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INTERIOR OF WESTMINSTER ABBEY- 
 
A., v *;*, 
 
 FOR BIBLE CLASS AND FAMILY INSTRUCTION. 
 
 THE 
 
 WESTMINSTER 
 SHORTER CATECHISM, 
 
 ANALYSIS, SCRIPTURAL PROOFS, EXPLANATORY 
 
 AND PRACTICAL INFERENCES, AND 
 
 ILLUSTRATIVE ANECDOTES, 
 
 REV. JAMES' E. BCYD, 
 
 AUTHOR OF " ELEMENTS OF RHETORIC,''! ilJD*"*;eij&:a4t^MOll>I<'P 
 EDITOR OF " ENGLISH POETS, WITH NOTES," ETC. 
 
 SECOND EDITION. 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 PUBLISHED BY M. W. DODD 
 
 BRICK CHURCH CHAPEL, CITY HALL SQUARE. 
 1856. 
 

 Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1854, 
 
 BY M. W. D ODD, 
 In the Clerk's Office of tho Southern District of New York. 
 
 
 
 
 
 STEREOTYPED Bt 
 
 THOMAS B. SMITH, 
 216 William St, N. Y. 
 
TO A GREAT ADMIRER 
 OP THE WESTMINSTER SHORTER CATECHISM, 
 
 THE WIFE OP A BELOVED AND VENERATED PASTOB 
 OF MY EARLY YEARS, 
 
 !)fs afttle Volume, 
 
 UNDERTAKEN AT HER EARNEST REQUEST, 
 
 FOR THE BENEFIT OF 
 
 THE YOUTH OF CHRISTIAN CONGREGATIONS, 
 IS MOST AFFECTIONATELY AND GRATEFULLY 
 
 INSCRIBED; 
 
 WITH THE PLEASING HOPE 
 THAT IT MAY GAIN HER APPROVAL, 
 
 AS TO ITS PLAN AND EXECUTION, 
 
 ANE SERVE THE IMPORTANT PURPOSE 
 
 ABOVE SUGGESTED. 
 
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 
 
 THE Westminster Shorter Catechism has now 
 fairly entered upon its Third Century of existence 
 and of usefulness ; and, like the writings of Shak- 
 speare and Milton, composed not far from the 
 same period, remarkably retains its high and de- 
 served reputation, amidst the ever-flowing and 
 overflowing issues of the press. Many excellent 
 works have at different times appeared, in explana- 
 tion and amplification of this admirable compend 
 of Christian doctrine. Some of these have been 
 consulted, and others largely used, in the prepara- 
 tion of the work now submitted, particularly 
 those of Vincent and Paterson; the Rev. Dr. 
 Green's Lectures, and the works of Doolittle and 
 Watson have been occasionally referred to. All 
 these publications have their respective merits and 
 appropriate fields of usefulness ; yet it is supposed, 
 that neither they nor others in common use, super- 
 sede the experiment of presenting the Catechism in 
 still another form, somewhat original, and with 
 some accompaniments that may render the system- 
 
VI INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 
 
 atic study of divine truth more attractive and 
 useful than heretofore, to the youth connected with 
 Christian congregations. 
 
 PECULIARITIES OF THE PRESENT WORK. 
 
 With this view the Answers of the Shorter 
 Catechism are, for the most part, presented, by 
 way of inference, in other words, more plain and 
 less technical conveying the same truth, but in 
 modern and easy style of speech, so that the sub- 
 ject may be readily and agreeably laid hold of, and 
 understood, before an attempt is made to commit 
 to memory the concise, condensed, and theological 
 forms of thought presented in those Answers. 
 
 In the Second place, the doctrinal instructions of 
 the original answers are analysed and presented in 
 a distinct and separate form, and are supported by 
 appropriate passages of Scripture, which may 
 easily and profitably be committed to memory. 
 The study of this portion will show that the Cate- 
 chism is not a mere human composition, not "a 
 cunningly -de vised fable," but that it derives its 
 being, its vitality, its beauty, its grandeur, its high 
 authority, from the very words of Divine inspira- 
 tion. 
 
 In the Third place, it seemed desirable to turn 
 the doctrinal instructions of the Catechism to a 
 practical account ; to make them instrumental in 
 rousing the conscience, and impressing the heart, 
 and influencing the every-day life of the student. 
 
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. Vll 
 
 For this purpose I have represented him as draw- 
 ing for himself, from the Answers, Practical Les- 
 sons for the guidance of his own future conduct, 
 and the control of his own mind and heart. The 
 Catechism, thus enlarged, and carried out into a 
 form personally and practically useful, loses its ab- 
 stract, and much of its repulsive aspect ; and, when 
 committed to memory, under such advantages, 
 cannot fail to exert a more valuable influence, not 
 only intellectual, but moral and practical, even 
 upon comparatively young minds. 
 
 In the Fourth place, from the field of Christian 
 aud General Biography, have been selected many 
 useful, impressive, and entertaining Anecdotes, which 
 serve to throw light, and to spread no small de- 
 gree of attractiveness, around each successive doc- 
 trine and duty, and also to impress them more 
 vividly upon the understanding and upon the heart. 
 These illustrative Anecdotes may be regarded as a 
 delightful commentary, furnished by Divine Provi- 
 dence, for leading the popular, as well as the youth- 
 ful mind, into a larger knowledge, appreciation, and 
 love of the sublime doctrines and holy precepts of 
 the Christian Faith. 
 
 In these various methods have I sought to allure 
 my young readers, and perhaps others beyond the 
 period of youth, to study this good old Catechism, 
 and to examine and draw out, as for themselves, 
 the rich treasures of divine wisdom and counsel 
 and saving influences, which they will find embodied 
 
Vlll INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 
 
 and consolidated in its compact, scholar-like, en- 
 during, and noble structure. 
 
 ORIGIN OF THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 It may serve to excite a deeper interest in this 
 theological composition itself, to be informed that 
 it was produced and published under the sanction 
 of an assembly, consisting of one hundred and 
 twenty-one divines, and thirty laymen from Eng- 
 land, and of five commissioners from Scotland, 
 convened in 1643, by order of the British Parlia- 
 ment, in a part of the celebrated Westminster 
 Abbey. This assembly embraced, as will not be 
 denied, some of the most godly and learned men 
 that ever adorned the British empire. Richard 
 Baxter, from personal acquaintance with the greater 
 part of them, avows that the Christian world, since 
 the days of the Apostles, never had a Synod of 
 more excellent divines. In the striking language 
 which he employs : " The divines there congre- 
 gated, were men of eminent learning, godliness, 
 ministerial abilities, fidelity ; and being not worthy 
 to be one of them myself, I may the more freely 
 speak the truth, even in the face of malice and 
 envy, that as far as I am able to judge, by the 
 information of all history of that kind, and by any 
 other evidence left us, the Christian world, since 
 the days of the Apostles, had never a synod of 
 more excellent divines than this and the Synod of 
 
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. IX 
 
 Dort." It is remarkable that this assembly was 
 engaged for more than five years and a half in pre- 
 paring a Form of Church Government, and sum- 
 maries of religious doctrine and practice for Eng- 
 land and Scotland. "It was felt," says Dr. Bel- 
 frage, " by the leading men in the struggle with 
 superstition and arbitrary power, in the seventeenth 
 century, that a scheme of doctrine, church govern- 
 ment and worship, pure and scriptural, would be a 
 most excellent means of establishing the rights for 
 which they were contending, and forming the 
 virtues by which freedom is blest. It was with 
 this view that the Westminster Assembly was 
 convened ; and that its proceedings were honored 
 with the countenance of the first and best man in 
 the land the first in influence, and the best in true 
 worth." While the Confession of faith was still 
 under discussion, able committees were appointed 
 to present its substance in the form of the Larger 
 and Shorter Catechism, which, after careful examin- 
 ation, received the solemn sanction of the Assem- 
 bly. In the latter part of 1647, they were pre- 
 sented for approval to the House of Commons, and 
 adopted by the General Assembly of the Church 
 of Scotland, in 1648. They were not adopted by 
 the ecclesiastical authorities in England. These 
 documents, with slight emendations in the Confess- 
 ion of Faith and Larger Catechism, relative to 
 civil government, were adopted by the Presby- 
 terian Church in this country, as standards of doc- 
 
X INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 
 
 trine and church government and discipline, in the 
 city of Philadelphia, in May 1788. 
 
 TESTIMONIES TO THE UNRIVALLED EXCELLENCE OF 
 THE SHORTER CATECHISM, AND THE ADVANTAGES 
 OF AN EARLY STUDY OF IT. 
 
 The above historical sketch will prepare us to 
 assent to the high but deserved eulogium, which 
 the Rev. DR. HUMPHREY (in his work on Domestic 
 Education) has pronounced in the following terms : 
 " In calling the particular attention of heads of 
 families to that admirable compendium of Chris- 
 tian doctrine, the Westminster Shorter Catechism, 
 I do not mean to speak disparagingly of the Cate- 
 chisms of those evangelical Christians, who dissent 
 from some of its statements ; but only to express 
 my own admiration of it, as the most lucid, 
 guarded, and comprehensive epitome of Bible 
 truth which I have ever seen ; and as, in my judg- 
 ment, the best family manual that the wisdom and 
 piety of any body of uninspired men has ever yet 
 given to the church. And however the advocates 
 of other creeds may diner from me in opinion, I 
 cannot well see how any of the enlightened mem- 
 bers of that very large body of Christians, Presby- 
 terian and Congregational, who embrace the West- 
 minster Confession of Faith, can dissent." 
 
 I cannot forbear to add, in conclusion, the 
 equally valuable testimony of the late venerable 
 
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. XI 
 
 and reverend DR. ASHBEL GREEN, who, in his In- 
 troductory Lecture, thus speaks of the advantages 
 to be derived from an early and thorough study of 
 the Shorter Catechism : " The catechetical or ques- 
 tionary form of religious summaries, renders them 
 most easy and interesting to children and youth, 
 and, indeed, to Christians of all ages and descrip- 
 tions. For myself, I have no reluctance to state 
 here publicly, what I have frequently mentioned in 
 private, that in the composition of sermons one of 
 the readiest and best aids I have ever found, has 
 been my Catechism. Let me add, further, that 
 long observation has satisfied me, that a principal 
 reason why instruction and exhortation from the 
 pulpit are so little efficacious, is, that they presup- 
 pose a degree of information, or an acquaintance 
 with the truths and doctrines of divine revelation, 
 which, by a great part of the hearers, is not pos- 
 sessed ; and which would best of all have been 
 supplied by catechetical instruction. It is exactly 
 this kind of instruction which is at the present time 
 most urgently needed, in many, peinaps in most, 
 of our congregations. It is needed to imbue effect- 
 ually the minds of our people with " the first prin- 
 ciples 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 sanctuary 
 with full understanding, and with minds in all re- 
 
Xll INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 
 
 spects prepared for the right and deep impression 
 of what they hear." 
 
 THE WESTMINSTER CATECHISM. THE FIRST UNION 
 
 QUESTION BOOK. 
 
 It is deserving of remark, that the authors of this 
 compend consisted of various denominations, not 
 only Presbyterians and Congregationalists, but 
 Episcopalians and Erastians also. The West- 
 minster Assembly (as the Puritan Recorder ob- 
 serves) gave the world the first example of a 
 union of different denominations in an effort to 
 produce a Question Book, approved ly them all, 
 for the religious instruction of children and youth ; 
 and so singularly successful was their endeavor, 
 that after the lapse of more than two centuries, no 
 compend of the doctrines and duties of Christianity 
 can be found, better adapted to str~ igthen the 
 minds of the young, to teach them the truth as it is 
 in Jesus, to preserve them from error, and to make 
 them wise unto salvation. 
 
 The Shorter Catechism was not an abridgment 
 of the Larger : the latter was an expansion of the 
 former. Both were prepared under the influ- 
 ence of that impression which each member had 
 taken at the outset of his labors : " I do sincerely 
 and solemnly protest, in the presence of Almighty 
 God, that in the Assembly, of which I am a mem- 
 ber, I will not maintain anything in matters of doc- 
 trine, but what I think in my conscience to be 
 
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. Xlil 
 
 truth ; or in point of discipline, but what I consider 
 to conduce most to the glory of God, and to the 
 good and peace of the church." 
 
 Such men deserve our confidence, and their 
 arduous labors have been duly appreciated by 
 multitudes of the wise and good. The Puritan Re- 
 corder remarks that this little manual has undoubt- 
 edly contributed more than any other book, except 
 the Bible, to the religious intelligence and piety of 
 the children and descendants of the Puritans. The 
 same may be affirmed of all the families in Britain 
 and America, in which the Shorter Catechism has 
 been faithfully used. 
 
ANALYSIS 
 
 S H O R,T E R . C A-ER x 8 M. 
 
 GENERAL INTRODUCTION. 
 
 THE chief design of man's being created, p. 19. 
 The Scriptures the only rule of faith and duty, 22. 
 The two principal topics treated of in Scripture, and ex- 
 plained in the Two Divisions of the Catechism, 25. 
 
 FIRST DIVISION. 
 What we are to believe concerning God. 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 Concerning God considered in himself. 
 I. Concerning the Nature and Perfections of God, 27. 
 II. - the Oneness of God, 30. 
 III. -- the Trinity and Unity of the Godhead, 31. 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 Concerning God's Doings with respect to his Creatures. 
 I. Concerning the Nature and Character of God's decrees, 
 
 36. 
 
 II. -- the Execution of God's decrees, 38. 
 L In Creation. 
 
 [1.] In the Creation of the world, 39. 
 [2.] In the Creation of man, 41. 
 n. In Providence. 
 
 [1.] In God's General Providence. Its nature 
 and character, 43. 
 
16 . ANALYSIS OF THE 
 
 [2.] In God's Special Providence towards man, 
 first in his creation and fall, and then in 
 the plan of redemption, 4-6. 
 
 SECT. 1. Concerning the Execution of God's Decrees, in 
 his Special Providence towards MaA in Ids Creation and 
 Fall 
 (1.) Concerritg the covenant bf Works, its parties and 
 
 terms, 46. 
 (2.) ---'r Man^ disobedience and fall by sin, 47. 
 
 1. The nature of sin in general, 48. 
 
 2. The nature of Adam's sin in particular, 50. 
 (3.) the extent of the fall, 51. 
 
 (4.) the consequences of the fall, 53. 
 
 1. The sinfulncss of man's estate by the fall, 54. 
 
 2. The misery of man's estate by the fall, 56. 
 
 SECT. II. Concerning the Execution of God's Decrees, in 
 
 his Special Providence towards Man in Redemption. 
 [1.] The PLAN of redemption by a Redeemer, 60. 
 
 (1.) The Redeemer's person and character, 63. 
 
 (2.) His assumption of human nature, 66. 
 
 (3.) His offices as a Redeemer, 67. 
 
 1. His office of a prophet, 69. 
 
 2. His office of a priest, 71. 
 
 3. His office of a king, 73. 
 
 (4.) The states in which these offices are executed. 
 
 1. His state of Humiliation, 75. 
 
 2. His state of Exaltation, 78. 
 [2.] The APPLICATION of redemption. 
 
 (1.) The Agent by whom redemption is applied, 80. 
 (2.) The means used for its application in effectual 
 
 calling, 82. 
 (3.) The manner and order of applying redemption 
 
 in effectual calling, 88. 
 [3.] The BENEFITS of redemption. 
 
 (1.) The benefits of redemption in this life, 86. 
 
SHORTER CATECHISM. 17 
 
 1. Justification, 88. 
 
 2. Adoption, 91. 
 
 3. Sanctification, 92. 
 
 4. Additional benefits of redemption, 96. 
 (2.) The benefits of redemption at death, 99. 
 
 (3.) The benefits of redemption at the resurrection, 
 102. 
 
 SECOND DIVISION. 
 
 Of the Duty which God requires of Man. 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Of the nature of man's duty in general, p. 105. 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 Of the Moral Law, binding on all Rational Creatures, as 
 summed up in the Ten Commandments, 107. 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 The sum of the ten commandments, 108. 
 The Preface to the ten commandments, 113. 
 
 The COMMANDMENTS divided into two tables. 
 
 THE FIRST TABLE. 
 Containing the Duties which we owe to God. 
 
 1. The first commandment, 116. 
 
 2. The second commandment, 125. 
 
 3. The third commandment, 137. 
 
 4. The fourth commandment, 144. 
 
 THE SECOND TABLE. 
 Containing the Duties which we owe to Man. 
 
 1. The fifth commandment, 159. 
 
 2. The sixth commandment, 169. 
 
 3. The seventh commandment, 174. 
 
 4. The eighth commandment, 177. 
 
 5. The ninth commandment, 181. 
 
 6. The tenth commandment, 187. 
 
18 ANALYSIS OF THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 Of the special Duties which God requires from Man undet 
 the Gospel Dispensation. 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Inability of man to keep the law, 193. 
 Different degrees of guilt in breaking the law, 19Y. 
 The deserts of every breach of the law, 199. 
 
 SECTION I. 
 Of Faith in Jesus Christ, 202. 
 
 SECTION II. 
 Of Repentance unto Life, 205. 
 
 SECTION III. 
 
 Of Diligent Use of the Means of Grace, 209. 
 I. Of the Word of God as a means of grace. 
 
 [1.] Of the effects of the Word of God, 212. 
 [2.] Of the proper use of the Word of God, 215. 
 II. Of the use of the Sacraments as a means of grace. 
 [1.] Of the efficacy of the Sacraments, 218. 
 [2.] Of the nature of the Sacraments, 221. 
 [3.] Of the New Testament Sacraments, 223. 
 (1.) Of Baptism. 
 
 1. Of the nature and use of Baptism, 224. 
 
 2. Of the subjects of Baptism, 227. 
 (2.) Of the Lord's Supper. 
 
 1. The nature and use of the Lord's Supper, 
 234. 
 
 2. The proper observance of the Lord's Sup- 
 per, 235. 
 
 ttl. Of Prayer as a means of grace. 
 
 [1.] Of the nature of prayer, 238. 
 [2.] Rule of direction as given in the Lord's 
 Prayer, 241. 
 
 (1.) The Preface to the lord's Prayer, 242. 
 (2.) The Petitions in the Lord's Prayer, 245. 
 
GENERAL INTRODUCTION, 
 
 SHOWING THE PRINCIPAL END OF MAN ? S CREATION ; 
 THE RULE BY WHICH MAN MAY ATTAIN TO THAT 
 END; AND THE TWO PRINCIPAL TOPICS TREATED 
 OP IN SCRIPTURE. 
 
 Q. 1. WHAT is THE CHIEF END OP MAN ? 
 Man's chief end is to glorify God, and enjoy 
 him for ever. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. The chief design of Man's creation, in reference to God, 
 was actively to spread abroad his glory. 1 . Cor. x. 3 1 . Wheth- 
 er therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all 
 to the glory of God. 
 
 2. The chief design of Man's creation, in reference to him- 
 self, was the enjoyment of God. Deut xii. 18. Thou shalt 
 rejoice before the Lord thy God in all that thou puttest 
 thine hands unto. 
 
 8. The foundation and end of every duty, should be the 
 glory of God. Rom. xiv. 8. 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. 
 
 4. All happiness here and hereafter must be derived from 
 the enjoyment of God. Psal. Ixxiii. 25, 26. Whom have I 
 in heaven but thee ? and there is none upon earth that I 
 desire besides thee. My flesh and my heart faileth : but 
 God is the strength of my heart* and my portion for 
 
20 DESIGN OF MAN S CREATION". 
 
 From the above Truths what Lessons do you draw t 
 
 I learn (1.) That I must make it my daily aim to honor 
 God and to secure his favor, and to seek my chief happi- 
 ness in so doing. (2.) That my greatest happiness is not 
 to be found in this world, but in the everlasting ages of 
 the next. (3.) That I have no right to make the gaining 
 of worldly goods my chief desire and labor. (4.) That 
 most men mistake the true business and proper use of this 
 short life, since they take no proper pains to honor God 
 or to secure his favor. (5.) It must be a sad and fearful 
 event to die before one has begun to live for God and for 
 eternity. 
 
 What Illustrations can you relate ? 
 
 1. President Humphrey says: "For myself, though I 
 confess with shame, that 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 me ; 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 import- 
 ant scriptural truths I had got treasured up for the oc- 
 casion. This, I doubt not, accords with the experience 
 of thousands, who, like myself, once loathed the Assem- 
 bly's Catechism. And how delightful it is to hear, as we 
 sometimes do, the aged disciple, just on the verge of 
 heaven, repeating, with thrilling interest, and feasting 
 his soul upon the definitions of justification, adoption, 
 sanctiftcation, and the like, which, three quarters of a 
 century before, were imprinted indelibly upon his memory 
 in the nursery !" 
 
 2. The Rev. Dr. Payson, after months of severe suffer- 
 ing on a sick bed, remarked : " God has been cutting off 
 
DESIGN OF MAN'S CREATION. 21 
 
 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." 
 
 3. "Two things," (said the late Rev. Samuel 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 ap- 
 proaches when Christians shall rise to sink no more: to 
 * be forever with the Lord.' To be with the Lord for a 
 week, for a day, for an hour ; how sweetly must the mo- 
 ments pass! But to be forever with the Lord, that en- 
 stamps salvation with perfection ; that gives an energy to 
 our hopes, and a dignity to our joy, so as to render it un 
 speakable and full of glory !" 
 
 He also said : " It has pleased God lately to teach me 
 more than ever that HIMSELF is the fountain of happiness; 
 that likeness to him, friendship for him, and communion 
 with him, form the basis of all true enjoyment. The very 
 disposition which, blessed be my dear Redeemer ! he has 
 given me, to be anything, do anything, or endure any- 
 thing, so that his name might be glorified, I say, the 
 disposition itself is heaven begun below." 
 
 4. Lady Glenorchy, of Edinburgh, offering one day to 
 read to her minister, (then upon his death-bed,) a passage 
 in one of Hill's Sermons, he said : " 0, no ; read the 
 Bible ; all other writings are insipid to me they are the 
 words of men, and some of them are good ; but the words 
 of God are my delight. One promise gives me more com- 
 fort than all the writings of men. I have no relish for 
 any book or conversation that does not bring them to 
 my remembrance." 
 
22 THE DIVINE RULE OF FAITH AND DUTY. 
 
 Q. 2. WHAT RULE HATH GOD GIVEN TO DIRECT us HOW w 
 
 MAT GLORIFY AND ENJOY HIM ? 
 
 The Word of God, which is contained in the 
 Scriptures of the Old and New Testament, is the 
 only rule to direct us how we may glorify and en- 
 joy him. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. A rule of faith and duty was necessary for man. Jer. 
 x. 23. The way of man is not in himself: it is not in 
 man that walketh to direct his steps. 
 
 2. The Bible, though written by men y is the word of God. 
 2 Pet. 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. 
 
 3. The Old Testament Scriptures are the word of God. 
 Rom. iii. 2. Unto them were committed the oracles of 
 God. 
 
 4. The New Testament Scriptures are the word of God. 
 1 Thess. ii. 13. When ye received the word of God which 
 ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, 
 but (as it is in truth) the word of God. 
 
 5. The Bible is the only rule of faith and duty. Isa. viii. 
 20. To the law and to the testimony : if they speak not 
 according to this word, it is because there is no light in 
 them. 
 
 6. The Bible is a complete and sufficient rule of faith and 
 duty. Psal. xix. 7. The law of the Lord is perfect, con- 
 verting the s&jil : the testimony of the Lord is sure, mak- 
 ing wise the simple. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That the Bible is of more value, and 
 of greater excellence, than all other books. It has God 
 for its author ; it teaches things the most important to 
 Him and to me : it may safely be relied upon. I could 
 not do without it, for it shows me the only true method 
 
THE DIVINE RUI^ OF FAITH AND DUTY. 23 
 
 of honoring God and of becoming happy in his fa- 
 vor. (2.) When I read it, therefore, I nmst bear in 
 mind that God is therein speaking to me, and ex- 
 pects me to give my best regard and obedience to what 
 he teaches and enjoins. (8.) That the Apocrypha, though 
 it contains some very good things, is a merely human 
 composition, and is not to he regarded or obeyed as of 
 divine authority. (4.) That the pretended revelations of 
 Mohammed, Mormon, and others, are to he rejected as im- 
 postures. (5.) That the entire Bible should be read; 
 should be translated into every language, and sent to 
 every family on earth. (6.) I have read the Bible almost 
 in vain, if I have not been so impressed by it, as to have 
 formed the habit of properly honoring God, and of seek- 
 ing my chief happiness in his favor. 
 
 THE BIBLE. 
 
 ** Most wondrous book ! bright candle of the Lord ! 
 Star of eternity! the only sta* 
 By which the bark of man could navigate 
 The sea of life, and gain the coast of bliss." POLLOK. 
 
 What Illustrations can you relate ? 
 
 1, THE GOLD MINE. A certain Spaniard had a gold mine 
 of very great value ; but, instead of working it in a proper 
 manner, he contented himself with digging over the sur- 
 face and removing a little of the earth, but never went 
 half deep enough to get the gold ; so that, although he 
 was the owner of a mine, he lived and died poor, never 
 having got so much from his mine as to keep him from 
 poverty. 
 
 Now, the Bible is more valuable than a gold mine ; and 
 the truth it contains, that " 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, 
 iii. 6) is more precious than the choicest gold. If, then, 
 
24 THE DIVINE RULE OF FAITH AND DUTY. 
 
 we go deep enough into our Bibles, to discover the 
 Saviour for sinners, and to acknowledge, trust in, and 
 love him as our Saviour, happy are we ; but if we rest 
 contented in reading the Bible without discovering, and 
 thus acting upon this truth, we shall get no more profit 
 from the Bible than the Spaniard got from his gold mine. 
 
 2. "Men are Atheistical, because they are first vicious; 
 and question the truth of Christianity, because they hate 
 the practice of it." South. 
 
 3. THE SCRIPTURES AT THE HERVEY ISLANDS. For some 
 years English missionaries had labored there, and with 
 great success. The noble work of translating the entire 
 Bible into the native language has just been accomplished. 
 These Bibles were printed in England, and for a long time 
 the natives had been anticipating the arrival of the ship 
 John Williams, bringing them this greatly-desired treas- 
 ure. Their joy was unbounded when she arrived. 
 Every able-bodied church member at once engaged in 
 transporting the cases of books from the seaside to the 
 Mission House. 
 
 These simple-minded natives, with their own earnings, 
 have now furnished themselves with this inestimable 
 treasure. 
 
 At a public meeting, held in commemoration of the 
 arrival of the finished Scriptures, one of the natives 
 said : 
 
 " Let us read the whole book. Let us go to the mission- 
 ary by day and by night, and inquire into the meaning 
 of the new parts which we have not read. Let us be at 
 his door when he rises. Let us stop him when we meet 
 him, that he may tell us of these new books." And he 
 added, with the excited energy of a feeble old man, " My 
 brethren and sisters, this is my resolve. The dust shall 
 never cover my new Bible ; the moths shall never eat it ; 
 the mildew shall never rot it. My light and my joy I" 
 
THE PRINCIPAL TOPICS OF SCRIPTURE. 25 
 
 Q. 3. WHAT DO THE SCRIPTURES PRINCIPALLY TEACH ? 
 
 The Scriptures principally teach what man is to 
 believe concerning God, and what duty God re 
 quires of man. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this answer ? 
 
 1. The Scriptures teach us other things besides the knowl- 
 edge of God, and the duty and happiness of man. Matt. 
 xiii. 23. Wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! 
 for ye pay tithe of mint, and anise, and cuminin, and. 
 have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, 
 mercy, and faith : these ought ye to have done, and not 
 to leave the other undone. 
 
 2. The Bible teaches what we are to believe about God. 
 Deut. xxxi. 12. That they may learn, and fear the Lord 
 your God, and observe to do all the words of this law. 
 
 3. The Bible teaches us what is our duty to God and man. 
 Luke, x. 25, 26. And, behold, a certain lawyer stood 
 up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to 
 inherit eternal life ? He said unto him,. What is written 
 in the law ? How readest thoii ? 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines? 
 
 I learn (1.) That the most important things taught in: 
 the Bible are what God is, has done, and will do ; and 
 also, what he has commanded man to do and to be. (2.) 
 That in reading the Bible,, these subjects claim my chief 
 attention and regard. (3.) I must gain the best knowl- 
 edge I can of God and of my duty, with a view to serve 
 Him and to secure my own everlasting happiness. 
 
 What Illustration can you relate ? 
 
 1 I adopt it," (says the late Professor B. B. Edwards,) 
 " as my settled resolution, that THE BIBLE is my book, and 
 that I will never let any other book take that place in my 
 affections which the Bible ought to have. I will read it 
 twice a day dcvotionally." 
 
 3 
 
26 THE PRINCIPAL TOPICS OF SCRIPTURE. 
 
 2. PUNGENT REPLY. To a young infidel, who scoffed at 
 Christianity, on account of the misconduct of some of its 
 professors, Dr. Mason said, " Did you ever know an up- 
 roar made because an infidel went astray from the paths 
 of morality ?" The infidel admitted he had not. " Then," 
 said the Doctor, "don't you see that you admit that 
 Christianity is a holy religion, by expecting its professors 
 to be holy; and that thus, by your very objection, you 
 pay it the highest compliment in your power?" 
 
 3. CLEMENTINE CUVIER. This lovely young Christian once 
 said to a friend : " I experience a pleasure in reading the 
 Bible, which I have never felt before; it attracts and 
 fixes me to an inconceivable degree, and I seek sincerely 
 there, and only there, the truth. When I compare the 
 calm and the peace which the smallest grain of faith 
 gives to the soul, with all that the world alone can give 
 of joy, or happiness, or glory, I feel that the least in the 
 kingdom of heaven is a hundred times more blessed than 
 the greatest and most elevated of the men of the world." 
 And yet she lived in the full enjoyment of the comforts 
 and luxuries of life was beloved, caressed, and flattered. 
 
 4. How TO READ THE SCRIPTURES. The Rev. R. McCheyne, 
 in writing to a young boy of his parish, who had just left 
 his father's roof, says : " You read your Bible regularly, 
 of course ; but do try and understand it ; and still more, 
 to feel it. Read more parts than one at a time. For ex- 
 ample, if you are reading Genesis, read a Psalm also ; or 
 if you are reading Matthew, read a small bit of an Epistle 
 also. Turn the Bible into prayer. Thus, if you love read- 
 ing the first Psalm, spread the Bible on the chair before 
 you, and kneel and pray. ' O Lord, give me the blessed- 
 ness of the man/ <fec. ' Let me not stand,' <fcc. This is 
 the best way of knowing the meaning of the Bible and 
 of learning to pray." 
 
FIRST DIVISION. 
 
 WHAT WE ARE TO BELIEVE CONCERNING GOD 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 CONCERNING GOD CONSIDERED IN HIMSELF. 
 
 I. The nature and perfections of God. 
 
 Q. 4. WHAT is GOD ? 
 
 God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchange- 
 able, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, 
 goodness, and truth. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. God is a Spirit. John, iv. 24. God is a Spirit : and 
 they that worship him, must worship him in spirit and in 
 truth. 
 
 2. God is infinite in his being and perfections. Job, xi. 
 7. Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou 
 find out the Almighty unto perfection? 
 
 3. God is eternal in his being and perfections. Psal. xc. 
 2. From everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. 
 
 4. God is unchangeable in his being and perfections. 
 Mai iii. 6. I am the Lord, I change not. 
 
 5. God is infinitely wise. Psal. cxlvii. 5. His under- 
 standing is infinite. 
 
 6. God is infinitely powerful. Job, xlii. 2. I knov 
 that thou canst do everything. 
 
28 THE NATURE AND PERFECTIONS OF GOD. 
 
 7. God is infinitely holy. Rev. xv. 4. Thou only art 
 holy. 
 
 8. God is infinitely just. Zeph. iii. 5. The just Lord is 
 In the midst thereof;' he will not do iniquity. 
 
 9. God is infinitely good and merciful. Exod. xxxiv. 6. 
 The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long- 
 suffering, and abundant in goodnes and truth. 
 
 10. God is infinite in trutJi. Deut. xxxii. 4. A God of 
 truth, and without iniquity ; just and right is he. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That there is a God a Supreme Being. 
 (2.) That God has not a body, as man has, neither can I 
 see Him. (3.) That in the largest measure he always 
 was, and ever will be, a Being who knows all things, and 
 how to act for the best ; a Being who is able to do all that 
 he judges it best to do ; a Being who has no sinful or im 
 proper thoughts or feelings, and is opposed to all such; 
 Being who wrongs none of his creatures, but is ever en 
 gaged in bestowing undeserved favors ; and a Being wh<$ 
 always declares what is true, and most strongly hates 
 what is false. Hence I learn, That such a Being is alto- 
 gether worthy of my highest respect, adoration, and love 
 and that to secure his friendship and love must contrib- 
 ute more to my happiness than anything else I can ac- 
 quire. (4.) That the knowledge of God will avail me but 
 little, if he be not my God : if I have not his wisdom to 
 teach me, his holiness to sanctify me, his Spirit to comfort 
 me, his mercy to save me. (5.) Hence I must choose 
 Him for my portion and my happiness, before all 
 other beings or things, and give myself, soul and body, 
 wholly to Him, to be used in his service, and to promote 
 his glory. (6.) As God is an infinitely intelligent spirit, 
 I must give him the worship of my mind and heart. 
 
 What Illustrations can you relate ? 
 
