. 30. But of him are ye in Christ 
 Jesus, who of God is made unto us wis- 
 dom, and righteousness, and sanctification, 
 and redemption. 
 
 EoM. viii. 32. He that spared not his 
 own Son, but delivered him up for us all, 
 how shall he not with him also freely give 
 us all things ? 
 
 The benefits of redemption are enjoyed partly in this life, and more fully 
 in the life to come. They are secured to all who believe in Christ as their 
 Saviour. These benefits may be thus enumerated : — 
 
108 THE SHORTER CATECHISM:. 
 
 I. Justification, or deliverance from the condemnation due to sin, and accept- 
 ance before God. — This is a term taken from law courts, and refers simply to 
 the state occupied by the soul before God's law. 
 
 II. Adoption, or the change implied in removal from the sinful relation to 
 that of children of God. — This also is a change of position, but implying cor- 
 responding change, through grace, in the new life. This gives access to God 
 as a Father. 
 
 III. Sanctification, or the renewal of the moral nature. — This implies a new 
 and holy character. 
 
 IV. These three are always accompanied by other benefits, and those are fol- 
 lowed by other results. — These are assurance, peace, joy, holiness, and per- 
 severance. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. How rich the provision God has made for the salvation of sinners ! 
 
 2. How great the privilege believers in Christ enjoy in this life I 
 
 3. Accept the call of God, that these blessings may become yours in this 
 life. Your sins will be forgiven ; you will be made the children of God ; 
 you will be made like God; and you will have all the blessings of his 
 house. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 The blessings of redemption are a golden chain for believers to wear about 
 their necks. Each link is precious, and all form a series to encircle and 
 adorn the souL 
 
 " God deals very liberally and kindly with his people that answer his call. 
 He does not put an empty spoon into their mouths ; he sets them not down 
 to bare commons ; they get much in hand, and yet far more i:i ... ^c. Their 
 present possessions are more valuable than crowns and sceptres in the world ; 
 but what they have a title to is what eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor 
 has it entered into the heart of man to conceive. And then, all is firm and 
 sure ; they can never be shaken out of their privileges. Whatever men 
 lose by complying with and following the gospel call, they are gainers 
 (Phil. iii. S)."— Boston. 
 
 Mr. Lyford, a Puritan divine, was asked by his friends, a few days before 
 his death, to give them some account of his hopes and comforts. He 
 answered, " I will let you know how it is with me, and on what ground I 
 stand. Here are the grave, the wrath of God, the devouring flames, the 
 great punishment on the one hand ; and here am I, a poor, sinful creature, 
 on the other. But this is my comfort : the covenant of grace, established on 
 so many sure promises, hath satisfied all. The act of oblivion passed in 
 heaven is, ' I will forgive their iniquities, and their sins will I remember no 
 more,' saith the Lord. This is the blessed privilege of all within the cove- 
 nant, of whom I am one. For I find the Spirit which is promised bestowed 
 upon me in the blessed effects of it upon my soul, as the pledge of God's 
 eternal love. By this I know my interest in Christ, who is the foundation 
 of the covenant ; and therefore my sins being laid on him, shall never be 
 charged on me." 
 
 M 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 109 
 
 Mr. Fuller mentions two characters intimately acquainted with each 
 other. One was favoured with great prosperity ; the other, fearing for his 
 soul, asked him if he did not find prosperity a snare to him. He replied, 
 " I am not conscious that I do, for I enjoy God in all things." Some time 
 afterwards he lost his means, when again his friend asked him if it was not 
 too much for him. He replied, " I am not conscious that it is, for now I 
 enjoy all things in God." This shows the permanent advantage of the bene- 
 fits of redemption to the soul. 
 
 " Assure my conscience of her part 
 In the Redeemer's blood. 
 And bear Thy witness with my heart 
 That I am born of God." 
 
 Quest. 33. What is justification ? 
 
 Ans. Justification is an act of God's free grace, wherein he 
 pardoneth all our sins, and accepteth us as righteous in his 
 sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and 
 received by faith alone. 
 
 EoM. V. 1. Therefore being justified by 
 faith, we have peace with God. 
 
 Eph. i. 7. In whom we have redemption 
 through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, 
 according to the riches of his grace. 
 
 EoM. iii. 24. Being justified freely by 
 his grace through the redemption that is in 
 Christ Jesus : Ver. 25. Whom God hath set 
 forth to be a propitiation through faith in his 
 blood, to declare his righteousness for the 
 remission of sins that are past, through the 
 forbearance of God ; Ver. 26. To declare, I 
 say, at this time his righteousness : that he 
 might be just, and the justifier of him which 
 believeth in Jesus. 
 
 2 CoR. V. 21. For he hath made him to 
 be sin for us, who knew no sin ; that we 
 might be made the righteousness of God in 
 him. 
 
 Gal. ii. 16. Knowing that a man is not 
 justified by the works of the law, but by 
 the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have 
 believed in Jesus Christ, that we might 
 be justified by the faith of Christ, and 
 not by the works of the law: for by the 
 works of the law shall no flesh be justi- 
 fied. 
 
 RoM. iii. 28. Therefore we conclude that 
 a man is justified by faith without the 
 deeds of the law. 
 
 I. The nature of justification. — It is not to make righteous, but to declare 
 or account righteous in law : Deut. xxv. 1 ; Prov. xvii. 15. As condemna- 
 tion does not make a person wicked, but pronounces judgment on his 
 transgression ; so justification does not make a person righteous, but declares 
 him to be righteous. 
 
 II. Its Author. — It is God that justifieth : Rom. viii. 33. It is therefore 
 complete and authoritative. 
 
 III. Its source. — The free grace of God : Rom. iii. 24. It is not procured 
 by merit on our part, but it springs from the love of God. 
 
 IV. Its benefits. — They are twofold. 
 
 1. Pardon of all our sins. This includes both past and future. There is 
 
110 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 no condemnation to them that are in Christ. Through Christ is preached 
 unto us the forgiveness of sins. 
 
 2. Acceptance as righteous in the sight of God. The justified sinner is 
 not simply acquitted ; he is received into favour— regarded as a righteous 
 person before God. 
 
 V. Its meritorious cause. — The righteousness of Christ imputed to us. 
 Christ's substitution is accepted for sinners. His perfect righteousness is 
 sufficient to justify us. It is put down to our account before God — reckoned 
 ours in law. Christ assumed our nature, suffered for our sins, that this 
 justification might be secured. Though justification is a grace to us, it is 
 a purchase by Christ. 
 
 VI. Its instrumental cause. — It is received by faith alone. Faith on our 
 part is the means of acceptance — the hand that takes it. We do not work 
 for it or help to procure it. It is received by faith alone. We are not 
 justified because of faith, but because or on account of Christ's righteousness; 
 but we receive that justifying righteousness by faith alone. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. See the forgiving love of God. 
 
 2. The excellency of Christ's righteousness, 
 
 3. The necessity of faith in order to be justified. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Luther called this doctrine "the article of a standing or of a falling 
 Church." As it is clearly received, so does the Church stand safely: if 
 obscured, it falls into error. The Church of Rome has obscured this doctrine, 
 and made sanctification necessary before we are justified. 
 
 "The terms 'justify' and 'justification' are taken from the common 
 concerns of life, and applied, with some necessary variation of meaning, to 
 the state of sinners who have found acceptance with God ; and they imply 
 that the sinner is now dealt with as if he were a righteous person: and 
 'therefore he is wholly exempted from those sufferings which are, strictly 
 speaking, penal, and is entitled to the reward of perfect obedience ; though 
 in himself he hath merited no such reward, but, on the contrary, hath 
 deserved the punishment denounced in the law against transgressors. These 
 are commonly called 'forensic terms,' referring to the practice of human 
 judicatories ; and they seem to have been originally taken from such trans- 
 actions. Yet this derivation gives us a very inadequate idea of their import. 
 For when a man is charged v^dth a crime before an earthly tribunal, he must 
 either be condemned or acquitted : if he be condemned, he may be pardoned, 
 but he cannot be justified ; if he be acquitted, he may be justified, but he 
 
 cannot stand in need of pardon On the other hand, our justification 
 
 before God always connects with pardon, and implies tliat we are guilty, 
 and we are justified as ungodly ; righteousness being imputed to us without 
 works." — Rev. T. Scott. 
 
 When Luther visited Rome, he was climbing up Pilate's Stairs on his 
 knees for the benefit of his soul; but as he ascended, the text, "The just 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. Ill 
 
 shall live by his faith," Hab. ii. 4, came into his mind, and he at once de- 
 scended with a sense of shame. He afterwards said, " When by the Spirit 
 of God I comprehended these words, when I learned how the sinner's 
 justification proceeds from the pvire mercy of the Lord, by means of faith, 
 then I felt myself revive like a new man, and entered at open doors into the 
 very paradise of God." 
 
 John Wickliife said in his prayer : " Lord, save me gratis ! Lord, save 
 me gratis ! " 
 
 It was a famous dictum of the Reformers, "That we are justified by faith 
 alone, but the faith that justifies is never alone." It always produces good 
 works. These works have no merit, but as the fruits of faith they are 
 evidence. 
 
 An old man, a seller of blacking, at his stand in Paris, was often observed 
 to be occupied with some old book. Tracts from time to time were given 
 him by a certain person, and with these he was much gratified. Upon his 
 request a New Testament was then given him, and this made him anxious 
 for the whole Bible. When he received it, he stood over it in ecstasy. 
 *' Where shall I begin in this world of wonders ? " he exclaimed. " I want 
 to know it all at once." After standing in the street till late in the evening 
 to obtain a few pence by his blacking, this poor man devoted many hours 
 every night to studying and reading the sacred volume to his wife by the 
 light of a glimmering lamp till one or two in the morning. In a few months, 
 at more than seventy years of age, he made great advances in the knowledge 
 of divine truth. When he discovered the doctrine of justification by faith, 
 he was overwhelmed, and he could not believe that any one had discovered 
 it before, or at least so clearly as himself. 
 
 When Harlan Page was on his death-bed, allusion was made to his great 
 usefulness. He replied : " O brother, I am nothing, and have done nothing. 
 I am nothing but a jDOor sinner. I am a blank, and less than a blank. I 
 hang on the mere merits of Christ. I have come short in everything. I 
 have done wrong, and felt wrong, and I cast myself alone on the blood and 
 righteousness of Christ." 
 
 The Rev. James Hervey of Weston-Favell said, shortly before his death, 
 to a friend: "My grand consolation is to meditate on Christ; and I am 
 hourly repeating these heart-reviving lines of Dr. Young's : — 
 
 ' This, only this, subdues the force of death. 
 And what is this ? Survey the wondrous cure. 
 And at each step let higher wonder rise ! 
 Pardon for infinite offence ! And pardon 
 Through means that speak its value infinite ! 
 A pardon bought with blood — with blood divine. 
 With blood divine of Him I made my foe ! 
 Persisted to provoke ! Though wooed and awed, 
 Blessed and chastised, a flagrant rebel still ! 
 A rebel 'midst the thunders of His throne ! 
 Nor I alone ! A rebel universe ! 
 My species up in arms ! Not one exempt ! 
 8 
 
112 
 
 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 Yet for the foulest of the foul He dies ; 
 Most joyed for the redeemed from deepest gulf! 
 As if our race were held of highest rank. 
 And God held dearer, as more land to man.' " 
 
 Quest. 34. What is adoption ? 
 
 Ans. Adoption is an act of God's free grace, whereby we are 
 received into the number, and have a right to all the privileges 
 of the sons of God. 
 
 1 John iii. 1. Behold, what manner of 
 love the Father hath bestowed upon us, 
 that we should be called the sons of God. 
 
 John i. 12. As many as received him, 
 to them gave he power to become the 
 sons of God, even to them that believe on 
 his name. 
 
 EoM. viii. 15. For ye have not received 
 the spirit of bondage again to fear ; but ye 
 have received the Spirit of adoption, where- 
 by we cry, Abba, Father. Ver. 16. The 
 Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, 
 that we are the children of God : Ver. 17. 
 And if children, then heirs ; heirs of God, 
 and joint-heirs with Christ ; if so be that 
 
 we suffer with him, that we may be also 
 glorified together. 
 
 Eph. ii. 19. Now therefore ye are no 
 more strangers and foreigners, but fellow- 
 citizens with the saints, and of the house- 
 hold of God. 
 
 Eph. i. 5. Having predestinated us unto 
 the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to 
 himself. 
 
 2 Cob. vi. 17. Wherefore come out from 
 among them, and be ye separate, saith 
 the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing ; 
 and I will receive you, Ver. 18. And will be 
 a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons 
 and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. 
 
 I. The nature of adoption.— It is to take a strange child into the family 
 and treat him as a son. 
 
 II. Its Author.— God the Father adopts children of sinful men into his 
 spiritual family. 
 
 III. lis source. — It is entirely of grace. No necessity of nature required 
 it. The act is voluntary on the part of God. Pharaoh's daughter was not 
 bound to adopt the Hebrew child found in the ark of bulrushes. The child 
 has no claim to be adopted into a family. Sinners have no claim to be made 
 children of God by adoption. God does this of his own free grace. Earthly 
 adoption has regard to some excellence, and would not select the deformed 
 or diseased : God adopts the vile and degraded, the chief of sinners. 
 
 IV. Its privileges.— There axe many. 
 
 1. The Father's name— a new name : Isa. Ixii. 2. 
 
 2. Fatherly preservation. God takes care of his family. Not a hair of 
 their head falls without their Father : Matt. x. 29. 
 
 3. Fatherly provision. He gives them their daily bread. Their water 
 also is sure. " Why art thou, being the king's son, lean from day to day?" 
 2 Sam. xiii. 4. 
 
 4. Fatherly correction. Because they are sons he chastens them, to train 
 their character : Heb. xii. 5, 6. 
 
 5. Fatherly answers to prayer. He hears his children cry, and will give 
 them good things : Matt. vii. 11. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 113 
 
 6. Fatherly inheritance. All things are theirs, because Christ is theirs. 
 They are joint-heirs with Christ : Rom. viii. 17. 
 
 V. Its obligations. — Filial love, confidence, obedience, submission, and 
 brotherly love. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. We may become God's children, by receiving Christ. The benefit is 
 inseparably connected with faith. 
 
 2. God's children should obey their lieaven>y Father. 
 
 3. All God's children should love one another. 
 
 4. God's children should prepare for their inheritance in heaven. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 The Roman law provided for adoption. A childless man could take the 
 child of another, make him the legal heir to his name, titles, and possessions ; 
 and the adopted shared the home and honours of his kind friend. 
 
 In America there has been much adoption, and it has been very successful. 
 Not above one in a hundred cases has failed. The Orphan's Advocate is a 
 paper that has been the means of bringing together the childless and the 
 fatherless. In one number there were twenty-six advertisements of homes 
 for children, and twenty-eight of children needing homes. Here is one 
 advertisement: "Who will find the child? Among the many good places 
 for children, we know of a superior one for an infant boy, twenty months 
 old, to fill the vacancy left by the death of an infant of that age in a family 
 of prosperous people. If we mistake not, the child should have light eyes 
 and hair : an orphan would be preferred." — " Many orphans," says a writer 
 on this subject, "owe their happy homes to the influence of other children. 
 We have known instances where a child persuaded parents to adopt a little 
 orphan, and where others have been persuaded to do the same," 
 
 A most affecting case of adoption took place at the close of the American 
 War of Independence. The Rev. James Caldwell and his wife were both 
 shot. They left nine orphans. At the funeral of Mr. Caldwell, Dr. Boudi- 
 not led the nine forward, and made an appeal to all who wished to prove 
 the truth of the word that the seed of the righteous should not be forsaken, 
 and showed an example by adopting a boy. They all found homes that day. 
 All afterwards lived to be respectable and useful. One was taken by the 
 Marquis de Lafayette to France, and educated under the care of his lady, the 
 Marquise de Lafayette. He returned to America, and was one of the most 
 distinguished philanthropists in New York. Another of the sons of Mr. 
 Caldwell became a judge ; and yet another, Elias, the seventh child, made 
 noble efforts on behalf of colonization, and a town in Liberia is named 
 Caldwell in honour of him. 
 
 George Miiller in Bristol has a home for orphans, and thousands have 
 been cared for by him, by the liberality of Christians, given to him for this 
 purpose. 
 
 Mrs. Susan Huntingdon, on the death of her mother, wrote thus :— " Oh to 
 be adopted — taken into God's family; to have him exercise over us the 
 endearing, the watchful attention and care of an omniscient and almighty 
 
114 
 
 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 Parent. But he promises to be the Father of those only who, disclaiming all 
 other dependence, fly to him through Jesus Christ." 
 
 " Behold the amazing gift of love 
 The Father hath bestowed 
 On us, the sinful sons of men, 
 To call us sons of God ! 
 
 " Concealed as yet this honour lies. 
 By this dark world unknown, 
 A world that knew not when he came. 
 Even God's eternal Son." — Watts. 
 
 Quest. 35. What is sanctijication ? 
 
 Ans. Sanctification is the work of God's free grace, whereby 
 we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and 
 are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto 
 righteousness. 
 
 2 Thess. ii. 13. God hath from the be- 
 ginning chosen you to salvation through 
 sanctification of the Spirit and belief of 
 the truth. 
 
 1 Thess. v. 23. The very God of peace 
 sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your 
 whole spirit and soul and body be preserved 
 blameless unto the coming of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ. 
 
 Eph. iv. 24. And that ye put on the new 
 man, which after God is created in right- 
 eousness and true holiness. 
 
 2 Peter iii. 18. But grow in grace, and 
 in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour 
 Jesus Christ. 
 
 Rom. xii. 2. And be not conformed to 
 
 this world : but be ye transformed by the 
 renewing of your mind, that ye may prove 
 what is that good, and acceptable, and 
 perfect, will of God. 
 
 Ezek. xxxvi. 26. A new heart also will I 
 give you, and a new spirit vvill I put within 
 you : and I will take away the stony heart 
 out of your flesh, and I will give. you an 
 heart of flesh. 
 
 Rom. vi. 6. Knowing this, that our old 
 man is crucified with him, that the body of 
 sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we 
 should not serve sin. Ver. 22. But now 
 being made free from sin, and become ser- 
 vants to God, ye liave your fruit unto holi- 
 ness, and the end everlasting life. 
 
 I. Sanctification is a work of God.— He is its author by the Holy Spirit : 
 Rom. XV. 16. 
 
 II. It is a work of grace. — It originates in grace, Titus ii. 11 ; and is 
 carried on by means of grace. 
 
 III. It is an extensive work. — It is a renewal of the whole man. There is 
 a complete change— a putting off the old man, which is corrupt, according 
 to the deceitful lusts ; and being renewed in the spirit of the mind, a putting 
 on the new man : Eph. iv. 22-24. The whole moral nature is renewed. 
 
 IV. It is a Godlike work. — The renewal is in the image of God— in know- 
 ledge, righteousness, and true holiness. Christ's character is the model for 
 the believer. 
 
 V. It is a gradual worA;.— First the blade, then the ear, and after that the 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 115 
 
 full com in the ear : Mark iv. 28. It thus differs from justification, which 
 is done at once and is called an act. 
 
 VI. It is a crucifying loorh. — We are enabled to die unto sin; — to crucify 
 the flesh with its affections and lusts, Gal. v. 24 ; to mortify the deeds of the 
 body, Rom. viii. 13 ; to die daily, 1 Cor. xv. 31. Our old man — that is, our 
 corrupt nature — is crucified with Christ, that the body of sin might be 
 destroyed, Rom. vi. 6 ; always bearing about in the body the dying of the 
 Lord Jesus, 2 Cor. iv. 10. 
 
 VII. It is a reviving work. — We are enabled more and more to live unto 
 I'ighteousness — in newness of life, Rom. vi. 4; that the life also of Jesus 
 might be manifest in our body, 2 Cor. iv. 10, 11. The Apostle Paul said, 
 " I am crucified with Christ : nevertheless I live ; yet not I, but Christ 
 liveth in me : and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of 
 the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me : " Gal. ii. 20. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. Sanctification is essential. Without holiness no man shall see the 
 Lord: Heb. xii. 14. 
 
 2. We are required to be active in this work. "Be ye holy : " 1 Peter 
 i. 16. Faith must appropriate divine grace for it. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Dr. Doddridge advises an act of personal consecration, and that this 
 should be done with all possible solemnity. "Do it," he says, "in express 
 words. And perhaps it may in many cases be most expedient, as many 
 pious divines have recommended, to do it in writing. Set your hand and 
 seal to it, that, on such a day in such a month and year and at such a place, 
 on full consideration and serious reflection, you came to this happy reso- 
 lution, that whatever others might do you would serve the Lord." Dr. 
 Doddridge gives a form in his work on the "Rise and Progress of Religion 
 in the Soul." This is an extract: "Hear, O thou God of heaven, and 
 record it in the book of thy remembrance, that I am thine, entirely thine. 
 I would not merely consecrate to thee some of my powers or some of my 
 possessions, or give thee a certain portion 6f my services, or all I am capable 
 of for a limited time ; but I give myself to thee, and promise, relying upon 
 thy divine assistance, to be wholly thine, and thine for ever." 
 
 "I trust," said one, " I was enabled deliberately, not only in view of sick- 
 ness and death, but of life and health, to make an unreserved consecration of 
 my all to Christ, and to feel that in whatsoever situation I might be, ' Holiness 
 to the Lord ' must henceforth be my motto. I could now yield myself a 
 willing subject to the sanctifying grace of God, believing he would work in 
 me according to the good pleasure of his will. Soon a heavenly calm 
 possessed my mind — a sense of the divine glory surrounded me, and my 
 whole soul seemed in harmony with the holiness of God. I felt a peculiar 
 tenderness of conscience, and feared nothing but to offend my Saviour." 
 
 "My anxiety," says another, "for advancement in holiness increased. 
 My mind became exceedingly burdened. I was convinced that I must 
 
116 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 make a new and entire consecration of myself to God ; yet I shrank from 
 such a total surrender. I sometimes felt that if the Lord would make some 
 communication to my soul as a pledge that he was ready to meet me, and 
 would gi-ant sufficient grace, I could venture. No such aid to my faith, 
 however, was granted. I saw that the surrender must be unconditional." 
 
 " When the new love for Christ springs up in the soul, it drives out more 
 and more all earthly loves. Like the sun in the centre of our system, 
 regiilating the motions of the planets, this love, great and strong, sub- 
 dues unto itself all other loves. Step by step the victory is achieved. At 
 the beginning of the new life there is a movement among the dry bones, a 
 gradual moulding of our chaotic spirits into beauty and order, which goes on 
 until the full time be come when God takes us unto himself. The growth 
 of the spiritual life is something, like the image that Nebuchadnezzar saw 
 in his dream — more glorious as it approaches the head. We leave behind 
 us more and more the stages of clay and iron, of brass and silver, till we 
 come to that of the pure and refined gold of a saintly spirit." — Hev. J. G, 
 Pilkington. 
 
 It is wonderful to see how the little events of our daily life tend to our 
 sanctification, though we know it not at the time. Every week seems so 
 like the other. But you know when the sculptor begins his work he strikes 
 great pieces off the block. Every stroke tells visibly. But when the statue 
 is nearly finished, .he takes the fine chisel and strikes off but a little dust at 
 a time. You scarcely see the effects of the blow; yet then it is directed 
 with most art and skill— then the work is nearly done. 
 
 A friend of Archbishop Ussher repeatedly urged him to write on sancti- 
 fication, which at length he engaged to do ; but a considerable time elapsing, 
 the performance of his promise was importunately claimed. He replied to 
 this effect: "I have not written, and yet I cannot charge myself with a 
 breach of promise ; for I began to write, but when I came to treat of the 
 new creature which God formeth by his Spirit in every regenerate soul, I 
 found so little of it wrought in myself that I could speak of it only as 
 parrots or by rote, without the knowledge of what I might have expressed ; 
 and therefore I durst not presume to speak any further upon it." Amazed 
 to hear so holy a man speak in this manner, he asked further explanation. 
 Dr. Ussher said, "I must tell you, we do not understand what sanctifi- 
 cation and the new nature are. It is not less than for a man to be brought 
 to an entire resignation to the will of God, and to live in the offering up of 
 his soul continually in the flames of love as a whole burnt-offering to 
 Christ. And oh, how many who profess Christianity are unacquainted 
 experimentally with this great work upon their souls ! " 
 
 Two or three years before the death of the Rev. John Newton, when his 
 sight became so dim that he was no longer able to read, an aged friend and 
 brother in the ministry called on him to breakfast. Family prayers suc- 
 ceeding, the ixjrtion of Scripture for the day was read to him. It was taken 
 from "Bogatsky's Golden Treasury : " "By the gi-ace of God I am what I 
 am." It was Mr. Newton's custom on these occasions to make a familiar 
 exposition of the passage read. After the reading of the text he paused for 
 some moments, and then thus soliloquized: "I am not what I ought to be, 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 117 
 
 Ah ! how imperfect and deficient. I am not what I loish to be. I abhor 
 what is evil, and would cleave to what is good. I am not what I hope to be. 
 Soon, soon I shall put off mortality, and with mortality all sin and imper- 
 fection. Yet, though I am not what I ought to be, nor what I wish to be, 
 nor what I hope to be, I can truly say I am not what I once was — a slave to 
 sin and Satan; and I can heartily join with the apostle and acknowledge, 
 * By the grace of God I am what I am.' " 
 
 " O for a heart to praise my God, 
 A heart from sin set free, 
 A heart that always feels the blood 
 So freely shed for me : 
 
 " A heart in every thought renewed. 
 And full of love divine ; 
 Perfect and right, and pure and good, 
 A copy. Lord, of thine ! " — Wesley. 
 
 Quest. 36. What are the benefits which in this life do accom- 
 pany or flow from justification, adoption, and sanctification? 
 
 Ans. The benej&ts which in this life do accompany or flow 
 from justification, adoption, and sanctification, are, assurance 
 of God's love, peace of conscience, joy in the Holy Ghost, 
 increase of grace, and perseverance therein to the end. 
 
 EoM. V. 1. Therefore being justified by 
 faith, we have peace with God through 
 our Lord Jesus Christ : Ver. 2. By whom 
 also we have access by faith into this grace 
 wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of 
 the glory of God. Ver. 5. And hope mak- 
 eth not ashamed ; because the love of God 
 is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy 
 Ghost which is given unto us. 
 
 Prov. iv. 18. The path of the just is as 
 the shining Light, that shineth more and 
 more unto the perfect day. 
 
 1 Peter i. 5. Who are kept by the power 
 
 of God through faith unto salvation ready 
 to be revealed in the last time. 
 
 Phil. i. 6. Being confident of this very 
 thing, that he which hath begun a good 
 work in you will perform it until the day 
 of Jesus Christ. 
 
 1 Cor. i. 8. Who shall also confirm you 
 unto the end, that ye may be blameless in 
 the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 1 John v. 13. These things have I written 
 unto you that believe on the name of the 
 Son of God ; that ye may know that ye have 
 eternal life. 
 
 The first three of these benefits flow from a realized sense of justification, 
 adoption, and sanctification in its first stage ; the last two belong to the very 
 nature of justification, etc. 
 
 I. Assurance of God's love. — The assurance of God's love is a matter of 
 faith and a matter of experience. To believe his love, is the essence of saving 
 faith, whereby we are justified. To realize his love, is a sensible experience 
 or assurance of the love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy 
 Ghost. 
 
 1. This latter is attainable : Gal. ii. 20. 
 
118 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 2. It is desirable : John xvi. 33 ; 2 Cor. v. 14 ; Eph. iii. 14-19 ; Phil. iii. 7-14. 
 
 3. It is commanded by God : 2 Peter i. 5-8 ; 2 Cor. xiii. 5. 
 
 4. It is very useful in keeping the soul humble, Gal. ii. 19, 20; in sanctifying 
 it, 2 Cor. vii. 1 ; in comforting, John xv. 11. 
 
 There are three kinds of assurance ;— of understanding, Col. ii. 2 ; of faith, 
 Heb. X. 22 ; and of hope, Heb. vi. 11. 
 
 II. Peace of conscience. — This is a direct fruit of faith, Rom. v. 1, which pro- 
 duces peace with God. Christ has made peace through the blood of his cross : 
 Col. i. 20. He is our peace, Eph. ii. 14 ; he gives his peace, John xiv. 27. 
 
 III. Joy in the Holy Ghost.— This is founded on and secured by our union 
 to Christ. He abides in us by his Spirit. It flows from faith and love — from 
 the knowledge of what Christ is to us : Rom. v. 11, xv. 13 ; 1 Peter i. 8, The 
 eunuch, after conversion and baptism, went on his way rejoicing : Acts viii. 
 39. The believer is meant to be very happy in Christ : Ps. xxxii. 1. 
 
 IV. Increase of grace.— This is the progress of the spiritual life. It is a 
 duty. " Grow in grace," says St. Peter : 2 Peter iii. 18. The believer grows 
 upward in heavenly-mindedness ; downward in humility ; inward in spiritu- 
 ality ; and outward in a holy life and active usefulness. 
 
 V. Perseverance in grace to the end. — This is guaranteed to believers by 
 the following securities : — 
 
 1. The purpose of God : Jer. xxxi. 3 ; Rom. viii. 28-39. 
 
 2. The gift of Christ : John vi, 39. His intercession : John xvii. 14-20. 
 
 3. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit : Eph. i. 13. 
 
 4. The promise of God: Isa. liv. 10, lix. 21 ; Matt. xxiv. 24 ; John x. 27-30. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. The need of improving the means of grace. 
 
 2. Endeavour to realize true happiness in a preached gospel. 
 
 3. Make higher attainments in grace. 
 
 4. The security of the believer in Christ. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 "I die," said the Rev. Dr. Cooke of Belfast, "in the full assurance of 
 understanding, in the fuU assurance of faith, and in the full assurance of hope." 
 
 "Such as truly believe in the Lord Jesus, and love him in sincerity, 
 endeavouring to walk in all good conscience before him, may in this life be 
 certainly assured that they are in the state of grace, and may rejoice in the 
 hope of the glory of God; which hope shall never make them ashamed. 
 This certainty is not a bare conjectural and probable persuasion, grounded 
 upon a fallible hope ; but an infallible assurance of faith, founded upon the 
 divine truth of the promises of salvation, the inward evidence of those graces 
 unto which these promises are made, the testimony of the Spirit of adoption 
 witnessing with our spirits that we are the children of God : which Spirit is 
 the earnest of our inheritance, whereby we are sealed to the day of redemp- 
 tion." — The Confession of Faith. 
 
 " After some years I plainly perceived that full assurance of faith was a 
 distinct gift from justifying faith, and often not given till long after it ; and 
 
 j*^' 
 
 m.. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 119 
 
 that justification does not imply that sin should not stir in us, but only that 
 it should not conquer. And now first it was that I had full assurance of 
 my own reconciliation to God through Christ. For many years I had had 
 the forgiveness of sins ; but I had not till now that witness of the Spirit 
 which shut out all doubt and fear. In all my trials I had had always a con- 
 fidence in Christ, who had done so great things for me. But it was a con- 
 fidence mixed with fear. I was afraid I had not done enough. There was 
 always something dark in my soul. But now the clear light shined." — Chris- 
 tian David. 
 
 The celebrated Philip de Mornay, Prime Minister of Henry IV. of France, 
 one of the greatest statesmen, the bravest soldiers, and the most exemplary 
 Christians of his age, being asked a little before his death if he still retained 
 the same assured hope of future bliss which he had so evidently enjoyed 
 during his illness, made this memorable reply : " I am as confident of it, from 
 the incontrovertible evidence of the Spirit of God, as ever I was of any 
 mathematical truth from all the demonstrations of Euclid." 
 
 " Like a little child," said one, " I have looked into the Bible for instruc- 
 tion, and oh, what an inexpressible glory has beamed therefrom ! A new 
 blessedness has appeared, while receiving Christ as a Saviour from all sin — a 
 present Saviour, a full Saviour. How glorious the consideration to one who 
 has all her life in some degree been subject to bondage ! Truly I can now 
 say. The Holy Spirit has led me into the truth, and the truth has made me 
 free. I no longer feel like a wanderer, but like a child at home." 
 
 " My God," said a humble believer, " I pretend to nothing upon this earth, 
 except to be so firmly united to thee by faith that to be separated from 
 thee may be impossible. Let others desire riches and glory ; for my part I 
 desire but one thing, and that is to be inseparably united to thee, and to 
 place in thee all my hopes of happiness and repose." 
 
 Madame Guyon, who was imprisoned so long in the Bastile at Paris, felt 
 such joy in God that she made hymns to his praise and sang them. Thus 
 she wrote : — 
 
 " A little bird I am. 
 
 Shut out from fields of air ; 
 And in my cage I sit and sing 
 
 To Him who placed me there ; 
 Well pleased a prisoner to be, 
 Because, my God, it pleases Thee. 
 
 *' Nought have I else to do, 
 
 I sing the whole day long ; 
 And He whom most I love to please 
 
 Does listen to my song ; 
 He caught and bound my wandering wing. 
 But still He bends to hear me sing." 
 
 The Rev. Samuel Pierce, towards the close of his long and very painful 
 illness, wrote thus to the Rev. Dr. Rylands : — " I was delighted the other 
 day, in re-perusing the ' Pilgrim's Progress,' to observe that when Christian 
 came to the top of the hill Difficulty, he was put to sleep in a chamber called 
 
120 THE SHOKTER CATECHISM. 
 
 Peace. * Why, how good is the Lord of the way to me,' said I. ' I have 
 not yet reached the summit of the hill, yet, notwithstanding, he puts me to 
 
 sleep in the chamber of Peace every night True, it is often a chamber of 
 
 pain ; but let pain be as formidable as it may, it has never yet been able to 
 expel that peace which the great Guardian of Israel has appointed to keep 
 my heart and mind through Christ Jesus.'" 
 
 The Rev. Dr. Nettleton once fell in with two men who were disputing on 
 the doctrine of the saints' perseverance. As he came into their presence, 
 one of them said, " I believe this doctrine has been the means of filHng hell 
 with Christians." — "Sir," said Dr. Nettleton, "do you believe that God 
 knows all things ?" " Certainly I do," said he. — " How, then, do you inter- 
 pret this text, *I never knew you'?" said the doctor. After reflecting a 
 moment, he replied, " The meaning must be, I never knew you as Chris- 
 tians." — "Is that the meaning?" said Dr. Nettleton. "Yes, it must be," 
 he replied; "for certainly God knows all things." — "Well," said Dr. Net- 
 tleton, " I presume you are right. Now, this is what our Saviour will say 
 to those who at the last day shall say to him, ' Lord, Lord, have we not 
 eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.' Now 
 when Saul, and Judas, and Hymengeus, and Philetus, and Demas, and all 
 who I suppose are fallen from grace, shall say to Christ, ' Lord, Lord,' he 
 will say to them, ' I never knew you ' — I never knew you as Christians. 
 Where, then, are the Christians who are going to hell?" 
 
 Cyrus Field, in giving an account of the Atlantic Telegraph, said : " It 
 has been a long and hard struggle — nearly thirteen years of anxious watch- 
 ing and ceaseless toil. Often has my heart been ready to sink. Many times, 
 when wandering in the forests of Newfoundland in the pelting rain, or on 
 the decks of ships on dark stormy nights, alone, far from home, I have almost 
 accused myself of madness and folly, to sacrifice the peace of my family, and 
 all the hopes of life, for what might prove, after all, but a dream. I have 
 seen my companions, one after another, fall by my side, and have feared that 
 I, too, might not live to see the end. And yet one hope has led me on ; and 
 I have prayed that I might not taste of death till this work was accom- 
 plished. That prayer is answered; and now, beyond all acknowledgments 
 to men is the feeling of gratitude to Almighty God." — This was the triumph 
 of perseverance. 
 
 It is said that Robert the Bruce, king of Scotland, when hiding one night 
 in a barn, saw a spider in the morning climbing a beam of the roof. It 
 fell to the ground six times in succession ; the seventh time it succeeded, and 
 gained the top of the beam. The king arose and said to himself, " This 
 spider has taught me perseverance. I will follow its example. Six times 
 have I been beaten ; the seventh I may succeed." He rallied his followers, 
 won the Battle of Bannockburn, and was thenceforth firmly established on 
 the throne. 
 
 In Wordsworth's " Excursion " there is a record of one of a band of miners, 
 who, when the rest gave up, — 
 
 " Alone 
 Urged unremittingly the stubborn work, 
 Unseconded, uncountenanced : then, as time 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 121 
 
 Passed on, while still his lonely efforts found 
 No recompense, derided," 
 
 he continued digging, until after twenty years he came upon the long- sought 
 prize. The joy was too much for his mind, and it gave way. But the poet 
 tells us that there is a record on the rocks : — 
 
 " Conspicuous to this day 
 The path remains that linked his cottage door 
 To the mine's mouth ; a long and slanting track, 
 Upon the rugged mountain's stony side, 
 Worn by his daily visits to and from 
 The darksome centre of a constant hope. 
 
 * * * * 
 
 And it is named, in memory of the event, 
 The path of Perseverance." 
 
 Quest. 37. What benefits do believers receive from Christ at 
 death ? 
 
 Ans. The souls of believers are at their death made perfect 
 in holiness, and do immediately pass into glory; and their 
 bodies, being still united to Christ, do rest in their graves till 
 the resurrection. 
 
 Heb. xii. 23. The spirits of just men 
 made perfect. 
 
 1 John iii. 2. Beloved, now are we the 
 sons of God, and it doth not yet appear 
 what we shall be : but we know that, when 
 he shall appear, we shall be like him ; for 
 we shall see him as he is. 
 
 Luke xxiii. 43. And Jesus said unto him, 
 Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou 
 be with me in paradise. 
 
 2 Cor. v. 8. "We are confident, I say, and 
 willing rather to be absent from the body, 
 and to be present with the Lord. 
 
 Phil. i. 23. Having a desire to depart, 
 and to be with Christ ; which is far better. 
 
 1 Thess. iv. 14. Them also which sleep 
 in Jesus will God bring with him. 
 
 IsA. Ivii. 2. He shall enter into peace : 
 they shall rest in their beds, each one walk- 
 ing in his uprightness. 
 
 Job xix. 26. And though after my skin 
 worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh 
 shall I see God. 
 
 EoM. viii. 23. We ourselves groan with- 
 in ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to 
 wit, the redemption of our body. 
 
 I. Their souls are at death made perfect in holiness. — Perfection in holiness 
 is not attained in this life. Believers join at death the spirits of just men 
 made perfect. They are then entirely free from sin and temptation to sin. 
 They are then made completely like Christ : 1 John iii. 2. 
 
 II. Their souls pass immediately into glory. — This change is immediate, 
 Luke xxiii. 42, 43 ; as in the case of the dying robber, so also in that of St. 
 Paul, 2 Cor. v. 8 ; Phil. i. 23. This is indicated also in the parable of Laza- 
 rus, Luke xvi. 22 ; and in what is said of the blessed dead. Rev. xiv. 13. 
 There is no hint in all the Holy Scriptures of a purgatory, such as has been 
 invented by the Roman Church, and constantly taught to its people. They 
 
122 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 pass immediately to glory, where Christ is, Phil. i. 23; where heaven is, 
 2 Cor. V. 1 ; where the saints are, Heb. xii. 23. 
 
 III. Their bodies rest in the (jrave till the resurrection. — Their bodies are still 
 united to Christ : 1 Thess. iv. 14. Christ spoke of Lazarus when dead as his 
 friend : John xi. 11. They rest in their graves as in sleep — they sleep in 
 Jesus. They rest in hope of resurrection : Ps. xvi. 9 ; 1 Thess. iv. 14-16. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. This doctrine takes away the fear of death from believers. 
 
 2. It soothes the sorrow of the bereaved ; and so the apostle uses it : 
 1 Thess. iv. 13, 14. 
 
 3. How awful must be the state of unbelievers after death : Luke xvi. 23. 
 
 4. The necessity of improving life so as to prepare for death. 
 
 " It matters little at what hour of day 
 The righteous fall asleep. Death cannot come 
 To him untimely who is fit to die. 
 The less of this cold world, the more of heaven ; 
 The briefer life, the earlier immortality." — Milman. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Belief in a future state has characterized all nations. 
 
 "Universal consent, like every universal effect, must be referred to an 
 equally universal cause ; and this consent, uniform among men differing in 
 every other possible respect, can be referred to no common origin other than 
 the constitution of man's common nature, which is the testimony of its 
 Maker. ' ' — Hodge. 
 
 When Addison lay dying he sent for his step-son, the Earl of WarAvick, 
 and said to him, " Come and see how a Christian can die." 
 
 When Sir Henry Havelock was dying at Lucknow, in the time of the 
 Sepoy Mutiny, he also said to his son, " Come, my son, and see how a Chris- 
 tian can die." He said to Sir James Outram, his brave companion in arms, 
 " For more than forty years I have so ruled my life that when death comes 
 I might face it without fear." 
 
 The Rev. Robert Bruce, a great divine of the Scottish Church in the 
 reign of James VL, on his last day asked his daughter to bring him another 
 egg for breakfast, as he was hungry. But he immediately felt very ill, and 
 said, " Hold ! my Master calls me." His sight failed him ; but he called 
 for his Bible, and asked them to lay his finger on the words of Romans viii. 
 38, 39 : "I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor princi- 
 palities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor 
 depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of 
 God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." " Now," he said, " is my finger 
 upon them?" Being assured it was, he added, " Now, God be with you, my 
 dear children. I have breakfasted with you, and I shall sup with the Lord 
 Jesus Christ this night." He then expired, and went to be with Jesus. 
 
 John Dodd said : *' I am not afraid to look Death in the face. I can say, 
 * O Death, where is thy sting ? ' Death cannot hurt me." 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 123 
 
 Robert Bolton remarked : " Oh, when will that good hour come? When 
 shall I be dissolved ? When shall I be with Christ ? " 
 
 "O brother Payne," said Dr. Owen on his death -bed, "the long-looked- 
 for day has come at last, in which I shall see that glory in another manner 
 than I have ever yet done, or have been capable of doing." 
 
 (Ecolampadius, the Reformer, said to one visiting him on his death-bed, 
 "What news?" " None," he replied. " Then," he remarked, " I will tell 
 you some news : I shall presently be with my Lord Christ." 
 
 Samuel Rutherford said: " Oh that all my brethren knew what a Master 
 I have served, and what peace I have this day. I shall sleep in Christ ; and 
 when I awake I shall be satisfied with his likeness. Oh for arms to embrace 
 him ! Oh for a well-tuned harp ! Glory, glory dwelleth in Immanuel's land ! " 
 
 The Marquis of Argyle, when about to be beheaded, said: " I could die 
 like a Roman, but I choose rather to die like a Christian." 
 
 Melancthon wished to die, " that he might enjoy the most desired presence 
 of Christ and of the heavenly Church." 
 
 " I feel I am fast going," said Mrs, Cooper, wife of a missionary in India, 
 "and that in a little while all vidll be over. But, oh ! do not look so over- 
 whelmed. When you look on my clay-cold cheek, think not of the grave 
 and corruption, but think of me as a redeemed saint in glory, and that 
 will support you." " Such," says Mr. Cooper, " were her words to me a few 
 nights before her peaceful departure from this world to glory ; and I have 
 endeavoured to act upon them, and calmly to commit her precious remains 
 to the grave, in the assurance that her spirit rests with God, and that her 
 body, as a part of the Redeemer's purchase, will be raised in glory, when he 
 comes to be glorified in his saints, and admired in all them that believe." 
 
 The Rev. Dr. Simpson, for many years tutor in the college at Hoxton, 
 after a long life spent in the service of Christ approached his end with 
 holy joy. He spoke with disapprobation of a phrase often used by some 
 good people — "venturing on Christ." "When I consider," said he, "the 
 infinite dignity and all-sufficiency of Christ, I am ashamed to talk of 
 venturing on him. Oh ! had I ten thousand souls I would, at this moment, 
 cast them all into his hands with the utmost confidence." A few hours 
 before his dissolution, he addressed himself to the last enemy in a strain hke 
 that of the apostle when he exclaimed, "O death, where is thy sting?" 
 Displaying his characteristic fervour, as though he saw the tyrant approach- 
 ing, he said, "What art thou? I am not afraid of thee. Thou art a van- 
 quished enemy, through the blood of the cross." 
 
 " God my Redeemer lives. 
 
 And often from the skies 
 Looks down and watches all my dust, 
 
 Till he shall bid it rise. 
 
 *' Arrayed in glorious grace 
 
 Shall these vile bodies shine, 
 And every shape and every face 
 
 Look heavenly and divijie." 
 
124 
 
 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 Quest. 38. What benefits do believers receive from Christ at the 
 resurrection ? 
 
 Ans. At the resurrection, believers being raised up in glory, 
 shall be openly acknowledged and acquitted in the day of judg- 
 ment, and made perfectly blessed in the full enjoying of God to 
 all eternity. 
 
 1 Cor. XV. 42. It is sown in corruption ; 
 it is raised in incorruption : Ver. 43. It is 
 sown in dishonour ; it is raised in glory : it 
 is sown in weakness ; it is raised in power : 
 Ver. 44. It is sown a natural body; it is 
 raised a spiritual body. 
 
 Luke xii. 8. Also I say unto you, Who- 
 soever shaU confess me before men, him 
 shall the Son of man also confess before 
 the angels of God. 
 
 Acts xvii. 31. He hath appointed a day, 
 in the which he will judge the world in 
 righteousness. 
 
 Matt. xxv. 31. When the Son of man 
 shall come in his glory, and all the holy 
 angels with him, then shall he sit upon the 
 
 throne of his glory : Ver. 32. And before 
 him shall be gathered all nations : and he 
 shall separate them one from another, as a 
 shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats : 
 Ver. 33. And he shall set the sheep on his 
 right hand, but the goats on the left. 
 
 1 John iii. 2. When he shall appear, we 
 shall be like him ; for we shall see him as 
 he is. 
 
 1 Thess. iv. 17. And so shall we ever be 
 with the Lord. 
 
 Rev. XX. 6. Blessed and holy is he that 
 hath part in the first resurrection : on such 
 the second death hath no power, but they 
 shall be priests of God and of Christ, and 
 shall reign with him a thousand years. 
 
 I. There is to be a resurrection of the dead. 
 
 1. God has power to effect it, being almighty. 
 
 2. He has promised to do it, when Christ comes : John v. 28, 29, 
 
 3. He has given pledges of it in the resurrection of Christ, Lazarus, etc. 
 
 4. It is essentially connected with the truth of the gospel : 1 Cor. xv. 
 13-18. 
 
 II. Believers loill he raised up in glory. 
 
 1. Their bodies will be the same in substance, though different in qualities. 
 
 2. They will be raised incorruptible, immortal, and Christ-like : 1 Cor. xv. 
 42-44. 
 
 3. They will not be subject to sin, or infirmity, or change : Rev. vii. 15, 16. 
 
 4. They will retain the human form, a glorified likeness of what they were 
 on earth, and will thus be readily recognized by all who knew and loved 
 them there. 
 
 III. They will he openly acknowledged and acquitted in the day of judgment. 
 
 1. There is a day of judgment revealed in the Scriptures : Acts xvii. 31. 
 It is shadowed forth by the human conscience : Rom. ii. 14, 15. It is re- 
 quired by the nature of things on earth, where moral inequalities exist. 
 
 2. Believers will then be acquitted from all personal guilt, from all accu- 
 sation : Rom. viii. 33, 34. They will stand in Christ and united to him. 
 
 3. They will then be acknowledged openly, individually, and affection- 
 ately as God's people, as joint-heirs with Christ. 
 
 IV. They toill be made perfectly blessed in the full enjoyment of God to all 
 eternity. 
 
 1. They will be completely free from sin, temptation, and sorrow. 
 
THE SHOKTEK CATECHISM. 125 
 
 2. They will be perfectly holy, like God. 
 
 3. They will be in the presence of God, in his fellowship, and in the in- 
 heritance prepared for them. 
 
 4. They will have this perfect bliss for ever. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. How glorious are the hopes of the believer ! 
 
 2. How earnest and active should each believer be to live worthy of such 
 glorious hopes ! 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 In 1 Corinthians xv, 42-44 the identity of our present and our future 
 bodies is expressly asserted. The body is to be the same, though changed in 
 these several particulars : — 1. It is now subject to corruption ; it will then 
 be incorruptible. 2. It is now dishonoured ; it will then be glorified. 3. It 
 is now weak; it will then be powerful. 4. It is now natural — that is, 
 adapted to the present condition of the soul and constitution of the world ; 
 it will then be spiritual — that is, adapted to the glorified condition of the 
 soul and constitution of the new heaven and the new earth. 
 
 " By a ceaseless process of the assimilation of new material and excretion 
 of old, the particles composing our bodies are ceaselessly changing from birth 
 to death, effecting, it is computed, a change in every atom of the entire 
 structure every seven years. Thus there will not be a particle in the organi- 
 zation of an adult which constituted part of his person when a boy, nor in 
 that of an old man of that which belonged to him when of middle age. The 
 body, from youth to age, is universally subject to vast changes, in size, form, 
 expression, condition, and many times to total change of constituent par- 
 ticles. All this is certain ; but it is none the less certain that through all 
 these changes the man possesses identically the same person from youth to 
 age. This proves that neither the identity of the body of the same man 
 from youth to age, nor the identity of our present with our resurrection 
 bodies, consists in sameness of particles. If we are sure of our identity in 
 the one case, we need not stumble at the difficulties attending the other."— 
 Dr. Hodge. 
 
 " There are things in nature which suggest a resurrection of the dead. 
 Such is the well-known analogy presented by the changes which many crea- 
 tures undergo. The insect, at first a creeping worm, crawls on the earth, 
 its home the ground, or some humble plant or decaying matter, which feeds 
 its voracious appetite. The time of its first change arrives. It weaves itself 
 a shroud, it makes itself a coffin, and under the soil, in some cranny of the 
 wall, in a convenient fissure of rock or tree, as in a catacomb, it finds a quiet 
 grave. There shrouded and coffined and buried, to all appearance dead, it 
 lies till its appointed change. The hour arrives. It bursts these cerements, 
 and, a pure, winged, beautiful creature, it leaves them, to roam henceforth 
 in sunny skies, and find its bed in the soft bosom, and its food in the nectar, 
 of odorous flowers. Why should not that change, and the analogy which 
 Paul found also in following natiire, have suggested to the heathen what 
 
126 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 they illustrate to us— a resurrection ? He saw our grave in the furrow of 
 the plough, our burial in the corn dropped into the soil, our decay in the 
 change undergone by the seed, and our resurrection when, bursting its 
 sheath and pushing aside the clod, it rises green and beautiful, to raise its 
 head in summer days high above the ground which was once its grave." — 
 Dr. Guthrie. 
 