 1. In one of the earliest meetings of the Committee ap 
 pointed to prepare the Shorter Catechism, the subject of 
 
THE NATURE AND PERFECTIONS OF GOD. 29 
 
 deliberation was to frame an answer to the question, 
 " What is God?" Each man felt the unapproachable 
 sublimity of the divine idea suggested by these words ; 
 but who could venture to give it expression in human 
 language I All shrunk from the too sacred task in awe- 
 struck reverential fear. At length it was resolved, as an 
 expression of the Committee's deep humility, that the 
 youngest member should first make the attempt. He 
 consented; but begged that the brethren would first 
 unite with him in prayer for divine enlightenment. Then, 
 in slow and solemn accents, he thus began his prayer : 
 " God, Thou art a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and un- 
 changeable, in thy being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, 
 goodness, and truth." When he ceased, the first sentence 
 of his prayer was immediately written down and adopted, 
 as the most perfect answer that could be conceived ; as, 
 indeed, in a very sacred sense, God's own answer, de- 
 scriptive of Himself. The youngest member of that Com- 
 mittee was George Gillespie the man, therefore, who 
 was thus guided to frame this marvellous answer. 
 [Presbyterian's Armory, Vol. 1, p. 28.] 
 
 2. Simonides, a heathen poet, was asked by Hiero, king 
 of ancient Syracuse, What is God? but after many days 
 of anxious investigation of the question, he was unable 
 to give a more satisfactory answer than this : " The more 
 I think of God, he is still the more dark and unknown to 
 me." 
 
 3. A dignified clergyman once asked a little boy of an 
 acute mind, " Where God was ?" promising an orange upon 
 getting a reply. "Tell me," answered the boy, " where 
 he is not, and I will give you two ?" 
 
 4. A visitor at the Deaf and Dumb Asylum, in Paris, 
 having proposed to the pupils the question, "What is 
 Eternity ?" received from one of them the beautiful reply 
 " It is the life-time of the Almighty." 
 
 3* 
 
30 THE UNITY OF GOD. 
 
 II. The Oneness of God. 
 Q. 6. ARE THERE MORE GODS THAN ONE ? 
 There is but one only, the living and true God. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer 1 
 
 1. There is but one God. 1 Cor. viii. 4. There is 
 none other God but one. 
 
 2. God is the only living and true God. Jer. x. 10. But 
 the Lord is the true God, he is the living God, and an 
 everlasting King. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That God is altogether unlike the things 
 which, the heathen call gods, and which they worship : 
 those gods are many, and are destitute of life ; He is 
 alone as God, and not only lives, and always has lived, 
 but He also gave life to all things that have it. (2.) I dis- 
 cover that the heathen .ire to be greatly pitied for their 
 stupidity as to the worship of God, and need to have the 
 Bible, to teach them that there is but one God, and he a 
 living One. (3.) That there is great occasion for earnest 
 prayer in their behalf, at the Monthly Concert, and at 
 other times. (4.) That I am unspeakably indebted to 
 the grace of God, in casting my lot among those who 
 have the Bible, by which I have been raised above the 
 darkness, and sottishness, and debasement, and perils, of 
 Heathenism. 
 
 What Illustrations can you relate ? 
 
 1. A Hindoo child, about eight years old, who had been 
 instructed in the Christian religion, was ridiculed on that 
 account, by some of his heathen acquaintances, older than 
 himself. In reply, he informed them what he had learned 
 concerning God. "Show us your God!" said they. "I 
 cannot do that," answered the child, " but I can soon 
 
THE TRINITY. 31 
 
 show you yours." Upon which, taking up a stone, and 
 daubing it with some resemblance of a human face, he 
 placed it very gravely upon the ground, " There," said he, 
 " is such a God as you worship." 
 
 2. The Rev. Pliny Fisk, previous to going out as a 
 Missionary to Palestine, thus examined his own heart : 
 "Do I believe there is a God? My understanding assents 
 to the evidence of his existence ; but with my heart and 
 soul do I believe, that there is one Supreme Being who 
 created, who upholds, and who governs all things? I 
 think I am not deceived when I answer, Yes. Much of 
 the time during the past eight years I have had a very 
 different sense of Divine existence, from what I formerly 
 had. I now think of God as a Being, of whose existence 
 I feel as well assured as of my own. I think of Him as 
 the Governor of the universe, and I realize a calm and 
 secret confidence in his government. I never confided 
 so implicitly in my best friend, as I sometimes am en- 
 abled to confide in God. He is my Supporter in trouble ; 
 my Light in darkness ; my Guide in doubt ; my Refuge 
 in danger ; my Benefactor ; my All. This evening I feel 
 a sweet peace in my soul, while I commit whatever re- 
 spects my education, character, health, life, usefulness, 
 and salvation, to the hands of God. I can place un- 
 bounded confidence in his government, and leave all to 
 his disposal." 
 
 III. The Trinity and unity of the Godhead. 
 
 Q. 6. HOW MANY PERSONS ARE THERE IN THE GODHEAD ? 
 
 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. 
 
32 THE TRINITY. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. There are three persons in the Godhead. 1 John, v. 7. 
 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, 
 the Word, and the Holy Ghost. 
 
 2. The Father is God. 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. 
 
 3. The Son is God. ffeb. i. 8. But unto the Son, he 
 saith, Thy throne, God, is for ever and ever. 
 
 4. The Holy Ghost is God. Acts, v. 4. (Compared 
 with ver. 3.) Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto 
 God. 
 
 5. The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are but one God. 
 Deut. vi. 4. Hear, O Israel ; the Lord our God is one 
 Lord. 
 
 6. The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, though distinct 
 persons, are the same in substance. 1 John, v. 7. These 
 three are one. 
 
 7. The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, are equal in power. 
 John, v. 21. As the Father raiseth up the dead, and 
 quickeneth them ; even so the Son quickeneth whom he 
 will. 
 
 8. The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, are equal in glory. 
 Matt, xxviii. 19. Go ye, therefore, and teach all na- 
 tions, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of 
 the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) To think of the Godhead as embracing 
 Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each having the same 
 power, excellence, dignity, and essence, and entitled, 
 therefore, to the same reverence and worship as God. 
 They are so united as to form but one being, yet the 
 Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God. In 
 one sense they are three ; in another, and different sense, 
 they are one. " They are one in respect to the divine 
 nature ; while they are three in respect of their mutual 
 and necessary relations to each other, and their relations 
 to men as elected, redeemed, and sanctified. The word 
 God is not applied to three separate beings, but to a being 
 
THE TRINITY. 33 
 
 which is essentially one, so that each person is God, and 
 all three are but one God." Hence the term Trinity, 
 which means Three in One ; and the word Person is not 
 here to be understood in its ordinary sense, as we apply it 
 to one another. (2.)That in my worship I may address either 
 the Father, or the Son, or the Holy Spirit, according to 
 the parts which these severally perform in relation to the 
 salvation of man ; but the more regular method is to call 
 upon the Father, in the name of the Son, and through the 
 gracious aid of the Holy Spirit. (3.) The error of the 
 Jews and of the Turks, who acknowledge only the first 
 person of the Godhead, and thus deny an adequate Re- 
 deemer, and Sanctifier. (4.) I discover the great and 
 ruinous error of the Socinians or Unitarians, who con- 
 sider the Son of God to be only a creature of exalted 
 worth. (5.) The m doctrine of the Trinity is above my 
 reason, though not contrary to it, and never could have 
 been known, had not the Scriptures revealed it. 
 
 What Illustrations can you relate ? 
 
 1. The three Persons (or differences in the Divine 
 Nature), were distinguished at Christ's baptism (Matt. iii. 
 17) ; which made some in ancient times say to those who 
 denied this doctrine, " Go to Jordan, and there see a 
 Trinity ;" yet though the Father is not the Son, nor the 
 Son the Father, and neither Father nor Son are the Holy 
 Ghost, the three Persons are equally possessed of the one 
 divine nature. 
 
 2. The Rev. Thomas Doolittle says : " May I not, for 
 my admonition, make use of what I have read of AUGUS- 
 TINE, who, as he was walking by the sea-side, and medi- 
 tating on the Trinity, saw a child pouring the water of 
 the sea into a shell having a hole in the midst thereof, and 
 demanded of the child what he was doing ? The child 
 said, " I am putting all the sea into this shell." Augus- 
 tine answered, "Thou playest the child; can a .shell, 
 
34 THE TRINITY. 
 
 thinkest thou, comprehend all this sea ?" The child re- 
 plied, " So, good sir, do you, who would by reason com- 
 prehend the Trinity." The child vanished. Augustine 
 perceived it was an angel, and was instructed by it, that 
 this doctrine was above the reach of reason. 
 
 3. " The renewed man," says Jeremy Taylor, " that feels 
 the power of the Father, and to whom the Son is become 
 wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption 
 in whose heart the love of the Spirit of God is shed 
 abroad this man, though he understand nothing of what 
 is unintelligible, yet he alone truly understands the Chris- 
 tian doctrine of the Trinity" 
 
 4. The Rev. THOMAS SCOTT, the celebrated commentator 
 on the Scriptures, some years after he became a preacher, 
 thus writes of himself, in his "Force of Truth:" "The 
 doctrine of a trinity of co-equal persons in the unity of 
 the Godhead, had been hitherto no part of my creed. I 
 had long been accustomed to despise this great mystery 
 of godliness. I had quarelled with the articles of the 
 Established Church about this doctrine ; I had been very 
 positive and open in my declarations against it ; and my 
 unhumbled reason still retained objections to it. * * 
 
 * # * * After much reading and meditation 
 upon this subject (afterwards), together with a careful 
 examination of the Scriptures, which I then understood 
 to relate thereto, accompanied with a hearty prayer for 
 Divine teaching, I was at length constrained to renounce, 
 as utterly indefensible, all my former sentiments, and to 
 accede to that doctrine 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. * * 
 
 * * * * And being assured, from reason, as well 
 as from Scripture, that there is not, and cannot be, more 
 Gods than one, I was driven from my reasonings, and 
 constrained to submit my natural understanding to di- 
 
GOD'S DECREES. 35 
 
 vine revelation ; and allowing that the incomprehensible 
 God alone can fully know the unsearchable mysteries of 
 his own Divine nature, and manner of his own existence, 
 to adopt the doctrine of a Trinity in Unity, in order to 
 preserve consistency in my own scheme.". 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 CONCERNING GOD's DOINGS WITH RESPECT TO HIS 
 CREATURES. 
 
 I. Of the nature and character of God's decrees. 
 
 Q. *7. WHAT ARE THE DECREES OF GOD ? 
 
 The decrees of God are his eternal purpose, ac- 
 cording to the counsel of his will, whereby, for his 
 own glory, he hath foreordained whatsoever comes 
 to pass. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. God has formed certain purposes and decrees. Eph. 
 i. 11. Being predestinated according to the purpose of 
 him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own 
 will. 
 
 2. God's purposes were formed in his mind from eternity. 
 Eph. iii. 11. According to the eternal purpose which 
 he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord. 
 
 3. God's decrees are exclusively the purposes, or counsels 
 of his own will. Rom. ix. 18. Therefore hath he mercy 
 on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he 
 hardeneth. 
 
 4. All things which are agreeable to the counsels or pur- 
 poses of God have been predestinated by him. Acts, iv. 28. 
 To do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined 
 before to be done. 
 
86 GOD'S DECREES. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That the decrees of God are the wise plans 
 which God has always had with respect to what He 
 would himself do, or not hinder to be done by other 
 beings ; that these plans were formed by himself alone, 
 and not by the aid or influence of other beings ; that He 
 had in view thereby to gain the highest honor to him- 
 self; and that whatever takes place among the creatures 
 of God, He determined either to bring about, or not to 
 hinder. (2.) That nothing occurs by chance ; that no- 
 thing occurs beyond the knowledge or control of God ; 
 that nothing occurs differently from what it was certain, 
 according to the settled and wise plan of God, would take 
 place. (3.) That this doctrine of decrees is by no meang 
 to be considered as teaching that God is the author of 
 sin ; nor that he interferes with the free agency of man, 
 so as to destroy or impair the accountability of man. 
 (4.) I learn, also, that there is nothing in this doctrine 
 to authorize the charges of its opponents, that it implies 
 that God formed a large part of our race on purpose to 
 damn them ; that it involves the damnation of infants ; 
 and represents the blessed God as an arbitrary, severe, 
 and cruel tyrant. With just abhorrence the Rev. Dr. 
 Green repels these odious charges, and says : " When- 
 ever 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 ear- 
 nestly contend that they do not, necessarily or fairly, follow 
 from anything we hold. (5.) I learn that 
 
 HERE, not a scene of life cornea on 
 Of gladness or of tears 
 
GOD'S DECREES. 37 
 
 Where not the hand of Him that rules 
 
 Our mortal state appears ; 
 Each change that comes of joy or woe, 
 
 Is fixed by heaven's decree 
 Nor could we alter aught that God 
 
 Wished from eternity. 
 
 " O no, we would not alter aught 
 
 That wisdom hath designed 
 To train for everlasting bliss 
 
 The wandering, wayward mind. 
 It is our joy that He we love 
 
 Will be our Judge forever ; 
 Nor aught from his paternal care 
 
 Our interests shall sever." S. T. SMITH. 
 
 What Illustrations can you relate ? 
 
 1. When King William the Third of England was 
 asked, whether he could believe in this doctrine of fore- 
 ordination, his reply was, " I cannot help believing it : 
 for I cannot degrade rny 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." 
 
 2. Cowper has truthfully and beautifully said : 
 
 "HAPPY the man, who sees a God employed 
 [n all the good and ill that checker 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 
 Find 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 his affairs. 1 ' 
 
 3 The late Rev. Samuel Pierce, in a letter to a friend,, 
 thus writes: "I thank God I never, I think, rejoiced 
 habitually so much in him as I have done of late. I re- 
 4 
 
d EXECUTION OF GOD S DECREES. 
 
 joice that God reigns ; that he reigns over all ; that he 
 reigns over me ; over my crosses, my comforts, my family, 
 my friends, my senses, my mental powers, my designs, 
 my words, my preaching, my conduct ; that he is God 
 over all, blessed for ever. 
 
 4. A person in humble circumstances, at Lochwinnooh, 
 whose life had not been consistent with that of a gen- 
 uine Christian, was nevertheless a great speculator in 
 divinity. Even on his death-bed he was wont to perplex 
 and puzzle himself and his visitors with knotty questions 
 about the doctrines of the Bible. Thomas Orr, a person 
 of a very different character, was sitting at his bedside, 
 endeavoring to turn his attention to what more particu- 
 larly concerned him: "Ah, William," he said, "this is 
 the decree you have at present to do with 'He that be- 
 lieveth shall be saved ; he that believeth not shall be 
 damned/ " 
 
 II. The execution of GocCs decrees. 
 
 Q. 8. How DOTH GOD EXECUTE HIS DECREES ? 
 God executeth his decrees in the works of crea- 
 tion and providence. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. God executes his decrees in the works of creation. 
 Rev. iv. 11. Thou hast created all things, and for thy 
 pleasure they are and were created. 
 
 2. God executes his decrees in the works of Providence. 
 Psal. ciii. 16. His kingdom mleth over all. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That what God always designed, or in- 
 Cended, to do, he actually does in the works of creation 
 and providence. (2.) That, in God's plans, the means as 
 well as the results are embraced, and rendered certain to 
 be employed. (3.) That I can come to a knowledge of 
 
CREATION OF THE WORLD. 39 
 
 God's decrees, only by the acts which he performs, and 
 by the events which he brings about or suffers to take 
 place, in relation to myself and to other beings. 
 
 What Illustration is given 1 
 
 TROUBLOUS TIMES. When Whitelocke was embarking, 
 in 1653, for Sweden, he was much disturbed in his mind, 
 as he rested at Harwich on the preceding night, which 
 was stormy, while he reflected on the distracted state 
 of England. It happened that a good and confidential 
 servant slept in an adjacent bed, who, finding that his 
 master could not sleep *fc length said, " Pray, sir, will 
 you give me leave to ask you a question ?" " Certainly." 
 " Pray, sir, don't you think that God governed the world 
 very well before you came into it ?" " Undoubtedly." 
 "And pray, sir, don't you think he will govern it quite 
 as well when you are gone out of it ?" " Certainly." 
 " Then, sir, don't you think you may trust Him to govern 
 it properly as long as you live ?" To this last question 
 Whitelocke had nothing to reply ; but turning himself 
 about, soon fell fast asleep, till he was called to embark. 
 
 The Creation of the World. 
 
 Q. 9. WHAT is THE WORK OF CREATION ? 
 
 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. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. God made all things. John, i. 8. All things were 
 made by him ; and without him was not anything made 
 that was made. 
 
 2. God made all things of nothing. ffeb.xL'6. 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. 
 
40 CREATION OF THE WORLD. 
 
 3. God made all things by his word. Psal. xxxiii. 6. By 
 the word of the Lord were the heavens made ; and all the 
 host of them by the breatf of his mouth. 
 
 4. God made all things -en the space of six days. Exod. 
 xx. 11. In six days the Lord made heaven and earth. 
 
 5. God made all things very good. Gen. i. 31. And 
 God saw everything that he had made, and behold it was 
 /ery good. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That the work of creation was that of mak- 
 ing all things, when as yet there was no material to 
 make them out of; that at the time when he willed them 
 to be, they arose into being ; that they were made in the 
 best manner, and fitted to answer the purposes for which 
 God made them. (2.) To adore the almighty power and 
 unsearchable wisdom of God as my Creator, and to look 
 upon all the objects around me with a new interest, con- 
 sidered as his works. (3.) That I am a creature of God, 
 indebted to him for all my powers, and therefore bound 
 to use them in his service ; indebted to him for all my 
 sources of enjoyment, and therefore bound to consult his 
 will in all my enjoyments, and to be highly grateful for 
 them to their Great Author. (4.) The great mistake of 
 the ancient Greek philosophers who held that the world 
 always existed. (5.) If God created all things, then it 
 is rational to believe that he can and will perform all 
 that he has promised in his holy word. (6.) Since God 
 hath created all things, they belong to him, and he has 
 therefore a perfect right to dispose of them, and of my- 
 self among the rest, as best suits his wise purposes and 
 plans. 
 
 What Illustration can you relate ? 
 
 1. A gentleman being asked to go and examine a mag- 
 nificent building, erected by a skilful builder, desired to 
 be excused and to remain where he was, looking on a 
 flower which he was admiring "For," said he, "I see 
 
THE CREATION OF MAN. 41 
 
 more of God in this flower, than in all the beautiful edi 
 fices in the world." 
 
 2. We are told that Plato, the Greek philosopher, waa 
 convinced of the existence of a Deity, upon observing 
 that all the world could not make even so insignificant a 
 creature as a fly. 
 
 3. Dean Swift (borrowing the idea from Cicero) says, 
 that he will no more believe that the universe was formed 
 by a fortuitous concourse of atoms, than that the acci- 
 dental jumbling of the letters of the alphabet would fall 
 by chance into an ingenious and learned treatise of phi- 
 losophy. 
 
 The Creation of Man. 
 
 Q. 10. HOW DID GOD CREATE MAN? 
 
 God created man male and female, after his own 
 image, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, 
 with dominion over the creatures. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this answer ? 
 
 1. God created man. Gen, i\, 7. The Lord God formed 
 man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his 
 nostrils the breath of life. 
 
 2. Man was created male and female. Gen. i. 27. Male 
 and female created he them. 
 
 3. Man was created in the image of God. Gen. i. 27. 
 God created man in his own image, in the image of God 
 created he him. 
 
 4. God's image in man consisted in knowledge. Col. iii. 
 10. And have put on the new man, which is renewed in 
 knowledge, after the image of him that created him. 
 
 5. God's image in man consisted in righteousness. 
 Eccles. vii. 29. God hath made man upright; but they 
 have sought out many inventions. 
 
 6. God's image in man consisted in holiness. Eph. iv. 
 24. Put on the new man, which after God is created in 
 righteousness and true holiness. 
 
 7. God created man with dominion over the creatures. 
 
 4* 
 
42 THE CREATION OF MAN. 
 
 Gen. i. 28. And God blessed them, and God said unto 
 them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, 
 and subdue it ; and have dominion over the fish of the 
 eea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living 
 thing that moveth upon the earth. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That Adam and Eve were made like God 
 in respect to the knowledge which he gave them, and 
 their being right in all their feelings and thoughts ; their 
 being free from all disposition to do wrong ; and also in 
 their being placed at the head of all the other creatures 
 on earth, and exercising authority over them. (2.) To 
 praise God for the high rank and great excellence which 
 he gave to man at his first creation. (3.) That it is my 
 duty to pursue an upright and worthy course- of conduct. 
 (4.) That sin has produced a sad change in man's charac- 
 ter and mode of life. 
 
 What Illustration can you relate ? 
 
 I will draw it from Pollok's "Course of Time" 
 Book! 
 
 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 guile ; and last of all, 
 
 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 filuil love sincere, 
 
 His loyalty, obedience due, and faith." 
 
GOD'S GENERAL PROVIDENCE. 43 
 
 God's general Providence. 
 
 Q. 11. WHAT ARE GOD'S WORKS OF PROVIDENCE ? 
 
 God's works of Providence are, his most holy, 
 wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his 
 creatures, and all their actions. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. God preserves all his creatures. Psal. cxlv. 15. The 
 eyes of all wait upon thee : and thou givest them their 
 meat in due season. 
 
 2. God governs all his creatures. Psal. ciii. 19. His 
 kingdom ruleth over all. 
 
 3. God directs and governs all the actions of his crea- 
 tures. Prov. xvi. 9. A man's heart deviseth his way : 
 but the Lord directeth his steps. 
 
 4. God's works of providence are most holy. Psal. 
 cxlv. 17. The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy 
 in all his works. 
 
 5. God's works of providence are most wise. Isa. xxviii. 
 29. The Lord of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, 
 and excellent in working. 
 
 6. God's works of providence are most powerful. Psal 
 Ixvi. 7. He ruleth by his power for ever. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That there is no such thing as blind fate ; 
 that there is a divine agency which guides, and protects, 
 and governs ; that it reaches to all places, beings, and 
 events. (2.) To commit myself and all other creatures to 
 the care and guidance of my Creator, and to endeavor 
 at all times to act in obedience to his supreme will. (3.) 
 That events which seem accidental, are nevertheless 
 ordered by the Lord, as when the Bible informs us (1 
 Kings, xxii. 34) of a certain man who drew a bow at a 
 venture, and smote the king of Israel between the joints 
 of the harness. God's providence directed the arrow to 
 
44 GOD'S GENERAL PROVIDENCE. 
 
 the mark. (4.) That the providence of God is merely the 
 accomplishment of his eternal purposes concerning his 
 creatures, and that all the circumstances of my life are 
 regulated by his wisdom and power. Hence (5.) I must 
 not murmur or complain when affliction befalls me, nor be 
 ungrateful to God when he prospers me and gladdens me 
 in my course. (6.) That the cause of religion the 
 church of Christ is safe. (7.) That even the wickedness 
 of man is overruled for good, as in the case of the envy 
 of Joseph's brethren, the crucifixfon of our Saviour, and 
 the sensuality of Henry VIII. of England. 
 
 What Illustrations can you give ? 
 
 1. There is a habit of saying, "Such a thing will TURN 
 UP," as if it depended on chance ; whereas nothing will 
 turn up but what has been ordered. When a man be- 
 comes a Christian, he is written upon, " TO BE PROVIDED 
 FOR," and he ought, therefore, to notice, as he goes on, 
 how Providence does provide for him. 
 
 2. When the Protestants in Rochelle were besieged by 
 the French king, God, by his providence, sent in a num- 
 ber of small fishes that fed them, such as were never seen 
 before in that harbor. 
 
 3. The raven, a bird that has not natural affection 
 enough to feed its own young, yet providentially carried 
 nourishment to the Hebrew prophet Elijah. 
 
 4. The Book of Esther details a series of the most won- 
 derful providences in behalf of the Jewish people, when 
 in great danger of a universal massacre. 
 
 5. The Rev. Richard Cecil has correctly observed, that 
 "we are too apt to forget our actual dependence on 
 Providence, for the circumstances of every instant. The 
 most trivial events may determine our state in the world. 
 Turning up one street instead of another, may bring us 
 into company with a person whom we should not other- 
 wise have met ; and this may lead to a train of other 
 
GOD'S GENERAL PROVIDENCE. 45 
 
 events, which may determine the happiness or misery of 
 our lives." 
 
 6. OVERRULING PROVIDENCE. "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 these bereavements would " bring down his gray hairs 
 with sorrow to the grave." But it was all cleared up when 
 " he saw the wagons " 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 his brethren 
 cast him into the pit ; when they sold him as a slave to 
 the Ishmaelites ; 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 vio- 
 lent 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 
 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 this great 
 Western wilderness ; 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 numberless other 
 striking examples, how much better care God takes of 
 his people than they could take of themselves, and how 
 he overrules the most adverse and trying events for their 
 highest good. Indeed, this is a matter of every-day ex- 
 perience. Almost any person who has arrived at the 
 age of forty, can recollect times when his favorite plans 
 were thwarted, and it did seem as if the course of Provi- 
 dence was agairst him, when, as it proved in the end, it 
 
46 COVENANT OF WORKS. 
 
 was all in his favor, and saved him from losses or calami- 
 ties, in which the carrying out of his plans would inevi- 
 tably have involved him. Dr. Humphrey. 
 
 THE SPECIAL PROVIDENCE OF GOD TOWARDS MAN 
 IN HIS CREATION AND FALL. 
 
 Covenant of Works Its Parties and Terms. 
 
 Q. 12. WHAT SPECIAL ACT OF PROVIDENCE DID GOD EXER- 
 CISE TOWARD MAN IN THE ESTATE WHEREIN HE WAS CREATED ? 
 
 When God had created man, he entered into a 
 covenant of life with him upon condition of per- 
 fect obedience ; forbidding him to eat of the tree 
 of the knowledge of good and evil, upon the pain 
 of death. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer 1 
 
 1. God entered into a covenant with Adam. Hos. vi. 7. 
 With Margin. They like Adam have transgressed the 
 covenant. 
 
 2. The terms of the covenant of works were perfect obedi 
 ence. Gen. iii. 3. God hath said, ye shall not eat of it, 
 neither shall ye touch it. 
 
 3. Obedience was required from our first parents under 
 the pain of death. Gen. ii. 17. In the day that thou 
 eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) 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 thus be understood, that 
 while he continued obedient, he should enjoy life and all 
 the benefits of his Creator's approbation and love. (2.) 
 That this law, with its threatenings and implied promise 
 
47 
 
 of life, is called a Covenant of Life, that is, an agreement 
 by which life and happiness would have been perma- 
 nently 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. 
 
 [This arrangement, proposed to our first parents as the 
 one party, by God as the other, is sometimes called the 
 Covenant of Works, because it was a method of securing 
 the perpetual favor of God by the works or doings (in ref- 
 erence to this law) of our first parents, and is dis- 
 tinguished from the Covenant of Grace, or the method of 
 securing God's favor simply on the ground of what Christ 
 has done and suffered for us.] 
 
 I learn (3.) That my highest duty is to obey God, as 
 my sovereign Lord, in every particular, and that this is 
 perfectly reasonable. (4.) That happiness or misery is 
 appointed to follow my actions according to their nature. 
 This tree derives its name, from the fact that Adam would 
 come to a knowledge of the good of innocence on his 
 losing it, and of the evil of disobedience by the sufferings 
 to which he then should become liable. 
 
 Man's Disobedience and Fall. 
 
 Q. 13. DlD OUR FIRST PARENTS CONTINUE IN THE ESTATE 
 WHEREIN THEY ,WERE CREATED ? 
 
 Our first parents being left to the freedom of 
 their own will, fell from the estate wherein they 
 were created, by sinning against God. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. Our first parents loere left to the freedom of their own 
 will. Gen. iii. 13. And the woman said, The serpent 
 beguiled me, and I did eat. 
 
 2. Man by sin fell from the estate in which he was created 
 Rom. v. 12. By one man sin entered into the world, 
 and death by sin. 
 
48 THE NATURE OF SIN. 
 
 What Lessors do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That our first parents being allowed to 
 choose for themselves whether they would obey or dis- 
 obey the particular law which God had given them, chose 
 to disobey it, and thus ceased to be the holy and the 
 happy beings which previously they were, for they had 
 thus become sinners, and had fallen from a state of inno- 
 cence and happiness. Their moral character was changed. 
 (2.) That disobedience to God is a bad thing for me as 
 well as for others, and that in all cases I must guard 
 against and avoid it. (3.) That I must never cease to 
 watch against the power of temptation ; for, by neglect- 
 ing this, our first parents became sinners. 
 
 What Illustration can you relate ? 
 
 THE DIFFICULTIES OF SCRIPTURE. An old man once said, 
 " For a long period I puzzled myself about the difficulties 
 of Scripture, until at last I came to the resolution that 
 reading the Bible was like eating fah. When I find a 
 difficulty, I lay it aside and call it a bone. Why should I 
 choke on the bone, when there ii much nutritious meat 
 to use ? Some day, perhaps, I may find that even the 
 bones may afford me nourishment." 
 
 The Nature of Sin. 
 
 Q. 14. WHAT is SIN ? 
 
 Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgress- 
 ion of the law of God. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this answer ? 
 
 1. Any want of conformity to God's law is sin. Gal. lii. 
 10. Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things 
 which are written in the book of the law to do them. 
 
 2. Any transgression of the law of God is sin. 1 John, 
 iii. 4. Sin is the transgression of the law. 
 
THE NATURE OP SIN. 4tf 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That a refusing, or even a neglect to think, 
 to feel, and to do as God in his law requires, is sin ; that 
 sin is also committed when I think, feel, or act differ- 
 ently from what God requires. (2.) That it is my solemn 
 duty and interest carefully to study the Bible (which is 
 God's law), that I may be ignorant of nothing which he 
 requires of me, and do nothing which he forbids. (3.) 
 I learn the great evil of sin : it involves direct opposition 
 to the greatest and best of beings, of whose just and bene- 
 ficial law it is a violation. 
 
 What Illustrations may be cited ? 
 
 1. It is reported of the Emperor PHOCAS, that having 
 built a wall of prodigious strength around his city, a 
 voice was heard proclaiming : " Sin is within the city, and 
 that will throw down the wall." 
 
 2. SATAN AND THE SINNER. The Kev. JOHN NEWTON 
 said of a certain clergyman, that he had never heard him 
 preach but once; on which occasion he had observed, 
 " If you wish to know what a sinner is, he is a young 
 devil ; and if you wish to know what a devil is, he is an 
 old sinner." 
 
 3. The last audible prayer of the good Archbishop 
 USHER, was : " Lord forgive my sins, especially my sins 
 of omission." 
 
 4. It was a remarkable trait in the character of COUNT 
 GUDOMAR, according to his own oft-repeated declaration, 
 that he feared nothing in the world more than sin, and what- 
 eA r cr liberties he had taken in earlier life, he would suffer 
 any form of violent death rather than knowingly or 
 willingly commit any sin against God. 
 
 5. DOING NOTHING. *' He made me out a sinner for 
 doing nothing !" said one under the conviction of sin, and 
 who, in a revival, had been asked, " How were you 
 
 5 
 
50 ADAM'S SIN, IN PARTICULAR. 
 
 awakened ?" It was a new thought to the poor man, who 
 had been comforting himself with the plea that he had 
 done nothing very bad. But now he saw that his great- 
 est sin was the very thing in which he had been comfort- 
 ing himself doing nothing. 
 
 Adam's Sin^ in particular. 
 Q. 15. WHAT WAS THE SIN WHEREBY OUR FIRST PARENTS FELL 
 
 FROM THE ESTATE WHEREIN THEY WERE CREATED ? 
 
 The sin whereby our first parents fell from the 
 estate wherein they were created, was their eating 
 the forbidden fruit. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. The first and particular sin of Adam was eating the 
 forbidden fruit. Gen. iii. 6. She took of the fruit thereof, 
 and did eat ; and gave also unto her husband with her, 
 and he did eat. 
 
 2. Eating the forbidden fruit was the cause of Adam's 
 fall. Rom. v. 17. By one man's offence death reigned 
 by one. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Dcctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That in small matters as well as in great, I 
 may show whether I have a spirit of obedience to God, or 
 otherwise. (2.) That I must indulge in nothing that God 
 has forbidden. (3.) That the enormity of the first sin 
 does not appear in looking at the mere outward act per- 
 formed, but at all the circumstances of the case and con- 
 sequences. Hence (4.) I learn to beware of, and 
 watch against sin, though it may at first appear to 
 be insignificant. (5.) That, like our first parents, I am 
 exposed to be tempted by Satan, to the ruin of my cha- 
 racter and happiness. (6.) That I cannot trust my own 
 powers for obeying God or resisting temptation, but must 
 depend on the grace of God as revealed in Jesus Christ 
 to penitent sinners. 
 
THE EXTENT OF THE FALL. 51 
 
 What Illustrations can you relate ? 
 
 1. The Rev. Thomas Doolittle occupies more than 
 nineteen large 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 the 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 followed after it. (4.) By ten aggravating circum- 
 stances attending it. (5.) By the Ten Commandments 
 all being broken by it. 
 
 2. "TheYe are FOUR THINGS," says Philip Henry, "we 
 must not make a mock of Sin (Prov. xiv. 9), people's 
 natural infirmities, the Word of God, and good people." 
 
 3. In the West Indies there is said to grow a tree of 
 very attractive appearance, bearing a kind of fruit re- 
 sembling the golden pippin. It is beautiful to the eye, 
 and fragrant, but, when eaten, produces instant death 
 So poisonous is the juice of it that the Indians dip the 
 points of their arrows in it for the purpose of poisoning 
 their enemies when they wound them. It is remarkable 
 that in the neighborhood of this fatal tree is always 
 found, through the kind providence of God, a white wood, 
 or a fig tree, the juice of either of which, if applied soon, 
 is an antidote to the poisonous influence of the tree first 
 spoken of the Manchaneel. This latter may be regarded 
 as a symbol of the pleasing but destructive nature of sin ; 
 while the other trees symbolize the precious Word of 
 Christ, which God in his mercy has provided as the only 
 antidote. 
 
 The Extent of the Fall. 
 