 The same Greek word {'psyche) was applied to denote both a butterfly and 
 the human soul. A similar coincidence of names between the emblematic 
 insect and the immortal principle has been observed to exist in modem 
 times. In the north and west of England the moths which fly into the 
 candles are called mules; perhaps from the old notion that the souls of the 
 dead fly about at night in search of light ; and perhaps for the same reason 
 the common people of Germany call them ghosts. The gross and grovelling 
 habits of the caterpillar, with its repeated castings of skin as it advances 
 towards maturity — which it often fails to reach owing to parasitic enemies, 
 "apt symbol of the vices which prey upon the soul" — still serve to parallel 
 completely the resurrection. And although the butterfly seems to have been 
 the first if not the only insect noticed by the ancients as representative of 
 the immortal principle, there are multitudes of others which furnish emblems 
 quite as fitting of the soul's destination to a higher sphere. For instance, 
 the fly, now regaling upon sweets, or buzzing in the summer sun, has come 
 out from a shape, and most likely a substance, of disgust. The beetle, now 
 careering through the summer evening sky, has emerged from an unsightly 
 grub, and from a living burial within the earth. And the gnat, now a grace- 
 ful and agile sporter in the air, has issued from perhaps a horse-pond, where 
 it dwelt an hour ago, a miniature monster of the mimic deep. 
 
 The Rev. Dr. Leechman, on his death-bed, thus addressed a young noble- 
 man who had been under his care : — " You see, my young friend, the situa- 
 tion in which I now am. I have not many days to live, and I am happy 
 that you witness the tranquillity of my last moments. But it is not tran- 
 quillity alone, it is joy and triumph ; nay, it is complete exultation." His 
 features brightened, and his voice rose in energy as he spoke. " And 
 whence," said he, " does this exultation spring? From that Book, too much 
 neglected, indeed, but which contains invaluable treasures — treasures of 
 bliss and rejoicing; for it makes us certain that this mortal shall put on 
 immortality." 
 
 Mr. John Janeway said : " If I were sure that the day of judgment were 
 to come within an hour, I should be glad with all my heart. If at this very 
 instant I should hear such thundering, and see such lightning, as Israel did 
 at Mount Sinai, I am persuaded my very heart would leap for joy. But 
 this I am confident of, through infinite mercy, that the very meditation of 
 that day hath even ravished my soul ; and the thought of the certainty and 
 nearness of it is more refreshing to me than the comforts of the whole 
 world." 
 
 " I learn," said one, " 1. That at the day of resurrection true Christians are 
 greatly favoured in these respects:— (1.) Their bodies are brought up from 
 the grave in a form and structure of great beauty and splendour and incor- 
 ruptibleness, like unto Christ's honoured body (Phil. ill. 21). (2.) In the 
 
 .J^ 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 127 
 
 subsequent day, when God shall decide upon the everlasting states of men, 
 true Christians shall be discharged from all the consequences of sin, and 
 before the whole world shall be owned by God, and received as his children ; 
 they shall be introduced into a state of endless honour and happiness with 
 Christ and his holy angels ; they shall there be blessed in an everlasting 
 freedom from sin and suffering, in the noblest exercises of all those affec- 
 tions which render the soul like to God, and in the delightful consciousness 
 that God is present with them to communicate a joy unspeakable in degree 
 and endless in duration. 2. To bless God for taking away from his people 
 the gloom of the grave. 3. To commit the bodies of Christian friends who 
 have died to the care of their faithful and kind Redeemer. 4. To trust his 
 boundless power and faithfulness to re-form them out of a state of dust into 
 a likeness to his own perfect body. 5. To prepare myself for the judgment 
 by trusting in Christ now, and by serving him in all fidelity and cheerful- 
 ness. 6. At the hour of death, to commit my soul and body to his keeping, 
 that the one may rest safely its appointed time in the grave, and that the 
 other may be conducted at once to his heavenly presence." 
 
 When Lord Henry Otho, a follower of John Huss, was going to the 
 scaflfold, he said: " Kill my body, disperse my members whither you please, 
 yet do I believe that my Saviour will gather them together again and clothe 
 them with skin, so that with these eyes I shall see him, with these ears I 
 shall hear him, with this tongue I shall praise him, and rejoice with this 
 heart for ever. I am sure that Christ Jesus will meet my soul with his 
 angels ; this death, I know, shall not separate me from him." After he had 
 prayed silently he said, "Into thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit; 
 have pity on me through Jesus Christ, and let me see thy glory." He then 
 received the stroke of the sword. 
 
 " Our route is homeward, and our eye turns to the New Jerusalem. It is 
 our joy to think of the eternal day which we are there to spend with God 
 and with the Lamb. Ere long we shall be within its courts, or pacing o'er 
 its streets in holy company. And when standing on its bright walls we 
 shall look backward upon the path that brought us to the kingdom, brief as 
 it was, but very wonderful : we shall recall each struggle, each weary step, 
 each dark or lonely turn, each rugged ascent, each valley of Baca with its 
 wells and pools : we shall remind ourselves of Jehovah's dealings with us by 
 the way as he led us, sometimes in sorrow, sometimes in joy, with sure but 
 mysterious guidance to the 'joyous city :' or we shall tell our story to others, 
 to some angel, perhaps, or some redeemed one that left earth in infancy, and 
 knew no such rough passage to the ' rest ' as that which we have to speak of ; 
 and pointing to the different windings of the earthly path, we shall say, 
 There, and then, and thus I first drew near to God, and tasted that he was 
 gracious ; there, and then, and thus I endured that conflict, I got entangled 
 with that snare, I lost my way, I stumbled and fell, I was overwhelmed 
 with darkness ; yet out of all the Lord delivered me. What gladness will 
 there be in that backward look, that recollection of the wonders of mighty 
 grace that make up our short but strange career ! What matter for happy 
 thoughts, and marvellous recitals, and endless love and praise, will thus be 
 furnished throughout the everlasting ages ! " — Dr. H. Bonar. 
 
 9 
 
128 
 
 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 " Jerusalem, exulting 
 
 On that securest shore, 
 I hope thee, wish thee, sing thee, 
 And love thee evermore ! 
 
 " O mine, my golden Zion ! 
 O lovelier far than gold ! 
 With laurel-girt battalions. 
 And safe victorious fold ; 
 
 " O sweet and blessed country. 
 The home of God's elect ! 
 O sweet and blessed country 
 That eager hearts expect ! 
 
 " Jesus, in mercy bring us 
 To that dear land of rest ; 
 Who art, with God the Father 
 And Spirit, ever blest." — Bernard of Cluny. 
 
 PART II. 
 
 Quest. 39. What is the duty which God requireth of man ? 
 Ans. The duty which God requireth of man, is obedience to 
 his revealed will. 
 
 MiCAH vi. 8. He hath shewed thee, man, 
 what is good ; and what doth the Lord re- 
 quire of thee, but to do justly, and to love 
 mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God ? 
 
 Deut. X. 12. And now, Israel, what 
 doth the Lord thy God require of thee, 
 but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in 
 all his ways, and to love him, and to serve 
 the Lord thy God with all thy heart and 
 with all thy soul? 
 
 1 Sam. XV. 22. Behold, to obey is better 
 than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat 
 of rams. 
 
 Matt. vii. 21. Not every one that saith 
 unto me. Lord, Lord, shall enter into the 
 kingdom of heaven. Ver. 22. Many will 
 say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have 
 we not prophesied in thy name? and in 
 thy name have cast out devils ? and in thy 
 name done many wonderful works? Ver. 23. 
 And then will I profess unto them, I never 
 knew you : depart from me, ye that work 
 iniquity. 
 
 James ii. 10. Whosoever shall keep the 
 whole law, and yet offend in one point, he 
 is guilty of all. 
 
 This introduces us into the Second Part of the Catechism, as indicated in 
 the third question. From this to the end the topics are strictly practical. 
 They are introduced not as doctrines, like the preceding part, but as duties, 
 to guide the conscience and heart into the ways of God. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 129 
 
 I. God requires duty from man. 
 
 1. Because he is our Creator. 
 
 2. Because he is our Lawgiver and Lord. 
 
 3. Because he is our Redeemer. 
 
 II. The rule of obedience is God's revealed tvill. — It has pleased God to 
 reveal his will, not only, as at first, by immediate light to the mind, to be 
 handed down by tradition, but by a written law. That revealed will is in 
 the Bible, which should therefore be known and studied by all. 
 
 III. The obedience required. 
 
 1. It is universal— to all God's will as revealed. 
 
 2. Constant — as we are always under obligation. 
 
 3. Perfect — nothing must be awanting ; there must be no reserves. 
 
 4. Sincere — from the heart, and thus from the best motive. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. Consider our great responsibility to God. 
 
 2. The happiness of obedience to God. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 " If I were asked," said Dr. Duncan Macfarlan of Renfrew, " in what 
 book a clear outline of the Christian faith might be found and studied, I 
 would at once say, In the first thirty-eight questions of the Assembly's 
 Catechism. If I were asked for a practical guide to lead men to Christ, and 
 to train them to holiness, I would say, Begin at the thirty-ninth question, 
 and be guided with those that follow onward to the end. Even children 
 might, on these principles, be taught to greater advantage than they usually 
 are. Instead of beginning to instruct a child respecting the abstract char- 
 acter of God, the distinctions of personality in the Godhead, the doctrine of 
 decrees, and other matters of difiicult comprehension, I would begin my 
 attempts to instruct him, with the meaning and application of each succeed- 
 ing Commandment, and onward to the end ; by which time he would have 
 materials to conceive of God, of his purpose and works ; and his mind would 
 be also in some measure prepared for more abstract processes of thinking. 
 Much of the apparent abstruseness of this little work would in this way 
 disappear, — on the same principle on which science becomes comparatively 
 easy when perceived in a proper course, and by proper means." 
 
 Dr. Chalmers adopted this plan of beginning with the second part, even 
 in lecturing to students of theology. He considered that it was a more 
 natural order of human inquiry. He says : " We were all along suspicious of 
 the first, though it be the order of almost all the confessions and catechisms 
 of Europe, and of the great majority of our authors, whether in the contro- 
 versial or the systematic theology. Yet, with all these authorities on its 
 side, we have ever distrusted the first, and can now say that our entire, our 
 decided preference is for the second." He discussed man's wants, then 
 God's remedy ; and then advanced to the Trinity, predestination, and other 
 abstract topics. 
 
 Duty to God is something which we owe to him as a matter of right. It 
 
180 
 
 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 is increased when God makes known his will. His will revealed to us con- 
 stitutes an additional obligation to the natural sense of right. Our duty to 
 God arises from our relation to him. 
 
 A follower of Pythagoras bought a pair of shoes from a cobbler, for which 
 he promised to pay on a future day. On that day he took the money ; but 
 finding that the cobbler was dead, he returned rejoicing that he could retain 
 the money, and thus get his shoes for nothing. His conscience, however, 
 Seneca informs us, would allow him no rest tUl, taking the money, he went 
 back to the cobbler's shop, where he cast it in, saying, " Go thy way; for 
 though he is dead to all the world besides, he is alive to me." 
 
 When Sir Arthur Wellesley, afterwards the Duke of Wellington, was 
 appointed to command a brigade of infantry in Sussex, after his return from 
 India, he said, " I have eaten the king's salt, and whatever he desires me to 
 do, that becomes my duty." 
 
 Sir Henry Lawrence, who was killed at Lucknow during the Mutiny, de- 
 sired these words to be placed on his tomb : " Here lies Henry Lawrence, who 
 tried to do his duty." His brother. Lord Lawrence, had the same high stan- 
 dard of duty. 
 
 " Lord Christ, we humbly ask 
 Of thee the power and will, 
 With fear and meekness every task 
 Of duty to fulfil: 
 
 " At home, by word and deed, 
 To adorn redeeming grace ; 
 And sow abroad the precious seed 
 Of truth in every plaice"— Ilontgomery. 
 
 Quest. 40. What did God at first reveal to man for the rule 
 of his obedience ? 
 
 Ans. The rule which God at first revealed to man for his 
 obedience, was the moral law. 
 
 Rom. ii. 14. For when the Gentiles, which 
 have not the law, do by nature the things 
 contained in the law, these, having not the 
 law, are a law unto themselves : Ver. 15. 
 Which shew the work of the law written 
 in their hearts, their conscience also bearing 
 witness, and their thoughts the meanwhile 
 accusing or else excusing one another. 
 
 Rom. ii. 12. For as many as have sinned 
 without law shall also perish without law : 
 and as many as have sinned in the law 
 shall be judged by the law. 
 
 Deut. v. 1, And Moses called all Israel, 
 and said unto them. Hear, O Israel, the 
 statutes and judgments which I speak in 
 your ears this day, that ye may learn them, 
 and keep, and do them. Ver. 33. Ye shall 
 walk in all the ways which the Lord your 
 God hath commanded you, that ye may 
 live, and that it may be well with you. 
 
 Matt. v. 18. Verily I say unto you, Till 
 heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle 
 shall in no wise pass from the law, till all 
 be fulfilled. 
 
 I. All the works of God are under law.— There are physical laws for tho 
 realm of matter, and moral laws for the realm of mind. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 131 
 
 II. The moral Imo was revealed to man. — Originally in the constitution of 
 his moral nature, it retains a certain influence and affords evidence of its 
 existence amidst the moral wreck. 
 
 III. The me of the moral law. — It reveals the character of God and the 
 character of man. 
 
 IV. The character of the moral law. — It is universal, perpetual, perfect, 
 aaid spiritual. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. God has a right to rule man. 
 
 2. The moral law binds the human conscience. 
 
 3. It affords sufficient light to convince of sin. 
 
 4. The law cannot save the sinner. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 "The natural law, or law of nature, is that necessary and unalterable 
 rule of right and wrong founded in the nature of God, and by which all 
 men, as rational creatures, are indispensably bound : Rom. ii. 14, 15. 
 Positive laws are those laws or institutions which depend upon the sovereign 
 will and pleasure of God, and which he might not have enjoined if he had 
 pleased, without making any change in his nature." — Paterson. 
 
 "Man can be a law unto himself only on the supposition that he reflects 
 in himself the law of God. If he is absolutely a law unto himself, his duty 
 and his pleasure are undistinguishable from each other ; for he is subject to 
 no one and accountable to no one. Duty in his case becomes only a higher 
 kind of i^leasure — a balance between the present and the future, between 
 the larger and smaller gratification. We are thus compelled, by the con- 
 sciousness of moral obligation, to assume the existence of a moral Deity ; and 
 to regard the absolute standard of right and wrong as constituted by the 
 nature of that Deity." — Dean Mansell. 
 
 "In man's creation state there were implanted the grounds of moral 
 obligation — the elements of a law inwrought into the very framework of his 
 being, which called him perpetually to aim at conformity to the will and 
 character of God. For what was the law, when it came, but the idea of the 
 Divine image set forth after its different sides, and placed in formal contrast 
 to sin and opposition to God? Strictly speaking, however, man at first 
 stood in law rather than under law, being formed to the spontaneous 
 exercise of that pure and holy love which is the expression of the Divine 
 image, and hence also to the doing of what the law requires." — Fairhairn. 
 
 " It may not be the habit of all men to obey conscience, but it is the 
 sentiment of all men that conscience ought to be obeyed." — Chalmers. 
 
 De Luc, speaking of the superior efficacy of positive laws compared with 
 the mere philosophy of morals, says, " Some time ago I was conversing upon 
 this subject with a very celebrated man, the late Sir John Pringle, who had 
 been Professor of Moral Philosophy in the University of Edinburgh. He was 
 advanced in years, and had lived much in the world. At that time I was 
 still rather a friend to teaching rational morality, thinking it was useful to 
 bring men acquainted with their duty in every possible way. I had just 
 
132 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 read a work of this nature, entitled 'Of an Universal Moral; or, Man's 
 Duties Founded upon Nature ;' and as he had not read it, I offered to lend it 
 to him. I cannot express the tone in which he refused this offer, but you 
 will have some idea of it when you come to know the motives upon which he 
 did it. ' I have been,' said he, ' for many years professor of this pretended 
 science. I have ransacked the libraries and my own brain to discover the 
 foundation of it ; but the more I sought to persuade and convince my 
 pupils, the less confidence I began to have myself in what I was teaching 
 them, so that at length I gave np my profession and turned to medicine, 
 which had been the first object of my studies. I have, nevertheless, con- 
 tinued from that time to examine everything that appeared upon the subject, 
 which, as I have told you, I could never explain or teach so as to produce 
 conviction. But at length I have given up the point, most thoroughly 
 assured that without an express divine sanction attached to the laws of 
 morality, and without positive laws accompanied with determinate and 
 urgent motives, men will never be convinced that they ought to submit to 
 any such code or agreement among themselves concerning it. From that 
 time I have never read any book upon morality but the Bible, and I return 
 to that always with fresh delight.'"— When he left his chair. Sir John be- 
 came physician-general to the forces of the Duke of Cumberland in the Low 
 Countries. After this he settled in London. He was made physician to the 
 Queen and created a baronet. Sir John was president of the Royal Society, 
 and physician to the King. He died in 1781, and has his memorial bust in 
 Westminster Abbey. De Luc was a member of the Council of Two Hun- 
 dred in Paris, but he removed to England, where he took a high place 
 among natural philosophers, and made many valuable contributions to 
 science. He also wrote on the "Existence of a General Principle of 
 Morality ; " in which he gives an interesting account of some conversations 
 with Voltaire and Rousseau. De Luc came to cherish views akin to those 
 of Sir John Pringle, and rejoiced in revealed truth. He had a sincere 
 desire to vindicate the doctrines of Christianity against the incredulity of 
 his age. He died in 1817, aged ninety. In that year he published an 
 "Abridgment of Geology;" his thirty-first work, and one of his best. 
 " O that the Lord would guide my ways 
 
 To keep his statutes still ; 
 O that my God would grant me grace 
 
 To know and do his will. 
 I O send thy Spirit down to write 
 
 Thy law upon my heart ; 
 Nor let my tongue indulge deceit. 
 
 Nor act the liar's part." — Watts. 
 
 Quest. 41. Where is tlie moral law summarily coinjjrehended 1 
 Ans. The moral law is summarily comprehended in the ten 
 commandments. 
 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 133 
 
 Deut. X. 4. And he wrote on the tables, 
 according to the first writing, the ten com- 
 mandments, which the Lord spake unto 
 you in the mount out of the midst of the 
 fire, in the day of the assembly; and the 
 Lord gave them unto me. 
 
 Matt. xix. 17. And he said unto him — 
 
 if thou wilt enter into life, keep the com- 
 mandments. 
 
 Ex. xxxi. 18. And he gave unto Moses, 
 when he had made an end of communing 
 with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of 
 testimony, tables of stone, written with the 
 finger of God. 
 
 1. The ten commandments were given by God himself, during the journey 
 of the Hebrews from Egypt, 
 
 2. They were uttered in the hearing of the people, amidst thunder and 
 lightning and tempest. 
 
 3. They were written by the finger of God on two tables of stone, and 
 delivered to Moses on Mount Sinai. 
 
 4. The tables of stone were laid up in the ark of the testimony in the 
 tabernacle of God. 
 
 5. These ten commandments summarized all human duty. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. Laws are given to convince of sin and guide to obedience. 
 
 2. Sin is a breach of the law of God. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 " The question whether the Decalogue is a perfect rule of duty is, in one 
 sense, to be answered in the affirmative. 1. Because it enjoins love to God 
 and man, which, our Saviour teaches, includes every other duty. 2. Be- 
 cause our Lord held it up as a perfect code when he said to the young man 
 in the gospel, ' This do and thou shalt live.' 3. Every specific command 
 elsewhere recorded may be referred to some one of its several commands ; 
 so that perfect obedience to the Decalogue in the spirit would be perfect 
 obedience to the law. Nevertheless, there are many things obligatory on us 
 which, without a further revelation of the will of God, we never should have 
 knowTti to be obligatory. The great duty of men under the gospel is faith 
 in Christ. This our Lord teaches when he says, ' This is the work of God, 
 that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.' This comprehends or produces 
 all that is required of us as to faith and practice. Hence he that believeth 
 shall be saved." — Dr. Hodge. 
 
 Men in general respect the morality of the ten commandments, even 
 though they do not obey them. They admire every approximation to 
 obedience. When the Z>m^— the first mission vessel employed in the South 
 Seas, in the year 1797 — was at the port of Canton on her return from Tahiti, 
 the crew conducted themselves so well that the saUors of other ships called 
 them by the nickname of "the ten commandments!" It was an honour- 
 able epithet. It was a much higher compliment than that paid by the Abbe 
 Boileau to the Jesuits, when he said that "they lengthened the Creed and 
 shortened the Decalogue." 
 
 Christ in his human life exemplified the ten commandments. 
 
 " My dear Redeemer and my Lord, 
 I read my duty in thy word ; 
 
134 
 
 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 But in thy life the law appears, 
 
 Drawn out in living characters." — Watts. 
 
 It was said of the eminent Francis Horner that the ten commandments 
 were written on his countenance. 
 
 Jonathan Edwards, when twenty years of age, drew up seventy resolutions 
 to guide his future conduct, as God might give him grace. Among these are 
 the following : "Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty, and most 
 for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved so to do 
 whatever difficulties I may meet with, how many soever, and how great 
 soever." 
 
 An Antinomian once called on the Rev. Rowland Hill, to bring him to 
 account for preaching what he regarded as a severe and legal gospel. " Do 
 you, sir," asked Mr. Hill, "hold the ten commandments to be a rule of life 
 to Christians?" — "Certainly not," replied the visitor. Mr. Hill imme- 
 diately rang the bell, and on his servant appearing, he quietly remarked, 
 "John, show that man the door; and keep your eye on him until he is 
 beyond the reach of every article of wearing apparel or other property in 
 the hall." 
 
 " Blessed are they that undefil'd, 
 And straight are in the way ; 
 Who in the Lord's most holy law 
 
 Do walk, and do not stray. 
 Blessed are they who to observe 
 
 His statutes are inclined ; 
 And who do seek the living God 
 With their whole heart and mind."— Psalm cxix. 1, 2. 
 
 Quest. 42. What is the sum of the ten commandments ? 
 
 Ans. The sum of the ten commandments is, To love the 
 Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our 
 strength, and with all our mind; and our neighbour as ourselves. 
 
 Matt. xxii. 40. On these two command- 
 ments hang all the law and the prophets. 
 (See context.) 
 
 EoM. xiii, 10. Love worketh no ill to his 
 neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling 
 of the law. 
 
 Deut. vi. 5. Thou shalt love the Lord 
 thy God with all thine heart, and with all 
 thy soul, and with all thy might. 
 
 1 John v. 3. For this is the love of God, 
 that we keep his commandments : and his 
 commandments are not grievous. 
 
 The whole of human obedience is comprehended in love, for " love is the 
 fulfilling of the law." 
 
 God is infinitely amiable, and worthy of the love of all. 
 
 I. The love of God is the spirit of obedience to the ten commandments. 
 
 1. God is to be loved sincerely— with the heart : 1 Tim. i. 5. His love is 
 to be met with a response of love. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 135 
 
 2. Ardently — with the soul. 
 
 3. Strongly — with vigour, with strength, as well as ardour. 
 
 4. Intelligently — with the mind, having some understanding of the reason 
 why he is to be loved. 
 
 5. Supremely — with all our nature. " Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou 
 me more than these?" John xxi. 15. 
 
 II. The love of God. — This meets the first four commandments. 
 
 III. The love of our neighbour. — This meets the six remaining command- 
 ments, or the second table of the law. 
 
 1. Our neighbour is every man, irrespective of race, colour, clime, or char- 
 acter. 
 
 2. Our neighbour is to be loved. Benevolence is to extend to every one. 
 We are to wish well, and to do good to our neighbour — to all, as we have 
 opportunity. 
 
 3. We are to love our neighbour as ourselves ; that is, it should be honest 
 and practical. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. Our love to God arises from his love to us. 
 
 2. Our love to God will lead us to love others. 
 
 3. Where there is no love to man there can be none to God : 1 John iv. 20. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Different modes of dividing the commandments have been adopted. The 
 Jews from an early period divided them into ten ; but they made the preface 
 the first, and joined the first and second, as we number them. Augustine 
 and the Latin fathers united the first and second, and divided the tenth into 
 two. Josephus, Origen, and the Greek Church adopted the arrangement 
 used still by Protestants of the Reformed or Calvinistic side. The Lutherans 
 united the first and second. As there were two tables of stone, it has been 
 supposed that the first four commandments were on the one, and the last six 
 on the other. There seems a natural division between the first and the second 
 commandment ; for the first is against polytheism, and the second against 
 idolatry. There is an unnatural division of the tenth, which is all against 
 covetousness. 
 
 The Lord Jesus Christ answered the question of the scribe as to the com- 
 mandments in the words of this answer, and summarized human duty. 
 
 " I'm apt to think the man 
 That could surround the sum of things, and spy 
 The heart of God and secrets of his empire, 
 Would speak but love; with him the bright result 
 Would change the hue of intermediate scenes. 
 And make one thing of all theology." — Gambold. 
 
 When Sir Walter Raleigh, who had been imprisoned in the Tower of London 
 for more than twelve years, was about to be beheaded, the executioner asked 
 him if his head lay aright. With the courage of a hero and the faith of a 
 
186 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 Christian, Sir Walter said, " It matters little, my friend, how the head lies, 
 provided the heart be right." — It is the heart's affection that God wants. 
 
 An old divine remarked that the religion of the heart is the heart of 
 religion. 
 
 It was a great mark of the early Christians that they loved one another. 
 
 Christ gave this as a neto commandment, " That ye love one another : " John 
 xiii. 34. 
 
 It has been said that the Samaritans make eleven commandments, the 
 eleventh being, " Thou shalt worship God in this mountain, and here only 
 shalt thou serve him." So, often in the Church since have men added to the 
 commandments of God by their traditions, and narrowed the Church to a sect. 
 
 It is said of Archbishop Ussher, the Primate of Ireland, that he wished to 
 visit the manse of Samuel Rutherford at Anwoth, and went in the guise of 
 a beggar. Having received accommodation for the night, he was taken in to 
 family worship, and Mrs. Rutherford, according to her custom on Saturday 
 evenings, catechised her servants. She asked the stranger how many com- 
 mandments there were. He replied, "Eleven." Whereupon she upbraided 
 him with his ignorance, and expressed her surprise that a man of his years 
 sliould not know the number of the commandments. There was not a child 
 in the parish, she said, who did not know that. After this the stranger was 
 shown to his quarters. Mr. Rutherford overheard him at prayer, and asked 
 who he was. On learning that he was Dr. Ussher, the Archbishop of Armagh, 
 he asked him to preach for him, and introduced him in a suit of his own 
 clothes next morning to Mrs. Rutherford as a strange minister who had 
 arrived. When he gave out his text, John xiii. 34, "A new commandment 
 I give unto you. That ye love one another," he remarked that this had been 
 called the eleventh commandment. Mrs. Rutherford was surprised, and 
 wondered if it could be the man who had given her the answer on the pre- 
 ceding evening. It may be supposed how interesting was the discourse, and 
 how pleasant the conversation in the manse afterward. If the Samaritan 
 addition to the Decalogue separates the people of God, the Christian addi- 
 tion unites them. 
 
 Dr. Doddridge once asked his daughter, " How is it that everybody loves 
 you?" — " I do not know," she replied, " except it be that I love everybody." 
 
 The Rev. John Howe, one of the chaplains of Oliver Cromwiell, was 
 applied to by men of all parties for protection, nor did he refuse his influence 
 to any on account of difference in religious opinions. One day the Protector 
 said to him, " Mr. Howe, you have asked favours for every one besides your- 
 self ; pray, when does your turn come?" He replied, "My turn, my Lord 
 Protector, is always come when I can serve another." 
 
 " One of my great principles," said Robert Owen the socialist, to William 
 Wilberforce, " is, that i)ersons oiight to place themselves in the situation of 
 others, and act as they would wish themselves to be treated." — "Is that 
 quite a new principle, Mr. Owen?" said Wilberforce, with a look of sup- 
 pressed humour; "I think I have read something very like it in a book 
 called the New Testament ! " 
 
 There once lived a boy in Chester named William Tyrrel. He was a 
 rosy-cheeked, stout, brave little fellow, and a great favourite ^vith all his 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 137 
 
 neighbours. At school, no one was oftener at the head of his class, and no 
 one brovight home more tickets. One night, as the family were all sitting 
 roiind a bright, sparkling fire, his father said, " Children, what makes you 
 most happy?" Some answered one thing, and some another, but William 
 looked up and said, " Father, I think I am happiest when I can make other 
 people happy."— "Right, right, my son," said Mr. Tyrrel; "stick to that 
 all your life, and you will be a happy man. Remember the words of the 
 Lord Jesus, how he said, ' It is more blessed to give than to receive.' " 
 
 " King of glory, let us love thee. 
 
 Love thee with a child-like heart ; 
 Thine it is alone to give us 
 Love that never shall depart. 
 
 Hallelujah — 
 Thou our King and Saviour art." — Bonar. 
 
 " Love no unseemly carriage shows, 
 Nor selfishly confined ; 
 She glows with social tenderness. 
 And feels for all mankind." — Randall. 
 
 Quest. 43. What is the preface to the ten commandments 1 
 Ans. The preface to the ten commandments is in these words : 
 
 " I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the 
 
 land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage." 
 
 Ex. XX. 2. Deut. v. 6. 
 
 God introduced his commandments to the children of Israel by a solemn 
 preface. 
 
 This was to remind them of him, of his relation to them, and of what he 
 had done for them. 
 
 I. He asserted his own authority as God. — Thus he called attention to the 
 words, as in Isa. i. 2 : "Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth ; for the Lord 
 hath spoken." And again in Jer. xxii. 29: " O earth, earth, earth, hear the 
 word of the Lord." 
 
 II. He asserted his relation to them as their God.— He was pledged to them 
 in this relation. They were also pledged to him by covenant. 
 
 III. He reminded them of what he had done for them. — He had brought 
 them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 
 
 1. They had been reduced to bondage in Egypt. The fear of the reigning 
 monarch had led him to oppress them. 
 
 2. They had been made to serve with rigour. Their hardships gradually 
 increased. Their male children were ordered to be thrown into the river. 
 They had to make bricks without straw. They were under cruel task- 
 masters. They groaned, and cried to God by reason of their bondage. 
 
188 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 3. God brought them out. It was not the result of human courage and 
 strength, but the work of God. The Exodus was a divine interposition. 
 The history of it reveals the mighty hand and outstretched arm of God. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. God gives us a reason for obedience. 
 
 2. Our gratitude for mercy should encourage obedience. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 "The Israelite annals, unlike the records of any other nation in ancient 
 or modern times which has thrown off the yoke of slavery, claim no merit, 
 no victory of their own. There is no Marathon, no Regillus, no Tours, no 
 Morgarten. All is from above, nothing from themselves. In whatever 
 proportions the natural and the supernatural are intermingled, this result 
 equally remains. The locusts, the flies, the murrain, the discoloured river, 
 the stoi-m, the darkness of the sandy wind, the plague, are calamities natural 
 to Egypt, though rare, and exhibited here in aggravated and terrible forms. 
 But not the less are they the interventions of a power above the power of 
 man ; not the less did they call the mind of the Israelite from dwelling on 
 his own strength and glory, to the mighty hand and outstretched arm from 
 which alone through his subsequent history he was to learn." — Dean Stanley. 
 
 A friend calling on the Rev. Ebenezer Erskine during his last illness, said 
 to him, " Sir, you have given us many good advices ; pray, what are you now 
 doing with your own soul?" — "I am doing with it," said he, "what I did 
 forty years ago — I am resting on that word, ' I am the Lord thy God ; ' and 
 on this I mean to die." To another he said, " The covenant is my charter; 
 and if it had not been for that blessed word, * I am the Lord thy God,' my 
 hope and strength had perished from the Lord." The night on which he 
 died, his eldest daughter was reading in the room where he was, and he said, 
 " What bool^is that you are reading, my dear?" " It is one of your ser- 
 mons, sir," she replied.—" What one is it ?" " It is the sermon on that text, 
 * I am the Lord thy God.' "— " O woman," said the dying man of God, " that 
 is the best sermon I ever preached." And it was, most probably, the best 
 to his own soiil. A little afterwards, with his own finger and thumb, he shut 
 his eyes, and, laying his hand below his cheek, breathed out his soul into 
 the hands of his loving Redeemer. Happy is the man that is in such a case ; 
 yea, happy is the man whose God is the Lord. 
 
 In the Confessions of St. Augustine these words occur: "Say unto my 
 soul, ' I am thy salvation : ' Ps. xxxv. 3. So speak that I may hear. Be- 
 hold, Lord, my heart is before thee; open thou the ears thereof, and say 
 unto my sovil, *I am thy salvation.' " 
 
 " I am the Lord thy God, which did 
 
 From Egypt land thee guide ; 
 "" I'll fill thy mouth abundantly, 
 
 Do thou it open wide."— Psalm Ixxxi. 10. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 139 
 
 Quest. 44. What doth the iweface to the ten commandments 
 teach us ? 
 
 Ans. The preface to the ten commandments teacheth us, 
 That because God is the Lord, and our God, and Redeemer, 
 therefore we are bound to keep all his commandments. 
 
 1 Tim. vi. 15. The blessed and only 
 Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of 
 lords. 
 
 Ps. xlviii, 14. This God is our God for 
 ever and ever. 
 
 IsA. Ixiii. 16. Thou, O Lord, art our 
 Father, our Redeemer; thy name is from 
 everlasting. 
 
 Ps. xlv. 11. He is thy Lord ; and worship 
 thou him. 
 
 Josh. xxiv. 18. Therefore will we also 
 serve the Lord ; for he is our God. 
 
 Lev. XX. 7. Sanctify yourselves there- 
 fore, and be ye holy : for I am the Lord 
 your God. Ver. 8. And ye shall keep my 
 statutes, and do them : I am the Lord 
 which sanctify you. 
 
 1 Cob. vi. 20. Ye are bought with a price : 
 therefore glorify God in your body, and in 
 your spirit, which are God's. 
 
 I. Godis Jehovah. — That is, the only true, self-existent God. He ought to 
 be obeyed. The excellences of his divine nature claim obedience from all 
 men. 
 
 II. He is our God. — He has revealed himself to us. He has entered into 
 covenant with us. We have been dedicated to him; and we may have 
 dedicated ourselves by personal faith. " This shall be the covenant that I 
 will make with the house of Israel ; After those days, saith the Lord, I will 
 put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts ; and will be 
 their God, and they shall be my people : " Jer. xxxi. 33. 
 
 III. He is our Redeemer. — The bondage of Egypt is a type of our state of 
 sin, and the deliverance from Egypt a type of our redemption. 
 
 1. The bondage was universal — the nation felt it. Spiritual bondage is the 
 condition of every one. 
 
 2. It was degrading. It made the people slaves. Sin reduces us to a 
 similar thraldom. 
 
 3. It was bitter. They were made to serve with rigour : Ex. i. 13. The 
 way of transgressors is hard : Prov. xiii. 15. 
 
 IV. The people were helpless. — They sighed, but could not obtain their 
 freedom. We were vidthout strength. 
 
 1. The deliverance was of God. So by grace are we saved : Eph. ii. 8. 
 
 2. It was in God's way. Redemption is his own purpose. 
 
 3. It was by God's power. Christ alone is able to save. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. The character of our God gives him a claim on our obedience. 
 
 2. God claims our obedience because of his salvation. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 "Until the mind is rightly affected toward God, there is no religion, 
 because he is the direct and primary object of it. It is something perfectly 
 
140 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 independent, as to essence, of all the social relations. If a man were wrecked, 
 like Alexander Selkirk, on an uninhabited island, where there would be no 
 room, of course, for loyalty, honesty, kindness, mercy, truth, justice, or any 
 of the relative virtues, the claims of piety would still follow him to this 
 dreary and desolate abode ; and even there, where he should never hear ' the 
 sweet music of speech,' nor look upon 'the human face divine,' he would still 
 be under the obligations of piety; even there one voice would be heard 
 breaking the silence around him with the solemn injunction of Scripture, 
 ' Thou shalt love the Lord thy God ! ' Bear in recollection, then, my 
 children, that God, as he is revealed in his word, is the direct and primary 
 object of all true piety ; and that the most exemplary discharge of the social 
 duties can be no substitute for that reverence, and love, and gratitude, and 
 obedience which we owe to him." — John Angell James. 
 
 "When Sir James Colquhoun took the Rev. Charles Simeon of Cambridge 
 to the island of Inchtavanach in Loch Lomond, from which a splendid view 
 is obtained, Mr. Simeon turned to Sir James and said : ' Sir James, you 
 turn on this side and say. That is mine ; and you turn on that side and say. 
 That is mine ; but' (lifting up both his hands) * I look up and say. Heaven 
 is mine.' All things are yours, because ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's." 
 — Dr. J. Hamilton's Life of Lady Colquhoun. 
 
 One who was showing a friend all his estate, and the many farms he had 
 on it, was asked to look at a small cottage. When his eye rested on it, his 
 friend said, " There lives an old woman there that can say more than all 
 this." " What can she say V " " Why, she can say, Christ is mine ! " 
 
 " Go, ye that boast in all your stores, 
 And tell how bright they shine ; 
 Your heaps of glittering dust are yours, 
 But my Redeemer's mine." 
 
 Quest. 45. Which is the first commandment ? 
 Ans. The first commandment is, Thou shalt have no other 
 gods before me. 
 
 Ex. XX. 3. Deut. v. 7. 
 
 This will be more fully explained by the next three questions. 
 
 In discussing the Commandments, the Catechism proceeds upon the plan 
 of considering the positive requirements of each, and then their direct 
 prohibitions or things forbidden. Though all chiefly given, with two excep- 
 tions, in a negative form, they are meant to inculcate positive duties. 
 
 "Theism and monotheism, the foundation of religion, are taught in these 
 words," says Dr. Hodge, on the preface to the ten commandments. It is 
 equally true of the first commandment itself. 
 
 God revealed himself as Jehovah, the one living and true God. Jehovah 
 implies a person always existing and always the same. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 141 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Lord Bacon said that " God never wrought a miracle to convince atheism, 
 because his ordinary works convince it." All human philosophy rises from 
 effects to a cause, and we repose in the conviction that beyond the series of 
 mere mechanical causes and effects is the Infinite Cause of all. 
 
 Sir Isaac Newton remarks, "Though every step made in this philosophy 
 brings us not immediately to the knowledge of the First Cause, yet it brings 
 us nearer to it." 
 
 Scripture reveals the unity of God. " Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy God 
 is one Lord." 
 
 Collins, the deist, once asked a countryman, " Is your God great or little ? " 
 "He is both, sir," said the man: "the heaven of heavens cannot contain 
 him, yet he can dwell in my heart." 
 
 " The God who reigns on high. 
 The great archangels sing ; 
 And Holy, holy, holy, cry. 
 
 Almighty King ! 
 Who was and is the same. 
 And evermore shall be ; 
 Jehovah, Father, great I AM, 
 
 We worship thee ! " — Olivers. 
 
 Quest. 46. What is required in the first commandment ? 
 
 Ans. The first commandment requireth us to know and 
 acknowledge God to be the only true God, and our God ; and 
 to worship and glorify him accordingly. 
 
 Job xxii. 21. Acquaint now thyself with 
 him, and be at peace : thereby good shall 
 come unto thee. 
 
 HosEA xiii. 4. Thou shalt know no God 
 but me. 
 
 Ps. xxix. 1. Give unto the Lord, O ye 
 mighty, give unto the Lord glory and 
 strength. Ver. 2. Give unto the Lord the 
 glory due unto his name ; worship the 
 Lord in the beauty of holiness. 
 
 Ps. xcv. 6. O come, let us worship and 
 bow down : let us kneel before the Lord 
 our maker. Ver. 7. For he is our God ; and 
 we are the people of his pasture. 
 
 Matt. iv. 10. Thou shalt worship the 
 Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou 
 serve. 
 
 Ps. cxlv. 1. I will extol thee, my God, O 
 King ; and I will bless thy name for ever 
 and ever. 
 
 I. To know God. — This may be learned in some measure from his works, 
 but chiefly from his word : 1 Chron. xxviii. 9. 
 
 II. To acknowledge God. — By believing on him, by submitting to his holy 
 will, and by confessing him among men. This was what Elijah demanded 
 of the people : 1 Kings xviii. 21. 
 
 III. To know and acknowledge him as the only true God. — Many in the world 
 
142 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 recognize numerous gods. The nations have been generally polytheistic. 
 But nature and revelation disclose one only. It is therefore our duty to 
 know and acknowledge the only true God. 
 
 IV. To know and acknoioledge him as our God. — This implies the intelligent 
 and hearty acceptance of him as ours. "This God is our God for ever and 
 ever : " Ps. xlviii. 14. It requires a devout frame of mind toward God — a 
 constant sense of his presence, and of his goodness, righteousness, and truth. 
 It is said of Enoch that he " walked with God." 
 
 V. To worship and glorify him accordingly. — "Worship is an exercise of 
 devotion, and is due in a private, a domestic, and a congregational manner. 
 It is the service both of the heart and of the outward, external act. God is 
 glorified by ascribing praise to him and by advancing his honour. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. The knowledge of God leads to godliness. 
 
 2. God has a right to our service. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 " To know God comprehensively and adequately is beyond the reach of 
 the creature's capacity. Hence said Zophar, one of Job's friends, ' Canst 
 thou by searching find out God ? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfec- 
 tion ? ' Job xi. 7. Such knowledge is not required. But a true knowledge 
 of him we must have. Hence Christ said, ' This ie life eternal, to know thee, 
 the only true God,' — that is, to know him as he has revealed himself in his 
 word and works." — Boston. 
 
 When the celebrated Dr. E. Halley was talking infidelity before Sir Isaac 
 Newton, Sir Isaac thus addressed him : " Dr. Halley, I am always glad to 
 hear you when you speak about astronomy or other parts of the mathematics, 
 because that is a subject you have studied and well understand ; but you 
 should not talk of Christianity, for you have not studied it. I have, and am 
 certain that you know nothing of the matter." 
 
 When the great astronomer Kepler saw the wonderful order in the starry 
 heavens, he said, " O Lord, I think thy thoughts after thee." 
 
 Linnaeus, the celebrated naturalist, wrote over the door of his library ; 
 " Innocue vivite, numen adest" (Live innocently ; God is present). 
 
 When the father of the Rev. Dr. Robert Balmer died, that night Robert, 
 though only ten years old, brought out the books for family prayer as usual. 
 His mother burst out into a paroxysm of grief as she thought of her loss ; but 
 Robert said that God would be a father to them, and that they must not go to 
 bed without worshipping him. His mother then took the Bible and conducted 
 worship, and a few years afterward her pious son took his father's place. 
 
 " Praise ye Jehovah ! source of all our blessing ; 
 Before his gifts earth's richest boons wax dim ; 
 Resting on him, his peace and joy possessing. 
 All things are ours, for wo have all in him." 
 
 M. C. Campbell. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 143 
 
 Quest. 47. What is forbidden in the first commandment ? 
 
 Ans. The first commandment forbiddeth the denying, or not 
 worshipping and glorifying the true God as God, and our God ; 
 and the giving of that worship and glory to any other, which is 
 due to him alone. 
 
 Ps, xiv. 1. The fool hath said in his 
 heart, There is no God. 
 
 IsA. xliii. 22. Thou hast not called upon 
 me, O Jacob ; but thou hast been weary of 
 me, O Israel. 
 
 Dan. v. 23. The God in whose hand thy 
 breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast 
 thou not glorified. 
 
 Matt. xv. 8. This people draweth nigh 
 unto me with their mouth, and honoureth 
 me with their lips ; but their heart is far 
 from me. 
 
 Rom. i. 21. When they knew God, they 
 glorified him not as God, neither were 
 thankful. Ver. 25. Who changed the truth 
 of God into a lie, and worshipped and 
 served the creature more than the Creator, 
 who is blessed for ever. Amen. 
 
 Eph. ii. 12. Having no hope, and without 
 God in the world. 
 
 Ps. xcvii. 1. The Lord reigneth. Ver. 7. 
 Confounded be all they that serve graven 
 images, that boast themselves of idols: 
 worship him, all ye gods. 
 
 I. The denial of God. — This is done either— 
 
 1. By a false creed, as atheism ; or, 
 
 2. By a false life, as if there were no God. 
 
 II. Not worshipping and glorifying God as God. — This forbids all hypocrisy 
 and profanity. 
 
 1. Worship in profession only is hypocrisy : Isa. xxix. 13 ; Matt. xv. 8. 
 
 2. Worship for worldly ends is profanity. 
 
 3. Neglect of acknowledged duty is a breach of this commandment. 
 "They are without excuse, because that, when they knew God, they glorified 
 him not as God, neither were thankful : " Rom. i. 20, 21. Again, God said 
 of Israel of old, " I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the 
 land of Egypt : open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it. But my people 
 would not hearken to my voice ; and Israel would none of me : " Ps. Ixxxi. 
 10, 11. 
 
 III. The giving worship and glory to any other which is due to the true God 
 ,alone. — This forbids all polytheism, which has been so common among man- 
 kind. The world gets more regard from many than God who made them. 
 Many still worship the golden calf. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. See the folly of atheism : Ps. liii. 1. 
 
 2. See the danger of denying or neglecting God : Jer. x. 25. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 The proof of the being of God may be drawn from the order of nature and 
 of mind, from the existence of conscience, the phenomena of hypocrisy, and 
 the pleasure attendant upon good affections and deeds and the pain 
 attendant upon bad ones. 
 
 " Man must have a God ; but he forms his own god, and he makes it a 
 
 10 
 
144 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 god after his own likeness. Instead of forming his own character after the 
 likeness of God, he would fashion a god after his own likeness." — Dr. M'Cosh. 
 
 " People in many parts would turn out and look at a real and avowed 
 atheist, just as they do at some singularly huge and foreign animal, with 
 mingled astonishment and alarm. Faith in God is so inherent in the heart 
 of humanity, and so essential to our reason, that many wise and good men 
 have doubted if there ever lived an intelligent mortal so absolutely destitute 
 of religious belief as is implied in atheism. Addison would have told a man 
 who gloried in this distinction, that he was an impudent liar, and that he 
 knew it. Bacon accounted atheism to be rather of the lip than of the heart, 
 and that a contemplative atheist is a prodigy — a thing unusually rare. ' I 
 confess,' says Dr. Arnold, in one of his weighty letters, * that I believe con- 
 scientious atheism not to exist.' " — Pearson. 
 
 When Boswell asked Dr. S. Johnson if Foote the comedian was an 
 infidel, he replied : " Foote was an infidel, sir, as a dog is an infidel : he 
 never thought on the subject." 
 
 Collins, Shaftesbury, and many others who boasted of their infidelity, 
 took the Christian sacrament for the sake of office ! 
 
 The astronomer Kircher had an acquaintance who professed to deny God. 
 Expecting a visit from him, Kircher placed a very handsome globe of the 
 starry heavens in a place where it could not escape his observation. When 
 he saw it he asked Kircher how it came there. Kircher said, "By chance." 
 "You jest," said his friend; "that is impossible." "Oh, you will not 
 believe that this originated by chance, yet you deny that the heavenly 
 bodies which it represents were made by God ! " The sceptic was stunned, 
 silenced, and convinced. 
 
 "The dearest idol I have known, 
 Whate'er that idol be, 
 Help me to tear it from Thy throne. 
 And worship only Thee." — Cowpo: 
 
 Quest. 48. What are we specially taught by these words [before 
 me] in the first commandment ? 
 
 Ans. These words \hefore me] in the first commandment 
 teach us, That God, who seeth all things, taketh notice of, and 
 is much displeased with, the sin of having any other god. 
 
 Ps. xliv. 21. He knoweth the secrets of 
 the heart. 
 
 Heb. iv. 13. Neither is there any crea- 
 ture that is not manifest in his sight: but 
 
 all things are naked and opened unto the 
 eyes of him with whom we have to do. 
 
 Deux, xxxii. 16. They provoked him to 
 jealousy with strange gods. 
 
 I. God sees all things. — " All things are naked and opened unto the eyes of 
 him with whom we have to do : " Heb. iv. 13. All men : their words, deeds, 
 and thoughts are known to him : Ps. cxxxix. 1-12. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 145 
 
 II, God takes special notice of the sin of having any other god. — He therefore 
 sees heart idolatry, or things done secretly in idolatry, as in 2 Kings xvii. 9 ; 
 open idolatry, as in Ex. xxxii. 7, 8. His special notice is on account of the 
 greatness of this sin. 
 
 III. God is displeased with idolatry. — He often warned the Hebrews against 
 it : Deut. xxix. 24-28. He punished them for it, and carried them away to 
 Babylon into captivity : 2 Chron. xxxvi. 14-21. All who set up self, the 
 world, pleasure, or any other object in place of God, are under his dis- 
 pleasure. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. Let every one say everywhere, " Thou God seest me," as Hagar did of 
 old : Gen. xvi. 13. 
 
 2. Let God have the heart. 
 
 3. Be sure sin will be found out. 
 
 4. All worship of angels and saints is contrary to this commandment. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 When this view of God was told to a tribe of Indians in South America, 
 they said that they did not want such a sharp-sighted God. " We choose to 
 live in the woods, without a perpetual observer over our heads." 
 
 A man once went out to a field to steal corn, and took his boy with him 
 to hold the sack. Ere commencing his theft, he looked on every side, lest 
 any one should see him. The boy then said, " Father, you forgot to look 
 up, to see if God was noticing you," The man felt the reproof, and never 
 again attempted to steal. 
 
 The Rev. Thomas Scott, the commentator, in speaking of his early years 
 in that remarkable autobiography called the " Force of Truth," remarks : 
 " A hymn of Dr. Watts in his admirable book for children, entitled the 
 ' All-seeing God,' at this time fell in my way. I was much affected by it ; 
 and having committed it to memory, was frequently repeating it, and thus 
 continually led to reflect on my guilt and danger. Parents may from this 
 inconsiderable circumstance be reminded that it is of great importance to 
 store their children's memories with useful matter, instead of suffering them 
 to be furnished with such corrupting trash as is commonly taught them. 
 They know not what use God may make of these rudiments of instruc- 
 tion in future life." 
 
 " That horse, sir," said a coachman to a pious man travelling with him, — 
 " that horse knows when I swear at him." " Yes," said the traveller, " and 
 so does One above." The rebuke silenced the careless man. 
 
 " Search me, O God, and know my heart : try me, and know my thoughts : 
 and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlast- 
 ing : " Ps. cxxxix. 23, 24. 
 
 "When the Rev. Dr. Charles Hall from America visited Europe, he noted 
 down his thoughts after viewing some of the great sights. At Blenheim he 
 says :— ' As I wandered through those grounds, and opened my heart to 
 those forms of beauty, I could feel the rivers of delight rolling in upon my 
 soul. I forgot the Duke of Marlborough; I had no appreciation for his 
 
146 THE SHOETER CATECHISM. 
 
 military glory or for his royal mistress. I thought only of God, who made 
 tliis majesty and loveliness. I felt that he intended and adapted the world 
 —its creatures, its lakes, its forests, its landscapes— to speak of him, and 
 lead up our hearts to him. I felt that there is no mistake as to the oneness 
 of the Godhead in revelation and in nature. And my heart praised him ; I 
 cried out for holiness — that there, with such beauty of the natural world, 
 there might be nothing but moral consanguinity in my soul.' Again, in the 
 valley of Oberhasli, in Switzerland, he says : — ' My soul has been lifted up 
 amid the grandeur of these everlasting hills. I have felt the greatness of God ; 
 I have felt my own littleness ; I have felt that it was an inexpressible conde- 
 scension for Christ, having built this mighty Earth, to die for the sinful crea- 
 tures who creep on its surface.' And at Chamouni he wrote :— ' Here, 
 amid the sublimest of God's works, I have communed with him, and have 
 endeavoured to re-consecrate myself to him. O Lord, who by thy power 
 settest fast the mountains, exert that power to make this poor, vile heart all 
 thine own.'" — Dr. Smith's Discourse. 
 
 " Lord, thou hast searched and seen me through ; 
 Thine eye commands with piercing view 
 My rising and my resting hours. 
 My heart and flesh with all their powers. 
 
 " My thoughts, before they are my own, 
 Are to my God distinctly known ; 
 He knows the words I mean to speak, 
 Ere from mine opening lips they break. 
 
 " O may these thoughts possess my breast, 
 Where'er I rove, where'er I rest ; 
 I . Nor let my weaker passions dare 
 
 Consent to sin, for God is there." — Watts. 
 
 Quest. 49. Which is the second commandment ? 
 
 Ans. The second commandment is, Thou shalt not make 
 unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is 
 in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in 
 the water under the earth : thou shalt not bow down thyself 
 to them, nor serve them ; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous 
 God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto 
 the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and 
 shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep 
 my commandments. 
 
 Ex. XX. 4-0. Deut. v. 8-10. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 147 
 
 This commandment sets before us the manner of worship. "God is a 
 Spirit : and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth : " 
 John iv. 24. 
 
 " That the second commandment does not forbid pictorial or sculptured 
 representations of ideal or visible objects is plain, because the whole com- 
 mand has reference to religious worship ; and because Moses, at the command 
 of God himself, made many such images and representations. The curtains 
 of the tabei'nacle, and especially the veil separating between the holy and 
 most holy places, were adorned with embroidered figures representing cheru- 
 bim ; cherubim overshadowed the ark of the covenant with their wings ; 
 the golden candlestick was in the form of a tree, ' with branches, knops, and 
 flowers;' the hem of the high priest's robe was adorned with alternate bells 
 and pomegranates. When Solomon built the temple, 'he carved all the 
 walls of the house round about with carved figures of cherubims, and palm 
 trees, and open flowers, within and without : ' 1 Kings vi. 29. The molten 
 sea stood upon twelve oxen. Of this house thus adorned, God said, ' I 
 have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for 
 ever ; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually : ' 1 Kings 
 ix. 3. There can therefore be no doubt that the second commandment was 
 intended only to forbid the making or using the likeness of anything in 
 heaven or earth as objects of worship." — Dr. Hodge. 
 
 " This commandment is left out of all Roman Catholic summaries of the 
 moral law, the first being given as if it embodied the second, and the third 
 being numbered as the second. An examination, preparatory to confession, 
 is recommended to the devout Roman Catholic on the ten commandments, 
 that he may see, before he goes to the priest, wherein he has transgressed 
 any of them. Now, he is not directed to examine himself on the second, 
 but twice over on the tenth, so as to make out the full number. Now, I 
 acknowledge it would have been awkward to have set the person to examine 
 himself in reference to the second commandment. It might have led to a 
 conviction of sins not recognized by the confessor. If he had asked himself, 
 * Is there any graven image, or any likeness of any thing in heaven above, 
 or in the earth beneath, to which I bow down?' himself would have been 
 apt to answer, ' Why, yes ; there is that image of Christ I kneel before ; 
 and there is that likeness of the Blessed Virgin I bow down to and adore. 
 I am afraid I have broken the second commandment.' If, then, he had 
 gone to the priest with his scruples, you see it would have made work and 
 trouble. It is true the priest would have said to him, ' O my child, you 
 don't mean anything by it. You only use the image as a help to devotion. 
 Your worship of it is only relative. Besides, you don't adore the image ; you 
 only venerate it, and you only give due honour and veneration to images — 
 
 nothing more than that.' This explanation is not original with the modern 
 
 Christian idolater. It is as old as Jewish and pagan idolatry. The wor- 
 shippers of the golden calf worshipped something beyond the calf. The calf 
 was only a help to devotion, and they only paid due honour and veneration 
 to it. Nevertheless they sinned a great sin, and the Lord plagued the 
 people on account of it. There fell of the people that day about three thou- 
 sand. I suppose it would have been just the same had they made ever so 
 
148 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 many explanations. But their explanations were not waited for. What 
 signify all their explanations and distinctions to the great mass of the 
 Catholic laity? They do not even understand them; and it seems that if 
 they both understood and regarded them, it would not help the matter. It 
 is this very explained and qualified worship which the commandment for- 
 bids." — Dr. Nevins' Thoughts on Popery. 
 
 " At Rome, in particular, the Pope and all the people, from the cardinal 
 chamberlain downwards, glory in the worship of the Virgin Mary; and 
 their religion is not that of the New Testament, but a new and perfectly 
 different creed, which may be termed Virgin-Maryism, but certainly is not 
 the religion of Jesus. The day begins wdth the Ave Maria. Her image 
 and its attendant lustres, often kept constantly burning, glare at the corner 
 of nearly every street. The most splendid churches in Rome are dedicated 
 to her. Painting and poetry are called into her service ; and we sometimes find, 
 below these images, this invitation to passers-by : ' Stop, traveller ; bow the 
 head to the Mother of God, the Queen of Heaven.' When men recover from 
 sickness, their cure is ascribed mainly to her, and votive offerings are hung 
 up in her churches, as in the temples of pagan idols in ancient Rome."— i2ev. 
 W. K. Tweedie, D.D. 
 
 Philip Henry made this shrewd and distinguishing remark : " I am too 
 much of a Catholic to be a Roman Catholic." 
 
 " Their idols silver are and gold, 
 
 Work of men's hands they be. 
 Mouths have they, but they do not speak ; 
 
 And eyes, but do not see ; 
 Ears have they, but they do not hear ; 
 
 Noses, but savour not ; 
 Hands, feet, but handle not, nor walk ; 
 
 Nor speak they through their throat. 
 
 *' Like them their makers are, and all 
 On them their trust that buUd. 
 O Isr'el, trust thou in the Lord, 
 He is their help and shield." — Psalm ex v. 4-9. 
 
 Quest. 50. What is required in the second commandment 1 
 Ans. The second commandment requireth the receiving, 
 observing, and keeping pure and entire, all such religious 
 worship and ordinances as God hath appointed in his word. 
 
 Lev. xviii. 4. Ye shall do my judgments, 
 and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein : 
 I am the Lord your God. 
 
 Deut. xii. 32. What thing soever I com- 
 mand you, observe to do it : thou shalt not 
 add thereto, nor diminish from it. 
 
 Luke i. 6. They were both righteous be- 
 
 fore God, walking in all the commandments 
 and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 
 
 Matt, xxviii. 20. Teaching them to ob- 
 serve all things whatsoever I have com- 
 manded you. 
 
 Ps. xlv. 11. He is thy Lord; and worship 
 thou him. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 149 
 
 I. God has appointed worship and ordinances. — These are, prayer — public, 
 social, and private; praise; the public preaching of the gospel; and the 
 reading of his Word. He has appointed public worship, and administration 
 of sacraments, discipline, and government in his Church. 
 
 II. The Word of God is the directory of worship. — It contains his will and 
 reveals our duty. 
 
 III. God's ordinances are to be received and observed. — They are to be re- 
 ceived on his authority alone. They are to be observed as he has commanded. 
 
 IV. God's ordinances are to be kept pure. — Nothing is to be added to his 
 Word, as apocryphal books ; nothing to the sacraments, as Romanists do ; 
 nothing to his worship, as Ritualists do ; nothing to the government, as in 
 Popery and Prelacy. 
 
 V. God's ordiiiances are to be kept entire. — They are all to be observed — the 
 whole Bible, sacraments, worship, discipline, and government. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. God's Word binds the conscience, and should be obeyed. 
 
 2. Conscience without the Word of God is not a sufficient guide. 
 
 3. God's Spirit is needed to give vitality to worship. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 "That it is a dictate of natural reason and conscience that a Being of 
 infinite and absolute perfection, the Creator, Possessor, and sovereign Lord, 
 the Preserver and bountiful Benefactor of all creatures, and the absolute 
 moral Governor of all moral agents, should be adored, praised, thanked, sup- 
 plicated, obeyed, and served, is self-evident, and is witnessed to by the com- 
 mon consent of nations of all ages." 
 
 " Since God has prescribed the mode in which we are acceptably to worship 
 and serve him, it must be an offence to him, and a sin in us, either to neglect 
 his way or in preference to practise our own." — Hodge on Confession of Faith. 
 
 Gregory the Great, a pope and bishop of Rome, urged the reading of the 
 Scriptures. "Truly," said he to a physician, "if you were staying at a dis- 
 tance from the court, and received a letter from the earthly emperor, you 
 would not rest, you could not sleep, till you knew its contents. The King 
 of heaven, the Lord of men and angels, has sent you his letter, giving you 
 directions how to gain eternal life, and yet you neglect to read this letter 
 carefully. Therefore bestir yourself, and reflect daily on the words of your 
 Creator. Learn to know the heart of God from the words of God." 
 
 " In the fifth century, four thousand nine hundred and seventy-six per- 
 sons, of the clerical order and others distinguished for their zeal, were con- 
 demned to banishment in an African desQrt for worshipping God in the way 
 appointed in his Word. They went forward singing the 148th Psalm, bearing 
 the reproach of Christ." — Neander's ^' 3Iemorials of Christian Life." 
 
 When one of the kings of Prance solicited M. Bougier, who was a Prot- 
 estant, to conform to the Roman Catholic religion, promising him in return a 
 commission on the government, he replied, "Sire, if I could be persuaded to 
 
150 
 
 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 betray my God for a marshal's staff, I might be induced to betray my king 
 for a bribe of much less value." 
 
 Let us say, as did an old philosopher, " Plato is my friend, Socrates is my 
 friend, but above all truth is my friend." 
 
 " Must I go to confession ? My prejudices said Yes. My reason said No. 
 And my logic was simply as follows : If I truly repent of my sins, God^ will 
 forgive me ; if I do not, the priest cannot absolve me. And I spurned as 
 unreasonable, and as an insult to my common sense, your terrible doctrine, 
 that 'Every Christian is bound, under pain of damnation, to confess to a 
 priest all his mortal sins, which after diligent examination he can possibly 
 remember, yea, even his most secret sins, his very thoughts, yea, and all the 
 circumstances of them which are of any moment.' I ask you, sir, if this 
 dogma of the Council of Trent is not a horrible dogma ? It suspends upon 
 confessing to a priest what the Bible suspends on believing on Christ." — Dr. 
 Murray: Kirwan's Letters to Archbishop Hughes. 
 
 " After years of attendance on the Mass, I asked What does it mean? The 
 darkness of Egypt rested upon this question. I thus reasoned with myself : 
 God is a spiritual and intelligent Being, and he requires an intelligent wor- 
 ship. What worship I render him in the Mass I know not. My intelligent 
 worship only is acceptable to him, and is beneficial to me. I am a rational 
 being, and I degrade my nature and insult my Maker by offering him a wor- 
 ship in which neither my reason nor his intelligence is consulted. Having 
 come to this conclusion, I gave uj) the Mass as a form of worship well enough 
 fitted for idols, but unfitted to be rendered by an intelligent being to the 
 infinitely intelligent Jehovah." — Kirwan's Letters. 
 
 " Let om- hearts and souls be stirred 
 Now to seek and love and fear Thee; 
 By thy teachings sweet and holy 
 Drawn from earth to love thee solely." — Clausnitzer. 
 
 Quest. 51. What is forbidden in the second commandment? 
 Ans. The second commandment forbiddeth the worshipping 
 of God by images, or any other way not appointed in his word. 
 
 Deut. iv. 15. Take ye therefore good 
 heed unto yourselves ; for ye saw no man- 
 ner of similitude on the day that the Lord 
 spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst 
 of the fire : Ver. 16. Lest ye corrupt your- 
 selves, and make you a graven image, the 
 similitude of any figure, the likeness of 
 male or female, Ver. 17. The likeness of 
 any beast that is on the earth, the likeness 
 of any winged fowl that flieth in the air, 
 Ver. 18. The likeness of any thing that 
 creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any 
 fish that is In the waters beneath the earth. 
 
 Matt. xv. 9. But in vain they do worship 
 
 me, teaching for doctrines the command- 
 ments of men. 
 
 CoL. ii. 18. Let no man beguile you of 
 your reward in a voluntary humility and 
 worshipping of angels, intruding into those 
 things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed 
 up by his fleshly mind. 
 
 1 John v. 21. Little children, keep your- 
 selves from idols. 
 
 Lev. X. 1. And Nadab and Abihu, the 
 sons of Aaron, took either of them his cen- 
 ser, and put fire therein, and put incense 
 thereon, and offered strange fire before the 
 Lord, which he commanded them not. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 151 
 
 I. God is not to be worshipped by images. — The Jews were solemnly forbidden 
 to make any images of the unseen God, or to adopt any external symbol of God, 
 or to bow before such in worship. They were surrounded by idolatrous 
 nations, and were warned against their example. Images of any of the per- 
 sons of the Godhead are forbidden in worship. Image- worship often marked 
 the Hebrew people. It has corrupted the Chx'istian Church, though image- 
 worship was forbidden in the early ages : by the Council of Elvira in Spain 
 in 305 A.D., by the Council of Constantinople in 754, and by the Council of 
 Frankfort in 794. Protestants have refused to worship God by images. 
 
 II. God is not to be tvorshipped wi any way not appointed in his Word. — 
 Hiiman inventions, such as distinctions in meats, distinctions of days and 
 seasons, are not proper modes of worship. But there are certain parts of 
 worship left to the light of nature and Christian prudence, such as the words 
 of prayer and praise which are of human composition, the style of music and 
 attitude in worship. The Bible is the great rule, and all worship is to be 
 according to its letter when it enjoins, and according to its spirit when not 
 enjoined. The worship of the Virgin Mary, and of saints and relics, is sinful ; 
 so is worship by pilgrimages, penances, etc. ; so, too, is the worship of the 
 sacramental bread and wine. 
 
 III. The neglect of God's worship is a breach of this commandment. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. True worship is of the heart, enlightened by the Word of God. 
 
 2. All worship must be in the name of Christ. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 "The whole counsel of God, concerning all things necessary for his own 
 glory, man's salvation, faith, and life, is either expressly set down in Scrip- 
 ture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture : 
 unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of 
 the Spirit or traditions of men. Nevertheless, we acknowledge the inward 
 illumination of the Spirit of God to be necessary for the saving understanding 
 of such things as are revealed in the Word; and there are some circumstances 
 concerning the worship of God and government of the Church, common to 
 human actions and societies, which are to be ordered by the light of nature 
 and Christian prudence, according to the general rules of the Word, which 
 are always to be observed." — Confession of Faith. 
 
 A Protestant who rented a small farm under Alexander, the second Duke 
 of Gordon, having fallen behind in his payments, a vigilant steward, in his 
 grace's absence, seized the farmer's stock, and advertised it to be sold on a 
 fixed day. Happily the duke returned home in the interval, and the tenant 
 went to him to supplicate for mercy. "What is the matter, Donald?" said 
 the duke, as he saw him enter with sad, downcast looks. Donald told his 
 sorrowful tale in a concise and natural manner. It touched the duke's heart, 
 and procured a formal acquittance of the debt. Donald, as he cheerfully 
 withdrew, was staring at the pictures and images which he saw in the castle, 
 and he asked the duke what they were. The duke, who was a Roman 
 
152 
 
 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 Catholic, said, "These are the saints who intercede with God for me." 
 "My lord duke," said Donald, "would it not be better to apply yourself 
 directly to God ? I went to muckle Sandy Gordon and to little Sandy Gor- 
 don ; but if I had not come to your grace's self, I could not have got my dis- 
 charge, and both I and my bairns had been turned out of house and home." 
 
 When John Knox was serving in the French galleys, some one presented 
 to him an image of the Virgin Mary for him to do reverence to it as the 
 mother of God. "This is no mother of God," said he, "but a painted 
 board ;" and he flung it into the river. 
 
 "Idolatry came in at first for the want of good preaching. The people 
 began to have golden images when they had wooden priests." — Thomas Fuller. 
 
 Whilst Sir Henry Wotton was in Italy as ambassador of King James I. at 
 the court of Venice, he went, at the request of a Roman Catholic priest, to 
 hear the music at their vespers or evening service. The priest, seeing Sir 
 Henry standing in an obscure corner of the church, sent to him by a boy of 
 the choir this question, written on a small piece of paper, "Where was your 
 religion to be found before Luther ? " to which question Sir Henry presently 
 underwrote, "My religion was to be found then, where yours is not to be 
 found noto— in the written Word of God." 
 
 "Say to the heathen from thy throne, 
 I am Jehovah, God alone ; 
 Thy voice their idols shall confound. 
 And cast their altars to the ground." — Watts. 
 
 Quest. 52. What are the reasons annexed to the second com- 
 mandvient ? 
 
 Ans. The reasons annexed to the second commandment are, 
 God's sovereignty over us, his propriety in us, and the zeal he 
 hath to his own worship. 
 
 ISA. xxxlii, 22. The Lord is our judge, 
 the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our 
 king ; he will save us. 
 
 Ps. xcv. 7. He is our God ; and we are 
 the people of his pasture, and the sheep of 
 his hand. 
 
 Ex. xxxiv. 14. Thou shalt worship no 
 other god : for the Lord, whose name is 
 Jealous, is a jealous God. 
 
 Lev. xix. 4. Turn ye not unto idols, nor 
 make to yourselves molten gods : I am the 
 Lord your God. 
 
 I. God's sovereignty over us. — He is King of kings and Lord of lords. Lord 
 of all. " He doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among 
 the inhabitants of the earth : and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, 
 What doest thou?" (Dan. iv. 35.) He can appoint our duty, and has a claim 
 to obedience. 
 
 II. His propriety in us.— Re made us ; and we should therefore live to 
 him. He redeemed us. "Ye are not your own ; for ye are bought with a 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 153 
 
 price : therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are 
 God's " (1 Cor. vi. 19, 20). He has a double right to our obedience. 
 III. His zealfoi' his own worship. — He is a jealous God. 
 
 1. He threatens to visit the iniquities of the fathers upon the children of 
 them that hate him. Ungodly parents bring evils on their children. When 
 they turn the truth of God into a lie, and bring up their children in idolatry, 
 in carelessness, in sin, what degradation and misery are seen in successive 
 generations ! But these are consequences of sin, and therefore judgments 
 from God in his holy providence. 
 
 2. He promises to show mercy unto thousands of them that love him and 
 keep his commandments. Godly parents are great blessings to their children. 
 God delights in mercy. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. Let us belong to God by accepting his offer of love and dedicating our-, 
 selves to him. 
 
 2. What great responsibility belongs to parents ! 
 
 3. Each one ought to seek the Lord, and thus avoid the evil consequences of 
 parental neglect, and secure the advantages of parental godliness. Personal 
 piety is the best course to follow. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 When an attempt was made by certain parties to persuade Stephen, King 
 of Poland, to constrain some of his subjects who were of a different religion 
 to embrace his, he replied, "I am a king of men, and not of consciences. 
 The dominion of conscience belongs to God." 
 
 *' If the family subsist by plunder, then the infant is swaddled as a thief, 
 the child wears a thief's garments, and feeds the growth of his body on stolen 
 meat ; and in due time he will have the trade upon him without ever know- 
 ing that he has taken it up, or when he took it up. If the father is in- 
 temperate, the children must go on errands to secure his supplies, lose the 
 shame that might be their safety, be immersed in the fumes of liquor by 
 going and coming, and why not rewarded by an occasional taste of what is 
 so essential to the enjoyment of life?" — Dr. Bushnell. 
 
 " Some of the most devotedly pious people of this country [America] are 
 the descendants of the Huguenots who were expelled from France. A very 
 large proportion of all the piety in this country has been derived from the 
 Pilgrims who landed on the rock of Plymouth ; and God has blessed their 
 descendants in New England and elsewhere with numerous revivals of 
 religion. I am acquainted with the descendants of John Rogers, the first 
 martyr in Queen Mary's reign, of the tenth and eleventh generations. With 
 a single exception, the eldest son in the family has been a clergyman; and 
 there are few families now in this land a greater proportion of whom are 
 pious than of that," — Albert Barnes. 
 
 " O happy day, that fixed my choice 
 On thee, my Saviour and my God ! 
 Well may this glowing heart rejoice, 
 And tell its raptures all abroad. 
 
164 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 ** happy bond, that seals my vows 
 To him who merits all my love ! 
 Let cheerful anthems fill his house, 
 WhUe to that sacred shrine I move. 
 
 " 'Tis done ! the great transaction's done ! 
 I am my Lord's, and he is mine ; 
 He drew me, and I followed on. 
 Charmed to confess the voice divine." — Doddridge. 
 
 Quest. 53. Which is the third commandment ? 
 
 Ans. The third commandment is, Tliou shalt not take the 
 name of the Lord thy God in vain ; for the Lord will not hold 
 him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. 
 
 Ex. XX. 7. Deut. v. 11. 
 
 This will be more fully explained in subsequent questions. 
 
 "The literal meaning of this command is doubtful. It may mean, 
 
 * Thou shalt not utter the name of God in a vain or irreverent manner ; ' or 
 
 * Thou shalt not utter the name of God to a lie,' i.e., ' Thou shalt not swear 
 falsely.' The ancient Syriac version, the Targum of Onkelos, Philo, and 
 many modern commentators and exegetes, understand the command as 
 directed against false swearing : ' Thou shalt not utter the name of God to a 
 lie.' This interpretation is consistent with the meaning of the words. 'In 
 vain' is elsewhere rendered 'falsehood.' See Ps. xii. 2, xli. 6; Isa. lix. 4; 
 Hosea x. 4. To Uft up, or pronounce the name of God for a lie, naturally 
 means, to call upon God to confirm a falsehood. Compare Lev. xix. 12 : 
 'Ye shall not swear by my name falsely.' The general import of the com- 
 mand remains the same, whichever interpretation be adopted. The com- 
 mand not to misuse the name of God includes false swearing, which is the 
 greatest indignity which can be offered to God."— Dr. Hodge. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 The eminent Puritan divine John Howe, being at dinner with some per- 
 sons of fashion, a gentleman expatiated largely in praise of Charles L, and 
 made several disagreeable reflections on others. Mr. Howe, observing that 
 he mixed many horrid oaths with his discourse, took the liberty to say that, 
 in his humble opinion, he had omitted one great excellence in the character 
 of that prince; and when the gentleman had pressed him to mention 
 it, and waited with impatience to hear it, he told him it was this,— that 
 he was never heard to swear an oath in common conversation ! The gentle- 
 man took the reproof, and promised to break off the practice. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 155 
 
 " Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty ! 
 
 Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee ; 
 Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty, 
 God in Three Persons, blessed Trinity 1 
 
 "Holy, holy, holy ! all the saints adore thee. 
 
 Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy j 
 Cherubim and seraphim falling down before thee, 
 Which wert and art and evermore shalt be. 
 
 " Holy, holy, holy ! though the darkness hide thee. 
 
 Though the eye of sinful man thy glory may not see, 
 Only thou art holy, there is none beside thee. 
 Perfect in power, in love, and purity."— ^eien 
 
 Quest. 54. What is required in the third commandment ? 
 
 Ans. The third commandment requireth the holy and 
 reverent use of God's names, titles, attributes, ordinances, 
 word, and works. 
 
 Matt. vi. 9. Our Father which art in 
 heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 
 
 IsA. vi. 3. And one cried unto another, 
 and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of 
 hosts. 
 
 Ps. cxi. 9. Holy and reverend is his 
 name, 
 
 Deut. xxviii. 58. That thou mayest fear 
 this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD 
 THY GOD. 
 
 E.EV. XV. 4. Who shall not fear thee, 
 Lord, and glorify thy name ? for thou only 
 art holy, 
 
 EccLES. V. 1. Keep thy foot when thou 
 goest to the house of God, and be more 
 ready to hear than to give the sacrifice of 
 
 fools : for they consider not that they do 
 evil. Ver. 2. Be not rash with thy mouth, 
 and let not thine heart be hasty to utter 
 any thing before God : for God is in heaven, 
 and thou upon earth: therefore let thy 
 words be few. 
 
 Ps. cxix. 4. Thou hast commanded us to 
 keep thy precepts diligently. Ver. 5. 
 that my ways were directed to keep thy 
 statutes ! 
 
 Ps, civ. 24, O Lord, how manifold are 
 thy works ! in wisdom hast thou made 
 them all, 
 
 Eev, XV. 3. Great and marvellous are 
 thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and 
 true are thy ways, thou King of saints. 
 
 There are six terms employed here which show the wide range of this 
 subject. 
 
 I. God's names. — The name of God signifies generally all that by which he 
 makes himself known, but specially those epithets by which he is designated. 
 The latter are such as Jehovah, the self -existent ; God, as sovereign; Lord, 
 as governor. 
 
 II, Gocfs titles. — These are significant, namely, as God of nature. Creator, 
 Preserver, King of kings; as God of grace, God of salvation. Father of 
 mercies, God and Father of oior Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; and the 
 
166 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 names of the Trinity — Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. The persons of the 
 Godhead have also separate titles, 
 
 III. God's attributes. — These are defined in the fourth question of the 
 Catechism— infinity, eternity, unchangeableness, wisdom, power, holiness, 
 justice, goodness, and truth. 
 
 IV. God's ordinances. — These are what he has established in his Church, 
 as revealed in Scripture — such as prayer, praise, the sacraments, the minis- 
 try, and oaths. Vows may belong to these also. 
 
 V. God's vjord. — The Bible is God's word, as inspired, infallible, and 
 profitable to salvation. All are to be used in a holy and reverent manner. 
 
 VI. God's works. — These are creation, providence, and redemption. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. It is our duty to know God as he has revealed himself. 
 
 2. Saving knowledge promotes reverence. 
 
 3. Oaths should only be used on solemn occasions. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 The Jews have had always very great reverence for the name of God. 
 
 It has been said that every name of God is a secret chamber ; his titles, 
 cordials; his attributes, magazines of comfort and fountains of fulness; 
 his ordinances, breasts of consolations ; his word, a goodly heritage ; and his 
 works full of wonder. 
 
 Gregory the Great said that God's word was like a stream of running 
 water, where an elephant might swim and a lamb wade without losing its 
 feet. 
 
 King Alfred the Great wrote a copy of the Psalms of David, and carried it 
 always in his bosom. Sir William Wallace, the national hero of Scotland, 
 always carried a psalter with him ; and when he was about to be executed 
 in London, he caused it to be opened and held before his d5dng eyes. 
 
 On one occasion the Rev. Andrew Fuller, when travelling in the Ports- 
 mouth mail-coach, was much annoyed by the profane conversation of two 
 young men who sat opposite to him. After a time, one of them, observing 
 his gravity, accosted him with an air of impertinence, inquiring in rude and 
 indelicate language whether on his arrival at Portsmouth he should not 
 indulge himself in a manner corresponding with their own vicious intentions. 
 Mr. Fuller, lowering his ample brows, replied in a measured and solemn 
 tone, " Sir, I fear God." Scarcely a word was uttered during the remainder 
 of the journey. 
 
 In an action with the French fleet in 1694-95, Captain Killigrew, on 
 coming up with the French vessel Content, discovered that the whole of the 
 crew were at prayers. He might have poured in his broadside with great 
 advantage. This, however, he refused to do, saying, " It is beneath the 
 courage of the English nation to surprise their enemies in such a posture," 
 Killigrew died in the subsequent action, but this incident showed his 
 reverence. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 157 
 
 A minister, sailing up the Hudson river half a century ago, was pained 
 by the profaneness of a young man in the sloop. Seeking a favourable 
 opportunity, he told him he had wounded his feelings by speaking against 
 his best friend— his Saviour. The young man showed no relentings, and at 
 one of the landings left the boat. The minister was pained, and feared that 
 his labours were in vain. Seven years after, as this minister went to the 
 General Assembly at Philadelphia, a young man accosted him, saying he 
 thought he remembered his countenance, and asked him if he was not on 
 board a sloop on the Hudson river seven years before with a profane young 
 man. At length the circumstances were recalled to mind. " I," said he, 
 "am that young man. After I had left the sloop, I thought I had injured 
 both you and your Saviour. I was led to him for mercy, and I felt I must 
 preach to others that love. I am now in the ministry, and have come as a 
 representative to this Assembly." 
 
 *' Yea, Amen ! let all adore thee, 
 High on thine eternal throne : 
 Saviour, take the power and glory. 
 Claim the kingdom for thine own ; 
 
 O come quickly ! 
 Hallelujah! come, Lord, cornel"— Madan. 
 
 55. What is forbidden in the third commandment ? 
 Ans. The third commandment forbiddeth all profaning or 
 abusing of any thing whereby God maketh himself known. 
 
 Lev. xix. 12. And ye shall not swear by 
 my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane 
 the name of thy God : I am the Lord. 
 
 Matt. v. 33. Again, ye have heard that 
 it hath been said by them of old time, 
 Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt 
 perform unto the Lord thine oaths : Ver. 
 34. But I say unto you, Swear not at all : 
 neither by heaven ; for it is God's throne : 
 Ver. 35. Nor by the earth; for it is his 
 footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is 
 the city of the great King. Ver. 36. Neither 
 shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou 
 
 canst not make one hair white or black. 
 Ver. 37. But let your communication be. 
 Yea, yea ; Nay, nay : for whatsoever is more 
 than these cometh of evil. 
 
 Matt, xxiii. 14. Woe unto you, scribes 
 and Pharisees, hypocrites! for. ye devour 
 widows' houses, and for a pretence make 
 long prayer. 
 
 IsA. i. 13. Bring no more vain oblations ; 
 incense is an abomination unto me ; the 
 new moons and sabbaths, the calling of 
 assemblies, I cannot away with ; it is iniq- 
 uity, even the solemn meeting. 
 
 " To profane or abuse any thing by which God maketh himself known, is 
 to use his names, titles, attributes, ordinances, word, and works in a rash, 
 irreverent, and unbecoming manner." 
 
 I. Bt/ blasphemi/, in thought, .word, or deed. 
 
 1. Some do this in thought. "The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, 
 that they are vanity : " Ps. xciv. 11, 
 
 2. Some speak blasphemously, Ezek. xxxv. 13; by false doctrine regard- 
 
158 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 ing Grod, as Hymenaeus and Alexander, 1 Tim. i. 19, 20; by profane swearing, 
 Matt. V. 34-36, which is very common among men. 
 3. By blasphemous deeds, in an inconsistent life : Eom. ii. 24. 
 
 II. By profaning or abusing God's word or ordinances. 
 
 1. By total neglect of them : Acts xiii. 41. 
 
 2. By wicked observance of them : 1 Cor. xi. 27. 
 
 3. By hypocrisy : Isa. xxix. 13. 
 
 III. By profaning or abusing God's works. 
 
 1. The abuse of mercies of providence : 1 Tim. iv. 3-5. 
 
 2. Murmuring against providence : Jude 16. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. Guard against the irreverent use of God's name or word. 
 
 2. Perjury and profane swearing are great sins against God. 
 
 3. Beware of abusing any thing which belongs to God. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 " The profanation of the name of God has an evident tendency to lessen 
 our admiration of the majesty of Heaven, and to banish from the mind every 
 sentiment of veneration and reverence. On the other hand, universal 
 reverence for the name and character of God would lead to the practice 
 of all the duties of piety and morality." — Dick's '^Philosophy of Religion." 
 
 Prince Henry, the son of James I. of England, had a particular aversion 
 to the vice of swearing and profanation of the name of God. When at 
 play he never swore, and on being asked why he did not swear at play as 
 did others, he answered that he knew no game worthy of an oath. Again, 
 when a butcher's dog had killed a stag that he was hunting, he remarked, 
 "How could the butcher help it?" One of his huntsmen said that if his 
 father had been served thus, he would have sworn so as no man could have 
 endured it. "Away!" said the prince; "all the pleasure of the world is 
 not worth an oath." 
 
 The learned and pious Dr. Desaguliers was once in the company of 
 gentlemen of rank, one of whom swore habitually, yet at every oath asked 
 the doctor's pardon. "Sir," at length said the doctor, "you have taken 
 some pains to render me ridiculous by your pointed apologies ; now, sir, I 
 must tell you, that if God Almighty does not hear you, I assure you I will 
 never tell him." 
 
 The tract called "The Swearer's Prayer "has reproved many a profane' 
 swearer, and led such to pray for mercy. The oaths of many are shaped like 
 prayers. One on hearing such an oath, with the words " for Christ's sake " 
 appended to it, said, "Friend, God has done many things for Christ's sake; 
 suppose he should do tliat, what would become of you ? " It was a word in 
 season, and led the swearer to repentance. 
 
 It is related of the venerable Dr. Matthews, President of Hanover College, 
 America, that on one occasion he was walking near the college, with his 
 slow and noiseless step. A youth, who had not observed him approach, 
 while engaged in cutting wood began to swear profanely in his vexation. 
 
THE SHOKTER CATECHISM. 
 
 159 
 
 The doctor stepped up and said, "Give me the axe," and then quietly 
 chopped the wood himself. Returning the axe to the young man, he said, 
 in his peculiar manner, "You see now the wood may be cut without swear- 
 ing." The reproof was effectual, and led the young man to abandon his im- 
 pious habit. 
 
 "Sir," said a lady travelling in Scotland with a gentleman who swore 
 often, "can you talk Gaelic?" "Yes," said he; "and I will be happy to 
 converse with you." The lady politely asked him to use that language for 
 his oaths, as swearing was very offensive to herself and others who knew the 
 English language. 
 
 " Th' eternal Lord doth reign as king, 
 
 Let all the people quake ; 
 He sits between the cherubims, 
 
 Let th' earth be mov'd and shake. 
 The Lord in Sion great and high 
 
 Above all people is ; 
 Thy great and dreadful name (for it 
 
 Is holy) let them bless." — Psalm xcix. 1-3. 
 
 Quest. 56. What is the reason annexed to the third command- 
 ment ? 
 
 Ans. The reason annexed to the third commandment is, That 
 however the breakers of this commandment may escape punish- 
 ment from men, yet the Lord our God will not suffer them to 
 escape his righteous judgment. 
 
 Deut. xxviii. 58. If thou wilt not ob- 
 serve to do all the words of this law that 
 are written in this book, that thou mayest 
 fear this glorious and fearful name, THE 
 LOED THY GOD ; Ver. 59. Then the 
 Lord will make thy plagues wonderful. 
 
 Gal. iii. 10. Cursed is every one that 
 continueth not in all things which are 
 written in the book of the law to do 
 them. 
 
 Mal. ii. 2. If ye will not hear, and if ye 
 will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto 
 my name, saith the Lord of hosts, I will 
 even send a curse upon you, and I will 
 curse your blessings. 
 
 Ps. 1. 21. These things hast thou done, 
 and I kept silence ; thou thoughtest that I 
 was altogether such an one as thyself : but 
 I will reprove thee, and set them in order 
 before thine eyes. 
 
 It is difficult to bring human laws to bear on all cases of profanity, though 
 they apply rigidly to perjury. 
 I. Those who take God's name in vain may escape punishment from men. 
 
 1. People may swear falsely, yet not be detected and punished by law. 
 Many give false evidence even on oath in the courts of law. 
 
 2. Many think very lightly of profane swearing, and of taking God's name 
 in vain. 
 
 11 
 
160 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 3. Human laws do not and cannot reach every transgression of this divine 
 law. 
 
 II. ITiose who take God's name in vain cannot escape his righteous judg- 
 ment. — There are instances in Scripture of God's judgment upon transgres- 
 sors of this law : Zech. v. 3, 4 ; Jer. xxiii. 10 ; Acts xii. 21-23. All must 
 appear before his judgment-seat at last, and must render an account of all 
 the deeds done in the body, whether good or bad : Eccles. xii. 13, 14. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. The fear of God is a great preventive of sin. 
 
 2. Sin, though hidden here, will be found out and punished hereafter. 
 
 3. Much may be done for improving language regarding God and prevent- 
 ing false oaths. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 When the Elector of Cologne, who was also an archbishop, was one day 
 swearing profanely, a peasant standing beside him looked amazed. The 
 archbishop asked what he was surprised at. ' ' To hear an archbishop swear," 
 he replied. " I swear not as an archbishop, but as a prince," said the dig- 
 nitary. "But, my lord," said the peasant, "when the prince goes to the 
 devil what will become of the archbishop ? " 
 
 Two soldiers at Chatham once laid a wager on the greatest oaths they could 
 respectively utter. After one of them had uttered many shocking and blas- 
 phemous expressions, he hesitated, and said that one more would be his last, 
 when he was instantly struck speechless, and died in three hours. The 
 officers made his body a public spectacle, as a warning to others. 
 
 A gentleman of property and eminence, but of profane and impious life, 
 was taken seriously ill, and sent for a physician. The medical man was 
 from home ; whereupon the invalid vented his rage in horrid oaths. When 
 at length the doctor called, he was saluted with a volley of curses. The 
 swearer's agitation was so great that he broke a blood-vessel and speedily 
 died. 
 
 John Howard used to button his pockets when he heard men swearing, 
 saying that if men could take God's name in vain they might also steal. 
 
 An American planter was in the habit of using the name of God frequently 
 in his talk, whereupon one of his slaves made a solemn bow as often as he 
 heard him. On being asked why he did so, he said that the name of God 
 filled his soul with awe. The master took the hint, and was reclaimed from 
 his profane habit. 
 
 " The Lord is King ! Who then shall dare 
 Resist his will, distrust his care ? 
 Holy and true are all his ways ; 
 Let every creature speak his praise."— Carc^m. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 161 
 
 Quest. 57. Which is the fourth commandment ? 
 
 Ans. The fourth commandment is, Remember the Sabbath- 
 day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all 
 thy work : but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy 
 God : in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor 
 thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy 
 cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates : for in six days 
 the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them 
 is, and rested the seventh day : wherefore the Lord blessed the 
 Sabbath-day, and hallowed it. 
 
 Ex. XX. 8-11. Deut. v. 12-15. 
 
 The fourth commandment differs from the preceding ones, which are all 
 put negatively — "Thou shalt not." This one is positive, and says, "Re- 
 member the Sabbath-day, to keep it holy." It is not a law which the light 
 of nature could teach, or which could be suggested by the moral constitution 
 of man. It is a positive enactment and a special revelation from God. The 
 Sabbath-day is designed for rest, and for consecration to the service of God. 
 It has thus a most important place in the economy of toil and in the wor- 
 ship of God. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Sir Matthew Hale, Chief- Justice of England, thus wrote : " I have, by 
 long and sound experience, found that the due observation of this day has 
 ever had joined to it a blessing upon the rest of my time ; and the week that 
 hath been so begun hath been blessed and prosperous to me : and on the 
 other hand, when I have been negligent of the duties of this day, the rest of 
 the week has been unsuccessful and unhappy to my own secular employ- 
 ments ; so that I could easily make an estimate of my successes the week 
 following by the manner of my passing of this day. And this I do not write 
 lightly or inconsiderately, but upon a long and sound observation and ex- 
 perience." 
 
 "Sir," said a man, addressing a minister going home from church one 
 Sabbath afternoon, " did you meet a boy on the road driving a cart with 
 rakes and pitchforks in it?" "I think I did," said the minister; "a boy 
 with a short memory, wasn't he?" — " What makes you think he had a short 
 memory, sir?" said the man, much surprised. "I think he had," said the 
 minister ; " and I think he must belong to a family that have short memo- 
 ries." — "What in the world makes you think so?" asked the man, greatly 
 puzzled. " Because," said the minister, in a serious tone, "the great God 
 has proclaimed from Mount Sinai, ' Remember the Sabbath-day, to keep ;t 
 holy,' and that boy has forgotten all about it." 
 
162 
 
 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 " O day of rest and gladness ! 
 
 O day of joy and light ! 
 O balm of care and sadness, 
 
 Most beautiful , most bright ! 
 
 Thou art a cooling fountain 
 
 In life's dry dreary sand ; 
 From thee, like Pisgah's mountain, 
 
 We view our promised land." — Bishop Wordsworth, 
 
 Quest. 58. What is required in the fourth commandment ? 
 
 Ans. The fourth commandment requireth the keeping holy 
 to God such set times as he hath appointed in his word, ex- 
 pressly one whole day in seven, to be a holy sabbath to himself. 
 
 Ex. XXXV. 2. Six days shall work be done, 
 but on the seventh day there shall be to 
 you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the 
 Lord : whosoever doeth work therein shaU 
 be put to death. 
 
 Lev. xxiii. 3. Six days shall work be 
 done : but the seventh day is the sabbath 
 of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do 
 no work therein : it is the sabbath of the 
 Lord in all your dwellings. 
 
 Deut. v. 12. Keep the sabbath-day to 
 sanctify it, as the Lord thy God hath com- 
 manded thee. 
 
 Neh. xiii. 19. And it came to pass, that 
 when the gates of Jerusalem began to be 
 dark before the sabbath, I commanded that 
 
 the gates should be shut, and charged that 
 they should not be opened till after the 
 sabbath: and some of my servants set I at 
 the gates, that there should no burden be 
 brought in on the sabbath-day. Ver. 20, 
 So the merchants and sellers of all kind of 
 ware lodged without Jerusalem once or 
 twice. Ver. 21. Then I testified against 
 them, and said unto them. Why lodge ye 
 about the wall? if ye do so again, I will 
 lay hands on you. From that time forth 
 came they no more on the sabbath. 
 
 Neh. X. 31. And if the people of the land 
 bring ware or any victuals on the sabbath- 
 day to sell, that we would not buy it of 
 them on the sabbath, or on the holy day. 
 
 I. God has appointed a set time for sacred service. — This could not have 
 been discovered by man. The Sabbath is therefore wholly a divine institu- 
 tion. 
 
 II. God has appointed one whole day in seven. 
 
 1. The length of the time is one whole day. 
 
 2. The name of the time— a Sabbath, day of rest. 
 
 3. The character of the day — holy ; that is, set apart from a common to a 
 holy use. 
 
 4. The purpose— to be kept holy to God, for his worship and glory. 
 
 III. God requires our remembrance of it. 
 
 1. Why remember it? Because of its antiquity. It was instituted in 
 Paradise after the creation of man. We are prone, through sin, to forget 
 and pervert it. 
 
 2. Who are to remember it ? Three classes of persons : — individuals, 
 parents, magistrates or masters. It thus comprehends all. 
 
 3. For what is it to be remembered ? For what it commemorates : God's 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 168 
 
 great work finished — creation, redemption. For what it signifies : rest of 
 the soul in God — the peace that passeth understanding. For what it pledges 
 or typifies: the rest in glory that remaineth to the people of God. 
 4. How are we to remember it ? By setting it apart for the service of God, 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. The weekly Sabbath is a great privilege. 
 
 2. Sabbath-keeping brings a blessing. 
 
 3. Every lover of God loves the Lord's day. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 "By the 'set times' here mentioned we are to understand those stated 
 feasts and holy convocations for religious worship which were instituted of 
 old under the ceremonial law, and which the Jews were bound by divine 
 appointment to observe during the period of that ceremonial dispensation. 
 (See an account of these stated feasts in Leviticus xxiii. ) But matters are 
 now totally altered ; and accordingly in the New Testament we do not read 
 of any day to be observed as a stated time for public worship but the Sab- 
 bath. All the Jewish festivals being purely ceremonial, they have been 
 entirely abolished since the resurrection of Christ ; so that we have neither 
 a command to observe them nor an example of observing any one of those 
 which in some Churches are called holy days. Everything of this nature 
 we find condemned in the New Testament : Gal. iv. 10 ; Col. ii. 16. But 
 although we are not to observe any stated times of worship except the Sabbath 
 under the New Testament dispensation, yet we are undoubtedly called upon 
 at times to worship God publicly on other days besides that one which he 
 hath appointed for his stated worship. These, however, are not stated but 
 only occasional times of worship ; and they are to be observed only as his 
 providence calls us." — Paterson on the Shorter Catechism. 
 
 The celebrated William Wilberforce said : " Oh, what a blessed day is the 
 Sabbath, which allows us a precious interval wherein to pause, to come out 
 from the thickets of worldly concerns and give ourselves up to heavenly and 
 spiritual concerns. Observation and my own experience have convinced me 
 that there is a special blessing on a right employment of these intervals. 
 Oh, what a blessing is Sunday, interposed between the waves of worldly 
 business like the divine path of the Israelites through Jordan. There is 
 nothing in which I would recommend you to be more strictly conscientious 
 than in keeping the Sabbath holy. By this I mean not only abstaining from 
 all unbecoming sports and common business, but from consuming time in 
 frivolous conversations, paying or receiving visits, which among relations 
 often leads to a sad waste of this precious day. I can truly declare that to 
 me the Sabbath has been invaluable." 
 
 " Thou art a day of mirth, 
 And where the week-days trail on ground, 
 
 Thy flight is higher, as thy birth. 
 Oh, let me take thee at the bound, 
 
lU 
 
 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 Leaping with thee from seven to seven, 
 
 Till that we both, being tossed from earth, 
 Fly hand in hand to heaven." — Herbert. 
 
 Quest. 59. Which day of tJie seven hath God ajypointed to he 
 the weekly Sabbath ? 
 
 Ans. From the beginning of the world to the resurrection of 
 Christ, God appointed the seventh day of the week to be the 
 weekly Sabbath ; and the first day of the week ever since, to 
 continue to the end of the world, which is the Christian Sabbath. 
 
 Gen. ii. 3. And God blessed the seventh 
 day, and sanctified it: because that in it 
 he had rested from all his work which God 
 created and made. 
 
 John xx. 19. Then the same day at even- 
 ing, being the first day of the week, when 
 the doors were shut where the disciples 
 were assembled for fear of the Jews, came 
 Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith 
 unto them, Peace be unto you. 
 
 Acts xx. 7. And upon the first day of 
 the week, when the disciples came together 
 to break bread, Paul preached unto them, 
 ready to depart on the morrow. 
 
 1 Cor. xvi. 2. Upon the first day of the 
 week let every one of you lay by him in 
 store, as God hath prospered him, that 
 there be no gatherings when I come. 
 
 Rev. i. 10. I was in the Spirit on the 
 Lord's day. 
 
 I. The seventh day was appointed at the beginning of the world. — When man 
 was created, God gave him a Sabbath of rest. God willed it so ; and for this 
 reason, that he rested after the work of creation. 
 
 II. The seventh day was observed till the resurrection of Christ. 
 
 1. It was observed in Paradise : Gen. ii. 2, 3. 
 
 2. The division of time into periods of seven days seems to point to its 
 observance in the patriarchal age : Gen. vii. 4, 10, viii. 10, 12, xxix. 27. 
 
 3. It was observed by the children of Israel in the wilderness before as 
 well as after the giving of the law : Ex. xvi. 22-30, 
 
 4. It was observed in the days of Nehemiah : Neh. xiii. 19-21. 
 
 5. The prophet Isaiah complains of the neglect of this duty : Isa. Iviii. 13, 14. 
 
 6. It was observed in the days of our Lord : Luke xxiii. 56. 
 
 III. The change was made to the first day after the resurrection of Christ. 
 
 1. This was to commemorate the resurrection of Christ. 
 
 2. Christ met with his disciples on the first day of the week : John xx. 19. 
 
 3. On the first day of the week the Holy Spirit was poured out on the 
 disciples when met for prayer: Acts ii. 1-4 compared with Lev. xxiii. 
 15, 16. 
 
 4. On the first day of the week the apostles and early Christians were 
 wont to meet for worship : Acts xx. 7. 
 
 5. It is called the Lord's day : Rev. i. 10. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. The Christian Sabbath commemorates redemption as well as creation. 
 
 2. The Spirit of God can make the Sabbath blessed. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 165 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 " It has SO fallen out with two great ordinances of divine worship before 
 the giving of the law — the one instituted before the Fall, and the other im- 
 mediately upon it — that they should have contrary lots in this matter, 
 namely, sacrifices and the Sabbath. Sacrifices we find constantly observed 
 by holy men of old, although we read not of their express institution ; but 
 from the observance of them we do and may conclude that they were insti- 
 tuted, although the institution be not expressly recorded. The Sabbath we 
 find expressly instituted, and therefore do and may conclude that it was 
 constantly observed, although the observance be not directly and in terms 
 recorded." — Oioen on the Epistle to the Hebrews. 
 
 " It is readily admitted that in other parts of the Mosaic code the Sabbath 
 is associated with peculiar sanctions and penalties, that are undeniably 
 Jewish and temporary ; but so it is also with the first commandment, which 
 forbids idolatry ; and with the fifth, which commands obedience to parents. 
 But may not the law be moral, and the sanction Jewish ? In the other two 
 cases it must be so, and why not in this ?" — Dr. A. Thomson., 
 
 *' The rest of our creation 
 Our great Redeemer did remove 
 With that same hand which at his passion 
 Did the earth and all things with it move. 
 As Samson bore the doors away, 
 Christ's hands, though nailed, vsnrought our salvation, 
 And did unhinge that day. 
 
 " The brightness of that day 
 We sullied with our foul offence; 
 ' Wherefore that robe we cast away, 
 Having a new at his expense. 
 Whose drops of blood paid the full price 
 That was required to make us gay 
 
 And fit for Paradise." — Herbert. 
 
 Ignatius, the disciple of St. John, says : "Let us not Jewishly sabbatize, 
 but let us rest spiritually ; and instead of the old Sabbath, let every lover of 
 Christ celebrate the Lord's day, the best and most eminent of days, on which 
 our Lord arose." 
 
 " This day my Saviour rose, 
 And did enclose this light for his ; 
 That as each beast his manger knows, 
 Man might not of his fodder miss ; 
 Christ hath took in this piece of ground. 
 
 And made a garden there for those 
 Who want herbs for their wound." — Herbert. 
 
166 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 Quest. 60. How is tJie Sabbath to be sanctified ? 
 
 Ans. The Sabbath is to be sanctified by a holy resting all 
 that day, even from such worldly employments and recreations 
 as are lawful on other days ; and spending the whole time in 
 the public and private exercises of God's worship, except so 
 much as is to be taken up in the works of necessity and mercy. 
 
 Ex. XX. 10. In it thou shalt not do any 
 work. 
 
 Deut. v. 14. That thy man-servant and 
 thy maid-servant may rest as well as thou. 
 
 Ex. xxxiv. 21. On the seventh day thou 
 shalt rest: in earing time and in harvest 
 thou shalt rest. 
 
 Luke xxiii. 56. And they returned, and 
 prepared spices and ointments ; and rested 
 the sabbath day, according to the command- 
 ment. 
 
 IsA. Iviii. 13. If thou turn away thy foot 
 from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure 
 on my holy day; and call the sabbath a 
 delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable ; 
 
 and shalt honour him, not doing thine own 
 ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor 
 speaking thine own words. 
 
 Lev, xxiii. 3. The seventh day is the 
 sabbath of rest, an holy convocation — it 
 is the sabbath of the Lord in aU your dwell- 
 ings. 
 
 IsA. Ixvi. 23. From one sabbath to an- 
 other, shall all flesh come to worship be- 
 fore me, saith the Lord. 
 
 Matt. xii. 8. The Son of man is Lord 
 even of the sabbath day. Ver. 12. It is 
 lawful to do well on the sabbath days. 
 (See whole narrative.) 
 
 See also Luke xiii. 14-16. 
 
 I. What we are to rest from on the Sabbath. 
 
 1. From worldly occupations — such as work, business. 
 
 2. From worldly recreations — such as mere amusements, pleasure excur- 
 sions, reading news or secular books and tales. 
 
 But there are exceptions to these, consisting of — 
 
 1. Works of necessity — domestic duties for food and comfort, and care of 
 children ; working a vessel at sea ; assisting in care of lower animals, and in 
 cases of danger. 
 