 Q. 16. DlD ALL MANKIND FALL IN ADAM'S FIRST TRANS- 
 GRESSION ? 
 
 The covenant being made with Adam, not only 
 for himself, but for his posterity ; all mankind, 
 
52 THE EXTENT OF THE FALL. 
 
 descending from him by ordinary generation, 
 sinned in him, and fell with him, in his first trans- 
 gression. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. The covenant of works was made for the posterity of 
 Adam as well as for himself. Rom. v. 14. Nevertheless, 
 death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that 
 had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgress- 
 ion, who is the figure of him that was to come. 
 
 2. All men are the descendants of Adam and Eve. Gen. 
 iii. 20. And Adam called his wife's name Eve, because 
 she was the mother of all living. 
 
 3. All men being the children of Adam sinned in him. 
 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. 
 
 4. All men fell with Adam. 1 Cor. xv. 22. In Adam 
 all die. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That the covenant, or law, given to Adam, 
 in Paradise, was designed to affect not only himself, but 
 likewise all who should come after him in the ordinary 
 mode of birth ; so that if Adam had done what God re- 
 quired of him in that law, or covenant, all the human 
 race would have been thereby rendered obedient to God, 
 and happy ; but on the other hand, his disobedience 
 would render them as a race disobedient and miserable. 
 (2.) Deeply to lament Adam's first sin as the beginning 
 and occasion of all the numberless sins that have since 
 been committed on earth, and as the occasion of our loss 
 of all the -unmixed happiness and holiness we would 
 have enjoyed as a race, if Adam had not transgressed the 
 law under which, as a means of trial, God had placed him, 
 and us virtually through him. 
 
 *' Man sinned : tempted, he ate the guarded tree : 
 Audacious, unbelieving, proud, ungrateful, 
 He ate the interdicted fruit, and fell ; 
 
CONSEQUENCES OF THE FALL. 53 
 
 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. 
 
 What Illustrations can you relate ? 
 
 1. THE ORIGIN orSitf. Two American divines were once 
 conversing together about the various theories concern- 
 ing the origin of sin, when one interrupted them by say- 
 ing, " It seems to me that it would be far better for minis- 
 ters, instead of puzzling themselves to know how sin 
 ENTERED INTO the world, to unite their efforts, and try how 
 much of it, with God's blessing, they can drive out." 
 "You remind me, madam," said one of the clergymen, 
 " of my aged deacon, who, after listening to a sermon, in 
 which I had endeavored to explain why God suffered sin 
 to enter the world, being asked what he thought of my 
 theory, shook his head, and replied, " All, sir, all I know 
 about it is, I am a sinner, and WISH I WASN'T." 
 
 2. ~ ( The fact is plain," says Pliny Fisk, " that God 
 governs the world, and controls every event ; and yet the 
 world is full of sin and woe. I cannot discover the rea- 
 sons why it is so ; though I can see that by this means 
 God will have an opportunity to make manifest his ab- 
 horrence of sin, his justice, and his mercy. Had it not 
 been so, there had been no displays of punitive justice, 
 no ransomed sinners, no bleeding Saviour, no songs of re- 
 deeming love in heaven. Still, much darkness over- 
 spreads the subject. Kestless curiosity starts many ques- 
 tions, to which no answer can be found. Is my heart, 
 nevertheless, filled with love to this Supreme Governor, 
 * whose judgments are unsearchable, and whose ways are 
 past finding out ?' " 
 
 Consequences of the Fall. 
 
 Q. 17. INTO WHAT ESTATE DID THE FALL BRING MANKIND? 
 The fall brought mankind into an estate of siu 
 and misery. 
 
 5* 
 
54 SINFULNESS OF MAN'S STATE BY THE FALL. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. The fall of Adam brought mankind into an estate of 
 sin. Rev. v. 7. By one man's disobedience many were 
 made sinners. ?#*>t^ ^T""~ / Ol 
 
 2. The fall of Adam brought mankind into an estate of 
 misery. Rom. v. 17. By one man's offence death reigned 
 by one. 
 
 What Lesson do you derive from the above Doctrines? 
 
 I learn to abhor and dread sin, as the greatest of all 
 evils as that which "brought death into the world, and 
 all our woe." 
 
 What Illustration is given ? 
 
 WHAT is OUR OWN ? A heathen girl was once asked by 
 her teacher if there was anything which she could call 
 her own. She hesitated for a moment, and then, looking 
 up, replied : " I think there is." " What is it ?" inquired 
 the teacher, with some surprise. " I think," said the girl, 
 " that my sins are my own." And this is the conclusion 
 of the whole matter. Day Spring. 
 
 Sinfulness of Marts State by the Fall. 
 Q. 18. WHEREIN CONSISTS THE SINFULNESS OF THAT ESTATE 
 
 WHEREINTO MAN FELL ? 
 
 The sinfulness of that estate* whereinto man fell, 
 consists 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 transgressions which 
 proceed from it. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. The sinfulness of our fallen state consists in the guilt 
 of Adam's first sin. Rom. v. 18. By the offence of one, 
 judgment came upon all men to condemnation. 
 
SINFULNESS OF MAN'S STATE BY THE FALL. 55 
 
 2. The sinfulness of our fallen state consists in the want of 
 original righteousness. Rom. iii. 10. There is none right- 
 eous, no, not one. 
 
 3. The sinfulness of our fallen state consists in the corrup- 
 tion of our whole nature or of original sin. Psal. li.5. Be- 
 hold, I was shapen in iniquity ; and in sin did my mother 
 conceive me. 
 
 4. The sinfulness of our fallen nature is shown in our 
 actual transgressions. JZccles. vii. 20. There is not a just 
 man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not. 
 
 5. Actual transgressions proceed from original sin. 
 Mark, vii. 21. For from within, out of the heart of men, 
 proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 
 <fcc. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn that the sinfulness which man has acquired 
 through Adam includes (1.) Our liability to suffering, or to 
 be treated as transgressors on his account, as our repre- 
 sentative. (2.) That we are born destitute of that pious 
 and righteous state of mind which Adam had when God 
 first made him. (3.) That we. are naturally prone to 
 make a wrong and wicked use of our minds and bodies. 
 (4.) That the sinfulness thus far described, is called 
 Original Sin, because we have it at our origin or birth. 
 (5.) That as a consequence of this we actually transgress 
 the law of God from day to day (when left to ourselves). 
 (6.) That the. " guilt of Adam's sin " is a phrase used in a 
 peculiar, and not in a common sense ; that it does not 
 mean that I am to blame for Adam's first sin ; yet I am to 
 blame for all my own sins, though committed by me, as a 
 result of that first sin. (7.) The necessity of my being 
 " born again," or of receiving from God an entirely new 
 state of mind and feeling, that my actions may be made 
 to conform to the law of God. (8.) What is meant by 
 the doctrine that man is totally depraved. It is not that 
 all men are alike sinful ; nor that any man is as bad as 
 he can be ; but that all the human powers are depraved by 
 
56 MISERY OF MAN'S STATE BI THE FALL. 
 
 sin ; and that every person, by nature, is entirely desti- 
 tute of holiness that state of mind which is essential to 
 the acceptable service of God. At the same time, this 
 doctrine does not deny that men, by nature, may possess 
 some very amiable and useful characteristics. 
 
 What Illustration can you relate ? 
 
 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 you should 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 most 
 deeply concerns you, is, how you shall obtain it ?" As 
 the man manifested no wish to hear anything on that 
 subject, but still pressed the question how he came by 
 his wicked heart, Dr. Nettleton told him that his condi- 
 tion resembled that of a man who is drowning, while his 
 friends are attempting to save his life. As he rises to 
 the surface of the water, he exclaims, "How came I here \ n 
 " That question does not concern you now ; 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 proffered aid, sinks to the bottom. 
 
 Misery of Man's State by the Fall. 
 Q. 19. WHAT is THE MISERY OF THAT ESTATE WHEREINTO 
 
 MAN FELL ? 
 
 All mankind, by their fall, lost communion with 
 God, are under his wrath and curse, and so made 
 liable to all the miseries in this life, to death itself, 
 and to the pains of hell for ever. 
 
MISERY OF MAN'S STATE BY THE FALL. 57 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. All men, since the fall, hate God and have lost com~ 
 munion with him. Rom. viii. 7. The carnal mind is en- 
 mity against God. 
 
 2. Man, by nature, is under the wrath of God. Eph. ii. 3. 
 And were by nature the children of wrath, even as 
 others. 
 
 3. Man, by nature, is under the curse of God. Gal. iii. 10. 
 For as many as are of the works of the law, are under the 
 curse. 
 
 4. Man, by the fall, is made liable to all the miseries of 
 this life. Job, v. 7. Man is born unto trouble, as the 
 sparks fly upward. 
 
 5. Man, by the fall, is made liable to death. Rom. vi. 23. 
 The wages of sin is death. 
 
 6. Man, by the fall, is made liable to the pains of hell. 
 Psal. ix. 17. The wicked shall be turned into hell, and 
 all the nations that forget God. 
 
 7. The pains of hell shall be for ever. Isa. xxxiii. 14. 
 Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings ? 
 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the ahove Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That the wretchedness of that state into 
 which sin has brought me, lies in two things : First, I 
 have lost the happiness of friendly intercourse with God. 
 Secondly, I am brought under his great displeasure, and 
 a sentence to punishment, which begins to be carried out 
 against me in the pains and troubles of the present life, 
 is continued in the agonies of death, and, if fully carried 
 out, will subject me to the everlasting pains of the world 
 to come. (2.) That all the miseries in life, in death, and 
 in hell, are the result simply of sin, which may thus be 
 seen to be the chief of evils, and never should be thought 
 of as a trifling matter (S.) That my first care should be 
 to seek to be set free from sin, and from all its just but 
 terrible consequences. (4.) That I should welcome, and 
 embrace at once, the offer of deliverance through the 
 Lord Jesus Christ. (5.) That although sorrow, in various 
 forms, comes indiscriminately upon the righteous and the 
 
58 MISERY OF MAN'S STATE BY THE FALL. 
 
 wicked in this life, yet the Scriptures teach me that to 
 the righteous these sorrows are converted into fatherly 
 chastisements from God, tending to their spiritual good ; 
 whereas, to the wicked, they are of the nature of punish- 
 ment for their sins, and are the forerunners of eternal 
 sorrow. 
 
 What Illustrations may be given ? 
 
 1. AN AGED CLERGYMAN, when preaching in New England, 
 some few years since, raising his voice with each succeed- 
 ing word, and bringing down his clenched hand with 
 amazing force upon the Bible at the last word of the sen- 
 tence, exclaimed "A deceitful, wicked man is not fit to 
 serve either God, man, or the devil !" Then, after a pause, 
 he added, " And I'll tell you why. He is not fit to serve 
 God, because he is unholy ; he is not fit to serve man, be- 
 cause he is deceitful ; and he is not fit to serve the devil, 
 because he's not content with his wages. No," said the 
 old man, " he's not content with his wages. No, no, my 
 friends, the sinner is not satisfied with the wages which 
 the devil gives, and he never will be 'for the wages of 
 sin is death /' Sinners ! sinners ! strike for higher wages." 
 
 2. Mrs. SUSAN HUNTINGTON, of Boston, in a letter to a 
 friend, thus writes : " I am afraid I have never been 
 brought truly to submit all things to the disposal of God, 
 especially to submit to his righteousness in the condemna- 
 tion of sinners. I fear I have never yet seen aught of the 
 dreadful evil of sin, and that this is the source of the 
 misgivings I sometimes experience as to its just desert of 
 eternal punishment. But Jehovah is, I know he is, right- 
 eous in all his ways, and holy in all his works ; and he 
 has said that the wicked shall be turned into hell, where 
 the worm dieth not, and the fire shall never be 
 quenched.' Hush, then, every murmuring, doubting 
 thought, every rebellious discontented feeling! Oh, for 
 deeper views of the vileness, the exceeding vilcness of sin 
 
MISERY OF MAN'S STATE BY THE FALL. 59 
 
 for stronger and more abiding confidence in the rectitude 
 and the goodness of God!" 
 
 3. A pious member of Rev. Mr. James' church, in 
 Birmingham, amid the severe sufferings of her last sick- 
 ness, said to her husband : " I could not have thought 
 that any one could have suffered so much, and yet live , 
 and if God inflicts such sufferings upon his own children, 
 what must the pains of hell be to the wicked! O, sin! 
 sin ! Remember, all sorrow and suffering are the fruits 
 and effects of sin. I cannot think what the wicked do an 
 a death-bed, when the horrors of the mind are added to 
 the pains of the body." 
 
 4. THE MISERY OF THE HEATHEN. A missionary, speaking 
 of the Hindoos, says : " They traverse the burning 
 plains, and sandy deserts, and fatal jungles of Hindostan, 
 for thousands of miles, measuring their way through mud 
 and water by the length of their bodies, to bathe in some 
 sacred stream, with the vain hope of washing away their 
 rins, or of beholding the car of Juggernaut. They stretch 
 themselves on planks pierced with sharp iron spikes, and 
 there lie till the blood oozes from every pore. They sus- 
 pend themselves from large iron hooks, thrust through 
 the muscles of the back, and there sometimes hang until 
 life is extinct. They pierce their tongues with spears, 
 and are led about for hours by the inserted weapon. Yet, 
 after enduring all these modes of torture, I have heard 
 them exclaim : * We have no peace, we have not yet found 
 God, where is he, that we may find him ? " 
 
 6. Damocles ascended the throne of Sicily at the bid- 
 ding of the tyrant Dionysius ; but while he gazed with 
 delight upon the splendor and wealth that surrounded 
 him, on looking up he perceived a sword hanging over 
 his head by a single hair a sight that filled him with 
 terror, and made all his expected happiness to vanish. 
 So the sword of God's wrath hangs by a small thread 
 
60 PLAN OF REDEMPTION. 
 
 over every impenitent and careless sinner, and should 
 alarm him, and lead him to abandon his sinful condition. 
 
 OF THE SPECIAL PROVIDENCE OF GOD TOWARDS MAN 
 IN REDEMPTION. 
 
 Plan of Redemption. 
 Q. 20. DID GOD LEAVE ALL MANKIND TO PERISH IN THI 
 
 ESTATE OF SIN AND MISERY ? 
 
 God having out of his mere good pleasure, frorr. 
 all eternity, elected some to everlasting life, did 
 enter into a covenant of grace, to deliver them out 
 of the estate of sin and misery, and to bring them 
 into an estate of salvation by a Redeemer. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer 1 
 
 1. God has ordained, or elected some men to everlasting 
 life. Acts, xiii. 48. As many as were ordained to eternal 
 life, believed. 
 
 2. God's purpose of election was from eternity. Eph. 
 i. 4. According as he hath chosen us in him before the 
 foundation of the world. 
 
 3. The election of God is the result of his own good pleas- 
 ure. Eph. i. 5. Having predestinated us unto the adop- 
 tion of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to 
 the good pleasure of his will. 
 
 4. God entered into a covenant of grace with Christ for 
 the elect. Psal. Ixxxix. 3. I have made a covenant with 
 my chosen. 
 
 5. The people of God are by Christ delivered out of their 
 original state of sin and misery. Rom. viii. 1. There is 
 therefore now no condemnation to them which are in 
 Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh but after the 
 Spirit. 
 
 6. The people of God, by Christ, are brought into a state 
 of complete salvation. Rom.v. 18. By the righteousness 
 of one, the free gift came upon all men unto justification 
 of life. 
 
PLAN OF REDEMPTION. 61 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines? 
 
 I learn (1.) That God is so merciful that he does not 
 leave, as justly he might, all men to perish in their state 
 of sinfulness, but has ever designed to save some of them 
 by means of a Redeemer : has not only determined with 
 himself to save, by Christ, all those who do believe, obey, 
 and perse vere unto the end, but has also appointed who 
 those persons shall be, that he will cause to believe, obey, 
 and persevere. (2.) That the plan he has adopted for this 
 end is called the Covenant of Grace, because the safety 
 and happiness thus provided are not in the least degree 
 deserved by any -man. (3.) I am to understand that a 
 Redeemer is one who frees persons from punishment, and 
 brings them into a happy condition, by suffering the 
 penalty due to them, or performing some service which 
 they were not in a condition to render. (4.) That if I am 
 saved, I shall be altogether indebted to the compassion 
 and grace of God, against whom I have sinned, having 
 no right to salvation, but being exposed justly, for my 
 sins, to everlasting misery. (5.) That God did not elect 
 or choose any because he foresaw that they would believe 
 in Christ, and persevere in religion ; but the true doc- 
 trine is, that those who believe and persevere, do so be- 
 cause God had chosen them to salvation, and therefore 
 inclined and enabled them to enter upon and pursue the 
 Christian life. Their faith and holy life were not the 
 cause of election, but the result of it. 
 
 How may these Doctrines be Illustrated ? 
 
 1. A pious old woman, in Albany, once remarked, con- 
 cerning the doctrine of predestination, " 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 
 afterward, to have chosen me for." 
 
 2. JONATHAN EDWARDS. "From my childhood up," says 
 
 6 
 
62 PLAN OF REDEMPTION. 
 
 he, "my mind had been full of objections against the 
 doctrines of God's sovereignty, in choosing whom he would 
 to eternal life, and rejecting whom he pleased, leaving 
 them eternally to perish, and be everlastingly tormented 
 in hell. It used to appear a horrible doctrine to me. But 
 I remember the time very well, when I seemed to be con- 
 vinced and fully satisfied as to this sovereignty of God, 
 and his justice in thus eternally disposing of men accord- 
 ing to his sovereign pleasure. But I never could give 
 an account how, or by what means, I was thus convinced ; 
 not in the least imagining at the time that there was any 
 extraordinary influence of God's Spirit in it. However, 
 my mind rested in it; and it put an end to all these cavils 
 and objections." 
 
 3. A UNIVERSALIST MINISTER was travelling, and, agree- 
 ably to a notice sent on, preached in a certain place 
 the Doctrine of Universal Salvation. After the sermon, 
 he informed his hearers that he should be that way on 
 his return, at such a time, and, if they desired it, he 
 would preach again. ISTo one replied till he had twice 
 repeated the statement. At last, an old Friend, in the 
 back part of the congregation, rose, and said, " If thee 
 hast told the truth this time, we do not need thee any 
 more, and if thee hast told us a lie, we do not want thee 
 any mqpe" an answer which, although somewhat gro- 
 tesque, was yet very much to the purpose. 
 
 4. 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, that you never will do these things, unless God has 
 determined to renew your heart. If you do not believe 
 
PERSON AND CHARACTER OF THE REDEEMER. 63 
 
 that your heart is so wicked, make it manifest by com- 
 plying 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 with these terms of the gospel ? 
 When you have done this, without the aids 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." 
 
 5. To a man, who manifested great opposition to the 
 doctrine of election, he 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 accord- 
 ing to his own purpose and grace, which were given us in 
 Christ Jesus, before the world began.' Now, if we should 
 meet in heaven, and I should make use of this language, 
 will you quarrel with me there ?" 
 
 The Person and Character of the Redeemer. 
 
 Q. 21. WHO is THE REDEEMER OF GOD'S ELECT ? 
 
 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 per- 
 son for ever. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this answer ? 
 
 1. Christ, the Son of God, is the Redeemer of his people. 
 Gal. iv. i. 5. God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, 
 made under the law, to redeem them that were under the 
 law. 
 
64 PERSON AND CHARACTER OF THE REDEEMER 
 
 2. Christ is the only Redeemer of man. Acts, iv. 12. 
 Neither is there salvation in any other. 
 
 3. Christ is the Son of God. I John, v. 20. We know 
 that the Son of God is come. 
 
 4. Christ is the eternal Son of God. Heb. i. 8. Unto 
 the Son, he saith, Thy throne, God, is for ever and 
 ever. 
 
 5. Christ became man. Heb. ii. 16. He took not on 
 him the nature of angels : but he took on him the seed of 
 Abraham. 
 
 6. Christ is both God and man. I Tim. iii. 16. And 
 without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness : 
 God was manifest in the flesh. 
 
 7. Christ possesses the natures of God and man in one 
 person. Col. ii. 9. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of 
 the Godhead bodily. 
 
 8. Christ will continue to be both God and man for ever. 
 Heb. vii. 24. But this man, because he continueth ever, 
 hath an unchangeable priesthood. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 I learn (1.) That the only Redeemer of those whom 
 God has chosan to bring to heaven, is the Lord Jesus 
 Christ, who, having always been the Son of God, at the 
 appointed and proper time also became man, and so was, 
 and continues to be, and ever will be, God and man, the 
 divine and human natures not being mixed, but merely 
 united, so as to form one person. Each nature retains its 
 own properties ; those of the one nature are not to be 
 ascribed to the other nature, but those of both belong 
 alike to the person of Christ, the Redeemer. (2.) That 
 God the Son has greatly humbled himself by this union 
 to the man Jesus, for the purpose of saving me and other 
 sinners, and that the wonderful and altogether singular 
 constitution of his person is worthy of my deepest study 
 and worship. Hence, I learn (8.) The great error of those 
 professed Christians who assert that Jesus is not God, but 
 a man only, or at best possessed of some higher nature 
 than the human, though still lower than that of the 
 
PERSON AND CHARACTER OF THE REDEEMER. 65 
 
 Supreme God. (4.) That my natural state is that of 
 slavery to sin to the world to Satan to death and 
 hell, from all which to deliver me the blessed Saviour, 
 God-man, gave his own life as a ransom, or price of re- 
 demption. Finally, that I am under the most pressing 
 obligations to free myself from that degrading slavery, by 
 accepting gratefully and ardently of the deliverance which 
 the Redeemer has thus provided for sinners. 
 
 What Illustrations are at hand ? 
 
 At a weekly meeting for religious conversation, some 
 South Sea Island converts (as Rev. John Williams informs 
 us) thus talked with each other concerning Christ : " Give 
 us some other proof that he was God," said another. " The 
 various miracles that he wrought," was the reply. "But 
 did not Peter and all the apostles work miracles ?" "Yes, 
 but they did their miracles with borrowed power; and 
 when they returned, did they not tell Jesus that they did 
 all in his name, and not in their own ?" Another said, 
 " Is not the star that led the wise men from the East a 
 proof of the divinity of Jesus ?" " But, if really God, 
 would he have been laid in a manger ?" " Yes, said an- 
 other, for did he not humble himself and lay aside his 
 glory as God ? If he had come in his glory, would not 
 man have exceedingly feared ? We know what Moses 
 said." Another said, "He believed he was God, because 
 he said, ' I and my Father are one ; and I am the Alpha 
 and Omega, the First and the Last.' " Another believed 
 it " because he is to judge the world, and must therefore 
 be God." Another said, " He himself has promised, where 
 two or three are met in my name, there am I in the 
 midst of them, and I will be with you always even to the 
 end of the world.' Now, how can he fulfil these prom- 
 ises? While we are gathered here to worship and pray, 
 6* 
 
66 THE REDEEMER ASSUMING HUMAN NATURE. 
 
 others are gathered in distant lands some in Britain ', 
 and how can he be with them all if he is not God ?" 
 
 The Redeemer assuming Human Nature. 
 Q. 22. How DID CHRIST, BEING THE SON OF GOD, BECOME MAN ? 
 
 Christ, the Son of God, became man, by taking 
 to himself 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. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. Christ took, to himself a true body. John, i. 14. The 
 Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us. 
 
 2. Christ took to himself a reasonable soul. Matt. xxvi. 
 38. My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death. 
 
 3. Christ was conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost. 
 Luke, i. 35. The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and 
 the power of the highest shall overshadow thee. 
 
 4. Christ was born of the Virgin Mary. LuJce, ii. 7. 
 And she brought forth her first-born son, and wrapped 
 him in swaddling-clothes, and laid him in a manger. 
 
 5. Christ was born and continued to be without sin. 
 Ileb. iv. 15. But was in all points tempted like as we are, 
 yet without sin. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) The mysterious greatness of the God-man, 
 Christ Jesus. (2.) His unsullied holiness, and my obli- 
 gation to imitate his holiness. (3.) His full ability to 
 atone for my sins, having no sins of his own to suffer for, 
 and having a divine nature to give infinite value to the 
 sufferings of which his human nature made him capable. 
 
 What Illustration can you add ? 
 
 CONVERSATION BETWEEN CONVERTED SOUTH SEA ISLANDERS. 
 The excellent missionary, Rev. John "Williams, relates 
 
THE OFFICES OF THE REDEEMER. 67 
 
 the following conversation on the Divinity of Christ, which 
 took place in his presence at a weekly meeting for religious 
 inquiry. " I firmly believe," said the first speaker, " that 
 Jesus Christ is God as well as man." " Are you not mis- 
 taken ?" was the reply," was not Jesus man, and man only?" 
 "I believe," rejoined the first, "that Jesus was really 
 man, for he had both the body and soul of man ; but he 
 was God as well as man, for he took on himself the form 
 of man. If he had been only man he could not have died 
 for sinners." "Is not that a proof," said another, " that 
 he is not God? If God, why die?" First speaker: "His 
 dying only proves him to be man ; his rising again proves 
 him to be God." "And if," added another, "he was only 
 man, why so much ado about his death? Many have 
 died cruel deaths : Paul was beheaded, and Peter was cruci- 
 fied, but there is not so much said about their deaths.** 
 "Ah, but," rejoined another, "Tuihe died among us, and 
 there was a great ado about his death what he said, and 
 how happy he died." " But stop," cried one, " did the 
 sun hide himself in darkness at Tuihe's death ? Did the 
 rocks rend at Tuihe's death ?" " But did not Jesus eat 
 food while on earth, and will God eat food ?" " I say," 
 was the answer, " he was man as well as God, therefore 
 did he eat food." 
 
 The Offices of the Redeemer. 
 
 Q. 23. WHAT OFFICES DOTH CHRIST EXECUTE AS OUR RE- 
 DEEMER ? 
 
 Christ, as our Redeemer, exeeuteth the offices of 
 a prophet, of a priest, and of a king, both in his 
 estate of humiliation and exaltation. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. Christ is the prophet of his people. John, vi. 14. This 
 is of a truth that prophet that should come into the 
 world, 
 
68 THE OFFICES OF THE* REDEEMER. 
 
 2. Christ is ttie Priest of his people. Psal. ex. 4. Thou 
 art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. 
 
 3. Christ is the King of his people. Matt. xxi. 5. Tell 
 ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto 
 thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of 
 an ass. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 I learn (1.) That Christ, the Anointed of God, redeems 
 us, by acting as a teacher, as an offerer of sacrifice and 
 intercession, and as a ruler and protector, not only during 
 his humble condition while he dwelt amongst men, but 
 also ever since he returned to his high and glorious state 
 in heaven. (2.) I owe him unbounded confidence and 
 love in these relations, of Prophet, Priest, and King. 
 
 What Illustrations are given? 
 
 1. Many years ago, at an assemblage of ministers, 
 the late Dm Mason and Channing were present. The 
 latter was strongly suspected rather more than sus- 
 pected of Unitarian tendencies, and some degree of 
 confident challenging had already taken place. "Dr. 
 C.," said Dr. M. 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 hesi- 
 tation and flush, and the 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. M. ejaculated " What ! eleven years a 
 preacher of the gospel, and not know what to think of 
 Jesus Christ 1" 
 
 CLEMENTINE CUVIER. This lovely, honored, and accom- 
 plished young lady, says, in a letter to a friend, " I want 
 to tell you how happy I am : my heart has at length felt 
 what my mind has long understood. The sacrifice of 
 Christ answers to all the wishes, and meets all the wants of 
 
THE PROPHETICAL OFFICE OF CHRIST. 69 
 
 my soul ; and since I have been enabled to embrace with 
 ardor all its provisions, my heart enjoys a sweet and in- 
 comparable tranquillity. Formerly, I vaguely assured 
 myself that a merciful God would pardon me ; but now I 
 feel that I have obtained that pardon ; that I obtain it 
 every moment ; and I experience inexpressible delight in 
 seeking it at the foot of the cross." 
 
 The Prophetical Office of Christ. 
 Q. 24. How DOTH CHRIST EXECUTE THE OFFICE OF A PROPHET ? 
 
 Christ executeth the office of a prophet, in re- 
 vealing to us, by his word and Spirit, the will of 
 God for our salvation. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. Christ, as the Prophet of his people, makes known to 
 them the will of God. John, xv. 15. All things that I 
 have heard of rny Father, I have made known unto you. 
 
 2. Christ reveals the will of God by his Word. 2 Cor. v. 
 19. God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto him- 
 self, not imputing their trespasses unto them ; and hath 
 committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 
 
 3. Christ reveals the will of God by his Spirit. John, xiv. 
 26. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom 
 the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all 
 things. 
 
 4. The purpose for which Christ reveals to men the will 
 of God is their eternal salvation. John, xx. 31. These are 
 written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, 
 the Son of God ; and that believing ye might have life 
 through his name. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That Christ makes known to me outwardly, 
 by the Holy Scriptures, and inwardly, by the workings 
 of the Holy Spirit, whatever God would have me know, 
 
70 THE PROPHETICAL OFFICE OF CHRIST. 
 
 believe, and do, in order to the religious safety and com- 
 fort of my soul. Therefore (2.) It becomes me to prize 
 more highly the Scriptures of divine truth, and to en- 
 courage and follow the workings of the Holy Spirit in 
 my soul, tending to my salvation and comfort. It be- 
 comes me, also, to confess to Christ my great negligence 
 and disobedience concerning the ways of salvation which 
 he has so kindly made known to me, and so wonderfully 
 urged upon my hearty attention. 
 
 What Illustrations can you relate I 
 
 1. In a letter to Dr. Ryland, the Rev. Samuel Pierce, 
 of Birmingham, thus writes : " I have never felt so 
 deeply my need of a Divine Redeemer, and seldom pos- 
 sessed 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. 9 
 
 2. THE DIVINE ENCYCLOPEDIA. " The Bible is a divine 
 
 t 
 
 encyclopedia in itself. It contains history the most au- 
 thentic and ancient, tracing it back to the first creation 
 of our world ; and prophecy, the most important and in- 
 teresting, 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 dis- 
 tinguished 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 ; 
 models of virtue the most attractive, and maxims of wisdom 
 the most profound ; prayers, the most appropriate in every 
 
CHRIST'S PRIESTLY OFFICE. 71 
 
 variety of spiritual experience, and songs of praise that 
 would not be unworthy an angel's tongue; precepts of 
 unparalleled importance, and parables of unrivalled 
 beauty ; examples of consistent piety, suited to every 
 situation ; and lessons of divine instruction, adapted to 
 every age." White. ^ 
 
 Christ's Priestly Office. 
 Q. 25. How DOTH CHRIST EXECUTE THE OFFICE OF A 
 
 PRIEST ? 
 
 Christ executeth the office of a priest, in his once 
 offering up himself a sacrifice to satisfy divine 
 justice, and reconcile us to God ; and in making 
 continual intercession for us. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. Christ as our Priest offered himself in sacrifice to God. 
 Heb. ix. 26 In the end of the world hath he appeared 
 to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 
 
 2. Christ as our Priest only once offered himself to God. 
 Heb. vii. 27, This he did once, when he offered up him- 
 self. 
 
 3. Christ as our Priest offered himself to satisfy divine 
 justice for our sins. 1 John, ii, 2. He is the propitiation 
 for our sins. 
 
 4. Christ offered up himself to reconcile us to God.Eph. 
 ii. 16. That he might reconcile both unto God in one 
 body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby. 
 
 5. Christ as our Priest makes continual intercession for 
 us. Heb. vii. 25. He ever liveth to make intercession 
 for them. 
 
 What Lesson do you derive from the above Doctrines? 
 
 I learn (1.) That Christ, as my great High Priest, has 
 given himself his human body and soul once to death, 
 as an offering for me, or in my place ; (2.) That he might 
 
72 
 
 pay all that divine justice could claim in the way of pun 
 ishment, or suffering, for my sins ; and (3.) That he might 
 bring me into a state of friendship with God, and hearty 
 devotion to his service. 
 
 As a Priest also, he ever prays for me, that through the 
 merit of his death in my behalf, I may have pardon, holi- 
 ness, and everlasting life, and may be accepted in the 
 worship and service which I render to God, in his name. 
 
 Hence, I learn (2.) To depend exclusively on the death of 
 Christ, as a sufficient sacrifice, and not upon my own re- 
 ligious acts or feelings, for salvation. 
 
 I learn, also, that I need not the intercession of angels, 
 or of any saints in heaven, since that of Christ alone is 
 perfectly sufficient, and alone availing and constant. 
 
 What Illustrations do you offer ? 
 
 1. The sight of Caesar's bloody robe incensed the 
 Romans against them that slew him. So (says Thomas 
 Watson) the sight of Christ's bleeding body should in- 
 cense us against sin. 
 
 2. When Esculus was accused for some act of impiety 
 (says the same author), his brother stood up for him, and 
 showed the magistrates how he had lost his hand in the 
 service of the State, and so obtained his pardon. Thus, 
 when the justice of God lays anything to the charge of 
 saints, Christ shows his own wounds, and by virtue of 
 his blood shed on the cross, he answers all the demands 
 of the violated law. 
 
 3. THE CHILD AND THE QUEKN. The gardener of Eliza- 
 beth (consort of Frederick II.), had one little daughter, 
 with whose religious instruction he had taken great 
 pains. When she was five years old, the Queen met her 
 one day, and was so much pleased with her that a short 
 time after, the artless child, at the Queen's request, was 
 brought to the palace She approached the Queen with 
 
CHRIST'S KINGLY OFFICE. 73 
 
 intaught courtesy, kissed her robe, and modestly took her 
 seat, which had been placed for her, by the Queen's order, 
 near her own person. From this position she could over- 
 look the table at which the Queen was dihing with the 
 ladies of the Court, and they watched with interest to 
 see the effect of so much splendor on the simple child. 
 She looked carelessly on the costly dresses of the guests, 
 the gold and porcelain on the table, and the pomp with 
 which all was conducted, and then folding her hands, she 
 sang, with her clear, childish voice, these words : 
 
 44 Jesus, thy blood and righteousness 
 
 Are all ray ornament and dress ; 
 Fearless, with these pure garments on, 
 I'll view the splendor of thy throne. 
 