 2. Works of mercy — visiting the sick, and aiding such ; seeking out the 
 careless ; helping to save life. 
 
 II. What we are to enjoy in Sabbath rest. 
 
 1. Public worship. This has its obligations as well as its privileges, and 
 requires time. Duties of the Sabbath school need time. 
 
 2. Private worship. Family and personal religion need leisure for their 
 cultivation — for reading, meditation, and prayer. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. The soul as well as the body is to keep the Sabbath. 
 
 2. No Sabbath need be a day of weariness with such varied religious exer- 
 cises. 
 
 3. To sanctify the Sabbath, it should be regarded as the Lord's day, pre- 
 pared for and devoutly used. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 " As the Sabbath is the day from which most of God's people date their 
 better life, so is it the day which has done the most to forward them in faith, 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 167 
 
 and holiness, and meetness for heaven. In the outset of their Christian 
 career, it was on these weekly stepping-stones that they were enabled to get 
 over the Slough of Despond — the difficulties, and fears, and misgivings, 
 which encountered their entrance on the life of faith ; and since that period, 
 along the steep and sultry pilgrimage, many a Communion Sabbath, and 
 memorable day of the Son of Man, have proved the verdant arbour whence 
 they could view the Promised Land, and where the willing soul was conscious 
 of a nearer immortality. On the ocean of life these stated and seasonable 
 days have been to the heavenward voyager as havens of refuge, into which 
 he could escape from the windy storm and tempest, and, however vexed and 
 sorrow-tossed before, was sure to find a great and sudden calm ; and when 
 his faith and love were failing, these blessed days have been like the timely 
 entrepot where the famished ship puts in and gets fresh victualled — the 
 opportune occasion when his fainting spirit laid in a new supply of the bread 
 and water of life. These are the days when the holiest feelings are created 
 or increased, and when the most sacred joys come home." — Br. James 
 Hamilton. 
 
 The Pilgrim Fathers, who landed on Plymouth Rock in the bleak month 
 of December, were conscientious keepers of the Sabbath. The first Sab- 
 bath was spent on the island, within half an hour's sail of the harbour. 
 They moored, and dedicated the day of sacred rest to God on the frost- 
 bound shore, and beneath a snowy sky, "Therd they stood; there they 
 praised God ; there arose to heaven from New England's soil the first Sab- 
 bath hymn of praise and the first united prayer of faith, from child-like, 
 patient, submissive hearts — from men in resolution and endurance, children 
 in faith and obedience." — Dr. Cheever. 
 
 " Amidst the storm they sang ; 
 
 And the stars heard, and the sea ! 
 And the sounding aisles of the dim woods rang 
 To the anthems of the free ! " — Hemans. 
 
 " Though my hands and my mind have been as full of secular business 
 both before and after I was judge as, it may be, any man's in England, yet 
 I never wanted time in six days to ripen and fit myself for the business and 
 employments I had to do, though I borrowed not one minute from the 
 Lord's day to prepare for it, by study or otherwise. But on the other hand, 
 if I had at any time borrowed from this day any time for my secular employ- 
 ments, I found it did further me less than if I had let it alone ; and there- 
 fore, when some years' experience upon a most attentive and vigilant 
 observation had given me this instruction, I grew peremptorily resolved 
 never in this kind to make a breach upon the Lord's day, which I have now 
 strictly observed for more than thirty years."— >S'ir Matthew Hale. 
 
 " Let these earthly Sabbaths prove 
 Foretastes of our joys above ; 
 While their steps Thy children bend 
 To the rest that knows no end." — G. T. Noel. 
 
168 
 
 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 61. What is forbidden in the fourth commandment ? 
 Ans. The fourth commandment forbiddeth the omission or 
 careless performance of the duties required, and the profaning 
 the day by idleness, or doing that which is in itself sinful, or 
 by unnecessary thoughts, words, or works, about our worldly 
 employments or recreations. 
 
 EzEK. xxii. 26. Her priests have violated 
 my law, and have profaned mine holy- 
 things: they have put no difference be- 
 tween the holy and profane, neither have 
 they shewed difference between the un- 
 clean and the clean, and have hid their 
 eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned 
 among them. 
 
 Matt. xxv. 30. And cast ye the unprofit- 
 able servant into outer darkness: there 
 shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 
 
 EzEK. xxiii. 38. Moreover this they 
 have done unto me : they have defiled my 
 
 sanctuary in the same day, and have pro- 
 faned my sabbaths. 
 
 Amos viii. 5. When will the new moon 
 be gone, that we may sell corn? and the 
 sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, 
 making the ephah small, and the shekel 
 great, and falsifying the balances by deceit. 
 Ver. 6. That we may buy the poor for 
 silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; 
 yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat ? 
 
 Jer. xvii. 21. Thus saith the Lord; 
 Take heed to yourselves, and bear no bur- 
 den on the sabbath day. 
 
 I. The omission of Sabbath duties. — Neglect of prayer, praise, meditation, 
 in private, in the family, and in the church. 
 
 II. The careless performance of Sabbath duties. — Hurrying through duties; 
 levity in sacred services in the church or the Sabbath school. 
 
 III. Profanation of the Sabbath by idleness. — This is a very common sin of 
 many who retire late on Saturday and rise late on Sabbath. There is an 
 indolent worship and service also. 
 
 IV. Profanation of the Sabbath by wickedness. — Sin is made worse by com- 
 mission on the holy day. 
 
 V. Profanation by unnecessary thoughts, words, or works, about worldly em- 
 ployments or recreations. — This is the case when the mind is taken up with 
 worldly things ; when conversation is about business ; when things are done 
 that belong to other days. Traffic in worldly things is also a profanation. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. The most spiritually-minded will be most conscientious about Sabbath- 
 keeping. 
 
 2. Sabbath profanation brings its own judgment. 
 
 3. The abuses of the Sabbath soon coriAipt religion. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 A gentleman in England, who was in the habit for more than twenty 
 years of daily visiting convicts, states that almost universally, when brought 
 to a sense of their condition, they lamented their neglect of the Sabbath, 
 and pointed to the violation of it as the principal cause of their ruin. 
 
 Of 1232 convicts in the Auburn State Prison, previously to 1837, as many 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 169 
 
 as 447 had been watermen, boatmen, or sailors, who had been kept at work 
 on the Sabbath. Of these, only 2G had conscientiously kept the Sabbath. 
 
 When Captain Palmer of Her Majesty's ship Rosario was at Tanna, in the 
 New Hebrides, he was anxious to see what effect the few years' residence of 
 the missionary, the Rev. Thomas Neilson, had had upon the savage people. 
 He told all his men that there was to be no trading on Sabbath. To his 
 surprise not a canoe came to the ship. Some of the boys went in a boat to 
 the shore, and wished the natives to give them some cocoa-nuts. They 
 replied, " To-morrow !" Yet these men were not then baptized Christians. 
 
 David Brainerd, a devoted and successful missionary to the North Ameri- 
 can Indians, speaking of the Sabbath, says: "I was born on a Sabbath-day; 
 I was new-born on a Sabbath-day ; and I hope I shall die on a Sabbath-day. 
 I long for the time. Oh, why is His chariot so long in coming ? " 
 
 " Sweet is the day of sacred rest, 
 No mortal cares shall seize my breast ; 
 Oh, may my heart in tune be found. 
 Like David's harp of solemn sound. 
 
 " Sin, my worst enemy before, 
 Shall vex mine eyes and ears no more ; 
 My inward foes shall all be slain. 
 Nor Satan break my peace again." — Watts. 
 
 Quest. 62. What are the reasons annexed to the fourth com- 
 mandment ? 
 
 Ans. The reasons annexed to the fourth commandment are, 
 God's allowing us six days of the week for our own employ- 
 ments, his challenging a special propriety in the seventh, his 
 own example, and his blessing the Sabbath-day. 
 
 Ex. XX. 9. Six days shalt thou labour, 
 and do all thy work. 
 
 Ex. xxxi. 15. Six days may work be 
 done ; but in the seventh is the sabbath of 
 rest. 
 
 Lev. xxiii. 3. Ye shall do no work there- 
 in : it is the sabbath of the Lord. 
 
 Ex. XX. 11. Wherefore the Lord blessed 
 the sabbath day, and hallowed it. 
 
 Ex. xxxi. 17. It is a sign between me 
 and the children of Israel for ever : for in 
 six days the Lord made heaven and earth, 
 and on the seventh day he rested, and 
 was refreshed. 
 
 I. God's allowing us six days in the week for our own employments. — This is 
 a great liberality, and it shows how unreasonable Sabbath-breakers are. 
 
 II. His special propriety in the seventh portion of the time. — He had a right 
 to claim any portion. A Sabbath-breaker is therefore a robber, and takes 
 what is not his own. 
 
 III. God's example of Sabbath-keeping. — He rested from his great work of 
 
170 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 creation. The Sabbath-breaker therefore sins against the highest example 
 as well as the highest law. 
 
 IV. God's blessing the Sabbath-day. — By setting it apart from a common 
 to a sacred use, and by blessing those who remember it to keep it holy. 
 The Sabbath rest is conducive to spirituality of mind, to physical health, 
 and to temporal prosperity. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. Sabbath scholars should love, keep, and defend the Sabbath. 
 
 2. Sabbath-breakers have often been punished by God. 
 
 3. There is a special call to maintain the sanctity of the Sabbath. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 When the miners first crowded into California to dig for gold, they worked 
 seven days in the week, until they found they were digging more than gold — 
 they were digging graves. They therefore resolved to rest one day in seven, 
 and found that it was to their temporal advantage to have a Sabbath. 
 
 In the city of Bath a barber pursued his craft, as so many in his trade do, 
 on the Sabbath-day. One day he happened to look into a church just as 
 the minister was giving out his text, " Remember the Sabbath-day, to keep 
 it holy." He listened long enough to be convinced that he was habitually 
 violating one of God's commands. After a struggle he gave up his Sabbath 
 work. God blessed him afterwards. 
 
 " Thine earthly Sabbaths, Lord, we love ; 
 But there's a nobler rest above, — 
 To that our labouring souls aspire 
 With ardent hope and strong desire." — Watts. 
 
 Quest. 63. Which is the ffth comTnandment ? 
 
 Ans. The fifth commandment is, Honour thy father and thy 
 mother; that thy days may be long upon the land which the 
 Lord thy God giveth thee. 
 
 Ex. XX. 12. Deux. v. 16. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 The second table of the law is supposed to have begun with this command- 
 ment, which introduces relative duties. 
 
 The laws of Moses invested parents with authority and powers that do not 
 properly belong to this commandment, and sustained parental authority by 
 penal enactments. In Ex. xxi. 17 we read, "He that curseth [or revileth] 
 his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death." In verse 15th it is 
 said, " He that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 171 
 
 death." The rebellious son was to be stoned: Deut. xxi. 18-21. Children 
 might be sold to satisfy debts of parents : Lev. xxv. 39-54 ; 2 Kings iv. 1 ; 
 Isa. 1. 1. These restrictions and penalties belonged to the Mosaic economy. 
 The New Testament, however, recognizes the moral force of this command- 
 ment. 
 
 The judicious Hooker used to say, " If I had no other reason and motive 
 for being religious, I would earnestly try to be so for the sake of my aged 
 mother, that I might requite her care of me, and cause the widow's heart 
 to sing for joy." 
 
 " And if I e'er in heaven appear, 
 A mother's hand and gentle tear, 
 That led me to the Saviour dear, 
 
 Have brought the wanderer there." 
 
 Children are required to obey their parents in the Lord, for this is right : 
 Eph vi. 1. 
 
 It is important, however, that parents agree in their authority. The fol- 
 lowing anecdote will illustrate this necessity. A little girl six years old was 
 repeating the fifth commandment in the Sunday school. Her teacher endeav- 
 oured to show her in what way she was to honour her parents, and said, 
 " You must honour your parents by obeying them." " O ma'am," she said, 
 *' I cannot keep this commandment." — " Why cannot you keep it, my dear?" 
 " Because when my mother tells me to do one thing, my father tells me to 
 do another. Now, just before I came here, my mother told me to stay 
 upstairs and learn my lessons, and my father told me to come down and 
 play. Now, how can I obey both ? I cannot keep this commandment." 
 
 Our Lord exemplified this commandment: Luke ii. 51. Throughout his 
 youth and manhood he honoured his parents. 
 
 " A Son that never did amiss. 
 That never shamed a mother's kiss, 
 
 Nor crossed her fondest prayer. 
 Even from the tree he deigned to bow 
 On her his agonized brow. 
 
 Her his sole earthly caxe^—Keble. 
 
 Quest. 64. What is required in the fifth commandment ? 
 
 Ans. The fifth commandment requireth the preserving the 
 honour, and performing the duties, belonging to every one in 
 their several places and relations, as superiors, inferiors, or 
 equals. 
 
 EoM. xiii. 7. Render therefore to all 
 their dues : tribute to whom tribute is due ; 
 custom to whom custom; fear to whom 
 fear : honour to whom honour. 
 
 Eph. vi. 1. Children, obey your parents 
 in the Lord : for this is right. Ver. 2. Hon- 
 our thy father and mother; which is the 
 first commandment with promise ; Ver. 3. 
 
172 
 
 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 That it may be well with thee, and thou 
 mayest live long on the earth. 
 
 Col. iii. 20. Children, obey your parents 
 in all things: for this is well pleasing unto 
 the Lord. 
 
 Lev. xix. 32. Thou shalt rise up before 
 the hoary head, and honour the face of 
 the old man, and fear thy God : I am the 
 Lord. 
 
 Eph. vi. 5. Servants, be obedient to them 
 that are your masters according to the flesh, 
 with fear and trembling, in singleness of 
 your heart, as unto Christ. 
 
 CoL. iv. 1. Masters, give unto your ser- 
 vants that which is just and equal; know- 
 ing that ye also have a Master in heaven. 
 
 Eph. vi. 4. And, ye fathers, provoke not 
 your children to wrath : but bring them up 
 in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. 
 
 EoM. xii. 16. Be of the same mind one 
 toward another. Mind not high things, 
 but condescend to men of low estate. 
 
 Eph. v. 21. Submitting yourselves one 
 to another in the fear of God. 
 
 Heb. xiii, 17. Obey them that have the 
 rule over you, and submit yourselves. 
 
 I. There are various relations in which mankind stand to one another. 
 
 1. These relations have been appointed by God, and are therefore wise 
 and good and right. 
 
 2. These consist of superiors, inferiors, and equals. Superiors consist of 
 parents, masters, magistrates, and others in age or office to be respected. 
 Inferiors include children, servants, subjects, and scholars. Equals include 
 brothers, sisters, and persons of the same rank. 
 
 II. These relations have duties attached to them. — Superiors should be con- 
 descending, kind, just, and exemplary. Inferiors should be obedient, re- 
 spectful, and faithful. Equals should love, comfort, assist, and respect one 
 another. 
 
 III. Particularly, this commandment requires children to honour their 
 parents. — Children are dependent on parents, and receive much love and 
 care. They should love, obey, and respect their parents, and show this more 
 and more as they grow in intelligence. Children should care for parents in 
 sickness, infirmity, and age. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. The importance of the charge committed to parents. " Parents may 
 be the means of saving or of damning the souls of their children." — Paterson. 
 
 2. The duty of children to reverence and obey their parents. Disobedience 
 to parents is a great sin. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 " The general principle of duty enjoined in this commandment is, that we 
 should feel and act in a becoming manner towards our superiors. It matters 
 not in what their superiority consists— whether in age, office, knowledge, or 
 excellence. There are certain feelings and a certain line of conduct due to 
 those who are over us for that very reason, determined and modified in each 
 
 case by the degree and nature of that superiority First in order and in 
 
 importance is the duty of children to their parents ; hence the general duty 
 is embodied in the specific command, * Honour thy father and thy mother.' " 
 
 When the Rev. Richard Cecil was but a little boy, his father had occasion 
 to go to the India House in London, and he took his son with him. While he 
 was transacting business the little fellow was dismissed, and told to wait at 
 one of the doors. His father on finishing his business went out at another 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 173 
 
 door, and entirely forgot his son. In the evening, his mother, missing the 
 child, inquired where he was ; on which his father, suddenly recollecting 
 that he directed him to wait at a certain door, said, " You may depend upon 
 it he is still waiting where I appointed him." He immediately returned to 
 the India House, and found his dear boy on the very spot where he had 
 ordered him to remain. He knew that his father expected him to wait, and 
 therefore he would not disappoint him. 
 
 Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, one day rang his bell, but nobody 
 answering, he opened the door and found his page asleep in an elbow-chair. 
 He advanced towards him, and was going to awaken him, but seeing a letter 
 hanging out of his pocket, he had the curiosity to read it. It was a letter 
 from the young man's mother, thanking him for sending a part of his wages 
 to help her, and stating that God would reward him for his dutiful affection. 
 The king after reading it went back softly to his room, and took a bag of 
 ducats and slipped it into the page's pocket. He then rang the bell so loudly 
 that he wakened him. The page, putting his hand in his pocket, found the 
 bag of money; and on entering the king's presence he was pale and dis- 
 turbed, and burst into tears. The king asked him what was the matter. 
 "Ah, sire," said the youth as he fell on his knees, "somebody seeks my 
 ruin. I know nothing about this money which I found in my pocket." 
 " My young friend," said the king, " God often does great things for us, 
 even in our sleep. Send that to your mother from me, and say that I will 
 take care of both her and you." 
 
 When a Roman lady was showing her jewels to the mother of the Gracchi, 
 she asked Cornelia to show hers ; whereupon the mother brought in her sons, 
 who afterwards rose to such honour in Rome, and said, "These are my 
 jewels ! " 
 
 The friendship of David for Jonathan is an illustrious instance of the love 
 of equals. 
 
 George Washington exemplified the love and obedience of a son to his 
 mother, whep, having determined to go to sea, he rehnquished his decision at 
 the entreaty of his mother. " George," she said, " God has promised to 
 bless the children that honour their parents, and I believe that he will bless 
 you." 
 
 " Help us, through good report and ill. 
 Our daily cross to bear ; 
 Like thee to do our Father's will, 
 Our brethren's griefs to share." — Gurney. 
 
 Quest. 65. What is forbidden in the fifth commandment ? 
 
 Ans. The fifth commandment forbiddeth the neglecting of, 
 or doing any thing against, the honour and duty which belong- 
 eth to every one in their several places and relations. 
 
174 
 
 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 Mark vii. 9. And he said unto them, 
 Full well ye reject the commandment of 
 God, that ye may kfeep your own tradition. 
 Ver. 10. For Moses said, Honour thy 
 father and thy mother ; and, Whoso curseth 
 father or mother, let him die the death: 
 Ver. 11. But ye say. If a man shall say to 
 his father or mother. It is Corban, that is 
 to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest 
 be profited by me ; he shall be free. Ver. 
 12. And ye suffer him no more to do ought 
 for his father or his mother; Ver. 13. 
 Making the word of God of none efifect 
 
 through your tradition, which ye have de- 
 livered : and many such like things do ye. 
 
 Pkov. XXX. 17. The eye that mocketh at 
 his father, and despiseth to obey his 
 mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick 
 it out, and the young eagles shall eat it. 
 
 1 Tim. v. 8. But if any provide not for 
 his own, and specially for those of his 
 own house, he hath denied the faith, and 
 is worse than an infidel, 
 
 Pbov. xiv. 21. He that despiseth his 
 neighbour sinneth : but he that hath mercy 
 on the poor, happy is he. 
 
 I. This forbiddeth the neglect of the honour and duty which we owe to others 
 in relation to us. — Superiors transgress when they are unconcerned in or in- 
 attentive to their inferiors. Inferiors are guilty when they do not respect 
 superiors; children when they do not honour their parents, and servants 
 their masters. Equals are guilty when they omit brotherly kindness and 
 mutual respect. 
 
 II. This forbiddeth doing any thing against the honour and duty which we 
 owe to others. — This includes tyranny over inferiors, disobedience by in- 
 feriors, and envy or malice by equals. This likewise applies to the dis- 
 obeying of parents by children, and of employers by servants, and to the 
 strife of brethren. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. The history of the world furnishes appalling instances of transgressing 
 this commandment. 
 
 2. The happiness of many homes has been wrecked by the same evil. 
 
 3. None of us liveth unto himself. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Civil and ecclesiastical government are alike ordained of God, and are to 
 be obeyed in all things that are right, and which do not conflict with God's 
 express will and claims of conscience. But modes of civil government are 
 not prescribed, nor are they unchangeable. Ecclesiastical government may 
 be and has been abused. Though obedience has therefore its limits, dis- 
 obedience has grave results to those who transgress righteous law. 
 
 The disobedience rendered to parents is a fruitful source of crime and ruin 
 to character. A young man was sentenced to a penitentiary for four years. 
 When he was about to be sentenced, he stated publicly that his downward 
 course began in disobedience to his parents — that he thought he knew as 
 much of the world as his father did, and needed not his aid or advice ; but 
 as soon as he turned his back upon his home, then temptations came round 
 him like a drove of hyenas, and hurried him on to ruin. 
 
 An undutiful son, who had given his father much trouble and uneasiness, 
 and had almost brought down his gray hairs with sorrow to the grave, once 
 called on his father on his birthday, to do him honour. " Ah, my son," 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 175 
 
 said his father, " the best way to honour me is to turn from the error of your 
 ways. If you really respect me, learn to respect yourself : till then I can 
 have no faith in your professions ; for how can I expect him to honour his 
 father on earth who dishonours his Father who is in heaven ?" 
 
 " But if his children shall forsake 
 My laws, and go astray. 
 And in my judgments shall not walk, 
 But wander from my way : 
 
 ** If they my laws break, and do not 
 Keep my commandements ; 
 I'll visit then their faults with rods, 
 Their sins with chastisements." — Psalm Ixxxix. 30-32. 
 
 Quest. 66. What is the reason annexed to the fifth command- 
 ment ? 
 
 Ans. The reason annexed to the fifth commandment, is a 
 promise of long life and prosperity (as far as it shall serve for 
 God's glory and their own good) to all such as keep this com- 
 mandment. 
 
 Eph. vi. 2. Honour thy father and 
 mother; which is the first commandment 
 with promise ; 3. That it may be well 
 with thee, and thou mayest live long on 
 the earth. 
 
 Jer. XXXV. 18. And Jeremiah said unto 
 the house of the Rechabites, Thus saith 
 the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Be- 
 cause ye have obeyed the commandment 
 of Jonadab your father, and kept all his 
 precepts, and done according unto all that 
 
 he hath commanded you : Ver. 19. There- 
 fore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God 
 of Israel ; Jonadab the son of Eechab shall 
 not want a man to stand before me for 
 ever. 
 
 Pkov. xxiii. 24. The father of the right- 
 eous shall greatly rejoice : and he that be- 
 getteth a wise child shall have joy of him. 
 Ver. 25. Thy father and thy mother shall 
 be glad, and she that bare thee shall re- 
 joice. 
 
 I. Temporal blessings are promised to those who honour their parents. — These 
 include long life and worldly prosperity. 
 
 II. Temporal blessings are always in the hand of God. 
 
 1. For his glory, as the rule of distribution. 
 
 2. For our good, as subject to his wisdom. 
 
 3. Unless they promote these they are not for our real benefit. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. There are many encouragements to honour and obey parents, and to 
 treat all men in their several relations with proper respect. 
 
 2. Long life and temporal prosperity are limited to what is best for those 
 who love and serve God. 
 
 12 
 
176 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 " This commandment has a special promise attached to it. This promise 
 has a theocratical form as it stands in the Decalogue : ' That thy days may 
 be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.' The apostle, 
 in Eph. vi. 3, by leaving out the last clause generalizes it, so that it applies 
 to no one land in particular, but to obedient children everywhere. The 
 promise announces the general purpose of God and a general principle of 
 his providential government. ' The hand of the diligent maketh rich ;' that 
 is the general rule, which is not invalidated if here and there a diligent man 
 remains poor. It is well with obedient children ; they prosper in the world. 
 Such is fact, and such is the divine promise. The family being the corner- 
 stone of social order and prosperity, it follows that those families are blessed 
 in which God's plan and purpose are most fully carried out and realized." — 
 Dr. Hodge. 
 
 The Duke de Choiseul observed a boy in the Military School living on bread 
 and water, and asked the cause. The youth replied : " Sir, when I had the 
 honour of being admitted to the protection of this royal foundation, my 
 father conducted me hither. We came on foot on our journey ; the demands 
 of nature were relieved by bread and water. I was received; my father 
 blessed me, and returned to the protection of a helpless wife and family. As 
 long as I can remember, bread of the blackest description with water has 
 been their subsistence. How can I enjoy the bounty of a gracious sovereign 
 while they thus subsist?" The duke gave the boy three louis d'or, and 
 promised his father a pension. The boy begged that the money might also 
 be sent to his father ; which was done. The duke patronized the boy, who 
 afterwards rose to one of the best positions in the service of France. 
 
 The first gilded statue that was erected in Rome was one by M. Acilius 
 Glabrio, in memory of a triumph which his father had achieved over Anti- 
 ochus at Thermopylae. 
 
 Epaminondas, the Theban general, was asked what was the happiest 
 thing which had happened to him in the com-se of his whole life. He 
 answered, that " he remembered nothing more pleasant than that he had 
 achieved the Leuctran victory while his father and mother were alive to 
 be pleased with the glory of their son." 
 
 The pious ^neas, in the epic poem of Virgil, obtained his honourable 
 title from the care which he bestowed on his father at the siege of Troy, 
 carrying him on his back till they were clear of danger. 
 
 " O God of Bethel, by whose hand 
 
 Thy people still are fed ; 
 Who through this weary pilgrimage 
 
 Hast all our fathers led : 
 Our vows, our prayers, we now present 
 
 Before thy throne of grace : 
 God of our fathers, be the God 
 
 Of their succeeding race." — Doddridge. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 177 
 
 Quest. 67. Which is the sixth commandment ? 
 
 Ans. The sixth, commandment is, Thou shalt not kill. 
 
 Ex, XX. 13. Deut. v. 17. 
 
 This command follows from the preceding, and insists upon the respect 
 due to life. But it is given in the form of a prohibition, which was awanting 
 in the previous commandment. Man is more likely to get moral strength 
 by being forbidden certain acts than by being enjoined certain duties. But 
 the duties are all implied. 
 
 Human life is very precious, and ought to be regarded with great respect. 
 It is written, " God created man in his own image : " Gen. i. 27. And again 
 we read, " Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed : 
 for in the image of God made he man ;" Gen. ix. 6, 
 
 " What is man, that he 
 Remember'd is by thee ? 
 Or what the son of man, that thou 
 So kind to him should'st be ? 
 
 For thou a little lower hast 
 Him than the angels made ; 
 
 With glory and with dignity 
 Thou crowned hast his head."- 
 
 -Psalm viii. 4, 5, 
 
 Quest. 68. What is required in the sixth commandment ? 
 Ans. The sixth commandment requireth all lawful endeav- 
 ours to preserve our own life, and the life of others. 
 
 Matt, iv, 5. Then the devil taketh him 
 up into the holy city, and setteth him on 
 a pinnacle of the temple, Ver. 6. And 
 saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, 
 cast thyself down: for it is written, He 
 shall give his angels charge concerning 
 thee: and in their hands they shall bear 
 thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot 
 against a stone. Ver. 7. Jesus said unto 
 him. It is written again. Thou shalt not 
 tempt the Lord thy God. 
 
 Matt. x. 23. But when they persecute 
 you in this city, flee ye into another : for 
 verily I say unto you. Ye shall not have 
 
 gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son 
 of man be come. 
 
 Job xxix. 13. The blessing of him that 
 was ready to perish came upon me : and I 
 caused the widow's heart to sing for joy. 
 
 Prov. xxiv. 11. If thou forbear to de- 
 liver them that are drawn unto death, and 
 those that are ready to be slain ; Ver. 12. 
 If thou sayest. Behold, we knew it not; 
 doth not he that pondereth the heart con- 
 sider it ? and he that keepeth thy soul, 
 doth not he know it? and shall not he 
 render to every man according to his 
 works ? 
 
 Life is considered precious in the sight of God. 
 
 I. We are to use all laxoful endeavours to preserve our own life. 
 
 1. The life of the body, by proper food, raiment, and residence : 
 
 by self- 
 
178 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 defence against injury; by self-defence against irregular appetites and 
 passions. 
 
 2. The life of the soul, by seeking salvation from sin, and by doing the 
 will of God. 
 
 II. We are to use all lawful endeavours to preserve the life of others. 
 
 1. Their bodily life, by kindness, protection, and provision in time of need. 
 
 2. Their spiritual Ufe, by prayer, instruction in the gospel, and Christian 
 sympathy. 
 
 III. Endeavours to preserve life must be laivful. — We are not to break one 
 law to keep another, or to do evil that good may come. Sinful compliance 
 to save life endangers the soul and dishonours God. Martyrs died rather 
 than deny Christ. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. God is to be glorified with our bodies and spirits, which are his. 
 
 2. Each man is his brother's keeper. 
 
 3. The science and practice of medicine are followed for the purpose of 
 preserving life. 
 
 4. Philanthropic institutions have arisen for the same end. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Sir Theodore Mayem on his death-bed gave this advice to a noble friend 
 who asked counsel regarding the preservation of his health : " Be moderate 
 in your diet, use much exercise and little physic." 
 
 The old adage will not be out of place here, — 
 
 " Early to bed, and early to rise, 
 Will make a man healthy, and wealthy, and wise." 
 
 The Lifeboat Institution has been a great means of saving life. Many 
 thrilling stories have been told in connection with it. 
 
 The preaching of the gospel has been the means of saving many souls, 
 and of making life more precious both in this world and in the world to come. 
 
 " A meek man escapes many of those perplexities, those woes, and sorrows, 
 and wounds without cause, which he that is passionate, provoking, and 
 revengeful brings upon his own head." — Matthew Henry. 
 
 Once as Richard Baxter was going along the streets of London, a hectoring 
 fellow jostled him. He went on his way and took no notice of it ; but the 
 same man affronting the next person he met in a similar way, he drew his 
 sword and demanded satisfaction ; on which mischief ensued. 
 
 " Can we, whose souls are lighted 
 
 With wisdom from on high, 
 Can we to men benighted 
 
 The lamp of life deny ? , 
 
 Salvation ! O salvation ! 
 
 The joyful sound proclaim, 
 Till each remotest nation 
 
 Has learned Messiah's name."— Ifefccr. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 179 
 
 Quest. 69. What is forbidden in the sixth commandment ? 
 
 Ans. The sixth commandment forbiddeth the taking away 
 of our own life, or the life of our neighbour unjustly, or what- 
 soever tendeth thereunto. 
 
 Matt. xix. 18. Thou shalt do no murder. 
 
 Acts xvi. 28. But Paul cried with a 
 loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm. 
 
 Gen. ix. 6. Whoso sheddeth man's blood, 
 by man shall his blood be shed : for in the 
 image of God made he man. 
 
 Ex. xxi. 14. But if a man come presump- 
 tuously upon his neighbour, to slay him 
 with guile ; thou shalt take him from mine 
 altar, that he may die. 
 
 Num. XXXV. 30. Whoso killeth any per- 
 
 son, the murderer shaU be put to death by 
 the mouth of witnesses: but one witness 
 shall not testify against any person to 
 cause him to die. Ver. 31. Moreover ye 
 shall take no satisfaction for the life of a 
 murderer, which is guilty of death : but he 
 shall be surely put to death. 
 
 1 John iii. 15. Whosoever hateth his 
 brother is a murderer : and ye know that 
 no murderer hath eternal life abiding in 
 him. 
 
 I. The taking away of our own life. 
 
 1. By violence — as Ahithophel and all suicides. 
 
 2. By sinful indulgences — such as intemperance, carnal pleasures. 
 
 3. By neglecting proper means for health. 
 
 4. By neglecting the salvation of the soul. 
 
 II. The taking away of our neighbour'' s life unjustly. 
 
 1. This is done by murder, as Cain did. 
 
 2. By persecution and oppression. 
 
 3. By tempting to sin, as to drink or any crime. 
 
 III. Life may sometimes he taken justly, as in defence ofone^s own life or the 
 life of others, or in defensive war, or for murder. 
 
 1. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 " No murderer hath eternal life abiding in him :" 1 John iii. 15. 
 
 2. The neglect of sanitary laws may cause the loss of life. 
 
 3. It is an awful thing to be guilty of the ruin of others, in soul or body, 
 or both. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 " It is conceivable that men who do not believe in God or in a future state 
 of existence should think it allowable to take refuge in annihilation from the 
 miseries of this life ; biit it is unaccountable, except on the assumption of 
 temporary or permanent insanity, that any man should rush uncalled into 
 the retribution of eternity. Suicide, therefore, is self-murder. It is the 
 desertion of the post which God has assigned us ; it is a deliberate refusal 
 to submit to his will ; it is a crime which admits of no repentance, and con- 
 sequently involves the loss of the soul." — Dr. Hodge. 
 
 Alexander the Great once invited several of his friends and officers to a 
 feast, and offered a reward to him who would drink most. Promachus won 
 the prize, having swallowed fourteen measures of wine — that is, eighteen 
 pints. He received a crown worth a talent, but survived his victory only 
 
180 
 
 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 three days. Of the rest, forty died from excessive drinking. Alexander also 
 soon drank himself to death. 
 
 Anger among boys has often led to crime, and sometimes to murder. 
 
 The worship of Juggernaut has often led to suicide in India. 
 
 The great Spanish captain Gonsalvo was asked on his death-bed what had 
 given him the greatest satisfaction in the course of his long and glorious life. 
 He replied, that it was the consideration that he never drew his sword 
 but in the service of God and of his sovereign. 
 
 " As children let us be. 
 
 Nor by the way fall out ; 
 O Father, hold us by thy hand, 
 And keep us brotherly." — Tersteegen. 
 
 Quest. 70. Which is the seventh commandment ? 
 Ans. The seventh commandment is, Thou shalt not commit 
 adultery. 
 
 Ex. XX. 14. 
 
 Deut. v. 18. 
 
 Quest. 71. What is required in the seventh commandment .? 
 
 Ans. The seventh commandment requireth the preservation 
 of our own and our neighbour's chastity, in heart, speech, and 
 behaviour. 
 
 1 Thess. iv. 3. For this is the will of 
 God, even your sanctiflcation, that ye 
 should abstain from fornication: Ver. 4. 
 That every one of you should know how 
 to possess his vessel in sanctiflcation and 
 honour. 
 
 1 Peter iii. 2. While they behold your 
 chaste conversation coupled with fear. 
 
 1 Tim. ii. 9. In like manner also, that 
 women adorn themselves in modest ap- 
 parel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; 
 
 not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, 
 or costly array. 
 
 Eph. iv. 29. Let no corrupt communi- 
 cation proceed out of your mouth, but 
 that which is good to the use of edifying, 
 that it may minister grace unto the 
 hearers. 
 
 1 CoR. vii. 2. Nevertheless, to avoid 
 fornication, let every man have his own 
 wife, and let every woman have her own 
 husband. 
 
 This commandment is of great importance to the welfare of society and of 
 the individual. 
 
 I. It requires a pure heart.— This is to be got and kept by the grace of 
 God's Spirit, and by obeying the will of God. 
 
 II. It requires chaste speech and behaviour. — The moral tone of God's 
 Word is the best influence in human speech. Purity of life is promoted 
 by temperance, self-restraint, and by prudent marriage. 
 
 III. It requires us to preserve the chastity of others in these things as much 
 as we mn.— This can be done by good example, in looks, words, and behav- 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 181 
 
 iour ; by avoiding temptations to sin ; by counsel and warning when neces- 
 sary ; and by preventing public temptations to sin. It can be aided by 
 keeping early hours at night. 
 
 " Jesus lives ! for us he died ; 
 Then alone to Jesus living, 
 Pure in heart may we abide, 
 Glory to our Saviour giving." — Gellert. 
 
 Quest. 72. What is forbidden in the seventh commandment ? 
 Ans. The seventh commandment forbiddeth all unchaste 
 thoughts, words, and actions. 
 
 Matt. v. 28. But I say unto you, That 
 whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after 
 her hath committed adultery with her al- 
 ready in his heart. 
 
 Hkb. xiii. 4. Marriage is honourable in 
 all, and the bed undefiled: but whore- 
 mongers and adulterers God will judge. 
 
 1 CoR. vi. 15. Know ye not that your 
 bodies are the members of Christ ? shall I 
 then take the members of Christ, and make 
 them the members of an harlot ? God for- 
 bid. Ver. 18. Flee fornication. Every sin 
 that a man doeth is without the body ; but 
 he that committeth fornication sinneth 
 
 against his own body. Ver. 19. What! 
 know ye not that your body is the temple 
 of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which 
 ye have of God, and ye are not your own ? 
 Eph. v. 3. But fornication, and all un- 
 cleanness, or covetousness, let it not be 
 once named among you, as becometh saints ; 
 Ver. 4. Neither filthiness, nor foolish talk- 
 ing, nor jesting, which are not convenient: 
 but rather giving of thanks. Ver. 5. For 
 this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor 
 unclean person, nor covetous man, who is 
 an idolater, hath any inheritance in the 
 kingdom of Christ and of God. 
 
 I. This commandment forbiddeth all unchaste thoughts.— Thoughts stir up 
 desires, and act like a spark in powder. 
 
 II. Unchaste words. — Immodest expressions are polluting, and are sinful. 
 We must give an account to God for our words : Matt. xii. 36, 37. 
 
 III. Unchaste actions.— These make the sin still greater, destroy character, 
 and promote many evils. 
 
 IV. Whatsoever tends to unchastity is condemned. — Immodest manner of 
 dress, the reading of books descriptive of immodesty, the breach of marriage 
 vows, or making rash vows of celibacy, should be guarded against. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. Walking in the Spirit prevents the lusts of the flesh. 
 
 2. The body should be made a temple of the Holy Ghost. 
 
 The Scriptures give the law regarding behaviour of the sexes to each other, 
 and regarding marriage. When these laws are transgressed society always 
 suffers. Young people cannot be too particular in modesty, as there are so 
 many temptations to sin. 
 
 " But chief est, in our cleansed breast. 
 Eternal, bid thy Spirit rest ; 
 
182 
 
 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 And make our secret soul to be 
 A temple pure, and worthy Thee. 
 
 Hosanna, Lord ! hosanna in the highest ! ' 
 
 -Heher. 
 
 Quest. 73. Wliich is the eighth commandment ? 
 
 Ans. The eighth commandment is, Thou shalt not steal 
 
 Ex. XX. 15. Deut. v. 19. 
 
 Quest. 74. What is required in the eighth commandment ? 
 
 Ans. The eighth commandment requireth the lawful procur- 
 ing and furthering the wealth and outward estate of ourselves 
 and others. 
 
 Rom. xii. 11. Not slothful in business; 
 fervent in spirit ; serving the Lord. 
 
 Eph. iv. 28. Let him that stole steal no 
 more : but rather let him labour, working 
 with his hands the thing which is good, 
 that he may have to give to him that 
 needeth. 
 
 1 Tim. v. 8. If any provide not for his 
 own, and specially for those of his own 
 house, he hath denied the faith, and is 
 worse than an infidel. 
 
 Prov. vi. 6. Go to the ant, thou slug- 
 gard; consider her ways, and be wise. 
 
 Phil. ii. 4. Look not every man on his 
 
 own things, but every man also on the 
 things of others^ 
 
 Lev. XXV. 35. And if thy brother be 
 waxen poor, and fallen in decay with thee ; 
 then thou shalt relieve him: yea, though 
 he be a stranger, or a sojourner; that he 
 may live with thee. 
 
 Prov. xxi. 13. Whoso stoppeth his ears 
 at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry 
 himself, but shall not be heard. 
 
 MiCAH vi. 8. He hath shewed thee, 
 man, what is good ; and what doth the Lord 
 require of thee, but to do justly, and to love 
 mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God ? 
 
 I. Lawful means of procuring wealth and property for ourselves. 
 
 1. Every one should have a lawful calling. Industry was required of man 
 in paradise. 
 
 2. Earnest industry is required to provide what is necessary and suitable 
 to our condition in life. 
 
 3. This includes the moderate use of worldly things. Industry is the 
 parent of thrift, aids health and happiness. God has stored the earth with 
 an endless variety of means to meet our need. He has made these accessible 
 to industry. " The hand of the diligent maketh rich." Industry gives char- 
 acter and credit to men. 
 
 II. Lawful means of advancing the wealth and property of others.— ThQ law 
 of God is never selfish, but philanthropic. 
 
 1. Every one should receive his due from us. Natural conscience dictates 
 this, and God's Word enjoins it. Honesty advances both ourselves and 
 others. " Honesty is the best policy." 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 183 
 
 2. We should do to others as we would that they should do to us. Men 
 are a mutual provident society, in which one helps another. 
 
 3. Charity towards the needy fulfils this law. It blesses the poor, and 
 does not impoverish the giver. The Christian religion especially commands 
 this. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. He that provides not for his own house is worse than an infidel. 
 
 2. It is better to give than to receive. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 The right of property is founded upon nature. " By the law of nature," 
 said Chancellor Kent, "I understand those fit and just rules of conduct 
 which the Creator has prescribed to man as a dependent and social being, 
 and which are to be ascertained from the deduction of right reason, though 
 they may be more precisely known and are more explicitly declared by 
 revelation." 
 
 A nobleman travelling in Scotland was asked for alms in the High Street 
 of Edinburgh by a little ragged boy. He said he had no change ; but the 
 boy offered to procure it. His lordship then gave him a piece of silver, 
 which the boy thought was to be first changed, and immediately ran away 
 to get it. On his return he did not see his benefactor ; but he watched for 
 him for days. At length meeting him he gave him the change. The noble- 
 man was so pleased with the lad's honesty that he became his friend, placed 
 him at school, and promised to aid in his advancement. 
 
 A clergyman in England, who had only forty pounds a-year, and was 
 often in distress for means to provide for his family, found a purse on the 
 road one day. Carrying it home, his wife advised him to use it ; but he 
 answered, " Honesty is the best policy." After some inquiry, he ascer- 
 tained that the money belonged to a gentleman in the neighbourhood, to 
 whom he returned it. He received thanks, but no other reward ; whereupon 
 his wife complained of the ingratitude of the gentleman. Her husband said 
 again, " Honesty is the best policy." A few months afterwards the clergy- 
 man was asked to dine with the gentleman, and was offered a living worth 
 £300 a-year, along with a purse of £50 to aid his present need. "When he 
 went home he said to his wife that he hoped she would now be convinced 
 that " Honesty is the best policy." 
 
 "If aught should tempt my soul to stray 
 From heavenly wisdom's narrow way, — 
 To fly the good I would pursue, 
 Or do the thing I would not do, — 
 Still He who felt temptation's power 
 Shall guard me in that dangerous hour." — Sir It. Ch'ant. 
 
184 
 
 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 Quest. 75. What is forbidden in the eighth commandment? 
 
 Ans. The eighth commandment forbiddeth whatsoever doth 
 or may unjustly hinder our own or our neighbour's wealth or 
 outward estate. 
 
 2 Thess. iii. 10. For even when we were 
 with you, this we commanded you, that 
 if any would not work, neither should he 
 «at. 
 
 Prov. xi. 15. He that is surety for a 
 stranger shall smart for it: and he that 
 hateth suretiship is sure. 
 
 Prov. xxiii. 21. For the drunkard and 
 the glutton shall come to poverty: and 
 drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags. 
 
 Prov. xxi. 17. He that loveth pleasure 
 shall be a poor man : he that loveth wine 
 and oil shall not be rich. 
 
 Pkov. xxviii. 19. He that tilleth his land 
 
 shall have plenty of bread: but he that 
 foUoweth after vain persons shall have 
 poverty enough. 
 
 Prov. xx. 10. Divers weights, and divers 
 measures, both of them are alike abomina- 
 tion to the Lord. 
 
 Prov. xxi. 6. The getting of treasures by 
 a lying tongue is a vanity tossed to and fro 
 of them that seek death. 
 
 1 John iii. 17. But whoso hath this 
 world's good, and seeth his brother have 
 need, and shutteth up his bowels of com- 
 passion from him, how dwelleth the love 
 of God in him? 
 
 I. This forbids what hinders our own wealth or estate. 
 
 1. Idleness: Matt. xx. 6; Acts xx. 35; Eph. iv. 28; 1 Thess. iv. 11; 
 2 Thess. iii. 10-12. 
 
 2. Prodigality : Luke xv. 11-32 ; John vi. 12. 
 
 3. Sinful pursuits, as the Ephesians in Acts xix. 19. Gambling, smug- 
 gling, and all unlawful trades are condemned. 
 
 II. It forbids lohat hinders our neighbour's wealth or outward estate. 
 
 1. Theft. 
 
 2. Fraud. 
 
 3. Neglecting to pay debts. 
 
 4. Refusing to exercise charity. 
 
 There is a great tendency to break this commandment in all these ways. 
 Besides direct stealing, there are false pretences in business, adulteration of 
 goods, taking advantage of people's ignorance, misuse of public money or 
 trust funds. Whatever is unfair is dishonest. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. Keep hands off what belongs to others. 
 
 2. Withhold not what you can do for the good of others. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 The Rev. Samuel Kilpin, once minister in Exeter, said, "When seven 
 years old, I was left in charge of my father's shop. A man passed, crying, 
 * Little lambs, all white and clean, at one penny each.' In my eagerness to 
 get one, I lost all self-command, and taking a penny from the drawer I 
 made the purchase. My keen-eyed mother wondered how I came by the 
 money. I evaded the question by something like a lie. In God's sight it 
 was a lie, as I kept back the truth. The lamb was placed on the chimney- 
 shelf, and was much admired. To me it was a source of inexpressible 
 
THE SHORTEK CATECHISM. 185 
 
 anguish : continually there sounded in my ears and heart these words, ' Thou 
 shalt not steal ; thou shalt not lie.' Guilt and darkness overcame my soul, 
 and in sore agony I went to a hay-loft — the place is now perfectly in my 
 recollection— and there prayed and pleaded, with groanings that could not be 
 uttered, for mercy and pardon. I entreated for Jesus' sake. With joy and 
 transport I left the loft, from a believing application of the text, ' Thy sins, 
 which are many, are forgiven.' I went to my mother, told her what I had 
 done, and sought her forgiveness, and burned the lamb, while she wept over 
 her young penitent." — If such was Kil pin's misery and remorse in stealing a 
 penny, then in justice he who steals a pound should have far more ; but 
 some steal tens and even hundreds of pounds. What must be the remorse 
 of these when called to see their sin, or to meet with God ? 
 
 Mr. Nott, the missionary at Tahiti, once preached from the text, "Let 
 him that stole steal no more." The next morning many of the natives were 
 seated before his dwelling. They said they could not sleep all night, think- 
 ing of all they had stolen from him and others. One showed an axe, another 
 a chisel, another a knife, etc. They would not keep them any longer in 
 their possession. Would it not be well that all acted like this ? 
 
 Dr. Lawson of Selkirk, when preaching on this commandment, advocated 
 restitution. Next morning the price of a pair of shoes was placed at the 
 window of a family who had lost a pair recently. 
 
 " Still let Thy grace our life direct ; 
 From evil guard our way ; 
 And in temptation's fatal path 
 Peraiit us not to stray." — Blair. 
 
 Quest. 76. Which is the ninth commandment ? 
 Ans. The ninth commandment is, Thou slialt not bear false 
 witness against thy neighbour. 
 
 Ex. XX, 16. Deut. v. 20. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 " The command to keep truth inviolate belongs to a different class from 
 those relating to the Sabbath, to marriage, or to property. These are 
 founded on the permanent relations of men in the present state of existence. 
 They are not in their own nature immutable ; God may at any time suspend 
 or modify them. But truth is at all times sacred, because it is one of the 
 essential attributes of God, so that whatever miUtates against or is hostile to 
 truth is in opposition to the very nature of God. Truth is, so to speak, the 
 very substratum of Deity. It is in such a sense the foundation of all the 
 moral perfections of God, that without it they cannot be conceived of as 
 existing. Unless God really is what he declares himself to be ; unless he 
 means what he declares himself to mean ; unless he will do what he promises, 
 
186 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 — the whole idea of God is lost. As there is no God but the true God, so 
 without truth there is and can be no God. As this attribute is the foundation, 
 so to speak, of the divine, so it is the foundation of the physical and moral 
 order of the universe. What is the immutability of the laws of nature but a 
 revelation of the truth of God ? They are manifestations of his purposes. 
 They are promises on which his creatures rely, and by which they must 
 regulate their conduct. If those laws were capricious — if the same effects did 
 not uniformly follow from the same causes — the very existence of living 
 beings would be impossible. The food of one day might be poison the next. 
 If a man did not reap what he sowed, there could be no security for anything. 
 The truth of God, therefore, is written on the heavens. It is the daily proc- 
 lamation made by the sun, moon, and stars, in their solemn procession 
 through space ; and it is echoed back by the earth and all that it contains. 
 The truth of God, too, is the foundation of all knowledge. How do we know 
 that our senses do not deceive us ? that consciousness is not mendacious ? that 
 the laws of belief, which by the constitution of our nature we are forced to 
 obey, are not false guides ? Unless God be true there can be no certainty in 
 anything, much less can there be any security. We can have no confidence 
 in the future — no assurance that evil will not ultimately triumph over good, 
 darkness over light, and confusion and misery over order and happiness. 
 There is, therefore, something awfully sacred in the obligations of truth. A 
 man who violates the truth, sins against the very foundation of his moral 
 being." — Dr. Hodge. 
 
 Christ said, " I am the truth : " John xiv. 6. "To this end was I born, 
 and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the 
 truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice : " John xviii. 37. 
 
 "Sacred was Lactantius, who denied the Earth's rotundity; sacred was 
 Augustine, who admitted the Earth to be round but denied the antipodes ; 
 sacred is the learning of our moderns, who admit the smallness of the Earth 
 but deny its motion ; but to me more sacred than all is truth." — Kepler. 
 " Above all, to thine own self be true ; 
 Thou canst not then be false to any man." — Shakespeare. 
 
 Quest. 77. What is required in the ninth commandment ? 
 
 Ans. The ninth commandment requireth the maintaining and 
 promoting of truth between man and man, and of our own and 
 our neighbour's good name, especially in witness-bearing. 
 
 Zkch. viii. 16, These are the things that 
 ye shall do ; Speak ye every man the truth 
 to his neighbour ; execute the judgment of 
 truth and peace in your gates. 
 
 1 Peter iii. 16. Having a good con- 
 science ; that, whereas they speak evil of 
 you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed 
 that falsely accuse your good conversation 
 In Christ. 
 
 Ps. XV. 1. Lord, who shall abide in thy 
 tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy 
 hill? Ver. 2. He that walketh uprightly, 
 and worketh righteousness, and speaketh 
 the truth in his heart. Ver. 3. He that 
 backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth 
 evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a re- 
 proach against his neighbour. 
 
 Ps. xxxix. 1. I said, I will take heed to 
 
THE SHORTEE CATECHISM. 
 
 187 
 
 my ways, that I sin not with my tongue : I 
 will keep my mouth with a bridle, while 
 the wicked is before me. 
 