 All the assembly were struck with surprise at seeing s<y 
 much feeling, penetration, and piety, in one so young., 
 Tears filled the eyes of the ladies, and the Queen ex 
 claimed: "Ah, happy child! how far are we below 
 
 you !" 
 
 Christ's Kingly Office. 
 Q. 26. How DOTH CHRIST EXECUTE THE OFFICE OF A KING ? 
 
 Christ executeth the office of a king, in subduing 
 us to himself, in ruling and defending us, and in 
 restraining and conquering all his and our enemies. 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. Christ as a King subdues his people to himself. Psal. 
 ex. 3. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy 
 power. 
 
 2. Christ as a King rules his people. Isa. xxxiii. 22. 
 The Lord is our law-giver, the Lord is our King ; he will 
 save us. 
 
 3. Christ as a King defends his people. Psal. Ixxxix. 18. 
 The Lord is our defence ; and tne holy One of Israel is 
 our King. 
 
 7 
 
74 CHRIST'S KINGLY OFFICE. 
 
 4. Christ as a King restrains the enemies of his people. 
 PsaL Ixxvi. 10. The wrath of man shall praise thee ; the 
 remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain. 
 
 6. Christ as a King will at last destroy all his enemies. 
 1 Cor. xv. 25. He must reign, till he hath put all enemies 
 under his feet. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) To submit myself to Christ as my Supreme 
 Ruler, to trust in him as my great Protector and Guardian, 
 and to honor him as such. (2.) To endeavor to bring 
 others to cease from rebelling against his rightful author- 
 ity, and from resisting his gracious endeavors to make 
 them good and to do them good. (3.) That those who 
 continue enemies to Christ must be overthrown, and that 
 his friends have occasion to rejoice in their own safety 
 and permanent happiness. 
 
 What Illustrations have you to give ? 
 
 1. THEODOSIUS THE EMPEROR. Worldly persons often look 
 with a sort of contempt upon Christians for their piety, 
 but without cause, for they are engaged in the service of 
 him who is KING OF KINGS, and thus enjoy a high honor. 
 Theodosius himself said that he regarded it as a greater 
 honor to be a servant of Christ, than to be the head of the 
 Roman empire. 
 
 2. The Rev. Thomas Watson shrewdly asks, "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 hia 
 laws?" 
 
 3. In a missionary speech, an old native convert of 
 Rarotonga, among other things, observed: "I have lived 
 
HIS STATE OF HUMILIATION. 75 
 
 during the reign of four kings. In the first I was but 
 young ; we were continually at war, and a fearful season 
 it was ; watching and hiding with fear were all our en- 
 gagements. During the reign of the second, we were 
 overtaken with a severe famine, and all expected to 
 perish. ******* During the third, 
 we were conquered, and became the prey of two other 
 settlements in the island ; then if a man went to fish he 
 rarely ever returned, or if a woman went any distance to 
 fetch food, she was rarely ever seen again. * * * 
 * * * * But, during the reign of this third king, 
 we were visited by another king a great king a good 
 king a powerful king a king of love Jesus, the Lord 
 from heaven. He has gained the victory he has con- 
 quered our hearts ; we are all his subjects ; therefore we 
 now have peace and plenty in this world, and hope soon 
 to dwell with him in heaven." 
 
 THE STATES IN WHICH THE REDEEMER PERFORMED 
 HIS THREE-FOLD OFFICE. 
 
 His State of Humiliation. 
 Q. 27. WHEREIN DID CHRIST'S HUMILIATION CONSIST? 
 
 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. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. Christ humbled himself by becoming man. Phil, ii 
 6, 7. Who, being in the form of God, thought it not 
 
76 HIS STATE OF HUMILIATION. 
 
 robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no 
 reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and 
 was made in the likeness of men. 
 
 2. Christ, in becoming man, humbled himself by being 
 born a child. Luke, i. 85. That Holy thing which shall 
 be born of thee, shall be called the Son of God. 
 
 3. Christ humbled himself by being born in a low condition. 
 Luke, ii. 7. She brought forth her first-born son, and 
 wrapped him in swaddling-clothes, and laid him in a 
 manger. 
 
 4. Christ humbled himself by submitting to be made under 
 the law. Gal. iv. 4. God sent forth his Son. made of a 
 woman, made under the law. 
 
 5. Christ humbled himself by enduring the miseries of life. 
 Isa. liii, 3. He is despised and rejected of men ; a man 
 of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. 
 
 6. Christ humbled himself by enduring the wrath of God 
 in our stead. Mat. xxvii. 46. Jesus cried with a loud 
 voice, saying, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken 
 me? 
 
 7. Christ humbled himself by submitting to the cursed death 
 of the cross. Phil. ii. 8. He humbled himself and be- 
 came obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 
 
 8. Christ humbled himself by submitting to be buried 
 Luke, xxiii. 53. He took it down, and wrapped it in 
 linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hevrn in stone. 
 
 9. Christ humbled himself by remaining in the grave for a 
 ti m , Mat. xii. 40. As Jonas was three days and three 
 nights in the whale's belly ; so shall the feoii of man be 
 three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) How much I owe to Christ for the amazing 
 love which urged him so to humble himself for us sinners 
 enemies to God, and unworthy of his favor. (2.) How 
 great an evil our sins are, which required such unusual 
 sacrifices from Christ, on our account. (3.) The duty of 
 hating and forsaking all my sins, as this was the result 
 which Christ had in view, when enduring so much degra- 
 dation and suffering from wicked men. and from God as 
 Moral Governor of the world. 
 
HIS STATE OF HUMILIATION. 77 
 
 What Illustrations may be given 1 
 
 1. THE LITTLE SUNDAY-SCHOOL GIRL. 
 
 '* MAMMA," a little maiden said, 
 Almost with her expiring sigh, 
 '- Put no sweet roses round my head, 
 When in my coffin-dress I lie." 
 
 *' Why not, my dear ?" the mother said, 
 " What flower so well a corpse adorns ?" 
 
 " Mamma," the innocent replied, 
 u They crowned our Saviour's head with thorns." 
 
 JAMBS MONTGOMERY 
 
 2. AN INDIAN'S GIFT TO CHRIST. In a portion of t'ne 
 Southern territory, from which the red man has now been 
 driven, at a protracted meeting, held in the wild forest, 
 the subject of " Christ and him Crucified" was illustrated 
 with surpassing beauty and grandeur. The preacher 
 spoke of the good Shepherd, who came into the world to 
 seek and to save the lost. He drew a picture of Geth- 
 semane, and the unbefriended stranger who wept there. 
 He told of the rude bufferings which he met from the 
 heartless soldiers. He pointed to Him as he hung bleed- 
 ing on the cross. The congregation wept. Soon there 
 was a slight movement in the assembly, and a tall son of 
 the forest, with tears on his red cheeks, approached the 
 pulpit and said: "Did Jesus die for me die for poor 
 Indian ? Me have no lands to give to Jesus, the white 
 man take them away: me give him my dog and my 
 rifle." The minister told him Jesus could not accept these 
 gifts. " Me give Jesus my dog, my rifle, and my blanket ; 
 poor Indian, he got no more to give he give Jesus all." 
 The minister replied that Jesus could not accept them. 
 The poor, ignorant, but generous child of the forest, bent 
 his head in sorrow, and meditated. He raised his noble 
 brow once more, and fixed his eye on the preacher, while 
 he sobbed out, " Here is poor Indian, will Jesus have him ?" 
 A thrill of unutterable joy ran through the souls of min- 
 7* 
 
78 OF CHRIST'S STATE OF EXALTATION. 
 
 ister and people, as this fierce son of the wilderness now 
 sat, in his right mind, at the feet of Jesus. The Spirit 
 had done his work, and he who had been so poor, received 
 the earnest of his inheritance. 
 
 3. THE TWO-FOLD NATURE OF CHRIST. At the grave of 
 Lazarus, He weeps like a man ! and then says, " Come 
 forth," like a God I Approaching the barren fig-tree, he 
 hungers, like a man! And then, with a word, withers 
 the fig-tree away, like a God ! During a raging storm on 
 the sea of Tiberias, he lay in the hinder part of the ship, 
 and slept, like a man ! being called upon, he arose, and 
 rebuked the winds and the sea, like a God! Having 
 wrought a stupendous miracle, he goes into a mountain 
 apart, to pray, like a man I and, at the fourth watch of 
 the night, he comes to his disciples, walking upon the 
 water, like a God ! On yonder bloody tree he suffers like 
 a man! then opens the gates of Paradise to the dying 
 thief, like a God! In yonder sepulchre, wrapped in his 
 winding-sheet, the blessed Jesus lies, pale and cold, in 
 death, like a man ! but on the morning of the third day, 
 by his own immortal energies, he burst the bands of death, 
 and rose triumphant, like a God! After his resurrection, 
 meeting with his disciples, he takes a piece of broiled fish, 
 and of an honey comb, and did eat with them, like a man ! 
 and then leads them out to Bethany, and blesses them ; 
 and, as he blesses them, he ascends, in radiant majesty, 
 far above all heavens a God confessed I " God is gone 
 p with a shout !" Rev. D. Baker. 
 
 Of Christ's State of Exaltation. 
 
 -Q. 28. WHEREIN CONSISTETH CHRIST'S EXALTATION? 
 
 Christ's exaltation consisteth in his rising again 
 from the dead on the third day, in ascending up 
 
OF CHRIST'S STATE OF EXALTATION. 79 
 
 into heaven, in sitting at the right hand of God the 
 Father, and in coming to judge the world at the 
 last day. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. Christ was exalted by his rising from the dead. 1 Cor. 
 xv. 4. He rose again the third day, according to the 
 Scriptures. 
 
 2. Christ was exalted by ascending up into heaven. Luke, 
 xxiv. 51. "While he blessed them, he was parted from 
 them, and carried up into heaven. 
 
 3. Christ is exalted by his now sitting at the right hand of 
 God. Col. iii. 1. Seek those things which are above, 
 where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 
 
 4. Christ will be exalted in his coming at last to judge the 
 world. Acts, xvii. 31. 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. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) To rejoice in the highest possible honor 
 which Christ so deservedly receives in heaven. (2.) To 
 place my affections on heavenly things. (3.) To prepare 
 myself with all care (by the grace of God) for the solemn 
 account which I must render, after death, to the Lord 
 Jesus Christ, of all my feelings and conduct in the pres- 
 ent life. (4.) To exalt Christ in my thoughts and affec- 
 tions above all created things. 
 
 What Illustration can you give 
 
 1. CHRIST AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD. 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 favorites next to their own 
 
80 OF THE APPLICATION OF REDEMPTION. 
 
 persons, and set them at their right hand. Solomon 
 caused a seat to be set for the Queen, 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 honor. WATSON. 
 
 2. Says John Newton : " Christ has taken our nature 
 into heaven, to represent us, and has left us on earth, with 
 his nature, to represent Him." 
 
 3. CONTRASTS IN THE CONDITION OF CHRIST. When he 
 was on earth, he lay in a manger ; now he sits on a 
 throne. Then he was hated and scorned of men ; now he 
 is adored of angels. Then his name was reproached ; now 
 " God hath given him a name which is above every name." 
 Then he came in the form of a servant, and as a servant 
 stood with his basin and towel, and washed his disciples' 
 feet ; now he is clad in his princely robes, and the kings 
 of the earth cast their crowns before him. On earth he 
 was the Man of Sorrow ; now he is anointed with the oil 
 of gladness. On earth was his crucifixion ; now, his 
 coronation. Then his Father frowned upon him in deser- 
 tion; now he hath set him at his own right hand. 
 WATSON. 
 
 Of the Application of Redemption. The Agent 
 by whom applied. 
 
 Q. 29. HOW ARE WE MADE PARTAKERS OF THE REDEMPTION 
 PURCHASED BY CHRIST ? 
 
 We are made partakers of the redemption pur- 
 chased by Christ, by the effectual application of it 
 to us by his Holy Spirit. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. Redemption has been purchased for his people by 
 Christ. Hcb. ix. 12. By his own blood, he entered in 
 once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemp- 
 tion for us. 
 
OF THE APPLICATION OF REDEMPTION. 81 
 
 2. Redemption must be applied to believers. John, i. 12. 
 As many as received him, to them gave he power to be- 
 come the sons of God, even to them that believe on his 
 name. 
 
 8. Redemption is effectually applied to believers by the 
 Holy Spirit. Ezek. xxxvi. 27. I will put my Spirit within 
 you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall 
 keep my judgments, and do them. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That Christ has bought redemption (or de- 
 liverance) from sin and suffering, by his blood. (2.) That 
 all men are not sharers in it. (3.) That it is the office of 
 the Holy Spirit to put me in possession of it. (4.) That 
 the labors and sufferings of Christ for the benefit of my 
 soul will be of no avail, unless I allow, and earnestly de- 
 sire and supplicate, the Holy Spirit, to bring me to a 
 proper state of mind and heart, corresponding to the 
 salvation which Christ sought to confer iipon me. (5.) 
 That I should greatly honor, love, and obey, the Holy 
 Spirit; and I learn, moreover, the great sin, and the 
 dangerous consequence, of rejecting his teachings, or of 
 resisting his operations in my soul. 
 
 What Illustrations are given? 
 
 1. Said Bunyan : " In my preaching I could not be 
 satisfied, unless some fruits did appear in my work." " I 
 would think it a greater happiness," saith Matthew Henry, 
 " to gain one soul to Christ, than mountains of silver and 
 gold to myself. If I do not gain souls, I shall enjoy all 
 my other gains with very little satisfaction ; and I would 
 rather beg my bread from door to door than undertake 
 this great work." Doddridge, writing to a friend, re- 
 marked : " I long for the conversion of souls more sen- 
 sibly than for anything besides. Methinks I could not 
 only labor \mt die for it with pleasure." Similar is the 
 
82 HOW REDEMPTION IS APPLIED. 
 
 death-bed testimony of the sainted Brown, of Haddmg- 
 ton : " Now, after near forty years preaching of Christ, I 
 think I would rather beg my bread all the laboring days 
 of the week, for an opportunity of publishing the gospel 
 on the Sabbath, than, without such a privilege, to enjoy 
 the richest possessions on earth. Oh ! labor, labor," said 
 he to his sons, "to win souls to Christ." 
 
 2. The Rev. Pliny Fisk, in his diary, thus writes: 
 " 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 in- 
 crease their strength, in spite of all my efforts, unless the 
 Holy Spirit purify and elevate my affections. I am per- 
 suaded that He can give me humility, repentance, benevo- 
 lence, faith, love, and every grace. Blessed agent in the 
 work of salvation, it is thine to sanctify ; let thy purify- 
 ing influences come into my soul, and make me holy !" 
 
 How Redemption is applied. 
 
 Q. 80. HOW DOTH THE SPIRIT APPLY TO US THE REDEMPTION 
 PURCHASED BY CHRIST ? 
 
 The Spirit applieth to us the redemption pur- 
 chased by Christ, by working faith in us, and 
 thereby uniting us to Christ, in our effectual call- 
 ing. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. Redemption is applied to God's people through faith. 
 Gal. iii. 14. That we might receive the promise of the 
 Spirit through faith. 
 
 2. Faith in the believer is altogether the work of God. 
 Epli. ii. 8. By grace are ye saved, through faith ; and 
 that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. 
 
 3. Believers are united to Christ in one mystical body. 
 1 Cor. xii. 27. Now ye are the body of Christ, and mem- 
 bers in particular. 
 
REDEMPTION IN EFFECTUAL CALLING. 83 
 
 4. The union of Christ and the believer is formed by the 
 operations of faith. Eph. iii. 17. That Christ may dwell 
 in your hearts by faith. 
 
 5. The believer is united to Christ in his effectual calling. 
 1 Cor. i. 9. God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto 
 the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn, That the Holy Spirit secures to me the benefits 
 of Christ's sufferings, when he brings me to an humble 
 and exclusive trust in Christ (which act is called Faith) ; 
 and hence arises a certain spiritual connection between 
 me and Christ, by a process which is termed Effectual 
 Calling. 
 
 What Illustrations may be given ? 
 
 HARLAN PAGE. This active and useful Christian is said 
 to have been habitually impressed with the necessity to 
 every man of being born again. As soon as any person came 
 into his presence, it seemed to be the first question of his 
 mind, " Is this a friend or an enemy of God f ' The next 
 thing was, if impenitent, to do something for his conver- 
 sion ; or, if a Christian, to encourage him in duty. What- 
 ever else he saw in an individual, he felt that it availed 
 him nothing unless he had received Christ into his heart 
 by a living faith. This he felt and urged to be the sinner's 
 first, great, and only duty in which he could be accept- 
 able to God." Memoir, p. 196. 
 
 The Application of Redemption in Effectual Calling. 
 
 Q. 31. WHAT is EFFECTUAL CALLING? 
 
 Effectual calling is the work of God's Spirit, 
 whereby convincing us of our sin and misery, en- 
 lightening our minds in the knowledge of Christ, 
 
84 REDEMPTION IN EFFECTUAL CALLING. 
 
 and renewing our wills, he doth persuade, and en- 
 able us to embrace Jesus Christ, freely offered to 
 us in the gospel. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. Effectual calling, is the work of the Holy Spirit. John, 
 xvi. 14. He shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto 
 you. 
 
 2. In effectual calling, the Spirit convinces of sin. John, 
 xvi. 8. He will reprove (or convince) the world of sin. 
 
 3. In effectual calling, the Spirit convinces of misery. 
 Rom. vii. 10. The commandment which was .ordained to 
 life, I found to be unto death. 
 
 4. In effectual calling, the mind is enlightened in the knowl- 
 edge of Christ. I Pet. ii. 9. Who hath called you out of 
 darkness into his marvellous light. 
 
 5. In effectual calling, our wills are renewed. EzeJc. xxxvi. 
 26. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit 
 will I put within you. 
 
 6. In effectual calling, we are persuaded to embrace Jesus 
 Christ. -John, vi. 44. ISo man can come to me, except 
 the Father which hath sent me draw him. 
 
 7. In effectual calling, we are enabled to embrace Jesus 
 Christ. JEzek. xxxvi. 27. I will put my Spirit within you, 
 and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep 
 my judgments, and do them. 
 
 8. Jesus Christ is freely offered to all men in the gospel. 
 Rev. xxii. 17. Whosoever will, let him take the water of 
 life freely. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That Effectual Calling is the work of God's 
 Spirit ; that it consists in making me feel that I am a 
 sinner, and therefore exposed to great misery ; in giving 
 me a proper acquaintance with Christ ; and in so affect- 
 ing or changing my natural state of mind, that I shall be 
 inclined and enabled to accept, with my whole heart, the 
 offer of salvation, which rests upon what Christ has done 
 and suffered for me. (2.) That if Christ had not been 
 
REDEMPTION IN EFFECTUAL CALLING. 85 
 
 made known to me as a Saviour, adapted to my sinful and 
 perilous condition, I must have continued a sinner, and 
 been lost. (3.) That a work of the Spirit is necessary in 
 my heart, to bring it to a proper state, and to dispose it 
 to accept and obey Christ, in all his offices, in order to 
 salvation. (4.) If I have chosen Christ, and thereby ob- 
 tained pardon, I am indebted to the Holy Spirit, and 
 should be for ever thankful to him, and should honor him 
 as the kind Author of my change of heart and of charac- 
 ter. (5.) If I have not thus chosen Christ, I am guilty 
 of offering ungrateful and wicked resistance to the agency 
 of the Holy Spirit, whose office it is to convince of sin, 
 and to lead to Christ. 
 
 What Illustrations can you relate ? 
 
 1. WILLIAM KELLY. To show the necessity of an entire 
 change of heart, he was accustomed to mention a saying 
 of Bishop Taylor : " If there be a crack in a bell, there is 
 no possible way of repairing it ; it must be cast anew." 
 
 2. Says the REV. THOMAS DOOLITTLE : " When I catechise 
 my children or my servants, I ask them, What is Effect- 
 ual Calling ? and they answer me according to what is 
 written in their book. But now I am retired to catechise 
 myself, must I not be careful to answer according to what 
 is written in my heart ? O, my soul, what a difference 
 is there betwixt answering this question by the words of 
 the book, and from the experience of my own heart." 
 
 3. A person once said, in the presence of DR. NETTLE- 
 TON, that to inculcate upon sinners their dependence on 
 God for a new heart, is suited to discourage effort, and to 
 lead them to sit down, in despair. He replied, " The very 
 reverse of this is true. Suppose a number of men are 
 locked up in a room, playing cards. Some person informs 
 them that the roof of the building is on fire, and that they 
 must make their escape, or they will perish in the flames. 
 
 8 
 
86 BENEFITS OF REDEMPTION IN THIS LIFE. 
 
 Says one of them, * "We need not be in haste, we shall 
 have time tc finish the game/ ' But,' says the person 
 who gave the alarm, * your door is locked.' * No matter 
 for that,' he replies, ' I have the key in my pocket, and 
 can open it at any moment.' ' But I tell you that the 
 key will not open the door.' 'Won't it?' he exclaims, 
 and, rising from the table, flies to the door, and exerts 
 himself to the utmost to open it. So sinners, while they 
 believe there is no difficulty in securing their salvation 
 at any moment, quiet their consciences, and silence their 
 fears. But when they are taught that such is the wicked- 
 ness of their hearts, that they will never repent unless 
 God interposes by his regenerating grace, they are 
 alarmed, and begin to inquire, in deep distress, 'What 
 they shall do to be saved ?' " 
 
 Benefits of Redemption in this Life. 
 Q. 32. WHAT BENEFITS DO THEY THAT ARE EFFECTUALLY 
 
 CALLED, PARTAKE OF IN THIS LIFE ? 
 
 They who 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. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. Believers receive justification. Rom. viii. 30. Whom 
 he called, them he also justified. 
 
 2. Believers are adopted into the family of God. Rom. 
 viii. 15. Ye have received the Spirit of adoption, where- 
 by we cry, Abba Father. 
 
 3. Believers partake of sanctification. Heb. x. 10. By 
 the which will we are sanctified. 
 
 4. All 'necessary blessings in this life are made over to the 
 believer. 1 Cor. iii. 22. All things are yours. 
 
BENEFITS OF REDEMPTION IN THIS LIFE. 87 
 
 What Lesson do you derive from the above Doctrines? 
 
 I learn, The great folly and stupidity of those who neg- 
 lect the invitations and blessings of the Gospel. 
 
 What Illustrations do you offer ? 
 
 1. WHO KNOWS BKST? Said John Newton to a gay 
 friend, " I need not turn Deist to enjoy the best and the 
 most that this life can afford." Newton had a right to say 
 this, and so he believed. He had, as he says, " experi- 
 enced the good and the evil on both sides." He had been 
 a man of pleasure and of impiety, and knew how to esti- 
 mate them. Thus he says to his friend, " If you were to 
 send me an inventory of your pleasures, how charmingly 
 your time runs on, and how dexterously it is divided be- 
 tween the coffee-house, play-house, the card-table, and 
 tavern, with intervals of balls, concerts, &c., I could an- 
 swer, that most of these I have tried, and tried again, and 
 know the utmost they can yield, and have seen enough 
 of the rest most heartily to despise them all. You know 
 all that a life of pleasure can give, and I know it like- 
 wise." So far they were equal. But Is ewton had an- 
 other experience found " in the pardon of his sins com- 
 munion with God, calm reliance on the Divine Provi- 
 dence, the cheering prospect of a better life, with fore- 
 tastes of heaven in his soul." Supposing that such pleas- 
 ures would be despised, he adds ' ' But here lies the dif- 
 ference, my dear friend, you condemn that which you have 
 never tried." An all-sufficient answer this, to every one 
 who questions the superiority of religion. 
 
 2. On her death-bed, a pious English woman, who had 
 for months suffered great bodily pain, observed, respect- 
 ing the state of her soul : " All is sweet peace again- 
 solid peace. / am as certain of heaven as if I were already 
 there. Not that I have merited heaven no : I have no 
 works, no worthiness, 
 
88 OF JUSTIFICATION. 
 
 ' Nothing in my hand I bring. 
 Simply to thy cross I cling.' 
 
 I have lain awake, night after night, examining the foun- 
 dation of my hope, but I cannot find a single flaw. / de- 
 pend entirely upon the sacrifice of Christ, for acceptance with 
 God, and not at all upon my own works. I have not a doubt 
 or a fear.' The fear and sting of death are both taken 
 away ; the fear, because Christ died for sinners ; the 
 sting, because he fulfilled and magnified the law." 
 
 Of Justification. 
 Q. 33. WHAT is JUSTIFICATION ? 
 
 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 righteous- 
 ness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith 
 alone. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. Justification is an act of free and unmerited grace. 
 Rom. iii. 24. Being justified freely by his grace. 
 
 2. All our sins are pardoned in justification. Psal. ciii. 
 3. Who forgiveth all thine iniquities. 
 
 3. The perfect righteousness of Christ is imputed to the 
 believer in Justification. 2 Cor. v. 21. He hath made him 
 to be sin for us, who knew no sin ; that we might be made 
 the righteousness of God in him. 
 
 4. The believer is accepted as righteous by God, only by the 
 imputation of Christ's righteousness. Rom. v. 19. As by 
 one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by 
 the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. 
 
 5. The benefit of Christ's imputed righteousness is received 
 by faith. Rom. iii. 22. The righteousness of God, which 
 is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all, and upon all them that 
 believe. 
 
OF JUSTIFICATION. 89 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) To praise the grace, or undeserved favor of 
 God. (2.) That his favor is to be acquired only through 
 what Christ has done and suffered. (3.) That by trust in 
 Christ, and in him alone, I may escape the punishment 
 due for sins, and may be treated with all the divine kind- 
 ness and love to be expected only by an innocent and holy 
 being. (4.) That without this trust I cannot please God, 
 but must for ever remain under condemnation, and suffer 
 the wrath of God, as expressed in the penalty of the law 
 which is everlasting death. 
 
 In A'ain we seek for peace with God 
 
 By methods of our own. 
 Blest Saviour ! nothing but thy blood 
 
 Can bring us near the throne ! 
 
 What Illustrations are given? 
 
 1. THE OLD MAN IN PARIS. An old man, a seller of black- 
 ing, at his stand in Paris, was often observed to be occu- 
 pied 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 ex- 
 claimed; "I want to know it all at once." After stand- 
 ing 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 had made great advances in the 
 knowledge of divine truth. When he discovered the 
 doctrine of Justification by Faith, he was overwhelmed 
 8* 
 
90 OF JUSTIFICATION. 
 
 with it, and he could not believe that any one had dis- 
 covered it before, or, at least, so clearly as himself. 
 
 2. But few men have been more active, devoted, and 
 useful Christians, than the late HARLAN PAGE, and yet, on 
 his death-bed, when an allusion was 'made to his great 
 usefulness, he replied, " brother Hallock, I am nothing, 
 and have done nothing. I am nothing but a poor 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 cast myself alone 
 on the blood and righteousness of Christ." 
 
 3. When DR. WATTS was almost worn out and broken 
 down by his infirmities, he observed, in conversation with 
 a friend, " I remember an aged minister used to say, that 
 the most learned and knowing Christians, when they come 
 to die, have only the same plain promises of the gospel for 
 their support as the common and unlearned; and so," 
 said he, "I find it. The plain promises of the Gospel are 
 my support; and I bless God they are plain promises, 
 that do not require much labor and pains to understand 
 them ; for I can do nothing now but look into my Bible 
 for some promise to support me, and live upon that." 
 
 4. This was likewise the case with the pious and excel- 
 lent MR. HERVEY. He writes, about two months before 
 his death : " I now spend almost my whole time in read- 
 ing and praying over the Bible." And again, near the 
 same time to another friend : " I am now reduced to a 
 state of infant weakness, and given over by my physician. 
 My grand consolation is to meditate on Christ ; and I am 
 hourly repeating those heart-reviving lines of Dr. Young: 
 
 4 This only this subdues the force of death, 
 And what is this? Survey the wondrous cure 
 And at each strp let higher wonder rise ! 
 1. Pardon for infinite offence ! 3. And pardon 
 Through means that speak its value infinite ! 
 3. A pardon bought with blood ! 4. With blood divine ; 
 
OF ADOPTION. 91 
 
 5. With blood divine of Him I made my foe ! 
 
 6. Persisted to provoke ! 7. Though woo'd and aw'd, 
 Bless'd and chastised, a flagrant rebel still ! 
 
 8. A rebel 'midst the thunders of His throne ! 
 
 9. Nor I alone ! 10. A rebel universe ! 
 
 11. My species up in arms ! 12. Not one exempt ! 
 
 13. Yet for the foulest of the foul He dies ! 
 
 14. Most joy 'd for the redeem'd from deepest gulf! 
 
 15. As if our race were held of highest rank, 
 And Godhead dearer, as more kind to man.' " 
 
 Of Adoption. 
 
 Q. 34. WHAT is ADOPTION ? 
 
 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. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. Adoption is an act of God's free grace. 1 John, iii. 1. 
 Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed 
 upon us, that we should be called the sons of God. 
 
 2. In adoption, the believer is received into the number of 
 God's children. Eph. i. 5. Having predestinated us unto 
 the adoption of children. 
 
 3. In adoption, we receive a right to all the privileges of 
 God's children. Rom. viii. 17. If children, then heirs : 
 heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 I learn (1.) That Adoption is an undeserved kindness, 
 whereby God receives certain persons into his family, 
 who, before, were strangers and in a most wretched con- 
 dition, and had nothing to recommend them to his liber- 
 ality. He treats them thenceforth as his own redeemed 
 and spiritual children, and bestows upon them, as such, 
 the richest blessings, as though they had a jast claim to 
 them. (2.) That by nature I do not belong to God's 
 family, and, in a religious sense, am not a child of God, 
 
92 OF SANCTIFICATION. 
 
 (3.) To ask God to adopt, or put me into his religious 
 family, and to be my Father, and to bless me, as he does 
 his regenerate children. (4.) That it is a great honor and 
 happiness to look up to God, and, without presumption, 
 to be able to address him as my Father in heaven. 
 
 What Illustrations can you relate ? 
 
 1. MOSES was adopted as the son of Pharaoh's daughter, 
 and ESTHER was the adopted child of her uncle Mordecai. 
 Thus God adopts us into the family of heaven, and in 
 adopting us, doth two things : when he makes sons, he 
 doth not only give a new name, but a new nature. He 
 works such a change as if another soul did dwell in the 
 same body. Watson. 
 
 2. MRS. SUSAN HUNTINGTON, upon the loss of her mother, 
 writes : " to be adopted, taken into God's Family to have 
 him exercise over us the endearing, the watchful attention and 
 care of our omniscient and Almighty Parent ! But he prom- 
 ises to be the Father of those only, who, disclaiming all 
 other dependence, fly to him, through Jesus Christ, as 
 their best, their only portion ; who feel the vanity of all 
 human helpers ; who love him with a filial and holy love, 
 and who manifest their attachment by a hatred of sin 
 which he hates, by a pursuit of the holiness which he en- 
 joins, by a life of universal obedience to his law." 
 
 3. Says JOHN NEWTON : "I feel like a man who has no 
 money in his pocket, but is allowed to draw, for all his 
 wants, upon one infinitely rich ; I am, therefore, at once 
 a beggar and a rich man." 
 
 Sanctification. 
 
 Q. 35. WHAT is SANCTIFICATION ? 
 
 Sanctification is the work of God's free grace, 
 
OF SANCTIFICATION. 98 
 
 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. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer? 
 
 1. Sanctification is the work of God Phil. ii. 13. For 
 it is God which worketh in you, both to will and to do 
 of his good pleasure. 
 
 2. Sanctification is a work carried on by degrees. 2. Cor. 
 iii. 18. But we all, with open face, beholding as in a 
 glass, the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same 
 image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the 
 Lord. 
 
 3. Sanctification is a work of free undeserved mercy. Tit. 
 iii. 4, 5. But after that the kindness and love of God our 
 Saviour toward man appeared, 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. 
 
 4. In Sanctification there is a renewing of the sinner's mind. 
 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. 
 
 5. In Sanctification, the renewal, though gradual, is com- 
 plete. 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. 
 
 6. In Sanctification, the sinner is renewed after the image, 
 or likeness of God. Eph. iv. 24. And that ye put on the 
 new man, which after God is created in righteousness and 
 true holiness. 
 
 7. In the progress of Sanctification the sinner is enabled to 
 die unto sin. 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. 
 
 8. In the progress of Sanctification the sinner is enabled 
 to live unto righteousness. Rom. vi. 22. But now being 
 made free from sin, and became servants to God, ye have 
 your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. 
 
94 OI SANCTIFICATION. 
 
 9. Dying to sin, and living to righteousness, is a constant 
 and daily work. 2 Cor. iv. 16. For which cause we faint 
 not ; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward 
 man is renewed day by day. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That I must labor constantly after a higher 
 degree of obedience to God, from day to day. (2.) That 
 the work of self-control and self-improvemenjt must be 
 carried on, as long as I live. (3.) That I must conduct it 
 with an humble and full reliance upon the Holy Spirit, 
 to accomplish it in my soul. (4.) That I am not left alone 
 in working out my salvation, but am encouraged to make 
 vigorous efforts to overcome my sinful desires and habits, 
 because the Almighty Spirit of God is ready, on account 
 of Christ, to help me, and to make me successful in 
 those efforts. (5.) It would save much useless debate, if 
 the distinction which Dr. Kevins makes between conver- 
 sion and sanctification were observed : that the former is 
 instantaneous, while the latter is progressive ; in other 
 words, that religion is progressive, but the first step in 
 that progression is instantaneous. 
 
 What Illustrations are furnished? 
 
 1. DYING WORDS OF WILBKRFORCE RICHMOND. " Come, 
 and sit near me ; let me lean on you," said young Wilber- 
 force to his sister, a few minutes before his death. After- 
 ward, putting his arms around her, he said, " God bless 
 you, my dear." He became agitated somewhat, and then 
 ceased speaking. Presently, however, he said, " I must 
 leave you ; we shall walk no further through this world 
 together ; but I hope we shall meet in heaven. Let us 
 
 talk of heaven. Do not weep for me, dear F , do not 
 
 weep ; for I am very happy ; but think of me, and let the 
 thought make you press forward. I never knew happi- 
 
OF SANCTIFICATION. 95 
 
 ness till I found Christ as a Saviour. Read the Bible 
 read the Bible I Let no religious book take its place. 
 Books about religion may be useful enough, but they will 
 not do instead of the simple truth of the Bible." He 
 afterwards spoke of the regret of parting with his friends. 
 " Nothing," said he, " convinces me more of the reality of 
 the change within me, than the feelings with which I can 
 contemplate a separation from my family. I now feel so 
 weaned from earth, my affections so much in heaven, that 
 I can leave you all without a regret ; yet I do not love 
 you less, but God more." 
 
 2. JOHN NEWTON'S CONFESSION. John Newton, in his old 
 age, when his sight had become so dim as to be unable to 
 read, hearing this Scripture repeated, " By the grace of 
 God I am what I am," paused for some moments, and then 
 offered this affecting soliloquy: " I am not what I ought 
 to be. Ah ! how imperfect and deficient ! I am not what 
 I wish to be. I abhor that which is evil, and I would 
 cleave to that which is good. I am not what I hope to be. 
 Soon, soon, shall I put off mortality, and with mortality 
 all sin and imperfection. Though I am not what I ought 
 to be, what I wish to be, and what I hope to be, yet I can 
 truly say, I am not what I once was, a slave to sin and 
 Satan; I can heartily join with the apostle, and acknowl- 
 edge, ' By the grace of God lam what I am.' " 
 
 3. MRS HANNAH MORE, on a bed of sickness, when con- 
 versing about the joys of heaven, remarked: "The meet- 
 ing with dear friends will, I should think, constitute a part 
 of our felicity, but a very subordinate one. Like White 
 field, I think, we shall be apt to say, ' Stand back, and 
 keep me not from the sight of my Saviour.' Important 
 as doctrines are," she observed, " yet except the leading 
 ones, for which we ought to be ready to be led to the 
 stake, they yield much with me to the purifying of the 
 hidden man of the heart. Conformity to God, and walking 
 
96 BENEFITS OF REDEMPTION IN THIS LIFE. 
 
 in his steps, spiritual-mindedness, and subduing of the old 
 Adam within us, here is the grand difficulty, and the ac- 
 ceptable offering to God !" 
 
 4. THREE WONDERS IN HEAVEN. " If I ever reach 
 heaven," said the eminently pious DR. WATTS, " I expect 
 to find three wonders there. (1.) To meet some I had 
 not thought to see there. (2 ) To miss some whom I ex- 
 pected to meet there; but (3.) The greatest wonder of 
 all will be to find myself there." If such were the views 
 and feelings of such a man as Dr. Watts, who lived so 
 near the verge of heaven, and breathed its holy atmos- 
 phere, even on earth, so as to be able to say with the most 
 cheerful confidence, "I bless God I lie down at night un- 
 solicitous whether I awake in this world, or another," 
 how much greater will be the wonder, in the case of many 
 careless and almost prayeiiess Christians, to find them- 
 selves in heaven at last ? N. Y. Evang. 
 
 5. An old divine well said : " Let us die to sin that lives 
 in us; and live to Christ who died for us." 
 
 Benefits of Redemption in this life. 
 Q. 36. WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS WHICH, IN THIS LIFE, DO 
 
 ACCOMPANY OR FLOW FROM JUSTIFICATION, ADOPTION AND 
 8ANCTIFICATION ? 
 
 The benefits which, in this life, do accompany or 
 flow from justification, adoption, and sanctification, 
 are, assurance of God's love, peace cf conscience, 
 joy in the Holy Ghost, increase of grace, and per- 
 severance therein to the end. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. The believer has the assurance of God's love. Rom. 
 v. 5. The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the 
 Holy Ghost which is given unto us, 
 
BENEFITS OF REDEMPTION IN THIS LIFE 97 
 
 2. The believer enjoys peace of conscience. Rom. v. 1. 
 Being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through 
 our Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 3. The believer possesses joy in the Holy Ghost. I Pet. i. 
 8. In whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, 
 ye rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of glory. 
 
 4. The believer increases in grace. Prov. iv. 18. The 
 path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more 
 and more unto the perfect day. 
 
 6. The believer is enabled to persevere in grace. Jer. 
 xxxii. 40. I will put my fear in their hearts, that they 
 shall not depart from me. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn the several advantages enjoyed by the true 
 Christian in the present life. (1.) He is thereby made 
 sure of the special love of God to himself. (2.) He is no 
 longer troubled with a condemning conscience, or with 
 the fears of God's future displeasure. (3.) The Holy 
 Spirit communicates great joy in view of his new relations 
 to God to his law and gospel. (4.) Through the influ- 
 ence of the Spirit he becomes more and more averse to 
 sin, and more strongly inclined to perform every good and 
 pious act ; he seeks to become more useful to the cause of 
 Christ, and to do more good to his suffering and wicked 
 fellow-men. (5.) He is secured from falling back into a 
 careless, worldly, and sinful course of life; he is made 
 sure of, heaven. (6.) To use all the care, diligence, and 
 effort which may be required to secure those blessings for 
 myself, in all their fulness and variety. (7.) That every 
 Christian should, in this life, be growing better and happier 
 every day. 
 
 What Illustrations can you give ? 
 
 1. An eminently pious man thus writes of himself: 
 " When I shall be on my dying bed, what joy will it be 
 
 
98 BENEFITS OF REDEMPTION IN THIS LIFE. 
 
 to think I am going to see my Father. I am going home 
 to my Father's house ; within a day or two I shall be 
 with my Father." 
 
 2. The REV. SAMUEL PIERCE, towards the close of his last> 
 and very painful sickness, writes to Dr. Ryland : " Now 
 I see the value of the religion of the cross. It is a religion 
 for a dying sinner* It is all that the most guilty the most 
 wretched, can desire. Yes, I taste its sweetness and en- 
 joy its fulness with all the gloom of a dying bed before 
 me. * * * * * I was delighted the 
 other day, in re-perusing the * Pilgrim's Progress,' to ob- 
 serve that, when Christian came to the top of hill Difficulty, 
 he was put to sleep in a chamber called 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, but, notwith- 
 standing, 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." 
 
 3. DR. NETTIETON once fell in company with two men who 
 were disputing on the Doctrine of the Saints' Persever- 
 ance. As he came into their presence, one of them said, 
 " I believe this doctrine has been the means of filling hell 
 with Christians." "Sir," said Dr. N., "do you believe 
 that God knows all things ?" " Certainly I do," said he. 
 "How then do you interpret this text 'I never knew 
 you ?' " said Dr. N. After reflecting a moment, he re- 
 plied, " The meaning must be, I never knew you as Chris- 
 tians." " Is that the meaning ?" said Dr. N. " Yes, it 
 must be," he replied, " for certainly God knows all things.* 
 " Well," said Dr. N., " 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 
 
BENEFITS OF REDEMPTION AT DEATH. 99 
 
 eaten,' <fcc. Now, when Saul, and Judas, and Hymeneus, 
 and Philetus, and Demas, and all who, you suppose, are 
 fallen from grace, shall say to Christ, Lord, Lord, 
 he shall say to them, I never knew you I NEVER knew 
 you as Christians. Where, then, are the Christians that 
 are going to hell ?" 
 
 Benefits of Redemption at Death. 
 Q. 37. WHAT BENEFITS DO BELIEVERS RECEIVE FROM CHRIST 
 
 AT DEATH ? 
 
 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. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. The souls of believers are at death made perfect in holi- 
 ness. Heb. xii. 23. To the spirits of just men made per- 
 fect. 
 
 2. After death, the souls of believers pass immediately 
 into glory. Luke, xxiii. 43. Jesus saith unto him, Verily 
 I say unto thee, To-day shalt thou be with me in Para- 
 dise. 
 
 3. The bodies of believers, while in their graves, remain 
 united to Christ 1 Thess. iv. 14. Them ilso which sleep 
 in Jesus will God bring with him. 
 
 4. The bodies of believers do rest in their graves. Isa. 
 Ivii. 2. They shall rest in their beds, each one walking in 
 his uprightness. 
 
 5. The bodies of believers shall be raised from their graves 
 at the last day. 1 Thess. iv. 16. The dead in Christ shall 
 ris first. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 I learn (1.) That at death the souls of those who have 
 
100 BENEFITS OF REDEMPTION AT DEATH 
 
 truly believed in Christ are entirely set free from all sin- 
 ful desires and tendencies ; they are restored altogether 
 to the moral likeness of God ; they pass at once into a 
 glorious state of existence a state of holiness of larger 
 capacities of enjoyment a state of high dignity, excel- 
 lence, blessedness, and permanency. In the meantime, 
 their bodies, laid in the grave, are so related to Christ, and 
 so regarded as members of his own body (1 Cor. vi. 15), 
 that he will guard them until the day of resurrection ; 
 their resurrection shall be provided for. (2.) That true 
 Christians have no reason for regret, on their own account, 
 when death comes. (3.) When our Christian friends are 
 taken from us, there is ground for rich consolation. (4.) 
 That my daily prayer should be, " Let my death be that 
 of the righteous ; let my last end be his; let me die 'in 
 the Lord,' and not be driven away, with the wicked, in 
 his wickedness." (5.) That I owe everlasting gratitude 
 to God, for the provisions of his grace for encountering 
 death, and for the grand event of the promised resurrec- 
 tion. (6.) That those are in error who have fancied 
 either that the Christian's soul, at death, goes to any 
 place inferior to heaven, or that it is in an unconscious 
 state till the resurrection. 
 
 What Illustrations can you give ? 
 
 1. " What a satisfying thought it is," writes the late 
 Rev. SAMUEL PIERCE, "that God appoints those means of 
 dissolution, whereby he gets most glory to himself. Of 
 all the ways of dying, that which I most dreaded was by a 
 consumption ; but, oh ! my dear Lord, if by this death I 
 can most glorify thee, I prefer it to all others, and thank 
 thee that by this means thou art hastening my further en- 
 joyment of Thee in a purer world. A sinless state ! 
 1 Oh, 'tis a heaven worth dying for !' I cannot realize 
 anything about heaven, but the presence of Christ, and 
 
BENEFITS OF REDEMPTION AT DEATH. 101 
 
 his people, and a perfect deliverance from sin ; and I want 
 no more, I am sick of sinning, soon I shall be beyond 
 its power. 
 
 ' O joyful hour ! O blest abode 
 I shall be near and like my God !' " 
 
 2. "When HARLAN PAGE was near death, he said to a 
 clergyman who came in to see him: "Do look out some 
 hymns that express a great de&l jo f hieriVn , Manj #t jhe 
 hymns seem tame. They are 1 pretty poetry, but do not 
 present the joys of redemption- and the>g]ovj; -cf jQl^rist. t 
 When I have a clear view* -of Chri^, jrfyj iect^^ani^'adj 
 I can trust myself wholly in his hands." 
 
 3. A few days before the REV. DR. PAYSON closed his 
 earthly career, he dictated a remarkable letter to a sister, 
 in which he says : " Were I to adopt the figurative lan- 
 guage of Bunyan, I might date this letter from the land 
 of Beulah, of which I have been for some weeks a happy 
 inhabitant. The celestial city is full in my view. Its 
 glories beam upon me, its breezes fan me, its odors are 
 wafted to me, its sounds strike upon my ears, and its 
 spirit is breathed into my heart. Nothing separates me 
 from it but the river of death, which now appears but as 
 an insignificant rill, that may be crossed at a single step, 
 whenever God shall give permission. The Sun of Right- 
 eousness has been gradually drawing nearer and nearer, ap- 
 pearing larger and brighter as he approaches, and now he 
 fills the whole hemisphere, pouring forth a flood of glory, 
 in which I seem to float like an insect in the beams of the 
 sun, exulting, yet almost trembling, while I gaze on this 
 excessive brightness, and wondering, with unutterable 
 wonder, why God should deign thus to shine upon a sin- 
 ful worm. A single heart and a single tongue seem alto- 
 gether inadequate to my wants ; I want a whole heart 
 for every separate emotion, and a whole tongue to ex- 
 press that emotion." 
 
 Q* 
 
102 . BENEFITS OF REDEMPTION. 
 
 Benefits of Redemption at the Resurrection. 
 Q. 38. WHAT BENEFITS DO BELIEVERS RECEIVE FROM CHRIST 
 
 AT THE RESURRECTION ? 
 
 At the resurrection, believers being raised up in 
 glory, shall be openly acknowledged and acquitted 
 in the day of judgment, and made perfectly blessed, 
 in the full snj.oy lug of God to all eternity. 
 
 " ! V- tffyti ^rVtfes are -embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. Believers shall, at the last day, be raised up^ in glory. 
 1 Cor. xv. 43. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in 
 glory. 
 
 2. Believers shall be openly acknowledged by Christ at the 
 day of judgment. Luke, xii. 8. Whosoever shall confess 
 me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess be- 
 fore the angels of God. 
 
 3. Believers shall be acquitted by Christ in the judgment. 
 1 Pet. i. 7. That the trial of your faith, being much 
 more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be 
 tried with fire, might be found unto praise, and honor, 
 and glory, at the appearing of Jesus Christ. 
 
 4. Believers shall be made perfectly blessed in the enjoy- 
 ment of God. 1 Cor. ii. 9. Eye hath not seen, nor ear 
 heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the 
 things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 
 
 5. Believers shall enjoy God through all eternity. 1 Thess. 
 iv. 17. So shall we ever be with the Lord. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn, that at the Day of Resurrection true Christians 
 are greatly favored in these respects. (1.) Their bodies 
 are brought up from the grave in a form and structure 
 of great beauty, and splendor, and incorruptibleness, 
 like unto Christ's honored body (Phil. iii. 21.) (2.) In 
 the subsequent day, when God shall decide upon the ever- 
 lasting states of men, true Christians shall be discharged 
 
BENEFITS OF REDEMPTION 103 
 
 from all the consequences of sin, and, before the whole 
 world, shall be owned by God, and received as his chil- 
 dren ; they shall be introduced into a state of endless 
 honor and happiness, with Christ and his holy angels ; 
 they shall there be blessed in an everlasting freedom from 
 sin and suffering; in the noblest exercise of all those 
 affections 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 pre- 
 pare myself for the judgment, by trusting in Christ now, 
 and by serving him in all fidelity and cheerfulness. (6.) 
 At the hour of death, to commit my soul and body to hia 
 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. 
 
 '' And a trump shall be blown, and the dead shall awake 
 From their long silent sleep that no morning could break ; 
 From their long silent sleep of a million of years 
 The righteous with hope, and the wicked with fears. 
 " And their Judge shall descend on his chariot the cloud ; 
 And the awe shall be deep, and the wail shall be loud ; 
 And the race of mankind shall with justice be given 
 To the terrors of hell, or the glories of heaven." KNOX. 
 
 What Illustrations are given? 
 
 1. A WORD FITLY SPOKEN. A man of desperate opinions, 
 travelling in a stage coach, who had indulged in a strain 
 which betrayed licentiousness and infidelity, seemed hurt 
 that no one either agreed or disputed with him. " Well," 
 he exclaimed as a funeral procession slowly passed the 
 coach, " there is the end of alL" " No 1" replied the voico 
 
104 BENEFITS OF REDEMPTION. 
 
 of a person directly opposite to him, " no I for after deajb 
 is the judgment." The words produced a good end at the 
 time, for they silenced the speaker ; and perhaps they 
 were, by God's grace, ingrafted in his heart. 
 
 2. LORD HENRY OTHO, a follower of John Huss, having 
 received sentence of condemnation from his Popish judges, 
 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 akin ; 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 forever." As he was going to the scaffold, he 
 said to the minister, " I am sure that Christ Jesus will 
 meet my soul with his angels - T 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," and so he received the stroke of the sword. 
 
 3. Rev. CHARLES SIMEON says: "I was waiting in 
 Horsley-Down church yard for a corpse which I was en- 
 gaged to bury, and for my amusement was reading the 
 epitaphs upon the tomb-stones. Having read very many 
 which would have been as suitable for Jews or heathens, 
 as for the persons concerning whom they were written 
 I at last came to one that characterized a Christian : 
 
 *When from the dust of death I rise, 
 To claim my mansion in the skies, 
 Even then shall this be all my plea : 
 1 Jesus hath lived and died for me.' " 
 
 4. THE RESURRECTION. A FREE-THINKER once said to R. 
 Gahita, "Ye fools who believe in a resurrection! See 
 you not that the Uving die ? How then can ye believe 
 that the dead shall live ?" " Silly man," replied Gahita, 
 " thou believest in creation. Well, then, if what never 
 before existed now exists,, why may not that which once 
 existed exist again f ' 
 
PART II, 
 
 THE DUTY WHICH GOD REQUIRES OF MAN. 
 
 Nature of Man's Duty in general. 
 
 Q. 89. WHAT is THE DUTY WHICH GOD EEQUIRES OF MAN \ 
 The duty which God requireth of man, is obedi- 
 ence to his revealed will. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. There are certain duties required by God from man. 
 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. 
 
 2. The sum of man's duty to God is obedience. 1 Sam. 
 xv. 22. Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to 
 hearken than the fat of rams. 
 
 3. The extent of the obedience required by God is a uni- 
 versal obedience. James, ii. 10. Whosoever shall keep the 
 whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of 
 all. 
 
 4. The quality of obedience required from man is a perfect 
 and perpetual obedience. Mat. xxii. 37. Thou shalt love 
 the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy 
 soul, and with all thy mind. 
 
 5. The only rule of man's obedience is the revealed will of 
 God. Micah, vi. 8. He hath showed 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. 
 
106 NATURE OF MA*S DUTY IN GENERAL. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That I am not at liberty to do what I may 
 feel inclined to do, irrespective of what God requires or 
 forbids. (2.) I owe him a fearful debt (of penal suffering) 
 for having done so much that He has forbidden, and neg- 
 lected so much that he has enjoined. (3.) That I should 
 earnestly study the Scriptures, with a view to act as they 
 inculcate, both in the way of obedience to precept and of 
 obtaining deliverance from the punishment which my 
 past disobedience has merited. 
 
 What Illustrations do you give ? 
 
 1. THE NEWGATE PRISONER. Dr. F., the chaplain of New- 
 gate, relates the incident, that when a reprieve arrived 
 for one under sentence of death, he returned a Bible and 
 Prayer-book, which the doctor had given him, with his 
 thanks, observing that he had no further need of them now / 
 So much is it beyond the power or disposition of un- 
 assisted nature to attend any longer to the requisitions 
 of God than while the terrors of the law and the dread 
 of wrath are impending ; and so little is this state of 
 feeling worth, if that be all. 
 
 2. THE BURMAN CONVERT. As Mrs. Judson, one day, was 
 reading with him Christ's Sermon on the Mount, he was 
 deeply impressed, and unusually solemn. " These words," 
 said he, " take hold of my very heart ; they make me 
 tremble. Here God commands us to do everything that 
 is good in secret, not to be seen of men. How unlike our 
 religion is this 1 When Burmans make offerings to the 
 Pagodas, they make a great noise with drums and musi- 
 cal instruments, that others may see how good they are. 
 But this religion makes the mind fear God; it makes it, 
 of its own accord, fear sin." 
 
 3. DUTIES. Mr. Dyer has well observed: "Take up al* 
 
OF THE MORAL LAW, 107 
 
 Duties in point of performance, and lay them down in 
 point of dependence. Duty can never hare too much of 
 our diligence, nor too little of our confidence." 
 
 Of the Moral Law. 
 Q. 40. WHAT DID GOD AT FIRST REVEAL TO MAN FOR THE 
 
 RULE OF HIS OBEDIENCE? 
 
 The rule which God at first revealed to man for 
 his obedience, was the moral law. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. There was a fast rule of obedience given to man in the 
 constitution of his nature. Rom. ii, 15. Which show the 
 work of the law written in their hearts. 
 
 2. There was a second rule of obedience given by God to his 
 church in the ceremonial law. Gal. iii. 19, Wherefore 
 then serve th the law ? It was added because of trans- 
 gressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise 
 was made. 
 
 3. 27i<? second, or ceremonial law, was but temporary and 
 instituted for a special purpose. GaL iii. 24. The law was 
 our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ. 
 
 4. The second, or ceremonial law t is now set aside. Heb. 
 vii. 18. There is verily a disannuling of the command- 
 ment going before, for the weakness and unprofitableness 
 thereof. 
 
 5. The first rule of obedience given to man in the consti- 
 tution of his nature, was the moral law. Gen. i. 27. God 
 created man in his own image. 
 
 6. The moral law is universal and unchangeable. Mat. 
 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. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines 1 
 
 I learn (1.) That I am bound to act at all times accord- 
 ing to the moral rule which God has laid down. (2.) This 
 implies that I am a moral and accountable being. 
 
108 OF THE SUMMARY OF THE MORAL LAW. 
 
 What Illustrations can you give ? 
 
 1. A TENDER CONSCIENCE. Some men's consciences are 
 like the stomach of the ostrich, that digests iron ; they 
 can swallow and concoct the most notorious sins (swear- 
 ing, drunkenness, <fec.) without regret. Bnt a good con- 
 science is the most tender thing in the whole world ; it 
 feels the touch of known sin, and grieves at the grieving 
 of God's good Spirit. Gibbon. 
 
 2. A GOOD SORT OF COWARDICE. To be such a coward 
 as not to dare to break any one of God's commandments, 
 is to be the most valiant person in the world ; for such 
 an one will choose the greatest evil of suffering before the 
 least of sinning ; and, however the jeering Ishrnaels of 
 the world may be ready to reproach and to laugh one to 
 scorn for " this niceness and scrupulosity," as they term 
 it, yet the choice is a very wise one. Gibbon. 
 
 3. BE JUST. While Athens was governed by the thirty 
 tyrants, Socrates was summoned to the Senate House, and 
 ordered to go, with some other persons, whom they 
 named, to seize one Leon, a man of rank and fortune, 
 whom they determined to put out of the way, that they 
 might enjoy his estate. This commission Socrates posi- 
 tively refused. " I will not, willingly," said he, "assist 
 in an unjust act." Chericles sharply replied, " Dost thon 
 think, Socrates, to talk in this high tone, and not to 
 suffer." "Far from it," he replied, "I expect to suffer a 
 thousand ills, but none so great as to do unjustly." A 
 noble sentiment for those whose minds were only enlight- 
 ened by philosophy and natural religion. Christian 
 Treasury. 
 
 Of the Summary of the Moral Law. 
 
 Q. 41. WHEREIN is THE MORAL LAW SUMMARILY COMPRE- 
 HENDED ? 
 
OF THE SUMMARY OF THE MORAL LAW. 109 
 
 The moral law is summarily comprehended in 
 the ten commandments. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. The moral law is fully contained in the Scriptures. 2 
 Tim. iii. 16, 17. All Scripture is given by inspiration of 
 God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for cor- 
 rection, for instruction in righteousness; that the man 
 of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all 
 good works. 
 
 2. There are summaries of the moral law. Rom. xiii. 3. 
 If there be any other commandment, it is briefly compre- 
 hended in this saying, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as 
 thyself. 
 
 3. The sum of the moral law is contained in tfie ten com- 
 mandments. Deut. x. 4. He wrote on the tables, accord- 
 to the first writing, the ten commandments, which the 
 Lord spake unto you in the mount. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 I learn (1.) To admire the wisdom of God that has em- 
 bodied in so few words all the duties which we owe to 
 God and to man. (2.) That it cannot be difficult to find 
 out what God would have me to do. (3.) That ignorance 
 of the law will form no just excuse for sinning against 
 God. (4.) That the glorious majesty of God, who gave 
 the Ten Commandments, is a reason for earnest and con- 
 stant care to comply with his demands. 
 
 What Illustrations can you relate ? 
 
 1. JONATHAN EDWARDS, when about twenty years of age, 
 drew up seventy resolutions, setting forth his intentions 
 and purposes relating to his future conduct, so far as God 
 should give him grace to perform them. Among the rest 
 are the following : " Resolved to do whatever I. think to 
 be my duty, and most for the good and advantage of man- 
 kind in general. Resolved so to do, whatever difficulties ., 
 T meet with, how many soever, and how g|:eat soever,. 
 10 
 
110 SUM OP THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 
 
 2. ROWLAND HILL AND THE ANTINOMIAN. An AntinomLin 
 one day called on Rowland Hill, to bring him to an ac- 
 count for preaching what he regarded as a severe and 
 legal gospel. " Do you, sir," asked Rowland, " hold the 
 ten commandments to be a rule of life to Christians ? ' 
 "Certainly not," replied the visitor. The minister rang 
 the bell, and, on the servant making his appearance, he 
 quietly added, " 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." 
 
 Sum of the Ten Commandments. 
 Q. 42. WHAT is THE SUM OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS ? 
 
 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 neighbor as ourselves. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in thr* Answer ? 
 
 1. The sum of the moral law and the ten commandments 
 are comprehended in two commandments. Mat. xxii. 40. 
 On these two commandments hang all the law and the 
 prophets. 
 
 2. Love to God is the first and principal subject of the ten 
 commandments. Mat. xxii. 37, 38. Thou shalt love the 
 Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, 
 and with all thy mind. This is the first and great com- 
 mandment. 
 
 3. Our duty to our neighbor, is the second subject of the 
 ten commandments. Mat. xxii. 39. The second is like 
 unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 I learn (1.) That my whole duty is embraced in the 
 proper exercise of love. (2 ) That God, being possessed 
 
SUM OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. Ill 
 
 of infinite excellence and the chief source of all good, de- 
 serves, and must have, all the love I am capable of feel- 
 ing; I cannot love God too much. (3.) That I may love 
 myself and promote my own interest. (4.) That in so 
 doing, I am to regard the commands and will of God. (5.) 
 That the law of God requires me to feel an interest in 
 the welfare of my neighbor, as well as in my own : and 
 this is obviously right ; for, like myself, he is an intelli- 
 gent and immortal being ; his happiness is of equal value 
 with my own ; his rights are worth as much to him, as 
 mine to me ; in the dispensation of providence I should 
 therefore be as willing that God should consult my 
 neighbor's rights and happiness, as that he should con- 
 sult mine, and I should rejoice in all the real good of my 
 neighbor, as in my own. (6.) I am bound to love all 
 men, in this sense, and to promote their happiness, 
 whether they are good or bad, rich or poor, friend or 
 enemy ; all to whom I can make myself useful. 
 
 What Illustrations follow ? 
 
 1. DR. RICHARDS. The late Rev. Dr. Richards, of 
 Auburn, cherished the most abasing views of his own 
 character. He was once asked, " Do you suppose that 
 you have ever, for a moment, loved God as much as you 
 ought r and his immediate answer was, "No, NOT A 
 THOUSANDTH PART ;" and burst into tears. Gridlei/s Me- 
 moir. 
 
 2. THE BOY THAT DID GOOD. There once lived a boy 
 in Chester, named William Tyrrel. He was a rosy- 
 cheeked, stout, brave, little fellow, and a great favorite 
 with all the neighbors. At school, no one was oftener at 
 the head of his class, and no one brought home more 
 tickets. One night, as the family were all sitting round 
 a bright sparkling fire, Mr. Tyrrel said, " Children, what 
 makes you most happy ?" Some answered one thing, and 
 
112 SUM OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 
 
 some another, but William looked up and said : " Father, 
 I think I am happiest when I can make otiier people 
 happy." " Right, right, my son," said Mr. Tyrrel, " stick 
 to that all your life, and you will be a happy man. Re- 
 member the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, ' It is 
 more blessed to give than to receive.' " 
 
 3. THE LITTLE GIRL THAT EVERYBODY LOVED. Dr. Dodd- 
 ridge one day asked his little girl why it was that every- 
 body loved her. " I know not," she replied, "except that 
 I love everybody." This is the true secret of being loved. 
 
 " He that hath (or would have) friends," saith Solomon, 
 " must show himself friendly." Love begets love. If no- 
 body loves you, it is your own fault. 
 
 4. THE MORAVIAN COTTAGER, During a war in Germany, 
 a captain of cavalry was ordered out on a party for 
 getting provisions. He marched, with his party, into a 
 solitary and wooded valley. In the middle of it stood a 
 little cottage ; on perceiving it, he rode up and knocked 
 at the door. Out comes an ancient Hernhutter, with i\ 
 beard silvered by age. "Father," says the officer, "show 
 me a field where I can set my troopers to work to get 
 grain." " Presently," replied the Hernhutter. The good 
 old man walked before, and conducted them out of the 
 valley. After a quarter of an hour's march they found a 
 field of barley. "There is the very thing that we want," 
 says the captain. " Have patience for a few minutes," re- 
 plied the guide, " and you shall be satisfied." They went 
 on, and about the distance of a quarter of a league fur- 
 ther, they arrived at another field of barley. The troop 
 immediately dismounted, cut down the grain, trussed it 
 up, and re-mounted. The officer, upon this, says to his 
 conductor, " Father, you have given yourself and us un- 
 necessary trouble ; the first field was much better than 
 this." " Very true, sir," replied the good old man, "BUT 
 IT WAS NOT MINE." Here we have a beautiful practical 
 
PREFACE TO THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 113 
 
 exhibition of love to our neighbor, and of calm resignation 
 to the providential dispensations of God. How few pro- 
 fessed Christians have been found acting in this manner ! 
 And yet, I doubt not, that this good man would experi- 
 ence more true satisfaction in the temper and conduct he 
 displayed, than if he had either offered resistance, prac- 
 tised dissimulation, or set the troop to plunder his neigh- 
 bor's field. Dick's Philosophy of Religion. 
 
 5. Love thy Netjhbor as Thyself. The Rev. John Howe, 
 one of the chaplains of Cromwell, was applied to by men 
 of all parties, for protection, nor did he refuse his influ- 
 ence to any on account. of difference in religious opinions. 
 One day the Protector said to him: "Mr. Howe, you 
 have asked favors for every one besides yourself; pray, 
 when does your turn come ?" He replied : " My turn, my 
 Lord Protector, is always come, WHEN I CAN SERVE AN- 
 OTHER." 
 
 6. THE GOLDEN RULE. "One of my great principles," 
 said Robert Owen to Mr. Wilberforce, " is, that persons 
 ought 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 ?" was his answer, 
 with a look of suppressed humor ; " I think I have read 
 something very like it in a book called the New Testa- 
 ment." 
 
 Preface to the Ten Commandments. 
 
 Q. 43. WHAT is THE PREFACE TO THE TEN COMMAND- 
 MENTS ? 
 
 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." 
 
 10* 
 
114 PREFACE TO THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 
 
 Q. 44. WHAT DOTH THE PREFACE TO THE TEN COMMAND- 
 MENTS TEACH US? 
 
 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. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in thj>s Answer ? 
 
 1. God is the Lord of all. 1 Tim. vi. 15. The Messed 
 and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of 
 lords. 
 
 2. God is our God. Psal. xlviii. 14. This God is our 
 God for ever and ever. 
 
 3. God is our Redeemer. Isa. Ixiii. 16. Thou, Lord, 
 art our Father, our Redeemer. 
 
 4. Because God is the Lord, therefore we should keep his 
 commandments. Psal. xlv. 11. He is thy Lord ; and wor- 
 ship thou him. 
 
 6. Because God is our God, therefore we should keep his 
 commandments. Josh. xxiv. 18. Therefore will we also 
 serve the Lord ; for he is our God. 
 
 6. Because God is our Redeemer, therefore we should keep 
 his commandments. 1 Cor. vi. 20. Ye are bought with 
 a price : therefore glorify God in your body, and in your 
 spirit, which are God's. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines? 
 
 I learn (1.) That the Israelites, when in Egypt, were 
 slaves. (2.) That their relation to God as his chosen 
 nation, and their remarkable deliverance, by the power 
 of God, laid them under special obligations to obey and 
 love him. (3.) I am reminded of my own natural state 
 a state of slavery to sin, to Satan, and to the world. 
 (4.) I am reminded of the great deliverance which Jesus, 
 by his death, has purchased for me, from sin, from Satan, 
 and from hell. (5.) lam bound, therefore, by the high 
 authority, as well as by the infinite mercy of God, to 
 
PREFACE TO THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 115 
 
 keep all those commandments which he designed not only 
 for the Israelites but for the rest of mankind, and which 
 are briefly condensed into the Ten now to be considered. 
 (6.) I notice that the Preface, and each of the following 
 commands, are adapted to men, not as masses, but as 
 individuals, and hence I am taught to feel my own per- 
 sonal obligations to obedience. 
 
 What Illustrations are there? 
 
 1. THE WIDOW of a pious Scottish minister was sitting 
 by her lonely fire-side, the morning after the death of her 
 valued husband, lamenting her forlorn and destitute con- 
 dition, when her little son, but five years of age, entered 
 the room. Seeing the deep distress of his mother, he 
 stole softly to her side, looked wistfully into her face, and 
 
 .said: "Mother, mother, is God dead?" Soft as the gentle 
 whispers of an angel did the simple accent of the dear 
 boy fall upon the ear of the disconsolate mother. A 
 heavenly radiance lighted up her pale features. Then 
 pressing her little boy fondly to her bosom, she ex- 
 claimed: " No, no, my son, God is not dead ; he lives, and 
 has promised to be a father to the fatherless a husband 
 to the widow. His promises are sure and steadfast, and 
 upon them I will firmly and implicitly rely." Her tears 
 were dried, and her murmurings forever hushed. The 
 event proved that her confidence was not misplaced. 
 