 Ps. cxli. 3. Set a watch, O Lord, before 
 my mouth ; keep the door of my lips. 
 
 Matt. v. 16. Let your light so shine 
 before men, that they may see your good 
 works, and glorify your Father which is in 
 heaven. 
 
 Prov. xii. 19. The lip of truth shall be 
 established for ever : but a lying tongue is 
 but for a moment. 
 
 James i. 26. If any man among you 
 seem to be religious, and bridleth not his 
 tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this 
 man's religion is vain. 
 
 Honour all men. Love 
 Fear God. Honour the 
 
 1 Peter ii. 17. 
 the brotherhood, 
 king. 
 
 1 Peter iv. 8. And above all things have 
 fervent charity among yourselves : for 
 charity shall cover the multitude of sins. 
 
 Job xvii. 5. He that speaketh flattery to 
 his friends, even the eyes of his children 
 shall fail. 
 
 Prov. xiv. 5. A faithful witness will not 
 lie: but a false witness will utter lies. 
 Ver. 25. A true witness delivereth souls: 
 but a deceitful witness speaketh lies. 
 
 Prov. xxv. 23. The north wind driveth 
 away rain : so doth an angry countenance 
 a backbiting tongue. 
 
 I. To maintain and promote truth between man and man. — We are required 
 to speak, not as we think or wish, but as things really are. We are to be 
 true ourselves. Joseph's brethren said, "We are true men : " Gen. xlii. 11. 
 The Gibeonites were false : Josh. ix. We are always to speak the truth to 
 others : Eph. iv. 25. 
 
 II. To maintain and promote our own and our neighbour's good name. — A 
 good name is our character or reputation. It is the most valuable possession, 
 and most carefully to be kept. Whatever damages our character is danger- 
 ous. We should therefore be consistent with truth. No evU report should 
 be spread regarding a neighbour. We should speak for him if we can. 
 
 III. To maintain and promote truth in witness-bearing. — This is frequently 
 required — 
 
 1. In courts of justice, where very much depends on faithful witness-bear- 
 ing. The law requires that we " speak the truth, the whole truth, and nothing 
 but the truth," as in the very sight of God, and as answerable to him. 
 
 2. In public controversy. When words are weighed they should not give 
 a double meaning or a wrong impression. 
 
 3. In private strife. Society is kept together by truth. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. Young people should be very careful in speaking the truth always. 
 
 2. All are required to walk in the truth. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 When Petrarch resided in the house of Cardinal Colonna, a dispute arose 
 among some members of the household. The cardinal made each one swear 
 on the Gospels that he would declare the whole truth. Even his own brother, 
 the Bishop of Luna, was not excused. But when the poet came, the cardinal 
 laid aside the book and said, "As to you, Petrarch, your word is sufficient." 
 
 The Rev. Robert Fleming once said to an intimate friend in London, " I 
 bless God that in fifteen years' time I have not given any man's credit a 
 
188 
 
 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 thrust behind his back. When I have had grounds to speak well of any 
 man, I have done so with faithfulness ; but when I have wanted a subject 
 that way I have kept silence." 
 
 When George Washington was a boy, a beautiful cherry tree was killed in 
 his father's garden, by some violent hand stripping its bark. Mr. Washington 
 said he would not have taken five guineas for the tree, and he would like to 
 know the offender. Shortly after, seeing George with an axe in his hand, 
 he asked him if he knew who had killed the cherry tree. George hesitated 
 for a moment, then said, " I cannot tell a lie, father, I cannot tell a lie. I 
 cut it with the hatchet." " Come to my arms ! " said his father ; " you have 
 paid for it a thousand times." Such an act of heroism in telling the truth he 
 valued more than a thousand cherry trees. 
 
 " Thou must be true thyself 
 
 If thou the truth wouldst teach : 
 Thy soul must overflow if thou 
 
 Another's soul wouldst reach ; 
 It needs the overflow of heart 
 To give the lips full speech. 
 
 " Think truly, and thy thoughts 
 
 Shall the world's famine feed ; 
 Speak truly, and each word of thine 
 
 Shall be a fruitful seed ; 
 Live truly, and thy life shall be 
 
 A great and noble creed." — Dr. H. Bonar. 
 
 Quest. 78. What is forbidden in the ninth commandment? 
 
 Ans. The ninth commandment forbiddeth whatsoever is 
 prejudicial to truth, or injurious to our own or our neighbour's 
 good name. 
 
 Rom. iii. 13. Their throat is an open sep- 
 ulchre ; with their tongues they liave used 
 deceit ; the poison of asps is under their lips. 
 
 Ps. XV. 3. He that backbiteth not with his 
 tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor 
 taketh up a reproach against his neighbour. 
 
 CoL. iii. 9. Lie not one to another, seeing 
 that ye have put off the old man with his 
 deeds. 
 
 Pbov. xii. 22. Ljring lips are abomination 
 to the Lord : but they that deal truly are 
 his delight 
 
 Prov. xvii. 5, Whoso mocketh the poor 
 reproaclieth his Maker : and he that is glad 
 at calamities shall not be unpunished. 
 
 Pkov. xxi. 6. The getting of treasures by 
 a lying tongue is a vanity tossed to and fro 
 of them that seek death. 
 
 Matt. vii. 1. Judge not, that ye be not 
 judged. 
 
 Titus iii. 2. To speak evil of no man, to 
 be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all 
 meekness unto aU men. 
 
 Rev. xxi. 8. But the fearful, and un- 
 believing, and the abominable, and mur- 
 derers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, 
 and idolaters, and all liars, shall have 
 their part in the lake which burneth with 
 fire and brimstone: which is the second 
 death. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 189 
 
 Ex. xxiii. 1. Thou slialt not raise a false 
 report : put not thine hand with the wicked 
 to be an unrighteous witness. 
 
 Lev. xix. 16. Thou shalt not go up and 
 down as a talebearer among thy people: 
 neither shalt thou stand against the blood 
 of thy neighbour : I am the Lord. 
 
 1 Peter iii. 8. Finally, be ye all of one 
 mind, having compassion one of another, 
 love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous ; 
 Ver. 9. Not rendering evil for evil, or rail- 
 ing for railing : but contrariwise blessing ; 
 knowing that ye are thereunto called, that 
 ye should inherit a blessing. 
 
 I. This commandment forUddeth whatsoever is prejudicial to truth. — This 
 includes dissembling, hypocrisy, lying, breaking promises. It also aflfects 
 witnesses, lawyers, and judges in courts, where so much depends upon truth. 
 Ananias and Sapphira are great beacons. 
 
 II. Whatsoever injures our own good name. — Boasting about ourselves; pre- 
 varicating truth respecting ourselves ; frequenting suspicious company or 
 places ; thinking too highly of ourselves. 
 
 III. Whatsoever injures our neighbour's good name. 
 
 1. Unfounded suspicions. 
 
 2. Spreading false reports or insinuations against character ; imputing un- 
 worthy motives, 
 
 3. Betraying secrets and bearing tales. 
 
 IV. Whatsoever tends to injure truth or reputation — as flattery, detraction, 
 pride, foolish talk or conduct. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. A liar cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. 
 
 2. The tongue requires a bridle. 
 
 3. Let us have great respect for a good reputation. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Dr. Samuel Johnson said, "Above all, accustom your children constantly 
 to tell the truth, without varying in any circumstance." A lady who heard 
 him said, "Nay, this is too much, for a little variation in narrative must 
 happen a thousand times a-day, if one is not perpetually watching." "Well, 
 madam," said the doctor, "you ought to be perpetually watching." 
 
 "From the Bible first engrave on your heart, then translate into your lives, 
 and last emblazon aloft on the pediment of your trade temple, this short and 
 simple legend : ' A poor man is better than a liar.' " — Arnot. 
 
 When any one was speaking ill of another in the presence of Peter the 
 Great, he first listened attentively, and then interrupted him, saying, " Is 
 there not a fair side to the character of the person of whom you are speaking ? 
 Come, tell me what good qualities you have remarked about him." 
 
 " Very boastful was lagoo : 
 Never heard he an adventure 
 But himself had met a greater ; 
 Never any deed of daring 
 But himself had done a bolder ; 
 Never any marvellous story 
 But himself could tell a stranger. 
 
190 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 Would you listen to his boasting. 
 
 Would you only give him credence. 
 
 No one ever shot an arrow 
 
 Half so far and high as he had ; 
 
 Ever caught so many fishes, 
 
 Ever killed so many reindeer, 
 
 Ever trapped so many beaver ! 
 
 None could run so fast as he could. 
 
 None could dive so deep as he could, 
 
 None could swim so far as he could. 
 
 None had made so many journeys, 
 
 None had seen so many wonders. 
 
 As this wonderful lagoo. 
 
 As this marvellous story-teller ! 
 
 Thus his name became a bye- word 
 
 And a jest among the people ; 
 
 And whene'er a boastful hunter 
 
 Praised his own address too highly, 
 
 Or a warrior home retimiing 
 
 Talked too much of his achievements, 
 
 All his hearers cried, ' lagoo ! 
 
 Here's lagoo come among us ! ' " — Longfdlmo. 
 
 Quest. 79. Which is the tenth commandment ? 
 
 Ans. The tenth commandment is, Thou shalt not covet thy 
 neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, 
 nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his 
 ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's. 
 
 Ex. XX. 17. Deut. v. 21. 
 
 The Bible is very particular regarding the sin and danger of the 
 covetous man. "It says, — (1) that he cannot enter heaven, 1 Cor. vi. 10; 
 (2) that he is an idolater, Eph. v. 5 ; (3) that God abhors him, Ps. x. 3. 
 This commandment has a special interest, as it was the means, as St. Paul 
 tells us, of leading him to the knowledge of sin. ' I had not known lust, 
 except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet ' (Rom. vii. 7). Most of the 
 other commandments forbid external acts, but this forbids a state of the 
 heart. It shows that no external obedience can fulfil the demands of the 
 law ; that God looks upon the heart ; that he approves or disapproves of the 
 secret aflfections and purposes of the soul ; that a man may be a Pharisee, 
 pure outwardly as a whited sepulchre, but inwardly full of dead men's bones 
 and of all uncleanness." — Dr. Hodge. 
 
 M 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 101 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 In the greatest of the Greater Prophets we read of " greedy dogs, which can 
 never have enough." Among the words of Agur, the son of Jakeh, we read 
 of the horse-leech having two daughters, whose insatiate, insatiable cry is, 
 "Give, give." The Emperor Frederick II, said to Pope Gregory IX., 
 " But thou, having nothing, and yet possessing all things, art ever seeking 
 what thou mayest devour and swallow up : the whole world cannot glut the 
 rapacity of thy maw, for the whole world sufficeth thee not." 
 
 Dr. South says of the covetous, that "had they (as the fable goes of 
 Briareus) each of them a hundred hands, these would all be employed in 
 grasping and gathering, and hardly one of them in giving or laying out — 
 all in receiving, and none in restoring ; a thing in itself so monstrous, that 
 nothing in nature besides is like it, except it be death and the grave, — the 
 only things I know of which are always robbing and carrying off, and never 
 making restitution." 
 
 Seneca in his Morals says of a happy life, *' What matters it how far Alex- 
 ander extended his conquests, if he never got to feel satisfied with what he 
 had?" Every man wants as much as he covets, and labour lost it is to pour 
 into a vessel which never will be full. 
 
 It was said of a covetous man that if you were to make him a present of 
 the islands of Great Britain and Ireland as a free gift, he would at once 
 request to have the Isle of Man thrown in too, for a potato garden. 
 
 The covetous " eats all things and is hungry still. More, more ! the 
 glutton cries for something new. So rages appetite." 
 
 " Learn not to be greedy, and when you've enough. 
 Don't be anxious your bags any tighter to stuff ; • 
 
 Nor turn every thought to increasing your store, 
 And look always like Oliver asking for more." 
 
 Ingoldsby Legends. 
 
 Quest. 80. What is required in the tenth commandment ? 
 
 Ans. The tenth commandment requireth full contentment 
 with our own condition, with a right and charitable frame of 
 spirit toward our neighbour, and all that is his. 
 
 Heb. xiii. 3. Remember them that are 
 in bonds, as bound with them ; and them 
 which suffer adversity, as being yourselves 
 also in the body. Ver. 5. Let your con- 
 versation be without covetousness ; and 
 be content with such things as ye have: 
 for he hath said, I will never leave thee, 
 nor forsake thee. 
 
 RoM. xii. 15. Rejoice with them that 
 do rejoice, and weep with them that 
 weep. 
 
 1 CoR. xiii. 4. Charity suffereth long, 
 and is kind ; charity envieth not ; charity 
 vaunteth not itself, is not pufifed up, Ver. 
 5. Doth not behave itself unseemly, seek- 
 eth not her own, is not easily provoked, 
 thinketh no evil; Ver. 6. Rejoiceth not 
 in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth. 
 
 Phil. iv. 11. Not that I speak in respect 
 of want : for I have learned, in whatso- 
 ever state I am, therewith to be content. 
 Ver. 12. I know both how to be abased, 
 
 13 
 
192 
 
 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 and I know how to abound : every where 
 and in all things I am instructed both to 
 be full and to be hungry, both to abound 
 and to suffer need. 
 
 Gen. xxxii. 10. I am not worthy of the 
 least of all the mercies, and of all the 
 truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy 
 servant; for with my staff I passed over 
 
 this Jordan; and now I am become two 
 
 1 Sam. iii. 18. And Samuel told him 
 every whit, and hid nothing from him. 
 And he said. It is the Lord : let him do 
 what seemeth him good. 
 
 1 CoR. X. 24. Let no man seek his own, 
 but every man another's wealth. 
 
 I. Personal contentment with our worldly position, our social advantages, and 
 with God's dealings. — St. Paul says that he had learned, in whatsoever state 
 he was, therewith to be content. He knew all varieties of circumstances, but 
 had this great happiness. In his case it arose from his relation to Christ : 
 Phil. iv. 13. This does not forbid diligence or lawful aspiration to better 
 our circumstances. We should always realize dependence on God. 
 
 II. Charity to our neighbour. 
 
 1. This may be done by wishing him well in soul and body — as Boaz 
 saluted his reapers, Ruth ii, 4 ; as the apostle, 3 John 3. 
 
 2. By respecting what belongs to him : Deut. xxii. 1. 
 
 3. By assisting his advancement as we may be able. For this there are 
 many opportunities. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. Contentment, with godliness, is great gain. It secures an interest in 
 salvation and satisfaction with God's providence. 
 
 2. Personal contentment promotes charity to our neighbour. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 " It may be here remarked, that if we have a view to legal perfection, it is 
 utterly impossible in this life to attain to that full contentment which this 
 commandment requires. This is no more possible, in our present fallen state, 
 than obedience to any other divine commandment. Perfection in any grace 
 whatever is not to be looked for here. The perfection, however, may be full 
 as to its parts, though not so in degree. And although it is diflBcult to attain 
 the contentment here required, yet, being a duty, we ought to seek after it ; 
 for by it God is highly honoured, and the peace of the soul is greatly pro- 
 moted. " — Paterson. 
 
 " No doubt," said the Rev. John Bro\vn of Haddington, the author of the 
 " Self-interpreting Bible," " I have met with trials as well as others ; yet so 
 good has God been to me, that I think if God were to give me as many years 
 as I have already lived in this world, I would not desire one single circum- 
 stance in my lot changed, except that I wish I had less sin. It might be 
 written on my coffin : — ' Here lies one of the cares of Providence, who early 
 wanted both father and mother, and yet never missed them,' " 
 
 An Italian bishop struggled through great difficulties without repining, 
 and through much opposition without impatience. A friend who admired 
 his virtues asked if he could give the secret of his contentment. " Yes," 
 said the old man ; *' it consists in nothing more than a right use of my eyes. 
 In whatsoever state I am, I first of all look up to heaven, and remember 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 193 
 
 that my principal business here is to get there ; I then look down upon the 
 earth, and call to mind how small a place I shall occupy in it when I am 
 interred ; I then look abroad upon the world, and observe what multitudes 
 there are who are in all respects more unhappy than myself. Thus I learn 
 where true happiness is placed, where all our cares must end, and how very 
 little reason I have to repine or complain." 
 
 " How pleasant is all that I meet ! 
 From fear of adversity free ; 
 I find even sorrow made sweet, 
 Because 'tis assigned me by Thee." 
 
 " To me remains nor place nor time — 
 My country is in every clime ; 
 I can be calm and free from care 
 On any shore, since God is there." — Guyon. 
 
 Quest. 81. What is forbidden in the tenth commandment ? 
 
 Ans. The tenth commandment forbiddeth all discontentment 
 with our own estate, envying or grieving at the good of our 
 neighbour, and all inordinate motions and affections to any thing 
 that is his. 
 
 1 Cor. X. 10. Neither murmur ye, as 
 some of them also murmured, and were 
 destroyed of the destroyer. 
 
 Ps. Ixii. 10. Trust not in oppression, 
 and become not vain in robbery : if riches 
 increase, set not your heart upon them. 
 
 Ps. cxix. 36. Incline my heart unto thy 
 testimonies, and not to covetousness. 
 
 Job ii. 10. But he said unto her, Thou 
 speakest as one of the foolish women 
 speaketh. What! shall we receive good 
 at the hand of God, and shall we not 
 receive evil? In all this did not Job sin 
 with his lips. 
 
 IsA. v. 8. Woe unto them that join 
 house to house, that lay field to field, till 
 there be no place, that they may be placed 
 alone in the midst of the earth ! 
 
 Gal. v. 26. Let us not be desirous of 
 vain-glory, provoking one another, envy- 
 ing one another. 
 
 Col. iii. 5. Mortify therefore your mem- 
 
 bers which are upon the earth ; fornication, 
 uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil con- 
 cupiscence, and covetousness, which is 
 idolatry. 
 
 Rom. xiii. 14. But put ye on the Lord 
 Jesus Christ, and make not provision for 
 the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. 
 
 1 Thess. v. 18. In every thing give 
 thanks: for this is the will of God in 
 Christ Jesus concerning you. 
 
 1 Tim. vi. 9. But they that wiU be rich 
 fall into temptation and a snare, and into 
 many foolish and hurtful lusts, which 
 drown men in destruction and perdition. 
 
 1 Peter ii. 1. Wherefore, laying aside 
 all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, 
 and envies, and all evil speakings, Ver. 2. 
 As new-born babes, desire the sincere milk 
 of the word, that ye may grow thereby. 
 
 James iii. 16. For where envying and 
 strife is, there is confusion and every evil 
 work. 
 
 I. Discontent is forbidden. — This includes murmuring at our worldly con- 
 dition, as the Israelites did after they went out of Egypt : Num. xiv. 2-35 ; 
 
194 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 1 Cor. X. 10. It also includes complaining against God, as Cain, Jonah, 
 Israel. 
 
 II. Envying or grieving at the good of our neighbour. — This is a very 
 unhappy state of mind. It grudges others what they possess, because it is 
 more or other than we have. 
 
 III. Covetous desires after lohat is our neighbour's — as, his house, his wife, his 
 servants, his possessions, or any of his advantages. — The command is very 
 specific in its condemnation of covetousness. The apostle calls this "the 
 root of all evil." It has led to meanness, deceit, fraud, theft, and murder, 
 all for the sake of inordinate desires. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. Let us not set too high a value on worldly things : Col. iii. 2. 
 
 2. Let us beware of three evils of desire — the lust of the flesh, the lust of 
 the eye, and the pride of life : 1 John ii. 15, 16. 
 
 3. These lusts are called deceitful, Eph. iv. 22 ; hurtful, 1 Tim. vi. 9 ; 
 worldly, Titus ii. 12 ; warring against the soul, 1 Peter ii. 11 ; warring in our 
 members, James iv. 1. 
 
 4. Let us pray, "Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to 
 covetousness : " Ps. cxix. 36. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Plutarch tells us of Caius Marius, that at the age of seventy, distinguished 
 by the unparalleled honour of seven consulships, and possessed of more than 
 regal fortune, he died with the chagrin of an unfortunate wretch who had 
 not obtained what he wanted. 
 
 Herodotus says that Alcmaeon, when he was told by Croesus that he might 
 go into the treasury and take as much gold as he could carry on his person 
 at one time, put on the largest tunic he could find and the roomiest buskins ; 
 that he first filled his boots with the gold dust, then stuffed his clothes with 
 it, then powdered his hair with it, and lastly took a mouthful of it, and 
 came out dragging his legs with difficulty, and looking scarcely like a, human 
 being ! Croesus was highly amused at his covetous spirit. 
 
 " The conquests of covetousness are greater than those of Alexander. 
 There are those who think that the chief end of man is to glorify gold, and 
 to enjoy it for ever." — H. W. Beecher. 
 
 " How vain, how worse than vain, at length appear 
 The madman's wish, the Macedonian's tear ! 
 He wept for worlds to conquer — half the earth 
 Knows not his name, but his death and birth 
 And desolation ; while his native Greece 
 Hath all of desolation, save its peace. 
 He wept for worlds to conquer— he who ne'er 
 Conceived the globe he panted not to spare !" 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 195 
 
 Quest. 82. 7s any 7nan able perfectly to keep the command- 
 ments of God ? 
 
 Ans. No mere man since the fall is able in this life perfectly 
 to keep the commandments of God, but doth daily break them, 
 in thought, word, and deed. 
 
 EccLES. vii. 20. For there is not a just 
 man upon earth, that doeth good, and 
 sinneth not. 
 
 EoM. vii. 14. For we know that the law 
 is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under 
 sin. Ver. 15. For that which I do I allow 
 not : for what I would, that do I not ; but 
 what I hate, that do I. 
 
 1 John i. 8. If we say that we have no 
 sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is 
 not in us. 
 
 Job ix. 20. If I justify myself, mine 
 
 own mouth shall condemn me : if I say, I 
 am perfect, it shall also prove me per- 
 verse. 
 
 Gen. viii. 21. The imagination of man's 
 heart is evil from his youth. 
 
 James iii. 8. The tongue can no man 
 tame ; it is an unruly evil, fuU of deadly 
 poison. 
 
 James iii. 2. In many things we offend 
 all. 
 
 Ps. xix. 12. Who can understand his 
 errors ? cleanse thou me from secret faults. 
 
 I. Man since the fall is sinful in his nature. 
 
 II. No mere man can in this life perfectly keep God's commandments. — 
 The law requires a perfect obedience ; but man is a sinful being, and cannot 
 render that. Christ, who rendered perfect obedience, was not a mere 
 man. 
 
 III. Every mere man breaks the commandments of God. 
 
 1. This is done in thought : Gen. vi. 5. The imagination is wayward 
 and evil. 
 
 2. In word. The tongue is an unruly evil : James iii. 8. Idle, thought- 
 less, hasty, and hurtful words are often used. Some use bad language, and 
 some speak falsely. 
 
 3. The Psalmist says that his iniquities are innumerable, and are more 
 than the hairs of his head : Ps. xl, 12. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. How corrupt and helpless is man before God. 
 
 2. What great need there is of a Saviour. 
 
 3. The nature renewed by grace will be able to keep all God's command- 
 ments in the glorified state. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 " The perfection which the law of God requires must be absolute perfec- 
 tion, both in heart and life, without the least failure in any respect what- 
 ever; and it must flow from a nature perfectly holy, without which a 
 constant and uninterrupted obedience cannot be given to the exceeding 
 broad demands of the law (Matt. xxii. 37-39). Man, indeed, may please his 
 fancy with a sincere obedience, but this will never save his soul. ' Thou 
 shalt love the Lord thy God.' How? Imperfectly, though sincerely? No, 
 this will by no means satisfy the law ; but ' with all thy heart, with all thy 
 
196 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 soul, with all thy strength, and with all thy mind.' And whatever the law 
 requires, there must be the highest perfection in degree ; for anything less 
 than this would be disobedience." — Paterson. 
 
 It is related of one of the ancients that a man without learning came to 
 him to be taught a psalm. He turned to the thirty-ninth ; but when he had 
 read the first verse of it, " I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not 
 with my tongue," the man would hear no more, saying that was enough if he 
 could practise it. And when the instructor blamed him that he had not 
 seen him for six months, he replied that he had not done the verse ; and 
 forty years afterwards he confessed he had been all that time studying it, 
 but had not learned to fulfil it. 
 
 " If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also 
 to bridle the whole body : " James iii. 2. 
 
 Two weavers were once talking together of religious experience, and both 
 complained of their trouble from vain and evil thoughts in the exercises of 
 religion. Another weaver having heard them, said, "I always thought you 
 two vile hypocrites, but now I know it from your own confession. I never 
 had such vain and evil thoughts in my life." One of the men then took a 
 piece of money out of his pocket and said, " This shall be yours, if, after you 
 come from the church the next time, you can say you had not one vain 
 thought there." A few days afterwards he came and said, " Keep your 
 money, for I had not been five minutes in the church till I began to think 
 how many looms could be set up in it ! " 
 
 Dr. Gill, after a sermon on human inability, was visited by a gentleman 
 who expressed great dissatisfaction with the doctrine. " Pray, sir," said the 
 doctor, "what do you think man can contribute to his own conversion?" 
 The gentleman named a variety of particulars. — "And have you done all 
 this?" said Dr. Gill. "Why, no," said the other; "I cannot say I have 
 yet; but I hope I shall begin soon." — "If you have these things in your 
 power," said the doctor, " and have not done them, you deserve to be 
 damned, and are but ill qualified to be an advocate for free-will which has 
 done you so little good." 
 
 " My guilt appeared but small before. 
 Till terribly I saw 
 How perfect, holy, just, and pure 
 Was Thine eternal law. 
 
 " Then felt my soul the heavy load, 
 My sins revived again ; 
 I had provoked a dreadful God, 
 And all my hopes were slain." — Watts. 
 
 Quest. 83. Are all transgressions of the law equally/ hein^iis ? 
 Ans. Some sins in themselves, and by reason of several 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 197 
 
 aggravations, are more heinous in the sight of God than 
 others. 
 
 Matt. xii. 31. Wherefore I say unto 
 you, All manner of sin and blasphemy 
 shall be forgiven unto men : but the blas- 
 phemy against the Holy Ghost shall not 
 be forgiven unto men. Ver. 32. And who- 
 soever speaketh a word against the Son of 
 man, it shall be forgiven him : but whoso- 
 ever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it 
 shall not be forgiven him, neither in this 
 world, neither in the world to come. 
 
 Luke xii. 47. And that servant, which 
 knew his lord's wiU, and prepared not 
 himself, neither did according to his will, 
 shall be beaten with many stripes. Ver. 
 48. But he that knew not, and did commit 
 things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten 
 with few stripes. For unto whomsoever 
 
 much is given, of him shall be much re- 
 quired. 
 
 Heb. X. 28. He that despised Moses' 
 law died without mercy under two or 
 three witnesses: Ver. 29. Of how much 
 sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be 
 thought worthy, who hath trodden under 
 foot the Son of God, and hath counted the 
 blood of the covenant, wherewith he was 
 sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath 
 done despite unto the Spirit of grace ? 
 
 Matt. x. 15. Verily I say unto you. It 
 shall be more tolerable for the land of 
 Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judg- 
 ment, than for that city. 
 
 John xix. 11. He that delivered me 
 unto thee hath the greater sin. 
 
 There are different degrees of guilt. 
 
 I. Some sins are more heinous in the sight of God than others. — All sin is 
 hateful or offensive to God. The heinousness of sin is the odiousness of it 
 to God. Some sins in themselves are more heinous from their nature, apart 
 from circumstances. 
 
 II. Some are more heinous by reason of several aggravations, which may arise 
 from various circumstances. 
 
 1. The position of the sinner— from knowledge, advantages, etc. 
 
 2. From the persons sinned against — as against a God so holy; against 
 God's cause; or again, against the young, the weak, etc., tempting and de- 
 stroying them. 
 
 3. Prom the nature and circumstances of the sin— as against light, on 
 sacred day or in sacred place, or amidst special privileges. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. Never think lightly of sin. 
 
 2. As there are degrees of sin. 
 
 will there be degrees of punishment. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 An Indian chief having been at one time a little intoxicated, his friend 
 said to him, " There is one thing very strange, and what I cannot account 
 for,— it is, why Indians get so much oftener drunk than the white people." 
 " Do you think that strange ?" said the old chief. " It is not strange at all. 
 The Indians think it no harm to get drunk whenever they can ; but you 
 white men say it is a sin, and get drunk nevertheless." 
 
 " I was lately called to visit a sick person. On entering the room I found 
 him very weak in body and troubled in mind. Seeing a Bible lying upon a 
 table near the chair on which he sat, I said, ' You have a blessed book there. ' 
 
198 
 
 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 * Yes,' he replied ; ' but the sight of it is like a dagger to my heart.' — ' Can- 
 not you read it?' 'Oh yes, yes! I have read it again and again; but I 
 have not properly regarded it, nor minded what I have read in it. It con- 
 demns my conduct, it troubles my mind ; and now, oh, what must become of 
 my soul ?' — I could not attempt, nor did I wish, to justify such neglect. I 
 therefore spoke in a plain manner against such a course, and at the same 
 time pointed out Jesus as the only possible means of escape and way by 
 which pardon and peace could be secured. This advice seemed to increase 
 his sorrow and anguish. I closed the affecting visit with prayer, and left 
 the room deeply impressed with the words of the wise man, ' The spirit of a 
 man will sustain his infirmity, but a wounded spirit who can bear?' Not 
 many days after, I committed the mortal part to the earth from which it was 
 taken, and the soul had been summoned to the bar of that God who 
 gave it." 
 
 Bishop Bonner, who had persecuted many Protestants to the death under 
 the " bloody Mary," was at length sent to the Tower in the days of Elizabeth. 
 He used to visit the other prisoners, and call them friends and neighbours. 
 One bade him begone, saying, " I killed but one man, on a provocation, and 
 do truly repent of it ; but you killed many holy persons of all sorts, without 
 any provocation from them, and are hardened in your impenitence." 
 
 My lips with shame my sins confess 
 Against thy law, against thy grace ; 
 Lord, should thy judgment grow severe, 
 I am condemned, but thou art clear." — Watts. 
 
 Quest. 84. What doth every sin deserve ? 
 Ans. Every sin deserveth God's wrath ana curse, both in 
 this life, and that which is to come. 
 
 Rom. vi. 23. The wages of sin is death, 
 
 EzEK. xviii 4. The soul that sinneth, it 
 shall die. 
 
 Gal. iii. - 10. Cursed is every one that 
 continueth not in all things which are 
 written in the book of the law to do 
 them. 
 
 Matt. xxv. 41. Then shall he say also 
 unto them on the left hand, Depart from 
 
 me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, pre- 
 pared for the devil and his angels. Ver. 
 46. And these shall go away into everlast- 
 ing punishment: but the righteous into 
 life eternal. 
 
 John iii. 36. He that believeth on the 
 Son hath everlasting life : and he that be- 
 lieveth not the Son shall not see life ; but 
 the wrath of God abideth on him. 
 
 I. Sin is 80 great an evil in the sight of God that it deserves punishment. — It 
 is a transgression of God's holy law. 
 
 II. The wrath and curse of God are due to sin. — As a just God, he punishes 
 sin: Nahum i. 2. His wrath is his vengeance on the transgressor. His 
 curse is the legal doom against guilt. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 199 
 
 III. Every sin deserves the tvrath and curse of God. — The least sin is against 
 the greatest authority. God has revealed his wrath against sin. The human 
 conscience itself condemns sin. 
 
 IV. Evei'p sin deserves God's wrath and curse in this life. — As soon as sin is 
 committed it is worthy of the divine judgment. Sin produces misery in this 
 life as soon as it is committed. 
 
 V. Every sin deserves God's wrath and curse in the world to come. — The 
 judgment for sin is not executed in this life. God hath appointed a day in 
 which he will judge the world in righteousness. We must all appear at that 
 judgment-seat. The full punishment of sin is in the future, in hell. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. One sin is an awful evil. 
 
 2. A divine Redeemer alone can save from sin. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 "Sin includes guilt and pollution: the one expresses its relation to the 
 justice, the other to the holiness of God. These two elements of sin are 
 revealed in the conscience of every sinner. He knows himself to be amenable 
 to the justice of God, and offensive in his holy eyes. He is to himself even 
 hateful and degraded and self-condemned. There are, however, two things 
 included in guilt. The one we express by the words criminality, demerit, 
 and blameworthiness ; the other is the obligation to suffer the punishment 
 due to our offences. These are evidently distinct, although expressed by 
 the same word The Bible constantly declares that sin, and all sin, every- 
 thing which bears its nature, is not only hateful in the sight of a holy God, 
 but is the object of his wrath and indignation, the just ground for the inflic- 
 tion of punishment." — Dr. Hodge. 
 
 " Hell is no discovery of the Bible. In vain do men flee from Christianity 
 to escape what their uneasy consciences feel to be a painful doctrine ; one 
 which, in their anxiety to lull the conscience asleep, they reject as a doctrine 
 of incredible horrors. If that is an objection to this book, it is equally an 
 
 objection to every religious creed which men have ever held and cherished 
 
 The voices of all nations, of all tongues, rude or polished, have proclaimed a 
 hell. No heathen religion but had a hell, and warned its followers of a 
 place beyond the grave where vice shall meet the doom which it escaped on 
 earth. And in their pictures of the damned we see avarice forced to drink 
 molten gold, and eternal vultures tearing at the heart of lust and cruelty. 
 What, again, is the voice of nature, but an echo of words we do well to 
 take heed to — ' Be sure your sin will find you out.' " — Dr. Gxithrie. 
 
 A venerable minister having preached on future punishment, was visited 
 by a man who wished to bring the doctrine into ridicule. " You say," said 
 he, "that the wicked shall go into everlasting punishment, and I do not 
 think they will." "If that is all," said the minister, "there is no dispute 
 between you and me. If you turn to Matt. xxv. 46, you will find that the 
 dispute is between you and the Lord Jesus Christ ; and I advise you to go 
 immediately and settle it with him." 
 
200 
 
 THE SHOKTER CATECHISM. 
 
 Lord, from the depths to thee I cry'd. 
 
 My voice, Lord, do thou hear : 
 Unto my supplication's voice 
 
 Give an attentive ear. 
 Lord, who shall stand, if thou, Lord, 
 
 Should'st mark iniquity ? 
 But yet with thee forgiveness is, 
 
 That fear'd thou may est be." — Psalm exxx. 1-4. 
 
 Quest. 85. What doth God require of us, that we may escape 
 his wrath and curse, due to us for sin ? 
 
 Ans. To escape the wrath and curse of God, due to us for 
 sin, God requireth of us faith in Jesus Christ, repentance unto 
 life, with the diligent use of all the outward means whereby 
 Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption. 
 
 John iii. 16. For God so loved the world, 
 that he gave his only begotten Son, that 
 whosoever believeth in him should not 
 perish, but have everlasting life. 
 
 John vi. 29. Jesus answered and said 
 unto them, This is the work of God, that 
 ye believe on him whom he hath sent. 
 
 1 John iii. 23. This is his commandment, 
 That we should believe on the name of his 
 Son Jesus Christ. 
 
 Acts xvi. 31. And they said, Believe on 
 the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be 
 saved, and thy house. 
 
 Acts xx. 21. Testifying both to the Jews, 
 
 and also to the Greeks, repentance toward 
 God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus 
 Christ. 
 
 Prov. ii. 1. My son, if thou wilt receive 
 my words, and hide my commandments 
 with thee; Ver. 2. So that thou incline 
 thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine 
 heart to understanding; Ver. 3. Yea, if 
 thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up 
 thy voice for understanding; Ver. 4. If 
 thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for 
 her as for hid treasures; Ver. 5. Then 
 shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, 
 and find the knowledge of God, 
 
 God himself has made provision for the salvation of sinners. He gave his 
 Son to be the Saviour. The Lord Jesus Christ wrought out the redemption. 
 All the merii of procuring it is his. We can do nothing to win it ; but it is 
 our duty to receive it in the way that God has appointed. 
 
 The divine way is summarized here. 
 
 I. God requires of us faith in Jesus Christ. — It is necessary that we trust 
 the Saviour. Faith is the means of union to him. It is the reception of his 
 gospel, and of himself. Without faith it is impossible to please God. 
 
 II. Repentance unto life is required. — God commands it. Christ is exalted 
 to bestow it. Without repentance there can be no reformation. They that 
 truly repent shall not perish. 
 
 III. The diligent use of the means of grace is required. — They are divine 
 appointments for our benefit. They are adapted to our mental state and 
 capacity. They are calculated to impress the soul. God has promised to 
 bless the means he has appointed. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 201 
 
 By these Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption. It is 
 therefore beconaing and necessary that we diligently use them. 
 
 1. An anxious inquirer should know the divine way of salvation. 
 
 2. Every inquirer should at once follow the divine requirements. 
 
 3. If we accept God's terms we are certain of getting his blessing. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 The jailer at Philippi put this important inquiry, " What must I do to be 
 saved?" and the apostle answered him, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, 
 and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." He believed, and rejoiced in the 
 salvation. He accepted the divine terms, and realized the blessing. 
 
 The multitude at Pentecost evidenced the same. They were convinced of 
 sin, they inquired what they must do, and were told to repent and believe 
 on the Lord Jesus Christ. They believed and were happy. In both cases 
 the outward means were diligently used. 
 
 " It is just a year this day," said Mrs. Judson, "since I entertained hope 
 in Christ. About this time in the evening, when reflecting on the words of 
 the lepers, * If we enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and 
 we shall die there; and if we sit still here, we die also;' I felt that if I 
 returned to the world I should surely perish, if I stayed where I was I 
 should perish, and I could but perish if I threw myself on the mercy of 
 Christ. Then came light, and relief, and comfort, such as I never knew 
 before." Just as the lepers went to the camp and found provision, so she 
 went to Christ and found salvation. But there is no peradventure here, for 
 Christ has revealed and pledged salvation to them that come. 
 
 Professor Ruggles of Dartmouth College was one day walking with a 
 party of ladies on the banks of the Niagara river. A parasol having slipped 
 from the hand of one of the party, he attempted to recover it ; but in doing 
 so, he lost his footing, rolled down, and but for an upturned tree root which 
 he caught hold of, would have fallen over a precipice. The ladies shrieked, 
 but no help was at hand. One of them then took off her skirt and tore it 
 into strips, which she tied together, and made a rope long enough to reach 
 down to the professor ; who, taking hold of it, was able to walk slowly up 
 the bank. The suspense was awful. Had the rope given way. Professor 
 Ruggles would have been dashed to pieces on the rocks a hundred feet 
 below ! Thus the souls of men are imperilled ; but the great cable of Hope is 
 thrown out for their rescue. Whosoever takes hold will find it firm and 
 equal to the strain. 
 
 Many years since, a steamboat was accustomed to make daily trips between 
 Buffalo and Niagara Falls. The nearest point at which she could approach 
 the mighty cataract was Chippewa Creek, about ten miles distant from the 
 Canada side. One day there was a pleasure excursion in which were several 
 hundreds of men, women, and children, from Buffalo. On their return it 
 was found that sufficient steam had not been generated ; and in passing out 
 
202 
 
 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 of the creek the boat was drawn by the current toward the mighty cataract ! 
 The passengers were instantly alarmed. The colour fled from their cheeks; 
 they stood in speechless horror as they heard the roar of the Falls, and saw 
 that they were being drawn slowly toward them. At length the engineer 
 thought of the oil which he had for lubricating the machinery. He threw it 
 into the furnace. The flame blazed intensely ; steam was generated quickly, 
 and the wheels moved more rapidly. There was a solemn pause as the two 
 Titan forces contended for the mastery. One moment more, and it was 
 evident that the boat was making way against the current. In a short time 
 the danger was past. A venerable man among the passengers said, " The 
 Lord hath delivered us. Great is the name of the Lord. Let us pray." 
 The multitude knelt down on the deck, while the heart-felt offering of thanks- 
 giving rose up to the God of their salvation. It did not end there. Many, 
 under the sense of that great escape, sought the salvation of Jesus Christ. 
 A revival of religion followed in the congregation to which many of them 
 belonged, and numbers found the peace of believing. One, a man of great 
 wealth, dedicated much of it to building a church as a memorial of his escape 
 from destruction in this life and that which is to come. 
 
 " Haste, sinner, haste ! there is mercy for thee; 
 But wrath is preparing — flee, lingerer, flee ! " 
 
 Quest. 86. What is faith in Jesus Christ ? 
 
 Ans. Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we 
 receive and rest upon him alone for salvation, as he is offered 
 to us in the gospel. 
 
 Eph. ii. 8. For by grace are ye saved 
 through faith ; and that not of yourselves : 
 it is the gift of God. 
 
 John i. 12. But as many as received him, 
 to them gave he power to become the sons 
 of God, even to them that believe on his 
 
 Acts xvi. 30. Sirs, what must I do to be 
 saved? Ver. 31. And they said, Believe 
 on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt 
 be saved, and thy house. 
 
 Gal. ii. 16. Knowing that a man is not 
 justified by the works of the law, but by 
 the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have 
 believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be 
 justified by the faith of Christ, and not by 
 the works of the law. 
 
 Eph. i, 13. In whom ye also trusted, 
 after that ye heard the word of truth, the 
 gospel of your salvation. 
 
 RoM. X. 6. But the righteousness which 
 is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not 
 in thine heart. Who shall ascend into 
 heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from 
 above:) Ver. 7. Or, Who shall descend 
 into the deep ? (that is, to bring up Christ 
 again from the dead.) Ver. 8. But what 
 saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in 
 thy mouth, and in thy heart : that is, the 
 word of faith, which we preach ; Ver. 9. 
 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth 
 the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine 
 heart that God hath raised him from the 
 dead, thou shalt bo saved. Ver. 10. For 
 with the heart man believeth unto right- 
 eousness; and with the mouth confession 
 is made unto salvation. 
 
 John iii. 3G. Ho that believeth on the 
 Son hath everlasting life : and he that be- 
 lieveth not the Son shall not see life. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 203 
 
 I. What faith is. — It is tnist or belief. It is holding any one or any thing 
 to be true, and putting confidence. It is conviction founded on testimony. 
 It is a saving grace, inasmuch as it is the gift of God ; but as it is a human 
 duty, it is the exercise of confidence or trust. 
 
 II. In whom faith is placed. — In Jesus Christ. He is the object of faith 
 for salvation : Acts xvi. 31. He is received by faith : John i. 12. Christ is 
 represented as a gift to be received : 2 Cor. ix. 15, He is rested on by faith : 
 Isa. xxvi. 3. Christ is represented as a foundation : 1 Cor. iii. 11. He is 
 the sole object of faith for salvation : Acts iv. 12. Christ alone is the Re- 
 deemer, and he alone is to be trusted by the soul. 
 
 III. For what this faith is exercised. 
 
 1. For salvation from the wrath and curse of God, due to us for sin. The 
 greatest of all deliverances is thus secured. 
 
 2. For salvation from sin in its guilt, which brings the wrath of God. 
 
 3. For salvation from sin in its corruption in the soul itself. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. Salvation is offered to every one through Christ. 
 
 2. Salvation is received by faith in Christ. 
 
 3. The wrath of God abideth on the unbeliever : John iii. 36. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 " The Scriptures declare that God is love ; that he set forth his Son to be 
 a propitiation for sin ; that in him he is reconciled ; that he will receive all 
 who come to him through Christ. To appropriate these general declarations 
 is to believe that they are true, not only in relation to others, but to our- 
 selves ; that God is reconciled to us. We have no right to exclude ourselves. 
 This self-exclusion is unbelief. It is refusing to take of the water of life, 
 freely offered to all." — Dr. Hodge. 
 
 The Rev. David Dickson, Professor of Divinity in the University of 
 Edinburgh, said on his death -bed : "I have taken my good deeds and my 
 bad deeds and thrown them together in a heap, and fled from them both to 
 Christ; and in him I have peace." 
 
 " I have seen Christ to be the all-sufficient Saviour you have described him 
 to be," said a lady to the Rev. Dr. Mason ; " and God has mercifully 
 snatched me from that abyss of infidelity in which I was sunk, and placed 
 me on the Rock of Ages. There I am secure ; there I shall remain. I know 
 in whom I have believed." 
 
 The excellent Mr. Jay of Bath said that he was once called to attend the 
 dying bed of a young female. In answer to his inquiry, she said : " I have 
 little to relate as to my own experience. I have been much tried and 
 tempted, but this is my sheet-anchor : He hath said, ' Him that cometh unto 
 me I will in no wise cast out.' I know that I come to him, and / expect that 
 he will he as good as his word. Poor and unworthy as I am, he will not trifle 
 with me, nor deceive me. It would be beneath his greatness as well as his 
 goodness." 
 
 Dr. Doddridge said : " My confidence is not that I have lived such and 
 
204 
 
 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 such a life, or served Grod in this or the other manner ; I know of no prayer 
 I ever offered, no service I ever performed, but there has been such a mixture 
 of what was wrong in it, that instead of recommending me to the favour of 
 God, I needed his pardon through Christ for the same. Yet I am full of 
 confidence ; and this is my confidence — there is a hope set before me. I have 
 fled, I still fly for refuge to that hope." 
 
 " My faith looks up to thee. 
 Thou Lamb of Calvary, 
 
 Saviour Divine : 
 Now hear me while I pray ; 
 Take all my guilt away ; 
 O let me from this day 
 
 Be wholly thine." — Bay Palmer. 
 
 Quest. 87. What is repentance unto life ? 
 
 Ans. Repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby a sinner, 
 out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of 
 God in Christ, doth, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from 
 it unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavour after, new 
 obedience. 
 
 2 Cor. vii. 10. Godly sorrow worketh re- 
 pentance to salvation not to be repented of. 
 
 Acts xi. 18. When they heard these 
 things, they held their peace, and glorified 
 God, saying, Then hath God also to the 
 Gentiles granted repentance unto life. 
 
 Ps. li. 3. For I acknowledge my trans- 
 gressions : and my sin is ever before me. 
 Ver. 4. Against thee, thee only, have I 
 sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: 
 that thou mightest be justified when thou 
 speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. 
 
 Luke xv. 17. And when he came to him- 
 self, he said, How many hired servants of 
 my father's have bread enough and to 
 spare, and I perish with hunger ! Ver. 18. 
 I will arise and go to my father, and will 
 say unto him, Father, I have sinned against 
 heaven, and before thee, Ver. 19. And am 
 
 no more worthy to be called thy son : make 
 me as one of thy hired servants. Ver. 20. 
 And he arose, and came to his father. 
 
 EzEK. xviii. 30. Repent, and turn your- 
 selves from all your transgressions; so 
 iniquity shall not be your ruin. Ver. 31. 
 Cast away from you all your transgressions, 
 whereby ye have transgressed; and make 
 you a new heart and a new spirit : for why 
 will ye die, O house of Israel? Ver. 32. 
 For I have no pleasure in the death of him 
 that dieth, saith the Lord God : wherefore 
 turn yourselves, and live ye. 
 
 Lam. iii. 40. Let us search and try our 
 ways, and turn again to the Lord. 
 
 Ps. cxix. 59. I thought on my ways, and 
 turned my feet unto thy testimonies. Ver. 
 60. I made haste, and delayed not to keep 
 thy commandments. 
 
 I. The nature of repentance. — It is a change of mind. 
 
 II. The means of repentance. — The Word of God by the Spirit. 
 
 1. A true sense of sin, as in the case of the prodigal. 
 
 2. An apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ. The recognition of 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 205 
 
 mercy alone is sufficient to occasion repentance unto life. Sense of sin may 
 bring sorrow, but would lead to remorse, not reformation. 
 
 III. The fruits of repentance. 
 
 1. A sorrow for sin : 2 Cor. vii. 9, 10. 
 
 2. A hatred of sin : Ezek. xxxvi. 31. 
 
 3. A turning from sin to God ; as Saul of Tarsus, Acts ix. 6 ; as Ephraim, 
 Jer. xxxi. 18. 
 
 4. New obedience : Ps. cxix. 59. 
 
 IV. The Author of repentance. — God, by his saving grace : Acts xi. 18. 
 Christ is exalted to give repentance : Acts v. 31. God is said to pour out 
 his Spirit to produce it : Zech. xii. 10. 
 
 V. The duty of repentance. — God commandeth all men everywhere to 
 repent : Acts xvii. 30. This was urged by Christ and his apostles constantly. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. Repentance is essential to salvation : Luke xiii. 3, 5. 
 
 2. True repentance is habitual, till sin is for ever removed from the soul. 
 
 3. There is great danger in delaying repentance : Heb. xii. 17. 
 
 4. There are great encouragements to repentance : Luke xv. 11-24. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 " The Christian religion, as St. Paul preached it both to Jews and Gentiles, 
 consists of ' repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus 
 Christ,' and may therefore be properly called the religion of a sinner ; for 
 none but sinners need repentance, or faith in a Mediator, which through him 
 is preached to all that believe. This consideration ought carefully to be 
 attended to : Jesus Christ came ' not to call the righteous, but sinners to 
 repentance ; ' and if men lose sight of this peculiarity of the gospel, they will 
 mistake it in a fundamental concern." — Dr. T. Scott. 
 
 " As I walked through the wilderness of this world, I lighted on a certain 
 place where was a den, and laid me down in this place to sleep ; and as I 
 slept I dreamed a dream. I dreamed, and behold I saw a man clothed with 
 rags, standing in a certain place, with his face from his own house, a book 
 in his hand, and a great burden upon his back. I looked, and I saw him 
 open the book and read therein; and as he read he wept and trembled ; and 
 not being able longer to contain, he brake out with a lamentable cry, saying, 
 ' What shall I do ?' " — John Bunyan. 
 
 " I pay more attention to people's lives than to their deaths. In all the 
 visits I have paid to the sick during the course of a long ministry, I never 
 met with one, who was not previously serious, that ever recovered from what 
 he supposed the brink of death, who afterwards performed his vows, and 
 became religious, notwithstanding the very great appearance there was in 
 their favour when they thought they could not recover." — Booth. 
 
 A pious English physician stated that he had known three hundred sick 
 persons who had professed repentance, and who eventually recovered from 
 their disease ; but only ten on recovery gave any evidence of being truly 
 regenerated. 
 
206 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 A clergyman who in forty years attended two thousand cases of persons 
 apparently dying, and wRo professed penitence, stated that not more than 
 two of them ever showed the fruit of repentance on recovery. 
 
 "Father," said a little girl, "can you spell repentance?" The simple 
 appeal went to the conscience, and the man was convinced of sin, and 
 turned to Christ. 
 
 " I remember reading of a remarkable event that occurred in a place of 
 worship where a Puritan minister — Mr. Doolittle — was preaching two 
 hundred years ago. Just as he was about to begin his sermon, he saw a 
 young man, a stranger, coming into the church. He guessed by the young 
 man's manner that he was anxious about his soul, and yet undecided about 
 religion. He took a remarkable course with him. He tried a curious 
 experiment ; but God blessed it to the young man's soul. Before Mr. Doo- 
 little gave out his text, he turned to an old Christian whom he saw on one 
 side of the church. He addressed him by name, and said to him, ' Brother, 
 do you repent of having served God?' The old Christian stood up manfully 
 before the congregation and said, ' Sir, I have served the Lord from my 
 youth, and he has never done me anything but good.' He turned to the left 
 hand, where he saw another Christian, and addressed him in the same way. 
 * Brother,' said he, ' do you repent of having served Christ?' That man also 
 stood up manfully before the congregation and said, ' Sir, I never was truly 
 happy till I took up the cross and served the Lord Jesus Christ.' Then Mr. 
 Doolittle turned to the young man and said, ' Young man, will you repent ? 
 Young man, will you take up the cross ? Young man, will you this day 
 begin to serve Christ ?' God sent power with these words. The young man 
 stood up before the congregation and said, in a humble tone, ' Yes, sir, I 
 will.' That very day was the beginning of eternal life in that young man's 
 soul."— ifev. J, C. RyJe. 
 