 2. THE BIBLE SAYS so. CHILDREN should be early 
 taught that the Bible is the great authority ; and that 
 when it speaks upon any point, the question is settled 
 forever. They should be taught to go directly to the 
 Scripture, to find what is good and what is bad, what is 
 true, and what is false. Thus, with the blessing of God, 
 they will acquire -the habit of constantly subordinating 
 their own notions and inclinations to the plain declara- 
 tions of Scripture. It is a good sign to have a child 
 often use the expression, " The Bible says so." 
 
116 DUTIES REQUIRED. 
 
 DUTIES WHICH WE OWE TO GOD. 
 
 THE FIRST COMMANDMENT. 
 
 Q. 45. WHICH is THE FIRST COMMANDMENT ? 
 
 The first commandment is, Thou shalt have no 
 
 other gods before me. 
 
 
 
 Duties Required. 
 
 Q. 46. WHAT is REQUIRED IN THE FIRST COMMANDMENT? 
 
 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 ac- 
 cordingly. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. We are required to know God. Job, xxii. 21. 
 Acquaint now thyself with him. 
 
 2. We are required to know God as the only true God. 
 Hosea, xiii. 4. Thou shalt know no God but me. 
 
 3. We are required to know God as our God. Jer. xxiv. 
 7. I will give them an heart to know me, that I am 
 the Lord: and they shall be my people, and I will be 
 their God. 
 
 4. We are required to acknowledge God as the only true 
 God. 2 Kings, xix. 15. Thou art the God, even thou 
 alone. 
 
 5. We are required to acknowledge God to be our God. 
 Psal. xlviii. 14. This God is our God for ever and 
 ever. 
 
 6. We are required to worship God as the only true God, 
 Mat. iv. 10. Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, 
 and him only shalt thou serve. 
 
FIRST COMMANDMENT. 117 
 
 7. We are required to worship God as our God. Psal. 
 xcv. 6, 7. come, let us worship and bow down : let us 
 kneel before the Lord our Maker. For he is our God ; 
 and we are the people of his pasture. 
 
 8. We are required to glorify God as the only true God. 
 1 Chron. xvi. 25, '2Q. Great is the Lord, and greatly to 
 be praised : he also is to be feared above all Gods. For 
 all the gods of the people are idols : but the Lord made 
 the heavens. 
 
 9. We are required to glorify God as our God. Psal. 
 cxlv. 1. I will extol thee, my God, O King; and I will 
 bless thy name for ever and ever. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That I must have a God. (2.) That I must 
 have Jehovah the God of Israel, and none other as my 
 God. (3.) In view of what He is a being of infinite 
 perfection, and of what He has done for me and for the 
 universe, I must love, revere, obey, submit to, exalt, and 
 praise Him, above all other beings, and to the utmost of 
 my ability, or I cannot claim to have rendered to Him 
 what I owe, nor fully to have honored him as my God. 
 (4.) So far as I have failed to do this, I have transgressed 
 this commandment, I have wronged God and my own 
 soul. (5.) A proper regard to God will lead me to em- 
 ploy my best influence over my fellow men, to bring 
 them to right views of God and to right feelings, and a 
 proper course of conduct towards Him. (6.) It will thus 
 lead me to promote, in all proper ways, the missionary 
 cause, and revivals of pure religion. 
 
 What Illustrations can you relate ? 
 
 1. A LITTLE BOY asked his mother how many gods there 
 were. A younger brother answered, " Why, one to be 
 sure." " But how do you know that ?" inquired the 
 other. " Because," answered the other, " God fills every 
 place, so there is no room for any other." 
 
118 FIRST COMMANDMENT. 
 
 2. COLLINS, the celebrated English infidel, once meeting 
 a plain countryman, inquired where he was going. "To 
 church, sir." " What to do there \" " To worship God." 
 " Pray tell me, is your god a great or a little god ?" " He 
 is so great, sir, that the heavens cannot contain him, and 
 so little that he can dwell in my heart." Collins after- 
 wards declared that this simple but sublime answer had 
 more effect on his sceptical mind than all the volumes he 
 had ever read. 
 
 3. "Sir," said a lady to the Rev. Wm. Romaine, of 
 London, " I like the doctrine you preach, and think I 
 can give up everything but one." "What is that, 
 madam?" " Cards, sir." " You think you could not be 
 happy without them ?" " No, sir, I could not," " Then, 
 madam, they are your God, and to them you must look for 
 salvation." This pointed and faithful reply is said to 
 have led to her conversion. 
 
 4. To FEAR GOD, is to have such a holy care of God 
 upon our hearts, that we dare not sin. The wicked sin 
 and fear not : the godly fear and sin not : " how then can 
 1 do this wickedness and sin against God ?" It is a say- 
 ing of ANSELM, " If hell were on one side, and sin on 
 the other, I would rather leap into hell than willingly 
 sin against my God." 
 
 5. CITY HEATHEN. An excellent but somewhat eccen- 
 tric clergyman, one Sabbath, at the close of the services, 
 gave notice to his congregation that in the course of the 
 week he expected to go on a mission to the heathen. The 
 members of his church were struck with alarm and sor- 
 row at the sudden and unexpected loss of their beloved 
 pastor, and one of the deacons, in great agitation, ex- 
 claimed, " What shall we do ?" " Oh, brother C ," 
 
 said the minister, with great apparent ease, "I do not 
 expect to go out of town." 
 
 6. THE CITY CHRISTIAN. A pious and intelligent female 
 
FIRST COMMANDMENT. 119 
 
 member of Rev. Mr. James' church, in Birmingham, Eng- 
 land, upon her death-bed, said to him, " What a mercy it 
 is that the work is finished, and that, when in health, 1 
 sought God with all my heart, in his own appointed way. I 
 cannot talk to-day, I feel so ill ; but all is sweet peace 
 within. I die resting simply on the righteousness of 
 Christ." In the evening she said, " My God, my Bible, 
 and my Saviour, are increasing sources of happiness, to 
 which I can turn at any moment, without disappoint- 
 ment, and I find them more solid as other things fade 
 away." 
 
 7. WORLDLY AMUSEMENTS. If Christians join in what 
 are called worldly amusements (says Jones), I ask nothing 
 about their creed. They show their taste ; that is enough. 
 A mere creed, however correct, will save no man. The 
 influence of the creed is the essential matter. He who 
 cultivates a sound spiritual taste cannot relish frivolity. 
 Most of what is said about amusements is said to no pur- 
 pose. Taste, not logic, rules the world. A new nature 
 a relish for, a delight in, the sublime and holy, the infinite 
 and eternal : plant this in the soul of man, and he looks 
 upon the world's amusements as mere cobwebs. He fur- 
 ther says : " I reject many things which I do not account 
 sinful in the abstract. I look to influence and conse- 
 quences. A thing may be lawful, and yet not expedient.- 
 ' If the Lord be God, follow him; but if Baal, follow him/ 
 The people of the world should see what master we serve. 
 They are consistent in their cause and course : Christiana 
 ought to be equally so in theirs." 
 
 Sins Forbidden. 
 
 Q. 47. WHAT is FORBIDDEN IN THE FIRST COMMANDMENT! 
 The first commandment forbiddeth the denying, 
 or not worshipping and glorifying the true God, as 
 
120 FIRST COMMANDMENT. 
 
 God and our God ; and the giving of that worship 
 and glory to any other which is due to him alone. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. We are not to deny God. Psal. xiv. 1. The fool hath 
 said in his heart, There is no God. 
 
 2. We are not to refuse or neglect to worship God. Isa. 
 xliii. 22. Thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob ; but 
 thou hast been weary of me, Israel. 
 
 3. We are not to refuse or neglect to glorify God. Dan. v. 
 23. The God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose 
 are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified. 
 
 4. We are not improperly to worship God, as if he were not 
 the only true God. Mat. xv. 8. This people draweth nigh 
 unto me with their mouth, and honoreth me with their 
 lips; but their heart is far from me. 
 
 5. We are not to worship God, as if he were not our God. 
 Ezek. xliv. 9. Thus saith the Lord God ; No stranger, 
 uncircumcised in heart, nor uncircumcised in flesh, shall 
 enter into my sanctuary. 
 
 6. We are not to worship anything else besides God. Rom. 
 i. 25. Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and wor- 
 shipped and served the creature more than the Creator, 
 who is blessed for ever. Amen. 
 
 7. We are not to give that glory to any other which is due 
 only to God. Psal. xcvii. 7. Confounded be all they that 
 serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols ; wor- 
 ship him, all ye Gods. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That this command is most grossly violated 
 by those who have not acknowledged or worshipped any 
 God at all: these are called Atheists. (2.) It is violated 
 by those who acknowledge and adore many gods : such 
 are Polytheists, or Idolaters. (3.) Even by such as profess to 
 acknowledge and worship but one God it is violated, if 
 they do not, with all their hearts, reverence and love him 
 as the most wise and powerful, the most just and holy, 
 the most good and gracious Being ; if they do not trust 
 
FIRST COMMANDMENT. 121 
 
 and hope in him as the Fountain of all their good ; if 
 they do not diligently worship and praise him ; if they 
 do not humbly submit to his will and obey his laws. 
 (4.) I shall violate this law if I frame in my fancy an 
 idea untrue, or unworthy, of that One most excellent 
 Being, and to such a creation of my own fancy yield my 
 highest respect and affection. (5.) If also, upon any 
 creature (myself, or any other person or thing) I bestow 
 my chief esteem and affection, or employ my most earnest 
 care and endeavor, or chiefly rely upon or delight in it, 
 thus making that person or thing a god to myself. Hence 
 (6.) whoever chiefly regards, seeks and pursues, confides 
 and delights in wealth, or honor, or power, or pleasure ; 
 wit, wisdom, strength, or beauty ; arts, science, litera- 
 ture ; himself, friends, or any other creature, he hath an- 
 other God, contrary to the design and meaning of this 
 holy law. [Dr. Barrow's Exposition.] 
 
 Q. 48. WHAT ARE WE SPECIALLY TAUGHT BY THESE WORDS 
 [before me] IN THE FIRST COMMANDMENT ? 
 
 These words [before me] in the first command- 
 ment teach us, that God who seeth all things, 
 taketh notice of, and is much displeased with the 
 sin of having any other god. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. God seeth all things. Heb. iv. 13. Neither is there 
 any creature that is not manifest in his sight : but all 
 things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with 
 whonvwe have to do. 
 
 2. God will take special notice of the sin of having an- 
 other god.Psal. xliv. 20, 21. If we have stretched out 
 our hands to a strange god, shall not God search this 
 out? 
 
 3. God is much displeased with the sin of having any 
 other god. Deut. xxxii. 16. They provoked him to 
 jealousy with strange gods. 
 
 11 
 
122 FIRST COMMANDMENT. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That the great evil of Idolatry, both ex- 
 ternal and internal, consists in the manifest preference 
 which it shows for the object of it, in comparison with 
 God, who is ever present to observe that preference, and 
 to feel the base affront which is thus put upon his in- 
 finite excellencies, and high relations to us and to the 
 universe. (2.) That I can commit no sin without God's 
 knowledge and high displeasure. 
 
 What Illustrations are given? 
 
 1. A CHILD CONSECRATED TO IDOLATRY. A missionary was 
 once standing near the temple of a very celebrated and 
 cruel idol, when a father approached the shrine of the 
 goddess. He led by the hand an interesting little boy, 
 his sou, probably his first-born, and it may be his only 
 eon. The little fellow was very much alarmed; for there 
 was a great crowd of worshippers ; and the musicians 
 were beating their shrill drums, and sounding their hoarse 
 trumpets, and crying aloud in honor of the goddess, and 
 they were bowing frantically before the altar. The blood 
 of goats and other animals was flowing near him, which 
 had just been sacrificed to the goddess. Amidst all this 
 confusion the little fellow was afraid ; and he clung fast 
 to his father, now looking round at the people, and then 
 at the goddess, and then at the father, as much as to say, 
 "Do, father, save me from these cruel people!" But no. 
 His father had brought him to consecrate him to the ser- 
 vice of the goddess ; and to do this, he put into the poor 
 boy's hand a piece of silver. This the boy handed to the 
 priest; and then the father handed to the priest two 
 sharp-pointed pieces of iron, which the priest sprinkled 
 with the sacred water of the river Ganges, and returned 
 to the parent. They were then handed to a cruel man, 
 who (while the poor boy was gazing in wonder and horror 
 
FIRST COMMANDMENT. 123 
 
 around) plunged one, if not both, into his naked side! 
 The boy shrieked, and clung to his father. The musi- 
 cians beat their drums and sounded their trumpets ; the 
 priests raised their voices to drown the crying of the 
 boy ; and he was borne away bleeding and terrified from 
 the scene by his deluded but now happy father, who sup- 
 posed that his son was consecrated to the goddess in that 
 most cruel act. Yerily, is it not true that the dark parts 
 of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty ? 
 
 2. IDOL WORSHIP IN NEW YORK. A gentleman in this 
 city (says the Evangelist} while visiting in Cherry-street, 
 for an Industrial School, went into a room where was a 
 little company of Chinese offering sacrifice to an idol. A 
 Chinaman was kneeling in front of the idol, burning 
 some sweet-smelling substance in a little cup floating in 
 water. The gentleman apologized for the intrusion, but 
 they did not seem much troubled by it. 
 
 3. To a young man, who professed to be an Atheist, said 
 Dr. NETTLETON, " You are not so sure as you pretend to 
 be, that there is no God. You dare not go alone, and 
 kneel down, and, in a solemn manner, offer a prayer. If 
 there is no God you will incur no danger by so doing; 
 and yet you dare not do it. This shows that you are 
 afraid that there is a God, who cannot be deceived, and 
 who will not be mocked." 
 
 4. REV. DR.WITHERSPOON, formerly President of Princeton 
 College, "N. J., was once on board a packet ship, where, 
 among other passengers, was a professed Atheist. This 
 unhappy man was very fond of troubling every one with 
 his peculiar belief, and of broaching the subject as often 
 as he could get any one to listen to him. He did not be- 
 lieve in a God and a future state ; not he ! By-and-by 
 there came on a terrible storm, and the prospect was that 
 all would be drowned. There was much consternation 
 on board, but no one was so greatly frightened as the pro- 
 
124 FIRST COMMANDMENT. 
 
 fessed Atheist. In this extremity, lie sought out the 
 clergyman, and found him in the cabin, calm and col- 
 lected, in the midst of danger, and thus addressed him: 
 " Dr. Witherspoon ! Dr. Witherspoon ! we're all going ; 
 we have but a short time to stay. O how the vessel rocks ! 
 we're all going ; don't you think we are, doctor ?" The 
 doctor turned to him with a solemn look, and replied in 
 broad Scotch, "Nae doubt, nae doubt man; we're 
 a'ganging; but you and I dinna gang the same way." The 
 poor man was speechless ; and the worthy Doctor, who 
 had not said much before, then took the opportunity of 
 setting before him the guilt and folly of his conduct. 
 
 5. When CARDINAL WOLSEY, for some time the prime 
 minister of Henry VIII., under whose displeasure and 
 selfishness he was deprived of immense wealth and of all 
 places of power and honor, was lying upon his death-bed, 
 he called to him Kingston, the lieutenant of the Tower, 
 and said, under a bitter sense of the base ingratitude of 
 his royal master: "Had I but served my God as dili- 
 gently as I have served the king, he would not have given 
 me over in my gray hairs ; but I receive a just reward 
 for my indulgent labor and care, not regarding my ser- 
 vice to God, but only to my king." 
 
 6. REV. DR. CHARLES HALL, when in Europe, visited 
 Blenheim, the famous country-seat bestowed by Queen 
 Anne on the first Duke of Marlborough, and after a most 
 graphic account of it, adds: "As I wandered through 
 these grounds, and opened my heart to these 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 military glory, or for his royal 
 mistress. / thought only of God, who made this majesty and 
 loveliness. I felt that he intended and adapted the world 
 its creatures its lakes, its forests its landscapes, to 
 speak of Him, to lead up our hearts to Him. I felt tha '; 
 
SECOND COMMANDMENT. 125 
 
 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." 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 
 grandeur of God ; I have felt my own littleness ; I have felt 
 that it was an inexpressible condescension for Christ, hav 
 ing built this mighty earth, to die for the sinful creatures 
 who creep on its surface." And at Chamouny he writes: 
 " Here, amid the eublimest of God's works, I have com- 
 muned with him, and have endeavored to re-consecrate 
 myself to him. 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. 
 
 THE SECOND COMMANDMENT. 
 
 Q. 49. WHAT is THE SECOND COMMANDMENT. 
 
 The second commandment is, Thou shalt not 
 make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness 
 of anything 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 genera- 
 tion of them that hate me; and showing mercy 
 unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my 
 commandments. 
 
 11* 
 
126 SECOND COMMANDMENT. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 (1.) I learn that while the First command forbids the 
 worshipping of a false God, the Second forbids the wor- 
 shipping of the true God in a false manner. (2.) That 
 the Second command requires me to render to the true 
 God that kind of worship which is suited to his spiritual 
 nature and unlimited perfections; that he alone knows 
 what kind of worship is proper, and that he alone can 
 prescribe it. (3.) That it is impossible, absurd, and 
 wicked to make any outward, visible representation, by 
 sculpture or painting, of that God who fills immensity 
 with a spiritual, invisible presence and energy. (4.) That 
 this command does not forbid the use of sculpture or 
 painting for other purposes, as some have absurdly 
 imagined; though statuary and painting have been 
 shamefully abused as means of withdrawing men's regard 
 from God. (6.) That I am not allowed to frame, even in 
 my mind, any image or conception of God as possessing 
 form, but when I attempt to worship him must fix my 
 thoughts upon him simply as a Being possessing the 
 sublime and incomprehensible attributes, and sustaining 
 the supreme relations, ascribed to him in the Bible. (6.) 
 That the Papists commit a daring sin in blotting out the 
 second command, or, in some cases, a large portion of it, 
 from their Catechisms, and an unreasonable act in divid- 
 ing the Tenth into two, for the sake of completing the 
 original number. The reason is, that they make use of 
 images and paintings in their worship, and that this 
 command condemns their practice. (7.) That their pre- 
 tence that they do not worship the image but only make 
 use of it as a medium by which to worship God, is in the 
 face of this Second Command ; for God declares that he 
 will not be thus worshipped. And, further, the same 
 argument which the Papists use for their practice, may 
 be employed with equal justness by the Pagans, in de- 
 
SECOND COMMANDMENT. 127 
 
 fence of their system of idol-worship ; that they look 
 upon the image as the symbol only, or residence of their 
 divinities. It is also to be remembered, that God most 
 severely punished the Israelites for the worship of the 
 golden calf, though it was intended and used merely as a 
 symbol, or remembrancer of the true God. (Exod. xxxii, 
 5.) (8.) That God is peculiarly indignant at this false, 
 and to him degrading mode of worship, his indignation 
 being expressed by the term jealous, to show the strength 
 of his opposition to image- worship. (9.) That the effects 
 of his displeasure are experienced even by the descend- 
 ants of transgressors ; while, on the other hand, the bene- 
 fits of obedience are not confined to the obedient them- 
 selves, but reach to their descendants, and that, for a 
 longer period, or to a greater extent, than the effects of 
 transgression in the former case. 
 
 What Illustrations may be given ? 
 
 1. A nobleman rebels against his prince ; he loses his 
 coronet, and his family suffers for centuries afterwards. 
 A father, through gambling, loses all his property ; and 
 his children and his children's children suffer. A parent 
 becomes a drunkard and a debauchee, wastes his health 
 and injures his constitution ; and his offspring are dis- 
 eased to the third and fourth generation. Now, what is 
 all this, but the sins of the fathers visited upon the children 
 in the arrangements of a Providence we can see, and in 
 occurrences of daily life. Moreover, when God states 
 that he visits the iniquities of the fathers upon the 
 children, he does not refer to their after existence. This 
 is referred to in Ezek. xviii. 19. Dr. Gumming. 
 
 2. THE SECOND COMMANDMENT versus POPERY. The Rev. 
 Dr. Nevins has set forth this matter to the life. He says : 
 "An examination, preparatory to confession, is recom- 
 
128 SECOND COMMANDMENT. 
 
 mended to the devout Catholic, on the ten command- 
 ments, that he may see, before he goes to the priest to get 
 forgiveness, 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 awk- 
 ward to have set the person to examine himself in refer- 
 ence 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 like- 
 ness of anything in heaven above, or in the earth be- 
 neath, 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 could 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 honor 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 worshippers of 
 the golden calf worshipped something beyond the calf. 
 The calf was only a help to devotion, and they only paid 
 'due honor 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 3,000.' I suppose it would have been just the 
 same had they made ever so many explanations. But 
 their explanations were not waited for. What dignify 
 all their explanations and distinctions to the great mass 
 
SECOND COMMANDMENT. 129 
 
 of the Catholic laity ? They do not even understand 
 them ; and it seems that if they both understood and re- 
 garded them, it would not help the matter. It is this very 
 explained and qualified worship which the command- 
 ment forbids." Thoughts on Popery. 
 
 3. Amid the mummeries at Rome, the late Rev. DR. 
 HALL, in his journal, wrote: "I feel, as I see the disgust- 
 ing pretence of this formal worship, this fresco piety, that 
 God must be offended with formalism ; and I am more 
 put on my guard to deal honestly and truly with heaven 
 in my devotions." 
 
 4. YIRGIN-MARYISM. The man who knows Christianity 
 best will deny to the Papist, who adheres to all the 
 dogmas of his creed, the very name of Christian. 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 named Yirgin-Maryism, but certainly is 
 not the religion of Jesus. The day begins with 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 dedi- 
 cated 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. In- 
 deed, it seems obvious to the most superficial observer, 
 that she has here supplanted the worship of the Redeemer, 
 and that Satan has completely travestied Christianity in 
 that city, to which he still with great subtilty points men 
 as the metropolis of Christianity, Rev. W. K. Tweedie. 
 
130 SECOND COMMANDMENT. 
 
 5. PHILIP HENRY made this shrewd and discriminating 
 observation : " I am too much a Catholic to be a Roman 
 Catholic." 
 
 What is Required ? 
 
 Q. 60. WHAT is REQUIRED IN THE SECOND COMMAND- 
 MENT ? 
 
 The second commandment requireth the receiv- 
 ing, observing, and keeping pure and entire, all 
 such religious worship and ordinances as God hath 
 appointed in his word. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. Religious worship is to be paid to God. Psal. xlv. 11. 
 He is thy Lord ; and worship thou him. 
 
 2. God hath appointed certain religious ordinances to be 
 observed in his worship. Lev. xviii. 4. Ye shall do my 
 judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein : I 
 am the Lord your God. 
 
 3. We are required to accept of and esteem the worship and 
 ordinances of God. Psal. cxix. 103. How sweet are thy 
 words unto my taste ! yea, sweeter than honey to my 
 mouth. 
 
 4. We are required to observe God's worship and ordi- 
 nances. Matt, xxviii. 20. Teaching them to observe all 
 things whatsoever I have commanded you. 
 
 5. We are required to keep God's worship and ordinances 
 pure. Deut. xii. 32. What thing soever I command you, 
 observe to do it ; thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish 
 from it. 
 
 6. We are to keep God's worship and ordinances entire. 
 Luke, i. 6. They were both righteous before God, walk- 
 ing in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord 
 blameless. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That the Scriptures alone are to guide me 
 as to the manner and means of worshipping God, and 
 
SECOND COMMANDMENT. 131 
 
 that I am not to follow the inventions of men. (2.) That 
 I have reason to admire the noble heroism of the Cove- 
 nanters of Scotland, in the 17th century, who, at the 
 sacrifice of home and property, and, in many cases, even 
 at the sacrifice of life, resolved to worship God according 
 to the simple methods which they learned from the Word 
 of God, and not according to the forms imposed upon 
 them by the tyrannical government of England. (3.) To 
 place a high value upon all those scriptural methods and 
 services by which I may approach God, and render to 
 Him appropriate respect and homage. 
 
 What Illustrations are offered? 
 
 1. THE MASS. " KIRWAN," in his Letters to Archbishop 
 Hughes, thus relates his escape from early prejudices : 
 " Some book or tract, now forgotten, gave rise to some 
 inquiries as to the Mass. I asked, What does it mean? 
 I could not tell, though for years a regular attendant on 
 it. Why does the priest dress BO ? What book does he 
 i ead from, when carried now to his right, now to his left ? 
 What mean those candles burning at noon-day \ Why 
 do I say prayers in Latin, which I understand not? 
 Should I not know what I am saying when addressing 
 my Maker ? Why bow down and strike my breast when 
 the little bell rings ? What does it all mean ? The dark- 
 ness of Egypt rested upon these questions. I thus rea- 
 soned with myself: God is a spiritual and intelligent 
 Being, and he requires an intelligent worship. What 
 worship I render him in the Mass, I know not. My in- 
 telligent worship only is acceptable to him, and is bene- 
 ficial to me. I am a rational being, and I degrade my 
 nature, and insult my Maker, by offering to him a wor- 
 ship in which neither my reason, nor His intelligence is 
 consulted. Heaving come to this conclusion, I gave up 
 
132 SECOND COMMANDMENT. 
 
 the Mass as a form of worship well enough fitted for an 
 idol, but unfitted to be rendered by a rational being to 
 the infinitely intelligent Jehovah." 
 
 2. THE CONFESSIONAL. " KIRWAN," in the same Letters, 
 says : " 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 unreason- 
 able, 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 in Christ." 
 
 8. No MEAT ON FRIDAYS. "From my youth up," says 
 " KIRWAN " (Rev. Dr. N. Murray), " I was taught to ab- 
 stain from all meats on Fridays and Saturdays. Why on 
 these days more than any other I was never told. And 
 if by mistake I was involved in the violation of this law, 
 I felt a burden upon my conscience, of which confession 
 only could relieve me. Circumstances led me to inquire 
 into this matter. I saw good Papists eating eggs, and 
 fish, and getting drunk on these days ; but this was no 
 violation of the law of the Church ! Yet if these per- 
 sons should eat meat of any kind, or use gravy in 
 any way, their consciences were troubled, and they must 
 perform penance ! This led me to ask, Is this reasonable If 
 If I may eat meat on Thursday, why not on Friday ? Can 
 God, in things of this kind, make that to be a sin at one 
 time which is not on another ? I saw -also persons, for 
 whose moral worth I had the highest regard, eating meats 
 on those days, and without any injury ! And I came to 
 
SECOND COMMANDMENT. 133 
 
 the conclusion that your regulations upon this matter 
 were unreasonable, and rejected them. And, as far as I 
 now remember, this was my first step towards light and 
 freedom." Letters to Archbishop Hughes. 
 
 Sins Forbidden. 
 
 Q. 51. WHAT is FORBIDDEN IN THE SECOND COMMAND- 
 MENT? 
 
 The second commandment forbiddeth the wor- 
 shipping of God by images, or any other way not 
 appointed in his word. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. We are not to worship God by images. Deut. iv. 15, 
 1 6. Take ye, therefore, good heed unto yourselves ; (for 
 ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the Lord 
 spake unto you in Horeb,) lest ye corrupt yourselves, and 
 make you a graven image. 
 
 2. We are not to worship God in any way not appointed 
 in his word. Deut. iv. 2. Ye shall not add unto the word 
 which I command you, neither shall ye diminish aught 
 from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord 
 your God which I command you. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines 1 
 
 I learn (1.) That as I am not to have any visible image 
 of God before me in my worship, I must cultivate spiritu- 
 ality of mind, and fervency of devotion, and a simple 
 realizing belief in the Scripture account of the Being 
 whom I worship. (2.) That I am not allowed to figure 
 Him to myself, even in my mind, as possessing form, 
 though I may think of, and adore God incarnate in the 
 person of the glorified Jesus. (3.) That all superstitious 
 rules and ceremonies (those which God has not sanctioned) 
 are to be avoided, and the service of God is to be made 
 12 
 
134 SECOND COMMANDMENT. 
 
 as spiritual and scriptural as possible. (4.) That I have 
 no authority for calling in, as the Papists do, the aid of 
 dead saints, in rendering worship to God, nor for honor- 
 ing them by outward representation in statuary, and by 
 forms of worship. (5.) That the second command, in its 
 spirit and true intent, forbids men to neglect, despise, 
 hinder* and oppose any of the proper methods of render- 
 ing worship to Jehovah. (6.) To pray that God will pre- 
 serve pure religious ordinances, and powerful preaching 
 in the land ; for, as "Watson, the Puritan, remarks : 
 " Idolatry came in at first for the want of good preaching 
 the people began to have golden images when they had 
 wooden priests." 
 
 What Illustrations are furnished? 
 
 1. POPERY REFUTED BY COMMON SENSE. Some of the 
 Roman Catholic Irish are so far enlightened by Sunday 
 schools and Bible classes, that they can and do exercise 
 their reason in resisting the abominations of Popery. One 
 of them being asked by a priest, a curate, why he did not 
 come to confession, said, " Please your Reverence, do you 
 ever confess ?" "Yes, I do to the Rector." "And do 
 you pay ?" " Yes." " And to whom does the Rector 
 confess?" "To the Bishop." "And does he pay him?" 
 " Yes." " And to whom does the Bishop confess \" " To 
 the Vicar-General." " And pays him ?" "Yes," "And 
 to whom does he confess?" "To tlia Pope," "And 
 pays?" " Yes." "And to whom does the Pope confess?" 
 "To Jesus Christ." "And does he pay anything?" 
 "No." "Then, please your Reverence," said the man, 
 " as I am very poor, I think I shall go to Jesus Christ at 
 once." 
 
 2. OBSTRUCTIONS RAISED BY POPERY BETWEEN us AND 
 GOD. " KIRWAN " observes to Archbishop Hughes, " My 
 Bible, that hated book by pope, prelate, priest, and papal 
 
SECOND COMMANDMENT. 135 
 
 peasant, teaches me that if any man sin he has an advo- 
 cate with the Father Jesus Christ. It everywhere 
 teaches me that I may have free access to God through 
 Jesus Christ ; that if I sin, I may go for pardon directly to 
 the throne of God, through the mediation of his Son. 
 And this is a precious privilege a privilege which may 
 be enjoyed by all, ' without money and without price? Now, 
 what do you ask of me to do, in order to receive the for- 
 giveness of sin, and to be restored to the favor of God? 
 You send me to Peter, or Paul, or some other saint on the 
 catalogue, who may have never known me; and who 
 may never hear me if I pray to them. Or you send me 
 to Mary, whom you blasphemously call the Mother of 
 God, to ask her to intercede for me. Nor will this suffice. 
 I must go to your Confessional, and tell you all my sins ; 
 incurring the fearful penalty of refusal of pardon if I 
 withhold one. Thus you take from me the privilege of 
 going to God for myself, a privilege purchased for me by 
 the death of Christ. You tell me I must go to the priest, 
 and from the priest to the saint, or to the Virgin, and the 
 saint or Virgin will go for me to the Saviour, and he will 
 go for me to the Father. And then, when pardon is 
 granted, it goes from the Father to the Son ; from him to 
 the saint or Virgin ; from him or her to the priest ; and 
 when in the hands of the priest, he will give me absolu- 
 tion, if I pay for it. Why compel me to speak to my 
 heavenly Father by proxy ? * * * * Where 
 has my Saviour taught me that I can only address him 
 through a priestly attorney, whom I, however poor, must 
 fee for his services ?" Kirwaris Letters. 
 
 Reasons Annexed. 
 Q. 52. WHAT ARE THE REASONS ANNEXED TO THE SECOND 
 
 COMMANDMENT ? 
 
 The reasons annexed to the second command- 
 
136 SECOND COMMANDMENT. 
 
 ment are, God's sovereignty over us, his propriety 
 in us, and the zeal he hath to his own worship. 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. God is our Lord and Sovereign. Isa. xxxiii. 22. The 
 Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is 
 our king ; he will save us. 
 
 2. We are the property of God. Psal. xcv. 7. He is 
 our God ; and we are the people of his pasture, and the 
 sheep of his hand. 
 
 3. God is very zealous for the purity of his worship. 
 Exod. xxxiv. 14. For thou shalt worship no other God: 
 for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 I learn (1.) That there are good and substantial reasons 
 for worshipping God in a scriptural and spiritual manner, 
 and for avoiding all superstition and idolatry. (2.) That 
 God is determined' to punish those who give to another 
 the honor and service which He so justly claims for him- 
 self. (3.) That parents have a special reason for render- 
 ing due worship to God, in the good or bad effect of their 
 practice upon those most dear to them. (4.) That children 
 have no right to imitate the conduct of idolatrous or 
 superstitious parents, but are bound to avoid such meth- 
 ods of worship, and so to worship God as to counteract 
 the judgments which He has appointed for all the trans- 
 gressors of His holy law. 
 
 What Illustrations can you give ? 
 
 1. A BRAHMAN, for the purpose of showing the folly of 
 rejecting Hinduism and embracing the Roman Catholic re- 
 ligion, instituted the following comparison between the 
 two systems : ' Has the Feringhi cheap pardons ? So 
 have we. Can the Romanist, by the mass, rescue his an- 
 cestors from purgatory ? We, by ceremonies at Gaya, 
 can do the same for ours. Can the priest change the 
 bread and wine into flesh and blood? Our Muntras 
 
THIRD COMMANDMENT. 137 
 
 can impart divine attributes to images. Who are the 
 Komish monks but the counterparts of our Semyasses ? 
 Do the Catholics count their beads ? So do we our Malas. 
 Do they pray to Mother Mary ? So do we to Gunga-inai. 
 Do their priests eschew marriages ? So do our Gosalies. 
 Have they nuns ? So have we our nach-girls, dedicated 
 to the service of the temple. Do they boast their anti- 
 quity? Compare eighteen hundred years, the period 
 they claim as the age of their church, with the four Jugs, 
 (immense periods) of Hinduism." 
 