 " No ! not despairingly 
 
 Come I to thee ; 
 No ! not distrustingly 
 
 Bend I the knee. 
 Sin hath gone over me. 
 Yet is this still my plea, 
 
 Jesus hath died. 
 
 " Ah ! mine iniquity 
 
 Crimson hath been ; 
 Infinite, infinite. 
 
 Sin upon sin. 
 Sin of not loving thee. 
 Sin of not trusting thee, 
 
 Infinite sin. 
 
 " Lord, I confess to thee 
 Sadly my sin ; 
 All I am, tell I thee. 
 All I have been. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 207 
 
 Purge thou my sin away, 
 Wash thou my soul this day, 
 Lord, make me clean." — Dr. H. Bonar. 
 
 Quest. 88 What are the outward means whereby Christ coni- 
 municateth to us the benefits of redemption ? 
 
 Ans. The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ com- 
 municateth to us the benefits of redemption, are his ordinances, 
 especially the word, sacraments, and prayer; all which are 
 made effectual to the elect for salvation. 
 
 Matt, xxviii. 20. Teaching them to ob- 
 serve all things whatsoever I have com- 
 manded you. 
 
 Acts ii. 42. And they continued sted- 
 fastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellow- 
 ship, and in breaking of bread, and in 
 prayers. 
 
 1 Tim. iii. 15. But if I tarry long, that 
 thou mayest know how thou oughtest to 
 behave thyself in the house of God, which 
 is the church of the living God, the pillar 
 and ground of the truth. 
 
 2 Tim. iii. 15. From a child thou hast 
 known the Holy Scriptures, which are able 
 to make thee wise unto salvation through 
 faith which is in Christ Jesus. 
 
 EoM. X. 17. Faith cometh by hearing, 
 and hearing by the word of God. 
 
 1 Peter iii. 21. The like figure where- 
 unto even baptism doth also now save us 
 (not the putting away of the filth of the 
 flesh, but the answer of a good conscience 
 toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus 
 Christ. 
 
 1 CoR. X. 16. The cup of blessing which 
 we bless, is it not the communion of the 
 blood of Christ? The bread which we 
 break, is it not the communion of the 
 body of Christ ? 
 
 Luke xi. 9. Ask, and it shall be given 
 you. 
 
 1 Cor. iii. 6. I have planted, ApoUos 
 watered ; but God gave the increase. Ver. 
 7. So then neither is he that planteth any 
 thing, neither he that watereth ; but God 
 that giveth the increase. 
 
 I. Christ has appointed means of grace. — He alone has authority : Eph. i. 
 22. He fully knew what was needed by men. 
 
 II. He appointed them for the purpose of communicating the benefits of re- 
 demption.— Re procured redemption : Gal. iii. 13. He imparts its benefits 
 to men : Matt, xxviii. 19, 20 ; Acts v. 31. 
 
 III. The means of grace. — They are three : — 
 
 1. The Word of God. It is inspired : 2 Tim. iii. 16. It contains the will 
 of God for our salvation : John xx. 31. It builds us up in the faith : Luke 
 iv. 4. It is divinely efficacious to the welfare of the soul : James i. 21. 
 
 2. The sacraments. These are visible signs of grace : Rom. iv. 11. They 
 refresh the believer : Acts viii. 39. They present Christ as a Saviour. 
 
 3. Prayer. It is appointed by God. He hears it: Ps. Ixv. 2. He 
 answers it : James i. 5. It is the cry of his children. 
 
 IV. The means of grace are made effectual to the elect for salvation. — There 
 are many who hear the word and do not profit : Heb. iv. 1, 2. God's grace 
 is given to make the word effectual : Acts ii. 47 ; xiii. 48 ; 1 Cor. i. 21. 
 
 u 
 
208 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. The means of grace are adapted to our need. 
 
 2. Let us make full use of them. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 " By 'means of grace ' is not meant every instrumentality which God may 
 please to make the means of spiritual edification to his children. The phrase 
 is intended to indicate those institutions which God has ordained to be the 
 ordinary channels of grace — that is, of the supernatural influences of the Holy 
 Spirit— to the souls of men. The means of grace, according to the standards 
 of our Church, are the Word, sacraments, and prayer." — Dr. Hodge. 
 
 Wherever the Word of God is unknown, people are in darkness. When 
 the Bible was brought forth at the era of the Reformation, light spread over 
 nations. Wherever the young are taught its truths, true religion flourishes. 
 
 A poor soldier in the Crimean War cast himself upon the ground, probably 
 to die. " One drop, one drop," he cried. *' Not a drop of drink in my can- 
 teen," said his comrade. "What can I do for you?" "Bill," said he, 
 "open my knapsack and get it — my Bible — and let me have a drop from 
 that." Bill did so, found the Bible, and began to read. "That's it," said 
 the soldier : " it's the blood of Christ which heals our smarts. The blood of 
 Christ makes peace between God and us poor sinners. I shall never get 
 home to England again ; but, blessed be God, I shall get to a better country, 
 through Christ, the living way. Ah, Bill ! if ever the Bible was written for 
 any man, it was written for the soldier." 
 
 The late Dr. Kidd, Professor of Oriental Languages in the University of 
 Aberdeen, was originally a poor boy. His mind, taught by a pious mother, 
 caught a flame of love for the New Testament. He reposed with it under 
 his pillow at night. It was his last care when going to sleep, and his first 
 when he awoke. His mind expanded in the knowledge of the Scriptures, 
 and his memory became retentive of their truths. When about eight years 
 of age he went to the Presbyterian meeting-house of Broughshane, in the 
 county of Antrim, Ireland, on a communion Sabbath. His mother was a 
 member of that congregation, and he accompanied her. Agreeably to the 
 ancient usage of the Scottish Kirk, it was at that time customary for Pres- 
 byterian clergymen to be habited in blue when dispensing the Lord's supper. 
 The appearance of the minister, the Rev. Charles Brown, in this singular 
 dress, the snow-white covering of the sacramental table, the view of the holy 
 elements, the solemnity of the subjects, and the devotion of the people, made 
 an indelible impression on his young mind ; and he frequently declared that 
 on that day and in that place he formed the resolution of using every 
 endeavour to become qualified for being a preacher of the gospel of Christ. 
 It was the pursuit of knowledge under difiiculties ; but he triumphed. He 
 emigrated to AAierica, and managed to acquire a good education. He 
 learned Hebrew so well as to be elected professor of that language in Mari- 
 schal College, Aberdeen. He became also a fervent and successful preacher 
 of the gospel. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 209 
 
 " It was our communion last Sabbath," wrote Alexander Paterson to his 
 friend Robert Edie; " and I think I never felt my soul more drawn forth to 
 Jesus, and away from myself and every creature. And oh, if communion 
 on earth be so sweet, what must it be in heaven, where there is no wandering 
 heart, and no tempting devil, and no ensnaring world?" — Baillie: " The Mis- 
 sioyiary of Kilmany." 
 
 The Rev. Mr, Kilpin of Exeter marked every pew in his chapel on the 
 divisions of the paper which covered his parlour study, and also the names 
 of their occupants in short-hand, lest any of his people should be forgotten. 
 Here he daily presented his petitions to God for the spiritual prosperity of 
 each, according to their various situations and wants, as far as he knew their 
 characters, temptations, and trials. 
 
 "We are bound to use every scriptural means to obtain the good we 
 need. The sanctuary, the meeting for prayer, the Bible, the company of 
 the saints, private prayer and meditation — these revive the soul. We must 
 dig the wells. If there be rocky granite, we must bore it. We must not be 
 disturbed by the labour of our duties, but continue to dig still. And what a 
 
 mercy ! if the well has ever so small a bore the water will flow In none 
 
 of these is there any benefit, unless God the Holy Spirit shall own and crown 
 them. These are like the conduit-pipes of the market-place : when the foun- 
 tain-head floweth with water then they are full, and we derive a blessing 
 from them ; but if the stream be stayed, if the fountain-head doth cease to 
 give forth its current, then these are wells without water, clouds without 
 rain ; and ye may go to ordinances as an Arab turns to his skin-bottle 
 when it is dry, and with your parched lips you may suck the wind and drink 
 the whirlwind, but receive neither comfort, nor blessing, nor instruction 
 from the means of gt&ce." —Spurgeon. 
 
 " Lord, endue thy Word from heaven 
 With such light, and love, and power, 
 That in us its silent leaven 
 May work on from hour to hour. 
 
 " Give us grace to bear our witness 
 To the truths we have embraced, 
 And let others both their sweetness 
 
 And their quickening virtue taste." — Spitta. 
 
 Quest. 89. How is the word made effectual to salvation ? 
 
 Ans. The Spirit of God maketh the reading, but especially 
 the preaching of the word, an effectual means of convincing and 
 converting sinners, and of building them up in holiness and 
 comfort, through faith, unto salvation. 
 
210 
 
 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 Ps. xix. 7. The law of the Lord is per- 
 fect, converting the soul: the testimony 
 of the Lord is sure, making wise the 
 simple. Ver. 8. The statutes of the Lord 
 are right, rejoicing the heart: the com- 
 mandment of the Lord is pure, enlighten- 
 ing the eyes. 
 
 2 Tim. iv. L I charge thee therefore be- 
 fore God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who 
 shall judge the quick and the dead at his 
 appearing and his kingdom ; Ver. 2. Preach 
 the word ; be instant in season, out of sea- 
 son ; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long- 
 suffering and doctrine. 
 
 Acts xxvi. 17. Delivering thee from the 
 people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom 
 now I send thee, Ver. 18. To open their 
 eyes, and to turn them from darkness to 
 
 light, and from the power of Satan unto 
 God, that they may receive forgiveness of 
 sins, and inheritance among them which 
 are sanctified by faith that is in me. 
 
 JoHK xvii. 17. Sanctify them through 
 thy truth : thy word is truth. 
 
 EoM. XV. 4. For whatsoever things were 
 written aforetime were written for our 
 learning, that we through patience and 
 comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. 
 
 1 Thess. i. 6. And ye became followers 
 of us, and of the Lord, having received the 
 word in much affliction, with joy of the 
 Holy Ghost. 
 
 Rom. i. 16. For I am not ashamed of 
 the gospel of Christ: for it is the power 
 of God unto salvation to every one that 
 believeth. 
 
 I. The reading, hut especially the preaching of the Word of God, is made by 
 the Spirit of God effectual to salvation. 
 
 1. The Word of God is given for our instruction ; to be read by all with 
 reverence, in faith, and in the spirit of prayer for enlightenment. 
 
 2. The Word is to be preached. Christ sent his apostles to preach. The 
 Word is to be addressed by the living preacher in instructing, convincing, 
 and persuading the mind to embrace the gospel. This work requires zeal, 
 fidelity, and wisdom. 
 
 3. The Spirit of ' God makes this means effectual. It has pleased God 
 *' by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe : " 1 Cor. i. 21. 
 " Faith Cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God : " Rom. x. 17. 
 But the Spirit gives demonstration and power to the Word. 
 
 II. The Word is intended to convince and convert sinners. — By the law is 
 the knowledge of sin : Rom. iii. 20. The Spirit convinces the world of sin : 
 John xvi. 8. The Word is said to convert the soul : Ps. xix. 7. Conversion 
 of the soul to God is by the conviction of the mind through the application 
 of the Word of God by the Holy Spirit, and by the regenerating grace 
 of the Spirit. Faith must be active on the part of the sinner, in order 
 to get salvation. 
 
 III. The Word is intended to build up saints in holiness and comfort. — The 
 Spirit of God uses this means to unfold the glory of Christ in the work of 
 salvation, and to sanctify the soul. Thus the soul is built up in doctrine, in 
 grace, and in holiness. 
 
 Comfort is much needed amidst the trials and sorrows of this world. 
 Hence there are promises exceeding great and precious given to us, to cheer 
 and soothe the soul. Faith ought to be habitually in exercise by the people 
 of God. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. The great value of the Bible. 
 
 2. The importance of preaching. 
 
 3. The necessity of the Holy Spirit. 
 
 4. The great end of all means is our salvation. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 211 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 " I must be permitted to proceed yet one step further, and affirm that the 
 very form in which this presumed revelation has, as we say, been given — 
 that of a Book — is also in strict analogy with the law by which God himself 
 
 has made this an indispensable means of all human progress Man is what 
 
 he is as much, to say the least, by the influence of external causes as by the 
 influence of the internal principles of his constitution. It must be added, 
 that to make that external influence of much efficiency at all, stiU more to 
 render it either universally or progressively beneficial, the world waits for a 
 .Book. Among the varied external influences amidst which the human race 
 is developed, that is incomparably the most important, and the only one 
 that is absolutely essential. Upon it the collective education of the race 
 depends. It is the sole instrument of registering, perpetuating, transmitting 
 thought. Yes, whatever trivial and vulgar associations may impair our dull 
 conceptions of this material and artificial organ of man's development, as 
 compared with the intellectual and moral energies which have recourse to it, 
 but which are almost impotent without it, God has made man's whole career 
 of triumphs dependent upon this same art of writing ! The whole progress 
 of the world he has created he has made dependent upon the alphabet ! 
 Without this, the progress of the individual is inconceivably slow, and with 
 him for the most part progress terminates. By this alone can we gamer the 
 fruits of experience — become wise by the wisdom of others, and strong by 
 their strength. Without this, man everywhere remains, age after age, 
 immovably a savage ; and if he were to lose it when he has once gained it, 
 he would, after a little ineffectual flutter by the aid of tradition, sink into 
 barbarism again I say, then, not only that if God has given man a revela- 
 tion at all, he has but acted in analogy with that law by which he has made 
 him so absolutely dependent on external culture ; but that if he has given it 
 in the form of a Book, he has acted also in strict analogy with the very form 
 in which he has imposed that law of the world. He has simply made use of 
 that instrument which, by the very constitution of our nature and of the 
 world, he has made absolutely essential to the progress and advancement of 
 humanity. May we not conclude from analogy that if God has indeed thus 
 constituted the world, and if he busies himself at aU in the fortunes of poor 
 humanity, he has not disdained to take part in its education, by condescend- 
 ingly using the very instrument which himself has made the condition of all 
 human progress ? " — Henry Rogers: " Eclipse of Faith" 
 
 Francis Junius, a splendid scholar, at one time prejudiced against the Scrip- 
 tures, was afterwards enabled to give this testimony : " My father, who was 
 frequently reading the New Testament, and had long observed with grief the 
 progress I had made in infidelity, had put that book in my way in his library, 
 in order to attract my attention, if it might please God to bless his design, 
 though without giving me the least intimation of it. Here, therefore, I un- 
 wittingly opened the New Testament thus providentially laid before me. At 
 the very first view, as I was deeply engaged in other thoughts, that grand 
 chapter of the evangelist and apostle presented itself to me : ' In the begin- 
 ning was the Word,' etc. I read part of the chapter, and was so affected 
 
212 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 that I instantly became struck with the divinity qf the argument, and the 
 majesty and authority of the composition, as infinitely surpassing the highest 
 flights of human eloquence. My body shuddered, my mind was all in amaze- 
 ment, and I was so agitated the whole day that I scarce knew who I was. 
 'Thou didst remember me, O Lord my God, according to thy boundless 
 mercy, and didst bring back the lost sheep to thy flock.' From that day God 
 wrought so mightily in me by the power of his Spirit that I began to have 
 less relish for other studies, and bent myself with greater ardour and atten- 
 tion to everything which had a relation to God." 
 
 With regard to preaching, the history of the Church is full of illustrations. 
 God's Spirit has blessed preaching to the salvation of souls. Pentecost, the 
 Reformation, the Puritan age, the great revival under Whitefield and 
 Wesley, and the great movements under Moody and Sankey, are powerful 
 testimonies to this. In every faithful ministry preaching has its effects. 
 
 The devils are stronger and more stubborn creatures than any man can 
 be ; yet, because of their full illumination, and that invincible conviction of 
 their consciences from the power of the Word, they believe and tremble at 
 it. Though men were as hard as rocks, the Word is a hammer that can 
 break them ; though as sharp as thorns and briers, the Word is a fire which 
 can devour and torment them ; though as strong as kingdoms and nations, 
 the Word is able to root them up and to pull them down ; though as fierce 
 as dragons and lions, the Word is able to trample upon them and chain 
 them up. 
 
 " Holy Bible, book divine. 
 
 Precious treasure, thou art mine ! 
 
 Mine, to tell me whence I came ; 
 
 Mine, to teach me what I am ; 
 
 " Mine, to chide me when I rove; 
 Mine, to show a Saviour's love ; 
 Mine art thou, to guide my feet ; 
 Mine, to judge, condemn, acquit ; 
 
 *' Mine, to comfort in distress, 
 If the Holy Spirit bless ; 
 Mine, to show by living faith 
 Man can triumph over death ; 
 
 " Mine, to tell of joys to come. 
 And the rebel sinner's doom : 
 Holy Bible, book divine. 
 Precious treasure, thou art mine ! " — Burton. 
 
 Quest. 90. How is the word to be read and heard, that it 7nay 
 become effectual to salvation ? 
 
 Ans. That the word may become effectual to salvation, we 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 213 
 
 must attend thereunto with diligence, preparation, and prayer ; 
 receive it with faith and love, lay it up in our hearts, and 
 practise it in our lives. 
 
 Prov. viii. 34. Blessed is the man that 
 heareth me, watching daily at my gates, 
 waiting at the posts of my doors. 
 
 John v. 39. Search the Scriptures ; for 
 in them ye think ye have eternal life : and 
 they are they which testify of me. 
 
 Acts xvii. 11. These were more noble 
 than those in Thessalonica, in that they 
 received the word with all readiness of 
 mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, 
 whether those things were so. Ver. 12. 
 Therefore many of them believed. 
 
 Ps. cxix. 18. Open thou mine eyes, that I 
 may behold wondrous things out of thy law. 
 
 Heb. iv. 2. For unto us was the gospel 
 preached, as well as unto them : but the 
 
 word preached did not profit them, not 
 being mixed with faith in them that 
 heard it. 
 
 Ps. cxix. 97. how love I thy law ! it is 
 my meditation all the day. 
 
 Ps. cxix. 5. O that my ways were directed 
 to keep thy statutes ! Ver. 33. Teach me, 
 O Lord, the way of thy statutes; and I 
 shall keep it unto the end. 
 
 James i. 22. But be ye doers of the word, 
 and not hearers only, deceiving your own 
 selves. Ver. 25. But whoso looketh into 
 the perfect law of liberty, and continueth 
 therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, 
 but a doer of the work, this man shall be 
 blessed in his deed. 
 
 I. Attention to the Word of God is required. — It demands and merits 
 attention. It contains the record of God's will regarding salvation. 
 
 1. With diligence. Opportunities should be carefully used, as did the 
 Bereans of old. 
 
 2. With preparation. " Take heed how ye hear," said our Lord : Luke 
 viii. 18. We should remember its Author, its object, and our personal 
 responsibility with regard to it. 
 
 3. With prayer. The psalmist sought to have his eyes opened, that he 
 might behold wondrous things out of God's law : Ps. cxix. 18. Christ can 
 open our understanding, as he did that of his disciples, that we may un- 
 derstand the Scriptures : Luke xxiv. 45. The Spirit is given in answer to 
 prayer. 
 
 II. The Word must be received. — It must be personally appropriated. 
 
 1. This is to be done in faith. It is to be believed. All its messages and 
 counsels are to be received in faith of their truth, authority, and value. 
 
 2. It is to be received in love. " O how love I thy law ! " said the psalmist : 
 Ps. cxix. 97. 
 
 It is calculated to engage the affections. The Gospels present Christ to the 
 heart. The Psalms draw out the heart. 
 
 III. It must be improved. 
 
 1. For this purpose it is to be laid up in the heart. This requires medita- 
 tion, as Ps. i. 
 
 2. It must be practised in the life. It calls for obedience : Matt. vii. 24. 
 It should be talked about : Deut. vi. 6, 7. It shovdd dwell in us richly in all 
 wisdom : Col. iii. 16. 
 
 1. Try to get all the good you can from God's Word. 
 
 2. A neglected Bible will condemn the soul. 
 
214 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 When Archbishop Cranmer's edition of the Bible was printed in 1541, and 
 fixed to a desk in all the parish churches of England, people flocked to hear 
 it read. Many who could, pxirchased it ; those who could not, assembled 
 where it was read in churches or in private assemblies. Some learned to 
 read in their old age that they might peruse it. 
 
 When the Bible Society sent the first supply of Bibles to Wales in the 
 Welsh language, in 1816, the people turned out to welcome the cart, as 
 the Hebrews did of old the cart which bore the ark of God. They eagerly 
 bought up every copy. Every child that could read was seen perusing it. 
 Old people went to school to learn their letters ; and there were not enough 
 of spectacles to be got to aid their failing eye-sight. Labourers took the 
 Bible to their work, and perused it in the intervals of labour. Thus arose 
 a revival of religion in Wales, the effects of which are manifest now in 
 a Bible-reading, a Bible-loving, and a Bible-obeying people in the principality 
 of Wales. 
 
 "There are four kinds of readers: the first like the hour-glass — their 
 reading, like the sand, running in and then out, and leaving not a vestige 
 behind ; the second like the sponge, which imbibes everything, only to 
 return it in the same state, or perhaps dirtier ; the third, like the jelly-bag, 
 allows the pure to pass away, keeping only the refuse and the dregs ; 
 and the fourth, like the slaves in the mines of Golconda, casting aside all 
 that is worthless, and retaining only the diamonds and gems. See that you 
 are of the last class, gathering riches from all your reading." — Coleridge. 
 
 A young Christian once heard the Rev. William Jay of Bath give eight 
 reasons why we should be thankful. From that time he put up his thanks- 
 giving every week. On another occasion, hearing a funeral sermon in which 
 the preacher spoke of a lady who set apart a portion of every day to pray for 
 the great reUgious societies of our land, he then and there determined to 
 follow her example, and carried out his resolution. On another occasion, 
 hearing a sermon on Daniel's praying thrice a day, he determined to adopt 
 Daniel's plan, and, though often short of time, did so for thirty years, and 
 declared that he cotdd no more live without it than without his meals. 
 
 "I was once preaching a charity sermon," says the Rev. Richard Cecil, 
 " when the congregation was very large, and chiefly of the lower order. I 
 found it impossible by my usual method of preaching to gain their attention. 
 It was in the afternoon, and my hearers seemed to meet nothing in my 
 preaching which was capable of rousing them out of the stupefaction of a 
 full dinner. Some lounged, and some turned their backs upon me. ' I must 
 HAVE THEIR ATTENTION,' I said to myself. ' I will be heard ! * The case was 
 desperate, and in despair I sought a desperate remedy. I exclaimed aloud, 
 ' Last Monday morning a man was hanged at Tyburn.' Instantly the face 
 of things was changed ! All was silence and expectation ! I caught their 
 ear, and retained it through the sermon." 
 
 A minister in Illinois oflfered to give any impenitent man ten dollars who 
 would read one chapter of the Bible on his knees every morning for three 
 months, commencing with the prayer : " O God, send thy Holy Spirit to 
 
THE SHORTEK CATECHISM. 
 
 215 
 
 convict me of sin, and to lead me in the way of truth." It was accepted by 
 a boastful infidel, who attempted to do his part. He got on well for a few 
 days ; but then conviction fastened heavily upon him, then despair seized 
 him. He then sent for the minister to pray for him ; and after a night's 
 pleading he found peace. 
 
 " The Spirit breathes upon the Word, 
 And brings the truth to sight ; 
 , Precepts and promises afford 
 
 A sanctifying light. 
 
 "A glory gUds the sacred page, 
 Majestic, like the sun : 
 It gives a light to every age ; 
 It gives, but borrows none. 
 
 ''The Hand that gave it still supplies 
 The gracious light and heat ; 
 His truths upon the nations rise ; 
 They rise, but never set." — Gowper. 
 
 Quest, 91. How do the sacraments become effectual means of 
 salvation ? 
 
 Ans. The sacraments become effectual means of salvation, 
 not from any virtue in them, or in him that doth administer 
 them ; but only by the blessing of Christ, and the working of 
 his Spirit in them that by faith receive them. 
 
 Gal. v. 6. For in Jesus Christ neither 
 circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncir- 
 cumcision ; but faith which worketh by 
 love. (Taken with Acts viii. 13, 20-23.) 
 
 1 Cor. iii. 7. So then neither is he that 
 planteth any thing, neither he that 
 watereth; but God that giveth the in- 
 crease. 
 
 1 Peter iii. 21. The like figure where- 
 unto even baptism doth also now save us 
 (not the putting away of the filth of the 
 flesh, but the answer of a good conscience 
 toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus 
 Christ. 
 
 John vi. 63. It is the spirit that quick- 
 eneth ; the flesh profiteth nothing. 
 
 Luke xiii. 25. When once the master of 
 the house is risen up, and hath shut to the 
 door, and ye begin to stand without, and 
 to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, 
 open unto us ; and he shaU answer and say 
 unto you, I know you not whence ye are : 
 Ver. 26. Then shall ye begin to say, We 
 have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and 
 thou hast taught in our streets. Ver. 27. 
 But he shall say, I tell you, I know you 
 not whence ye are ; depart from me, all ye 
 workers of iniquity. 
 
 I. Sacraments are effectual means of salvation. — They are appointed by 
 Christ : Matt, xxviii. 19 ; xxvi. 26-28. He has promised blessings with them : 
 Acts ii. 38. 
 
216 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 II. Sacraments have no virtue in themselves. — They are only signs of spiritual 
 things. Many perish who receive them — like Simon Magus : Acts viii. 14-25. 
 
 III. Sacraments have no special virtue from the minister. — He is only an 
 instrument : 1 Cor. iii. 7. He cannot know the heart : 1 Sam. xvi. 7. He 
 cannot secure the blessing from means. 
 
 IV. Sacraments are only effectual hy the blessing of Christ and the working of 
 his Spirit. — Christ alone can give spiritual life. The Holy Spirit applies the 
 benefits of redemption to the soul : Titus iii. 5. 
 
 V. Sacraments are effectual to those only who receive them in faith. — This is 
 noticed in the case of the Ethiopian eunuch : Acts viii. 37. To intelligent 
 persons the sign is valuable only as its object is recognized and appropriated 
 by personal faith. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. Sacraments are not ordinances for conversion, but for edification. 
 
 2. It is sinful and dangerous to trust in them as a form. 
 
 3. Believers observe them in obedience to Christ. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 "There is a strict analogy between the Word and the sacraments as means 
 of grace. 1. Both have in them a certain moral power, due to the truth 
 which they bring before the mind. 2. Neither has in itself any supernatural 
 power to save or to sanctify. 3. All their supernatural efficiency is due to 
 the co-operation or attending influence of the Holy Spirit. 4. Both are 
 ordained by God to be the channels or means of the Spirit's influence, to 
 those who by faith receive them. Nothing is said in the Bible to place the 
 sacraments above the Word, as a means of communicating to men the benefits 
 of Christ's redemption. On the contrary, tenfold more is said in Scripture 
 of the necessity and efficiency of the Word in the salvation of men than is 
 therein said or implied of the power of the sacraments." — Dr. Hodge. 
 
 Two learned physicians and a plain honest countryman, happening to 
 meet at an inn, sat down to dinner together. A dispute presently arose 
 between the two doctors on the nature of aliment, which proceeded to such 
 a height, and was carried on with so much fury, that it spoiled their meals, 
 and they parted in a very unfriendly spirit. The countryman, in the mean- 
 time, who did not understand the argument, though he heard the quarrel, 
 fell heartily to his meat, gave thanks to God, digested it well, and in the 
 strength of it returned to his labour, and at eventide received his wages. 
 
 Colonel Gardiner refers to his preparation for the sacrament of the Lord's 
 supper : ** I took a walk on the mountains over against Ireland ; and I 
 persuade myself that were I capable of giving you a description of what 
 passed there, you would agree that I had much better reason to remember 
 my God from the hills of Portpatrick than David had from the land of Jordan, 
 and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar. In short, I wrestled some hours 
 with the Angel of the Covenant, and made supplication to him with floods 
 of tears and cries, until I had almost expired ; but he strengthened me so 
 that, like Jacob, I had power with God, and prevailed. You will be more 
 able to judge of this by what you have felt yoiirself upon the like occasions. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 217 
 
 After such preparatory work I need not tell you how blessed the solemn 
 ordinance of the Lord's supper proved to me ; I hope it was so to many." 
 
 "A gentleman of intelligence who was born of Roman Catholic parents, 
 and educated in the Catholic Church, but who afterwards left it for Protest- 
 antism, said to his brother, still a Catholic : ' Why, brother, as long as I was 
 a Catholic I never knew that there was a Holy Spirit.' 'Well,' said the 
 brother, ' I don't know that there is one now.' — A religion without the Holy 
 Spirit ! and this is the religion of two hundred millions of mankind. It 
 made me sorry.   My religion, thought I, would be very imperfect without a 
 Holy Spirit. I want a sanctifier as well as a surety. I want one to act 
 internally upon me, as well as one to act externally for me. What should I 
 do with my title to heaven, without a fitness for it ? As a sinner, I am equally 
 destitute of both. There can be no heaven without holiness. And whence 
 has any man holiness but from the Holy Spirit ? And is it likely that he 
 
 will act when he is not acknowledged? The Romish system is complete 
 
 without the Holy Spirit. Therefore nothing is said of him in the pulpit and 
 the confessional box ; and the sinner is not directed to seek his influence or 
 
 rely on his aid This is one of the capital crimes of the Romish Church. 
 
 She does not speak against the Holy Ghost; no, she is silent about him." — 
 Dr. Nevins. 
 
 " Plenteous of grace, descend from high, 
 
 Rich in Thy sevenfold energy ; 
 
 Give us Thyself, that we may see 
 
 The Father and the Son by Thee ; 
 
 Make us eternal truths receive, 
 
 And practise all that we believe." — Dryden. 
 
 Quest. 92. What is a sacrament ? 
 
 Ans. a sacrament is an holy ordinance instituted by Christ ; 
 wherein, by sensible signs, Christ, and the benefits of the new 
 covenant, are represented, sealed, and applied to believers. 
 
 Matt, xxviii. 19. Go ye therefore, and 
 teach all nations, baptizing them in the 
 name of the Father, and of the Son, and of 
 the Holy Ghost. 
 
 Matt. xxvi. 26. And as they were eating, 
 Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake 
 it, and gave it to the disciples, and said. 
 Take, eat ; this is my body. Ver. 27. And 
 he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave 
 it to them, saying. Drink ye aU of it. 
 
 Luke xxii. 19. This do in remembrance 
 of me. Ver. 20. This cup is the new 
 testament in my blood, which is shed for 
 you. 
 
 Acts ii. 38. Then Peter said unto them. 
 
 Eepent, and be baptized every one of you 
 in the name of Jesus Christ for the remis- 
 sion of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of 
 the Holy Ghost. 
 
 RoM. iv. 11. And he received the sign of 
 circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of 
 the faith which he had yet being uncir- 
 cumcised. 
 
 Gal. iii. 26. For ye are all the children 
 of God by faith in Christ Jesus. Ver. 27. 
 For as many of you as have been baptized 
 into Christ have put on Christ. 
 
 John vi. 56. He that eateth my flesh, 
 and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, 
 and I in him. 
 
218 THE SHOETER CATECHISM. 
 
 I. Tlie Author of the sacraments. — Christ, as the Head of his Church : Eph. 
 i. 22. He appointed the ordinances of the New Testament. His express 
 warrant is required for the observance of sacraments. 
 
 II. The signs in the sacraments. — They are sensible; they can be seen, 
 touched, and tasted. They are signs of spiritual matters. These signs are 
 of Christ's appointment. The significant actions in use in the sacraments 
 are also of his appointment. 
 
 III. The design of the sacraments. 
 
 1. To represent Christ and the benefits of the new covenant. Christ's 
 person and work are set forth by them in relation to believers. 
 
 2. To seal Christ and the benefits of the new covenant to believers. The 
 sacraments are signs and pledges on his part, by which he engages to fulfil the 
 covenant. Those who believe on him receive the sacraments in this sense. 
 
 3. To apply Christ and the benefits of the new covenant to believers. 
 The signs are channels of the things signified. Faith by the sign takes hold 
 of the thing signified. As the sign is sensibly applied, so the spiritual 
 blessing is received by faith. 
 
 IV. The 'proper recipients of the sacraments. — These are believers only. 
 They have a relation to Christ by faith. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. Sacraments cannot save. 
 
 2. Every lover of Christ loves what he has appointed. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 In classical usage the word " sacramentum " means in general something 
 sacred. In legal proceedings, the money deposited by contending parties 
 was called "sacramentum," because when forfeited it was applied to sacred 
 purposes. In military usage it expressed the obligation of a soldier to his 
 leader or his country ; then the oath by which he was bound ; and generally 
 an oath. In ecclesiastical use it was something sacred; then something 
 secret or mysterious ; then a sign of a mystery. 
 
 " On Sabbath last," said a good man, " we were enabled to keep the New 
 Testament passover. It was a good day, a day of salvation. At the sacred 
 banquet my heart melted, and the tears flowed plentifully from my eyes ; but 
 
 they were tears of joy — my heart was full. On Monday Mr. B preached 
 
 from these words, 'And one shall say, I am the Lord's,' Oh, what a sermon 
 to me ! My heart made the happy claim and cheerful surrender again and 
 again. My soul said, ' I am the Lord's ; ' and with my heart I subscribed 
 it, and I hope and believe will never unsay it. 
 
 " Sweet was the hour I freedom felt 
 To call my Jesus mine, 
 To see his smiling face, and melt 
 In pleasures all divine. 
 
 " 'Truly I am thy servant ; I am thy servant, and the son of thine hand- 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 219 
 
 maid : thou hast loosed my bonds,' Why me, O Lord, why me? What am 
 I, or what is my father's house, that thou hast brought me hitherto ? " 
 
 "Low in adoration bending. 
 
 Now our hearts our God revere ; 
 Faith her aid to sight is lending, — 
 
 Though unseen, the Lord is near ; 
 Ancient types and shadows ending, 
 
 Christ our paschal lamb is here." 
 
 Quest. 93. Which are the sacraments of the New Testament ? 
 Ans. The sacraments of the New Testament are, Baptism, 
 and the Lord's Supper. 
 
 Mark xvi. 16. He that believeth and is I the Lord that which also I delivered unto 
 baptized shall be saved. you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in 
 
 1 CoR. xi. 23-26. For I have received of 1 which he was betrayed took bread, etc. 
 
 The New Testament sacraments come in place of those under the Old 
 Testament. They refer to the same spiritual truths, but occupy a different 
 position. The one class pointed to the future, the other points to the past. 
 Circumcision referred to the spiritual cleansing, as Baptism does ; and the 
 Passover was a feast upon the lamb slain, as the Lord's Supper is a feast 
 upon the bread and wine, emblems of the body and blood of Christ. 
 
 I. Baptism was appointed by Christ himself as an ordinance or sacrament of 
 his Church. — Though John baptized, yet it was not Christian baptism. It 
 was not in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Christ 
 expressly appointed the formula of baptism : Matt, xxviii, 19. 
 
 II. The Lord's Supper was instituted by Christ. — This was done on the night 
 on which he was betrayed. The apostle refers to this as his authority for 
 the sacred ordinance : 2 Cor. xi. 23. 
 
 III. These are the only sacraments of the New Testament appointed by Christ. 
 — They have an outward visible sign, and an inward spiritual grace. No 
 other ordinances in the New Testament have such appointed signs. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1, The way of salvation is the same under the New as under the Old 
 Testament. 
 
 2. The sacraments point to the same essential truths of salvation. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Circumcision was instituted about nineteen hundred years before the 
 
 incarnation of Christ, and doubtless looked forward to Him who was to 
 
 come. It was a sign of the covenant which God made, or rather renewed, 
 
 with Abraham his friend in the hundredth year of his age: Gen. xvii. 
 
220 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 Circumcision represented our natural pollution and depravity, together with 
 the necessity of regeneration, or of being cut off from the first Adam as a 
 federal head and representative, and of being ingrafted into Christ, the 
 second Adam, and washed in his all-cleansing blood : Rom. ii. 28, 29. It 
 was the initiatory sacrament under the Old Testament dispensation, as bap- 
 tism is under the New. Both substantially represent the same thing — the 
 one the putting off of the sins of the flesh, and the other the washing of 
 them away in the blood of Jesus. 
 
 " The Passover was instituted on the occasion of the deliverance of the 
 children of Israel out of the land of Egypt ; and it had a most important 
 meaning with respect to Christ, who was to come : Ex. xii. No sooner did 
 the destroying angel observe the blood sprinkled where it ought to be, 
 according to the divine command, than he viewed it as their refuge ; so that 
 this evidenced obedience to the divine command, and faith in the blood of 
 Christ which was to be shed. And without doubt this sprinkling of blood 
 typified that it is only in virtue of the blood or satisfaction of Christ that 
 the danger arising from sin can be averted — namely, the curse of the law 
 and the wrath of God, which shall assuredly overtake all those who are not 
 under the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus : Rom. v. 9." — Paterson. 
 
 The five additional sacraments of the Romish Church were not appointed 
 as ordinances by Christ. 
 
 Confirmation, by the laying on of the bishop's hands, along with the sign 
 of the cross and the anointing with oil, has no scriptural authority. 
 
 Penance, or repentance, is a state of mind, and not an outward form. Con- 
 trition, auricular confession, satisfaction, and absolution by a priest, are not 
 of divine appointment. 
 
 Sacred orders, or ordination to office in the Church, was instituted by 
 Christ, but is no symbol of grace. 
 
 Matrimony is no special institution of the Christian Church, but is common 
 to aU mankind. 
 
 Extreme unction, or the anointing of a dying person's eyes, ears, nostrils, 
 mouth, hands, feet, etc., with olive oil by a priest, has no appointment by 
 Christ. 
 
 These have no claim to be sacraments in the Church, and some of them 
 are connected with fundamental errors condemned by the Scriptures. 
 
 When Sir Ralph Abercromby was ordained an elder in the Church of 
 Scotland, he said to the minister : " Sir, I have often been intrusted by my 
 sovereign with honourable and important commands in my profession as a 
 soldier, and his majesty has been pleased to reward my services with dis- 
 tinguished marks of his royal approbation ; but to be the humble instrument, 
 in the office of an elder, of putting the tokens of my Saviour's dying love 
 into the hands of one of the meanest of his followers, I conceive to bo the 
 highest honour I can receive on this side of heaven." 
 
 " Come, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, 
 Honour the means ordained by thee ; 
 Of no mysterious power we boast. 
 But of thy Spirit's ministry." — C. Wesley. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 221 
 
 Quest. 94. What is baptism ? 
 
 Ans. Baptism is a sacrament, wherein the washing with 
 water in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the 
 Holy Ghost, doth signify and seal our ingrafting into Christ, 
 and partaking of the benefits of the covenant of grace, and our 
 enirasfement to be the Lord's. 
 
 Acts x. 46. Then answered Peter, Ver. 
 47. Can any man forbid water, that these 
 should not be baptized ? 
 
 Matt, xxviil. 19. Go ye therefore, and 
 teach all nations, baptizing them in the 
 name of the Father, and of the Son, and of 
 the Holy Ghost. 
 
 1 Cor. xii. 13. For by one Spirit are we 
 all baptized into one body, whether we be 
 Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or 
 
 free ; and have been all made to drink into 
 one Spirit. 
 
 RoM. vi. 3. Know ye not, that so many 
 of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ 
 were baptized iqto his death? Ver. 4. 
 Therefore we are buried with him by bap- 
 tism into death: that like as Christ was 
 raised up from the dead by the glory of the 
 Father, even so we also should walk in 
 newness of life. 
 
 I. The sign used in baptism. — Water. 
 
 1. Because of its cleansing properties. 
 
 2. Because it is thus made to represent the blood and Spirit of Christ, 
 which cleanse the soul. 
 
 The mode of baptism is by pouring, sprinkling, or dipping. 
 
 II. The formvla of baptism. — The words to be used were prescribed by 
 Christ himself, and to be in name of the Father, of the Son, and of the 
 Holy Ghost. The three persons in the Godhead are equally engaged in 
 salvation. 
 
 III. The design of baptism. — It teaches great truths connected with 
 salvation. 
 
 1. It signifies and seals our ingrafting into Christ. The soul must be as 
 closely united to Christ as the branch is to the tree. This is pledged by 
 Christ to all his believing people. 
 
 2. It signifies and seals our partaking of the benefits of the covenant of 
 grace. These are, pardon of sin, Acts ii. 38; regeneration, Titus iii. 5; 
 and the resurrection to life everlasting, Rom. vi. 4. 
 
 3. It signifies and seals our engagement to be the Lord's. 
 (1.) It is a profession of faith in him as our Saviour. 
 
 (2.) It is a public form of joining the communion of the visible Church. 
 (3.) It binds us, therefore, to be the Lord's. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. The baptism of the Spirit is essential : John iii. 5. 
 
 2. All who are baptized into Christ should put on Christ : Gal. iii. 27. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 " It is admitted— 1. That baptism is a sign, and that the blessing which it 
 signifies is purification from sin. 2. That the theocratical purifications, 
 
222 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 having the same general import, were effected by immersion, affusion, and 
 sprinkling. 3. That the soul is cleansed from the guilt of sin by the blood of 
 Christ. 4. That under the Old Testament the application of the blood of the 
 sacrifices for sin was expressed by the act of sprinkling. It was sprinkled on 
 the people (Ex. xxiv. 8) for whose benefit the sacrifices were offered ; it was 
 sprinkled upon the altar ; and, by the high priest, upon the mercy-seat. In 
 the New Testament the application of the blood of Christ is expressed by 
 the same word : 1 Peter i. 2 ; Heb. xii. 24. 5. It is admitted, further, that 
 the purification of the soul from the moral pollution of sin is effected by the 
 renewing of the Holy Ghost. 6. It is admitted that the communication of 
 the sanctifying influences of the Spirit is expressed in the use of two familiar 
 figures, that of anointing with oil, and that of the pouring of water. Kings, 
 priests, and prophets were anointed. The people of God are called his 
 * anointed ' : 1 John ii. 20, 27. The other figure is no less familiar : Isa. xxxii. 
 15 ; Joel ii. 28. The Spirit's influences are compared to rain which waters 
 the earth, and to the dew which falls on the mown grass. From all this it 
 appears that the truth symbolized in baptism may be signified by immersion, 
 affusion, or sprinkling ; but that the ordinance is most significant and most 
 conformed to Scripture when administered by affusion or sprinkling." — Hodge. 
 
 PhUiiJ Henry drew up this form of a baptismal covenant : "I take God 
 the Father to be my chief good and highest end. I take God the Son to be 
 my Saviour. I take God the Holy Ghost to be my sanctifier, teacher, guide, 
 and comforter. I take the Word of God to be my rule in all my actions, 
 and the people of God to be my people in all conditions. I do likewise 
 devote and dedicate unto the Lord my whole self, all I am, all I have, and 
 all I can do. And this I do deliberately, sincerely, freely, and for ever." 
 He taught this to his children ; and when they learned to repeat it, he would 
 add his own " Amen," and say, " So say, and so do, and you are made for 
 ever." 
 
 The Rev. Titus Coan, D.D., missionary at the Sandwich Islands, in the 
 course of forty years baptized 13,000 persons. Of these, 5,000 were baptized 
 in one year, and 1,700 in one day, at a great period of awakening in 1838. 
 Of the last number he says that more water flowed from their eyes than he 
 sprinkled on their faces. 
 
 " What means the water in this font? 
 What means this simple, sacred rite ? 
 Why bring we babes to Zion's mount. 
 And in this service thus unite ? 
 
 " We claim no power to change the heart, 
 No mystic grace new life to give ; 
 He must the gift divine impart 
 By whom our children's spirits live. 
 
 " This institute of gospel grace 
 
 Proclaims our nature soiled by sin ; 
 Shadows the change that yet must pass 
 Upon the living soul within ; 
 
 ^ttA^^ 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 223 
 
 Speaks of the Spirit's power to cleanse 
 The human heart by sin depraved ; 
 
 And points us to the gracious means 
 By which alone the soul is saved." — Spence. 
 
 Quest. 95. To whom is baptism to he administered ? 
 
 Ans. Baptism is not to be administered to any that are out 
 of the visible church, till they profess their faith in Christ, and 
 obedience to him ; but the infants of such as are members of 
 the visible church are to be baptized. 
 
 Acts viii. 36. And as they went on their 
 way, they came unto a certain water : and 
 the eunuch said, See, here is water; what 
 doth hinder me to be baptized ? Ver. 37. 
 And Philip said, If thou believest with all 
 thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered 
 and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the 
 Son of God. 
 
 Acts ii. 41. Then they that gladly re- 
 ceived his word were baptized: and the 
 same day there were added unto them 
 about three thousand souls. 
 
 1 CoR. vii. 14. jTor the unbelieving hus- 
 band is sanctified by the wife, and the un- 
 
 believing wife is sanctified by the husband: 
 else were your children unclean ; but now 
 are they holy. 
 
 Acts xvi. 15. And when she was baptized, 
 and her household, she besought us, saying, 
 If ye have judged me to be faithful to the 
 Lord, come into my house, and abide 
 there. And she constrained us. Ver. 33. 
 And he [the jailer] took them the same 
 hour of the night, and washed their stripes ; 
 and was baptized, he and all his, straight- 
 way. 
 
 1 CoR. i. 16. And I baptized also the 
 household of Stephanas. 
 
 I. The visible Church contains all those, together with their children, who in 
 all places profess the Christian faith. 
 
 II. Baptism is not to be administered to any that are out of the visible Church, 
 till they prof ess their faith in Christ and obedience to him. 
 
 1. The ordinance derives its significance from faith in Christ, and is not 
 to be administered to the unbelieving or unchristian. 
 
 2. It is to be administered to those who profess faith in Christ and obed- 
 ience to him. To profess faith in Christ, is to acknowledge him as the Saviour. 
 To profess obedience to him, is to pledge submission to his law in all things. 
 
 III. The infants of members of the visible Church are to be baptized. 
 
 1. Infants were received into the Old Testament Church by a sacrament : 
 Gen. xvii. 10. 
 
 2. When the New Testament Church was formed, children were especially 
 included in the promise : Acts ii. 39. 
 
 3. Christ regarded them as subjects of grace: Mark x. 13-16; Luke xviii. 
 15, 16. 
 
 4. One believing parent is said to sanctify the children : 1 Cor. vii. 14. 
 
 5. The apostles baptized households : Acts xvi. 15, 33 ; 1 Cor. i. 16. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. Parents and children are under great responsibility by baptism. 
 
 2. Baptism should be carefully improved. 
 
 15 
 
224 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 " A credible profession of Christianity is all that the Church may require 
 in order to communion. She may be deceived ; her utmost caution may be, 
 and often has been, ineffectual to keep bad men from the sanctuary ; and 
 this, too, without her fault, as she is not omniscient. But she has no right 
 to suspect sincerity, to refuse privileges, or inflict censure, vrhere she can 
 put her finger upon nothing repugnant to the love or the laws of God." — 
 Dr. Mason. 
 
 " If the Church is one under both dispensations, if infants were members 
 of the Church under the theocracy, then they are members of the Church 
 now, unless the contrary can be proved." — Dr. Hodge. 
 
 " It is plain that, according to the standards of the Reformed Chiirch, it is 
 the children of the members of the visible Church who are to be baptized. 
 Agreeably to scriptural usage, such members are called ^fcederati,' saints, 
 believers, faithful, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling. The 
 apostles, in addressing professing Christians, in the use of such terms did 
 not express any judgment of their state in the siglit of God. They desig- 
 nated them according to their profession. 
 
 "1. The visible Church has always consisted of those who professed the 
 true religion, together with their children. 
 
 "2. The terms of Church membership under both dispensations have been 
 the same — namely, profession of faith, and promise of obedience. 
 
 "3. The requirements for participation in the sacraments have been the 
 same. That is, any one entitled to the rite of circumcision was entitled to 
 partake of the passover ; those under the Christian dispensation entitled to 
 baptism are entitled to the Lord's supper. Those who, unbaptized, would 
 be entitled to baptism for themselves, are entitled, and they only, to present 
 their children for baptism. 
 
 "Those, therefore, who have been themselves baptized and still profess 
 their faith in the true religion, who have competent knowledge and are free 
 from scandal, should not only be permitted but urged and enjoined to present 
 their children for baptism, that they may belong to the Church, and be 
 brought up under its watch and care." — Abridged from Dr. Hodge. 
 
 "I spent some time," says Mr. J. Baily of New England, "in offering up 
 myself and my child to the Lord, and in taking hold of the covenant for my- 
 self and him. It is actually to be done to-morrow in baptism. I prayed 
 hard to-day that I might receive help from the Lord. It is not easy, though 
 common, to offer a child to God in baptism. Oh, that is a sweet word, * I 
 will be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.' No wonder Abraham 
 fell on his face at the hearing of it." 
 
 Philip Henry used to take hold of his children by the hand of baptism 
 and try to lead them to the Lord. 
 
 His Excellency Sir Thomas Brisbane, Bart., when Governor of New South 
 Wales, thus wrote : " October 8th, 1824. I have had great reason for gratitude 
 to God for conferring on me the unspeakable privilege of admitting my only 
 son, then named Thomas Australius, to a participation of the benefits belong- 
 ing to the children of the disciples of Christ, by baptism, May the Lord, of 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 225 
 
 his infinite mercy, grant to him and to me that justification in which * he 
 freely pardons all our sins, and accepts us as righteous in his sight, only for 
 the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone.' 
 May one and all of my household, particularly my own family, be changed 
 by the divine sanctifying Spirit into the image of Christ ; that we may know 
 that living and dying we are his, that life is passed in his constant presence, 
 and that death resigns us unto his merciful disposal." Again he adds : 
 "April 23rd, 1825. This day I had the privilege of renewing my baptismal 
 vows at the table of the Lord ; and I am thankful for the progress which 
 I trust I have made in the divine life since my last approach, — my faith 
 sensibly augmented, and saving grace, I trust, increased." 
 
 " Sprinkle, sprinkle now. 
 
 Blessed Saviour thou ! 
 From thy white hands sweetest water 
 On this Httle baby daughter ; 
 
 On her fair young brow 
 
 Sprinkle, sprinkle thou ! 
 
 " Not by works of right 
 
 Sin-stained souls come white ; 
 Not till thou from pit abysmal 
 Raise them, and with wave baptismal 
 
 Wash them clean and bright, 
 
 Sin-stained souls come white. 
 
 " Jesus, holy child, 
 
 Only, undefiled ; 
 Ne'er was, ne'er shall be another 
 Spotless babe of maiden mother 
 
 Like thee, undefiled, 
 
 Jesus, holy child ! 
 * * * * 
 
 " Richer, nobler life, 
 
 Comes through toil and strife ; 
 Lost one saved exceeds the angel ; ' 
 
 Who through faith, through Christ's evangel, 
 
 Conquers in the strife 
 
 Wins the crown of life. 
 
 " Ne'er, then, child of earth, 
 
 Rue thy lowly birth, 
 If thy better birth-right prizing. 
 If through Lord Christ's own baptizing, 
 
 Born in second birth, 
 
 Thou shalt rise from earth. 
 
 " Fallen, through fall to rise. 
 Climb to loftiest skies. 
 
226 
 
 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 Where the blood-washed robe ranks fairest, 
 And those pearls are counted rarest 
 
 Which beneath the skies 
 
 Were tears in human eyes. "* 
 
 " Come then, blessed Dove, 
 
 Through cleft heavens above, 
 Crown this babe, white-robed, ascending ; 
 While we on the shore, down-bending 
 
 O'er the depths of love. 
 
 Cry, Come blessed Dove \"—W. B. Robertson^ D.D. 
 
 Quest. 96. WJiat is the LorcPs supper ? 
 
 Ans. The Lord's supper is a sacrament, wherein, by giving 
 and receiving bread and wine, according to Christ's appoint- 
 ment, his death is shewed forth ; and the worthy receivers are, 
 not after a corporal and carnal manner, but by faith, made 
 partakers of his body and blood, with all his benefits, to their 
 spiritual nourishment, and growth in grace. 
 
 1 CoR. xi. 20. The Lord's supper. 
 
 1 Cor. xi. 23. The Lord Jesus the same 
 night in which he was betrayed took bread: 
 Ver. 24. And when he had given thanks, he 
 brake it, and said, Take,eat : this is my body, 
 which is broken for you: this do in remem- 
 brance of me. Ver. 25. After the same man- 
 ner also he took the cup, when he had supped, 
 saying, This cup is the new testament in my 
 blood : this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in 
 remembrance of me. Ver. 26. For as often 
 as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, 
 ye do shew the Lord's death till he come. 
 
 John vi. 63. It is the spirit that quick- 
 eneth; the flesh profiteth nothing. 
 
 1 Cor. X. 16. The cup of blessing which 
 we bless, is it not the communion of the 
 blood of Christ? The bread which we 
 break, is it not the communion of the body 
 of Christ? 
 
 Ps. 1. 16. But unto the wicked God saith. 
 What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, 
 or that thou shouldest take my covenant in 
 thy mouth ? 
 
 Luke xiii. 26. Then shall ye begin to say, 
 We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, 
 and thou hast taught in our streets. Ver. 27. 
 But he shall say, I tell you, I know you 
 not whence ye are ; depart from me, all ye 
 workers of iniquity. 
 
 Matt. 
 
 I. The signs of this sacrament. — These are bread and wine : 
 2G, 27. These represent Christ's body and blood. 
 
 II. The design of this sacrament — To show forth or commemorate Christ's 
 death ; to hold communion with Christ. Hence called the Lord's supper, 
 the communion. 
 
 III. The significant actions in this sacrament. 
 
 1. Bread and wine are given to commxmicants by Christ's appointment. 
 He took bread— referring to his taking a body. He broke it — referring to 
 his suffering. He gave it, and also the cup— referring to the gift for his 
 people of his body and blood. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 227 
 
 2. Bread and wine are received by communicants. This is done in obedi- 
 ence to Christ's appointment, and to confess an interest in Christ's death. 
 IV. The blessing to worthy communicants. 
 
 1. They are made partakers of Christ's body and blood. They are regarded 
 as one with him. (1. ) This is not in a corporal or carnal manner. Christ's 
 body is in heaven, not on earth. It cannot be in two places at the same time, 
 nor can it be handled or eaten. (2.) It is by faith, and is a spiritual exercise. 
 Christ is present by his Spirit. He is received by the soul in faith, as the 
 atonement for sin, and the means of life everlasting. 
 
 2. They are made partakers of all his benefits. Whatever Christ has 
 secured for the salvation of his people is included. 
 
 3. Their spiritual nourishment and growth in grace. As bread and wine 
 nourish the body, so Christ by his grace nourishes the soul, and promotes 
 its spiritual growth. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. We should first come to Christ by faith, before we come to the Lord's 
 supper. 
 
 2. All who believe in Christ should remember him in the way appointed. 
 
 3. The Lord's supper is not a sacrifice. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Bread is most necessary for preserving the natural life. It is prepared by 
 bruising, etc., for use. It is pleasant and profitable to the body. The wine 
 is also pressed out of the grape before it is used. 
 
 "Supposing," said Archbishop Tillotson, "the doctrine of transubstantia- 
 tion had been delivered in Scripture in the very words in which it was decreed 
 in the Council of Trent, by what clearer evidence could any man prove to 
 me that such words were in the Bible than I can prove to him that bread 
 and wine after consecration are bread and wine still ? He could but appeal 
 to my eyes to prove such words to be in the Bible ; and with the same reason 
 and justice might I appeal to several of his senses to prove to him that the 
 bread and wine after consecration are bread and wine still." 
 
 The Rev. John Brovim of Haddington said : "I reflect on it as a great 
 mercy that I was born in a family which took care of my Christian instruc- 
 tion, and in which I had the privilege of God's worship morning and even- 
 ing. About the eighth year of my age, I happened in a crowd to push into 
 the church at Abernethy on a communion Sabbath. Before I was excluded 
 I heard a minister speak much in commendation of Christ ; this in a sweet 
 and delightful manner captivated my young affections, and has since made 
 me think that children should never be kept out of church on such occasions." 
 
 The doctrine of transubstantiation — that the elements of bread and wine 
 are changed into the body and blood of Christ — is the very heart and marrow 
 of the Romish system. It is repugnant to the senses, to reason, and to 
 Scripture. Yet it is taught by the Church of Rome, and made the basis of 
 many deadly errors and corrupt practices. It is pretended that it is a sacrifice 
 for the sins of the living and the dead ; and that Christ is corporeally received 
 by the living. It leads to the adoration of the elements. It dishonours the 
 
228 
 
 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 perfect work of Christ, and leads people to build their hopes upon a false 
 foundation. It is made an article of merchandise, by which so many masses 
 or celebrations of the sacrament are made for the dead. 
 
 A father once kept a cancelled bond for his family to look upon, and see 
 how he had paid a heavy debt, through much self-sacrifice, to make them 
 happy. Christ cancelled the claim of justice against us, " nailing it to his 
 cross." In the Lord's supper, his family look upon the cancelled bond. 
 
 " The King dineth with his prisoner, and his spikenard casteth a smell. 
 He hath led me to such a pitch and degree of joyful communion with him- 
 self as I never before knew." — Samuel Rutherford. 
 
 " Here, my Lord, I see thee face to face; 
 
 Here would I touch and handle things unseen ; 
 Here grasp with firmer hand the eternal grace, 
 And all my weariness upon thee lean. 
 
 " Here wo\;ld I feed upon the bread of God; 
 
 Here drink with thee the royal wine of heaven ; 
 Here would I lay aside each earthly load ; 
 Here taste afresh the calm of sin forgiven. 
 
 " This is the hour of banquet and of song; 
 This is the heavenly table spread for me ; 
 Here let me feast, and, feasting, still prolong 
 The brief, bright hour of fellowship with thee." — H. Bonar. 
 
 Quest. 97. What is required to the worthy receiving of the 
 Lord's supper ? 
 
 Ans. It is required of them that would worthily partake of 
 the Lord's supper, that they examine themselves of their 
 knowledge to discern the Lord's body, of their faith to feed 
 upon him, of their repentance, love, and new obedience ; lest, 
 coming unworthily, they eat and drink judgment to themselves. 
 
 1 Cor. xi. 28. But let a man examine 
 himself, and so let him eat of that bread, 
 and drink of that cup. Ver. 29. For he 
 that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eat- 
 eth and drinketh damnation to himself, 
 not discerning the Lord's body. 
 
 John vi. 57. He that eateth me, even ho 
 shall live by me. 
 
 2 CoR. xiii. 5. Examine yourselves, 
 whether ye be in the faith. 
 
 Lam. iii. 40. Let us search and try our 
 ways, and turn again to the Lord. 
 
 John xxi. 15. Jesus saith to Simon Peter, 
 Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more " 
 than these ? 
 
 1 John iv. 8. He that loveth not know- 
 eth not God ; for God is love. 
 
 1 CoR. V. 8. Therefore let us keep the 
 feast, not with old leaven, neither with the 
 leaven of malice and wickedness ; but with 
 the unleavened bread of sincerity and 
 truth. 
 
 Luke vi. 46. And why call ye me, Lord, 
 Lord, and do not the things which I say ? 
 
 % 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 229 
 
 I. Tlie duty of self-examination. — This must be done by the light of God's 
 Word, Isa. viii. 20, and by the aid of God's Spirit, It must be done by the 
 soul itself regarding its spiritual state. Prayer for divine aid should always 
 accompany it: Ps. cxxxix. 23, 24. Self-examination should have respect 
 to the five following matters of essential importance : — 
 
 1. Knowledge to discern the Lord's body. Knowledge must be scriptural : 
 John V. 39. It must be experimental : Heb. viii. 11. 
 
 2. Faith to feed upon Christ. Faith receives Christ: John i. 12. The 
 new life is sustained by faith upon Christ, who loved us and gave himself for 
 us: Gal. ii. 20. 
 
 3. Repentance: Lam. iii. 40. We should be sorry for our sins, Ps. 
 xxxviii. 18 ; and turn from them, Ps. cxix. 59. 
 
 4. Love to Christ : 1 John iv. 8. Love must be supreme, John xxi. 15 — 
 with all the heart, and soul, and strength, and mind. 
 
 5. New obedience : Matt. xi. 29. This is the obedience of the new heart, 
 from a new motive, and for a new end. It should be constant and universal : 
 Matt. xxiv. 13 ; Ps. cxix. 6. 
 
 II. The necessity of self-examination. 
 
 1. To prevent unworthy communicating, through ignorance of the nature 
 and requirements of the ordinance. 
 
 2. To prevent judgment, or condemnation. The neglect of this duty is a 
 sin, and therefore exposes to divine judgment. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. The heart should be right with God in order to enjoy communion with 
 him. 
 
 2. There is a great blessing promised to those who come prepared to His 
 table. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 " It is, however, not to be inferred from this that a man must be assured 
 that he is a true believer before he can properly approach the Lord's table. 
 It often happens that those who are most confident that they are Christians 
 have the least share of Christ's spirit. And therefore we are taught in the 
 Larger Catechism that ' Any one who doubteth of his being in Christ, or of 
 his due preparation to the sacrament of the Lord's supper, may have true 
 interest in Christ, though he be not assured thereof ; and in God's account 
 hath it, if he be duly affected with the apprehension of the want of it, and 
 unfeignedly desires to be found in Christ, and to depart from iniquity: in 
 which case (because promises are made, and this sacrament is appointed, for 
 the relief even of weak and doubting Christians) he is to bewail his unbelief, 
 and labour to have his doubts resolved ; and by so doing, he may and ought 
 to come to the Lord's supper, that he may be further strengthened.' " 
 
 Philip Henry was accustomed to advise people to put to themselves, in 
 self-examination, these three questions— What am I ? What have I done 1 
 What do I want? ^ 
 
 When William IV. was Duke of Clarence, he was on one occasion on the 
 bench at the examination of men for military service. Having put the 
 
230 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 questions, he signed the papers. A surgeon who was present remarked how 
 well His Royal Highness wrote. The Duke said, "The fact is, when I 
 served as midshipman — and you must know I served my regular time — I was 
 obliged to keep a log-book ; and my captain had a particular aversion to bad 
 Avriting. I then acquired a habit which has been of the greatest consequence 
 to me through life ; that is, of recording the occurrences of the day, and by 
 so doing submitting my actions to the scrutiny of self-examination. This 
 habit is a good one; I have tried and proved it." 
 
 " Know thyself," was the great counsel of a heathen sage. 
 
 "There are many false pretenders to religion," says Boston, "from off 
 whose faces Christ will draw the mask." See Matt. vii. 22, 23; Luke xiii. 
 25-27. 
 
 "To-morrow," said Dr. James Hamilton in his youth, "the sacrament of 
 
 the Lord's supper is to be dispensed here. Oh, for the wedding garment ! 
 
 Lord, grant that in encompassing thy table my faith may be strong, my love 
 to thee ardent, my sorrow and humiliation for sin greater than they have 
 ever been heretofore. Open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing, 
 till there be not room enough to receive. I have renewed my covenant 
 with thee. Enable me to remember and keep it. May it be an everlasting 
 covenant, ordered in all things and sure, and never to be forgotten." 
 
 While the American army, under the command of Washington, lay en- 
 camped in the environs of Morristown, New Jersey, the service of the com- 
 munion was to be administered in the Presbyterian church of that village. 
 In the previous week the general visited the house of the Rev. Dr. Jones, 
 then pastor of that church, and thus accosted him : "Doctor, I understand 
 that the Lord's supper is to be celebrated with you next Sunday. I would 
 learn if it accords with the canons of your Church to admit communicants of 
 another denomination ? " The doctor replied, " Most certainly. Ours is not 
 the Presbyterian table, general, but the Lord's table; and we hence give 
 the Lord's invitation to all his followers, of whatever name." The general 
 replied, " I am glad of it ; that is as it ought to be. But as I was not quite 
 sure of the fact, I thought I would ascertain it from yourself, as I propose 
 to join with you on that occasion. Though a member of the Church of 
 England, I have no exclusive partialities." The general was found seated 
 with the communicants next Sabbath. 
 
 " I have observed that children when they first put on new shoes are very 
 curious to keep them clean. Scarce will they set their feet upon the ground, 
 for fear to spoil the soles of their shoes. Yea, rather, they will wipe the 
 leather clean with their coats ; and yet, perchance, the next day they will 
 trample with the same shoes in the mire up to the ankles. Alas ! children's 
 play is our earnest. On that day whereon we receive the sacrament we are 
 often over-precise, but are not so careful the next, and too often (what shall 
 I say?) go on in sin up to the ankles; yea, our sins go over our heads." — 
 T. Fuller. 
 
 " O feed me daily on the living bread, 
 
 Refresh me hourly with the living wine ; 
 P satisfy my famished soul with food, 
 
 And quench my thirst with fruit of the eternal vine. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 231 
 
 " Thy flesh is meat indeed, my God and Lord ; 
 Thy blood is drink indeed for evermore ; 
 On thee alone I feed, of thee I drink. 
 That into this sick soul the heavenly health may pour." 
 
 H. Bonar. 
 
 Quest. 98. What is prayer .? 
 
 Ans. Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God, for 
 things agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ, with 
 confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgment of his 
 mercies. 
 
 Ps. Ixii. 8. Trust in him at all times ; ye 
 people, pour out your heart before him: 
 God is a refuge for us. 
 
 1 John v. 14. And this is the confidence 
 that we have in him, that, if we ask any 
 thing according to his will, he heareth us. 
 
 Matt. xxi. 22. And all things, whatso- 
 ever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye 
 shall receive. 
 
 John xvi. 23. And in that day ye shall 
 ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto 
 
 you. Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in 
 my name, he wiU give it you. 
 
 Ps. li. 3. For I acknowledge my trans- 
 gressions : and my sin is ever before me, 
 
 1 John i. 9. If we confess our sins, he is 
 faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and 
 to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 
 
 Phil. iv. 6. Be careful for nothing ; but 
 in every thing by prayer and supplication 
 with thanksgiving let your requests be 
 made known unto God. 
 
 I. Prayer is an ojfering up of our desires unto God. 
 
 1. God is the only object of worship : Matt. iv. 10. 
 
 2. He only can hear and answer prayer : 1 Kings viii. 39. 
 
 3. Prayer is more of the heart than the lips : Ps. Ixii. 8 ; Matt. xv. 8. 
 
 II. Prayer must he offered for things agreeable to the will of God : 1 John 
 V. 14. — The promises are God's will, and may be pleaded. His will is best 
 for our souls. 
 
 III. Prayer must he offered in the name of Christ. — He himself has taught 
 this : John xiv. 13. He is our Propitiation for sin : 1 John ii. 2. He is also 
 our Intercessor : 1 John ii. 1. This is a very great privilege in prayer. 
 
 IV. Prayer must he accompanied by the confession of sin : Dan. ix. 4. — This 
 acknowledges our true state, as sinners by nature and by practice, and our 
 unworthiness of God's blessing ; and it also honoi;rs him as the righteous 
 Lord. " If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins : " 
 1 John i. 8. This is exerhplified in the case of David : Ps. xxxii. 
 
 V. Prayer must be accompanied with thanksgiving. — Every favour of God 
 deserves thanks. His mercy towards sinners specially calls for gratitude. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. Prayer is a becoming duty of all. 
 
 2. It is the cry of children to their Father in heaven. 
 
 3. A prayerless soul is a Christless soul, and a Christless soul is a grace- 
 less soul, and a graceless soul is a hopeless soul. 
 
232 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 " We have the living God himself assuring us that he is prepared to accept, 
 and consider, and answer prayer ; and we have the Son of God himself come 
 down from the bosom of the Father, the appointed medium of communica- 
 tion betwixt heaven and earth — we have the Intercessor himself declaring 
 that no petition passes through his hand but it brings back its blessing ; and 
 further assurances than these should scarcely be needful to make the man 
 who is conscious of sincerity in prayer secure of an answer. But further 
 assurance is given. It should be enough that we have historic evidence 
 that the Lord has promised to answer prayer; but, over and above, we 
 have historic evidence that, times almost unnumbered, he has answered it. 
 In the lives of Abraham and Abraham's servant, of Lot, of Jacob, of 
 Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Manoah, and Samson, of Hannah and of Samuel, 
 of David the king and Solomon his son, Hezekiah and Manasseh, of the 
 prophets Elijah, Elisha, Jeremiah, Daniel, and Ezekiel ; then again in 
 the history of the apostles and the early Church, we have abundant evi- 
 dence that, whatever may have become of our own, others have directed 
 prevailing supplications to the Heavenly Majesty, and that singular mercies 
 have been from time to time bestowed in answer to believing prayer." — 
 Dr. James Hamilton. 
 
 Lord Bolingbroke once asked the Countess of Huntingdon how she recon- 
 ciled prayer to God for particular blessings with absolute resignation to the 
 divine will. " Very easily," said her ladyship : "just as if I were to ofifer a 
 petition to a monarch of whose kindness and wisdom I had the highest 
 opinion. In such a case my language would be — I wish you to bestow on me 
 such or such a favour; but your majesty knows better than I how far it 
 would be agreeable to you, or right in itself, to grant my desire. I therefore 
 content myself with humbly presenting my petition, and leave the event of 
 it entirely to you." 
 
 " I am bound to acknowledge," said Sir Fowell Buxton, " that I have 
 always found that my prayers have been heard and answered. Not that in 
 every instance, though in almost every instance, I have received what I 
 asked for ; I neither expect nor wish that. I always qualify my petitions by 
 adding, provided that what I ask is for my real good, and according to the 
 will of God. I understand literally the injunction, ' Be careful for nothing, 
 
 but in every thing make your requests known unto God.' I cannot but 
 
 notice how amply these prayers have been met." 
 
 " I am persuaded that I ought to confess my sins more. I think I ought 
 to confess sin the moment I see it to be sin : whether I am in company or 
 in study, my soul ought to cast a glance of abhorrence at the sin. If I go on 
 with the study, bearing the sin unconfessed, I go on with a burdened 
 conscience, and add sin to sin." — Rev, B. M. M'Cheyne. 
 
 ' Come, my soul, thy suit prepare : 
 Jesus loves to answer prayer ; 
 He himself has bid thee pray, 
 Therefore will not say thee nay. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 233 
 
 "Thou art coming to a King ; 
 Large petitions with thee bring ; 
 For his grace and power are such, 
 None can ever ask too much." — John Newton. 
 
 Quest. 99. What rule hath God given for our direction in 
 pi'ayer ? 
 
 Ans. The whole word of God is of use to direct us in prayer ; 
 but the special rule of direction is that form of prayer which 
 Christ taught his disciples, commonly called The Lord's Prayer. 
 
 Matt. vi. 9. After this manner therefore 
 pray ye : Our Father which art in heaven, etc. 
 
 Luke xi. 1. Lord, teach us to pray, as 
 John also taught his disciples. 
 
 EoM. viii. 26. We know not what we 
 should pray for as we ought. 
 
 John xv. 7. If ye abide in me, and my 
 words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye 
 will, and it shall be done unto you. 
 
 HosEA xiv. 2. Take with you words, and 
 turn to the Lord: say unto him. Take 
 away all iniquity, and receive us graciously. 
 
 I. We need a rule to direct us in prayer. — God is so great and glorious, we 
 know not how to approach him : Eccles. v. 2. We are so guilty, so sinful, 
 that we need to be invited to engage in prayer, and taught how to do so : 
 Hosea xiv. 2 ; Matt. vi. 9 ; Luke xviii. 13. 
 
 II. The rule given to direct us. 
 
 1. The whole Word of God is of use in this. It is the revelation of God's 
 will. It contains promises and encouragements. It is full of examples of 
 prayer : Ps. xli. ; Dan. ix. 
 
 2. The Lord's Prayer. This was taught the disciples by Christ himself 
 when they asked for guidance. It is a pattern, not a liturgy. The apostles 
 prayed freely, as Acts i. 24, 25 ; iv. 24-30. 
 
 3. This prayer consists of three parts. Preface, Petitions, Doxology. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. God's great goodness in teaching us how to pray. 
 
 2. The Holy Spirit is promised to aid us. 
 
 3. The sin of neglecting to pray. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 ** Nothing shows so strikingly that God is willing to hear and answer prayer 
 as the provision he has made for its acceptable and effectual presentation. 
 However worthless the suppliant, he may present his petition in the name 
 of God's beloved Son ; and however dim his ideas and powerless his expres- 
 sions, he may obtain as the instigator of his desires and the guide of his 
 
 devotion none other than the Spirit of God Jacob's prayer did more to 
 
 propitiate Esau than Jacob's present. Eliezer's petition, as he knelt by the 
 camel's side, did more to prosper his embassy than his own and his master's 
 precautions. And Hezekiah's intercession rescued Jerusalem when its walls 
 
234 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 were of little use, and nothing but the arm of Jehovah could lay the invader 
 low. We know not the secret history of this world's mightiest transactions 
 and its proudest monuments ; bvit from the little that we know we can affirm 
 that the men who have prospered best are the men who have taken time to 
 pray. It was to prayer that Henry IV. of France ascribed his crown, and 
 Gustavus owed his victories. The father of the modern fine arts was wont, 
 before he began any new composition, to invoke His inspiration who in other 
 days taught Aholiab; and the Goliath of English literature felt that he 
 studied most successfully when he had prayed earnestly. And what Michael 
 Angelo and Milton and Johnson found so helpful to their mighty genius 
 cannot hinder us. You have read in our own history of that hero who, when 
 an overwhelming force was in full pursuit, and all his followers were urging 
 him to more rapid flight, coolly dismounted in order to repair a flaw in his 
 horse's harness. Whilst busied with the broken buckle, the distant cloud 
 swept down in nearer thunder ; but just as the prancing hoofs and eager spears 
 were ready to dash down on him, the flaw was mended, the clasp was 
 fastened, the steed was mounted, and like a swooping falcon he had vanished 
 from their view. The broken buckle would have left him on the field a 
 dismounted and inglorious prisoner. The timely delay sent him in safety 
 back to his huzzaing comrades. There is in daily life the same luckless 
 precipitancy, and the same profitable delay. The man who from his prayer- 
 less waking bounces off into the business of the day, however good his talents 
 and great his diligence, is only galloping on a steed with a broken buckle, 
 and must not marvel if in his hottest haste or most hazardous leap he be left 
 inglorious in the dust ; and though it may occasion some little delay before- 
 hand, his neighbour is wiser who sets all in order before the march begins." — 
 Dr. James Hamilton. 
 
 It is said of Matthew Henry, that "no journey was undertaken nor any 
 subject or course of sermons entered upon, no book committed to the press 
 nor any trouble apprehended or felt, without a particular application to the 
 mercy-seat for direction, assistance, and success." 
 
 "The Lord's Prayer," says Matthew Henry, "is a letter sent from Earth 
 to Heaven. Here is the inscription of the letter — the person to whom it is 
 directed, Our Father ; the place where. In heaven : the contents of it are 
 several errands of request : the close. For thine is the kingdom : the seal, 
 Amen : and, if you will, the date too, This day." 
 
 " The end is answered, not when we repeat it once or often, but when we 
 conform the feeling and expression of our prayers to its model ; when they 
 have the same fulness of meaning, the same sobriety ^of words, the same 
 distinctness of conception, the same conformity to the spirit of the divine 
 revelations ; when wordiness and tautology are rebuked by the weighty 
 matter which is wrapped up in few words ; when adoration is conveyed 
 without adulation, and praise ascribed without flattery ; when want is 
 expressed without meanness, and desire urged with hope, and faith 
 breathes through every part of this blessed occupation ; when it is an 
 exercise, not of the ingenious mind, but of the believing soul— an utterance, 
 not of the eloquent tongue, but of the speaking heart — a discourse, not for 
 the ear of any audience, but for the all-hearing ear of God." — Edward Irving. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 235 
 
 " Lord, teach thy servants how to pray 
 With reverence and with fear ; 
 Though dust and ashes, yet we may, 
 We must to thee draw near." — Montgomery. 
 
 Quest. 100. What doth the preface of the Lord's prayer teach 
 us? 
 
 Ans. The preface of the Lord's prayer (which is, Our Father 
 which art in heaven) teacheth us to draw near to God with all 
 holy reverence and confidence, as children to a father, able and 
 ready to help us ; and that we should pray with and for others. 
 
 Rom. viii. 15. Ye have received the Spirit 
 of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 
 
 Heb. X. 19. Having therefore, brethren, 
 boldness to enter into the holiest by the 
 blood of Jesus, Ver. 20. By a new and 
 living way, which he hath consecrated for 
 us, through the veil, that is to say, his 
 flesh ; Ver. 21. And having an High Priest 
 over the house of God ; Ver. 22. Let us 
 draw near with a true heart in full assur- 
 ance of faith. 
 
 Luke xi. 13. If ye then, being evil, know 
 how to give good gifts unto your children : 
 
 how much more shall your heavenly Father 
 give the Holy Spirit to them that ask 
 him? 
 
 Eph. iii. 20. Unto him that is able to do 
 exceeding abundantly above all that we 
 ask or think. 
 
 1 Tim. ii. 1. I exhort therefore, that, 
 first of all, supplications, prayers, inter- 
 cessions, and giving of thanks, be made for 
 all men. 
 
 Acts xii. 12. Many were gathered to- 
 gether praying. 
 
 1 Thess. v. 25. Brethren, pray for us. 
 
 I. The preface itself . — It points out the object of worship, and the place 
 where He dwells. 
 
 II. What this preface teaches respecting ourselves. 
 
 1. God is our Father in heaven. This is his most endearing name. He is 
 our Father by creation, and still more by adoption and regeneration. 
 
 2. We are to draw near to God with all holy reverence. He is the infinite 
 God, far above us. He is holy, and to be had in reverence : Ps. Ixxxix. 7. 
 
 3. We are to draw near with confidence : Eph. iii. 12. He is trustworthy, 
 and keeps all his promises. 
 
 4. We are to come as children to a father able and ready to help. He 
 is almighty, and can help : Eph. iii. 20. He is love, and therefore willing : 
 1 John iv. 16. Christ came to show us the Father : John xiv. 8-11. 
 
 III. What this preface teaches respecting others. 
 
 1. That we should pray with others. " Our Father " includes others in the 
 family of God. Members of a family on earth may pray to their Father in 
 heaven ; so may friends, so may congregations, so may a nation, so may "all 
 people that on earth do dwell." 
 
 2. That we should pray for others. They belong to the family, need 
 blessings, and claim a share of our sympathy and effort : 1 Tim. ii. 1-3. 
 
286 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. " Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My Father, thou art the 
 guide of my youth?" Jer. iii. 4. 
 
 2. Pity the fatherless, and lead them to say, " Our Father," with you. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 "Wherever God has been acknowledged, he has been understood and 
 worshipped as a Father. The very heathen poets so describe their gods ; 
 and their vulgar names did carry father in them, as the most popular and 
 universal notion." — Bishop Pearson. 
 
 " Plato, Plutarch, and other heathen sages, speak of the Deity as ' father 
 and maker of all.' Homer's favourite designation of Jupiter is 'father of 
 gods and men.' Horace represents him as the ' father and guardian of man- 
 kind.' And Paul in his address to the Athenians refers to two Grecian 
 poets, Aratus and Cleanthes, as having said that ' we are the offspring of 
 God.'" — Dr. Crawford. 
 
 Max Miiller says that in Sanskrit, Greek, and Latin, the name of God is 
 "Heaven-Father." Ere these languages were separated, the Aryan nation 
 had one name for God. It was that of " Our Father which art in heaven." 
 
 " God is frequently spoken of in Scripture as the Father of the nation of 
 
 Israel, and they are his sons This special sonship of the national Israel 
 
 was typical of the more special relation in which the spiritual Israel — they 
 that believe on the Lord Jesus Christ — stand to God as his children. This 
 special relationship of the believer to God rests entirely on the mediatorial 
 work of Jesus Christ." — Dr. L. Alexander. 
 
 A Parsee meeting with a Jew one day, asked him what name his people 
 gave to the Supreme Being. The Jew replied, "We call him Jehovah 
 Adonai — the Lord, who is, and was, and is to come." "That is a grand 
 name," said the Parsee ; "but it is awful too." A Christian who happened 
 to be present remarked, " We call him Father." With one accord they all 
 raised their eyes to heaven, said " Our Father," shook hands, and called one 
 another brothers. 
 
 The night before Dr. Chalmers died he went into his garden, and was 
 overheard by one of his family, in low but very earnest tones, saying, " O 
 Father, my heavenly Father." 
 
 "To the tender name of God as our Father is added his dwelling-place— 
 * which art in heaven ; ' in order to teach us that when we pray to him our 
 souls should pass into that state of holiness and truth of which heaven is the 
 sure abode ; that we should not only lift up our eyes and look upon the azure 
 vault, which is the type of the infinite and the invisible, but that the eye of 
 the soul should look from the earthly region of practical prudence into the 
 heavenly regions of spiritual hope and desire, seeking after the unattained 
 conditions of excellence, and longing for the time and place where they shall 
 be realized and possessed." — Edward Irvin{f. 
 
 " I love sometimes in prayer to remember even the meanest stranger I 
 have met on the public road, with whom, perhaps, I have not exchanged a 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 237 
 
 word ; or to be urgent in my intercessions for some common acquaintance, 
 for whom otherwise I have never felt any interest. It is delightful to remain 
 longer upon my bended knees, and to recall every individual without excep- 
 tion seen during the past day, and to pray for them and all connected vidth 
 them, though unknown to me." — C B. Tayler. 
 
 John Randolph, the eccentric but influential statesman, once addressed 
 himself to an intimate friend in terms something like the following : — "I 
 used to be called a Frenchman, because I took the French side in politics ; 
 and though that was unjust, yet the truth is, I should have been a French 
 atheist if it had not been for one recollection, and that was the memory of 
 the time when my departed mother used to take my little hands in hers, and 
 cause me on my knees to say, ' Our Father which art in heaven.' " 
 
 " O Lord, thy sovereign aid impart, 
 
 To save me from low-thoughted care ; 
 Chase this self-will through all my heart. 
 
 Through all its latent mazes there ; 
 Make me thy duteous child, that I 
 Ceaseless may 'Abba, Father,' cry." 
 
 translated hy Wesley. 
 
 Quest. 101. What do we pray for in the first petition ? 
 
 Ans. In the first petition (which is, Hallowed he thy name) 
 we pray, That God would enable us and others to glorify him 
 in all that whereby he maketh himself known; and that he 
 would dispose all things to his own glory. 
 
 Psalm li. 15. O Lord, open thou my 
 lips ; and my mouth shall shew forth thy 
 praise. 
 
 Ps. Ixvii. 1. God be merciful unto us, 
 and bless us ; and cause his face to shine 
 upon us ; Yer. 2. That thy way may be 
 known upon earth, thy saving health 
 
 among all nations. Ver. 3. Let the people 
 praise thee, O God; let all the people 
 praise thee. 
 
 John xii. 28. Father, glorify thy name. 
 
 Rom. xi. 36. For of him, and through 
 him, and to him, are aU things : to whom 
 be glory for ever. Amen. 
 
 I. The first peiition is that God's name may be halloived. — To hallow is to 
 sanctify or glorify. The name of God is that by which he maketh himself 
 known. 
 
 II. As a prayer this implies that God would enable us and others to glorify 
 
 1. All our spiritual ability comes from God : 2 Cor. iii. 5. 
 
 2. He has promised sufficient grace for this service : 2 Cor. xii. 9. 
 
 III. We are to seek to glorify God in all that whereby he maketh himself known, 
 
 1. In his work of creation : Ps. xix. 1-6. 
 
 2. In his works of providence : Ps. viii. ; Gen. xxxii. 10. 
 
 3. In his works of salvation : 1 Cor. xv, 10, 
 
238 THE SHOETER CATECHISM. 
 
 IV. We pray that God would dispose all things to his oion glory. 
 
 1. This is his own great aim : Rev. iv. 11 ; Num. xiv. 21. 
 
 2. All his intelligent and devout servants seek this. Angels : Isa. vi. 3. 
 The redeemed : 1 Cor. vi. 20. 
 
 3. This was the prayer of Christ : John xvii. 1. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. Man's chief end is to glorify God. 
 
 2. God will be glorified in our condemnation, if we seek not to glorify him 
 in our salvation. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 " This petition is with the utmost propriety placed first, because the name 
 of God, and the honour and glory which belong to it, are most precious in 
 his sight, and ought to be so in ours. If it is not our design above all things 
 to honour the name of God, we cannot use this prayer aright ; nor can we 
 with any propriety present unto God the other petitions." — Paterson. 
 
 The Honourable Robert Boyle, the natural philosopher of his time, paused 
 always before he uttered the name of God, being impressed with solemnity. 
 
 " It is related of a little girl, who was sitting on a stranger's knee when 
 travelling, that when he took God's name in vain nothing could induce 
 her to retain her seat." — Rev. J. H. Wilson. 
 
 " My heaven is to please God, and to glorify him, and give all to him, and 
 to be wholly devoted to his glory : that is the heaven I long for, that is my 
 religion, and that is my happiness, and always was, ever since, I suppose, 1 
 had any true religion ; and all those that are of that religion shall meet, me 
 in heaven. I do not go to heaven to be advanced, but to give honour to God. 
 It is no matter where I shall be stationed in heaven, whether I shall have a 
 high or a low seat there; but to love, please, and glorify God in all." — David 
 Brainerd. 
 
 " It is worthy of remark and remembrance, that in teaching us to pray, in 
 this brief summary of devotion, the same order is observed as in specifying 
 our moral obligations in the Decalogue ; that is, the duty which we owe to 
 God takes precedence of that which is due to ourselves and to our fellow-men. 
 Of six petitions contained in this prayer, the first three relate exclusively to 
 God ; teaching us to regard his glory as supreme, and as claiming our atten- 
 tion before we even mention what relates to the welfare of his creatures. It 
 ought also to be noted, that when we pray that God would enable us and 
 others to glorify him, we impliedly confess that we are unable to do so with- 
 out his assistance." — Dr. Ashbell Green. 
 
 " In praying that God would ' dispose all things to his own glory,' it is 
 especially proper that we take into view those things whose direct and 
 natural tendency is adverse to his glory, but which he can so overrule as to 
 promote it in the most eminent degree. I will mention a few instances of 
 this kind for the illustration of this important point. The most wonderful of 
 all is the sufferings and death of Christ. The sun never shone on another 
 scene of guilt so awful and complicated as was exhibited by those who 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 239 
 
 crucified and slew the Lord of glory. Indeed, you know, the sun refused, as 
 it were, to shine upon it. Satan and the agents whom he employed in this 
 awful transaction expected, no doubt, that a death-blow had been given to the 
 whole work of Christ, when they saw him expire on the cross. Yet, by the 
 all-disposing wisdom and power of God, this very event is made the founda- 
 tion of every sinner's hope — is overruled to bring to glory the whole elect 
 and ransomed people of the Lord. Again : the persecution of Christians is, 
 in its natural tendency, and in the design of persecutors, adverse to the glory 
 of God, as it is promoted by the truths of the gospel and the holy and 
 exemplary lives of true believers. Yet persecution has often been overruled 
 in a most remarkable manner for the extension of the cause and kingdom of 
 Christ. It became proverbial with the primitive Christians, that ' the blood 
 of the martyrs was the seed of the Church.'," — Dr. Ashbell Green. 
 
 " O ye who bear Christ's holy name, 
 
 Give God all praise and glory ; 
 All ye who own his power, proclaim 
 
 Aloud the wondrous story ! 
 Cast each false idol from his throne ; 
 The Lord is one, and he alone : 
 
 To God all praise and glory. " — Schultz. 
 
 Quest. 102. What do we pray for in the second petition ? 
 
 Ans, In the second petition (which is, Thy kingdom come) 
 we pray, That Satan's kingdom may be destroyed; and that 
 the kingdom of grace may be advanced, ourselves and others 
 brought into it, and kept in it ; and that the kingdom of glory 
 may be hastened. 
 
 Ps. ciii. 19. His kingdom ruleth over all. 
 
 Ps. Ixviii. 1. Let God arise, let his 
 enemies be scattered. 
 
 Ps. Ixxii. 11. Yea, all kings shall fall 
 down before him: all nations shall serve 
 him. 
 
 Rom. xvi. 20. And the God of peace shall 
 bruise Satan under your feet shortly. 
 
 2 Tress, iii. 1. Finally, brethren, pray 
 
 for us, that the word of the Lord may have 
 free course, and be glorified, even as it is 
 with you. 
 
 Rom. X. 1. Brethren, my heart's desire 
 and prayer to God for Israel is, that they 
 might be saved. 
 
 Rev. xxii. 20. He which testifleth these 
 things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. 
 Even so, come, Lord Jesus. 
 
 The kingdom of God is opposed in the world ; but it is, nevertheless, 
 always coming, until it reach its great consummation. Our Lord taught us 
 to pray for its coming. This includes several points. 
 
 I. That Satan's kingdom map be destroyed. 
 
 1. This is the gi-and impediment to the kingdom of God. 
 
 16 
 
240 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 2. Satan is called the "god of this world," 2 Cor. iv. 4; the "prince of 
 this world," John xiv, 30 ; the " prince of the power of the air," Eph. ii. 2. 
 
 3. He is to be overthrown : Rom. xvi. 20 ; Rev. xx. 2, 3. 
 
 II. That the kingdom of grace may be advanced. 
 
 1. There is a kingdom of grace. It is the kingdom of God which we are 
 to seek : Matt. vi. 33. 
 
 2. Christ is the King : John xviii. 36, 37 ; Eph. i. 22, 23 ; Col. i. 13. He is 
 head over all. 
 
 3. His kingdom is now in the hearts of his people : Lxike xvii. 21. 
 
 4. He rules in us by his grace, Rom. v. 21, which is the source of all our 
 blessings, Eph. ii. 8. 
 
 III. That ourselves and others may he brought into it, and kept in it. 
 
 1. We need to be delivered out of the power of darkness, and brought into 
 the kingdom of God's dear Son : Col. i. 13, 
 
 2. Christ has provided for this. Let us say, "Lord, remember me when 
 thou comest into thy kingdom : " Luke xxiii. 42. 
 
 3. We should press into the kingdom of God : Luke xvi. 16. 
 
 4. We should pray and labour for others : Rom. x. 1. 
 
 5. God alone can keep us in it : Ps. xvii. 5 ; cxix. 117 ; John xvii. 15. 
 
 IV. That the kingdom of glory may be hastened. 
 
 1. There is a kingdom of glory : 1 Cor. xv. 50 ; Rev. xxii. 5. 
 
 2. It is not yet come : 1 John iii. 2. 
 
 3. It will come : Dan. ii. 44. 
 
 4. Christ will himself bring it : 2 Tim. iv. 1. 
 
 5. It is for his saints : Luke xii. 32 ; Dan. vii. 22. 
 
 6. We are to pray for it, Rev. xxii. 20 ; and to hasten its coming, 2 Peter 
 iii. 12. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. There is no glory hereafter without grace here. 
 
 2. Every subject of Christ as King longs for the coming of his kingdom. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 " We may here observe that the kingdom of God may be considered as 
 twofold: — 1. His essential or general kingdom; by which we are to under- 
 stand that universal and absolute power and sovereignty which he exercises, 
 in heaven, on earth, and in hell, for the purposes of his glory : Ps. ciii. 19. 
 This kingdom embraces everything which he hath made, and everything 
 which he preserves, from the most glorious luminary in the heavens to the 
 minutest particle that dances in the sunbeam, and from the meanest reptile 
 upon earth to the highest archangel that stands in the presence of God. 
 2. His special kingdom; by which we are in general to understand that 
 government and care which he exercises in and over his Church and people, 
 as a society distinct and separated from the world : Ps. lix. 13. This special 
 kingdom may be viewed as twofold — the kingdom of grace and the kingdom 
 of glory. And it is this special kingdom that is chieHy intended in the 
 second petition in the Lord's prayer." — Paterson. 
 
 " In a saving sense, Christ's kingdom is not without, but within us. Its 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 241 
 
 seat is in the heart ; and unless that be right all is wrong. It does not lie 
 in outward things. It is not meat and drink; not baptism or the com- 
 munion ; not sobriety, purity, honesty, and the other decencies of a common 
 respectability. ' Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of 
 God.' Its grace and power have their emblem in the leaven this woman lays, 
 not on the meal, but in the meal— in the heart of the lump, where, working 
 from within outwards, from the centre to the circumference, it sets the whole 
 mass fermenting, changing it into its own nature. Even so the work of 
 conversion has its origin in the heart." — Dr. Guthrie. 
 
 "The coming of God's kingdom towers above all other events, like the 
 mountains above the molehills of earth. It is for that the world is kept in 
 being ; and when that event is accomplished there will be such a shout of 
 jubilee throughout the whole universe as has never been since the world 
 began. Anything we can do or give to bring it about is little at the best ; 
 but the King graciously permits his children to aid in bringing about what 
 is pleasing to his fatherly heart." — Rev. J. Wilson. 
 
 The missionary cause is the cause of Christ's kingdom. All may aid this, 
 by prayer, by gifts, by work. 
 
 Three resolutions were once proposed and carried at a negro missionary 
 meeting in the West Indies : " 1. That all give something; 2. That all give 
 as God has prospered us ; 3. That all give willingly." As soon as this was 
 passed, a leading negro took his seat at the table with pen and ink to put 
 down the gifts. Many came, some giving more, and some less. At length 
 one rich old negro came and threw down a small silver coin. " Take dat 
 back," said the collector. "Dat may agree with de first but not with de 
 second resolution." The rich man went back to his seat ; but feeling 
 ashamed when he saw what others were giving, he returned and threw down 
 a piece of gold, saying, " Dere, take dat !" " No," said the collector, " dat 
 won't do yet. It may agree with first and second resolutions, but not 
 with de third." The money was taken back in anger; but by-and-by, 
 when nearly all had gone, he came up with a smile and gave a large sum. 
 " Very well," said the negro, " dat will do; it be according to aU de resolu- 
 tions ! " 
 
 "The three strongest desires, which have habitually influenced me for 
 years, are — 1. To be delivered from sin. If this could be, I could bear any- 
 thing, and be happy in poverty and disgrace. 2. To enjoy God. I think I 
 surely long more for this than for riches or honours, and would give up 
 everything for it. 3. That God's kingdom may come. When I hear of any 
 appearances favourable to Zion my heart is glad." — Hev. Dr. Griffin. 
 
 "My heart was knit in affection to those in whom were appearances of 
 piety ; and I could bear the thoughts of no other company but such as were 
 holy and disciples of the blessed Jesus. I had a great longing for the 
 advancement of Christ's kingdom in the world. My secret prayer used to be 
 in great part taken up in praying for it. If I heard the least hint of anything 
 that happened in any part of the world that appeared to me, in some respect 
 or other, to have a favourable aspect on the interest of Christ's kingdom, my 
 soul eagerly catched at it, and it would much animate and refresh me. I 
 used to be qamest to read public news-letters mainly for that end, to see if 
 
242 
 
 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 1 could find some news favourable to the interest of religion in the world." — 
 Jonathan Edwards. 
 
 Those who believe in the pre-millennial advent of the Lord Jesus Christ, 
 long and pray for his appearing, as the means of hastening the kingdom of 
 glory. 
 
 " We long to hear Thy voice. 
 To see thee face to face, 
 To share thy crown and glory then 
 
 As now we share thy grace. 
 Should not the loving bride 
 
 The absent Bridegroom mourn ? 
 Should she not wear the weeds of grief 
 Until her Lord return ? 
 
 Then come, Lord Jesus, come, 
 
 " The whole creation groans. 
 
 And waits to hear that voice ' 
 That shall restore her comeliness 
 
 And make her wastes rejoice. 
 Come, Lord, and wipe away 
 
 The curse, the sin, the stain. 
 And make this blighted world of ours 
 Thine own fair world again. 
 
 Then come, Lord Jesus, come." 
 
 Dr. H. Bonar. 
 
 Quest. 103. What do we iway for in the third 'petition 1 
 Ans. In the third petition (which is, Thy will he done in 
 earth, as it is in heaven) we pray, That God, by his grace, 
 would make us able and willing to know, obey, and submit to 
 his will in all things, as the angels do in heaven. 
 
 Phil. ii. 13. For it is God which worketh 
 in you both to will and to do of his good 
 pleasure. 
 
 Ps. cxix. 18. Open thou mine eyes, that I 
 may behold wondrous things out of thy law. 
 Ver. 35. Make me to go in the path of thy 
 commandments ; for therein do I delight. 
 
 Ps. cxix. 5. O that my ways were di- 
 rected to keep thy statutes ! 
 
 Matt. xxvi. 42. Father, if this cup may 
 not pass away from me, except I drink it, 
 thy will be done. 
 
 Acts xxi. 14. The will of the Lord be 
 done. 
 
 1 Sam. iii. 18. It is the Lord : let him do 
 what seemeth him good. 
 
 Job i. 21. The Lord gave, and the Lord 
 hath taken away ; blessed be the name of 
 the Lord. 
 
 Ps. ciii. 20. Bless the Lord, ye his angels, 
 that excel in strength, that do his com- 
 mandments, hearkening unto the voice of 
 his word. Ver. 22. Bless the Lord, O my 
 soul. 
 
 I. The petition itself .- 
 In heaven. 
 
 That God's will may be done on earth, as it is done 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 243 
 
 II. The objects desired from God. 
 
 1. That God would make us able and willing to know his will in all 
 things : Eph. i. 18. (1.) We are ignorant by nature. (2.) We are unwilling 
 to learn. (3.) We need God to teach us. (4.) God has promised this teach- 
 ing : Isa. xlviii. 17. (5. ) We have examples of prayer for this in David, 
 Ps. xxvii. 11 ; Solomon, 1 Kings iii. 6-10. 
 
 2. To obey his will in all things. (1.) He can renew in us a right 
 spirit : Ps. li. 10. (2. ) This is the great aim of the Christian : 2 Cor. x. 5. 
 (3.) Divine grace is sufficient : 2 Cor. xii. 9. 
 
 3. To submit to his will in all things. He can enable us to say, " Thy 
 will be done." His way is best for us, and is always wise. Christ learned 
 obedience by the things which he suffered, and can aid us : Heb. v. 8, 9. 
 
 III. The pattern of obedience to God's will. — The angels do his will : Ps. 
 ciii. 20. They are humble (Isa. vi. 2), cheerful, faithful, constant in their 
 obedience. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. The knowledge of God's will is the most practical and useful of all 
 inquiries. 
 
 2. The love of Christ is the best motive for obedience. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 " Virtue is in one of its highest forms, or rather in its highest form, when 
 the will is properly exercised in reference to the Divine Being. It is some- 
 what higher than mere benevolence when thus directed towards so elevated 
 an object. We feel that God does not need our good wishes as he does not 
 need our help ; and yet we feel that there is a holy exercise of the will due 
 on our part to him. Hence arises the desire to glorify God, being the highest 
 desire which the creature can cherish, and the noblest motive by which he 
 can be actuated. This internal exercise of the will finds its fullest and most 
 appropriate embodiment and expression in praise and prayer. Under this 
 feeling we say, 'Hallowed be thy name,' and earnestly long that God, as 
 he is all-glorious, may be glorified as he ought. We say, ' Thy will be 
 done,' and feel it to be the highest work in which we can engage to do his 
 will, and labour also that others may know it and do it." — Dr. M'Cosh. 
 
 A clergyman once asked a deaf and dumb boy why he was born deaf and 
 dumb. The boy took the chalk and wrote, "Even so. Father; for so it 
 seemed good in thy sight." 
 
 A Scottish Lord of Session was once on the Pentland Hills, and as a mist 
 came on he indiilged in a profane remark regarding it. A shepherd, who was 
 standing by, said, " What ails ye at the mist ? It wats the gress, it slockens 
 the yows, and it's God's wuU." It was a noble reproof, and not likely to be 
 forgotten. 
 
 "Wish what the Holy One wishes, not from fear but affection: fear is 
 the virtue of slaves ; but the heart that loveth is willing." — Bishop Tegner. 
 
 A Sabbath-school teacher, instructing his class on this portion of the 
 Lord's Prayer, said to them, " You have told me, my dear children, what is 
 to be done — the will of God ; and where it is to be done — on earth ; and how 
 
244 
 
 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 it is to be done — as it is done in heaven. How do you think the angels and 
 happy spirits do the will of God in heaven, as they are to be our pattern ? " 
 The first child replied, "They do it immediately." The second, "They do 
 it diligently." The third, " They do it always." The fourth, "They do it 
 with all their hearts." The fifth, "They do it altogether." Here a pause 
 ensued, and no child appeared to have an answer; but after some time a 
 little girl arose and said, " They do it tvithout asking any questions." 
 
 "I am waiting for my dismission. I desire to leave the hoio and the 
 tvhen and the where to Him who does all things well." — Rev. John Newton. 
 
 I have heard of a lady who, on being visited by a friend, said, "I was 
 just trying to learn the Lord's Prayer as you came in." "What!" said 
 her friend, "have you never learned the Lord's Prayer?" "No," was the 
 reply; "I have just got the length of the third petition, and I find it hard 
 to learn. I cannot yet say, ' Thy will be done ! ' " 
 
 " My God and Father, while I stray, 
 Far from my home, in life's rough way, 
 O teach me from my heart to say, 
 
 ' Thy will be done.' 
 
 " Renew my will from day to day ; 
 Blend it with thine ; and take away 
 All that now makes it hard to say, 
 
 ' Thy will be done.' " 
 
 C. Elliott. 
 
 Quest. 104. What do we pray for. in the fourth petition ? 
 
 Ans. In the fourth petition (which is, Give us this day our 
 daily bread) we pray, That of God's free gift we may receive 
 a competent portion of the good things of this life, and enjoy 
 his blessing with them. 
 
 Prov. XXX. 8. Give me neither poverty 
 nor riches ; feed me with food convenient 
 for me : Ver. 9. Lest I be full, and deny 
 thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest 
 I be poor, and steal, and take the name of 
 my God in vain. 
 
 Matt. vi. 25. Therefore I say unto you, 
 Take no thought for your life, what ye 
 shall eat, or what ye shall drink ; nor yet 
 for your body, what ye shall put on. Is 
 not the life more than meat, and the body 
 than raiment? 
 