 2. FORCIBLE REPLICATION. An intelligent Catholic lady 
 recently said to a clergyman, " Why are you Protestants 
 continually attacking us ?" " I beg your pardon, madam," 
 said the clergyman, " the case is precisely the reverse. Our 
 name might teach you so. We believe that no one has a 
 right to stand between us and our Father in heaven, but 
 the only divinely-appointed Mediator, Jesus Christ. You 
 attack us for this belief, and place in his stead the Virgin 
 Mary. We believe that no one has a right to stand be- 
 tween us and the Bible ; but you attack us by substitut- 
 ing the Pope. These two articles of our faith are vital 
 and fundamental ; we could more easily give up life than 
 relinquish them." " Well," said she, " if you think and 
 feel so, you should be allowed to hold your opinion." 
 "That is just the third grand principle," said the clergy- 
 man, "of Protestant faith, liberty of conscience. In hold- 
 ing and defending it for ourselves, we maintain it in be- 
 half of the rest of the world, Catholic as well as others. 
 It is the Catholics that occupy the aggressive position, not 
 the Protestants. They stand on the defensive." 
 
 THE THIRD COMMANDMENT. 
 
 Q. 53. WHAT is THE THIRD COMMANDMENT? 
 
 The third commandment is, Thou shalt not take 
 12* 
 
138 THIRD COMMANDMENT. 
 
 the name of the Lord thy God in vain ; for the 
 Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his 
 name in vain. 
 
 Q. 54. WHAT is REQUIRED IN THE THIRD COMMANDMENT? 
 
 The third commandment requireth the holy and 
 reverend use of God's names, titles, attributes, ordi- 
 nances, word and works. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. God's name is to be used with holy reverence. Psal. 
 xxix. 2. Give unto the Lord the glory due into his 
 name. 
 
 2. God's titles are to be used with holy reverence. Rev. xv. 
 3, 4. Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God 
 Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of 
 saints. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy 
 name. 
 
 3. God's attributes are to be used with holy reverence. 
 Rev. iv. 8. Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which 
 was, and is, and is to come. 
 
 4. God's ordinances are to be used with holy reverence. 
 Eccl. v. 1. Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house 
 of G od, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacri- 
 fice of fools. 
 
 5. God's word is to be used with holy reverence. Prov. xiii. 
 13. Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed: but 
 he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded. 
 
 6. God's works are to be used and contemplated with holy 
 reverence. Job, xxxvi. 24. Remember that thou magnify 
 His work, which men behold. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) To regard with the greatest reverence all 
 that relates to the Most High God, and to speak or write 
 of him in a solemn and thoughtful manner. (2.) By his 
 names are intended such as " Lord," " God," " Jehovah," 
 
THIRD COMMANDMENT. 139 
 
 " Father," " Son," and " Holy Ghost ;" by his titles, such 
 as " God of Nature," " God of Grace," " Lord of Hosts," 
 "Creator," "King of Nations," "Holy One of Israel," 
 <fcc. ; by attributes are intended his eternity, omniscience, 
 omnipresence, wisdom, holiness, mercy, justice, <fcc. ; by 
 ordinances are meant, prayer and thanksgiving ; praise ; 
 the sacraments ; reading, preaching, and hearing of the 
 Word of God ; oaths, religion, fasting ; by his works are 
 designed those of creation, those of providence, but especi- 
 ally that of redemption. Hence (3.) I learn that this 
 command requires a cautious, respectful, and adoring 
 mention or thought of all the names and expressions by 
 which God is made known ; and of all the properties or 
 excellencies ascribed to Him; that it also requires a 
 reverential use of those outward modes or ceremonies of 
 worship which he has prescribed, together with a devout 
 attention and obedience to all that the Bible teaches and 
 enjoins upon me ; and further, it requires a devout study 
 and contemplation of God, and submission to him, as he is 
 manifested in the works of creation, and in all his provi- 
 dential dealings. 
 
 What Illustrations may be related ? 
 
 1. THE YOUNG SWEARER REBUKED. A MINISTER sailing up 
 the Hudson river in a sloop, some forty-five years since, 
 was pained by the profaneness of a young man. Seek- 
 ing a favorable opportunity, he told him he had wounded 
 his feelings by speaking against his best Friend the 
 Saviour. The young man showed no relentings, and at 
 one of the landings left the boat. The minister waa 
 pained, and feared his labors 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 
 
140 THIRD COMMANDMENT. 
 
 years before, with a profane young man. At length the 
 circumstances were called 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 felt that I must preach his love to 
 others. I am now in the ministry, and have come as a 
 representative to this Assembly." 
 
 2. THE SAVOYARD, THE PRIEST, AND THE BIBLE. A young 
 Savoyard, a poor little chimney-sweep, purchased one 
 day a Testament, for which he paid ten sous, and set 
 himself immediately to read it. Delighted to possess the 
 Word of God, he ran to the priest in his simplicity, to 
 show him the good bargain he had made with his savings. 
 The priest took the book, and told the young Savoyard 
 that it came from the hands of heretics, and that it was a 
 book forbidden to be read. The peasant replied that 
 "everything he had read in the book told him about 
 Christ ; and, besides," said he, "it is so beautiful I" " You 
 &hall see how beautiful it is," said the priest, seizing it 
 and casting it into the fire. The young Savoyard went 
 away weeping. 
 
 Sins Forbidden. 
 
 Q. 55. WHAT is FORBIDDEN IN THE THIRD COMMAND- 
 
 MENT? 
 
 The third commandment forbiddetfi all profan- 
 ing or abusing of anything whereby God maketh 
 himself known. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. We are not toprofane anything by which God maketh 
 himself known. Lev. xviii. 21. Neither shalt thou pro- 
 fane the name of thy God: I am the Lord. 
 
 2. We are not to abuse anything by which God maketh him- 
 
TRIED COMMANDMENT. 141 
 
 self known. Mat. xxiii. 14. Wo unto you, Scribes and 
 Pharisees, hypocrites ! for ye devour widows' houses, and 
 for a pretence make long prayers. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I -earn (1.) That the third commandment forbids all 
 irreverent and disrespectful thought, speech, writing, or 
 conduct in relation to God, or to anything by which he 
 makes himself known to me ; that it forbids all perver- 
 sion of sacred scripture, all trifling with its doctrines and 
 sacred precepts ; that it forbids a wrong use of anything 
 which God has made for our benefit, and also of his deal- 
 ings with us, either in the form of prosperity or adversity. 
 (2.) The great need of habitual seriousness and caution, lest 
 I offend against this broad precept ; the need also of being 
 constantly under the influence of God's Holy Spirit, so as 
 to keep my soul in a proper state of regard for God and 
 all that relates to Him. (3.) The great evil of perjury, 
 or false swearing under oath, when a man calls the all- 
 knowing Jehovah to witness that he is speaking truth, 
 and that only, when he is conscious that he is speaking 
 that which is not true, but the reverse. This is supposed 
 to be the prominent sin condemned by the Third Com- 
 mandment. (4.) That profane swearing is a monstrous 
 sin ; and that there is cause for deep sorrow and concern 
 that it prevails so extensively, and even among children 
 and youth. I learn, also, my solemn duty to endeavor to 
 arrest this sin when I can, and to promote a deep rever- 
 ence for God, and for all the means and modes of worship 
 which he has been pleased to appoint. 
 
 What Illustrations are offered? 
 
 1. GIVE ME THE AXE. It is related of the venerable 
 Dr. Matthews, late President of Hanover College, that on 
 one occasion, as he was walking near the college, with 
 
142 THIRD COMMANDMENT. 
 
 his slow and noiseless step, a youth who had not observed 
 his approach, while engaged in cutting wood, began to 
 swear profanely in his vexation. The Doctor stepped up 
 and said, " Give me the axe ;" and then quietly chopped 
 the stick of wood up himself. Returning the axe to the 
 young man, he said in his peculiar manner, " You see now 
 the wood may be cut without swearing." The reproof 
 was effectual, and led to an entire abandonment of the 
 impious habit. 
 
 2. QUIET REBUKE. Rev. JOHN HOWE, hearing a gentle- 
 man speaking highly of some one in a large party, and 
 at the same time mixing many horrid oaths with his dis- 
 course, mildly, but decidedly, said to him, that he had 
 omitted one great excellence in the character of that 
 individual. " What is it, sir?" said the other with eager- 
 ness ; " what is it ?" " It is this," said Mr. Howe, " that 
 lie never was heard to swear an oath in common conversa- 
 tion" 
 
 3. WASHINGTON'S TESTIMONY. Within the first month 
 after the Declaration of Independence, Washington gave 
 a noble testimony against profaiieness, by declaring in 
 his public orders that " he hopes the officers will, by ex- 
 ample as well as influence, endeavor to check it, and that 
 both they and the men will reflect that we can have little 
 hope of the blessing of heaven on our arms, if we insult 
 it by our impiety and folly : added to this, it is a vice so 
 mean and low, without any temptation, that every man 
 of sense and character despises it." 
 
 Reasons Annexed. 
 Q. 56. WHAT is THE REASON ANNEXED TO THE THIRD 
 
 COMMANDMENT? 
 
 The reason annexed to the third commandment 
 is, That however the breakers of this command- 
 
THIRD COMMANDMENT. 143 
 
 ment may escape punishment from men, yet the 
 Lord our God will not suffer them to escape his 
 righteous judgment. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? * 
 
 The sin of taking God's name in vain will be especially 
 punished by God. Deut. xxviii. 58, 59. If tliou wilt not 
 observe to do all the words of this law that are written 
 in this book, that thou raayest fear this glorious and fear- 
 ful name, " THE LORD THY GOD ;" then the Lord will make 
 thy plagues wonderful. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That human government is far less rigid 
 than the Divine Government, which is perfect ; that the 
 former takes no notice of many sins for which God will 
 hereafter call men to a strict account. (2.) That a man 
 may be a good citizen in view of human laws ; and yet a 
 bad citizen as viewed by the laws of the higher govern- 
 ment of God. (3.) That an escape from punishment in 
 this life is no proof of not being liable to punishment in 
 a future and endless state of existence. (4.) That I must 
 regard the claims of both human and divine laws, and 
 conduct myself rightly in view of both. 
 
 What Illustrations are presented ? 
 
 A GENTLEMAN (?) much addicted to profane swearing, 
 aecompanied a pious miner to see one of the mines in 
 Cornwall. During his visit to the pit he distressed his 
 companion by many profane and abominable expressions ; 
 and as they ascended together, finding it a long way, he 
 flippantly said, " As it is so far down to your work, how 
 far do you suppose it is to hell ?" The miner promptly re- 
 plied : " I do not know how far it is to hell, sir ; but I 
 
144 FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 believe that if the rope by which we are drawn up should 
 break, you would be there in one minute." 
 
 THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 Q. 57. WHICH is THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT? 
 
 The fourth commandment is, Remember the 
 Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou 
 labor, 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 daugh- 
 ter, 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 Sab- 
 bath day, and hallowed it. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Answer ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That men are apt to forget the &acred cha- 
 racter and uses of the Sabbath-day ; and that a broad 
 distinction must be made between the employments of 
 that day, and those of the other days of the week. (2.) 
 That God, and not man, has set apart the Sabbath-day, 
 as one of abstinence from worldly business and recrea- 
 tions, and of devotion to religious purposes. (3.) That I 
 am, therefore, under the strongest obligations to observe 
 it in the manner now to be explained. (4.) That it is the 
 duty of parents, of masters, and of heads of families, to 
 see that their children, their servants, and inmates of 
 their families, observe the Sabbath-day. (5.) By the "set 
 times" are meant chiefly the Sabbath, and days of fasting 
 
FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 145 
 
 and thanksgiving. Under the Jewish economy there 
 were other set times and modes of worship, which were 
 abolished when the Christian economy was introduced. 
 Since then no holidays (holy days) but the Sabbath, are 
 of divine authority or obligation, though it is equally our 
 duty and our profit to attend meetings for the worship 
 of God and religious improvement during the week also. 
 Also (6.) That it is as much my duty to labor six days, as 
 to avoid labor every seventh day. " A Christian must 
 not only mind heaven, but his calling." 
 
 What Illustration is given? 
 
 No SABBATH. In a "Prize Essay on the Sabbath," 
 written by a journeyman printer in Scotland, there occurs 
 the following admirable passage : " Yoke-fellow ! think 
 how the abstraction of the Sabbath would hopelessly en- 
 slave the working-classes, with whom we are identified. 
 Think of labor thus going on in one monotonous and con- 
 tinuous and eternal cycle limbs for ever on the rack, the 
 fingers for ever playing, the eyeballs for ever straining, 
 the brow for ever sweating, the feet for ever plodding, the 
 brain for ever drooping, the loins for ever aching, and the 
 restless mind for ever scheming. Think of the beauty it 
 would extinguish, of the giant strength that it would 
 tame; of the sickness it would breed; of the groans it 
 would extort ; and of the cheerless graves that it would 
 prematurely dig ! See them, toiling and moiling, sweat- 
 ing and fretting, grinding and hewing, weaving and spin- 
 ning, sowing and gathering, mowing and reaping, razing 
 and building, digging and planting, unloading and stor- 
 ing, struggling in the garden and in the field, in the 
 granary and in the barn, in the factory and in the mill, 
 in the warehouse and in the shop, on the mountain and 
 in the ditch, on the roadside and in the wood, in the city 
 and in the country, on the sea and on the shore, on the.- 
 13 
 
146 FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 earth, and in the earth ; in days of brightness and of 
 gloom. What a sad picture would the earth present if 
 we had no Sabbath." 
 
 Duties Required. 
 
 Q. 58. WHAT is REQUIRED IN THE FOURTH COMMAND- 
 MENT? 
 
 The fourth commandment requireth the keeping 
 holy to God such set times as he hath appointed in 
 his word ; expressly one whole day in seven, to be 
 a holy Sabbath to himself. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? . 
 
 1. God in his worship hath appointed set times for his 
 worship. Lev. xix. 30. Ye shall keep my Sabbaths, and 
 reverence my sanctuary : I am the Lord. 
 
 2. God requires one day in seven for himself. Deut. v. 14. 
 The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God. 
 
 3. The Sabbath is the day appointed for the worship of 
 God. Exod. xxxv. 2. On the seventh day there shall be 
 to you a holy day, a Sabbath of rest to the Lord. 
 
 4. The whole of the Sabbath is God's, and must be used 
 in his service. Exod. xxxi. 15. Whosoever doeth any 
 work in the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. 
 
 5. The Sabbath is to be kept holy to God. Deut. v. 12. 
 Keep the Sabbath day to sanctify it, as the Lord thy God 
 hath commanded thee. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines? 
 
 I learn that from twelve on Saturday night to twelve 
 on Sabbath night, is a period sacred to God and separated 
 from worldly uses, and that any one part of this period 
 is as sacred as any other part of it, and to be observed 
 accordingly. 
 
FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 147 
 
 What Illustration is given ? 
 
 The late Rev. CHARLES HALL, of New York, presents, in 
 his own practice, a striking and a rare instance of strict 
 conformity to the law of the Sabbath. The Rev. Dr. 
 Smith says of him in this respect : " Neither by labor, by 
 recreation, nor by travel, under whatever urgency of 
 temptation, would he desecrate the blessed day of God. 
 After a week's toil in a narrow room in the crowded city, 
 he would resolutely decline walking in his garden on that 
 day, however solicited by the early flowers, the spring 
 birds and the balmy air. He would avoid the very ap- 
 pearance of evil; he would not even seem to saunter 
 away the holy hours. On his return from his tour in 
 Europe, the ship that bore him arrived at the wharf in 
 this city on Sabbath morning. His family were at New-* 
 ark ; a little more than half an hour's ride in the cars 
 would have taken him there. His affectionate heart 
 yearned to greet them ; but it was the Lord's day, and 
 his eye was still ' single.' So he tarried in the city until 
 Monday, ' and rested the Sabbath day, according to the 
 commandment.' " 
 
 Change of the Sabbath. 
 Q. 59. WHICH DAY OF THE SEVEN HATH GOD APPOINTED TO 
 
 BE THE WEEKLY SABBATH ? 
 
 From the beginning of the world to the resur- 
 rection 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. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. The seventh day of the week was at first appointed by 
 God as the weekly Sabbath. Deut. v. 14. The seventh day 
 is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God. 
 
148 FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 2. The change of the Sabbath took place immediately after 
 the resurrection of Christ. John, xx. 19. (Compared with 
 ver. 26.) Then the same day at evening, 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. 
 
 3. The first day of the week is the Christian Sabbath, or 
 Lord's day. Acts, xx. 7. Upon the first day of the week, 
 when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul 
 preached unto them. 
 
 4. The first day of the week shall continue to be the Lord's 
 day, without change, till the end of the world. Rev. xxii. 
 19. If any man should take away from the words of the 
 book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out 
 of the book of life. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That the event of the resurrection of Christ 
 is evidently regarded by God as of greater moment than 
 that of the creation of the world ; for the Sabbath which, 
 for four thousand years, had been the appointed memorial 
 of the latter, ceased to be such when the former event oc- 
 curred, of which thenceforth the Sabbath changed in 
 consequence, to the first day of the week, became the 
 perpetual memorial. (2.) That when the first day of the 
 week dawns upon me, the first and happiest of my 
 thoughts should be of Christ and of his glorious ascent 
 from the grave, in confirmation of his claims and suc- 
 cess as a Redeemer. (3.) That the early Christians had 
 good reason to call this the " Lord's day ;" not only for 
 that just assigned, but Christ had besides probably au- 
 thorized the title, either personally or by his apostles, 
 under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. 
 
 What Illustrations are given? 
 
 1. IGNATIUS, one of the early fathers, who lived at the 
 same peiiod with the apostle John, thus commends the 
 
FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 149 
 
 religious observance of the first day of the week : " Let 
 every one that loveth Christ, keep holy the first day of 
 the week, the Lord's day." 
 
 2. Says the Rev. Thomas Watson : " The reason why 
 God did institute the old Sabbath was, because God 
 would have it kept as a memorial of the creation ; but 
 the Lord hath now brought the first day of the week in 
 the room of it in memory of a more glorious work than 
 creation, and that is redemption. It cost more to redeem 
 us than to create us. In the creation there was bat speak- 
 ing a word ; in the redeeming of us there was the shed- 
 ding of blood. In the creation God gave us ourselves; 
 in the redemption he gave us Himself. By creation we 
 have a life in Adam ; by redemption we have a life in 
 Christ. By creation we had a right to an earthly Para- 
 dise; by redemption we have a title to a heavenly king- 
 dom." 
 
 8. THE FIRST, THE BEST DAY OF THE WEEK. God hath 
 made all the days, but he hath blessed this. As Jacob got 
 the blessing from his brother, so the Sabbath got the 
 blessing from all the other days of the week. The Sab- 
 bath is the cream of time. The other days of the week are 
 most employed about earth ; this day about heaven, 
 Now Christ takes the soul into the mount, and gives it 
 transfiguring sights of glory. The Apostle John was in 
 the Spirit on the Lord's day, he was carried up in 
 divine raptures towards heaven. Christ wrought most of 
 his miracles on the Sabbath: so he doeth now; the dead 
 soul is raised, the heart of stone is made flesh. God hath 
 anointed this day with the oil of gladness above its fellows.*- 
 Thomas Watson. 
 
 Sanctiftcation of the Sabbath. 
 Q. 60. How is THE SABBATH TO BE SANCTIFIED? 
 The Sabbath is to be sanctified by a holy resting 
 
150 FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 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 ia 
 to be taken up in the works of necessity and 
 mercy. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. The Sabbath is to be kept by every one individually as a 
 day of rest for himself . Exod. xxxi. 15. Whosoever doeth 
 any work in the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to 
 to death. 
 
 2. The rest of the Sabbath is to be kept by every family, 
 and is to extend to our servants and cattle. Deut. v. 14. 
 That thy man servant and thy maid servant may rest as 
 well as thou. 
 
 3. The Sabbath is to be kept by communities as a day of 
 rest. Lev. xxiii. 3. Six days shall work be done : but 
 the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, a holy convocation : 
 ye shall do no work therein. 
 
 4. We are, on Sabbath, to abstain from all worldly em- 
 ployments. Jer. xvii. 21. Thus saith the Lord, Take 
 heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the Sabbath 
 day. 
 
 5. We are, on Sabbath, to abstain from such secular acts as 
 can be postponed to another day. Luke, xxiii. 56. And they 
 returned, and prepared spices and ointments ; and rested 
 the Sabbath day, according to the commandment. 
 
 6. We are, on Sabbath, to abstain from recreations and 
 pastimes, though lawful on other days. 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, Honorable; and shalt 
 honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine 
 own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words. 
 
 *7. The Sabbath is to be employed in public exercises of 
 God's worship. Isa. Ixvi. 23. From one Sabbath to an- 
 other, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the 
 Lord. 
 
FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 151 
 
 8. The Sabbath is to be employed in private acts of secret 
 and social worship. Lev. xxiii. 3. It is the Sabbath of 
 the Lord in all your dwellings. 
 
 9. Works of necessity are lawful on the Sabbath day. Mat. 
 xii. 1. Jesus went on the Sabbath day through the corn, 
 and his disciples were an hungered, and began to pluck 
 the ears of corn, and to eat. 
 
 10. Works of mercy arc lawful on the Sabbath day. Luke, 
 xiii. 16. Ought not this woman, being a daughter of 
 Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen 
 years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day ? 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That I must abstain on the Sabbath from 
 all kinds of business, done for gain or livelihood, which, 
 by prudent management, might have been done previ- 
 ously, or may be left undone till after the Sabbath ; that 
 I must abstain from the reading of newspapers and books 
 that are not religious ; from studying the arts and sci- 
 ences ; from writing letters upon worldly topics and in- 
 terests ; from making up accounts and posting books ; 
 from unnecessary travelling ; from walking and riding 
 for pleasure ; from conversing about the general news of 
 the time, trade, politics, <fcc. ; from feasting and visiting 
 of friends and neighbors ; from unnecessary preparation 
 of food and other manual labors. (2.) That great sin is 
 committed on the Sabbath by multitudes who think that 
 they pay a proper respect to the day ; and much more 
 by others, who do what they please on that day. (3.) 
 That it is not enough to abstain from the things men- 
 tioned above, if I do not also give my attention to re- 
 ligious worship and improvement. (4.) That the right or 
 wrong use of every seventh day cannot fail to exert a de- 
 cided influence, good or bad v upon my character and 
 happiness, in this life and in the next. 
 
 What Illustrations are given? 
 1. On the morning of his last Sabbath on earth, as the 
 
152 FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 day was breaking, a friend who had been sitting with 
 him, said, to the late Rev. Dr. CHARLES HALL, "Dear broth- 
 er, it is the Sabbath's dawn. May the Sun of righteous- 
 ness arise, with healing on his wings." He replied, " The 
 Sabbath the Sabbath the sweet, blessed Sabbath!" 
 His friend then repeated the lines: 
 
 ** Welcome, delightful morn, 
 Thou day of sacred rest 1" 
 
 He added 
 
 " Lord, make these moments blest." 
 
 As the sun was lighting up the East, the chair in which, 
 from difficulty of breathing, he was obliged to sit, was 
 drawn toward the window, that he might look out once 
 more upon the loved face of nature. It was one of those 
 serene and beautiful Sabbaths, that had often called from 
 his lips the exclamation 
 
 " Sweet day, so cool, so calm, so bright, 
 The bridal of the earth and sky 1" 
 
 A member of his family not being aware of what 
 had passed, said to him, " It is the Sabbath." " Yes," re- 
 plied he, " It is a smile of the Lord" 
 
 2. " "Who can believe," says Dr. Belfrage, " that one whole 
 day in seven is too much to be observed to the Lord, who 
 believes that a whole eternity shall be occupied, and 
 occupied most delightfully, in his service ?" 
 
 3. A CONCLUSIVE OBJECTION. A motion was once made 
 in Parliament to drill the militia on Sunday, for the 
 sake of saving time, and was likely to pass, when an old 
 member rose and said, " 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. 
 
 4. THE HOUSE OF GOD. When men attend public wor- 
 ship but once on the Sabbath, and assign as a reason, that 
 
FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 153 
 
 they were reading the Bible, I expect that they could not 
 have been reading the 95th Psalm, nor the 25th verse of 
 the llth chapter of Hebrews. Rev. Dr. Nevins. 
 
 5. It is good to rest on the Sabbath day from the works 
 of our calling ; but if we rest from labor and do no more t 
 the ox and the ass keep the Sabbath as well as we, for 
 they rest from labor. We must dedicate the day to God ; 
 we must not only " keep a Sabbath," but " sanctify a 
 Sabbath." Thomas Watson. 
 
 C. Two EXTREMES. Among Christians, there has been 
 a difference of opinion respecting the degree of strictness 
 with which the Sabbath is to be observed. Some are for 
 retaining all the rigor of the Jewish law, while others 
 insist that now its severity is relaxed. It is possible so 
 to overstrain the duties of the day, as to make men think 
 that they can hardly speak, or move, or look around 
 them, without violating its sanctity ; and thus to give 
 the Sabbath a gloomy and forbidding aspect. It is pos- 
 sible to grant such liberty, that it shall resemble a human 
 festival rather than a season of devotion a day of idle- 
 ness, gossiping, and amusement, mixed up with some re- 
 ligious offices. Dick's Lectures. 
 
 Sins Forbidden. 
 
 Q. 61. WHAT is FORBIDDEN IN THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT? 
 
 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. 
 
154 FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. We are not to omit any of the duties required from us 
 on the Sabbath. Ezek. xxii. 26. Her priests have violated 
 my law, and have profaned mine holy things ; they have 
 put no difference between the holy and profane, neither 
 have they showed difference between the unclean and the 
 clean, and have hid their eyes from my Sabbaths, and I 
 am profaned among them. 
 
 2. The duties of the Sabbath are-not to be performed care- 
 lessly. Deut. x. 12. Serve the Lord thy God with all thy 
 heart, and with all thy soul. 
 
 3. The Sabbath is not to be profaned by idleness. Exod. 
 xx. 8. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 
 
 4. Sinful acts are aggravated by being committed on the 
 Sabbath. Ezek. xxiii. 38! They have defiled my sanctuary 
 in the same day, and have profaned my Sabbaths. 
 
 5. Unnecessary thoughts about our worldly concerns are 
 forbidden on the Sabbath. Amos, viii. 5. When will the 
 new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the Sab- 
 bath, that we may set forth wheat ? 
 
 6. Unnecessary conversation about our worldly affairs is 
 forbidden on the Sabbath. Isa. Iviii. 13. Not doing thine 
 own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking 
 thine own words. 
 
 7. Unnecessary works for forwarding our worldly concerns 
 are forbidden on the Sabbath. Jcr. xvii. 21. Thus saith 
 the Lord ; Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden 
 on the Sabbath day. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That I must prepare for the Sabbath, by 
 having as little labor of a worldly sort as possible to be 
 attended to on that day. (2.) That I must make the 
 "works of necessity" as few as may be. (3.) That I must 
 relieve the destitute, the sick, and other suffering persons, 
 as far as practicable during the six days, so that the Sab- 
 bath may be the more unreservedly devoted to pursuits 
 strictly religious. 
 
FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 155 
 
 What Illustrations are given ? 
 
 w 1. BE AT CHURCH IN TIME. Mrs. CHAPONE was asked why 
 she always came so early to church? "Because," said 
 she, " it is part of my religion never to disturb the re- 
 ligion of others." 
 
 2. THE WOOD-CUTTER. In one of the central counties 
 of JSfew Jersey, a poor mechanic, eminent for his pious 
 zeal and consistency, was very much tried by the conduct 
 of an ungodly neighbor, who was in the habit of cutting 
 his wood for the week on the Lord's day, and the sound 
 of whose axe continually disturbed the old Christian's 
 meditation. Father H., as he was called, often remon- 
 strated earnestly and kindly with his neighbor, but with 
 no effect. At length he adopted a different course. On 
 Saturday afternoon his neighbor found the old man very 
 busy at his wood pile, and inquired in astonishment what 
 he was doing. " Why," replied Father H., " you will per- 
 sist in cutting your wood on God's holy day, and it grieves 
 me so much that I mean to do it for you this afternoon, 
 so that you will have no temptation to do it to-morrow." 
 The man was at once overcome, and exclaimed, "No, you 
 shall not ; I will do it myself ; nor will you ever, after 
 this, have reason to complain of me for chopping wood 
 on the Lord's day." And he was as good as his word. 
 Am. Messenger. 
 
 3. Safe Reasoning. " If you are not afraid of God, I 
 am afraid of you," said a stranger as he passed a counting 
 room on the Sabbath, and saw it open. He next day re- 
 fused to sell his produce to the Sabbath-breaker on any 
 credit whatever. He acted wisely. In three months the 
 Sabbath-breaker was a bankrupt. 
 
 4. THE LITTLE BOY'S REBUKE. One Sunday a lady called to 
 her little boy, who was tossing marbles on the side-walk, 
 to come into the house. " Don't you know you shouldn't 
 
156 FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 be out there, my son? Go into the back yard, if you 
 want to play marbles it is Sunday." " Well, yes. But 
 ain't it Sunday in the back yard, mother ?" 
 
 Reasons Annexed. 
 Q. 62. WHAT ARE THE REASONS ANNEXED TO THE FOURTH 
 
 COMMANDMENT ? 
 
 The reasons annexed to the fourth commandment 
 are, God's allowing us six days of the week for our 
 own employments, his challenging a special pro- 
 priety in the seventh, his own example, and his 
 blessing the Sabbath day. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. God having allowed us six days for our own employ- 
 ment, claims the seventh for himself. Exod. xxxi. 15, 16. 
 Six days may work be done, but in the seventh is the 
 Sabbath of rest. Wherefore the children of Israel shall 
 keep the Sabbath. 
 
 2. God claiming the Sabbath as his own property, re- 
 quires us to keep it. Lev. xxiii. 3. Ye shall do no work 
 therein : it is the Sabbath of the Lord. 
 
 8. God having set us the example of resting on the Sab- 
 bath requires us to follow it. Exod. 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. 
 
 4. God requires the Sabbath to be observed by us because 
 fie himself blessed and sanctified it. Gen. ii. 3. God blessed 
 the seventh day, and sanctified it. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That there are strong and sufficient reasons 
 why I should strictly observe the Sabbath reasons that 
 apply also to all other persons. (2.) That it is base and 
 
FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 151 
 
 ungrateful to grudge the devoting of only a seventh part 
 of my time to God, while he has given me six-sevenths 
 for attending to my worldly affairs and recreations. (3.) 
 I may suppose that as God could have created the world 
 by an immediate act, he was pleased to employ six days 
 in making it, followed by one of rest, thus to prepare the 
 way, by his own high example, for his intelligent crea- 
 tures to observe a similar order in their own employments ; 
 in other words, to prompt them to act in accordance with 
 the Fourth Command. (4.) As God on the Seventh day 
 looked with delight upon the world of beauty and of life 
 which his operations had completed on the preceding six 
 days, so he designs that on each seventh day of our lives 
 we should employ ourselves in reflecting upon his varied 
 works of Creation, of Providence, and of Redemption. 
 (5.) Another strong reason for observing the Sabbath, in 
 the way prescribed, is, that Sabbath-breaking has been the 
 most common beginning and cause of a life of crime and in- 
 famy, while, on the other hand, the observance of the 
 Sabbath is the best preparation for a life of virtue and 
 respectability. 
 
 What Illustrations are given ? 
 
 1. SCOTCH SABBATHS. " I have heard" (says one) " many 
 curious stories illustrative of that veneration with which 
 the Sabbath is regarded in /Scotland. Let me mention one. 
 A geologist, while in the country, and having his pocket 
 hammer with him, took it out and was chipping the rock 
 on the way-side, for examination. His proceedings did 
 not escape the quiet eye and ready tongue of an old 
 Scotch woman. l What are you doing there, man ?' ' Don't 
 you see ? Tin breaking a stone.' ' Y'are doing mair than 
 that : y'are breaking the Sabbath.' " 
 
 2. WILBERFORCE AND THE SABBATH. This celebrated 
 man ascribes his continuance for so long a time, under 
 
 14 
 
158 FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 such a pressure of cares and labors, in no small degree to 
 the conscientious and habitual observance of the Sab- 
 bath. " Oh what a blessed day," he says, " is the Sab- 
 bath, which allows us a precious interval wherein to 
 pause to come out from the thickets of worldly con- 
 cerns, and give ourselves up to heavenly and spiritual 
 objects ! It is a blessed thing to have the Sabbath devoted 
 to God. There is nothing in which I would commend 
 you to be more conscientious than in keeping the Sabbath 
 day." 
 
 3. SETTLING ACCOUNTS. A GENTLEMAN introduced an in- 
 fidel friend to a minister, with the remark, " He never 
 attends public worship." "Ah!" said the minister, "I 
 am almost tempted to hope you are bearing false witness 
 against your neighbor." " By no means," said the in* 
 fidel, "for I always spend Sundays in settling my ac- 
 counts." The minister immediately replied : " You will 
 find, sir, that the day of judgment will be spent in the 
 same manner." 
 
 4. You CAN TRUST HIM. NICHOLAS BIDDLE, when Presi- 
 dent of the United States Bank, once dismissed a clerk 
 because the latter refused to write for him on the Sabbath. 
 The young man, dependent on his exertions, was thus 
 thrown out of employment by what some would call an 
 over-nice scruple of conscience. But, a few days after, 
 Mr. Biddle being requested to nominate a cashier for an- 
 other bank, recommended this very individual, and men- 
 tioned this incident as a proof of his trust-worthiness. 
 " You can trust him" said he "for he would not work for 
 
 5. THE DAY OF REST. The rest of the Sabbath is nec- 
 essary, after the engagement of the week, as is the 
 night's rest after the work of the day. After six days of 
 labor our strained muscles need a season to renew their 
 elasticity our irritable nerves to recover their moral 
 
FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 159 
 
 state our fretted spirits to resume their equanimity. A 
 simple change of necessary labor does a great deal ; the 
 entire cessation of all that is unnecessary does still more. 
 The fitting devotional exercises of the day are calming 
 and soothing, and productive of that healthy state of 
 mind with which it is desirable to enter upon the duties 
 of the succeeding days. The influence of the Sabbath on 
 the week's tumultuous cares is like oil poured on a stormy 
 sea. N. Y. Times. 
 