 Gen. xxviii. 20. And Jacob vowed a vow, 
 saying, If God will be with me, and will 
 keep me in this way that I go, and will 
 give me bread to eat, and raiment to put 
 on, Ver. 21. So that I come again to my 
 father's house in peace; then shall the 
 Lord be my God. 
 
 Prov. x. 22. The blessing of the Lord, 
 it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow 
 with it. 
 
 1 Tim. vi. 6. But godliness with content- 
 ment is great gain. 
 
 This petition is for our daily bread, and refers to our welfare in a temporal 
 sense. It teaches us — 
 I. That temporal things are God's gifts: 1 Chron. xxLx. 14, 16. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 245 
 
 II.. ThMt they may be sought in prayer: Gen. xxviii. 20. 
 
 III. That ive may pray foi' a competent portion of the good things of this life. 
 — This implies all that is necessary to provide for our wants. He has 
 promised this in his Word : Isa. xxxiii. 15, 16. 
 
 IV. That we may daily pray for this. — "We are daily dependent on God's 
 care. We are not to be over anxious of the future. We may not boast of 
 to-morrow: Prov. xxvii. 1. 
 
 V. That we should seek God's blessing on temporal gifts: Prov. x. 22. — God's 
 blessing can elevate and sanctify the least temporal benefit. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. Temporal wants should lead us to God. 
 
 2. The bread of life is God's gift for our souls. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 " God has so constituted his providence that man is at all times dependent 
 on his Maker for the comforts and the very necessaries of life. God 
 could no doubt have placed mankind in a different constitution of things, 
 where praise, and not prayer, would have been the befitting exercise. 
 Situated as he is, he is constrained to feel a sense of dependence ; and of that 
 feeling prayer is the suitable expression." — Dr. M'Cosh. 
 
 Prayer is by some restricted to spiritual things; but Christ in his direction 
 teaches us to seelc daily bread for food. He does not teach that men should 
 ask for it without industry or the use of means. The ordinary providence 
 of God shows that our daily bread comes to us by toil and the proper use of 
 means. Yet the Saviour linked us to God in this by a feeling of dependence. 
 
 "This is apparently one of the smallest yet one of the greatest petitions. 
 
 1. Smallness of the petition. We ask what most men already possess ; we 
 ask it only for the small circle of those around our table ; we ask only daily 
 bread; we ask it only for to-day. 2. Greatness of the petition. We ask 
 that earthly bread should be converted into heavenly manna ; we ask that 
 He would feed all those who are in want ; we ask that he would meet the 
 daily requirements of a waiting world; we ask it to-day, and ever again 
 to-day." — Dr. Lange. 
 
 Lange also says this is a grace before meat in its widest sense; a prayer of 
 the husbandman ; a prayer for our ordinary calling ; a prayer for our daily 
 work ; a prayer in our distress ; and a prayer in all our earthly wants. It 
 is also a grace before meat in its most restricted sense. 
 
 Matthew Henry says every word here has a lesson in it : — 1. We ask for 
 bread — that teaches us sobriety and temperance. We ask for bread, not 
 dainties or superfluities — that which is wholesome though it be not nice. 
 
 2. We ask for our bread— that teaches us honesty and industry. We do not 
 ask the bread out of other people's mouths ; not the bread of deceit, but the 
 bread honestly gotten. 3. We ask for our daily bread — which teaches us not 
 to take thought for the morrow, but constantly to depend on Divine Provi- 
 dence, as those that live from hand to mouth. 4. We beg of God to give 
 to us, not sell it or lend it us, but give it. The greatest of men must be 
 
246 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 beholden to God for their daily bread. 5. We pray, Give it to us— not to me 
 only, but to others in common with me. This teaches us charity and a pas- 
 sionate concern for the poor and needy. It intimates, also, that we ought to 
 pray with our families. We and our households eat together, and therefore 
 ought to pray together. 6. We pray that God would give it us this day — 
 which teaches us to renew the desire of our souls towards God as the wants 
 of our bodies are renewed. As duly as the day comes we must pray to our 
 heavenly Father, and reckon we could as well go a day without meat as 
 without prayer. 
 
 A traveller, overtaken in a storai, sought shelter in a dilapidated and 
 lonely dwelling. Before entering, however, he looked through one of the 
 gaping crevices, and saw a woman seated at a table on which was placed a 
 coarse and scanty meal. Her hands and eyes were uplifted. Her lips moved ; 
 and as he listened he heard her say, " All this, and Jesus Christ too! " 
 
 " Through each perplexing path of life 
 Our wand'ring footsteps guide ; 
 Give us each day our daily bread. 
 And raiment fit provide." — Doddridge. 
 
 Quest. 105. What do we pray for in the fifth -petition ? 
 
 Ans. In the fifth petition (which is, And forgive us our debts 
 as we forgive our debtors) we pray, That God, for Christ's sake, 
 would freely pardon all our sins ; which we are the rather 
 encouraged to ask, because by his grace we are enabled from 
 
 the heart to forgive others. 
 
 Ps, li. 1. Have mercy upon me, God, 
 according to thy lovingkindness : according 
 unto the multitude of thy tender mercies 
 blot out my transgressions. 
 
 HosEA xiv. 2. Take with you words, and 
 turn to the Lord: say unto him, Take 
 away all iniquity, and receive us graci- 
 ously. 
 
 Ern. L 7. In whom we have redemption 
 
 through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, 
 according to the riches of his grace. 
 
 Matt. vi. 14. For if ye forgive men their 
 trespasses, your heavenly Father will also 
 forgive you. 
 
 Matt, xviii. 35. So likewise shall my 
 heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye 
 from your hearts forgive not every one his 
 brother their trespasses. 
 
 I. Sin is a debt to the law of God. — It is one which we cannot pay. We 
 are dependent on God's mercy for our forgiveness. God has revealed his 
 mercy : Ex. xxxiv. 6, 7 ; Isa. Iv. 6, 7 ; Micah vii. 18. 
 
 II. This petition seeks forgiveness. ' 
 
 1. We may pray for the pardon of sin, since God has oflFered to forgive us. 
 He only can forgive : Luke v. 21 ; Rom. viii. 33. 
 
 2. We can pray for it only for Christ's sake. He is the mediator : Eph. i. 7. 
 
 3. We may pray in faith. God has pledged his word. He has sent his 
 Son to be the propitiation for our sins : 1 John iv. 10. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 247 
 
 4. We may pray for a free pardon. Such God gives : Rom. iii. 24. 
 
 5. We may ask a full pardon : Ps. ciii. 1-3 ; 1 John i. 7. 
 
 III. This petition asserts our willingness to forgive others. — It is a duty to 
 forgive those who sin against us. 
 
 We need grace to enable us to forgive others. 
 
 IV. Our forgiveness of others is our encouragement to ash forgiveness for our- 
 selves from God. 
 
 1. God has connected these : Matt. vi. 14, 15. 
 
 2. The example of Christ enforces it : Luke xxiii. 34 ; 1 Peter ii. 23. 
 
 3. We cannot expect forgiveness from God if we have an unforgiving 
 spirit to others : Matt, xviii. 24-35. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. Forgiveness of sins is essential to peace with God. 
 
 2. Let us cultivate a forgiving spirit. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 "This is the prayer of penitence, 'Forgive us our debts.' 1. It realizes 
 sin, and realizes it as a debt. 2. It realizes the burden of sin resting on 
 mankind generally. 3. It realizes forgiveness as a free grace and a free gift. 
 True penitence appears in the prayer of faith. Assurances of forgiveness call 
 forth the prayer, 'Forgive us.' Forgiveness and readiness to forgive cannot 
 be separated. There is a connection between the two : 1. Forgiveness makes 
 \is ready to forgive ; 2. Readiness to forgive inspires us with courage to seek 
 forgiveness ; 3. The spirit of forgiveness ever joins the two more closely 
 together. He who cannot forgive man cannot find forgiveness with God ; — 
 (1) because he will not believe in forgiving love ; (2) because he will not act 
 upon its directions." — Dr. Lange. 
 
 The Marquis of Argyle, who suffered death in the reign of Charles II., on 
 whose head he had put the crown of Scotland at Scone, was employed on 
 the morning of the day of his execution in settling his worldly affairs. 
 Under the influence of a sensible effusion of spiritual joy, he said to those 
 about him, " I am now ordering my affairs, and God is sealing my charter 
 to a better inheritance, and just now saying to me, ' Son, be of good cheer ; 
 thy sins are forgiven thee.' " Having with great cheerfulness dined with his 
 friends, he retired a httle. Upon his opening the door, the Rev. Mr. 
 Hutchison said, "What cheer, my lord?" He replied, "Good cheer. , The 
 Lord has again confirmed, and said to me from heaven, ' Thy sins be for- 
 given thee.' " 
 
 Dr. Cotton Mather was remarkable for the sweetness of his temper. He 
 took some interest in the political concerns of his country, and on this 
 account, as well as because he faithfully reproved iniquity, he had many 
 enemies. Many abusive letters were sent, all of which he tied up in a 
 packet, and wrote upon the cover, "Libels : Father forgive them." 
 
 A gentleman once asked Sir Eardley Wilmot, Lord Chief -Justice of the 
 Court of Common Pleas in England, if he did not think it manly to resent 
 an injury which he had received from a person in a high political position. 
 
248 
 
 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 *' Yes," said the judge, "it will be manly to resent it, but it will be Godlike 
 to forgive it." The gentleman felt the observation, and went home in a 
 different temper from that in which he came. 
 
 "Alas, alas ! 
 Why, all the souls that were, were forfeit once ; 
 And He that might the vantage best have took 
 Found out the remedy. How would you be, 
 If He, which is the top of judgment, should 
 But judge you as you are ? Oh ! think on that, 
 And mercy then will breathe within your lips, 
 Like man new-made." 
 
 " Consider this, — 
 That, in the course of justice, none of us 
 Should see salvation : we do pray for mercy ; 
 And that same prayer doth teach us all to render 
 The deeds of mercy." 
 " How shalt thou hope for mercy, rendering none ? " — Shakespeare. 
 
 QuES. 106. What do we pray for in the sixth petition ? 
 
 Ans. In the sixth petition (which is, And lead us not into 
 temptation, hut deliver us from evil) we pray, That God would 
 either keep us from being tempted to sin, or support and deliver 
 us when we are tempted. 
 
 Ps. cxix. 117. Hold thou me up, and I 
 shall be safe : and I will have respect unto 
 thy statutes continually. 
 
 Matt. xxvi. 41. Watch and pray, that 
 ye enter not into temptation. 
 
 Ps. xix. 13. Keep back thy servant also 
 from presumptuous sins; let them not 
 have dominion over me. 
 
 1 Cor. X. 13. God is faithful, who will 
 not suffer you to be tempted above that ye 
 are able ; but will with the temptation 
 also make a way to escape, that ye may be 
 able to bear it. 
 
 2 Cor. xii. 8. For this thing I besought the 
 Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 
 
 Ver. 9. And he said unto me, My grace is 
 sufficient for thee : for my strength is made 
 perfect in weakness. 
 
 Luke xxii. 31. And the Lord said, Simon, 
 Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have 
 you, that he may sift you as wheat : Ver. 32. 
 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith 
 fail not: and when thou art converted, 
 strengthen thy brethren. 
 
 James i. 13. Let no man say when he 
 is tempted, I am tempted of God: for 
 God cannot be tempted with evil, neither 
 tempteth he any man : Ver. 14. But every 
 man is tempted, when he is drawn away of 
 his own lust, and enticed. 
 
 This petition recognizes the fact that the soul, while in this world, is in 
 danger of sin, and needs always to be watchful, and dependent on divine 
 grace. 
 
 I. We OA'e taught here to pray that God would keep us from being tempted 
 to sin. 
 
 1. God cannot tempt us to sin (James i. 13), but he may permit us to be 
 tempted, to try our faith and obedience. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 249 
 
 2. Satan is a tempter. He tempted our Lord : Matt. iv. 1-10. He tempts 
 us : 1 Cor. vii. 5. He is malicious, insinuating, and persevering in effort. 
 
 3. People tempt one another : 1 Kings xxi. 7 ; Gen. xxxix. 7-12. 
 
 4. The sinful heart tempts by its own lusts : James i. 14. 
 
 5. The world tempts us : 1 Tim. vi. 9, 10 ; 2 Tim. iv. 10. 
 
 II. That God would support and deliver us when ive are tempted. — ^We cannot 
 expect to be free from temptation, but by divine grace we may overcome, and 
 escape the evil. For this we may pray : 1 Chron. iv. 10. 
 
 1. That we may not yield to sin. 
 
 2. That we may be delivered from the lusts of the flesh. 
 
 3. That we may be preserved amidst temptations from the world. 
 
 4. That we may be delivered from the snares of the devil : Matt. xiii. 19. 
 
 5. That our faith may be strengthened to overcome the world, the devil, 
 and the flesh. 
 
 III. Ood has promised grace to support us : 1 Cor. x. 13. 
 
 1. He knows how to deliver us : 2 Peter ii. 9. 
 
 2. He has delivered his people : Ps. Ivi. 13. 
 
 3. Christ prayed that we may be kept from evil : John xvii. 15. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. We should dread sin more than suffering. 
 
 2. We should watch and pray, that we enter not into temptation. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 An old divine remarked that we may not pray to be kept from suffering, 
 but we may always pray to be kept from sinning. 
 
 " Temptation will give oil and fuel to our lusts ; incite, provoke, and make 
 them tumultuate and rage beyond measure. Tendering a lust, a corruption, 
 a suitable object, advantage, occasion, it heightens and exasperates it, makes 
 it for a season wholly predominant : so dealt it with carnal fear in Peter, 
 with pride in Hezekiah, with covetousness in Achan, with uncleanness in 
 David, with worldliness in Demas, with ambition in Diotrephes. It will lay 
 the reins on the neck of a lust, and put spurs to the sides of it, that it may 
 rush forward like a horse into the battle. A man knows not the pride, fury, 
 madness of a corruption, until it meet with a suitable temptation. 
 
 " Temptation is like a knife, that may either cut the meat or the throat of 
 a man ; it may be his food or his poison, his exercise or his destruction. 
 
 " Let no man pretend to fear sin that doth not fear temptation to it. They 
 are too nearly allied to be separated. Satan hath put them so together that 
 it is very hard for any man to put them asunder. He hates not the fruit 
 that delights in the root. 
 
 "What, think you, are the thoughts, and what the heart of Christ, when he 
 sees a temptation hastening towards us, a storm rising about us, and we are 
 fast asleep ? Does it not grieve him to see us expose ourselves so to danger, 
 after he has given us warning upon warning?" — Dr. Owen. 
 
 How many have been tempted to drink, and yielding, have been ruined ! 
 How many have been tempted to take money not their own, and lost honesty 
 
250 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 and place ! How many have been tempted to sin once, and have gone down 
 the inclined plane to disgrace and misery ! 
 
 The great resource in temptation is prayer and watching. 
 
 A fleet of a hundred vessels lay at anchor in a port of the Mediterranean, 
 when a fearful storm burst upon them, and drove all save one upon the shore. 
 The wonder was how that one could have held its anchorage. It was found 
 that its anchor had grappled into another which lay firmly embedded in the 
 bottom of the sea. So the soul anchored to Christ, as in the cleft of the 
 Rock of Ages, will be able to outride all the storms of temj^tation. 
 
 " Go to dark Gethsemane, 
 
 Ye that feel the tempter's power ; 
 Your Redeemer's conflict see ; 
 
 Watch with him one bitter horn: : 
 Turn not from his griefs away ; 
 Learn of Jesus Christ to pray." — Hart. 
 
 Quest. 107. What doth the conclusion of the Lord^s prayer 
 teach us ? 
 
 Ans. The conclusion of the Lord's prayer (which is, For 
 thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever, Amen) 
 teacheth us to take our encouragement in prayer from God 
 only, and in our prayers to praise him, ascribing kingdom, 
 power, and glory to him. And, in testimony of our desire, and 
 assurance to be heard, we say, Amen. 
 
 Ps. Ixii. 5. My soul, wait thou only upon 
 God ; for my expectation is from him. 
 
 Dan. ix. 18. We do not present our sup- 
 plications before thee for our righteous- 
 nesses, but for thy great mercies. Ver. 19. 
 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, 
 hearken and do ; defer not, for thine own 
 sake, O my God. 
 
 1 Chron. xxix. 11. Thine, O Lord, is the 
 greatness, and the power, and the glory, 
 and the victory, and the majesty: for all 
 that is in the heaven and in the earth is 
 
 thine ; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and 
 thou art exalted as head above all. Ver. 
 12. Both riches and honour come of thee, 
 and thou reignest over all; and in thine 
 hand is power and might; and in thine 
 hand it is to make great, and to give 
 strength unto all. Ver. 13. Now therefore, 
 our God, we thank thee, and praise thy 
 glorious name. 
 
 Heb. X. 22. Let us draw near with a true 
 heart in full assurance of faith. 
 
 Ps. cvi. 48. Let all the people say, Amen. 
 
 This conclusion, added to the Lord's Prayer, is very expressive and em- 
 phatic, and teaches very important truths. 
 
 I. That we should take our encouragement in p)-ai/er from God only. — He has 
 appointed prayer as a means of blessing. He has given us his promises for 
 arguments. We are to ask for his own name's sake, as the Psalmist in 
 Ps. XXV. 11 ; and for Christ's sake, as in the New Testament. 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 251 
 
 II. In our prayers ^oe should praise him. — This form of prayer thus begins 
 and ends with praise. Praise is the most prominent service to be rendered 
 to God. It was offered before sin entered the world, and will be after sin 
 is put away. 
 
 1. We are to ascribe kingdom to him. He is the universal King : Ps. xcv. 3. 
 He is the King of saints : Rev. xv. 3. He has the right to rule. 
 
 2. We are to ascribe power to him. He is almighty and able to answer 
 prayer : Ps. Ixv. 5. He is able to do for us exceeding abundantly more than 
 we can ask or think : Eph. iii. 20. 
 
 3. We are to ascribe glory to him. He is glorious: Ex. xv. 11. It is our 
 chief end to glorify him : 1 Cor. vi. 20. All things are to glorify him. 
 
 III. We may expect our prayers to be heard. — Because of this we say, 
 Amen. This is a Hebrew word signifying true, faithful, certain. We desire 
 to be heard, saying thus. So let it be. All the promises are said to be Amen 
 in Christ. Christ' himself is called "the Amen, the faithful and true Wit- 
 ness:" Rev. iii. 14. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 1. Let us ever take encouragement from God in prayer. 
 
 2. Let us rely on Christ as the pledge of every promise. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 The doxology appended to the Lord's Prayer is omitted by all Biblical 
 scholars, as not found in the oldest manuscripts of the Gospels. "Had it 
 formed part of the original text," says Dean Alford, " it is absolutely incon- 
 ceivable that all the ancient authorities should with one consent have omitted 
 it We find absolutely no trace of it in early times, in any family of manu- 
 scripts, or in any expositors." It cannot be regarded as part of the original 
 text. Jewish prayers had, however, since the time of David, been rich in 
 doxologies, and it was most probably added in the use of the prayer. It is 
 found in the Syriac version, but not in the Latin version. It is given vari- 
 ously, which shows that it lacked authority. It is left out of the Revised 
 New Testament. The doxology is frequent in the Apocalypse. It is a be- 
 coming form of praise, and has been largely used in the Christian Church. 
 
 Alexander the Great had a famous but indigent philosopher in his court. 
 This adept in science was once particularly straitened in his circumstances. 
 To whom should he apply but to his generous patron, the conqueror of the 
 world ? His request was no sooner made than it was granted. Alexander 
 gave him a commission to receive of his treasurer whatever he wanted. He 
 immediately demanded, in his sovereign's name, ten thousand pounds ! The 
 treasurer, surprised at so large a demand, refused to comply ; but he waited 
 upon the king, and represented to him the affair, adding withal how un- 
 reasonable he thought the petition, and how exorbitant the sum. Alexander 
 heard him with patience, but as soon as he had ended his remonstrance, 
 replied, " Let the money be instantly paid. I am delighted with the philos- 
 opher's way of thinking : he has done me a singular honour ; by the large- 
 ness of his request, he shows the high idea he has conceived both of my 
 superior wealth and my royal munificence." Thus let us honour what the 
 
252 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 inspired penman styles the *' marvellous loving-kindness of Jehovah." " He 
 that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he 
 not with him also freely give us all things?" Rom. viii. 32. 
 
 Amen was used by the Hebrews in covenants or oaths. It was customary 
 in apostolic days to say Amen at the giving of thanks. Tertullian says they 
 said Amen at the eucharist — that is, at the end of the prayer. 
 
 "The Amen thus used," says Dean Stanley, "was borrowed from the 
 worship of the synagogue, and hence probably the article is prefixed as to a 
 well-known form. It was there regarded as the necessary ratification of the 
 prayer or blessing. The rabbins say : ' He who says Amen is greater than 
 he that blesseth.' ' Whosoever says Amen, to him the gates of paradise are 
 open.' An Amen, if not well considered, was called an orphan Amen. 
 * Whosoever says an orphan Amen, his children shall be orphans ; whosoever 
 answers Amen hastily or shortly, his days shall be shortened; whosoever 
 answers Amen distinctly and at length, his days shall be lengthened.' Cap- 
 tain Burton noticed the word as uttered by the vast assembly of the pilgrims 
 at Mecca, to express their assent to the great sermon at Kaaba. So," says 
 Dean Stanley, "in the early Christian liturgies it was regarded as a marked 
 point in the service ; and with this agrees the great solemnity with which 
 Justin speaks of it, as though it were on a level with the thanksgiving: 
 ' The president having given thanks, the whole people shouted their appro- 
 bation.' In later times the Amen was only repeated once by the congre- 
 gation, and always after the great thanksgiving, and with a shout like a peal 
 of thunder." 
 
 " The certainty, Amen, is derived from the truth and faithfulness of God. 
 Christ introduces his most solemn statements with this word ; and with it 
 believers close their prayers, in sign and testimony that all human faithful- 
 ness and human certitude spring from the faithfulness of God. This word 
 Amen has its great history in Biblical theology, in the services of the Church, 
 and in the lives of believers." — Lange. 
 
 A Hindu and a New Zealander once met on the deck of a missionary ship. 
 They were both converts from heathenism, but could not speak to each 
 other. They pointed to their Bibles, shook hands, and smiled. At last a 
 happy thought occurred to the Hindu. He exclaimed, " Hallelujah." The 
 New Zealander answered in delight, " Amen." In these two Hebrew words, 
 brought into their respective languages by the Word of God, they were able 
 to express their feelings. 
 
 The Catechism begins with articles of faith — what we are to believe con- 
 cerning God. It then considers what duty God requires of man, treating 
 first of the ten commandments of the law as the general duty of man, and 
 secondly of the particular duties of the sinner under the gospel. The con- 
 cluding parts treat of the means of grace — the word, sacraments, and prayer. 
 Under the last the Lord's Prayer is made, very appropriately, to end the 
 series of questions and answers. 
 
 The following beautiful parai)hrase of the Lord's Prayer has been credited 
 to a Frenchman — M. Pierre Bernard ; but in the Life of the Rev. William 
 Marsh, D.D., so long known and so highly esteemed in England, it is stated 
 that during a wakeful night Dr. Marsh composed it, and that it was written 
 
THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 253 
 
 down from his dictation the next morning. Comparing the two versions, 
 the one ascribed to M. Bernard is more full; but it may be merely an ampli- 
 fication of that of Dr. Marsh. We give the following compilation from both, 
 as a fitting conclusion to this Exposition of the Catechism : — 
 
 THE lord's prayer PARAPHRASED. 
 
 Our Father- 
 By right of creation, 
 By bountiful provision, 
 By gracious adoption ; 
 
 Which art in heaven — 
 
 The throne of thy glory, 
 The home of thy children. 
 The temple of thy angels ; 
 
 Hallowed be thy name — 
 
 By the thoughts of our hearts. 
 By the words of our lips. 
 By the works of our hands. 
 
 Thy kingdom come — 
 
 Of providence to defend us, 
 Of grace to refine us, 
 Of glory to crown us. 
 
 Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven — 
 
 Towards us without resistance. 
 By us without compulsion. 
 Universally without exception, 
 Eternally without declension. 
 
 Give us this day our daily bread — 
 
 Of necessity for our bodies. 
 Of eternal life for our souls. 
 
 And forgive us our trespasses — 
 
 Against the commands of thy law. 
 Against the grace of thy gospel ; 
 
 As we forgive those that trespass against us — 
 
 By defaming our character. 
 By embezzling our property, 
 By abusing our person. 
 
 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil — 
 Of overwhelming afflictions, 
 Of worldly enticements, 
 Of Satan's devices. 
 Of error's seductions. 
 Of sinful affections. 
 
254 THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever- 
 
 Thy kingdom governs all. 
 
 Thy power subdues all. 
 
 Thy glory is above all. 
 Amen — 
 
 As it is in thy purpose, 
 
 So it is in thy promises ; 
 
 So be it in our prayers. 
 
 So it shall be to thy praise. 
 
 By this prayer of our Lord — 
 
 The Father bless, 
 
 The Son adore, 
 
 The Spirit praise. 
 
 For evermore. Amen and Amen. 
 
II^DEX 
 
 I.-OF SUBJECTS. 
 
 Adam, 56. 
 
 Adoption, 112. 
 
 Amen, 250-252. 
 
 Angels, 242. 
 
 Baptism, its nature, 221 ; its subjects, 223- 
 225. 
 
 Bread, daily, 244. 
 
 Christ, the Son of God, 27, 71 ; his human- 
 ity, 71, 77, 78; his reasonable soul, 78; a 
 prophet, 83; a priest, 86; a king, 90, 240, 
 251, 253; his humiliation, 93; his exalta- 
 tion, 96 ; his sacrifice, 87 ; his interces- 
 sion, 87; his death, 94; his burial, 94; 
 his resurrection, 97; his ascension, 97; 
 his second coming, 98, 242; knowledge 
 of, 105 ; faith in, 102, 109, 200, 204. 
 
 Church, 91, 224. 
 
 Commandments, the ten, 133 ; the sum of, 
 134, 135; preface to, 137, 138; the first, 
 141-146 ; the second, 146-152 ; the third, 
 154-159; the fourth, 161-170; the fifth, 
 170-176; the sixth, 177-180; the seventh, 
 181, 182; the eighth, 182-185; the ninth, 
 185-190 ; the tenth, 190-194. 
 
 Communion with God, loss of, 64; with 
 Christ, 226. 
 
 Conviction of sin, 105. 
 
 Corruption of nature, 61. 
 
 Covenant of life, 47 ; of grace, 68. 
 
 Creation, work of, 34 ; of man, 38. 
 
 Cross of Christ, 94. 
 
 Death of Christ, 94 ; of believers, 121. 
 
 Death, a penalty, 64. 
 
 Decrees of God, 30-33. 
 
 Duty of man, 16, 128-130 ; rule of, 9. 
 
 Effectual calling, 105. 
 
 Election, 68. 
 
 Evidences of God's being, 22, 23. 
 
 Examination, self, 229. 
 
 Faith in Christ, 102, 109, 200, 204. 
 
 Freedom of will, 50. 
 
 God, his being, 20 ; his attributes, 21 ; his 
 unity, 24, 140 ; a father, 235 ; his love, 21, 
 68 ; knowledge of, 141 ; worship of, 142 ; 
 enjoyment of, 9 ; to be glorified, 9, 134, 
 135, 237; love to, 134, 135; duty to, 16, 
 128, 243. 
 
 Grace, means of, 207. 
 
 Heaven, 96, 98, 235. 
 
 Hell, 64, 66, 199. 
 
 Holy Ghost, the, 27, 102, 105, 209, 215, 217. 
 
 Humility, 98. 
 
 Infants in the Church, 223. 
 
 Jerusalem, the New, 127, 128. 
 
 Joy, 118. 
 
 Justification, 107-109. 
 
 Kingdom of grace, 240; of glory, 240; of 
 Satan, 239. 
 
 Law, the moral, 130-133 ; the sum of, 134 ; 
 transgressions of, 197. 
 
 Man, his creation, 38 ; his likeness to God, 
 38 ; his chief end, 9, 238 ; his fall, 54 ; his 
 sin, 59, 61; his misery, 59, 64; his in- 
 ability to keep the law, 195. 
 
 Obedience, 47, 128, 129, 130, 243. 
 
 Parents, first, 54. 
 
 Peace with God, 118. 
 
 Perseverance, 118. 
 
 Prayer, its nature, 231 ; rule of, 233. 
 
 Prayer, the Lord's, 235 ; petitions of, 237- 
 250; doxology to, 250; paraphrase of, 
 253. 
 
 Preaching, 209, 210. 
 
 Predestination, propositions on, 32. 
 
 Providence, general, 42 ; special, 209, 210. 
 
 Redeemer, the, 68, 69, 71 ; ofiices of, 81. 
 
 Redemption, 100 ; application of, 102. 
 
 Repentance, 85, 204, 228. 
 
 Resurrection of Christ, 96, 97 ; of believers, 
 124. 
 
 Sabbath, the, 161-170. 
 
 Sacraments, the, 215-218 ; New Testament, 
 
 17 
 
256 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 219 ; their natxire, 217 ; how made efifec- 
 
 tual, 215 ; Komish, 220. 
 Salvation, 69, 203. 
 Sin, its nature, 52 ; original, 62 ; universal, 
 
 56; consequences of, 59; desert of, 198; 
 
 how to escape, 200. 
 Sovereignty of God, 69. 
 Supper, the Lord's, 226 ; worthy receiving 
 
 of, 227, 228. 
 
 Swearing, profane, 158, 159. 
 
 Temptation, 54, 248, 249. 
 
 Tree of knowledge of good and evil, 47, 48. 
 
 Virgin Mary, 77, 78. 
 
 Will of God, 16, 83, 128, 242, 243. 
 
 "Word of God, 12, 13, 210 ; a rule of faith, 
 16 ; a rule of duty, 16, 233 ; a means of 
 grace, 207 ; weapon against tempters, 55 ; 
 how to be read and heard, 213. 
 
 IL-OP PERSONS AND INCIDENTS REFERRED TO, 
 AND OF AUTHORS QUOTED. 
 
 Abercromby, Sir Ralph, 220. 
 
 Addison, Joseph, 38, 122, 144. 
 
 -(Eneas, 176. 
 
 .^ropus, 95. 
 
 jEschylus, 88. 
 
 Agassiz, Professor, 40. 
 
 Aitken, R., 85. 
 
 Albany, woman in, 70. 
 
 Alcmseon, 194. 
 
 Alexander, Dr. L., 236. 
 
 Alexander the Great, 194, 251. 
 
 Alford, Dean, 251. 
 
 Alfred the Great, 156. 
 
 American planter and slave, 160. 
 
 Angus, Dr., 14. 
 
 Arab of desert, 21. 
 
 Argyle, Marquis of, 247. 
 
 Aristippus, 21. 
 
 Armenian prince, 88. 
 
 Arnold, Dr., 144. 
 
 Arnot, Rev. W., 99, 189. 
 
 Arthur, Rev. W., 101, 102. 
 
 Augustine, St., 138. 
 
 Aurelius, M., 25. 
 
 Bacon, Lord, 141. 
 
 Baillie, Dr. J., 209, 
 
 Baily, J., 224. 
 
 Balfour, Professor J. H., 104. 
 
 Balmer, Dr., 142. 
 
 Barber, the, in Bath, 170. 
 
 Baring-Gould, Rev. S., 26. 
 
 Barnes, Albert, 153. 
 
 Basil the Great, 78. 
 
 Bauer, General, 95. 
 
 Bautain, Professor, 86. 
 
 Baxter, Richard, 99, 178. 
 
 Beecher, H. Ward, 194. 
 
 Belfrage, Dr. H., 45, 49. 
 
 Bernard of Cluny, 128. 
 
 Bernard, Pierre, 252. 
 
 Bernard, St., 20, 66. 
 
 Biantes, 95. 
 
 Bismarck, Prince, 26. 
 
 Blacking-seller, the, and the Bible, 111. 
 
 Bogatsky, 116. 
 
 Bogue, Dr., 76. 
 
 Bolingbroke, Lord, 69, 232. 
 
 Bolton, R., 123. 
 
 Bonar, Dr. H., 67, 127, 136, 188, 202, 2 
 
 231, 242. 
 Bonner, Bishop, 198. 
 Borgia, Cesare, 66. 
 Boston, Thomas, 56, 230. 
 Bougier, M., 149. 
 Boy, and Brother in heaven, 80. 
 Boy, Chinese, 36. 
 Boy, deaf and dumb, 243. 
 Boy, ragged, 183. 
 Boy with short memory, 161. 
 Boyd, Rev. Dr., 33, 47. 
 Boyle, Hon. R., 238. 
 Booth, 205. 
 Bradford, J., 51. 
 Brainerd, D., 169. 
 Brewster, Sir D., 35. 
 Brisbane, Sir T. M., 224. 
 Brown, John, 192, 227. 
 Bruce, King Robert, 120. 
 Bruce, M., 88. 
 Bruce, Rev. Robert, 122. 
 Buchanan, Dr. Claudius, 70. 
 Buchanan, Dr. James, 22. 
 Bunyan, John, 205. 
 Burton, 212. 
 Bushnell, Dr., 59, 153. 
 Butler, Bishop, 101. 
 Buxton, Sir Powell, 232. 
 Caird, Principal, 37. 
 Caldwell, Rev. J., 113. 
 CampbeU, Lady M. C, 142. 
 Garden, 16. 
 Carlyle, Thomas, 11. 
 Cecil, Rev. Richard, 84, 172, 214. 
 Chalmers, Dr., 32, 58, 103, 129, 131, 236. 
 Channing, Dr. W. E., 77, 84. 
 Chaplain, an army, 79. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 257 
 
 Charles IX. of France, 65. 
 
 Cheever, Dr., 167. 
 
 Chesterfield, Lord, 65. 
 
 Chinese boy, 36. 
 
 Choiseul, Duke of, 176. 
 
 Christian, the dying, 92. 
 
 Cicero, M. Tullius, 65. 
 
 Clausnitzer, 150. 
 
 Clergyman and penitents in sickness, 206. 
 
 Coan, Dr. Titus, 222. 
 
 Cobbler and follower of Pythagoras, 130. 
 
 Coleridge, S. T., 60, 214. 
 
 Coligny, Admiral, 66. 
 
 Collins, T., 141, 144. 
 
 Cologne, Elector of, 160. 
 
 Colonna, Cardinal, 187. 
 
 Colquhoun, Sir J., 140. 
 
 Confession, Westminster, 118, 151. 
 
 Constantine the Great, 91. 
 
 Convicts and Sabbath, 168. 
 
 Cooke, Dr. Henry, 118. 
 
 Cottager, the Young, 99. 
 
 Coverdale, Bishop, 13. 
 
 Covetous man, a, 191. 
 
 Cowper, W., 33, 34, 93, 144, 215. 
 
 Crawford, Eev. Dr., 236. 
 
 Croesus, 194. 
 
 Cumming, Eev. Dr. , 15. 
 
 Cunningham, Principal, 33, 58. 
 
 Cuvier, Baron, 26. 
 
 Cyrus, 60. 
 
 Damocles, 65. 
 
 Dante, portrait of, 37. 
 
 David and Jonathan, 173. 
 
 David, Christian, 119. 
 
 Dawson, Rev. Mr., 92. 
 
 Deacon, the, and his servants, 51. 
 
 Delphi, temple at, 25, 
 
 Desaguliers, Dr., 158. 
 
 Dick, Dr. Thomas, 158. 
 
 Dick, Robert, 36. 
 
 Dickson, David, 203. 
 
 Dodd, John, 122. 
 
 Doddridge, Dr., 115, 136, 154, 176, 203, 246. 
 
 Doolittle, T., 106, 206. 
 
 Douglas, Marquis of, 92. 
 
 Duff, the ship, 133. 
 
 Duncan, Dr. John, 23. 
 
 Edie, Robert, 209. 
 
 Edwards, Jonathan, 134, 242. 
 
 Elliott, Miss C, 104, 107, 244. 
 
 EUiott, Mr., 104. 
 
 Epaminondas, 176. 
 
 Erskine, Dr., 20. 
 
 Erskine, Ebenezer, 138. 
 
 Evans, Christmas, 88. 
 
 Fairbairn, Dr. P., 131. 
 
 Father, a, 98, 101, 104, 228. 
 
 Felice, Dr. de, 76. 
 
 Field, Cyrus, 120. 
 
 Fisk, Pliny, 101. 
 
 Fleming, R., 187. 
 
 Flint, Professor, 25. 
 
 Foote, 144. 
 
 Frederick II., 191, 
 
 Frederick the Great, 173. 
 
 Fuller, Andrew, 109, 156. 
 
 FuUer, Thomas, 152, 230. 
 
 Gaelic, 159. 
 
 Galdy, L., 46. 
 
 Galen, 25. 
 
 Gambold, 135. 
 
 Gardiner, Colonel, 51, 210. 
 
 Gellert, 181. 
 
 GilfiUan, G., 18. 
 
 Gill, Dr., 196, 
 
 Gill, H., 36. 
 
 Gillespie, George, 22. 
 
 Girl and repentance, 206. 
 
 Glabrio, M. A., 176. 
 
 Glenorchy, Lady, 10. 
 
 Goethe, 84. 
 
 Gonsalvo, 180. 
 
 Good, Dr. Mason, 23, 
 
 Gordon, Duke of, 151. 
 
 Gough, J, B., 66. 
 
 Gracchi, mother of the, 173. 
 
 Grant, Sir Robert, 96, 183. 
 
 Green, Dr. Ashbell, 33, 238, 239, 
 
 Gregory the Great, 149, 156. 
 
 Gregory IX., 191. 
 
 Grosvenor, Dr., 96. 
 
 Gurney, 173. 
 
 Guthrie, Dr. Thomas, 18, 19, 125, 199, 241. 
 
 Guthrie, W., 103. 
 
 Guyon, Madame, 119, 193. 
 
 Hale, Sir M., 161, 167. 
 
 Hall, Dr. C, 145. 
 
 Halley, Dr. E., 142. 
 
 Hamilton, Dr. J., 10, 50, 140, 167, 230, 232, 
 
 234. 
 Hamilton, Sir W., 40. 
 Harcatius, 95. 
 Harris, Dr. J., 40, 49, 85. 
 Hart, H., 102, 250. 
 Havelock, Sir H., 122. 
 Heber, Bishop, 155, 178, 182. 
 Hemans, Mrs., 167. 
 Henry, Matthew, 41, 178, 234, 245. 
 Henry, Philip, 148, 222, 229. 
 Henry, Prince, 158. 
 Herbert, George, 10, 163, 165. 
 Herodotus, 194. 
 Hervey, James, 11, 111. 
 Hill, Dr. T., 36. 
 Hill, Rowland, 134. 
 
258 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Hindu, Christian, and the New Zealander, 
 
 252. 
 Hodge, Dr. A. A., 68, 89, 103, 149. 
 Hodge, Dr. C, 12, 53, 58, 81, 98, 133, 140, 
 
 147, 154, 176, 179, 190, 199, 203, 208, 222, 
 Holmes, 0. W., 66. [224. 
 
 Hood, E. P., 70. 
 Hooker, W., 63, 171. 
 Horner, Francis, 134. 
 Howard, John, 160. 
 Howe, John, 60, 136. 
 Hudson, minister on the, 157. 
 Humphrey, Dr., 12, 45. 
 Hunt, Rev. Mr., 80. 
 Huntingdon, Countess of, 232. 
 Huntingdon, Mrs. S., 113. 
 Hyacinthe, Father, 19. 
 lagoo, the story-teller, 189. 
 Ignatius, 165. 
 Indian chief, 197. 
 Infidel, the, at Brighton, 28. 
 "Ingoldsby Legends," 191. 
 Irving, Edward, 84, 234, 236. 
 Isodore of Spain, 80. 
 James, Angell, 140. 
 Janeway, John, 126. 
 Jay, W., 203, 214. 
 Jews, the, 14. 
 John, King of France, 92. 
 Johnson, Dr. S., 86, 144, 189. 
 Jones, Dr., 230, 
 Jones, Sir W., 14. 
 Josephus, 135. 
 Judson, Mrs., 201. 
 Julian, Emperor, 92. 
 Junius, Francis, 211. 
 Keble, Rev. J., 171. 
 Kelly, Rev. J., 90. 
 Kennicott, Dr., 13. 
 Kent, Chancellor, 183. 
 Kepler, 186. 
 Kidd, Dr., 208. 
 Killigrew, Captain, 156. 
 Kilpin, Rev. S., 184, 209. 
 Kingsley, Canon, 30. 
 Kircher, 144. 
 Kirwan, 150, 
 Knox, John, 152. 
 Lafayette, Marquis of, 113. 
 Lange, Dr., 245, 247, 252. 
 Laurenti, 77. 
 Lawrence, Sir H., 130. 
 Lawson, Dr., 185. 
 Leask, Dr., 67. 
 Leechman, Dr., 126. 
 Leibnitz, 43. 
 Leif child. Dr., 37, 38. 
 Leigh ton. Archbishop, 71. 
 
 Lewis Taylor, Professor, 25. 
 
 Liddon, Canon, 29, 80. 
 
 Lifeboat Institution, 178. 
 
 Locke, John, 16. 
 
 Longfellow, 20, 190. 
 
 Luc, De, 131. 
 
 Lunatic poet, the, 22. 
 
 Luther, Martin, 110. 
 
 Lyford, 108. 
 
 M'Cheyne, R. M., 232. 
 
 M'Cosh, Dr., 26, 44, 55, 60, 144, 243, 245. 
 
 Macfarlan, Dr., 129. 
 
 Macgowan, J., 95. 
 
 Madan, M., 157. 
 
 Man in Franconia Mountains, 107. 
 
 Man learning a psalm, 196. 
 
 Man, sick, and the Bible, 197. 
 
 Man, young, in penitentiary, 174. 
 
 Manchineel tree and Indians, 56 
 
 Mansell, Dean, 131. 
 
 Marlborough, Duke of, 91. 
 
 Marsh, Dr. W., 252. 
 
 Mason, Dr., 77, 203. 
 
 Mather, Dr. Cotton, 247. 
 
 Matthews, Dr., 158. 
 
 Mearns, Dr., 23. 
 
 Melancthon, 51, 123. 
 
 Merchant and youth, 14. 
 
 Milne, Dr., 62. 
 
 Milton, John, 46, 48, 50, 60. 
 
 Miners in California, 170. 
 
 Minister in Ayrshire, 99. 
 
 Minister in Illinois, 214. 
 
 Minister on future punishment, 199. 
 
 Minister on the Hudson, 157. 
 
 Montholon, Count, 76. 
 
 Moody, D. L., and Sankey, 212. 
 
 Miiller, George, 113. 
 
 Miiller, Professor Max, 236. 
 
 Naimbauna, 14. 
 
 Napoleon I., 73. 
 
 Neander, Dr., 12, 149. 
 
 Negro and the Bible, the, 14. 
 
 Nelson, Lord, 20. 
 
 Nettleton, Dr., 63, 70, 120, 
 
 Nevins, Dr., 148, 217. 
 
 Newton, Rev. J., 31, 53, 55, 70, 82, 116, 244. 
 
 Newton, Sir Isaac, 141, 142. 
 
 Niagara, steamer at, 201, 
 
 Nicene Creed, 28. 
 
 Noel, G. T., 167. 
 
 Nott, W., 185. 
 
 Noy, the Attorney-General, 56. 
 
 (Ecolampadius, 123. 
 
 Officer, Indian, 4L 
 
 Olivers, T., 27. 
 
 Origen, 135. 
 
 OrpJmns' Advocate, the, 113. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 259 
 
 Orr, Thomas, 32. 
 
 Otto, Lord Henry, 127. 
 
 Outrara, Sir J., 122. 
 
 Oxenstiern, Count, 16. 
 
 Owen, Dr. J., 123, 165, 249. 
 
 Owen, Robert, 136. 
 
 Page, Harlan, 111. 
 
 Paine's " Age of Reason," 85. 
 
 Paley's "Evidences," 13. 
 
 Palmer, Captain, 169. 
 
 Palmer, Dr. Ray, 204. 
 
 Parker, Theodore, 17. 
 
 Parsee, Jew and Christian, 236. 
 
 Partridge, S. W., 52. 
 
 Paterson, Alexander, 131, 163, 192, 196, 220, 
 
 238, 240. 
 Paterson and Edie, 209. 
 Payson, Dr., 11. 
 Pearce, S., 11, 85, 119. 
 Pearson, Bishop, 236. 
 Pearson, T., 144, 
 Peter the Great, 95, 189. 
 Petrarch, 187. 
 Physicians, the two, and the countryman, 
 
 216. 
 Pilgrim Fathers, the, 167. 
 PUkington, J. G., 116. 
 Pionius, the martyr, 29. 
 Plato, 21, 37, 63, 150. 
 Pliny, 60. 
 ^ Plutarch, 194. 
 PoUok, R., 42, 58. 
 Pompadour, Madame de, 65. 
 Pope, Alexander, 63. 
 Prayer, the Lord's, and the lady, 244. 
 Prince, a sceptical, 14. 
 Prince, the Black, 91, 92. 
 Pringle, Sir J., 132. 
 Pythagoras, a follower of, 130. 
 Raleigh, Sir W., 135. 
 Randolph, J., 237. 
 Raratonga, native of, 92. 
 Reformers, dictum of the, 111. 
 Richter, Jean Paul, 23. 
 Ridgeley, Rev. T., 26. 
 Robertson, Dr. W. B., 225. 
 Robertson, F. W., 66. 
 Rogers, Henry, 15, 211. 
 Rogers, John, 153. 
 Romaine, W., 11. 
 Rosse, Lord, telescope of, 34. 
 Rousseau, J. J., 14. 
 Ruggles, Professor, 201. 
 " Ruinart," 29. 
 
 Rutherford, Samuel, 123, 136, 228. 
 Ryle, Bishop, 206. 
 Samaritans, the, 136. 
 Scholar, the Sabbath-school, 171. 
 
 Schultz, 239. 
 
 Scott, Sir W., 15. 
 
 Scott, Thomas, Dr., 29, 205. 
 
 Senator and his son, the, 70. 
 
 Seneca, 130, 191. 
 
 Session, a Scotch Lord of, 243. 
 
 Shaftesbury, Lord, 144. 
 
 Shakespeare, W., 54, 186, 248. 
 
 Ship at anchor, 250. 
 
 Sigismund, Emperor, 92. 
 
 Simeon, Rev. C, 106, 140. 
 
 Simonides, 21. 
 
 Simpson, Dr., 123. 
 
 Sinclair, Miss C, 15. 
 
 Smiles, Dr. S., 36. 
 
 Smith, Dr., 146. 
 
 Socrates, 150. 
 
 Soldiers, the two, 160. 
 
 Son, an undutiful, 174. 
 
 South, Dr., 19L 
 
 Spence, 223. 
 
 Spider and table, the, 45. 
 
 Spurgeon, C, 209. 
 
 Stanley, Dean, 138, 252. 
 
 Substitute, the, in war, 88. 
 
 " Swearer's Prayer," the, 158. 
 
 Swift, Dean, 37. 
 
 Tayler, C. B., 237. 
 
 Taylor, Bishop Jeremy, 53. 
 
 Teacher, the Sabbath-school, 243. 
 
 Tegner, Bishop, 56, 243. 
 
 Tersteegen, 180, 237. 
 
 Thomson, Dr. A., 165. 
 
 Thorp, John, 35. 
 
 Tillotson, Archbishop, 227. 
 
 Tyndale, W., 13. 
 
 Tyrrel, W., 136. 
 
 Tweedie, Dr., 148. 
 
 Ussher, Archbishop, 53, 116, 136. 
 
 Victoria, Queen, 19. 
 
 Virgil, 176. 
 
 Wales, the Bible in, 214. 
 
 Wallace, Sir W., 156. 
 
 Washington, G., 173, 188, 230. 
 
 Watson, Rev. T., 92, 98. 
 
 Watts, Dr. J., 40, 82, 86, 114, 132, 134, 146, 
 
 152, 169, 170, 196, 198. 
 Weavers, the two, 196. 
 Webster, Daniel, 107. 
 WelUngton, Duke of, 13, 91. 
 Wesley, C, 12, 117. 
 West Indies, mission meeting in, 241. 
 Westminster Assembly, the, 22. 
 Whately, Archbishop, 20. 
 White, Mr., 85. 
 Whitefield, George, 107. 
 Wilberforce, W., 136, 163. 
 William III., 32. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Williani IV,, 229. 
 Wilmot, Sir J., 247. 
 Wilson, Dr. J. H., 241. 
 Wilson, Professor, 79. 
 Woman, a poor, 246. 
 Wordsworth, Bishop, 162. 
 
 Wordsworth, William, 120. 
 Wotton, Sir H., 152. 
 Xenophon, 88. 
 Young, Dr. Edward, 111. 
 Zach, Baron, 34. 
 Zchokhe, H., 86. 
 
 III.-WORKS ON THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 The Shorter Catechism Explained by way 
 of Question and Answer. By some 
 Ministers of the Gospel, chiefly the Eev. 
 James Fisher. 
 
 An Illustration of the Doctrines of the 
 Christian Religion with respect to Faith 
 and Practice upon the plan of the As- 
 sembly's Shorter Catechism. By the 
 Eev. Thomas Boston of Ettrick. In 
 Two Volumes. 
 
 An Explanation of the Shorter Catechism. 
 By the Rev. Thomas Vincent. 
 
 Discourses on the Shorter Catechism. By 
 the Rev. Henry Belfrage, D.D. 
 
 Lectures on the Shorter Catechism of the 
 Presbyterian Church in the United 
 States of America. By the Rev. Ash- 
 bell Green, D.D. 
 
 A Scripture Catechism on the Method of 
 the Assembly's. By the Rev. Matthew 
 Henry. 
 
 A Concise System of Theology on the basis 
 of the Shorter Catechism. By Alex. 
 Smith Paterson, M.A. 
 
 Anecdotes on the Shorter Catechism. By 
 John Whitecross. 
 
 The Shorter Catechism, with Analysis and 
 Scripture Proofs. By Edwin Hall, D . D. 
 
 The Westminster Shorter Catechism, with 
 Analysis, Proofs, Explanations, and 
 Practical Inferences and Illustrative 
 Anecdotes. For Bible Classes and 
 Family Instruction, By the Rev. Jas. 
 R, Boyd, D,D. 
 
 Illustrations of the Shorter Catechism for 
 Children and Youth. By the Rev. Jon- 
 athan Cross. These three are Ameri- 
 can. 
 
 A Commentary on the Shorter Catechism. 
 By the Rev. Alex. Whyte, D.D., Edin- 
 burgh. One of the able series of Hand- 
 books for Bible Classes. 
 
 A Body of Divinity, contained in Sermons 
 upon the Assembly's Catechism. By 
 the Rev. Thomas Watson, Rector of St. 
 Stephen's, Walbrook, London. New 
 edition, revised and adapted to modern 
 readers by the Rev. G. Rogers, Camber- 
 well. With a Preface and Appendix by 
 the Rev. C. H. Spurgeon. 
 
 The Shorter Catechism has also been woven 
 into a Tale by a Clergyman's Daughter. 
 
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