 THE DUTIES WHICH WE OWE TO MAN, 
 
 CONTAINED IN THE LAST SIX COMMANDMENTS OF THE LAW. 
 THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 Q. 63. WHAT is THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT ? 
 
 The fifth commandment is, Honor thy father and 
 thy mother ; that thy days may be long upon the 
 land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Answer ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That I must love, obey, and provide for my 
 father and mother. (2.) That God greatly cares for the 
 comfort of my parents, or he would not have given this 
 command so prominent a place, nor connected with obedi- 
 ence to it a special promise, such as no other of the ten 
 commands furnishes. (3.) That disobedience to parents, 
 and a neglect of their welfare, is a base and aggravated 
 
 What Illustrations are given ? 
 
 1. The late Professor B. B. EDWARDS, for a long time 
 after the decease of his mother, remained sad and melan- 
 
160 FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 choly. Those who saw the influence of his affliction, 
 said, one to another : " Behold how he loved her !" He 
 felt a pious joy in looking forward to his college va- 
 cations, when he might place some green sods upon her 
 grave. Park's Memoirs. 
 
 2. A FATHER'S PRAYER. A boy disobeyed his father. His 
 father, with a look of sorrow, retired to his room. The 
 boy wishe^l to know what his father was doing, or going 
 to do, for he felt guilty. So, with the mean spirit of a 
 disobedient boy, he looked through the key-hole. There 
 he saw his father on his knees at prayer. He listened 
 and heard his father praying for him. This struck him 
 to the heart. He went away and prayed for himself. 
 God heard the prayer of this pious father, and his son 
 became a Christian indeed. N. Y. Observer. 
 
 Duties Required. 
 
 Q. 64. WHAT is REQUIRED IN THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT? 
 
 The fifth commandment requireth the preserving 
 the honor, and performing the duties belonging to 
 every one in their several places and relations, as 
 superiors, inferiors, or equals. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. The several stations in society are ordained by God. 
 Rom. xiii. 1. The powers that be, are ordained of God. 
 
 2. We must preserve the honor due to every one in their 
 several stations. 1 Pet. ii. 17. Honor all men. 
 
 3. We must preserve the honor due to our superiors. 
 Lev. xix. 82. Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, 
 and honor the face of the old man, and fear thy God : I 
 am the Lord. 
 
 4. We must preserve the honor due to our inferiors. 
 Rom. xii. 16. Condescend to men of low estate. 
 
FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 161 
 
 5. We must preserve the honor due to our equals. Rom. 
 xii. 10. Be kindly affectioned one to another with 
 brotherly love ; in honor preferring one another. 
 
 6. We arc faithfully to perform the duties which belong to 
 every one in their several stations. Rom. xiii. 7. Render 
 therefore to all their dues. 
 
 7. We must perform. the duties which we owe to our superi- 
 ors. Rom. xiii. 1. Let every soul be subject unto the 
 higher powers. 
 
 8. We must perform the duties which we owe to our inferi- 
 ors. Eph. vi. 9. And, ye masters, do the same things 
 unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your 
 Master also is in heaven. 
 
 9. We must perform the duties which we owe to our 
 equals Eph. v. 21. Submitting yourselves one to an- 
 other in the fear of God. 
 
 10. All our social duties must be performed with a due 
 regard to the authority of God. Eph. vi. 7. With good- 
 will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That all men do not stand on the same level, 
 but that some are so situated as to hold a certain author- 
 ity and command over others. (2.) That the present 
 state of society being such by God's arrangement, I 
 must regard it as wise and useful. (3.) Out of this state 
 of things grows a large number of duties, the perform- 
 ance of which binds society most happily together. (4.) 
 I ought to be content with the station in life which God 
 has given, and attentive to its specific duties. (5.) The 
 superiors to whom I owe respect and various duties, are 
 such as the following : not only my father and mother, 
 but all others who are appointed over me in places of 
 authority, whether in the family, or in the church of 
 Christ, or in the State, all who are above me in station, 
 office, dignity, or gifts. (6.) By inferiors are meant, all 
 who are ufider me in those respects. (7.) Equals are 
 those of about equal age, gifts, or condition in the world. 
 
162 FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 (8.) Among the relations existing, are those of husband 
 and wife, parent and child, minister and people, master 
 and servant, employer and apprentices, magistrate and pri- 
 vate citizen, teacher and pupil, brothers and sisters, elder 
 and younger. (9.) It becomes a duty to examine the 
 Scriptures, and to employ deep reflection, to ascertain 
 what course of conduct I owe to my fellow-men, accord- 
 ing as they are related to me in any of the ways just 
 pointed out ; and then, conscientiously and carefully to 
 pursue that course, because God requires it. 
 
 What Illustrations are given? 
 
 1. GENERAL HARRISON. On his way to Washington, to 
 enter upon the duties of the Presidential chair, General 
 Harrison made a visit to his native place in Virginia, and 
 here, for the last time, saw the home of his infancy. He 
 passed through the house from room to room, until, upon 
 arriving at a retired bed-chamber, he burst into tears, 
 saying to a friend, who accompanied him, " This is the 
 spot where my mother used to pray with me." This was the 
 hidden influence which had followed him through all 
 the exciting scenes of his eventful life. Dr. Magie. 
 
 2. THE POOR WIDOW. " Uncle Oliver," said the pastor 
 of a country church, to an elderly farmer of his flock, " I 
 wish you would carry a load of wood to old Mrs. W., the 
 widow of our Christian brother, who lived so long just 
 beyond you on the road to D." " I will try to do it," 
 said the farmer ; " but to whom shall I look for the pay ?" 
 Said the pastor, " Read, when you go home, the first three 
 verses of the 41st Psalm ; and then, if you want any 
 better security for payment, call on me." It was but a 
 few days after, the old gentleman met his pastor, and 
 said, " I like that security you mentioned, and have no 
 fear that it will fail me in the time of need for my heart 
 
FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 163 
 
 BO felt the assurance, when reading it, that I could scarce 
 close my eyes that night." N. Y. Evang. 
 
 3. I CANNOT PRAY FOR FATHER ANY MOKE! A CHILD 
 knelt, at the accustomed hour, to thank God for the 
 mercies of the day, and pray for care through the coming 
 night ; then, as usual, came the earnest, " God bless dear 
 mother and" but the prayer was stilled ! the little hands 
 unclasped, and a look of agony and wonder met the 
 mother's eye as the words of hopeless sorrow burst from 
 the lips of the kneeling child, " I cannot pray for father 
 any more /" Since her little lips had been able to form 
 the dear name she had prayed for a blessing upon it ; it 
 had followed close after mother's name, for he had said 
 that must come first ; and now say the familiar prayer, 
 and leave her father out I No wonder that the new 
 thought seemed too much for the childish mind to re- 
 ceive. I waited for some moments that she might con- 
 quer her emotion, and then urged her to go on. Her 
 pleading eyes met mine, and, with a voice that faltered 
 too much almost for utterance, she said, " O mother, I 
 cannot leave him all out ; let me say, ' thank God that I 
 had a dear father once !' so I can still go on and keep him 
 in my prayers." And so she always does, and my stricken 
 heart learned a lesson from the loving ingenuity of my 
 child. Remember to thank God for mercies past, as well 
 as to ask blessings for the future. Presbyterian. 
 
 Sins Forbidden. 
 
 Q. 65. WHAT is FORBIDDEN IN THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT ? 
 
 The fifth commandment forbiddeth the neglect- 
 ing of, or doing anything against, the honor and 
 duty which belongeth to every one in their several 
 places and relations. 
 
164 FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. We are not to neglect the honor due to every one. 1 
 Pet. iii. 8. Love as brethren. Be courteous. 
 
 2. We are not to neglect the honor due to our superiors. 
 .Rom. xiii. 7. Render therefore to all their dues. Honor 
 to whom honor. 
 
 3. We are not to neglect the honor due to our inferiors. 
 Gen. xxiii. 7. Abraham stood up and bowed himself to 
 the people of the land, even to the children of Heth. 
 
 4. We are not to neglect the honor due to our equals. 
 Rom. xii. 16. Be of the same mind one toward another. 
 
 5. We are not to do anything against the honor belong- 
 ing to every one. 1 Cor. ix. 22. To the weak became I as 
 weak, that I might gain the weak. 
 
 6. We are not to do anything against the honor due to our 
 superiors. Eccl. x. 20. Curse not the king, no, not in thy 
 thought. 
 
 7. We are not to do anything against the honor due to 
 our inferiors. Mat. xxiii. 11. He that is greatest among 
 you, shall be your servant. 
 
 8. We are not to do anything against the honor due to our 
 equals. Phil. ii. 3. Let each esteem other better than 
 themselves. 
 
 9. We are not to neglect the duties which are due to our 
 fellow-men. Rom. xiii. 8. Owe no man anything, but to 
 love one another. 
 
 10. We are not to neglect the duties which are due to our 
 superiors. Tit. iii. 1. Be subject to principalities and 
 powers. Obey magistrates. 
 
 11. We are not to neglect the duties which are due to our 
 inferiors. Col. iv. 1. Masters, give unto your servants 
 that which is just and equal. 
 
 12. We are not to neglect the duties which are due to our 
 equals. Gal. v. 13. By love serve one another. 
 
 13. We are not to do anything against the duties which we 
 owe to our fellow-men. 1 Thes. v. 15. Follow that which 
 is good, both among yourselves and to all men. 
 
 14. We are not to do anything against the duty which we 
 owe to our superiors. 1 Pet. iii. 6. Sarah obeyed Abra- 
 ham, calling him lord. 
 
 15. We are not to do anything against the duty which we 
 
FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 165 
 
 owe to our inferiors. Mat. xxiii. 4. They bind heavy 
 burdens, and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's 
 shoulders. 
 
 16. We are not to do anything against the duty which we 
 owe t$ our equals. Phil. ii. 3. Let nothing be done 
 through strife or vain glory. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines? 
 
 I learn (1.) That I am not allowed to be inattentive, 
 much less to be opposed, to the rendering of due respect 
 and kindness to all classes of my fellow-men, and to my 
 various relatives. (2.) That there are many, beside my- 
 self, that have rights, and whose happiness must be 
 honestly and faithfully consulted. 
 
 What Illustration is given ? 
 
 1. The words of All to his Sons. " My sons, never de- 
 spise any person ; consider your superior as your father, 
 your equal as your brother, and your inferior as your 
 son." 
 
 2. ANNE BOLEYN. Queen Anne Boleyn is said to have 
 been provided daily with a purse, the contents of which 
 were entirely appropriated to the poor, when she casu- 
 ally met with proper objects justly thinking no week 
 well passed which did not afford her pleasure in the re- 
 trospect. Impressed with this conviction, the unfortunate 
 Queen insisted that all her attendants should employ 
 their leisure in making clothes for the poor, which she 
 took care to see properly distributed. Percy Anecdotes. 
 
 3. CHARITABLE PASTOR. A Parisian, paying a visit to a 
 curate in the middle of winter, remarked that he was 
 living in a house with naked walls, and inquired why he 
 had not got hangings to protect him from the rigor of 
 the cold ? The good pastor showed him two little chil- 
 dren that he had taken care of, and replied, " I had rather 
 clothe these poor children than my walls." Ibid. 
 
166 FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 4. GEORGE THE THIBD. An application was once made 
 to the benevolent compassion of George III., out of the 
 due order, by a person who was reduced, with a large 
 family, to extreme distress. It succeeded far beyond his 
 hopes. He was so overpowered by the graciousness and 
 extent of the benefaction, as, upon receiving it, to fall on 
 his knees, and, with a flood of grateful tears, to thank the 
 donor for his goodness. " Rise," said the condescending 
 sovereign ; " go and thank God for having disposed my 
 heart to relieve your necessities." Ibid. 
 
 5. ISLE OF MAN. It is a proverb among the hospitable 
 inhabitants of the Isle of Man, that " When one poor 
 man relieves another, God himself laughs for joy." Poor- 
 rates, and most other parochial rates, are unknown ; and 
 there is not, in the whole island, either hospital, work- 
 house, or house of correction, though in every parish 
 there is at least one charity school, and often a small 
 library. A collection is made, as in Scotland, after the 
 morning service of every Sunday, for the relief of such 
 poor of the parish as are thought deserving of charity. 
 The donation is optional, but it is usual for every one to 
 give something. Ibid. 
 
 6. How TO RUIN A SON. 1. Let him have his own way. 
 2. Allow him a free use of money. 3. Suffer him to roam 
 where he pleases on the Sabbath. 4. Give him full ac- 
 cess to wicked companions. 5. Call him to no account 
 of his earnings. 6. Furnish him with no stated employ- 
 ment. 7. Do not discourage the use of intoxicating 
 liquors. 
 
 Reasons Annexed. 
 
 Q. 66. WHAT is THE REASON ANNEXED TO THE FIFTH COM- 
 MANDMENT ? 
 
 The reason annexed to the fifth commandment 
 
FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 167 
 
 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 commandment. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. Long life is promised to those who honor their parents. 
 
 Eph. vi. 2, 3. Honor thy father and mother, that 
 
 thou mayest live long on the earth. 
 
 2. Temporal prosperity is promised to those who honor 
 their parents. Eph. vi. 2, 3. Honor thy father and 
 mother, that it may be well with thee. 
 
 3. Temporal prosperity and long life are always regulated 
 by a regard to the glory of God. John, xi. 4. This sick- 
 ness is not unto death, but for the glory of God. 
 
 4. Temporal prosperity is always limited to what is best 
 for the people of God. Prov. xxx. 8. Give me neither 
 poverty nor riches ; feed me with food convenient forme. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That I should desire to live, and to be pros- 
 pered in my plans and undertakings, only so far as may 
 promote my best interests the interests of my soul 
 and my usefulness, and the glory of God. (2.) That the 
 afflictions and early death of some who have been obedi- 
 ent to the Fifth Command, are to be explained con- 
 sistently with the annexed promise, by supposing that 
 those providential arrangements were occasioned by God's 
 regard for their true interest, their eternal happi- 
 ness, and his own glory. (3.) That eternal life, and 
 my being instrumental in honoring God, are of more 
 value than great length of days on earth ; are to be more 
 esteemed than great temporal possessions, or pleasures, or 
 distinctions. 
 
 What Illustrations are presented ? 
 
 1. The late PRESIDENT DWIGHT, of Yale College, says: 
 " In conversing with the plain people of this country, 
 
168 FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 distinguished for their good sense, and careful observa- 
 tions of facts, I have found them to a great extent firmly 
 persuaded of the verification of this promise (of temporal 
 blessings) in our own days ; and ready to produce a variety 
 of proofs from cases in which they have seen the blessing 
 realized. Their opinion on this subject is mine; and 
 with their experience mine has coincided." Works, vol. 
 iii., p. 297. 
 
 2. The AMEBICAN INDIANS, as a first lesson, inculcate 
 upon their children obedience to parents, and respect for 
 old age ; and among no people is filial obedience more 
 promptly or generally rendered. A father need only say, 
 in presence of his children, "I want such a thing done ; 
 who is the good child that will do it ?" and they vie with 
 each other in their ready compliance with his wishes. 
 When an old decrepit man or woman passes by, led by a 
 child, the father calls the attention of his children to the 
 scene, and remarks: "What a good child that must be, 
 who pays such attention to the aged 1 That child looks 
 forward to the time when it likewise will be old." Or, 
 perhaps, he will say, " May the Great Spirit, who looks 
 upon him, grant this good child a long life. " 
 
 3. DISOBEDIENCE TO PARENTS. There is too little respect 
 paid to parental authority at the present day. It is 
 grievous to go into many families and hear the language 
 daily used by the children. There is truth as well as 
 rhyme in a couplet by Randolph : 
 
 " Whoever makes his parent's heart to bleed 
 Shall have a child that will revenge the deed." 
 
 One thing is certain, an undutiful son and a disobedient 
 daughter cannot long prosper. For a season they may ap- 
 pear well to the eye of a stranger, but their self-will and 
 stubbornness are soon discovered, and they are despised. 
 
SIXTH COMMANDMENT. 169 
 
 A child who disobeys his parents will not hesitate to 
 abuse anybody. Neither age nor talents receive respect 
 from him. N. Y. Obs. 
 
 4. FOR PARENTS. "To give children good instruction 
 and a bad example," says Archbishop Tillotson, "is but 
 BECKONING to them with one hand to show them the way 
 to heaven, while we take them by the other and LEAD 
 them to HELL." 
 
 THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 Q. 67. WHICH is THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT 
 
 The sixth commandment is, Thou shalt not kill. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Answer ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That except God had expressly given per 
 mission, as he did to Noah, it would be unlawful to take 
 the life of the lower animals ; but he allows us to 
 use for food those that are adapted to that purpose, and 
 to destroy those that are hurtful or dangerous to us. 
 (2.) That the precept is designed, therefore, to protect 
 human life. 
 
 Duties Required. 
 
 Q. 68. WHAT is REQUIRED IN THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT ? 
 
 The sixth commandment requireth all lawful en- 
 deavors to preserve our own life and the life of 
 others. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Answer ? 
 
 1. We must use all lawful endeavors to preserve our own 
 lives. I Tim. v. 23. Use a little wine for thy stomach's 
 sake, and thine often infirmities. 
 
 15 
 
170 SIXTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 2. We are to use no unlawful endeavors for the preserva- 
 tion of our lives. Mat. xvi. 25. Whosoever will save his 
 life, shall lose it. 
 
 3. We must use all lawful endeavors to preserve the lives 
 of others. Prov. xxiv. li, 12. If thou forbear to deliver 
 them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready 
 to be slain ; if thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not ; doth 
 not he that pondereth the heart consider it ? 
 
 4. We are to use no unlawful endeavors to preserve the lives 
 of others. Num. xxxv. 81. Ye shall take no satisfaction 
 for the life of a murderer. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That I am required to use such means for 
 prolonging my own life and the life of others, as the laws 
 of God and of man allow. (2.) That I may, by force, de- 
 fend life from violence, unless it be demanded by the 
 laws of my country on account of crime. (3.) That my 
 bodily health and that of others should be carefully pro- 
 vided for, in respect to food, medicine, clothing, and other 
 needful accommodations. (4.) That my appetite and 
 desires must not be gratified in such a measure or degree 
 as tends to destroy or shorten life. (5.) That it is my 
 duty to contribute to the relief of human want and dis- 
 ease. 
 
 What Illustrations can you relate? 
 
 1. "NEVER MIND THE PROPERTY SAVE THE LIVES." When 
 the great book establishment of the Messrs Harper, in the 
 City of New York, was on fire (Dec. 10, 1853), and in 
 evident danger, with its immensely valuable contents, of 
 soon being destroyed, Col. JOHN HARPER, one of the firm, 
 when informed, in his counting-room, of this fact, and the 
 inquiry was added, " What portion of the property shall 
 we save first, sir?" promptly and nobly replied, "Never 
 mind the property save the lives." There were about 
 six hundred persons engaged at the time in the various 
 
SIXTH COMMANDMENT. 171 
 
 buildings of the establishment, all of whom, through the 
 most vigorous exertions of the firemen and others, were 
 rescued from an impending and horrible death by fire. 
 " This is a sad calamity, sir," said a friend to Mr. John 
 Harper, alluding to the conflagration, " a large number 
 of poor persons thrown out of employment." " Ah, yes,* 9 
 answered Mr. Harper, " God bless them, they must be 
 seen to." 
 
 2. At a time of famine in the city of Rome, Pompey 
 provided grain for their relief; and when the mariners 
 were reluctant to sail thither in a tempest, said he, " It is 
 not necessary that we should live, but it is necessary that 
 Rome be relieved." 
 
 3. " DON'T STEP THEUE." A layer of snow was spread 
 over the icy streets, and pedestrians walked carefully, 
 shod with India-rubber, toward the churches, on a cold 
 Sabbath morning in February. Walking somewhat 
 hastily, for he was late, a gentleman noticed a bright- 
 looking little lad, with his eyes fixed upon one spot on 
 the side- walk; and, as he approached, the lad said, 
 " Please don't step there, sir ; I slipped there, and fell 
 down." The gentleman thanked the philanthropic little 
 fellow, and passed round the dangerous spot. Selfish- 
 ness would hurry away from the place of a fall, mutter- 
 ing, " It is none of my business what becomes of those 
 who follow." Pride would seek to hide his humiliation. 
 Mischief and malignity would wait for a laugh or a sneer 
 at the coming helpless traveller ; but benevolence halts 
 for a little to utter a kind warning, and to guard a fellow- 
 being against a calamity. 
 
 Sins Forbidden. 
 
 Q. 69. WHAT is FORBIDDEN IN THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT? 
 The sixth commandment forbiddeth the taking 
 
172 SIXTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 away of our own life, or the life of our neighbor, 
 unjustly, or whatsoever tendeth thereunto. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. We are not to destroy our own lives. Acts, xvi. 28. 
 Do thyself no harm. 
 
 2. We are to avoid everything which would tend to take 
 away our own lives. Job, xiv. 14. All the days of my ap- 
 pointed time will I wait, till my change come. 
 
 3. We are not to take away the life of another person un- 
 justly. Lev. xxiv. 17. He that killeth any man shall 
 surely be put to death. 
 
 4. We are to avoid everything which would tend to take 
 away the life of another. Deut. xxiv. 6. No man shall 
 take the nether or the upper millstone to pledge : for he 
 taketh a man's life to pledge. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That human life, in some cases, may be 
 justly taken away ; as when it is necessary to my own 
 defence, or that of others, from unlawful violence ; also, 
 when it is taken by a magistrate in due course of law, as 
 the punishment of some flagrant crime ; and also in law- 
 ful war, in defence of our country, or of civil and religious 
 liberty. (2.) Hence, also, I learn, that it is wicked to 
 form any designs against my own life or the life of others ; 
 it is contrary to this command, also, to indulge in envy, 
 rage, malice, impatience, discontent, and immoderate 
 grief, under trouble ; to practice gluttony and drunken- 
 ness ; to over-work myself or any in my employment, 
 for the sake of gain ; to expose my life or theirs to un- 
 necessary dangers ; or even to neglect proper means for 
 preserving life. (3.) If the care of the life of the body is 
 so guarded by the divine law, how much more worthy of 
 care is the salvation of my own soul and of the souls of 
 my fellow-men ? If the short life on earth is of so much 
 
SIXTH COMMANDMENT. 173 
 
 value, how incalculably more valuable is the life of ever- 
 lasting ages ? (4.) How great, therefore, is the crime of 
 doing anything to hinder my own salvation or that of 
 others ? 
 
 What Illustrations are given? 
 
 1. How TO DISPOSE OF AN INJURY. In a school-room, in 
 Boston, a little boy, about seven years of age, was sitting 
 beside his sister, about five years old. George got 
 angry with his sister about something, doubled up his 
 fist, and struck her on the head. The little girl was just 
 going to strike him back again, when the teacher, seeing 
 it, said : " My dear Mary, you had better kiss your 
 brother. See how angry and unhappy he looks !" Mary 
 looked at her brother. He looked sullen and wretched. 
 Her resentment was soon gone, and love for her brother 
 returned to her heart. She threw both her arms around 
 his neck, and kissed him. The poor boy was wholly un- 
 prepared for such a kind return for his blow. He could 
 not stand before the generous affection of his sister. His 
 feelings were touched, and he burst into tears. His 
 gentle sister took the corner of her apron, and wiped 
 away his tears, and sought to comfort him by saying : 
 " Don't cry, George ; you did not hurt me much." But 
 he only wept the more. 
 
 2. THK TRUE PHILOSOPHY. "What do you mean to do 
 
 with K ?" said a friend of THEODORE HOOKE, alluding 
 
 to a man who had grossly vilified him. " Do with him ?" 
 rejoined Hooke, "why I mean to let him alone most 
 
 3. Thomas Watson well remarks, that surfeiting 
 shortens life; "more die of it than by the sword;" 
 many dig their graves with their teeth; "the cup kills 
 more than the cannon." 
 
 4. SELF-MURDER may also be committed not only by an 
 
 15* 
 
174 SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 act of violence or by poison, but by indulging envy, dis- 
 content, immoderate grief, and despondency. 
 
 5. PETER THE GREAT made a law, in 1722, that if any 
 nobleman beat or ill-used his slaves, he should be looked 
 upon as insane, and a guardian should be appointed to 
 take care of his person and of his estate. The great 
 monarch once struck his gardener, who, being a man of 
 great sensibility, took to his bed, and died in a few days. 
 Peter, hearing of this, exclaimed, with tears in his eyes, 
 "Alas! I have civilized my own subjects; I have con- 
 quered other nations ; yet I have not been able to civilize 
 or to conquer myself." Percy Anecdotes. 
 
 THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 Q. 70. WHICH is THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT? 
 
 The seventh commandment is, Thou shalt not 
 commit adultery. 
 
 Duties Required. 
 
 Q. 71. WHAT is REQUIRED IN THE SEVENTH COMMAND- 
 MENT ? 
 
 The seventh commandment requireth the preser- 
 vation of our own and our neighbor's chastity, in 
 heart, speech and behavior. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. We are to preserve our own chastity. 1 Thes. iv. 4. 
 That every one of you should know how to possess his 
 vessel in sanetification and honor. 
 
 2. We are to avoid all occasions of temptation. Prov. v. 
 &, Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the 
 door of her house. 
 
SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 175 
 
 3. We are to be chaste in our thoughts. 2 Tim. ii. 22. 
 Flee also youthful lusts. 
 
 4. We are to be chaste in our words. Eph. v. 4. Neither 
 filthiness, nor foolish talking. 
 
 5. We are to be chaste in our actions. 1 Pet. iii. 2. While 
 they behold our chaste conversation coupled with fear. 
 
 6. We are to endeavor to preserve our neighbor's chastity as 
 well as our own. Eph. v. 11. Have no fellowship with 
 the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove 
 them. 
 
 What Lesson do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn that in mind as well as body I must guard my- 
 self against immodesty ; and to help me to do this effect- 
 ually, it will be well to call to mind the noble reply of 
 Joseph, when tempted to a gross sin of this kind : " How 
 can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God ?" 
 
 What Illustrations are given ? 
 
 1. WILLIAM KELLY, of the Isle of Man, was very earnest 
 and affectionate in his exhortations to his young friends, 
 and used often to repeat to them that passage in the 119th 
 Psalm: 
 
 How shall the young preserve their ways 
 
 From all pollution free ? 
 By making still their course of life 
 
 With thy commands agree. 
 
 And he would conclude by saying, "Remember the 
 word all" 
 
 2. The pious M'Cheyne, of Scotland, remarks: "Eve, 
 Achan, David, all fell through the ' lust of the eye.' I 
 should make a covenant with mine, and pray, ' Turn 
 away mine eyes from beholding vanity.' * # * 
 * * * * Satan makes unconverted men 
 like the deaf adder to the sound of the Gospel. I should 
 pray to be made deaf by the Holy Spirit to all that would 
 tempt me to sin. I ought to meditate often on heaven as a 
 
1 76 SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 world of holiness where all are holy, where the joy Is 
 holy joy, the work holy work ; so that without personal 
 holiness I never can be there." Memoir, p. 139 
 
 Sins Forbidden. 
 
 Q. 72. WHAT is FORBIDDEN IN THE SEVENTH COMMAND- 
 MENT? 
 
 The seventh commandment forbiddeth all un- 
 chaste thoughts, words, and actions. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. All unchaste thoughts are forbidden. Mat. v. 28. 
 Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath 
 committed adultery with her already in his heart. 
 
 2. All unchaste conversation is forbidden. Eph. iv. 
 29. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your 
 mouth. 
 
 3. All unchaste actions are forbidden. Eph. v. 3. Forni- 
 cation and uncleanness, let it not once be named among 
 you. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) The danger from immodest pictures, songs, 
 books, dress, gestures ; danger from the theatre and ball- 
 room, from intemperate eating and drinking ; danger 
 from idleness, pride, and vanity ; and from all influences 
 unfriendly to a pure heart and a pure life. (2.) The vast 
 importance of always obeying the Holy Spirit, who 
 kindly seeks to keep me from this as well as from all 
 other sins. 
 
 What Illustrations are afforded ? 
 
 The NURSE OF INFIDELITY is sensuality. Youth are 
 sensual. The Bible stands in their way. It prohibits 
 the indulgence of the lust of the flesh,, the lust, of the eye t and 
 
EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. 177 
 
 the pride of life. But the young mind loves these things; 
 and therefore it hates the Bible, which prohibits them. 
 It is prepared to say, " If any man will bring me argu- 
 ments against the Bible, 1 will thank him ; if not, I will 
 invent them." Cecil. 
 
 THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 .Q. 73. WHICH is THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT? 
 
 The eighth commandment is, Thou shalt not 
 steal. 
 
 Q. 74. WHAT is REQUIRED IN THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT ? 
 
 The eighth commandment requireth the lawful 
 procuring and furthering the wealth and outward 
 estate of ourselves and others. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. Wealth is to be procured and retained only by lawful 
 means. Rom. xii. 17. Provide things honest in the sight 
 of all men. 
 
 2. We are to endeavor to procure wealth. Prov. vi. 6. 
 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be 
 wise. 
 
 3. We are to endeavor by lawful means to promote and 
 further our outward estate. Prov. xxvii. 23. Be thou 
 diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to 
 thy herds. 
 
 4. We are to assist others in procuring the good things of 
 life. Gal. vi. 10. As we have therefore opportunity, let 
 us do good unto all men. 
 
 5. We are to endeavor lawfully to further the wealth and 
 outward estate of our neighbor. Phil. ii. 4. Look not 
 every man on his own things, but every man also on the 
 things of others. 
 
178 EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That I may not take away, or retain, the 
 property of another without his knowledge or against his 
 consent. (2.) That I must respect the right of others to 
 all that justly belongs to them, as I desire and insist that 
 they shall respect my right to what justly belongs to me. 
 (3.) That in seeking to gain property I must proceed in 
 an honest and fair manner ; and further, that I must en- 
 courage and assist my fellow-men to acquire property for 
 themselves in the same manner. (4.) That God is an im- 
 partial guardian of the rights of property, in all cases 
 where those rights are well founded. (5.) That even 
 small thefts are criminal, since they are a transgression 
 of one of the great laws of God's government. (6.) That 
 I am bound to endeavor to prevent all loss or damage to 
 property my own or that of other men ; I am to deal 
 with them in a kind, honest, and benevolent manner, wish- 
 ing their prosperity ; I am to restore to them any lost 
 property of theirs which I may have found ; and I am 
 to afford assistance when it is needed by the poor, in the 
 prosecution of their lawful business. 
 
 What Illustration can you give ? 
 
 1. KNUD IVERSON, a Norwegian lad, ten years old, re- 
 siding in Chicago, was commanded by sx>me vicious boys 
 to go into a neighboring garden and steal some fruit for 
 them. But his pious parents had taught him to keep the 
 commands of God, and nobly did he, in this case, keep 
 the command now to be considered. He refused to go 
 and steal the fruit. The boys threatened to drown him. 
 if he did not comply with their wicked command. He 
 still refused, and they put him into the water, and held 
 him as long as they dared, and then raised him up and 
 repeated their threap but the boy preferred, even at 
 the risk of losing his life, to obey God's command rather 
 
EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. 179 
 
 than theirs. He was plunged again and again into the 
 water, and there held until life was extinct What a 
 noble example of Christian firmness and piety does this 
 Norwegian lad furnish ; what strength of love for the 
 commands of God love stronger than that of life itself! 
 So greatly have some good people in Chicago and else- t 
 where admired the conduct of this young martyr to the 
 right, that they have recently (1853) contributed more 
 than a thousand dollars for a marble monument with an 
 inscription, declaring the fact that his life was sacrificed 
 to duty ; that he chose to be drowned rather than, by 
 stealing, to disobey God, and his Christian parents. 
 
 2. THE ONE JOURNEY. "When I was a young man," 
 says James /Simpson, " there lived in our neighborhood a 
 Presbyterian, who was universally reported to be a very 
 liberal man, and uncommonly liberal in his dealings. 
 When he had any of the produce of his farm to dispose 
 of, he made it an invariable rule to give good measure, 
 over good, rather more than could be required of him. 
 One of his friends, observing his frequently doing so, 
 questioned him why he did it, told him he gave too much, 
 and said it would not be to his own advantage. Now, my 
 friends, mark the answer of this Presbyterian : " God Al- 
 mighty has given me but one journey through the world, 
 and when gone, I cannot return to rectify mistakes." 
 Think of this friends but one journey through the world. 
 
 3, BE PROMPT." How do you accomplish so much in 
 so little space of time?" said a friend to Sir Walter 
 Raleigh. " When I have anything to do I go and do it," 
 was the reply. 
 
 Sins Forbidden. 
 
 Q. 75. WHAT is FORBIDDEN IN THE EIGHTH COMMAND- 
 MENT ? 
 
 The eighth commandment forbiddeth whatsoever 
 
180 EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 doth, or may, unjustly hinder our own or our 
 neighbor's wealth or outward estate. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. Wealth is not to be procured or retained by unlawful 
 means. 1 Tim. vi. 10. The love of money is the root of 
 all evil : which while some coveted after, they have erred 
 from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many 
 sorrows. 
 
 2. We are not to neglect lawful means for procuring wealth 
 for ourselves and families. 1 Tim. v. 8. If any pro- 
 vide not for his own, and specially for those of his own 
 house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an 
 infidel. 
 
 3. We are not to do that which may hinder the increase of 
 our wealth and outward estate. Prov. xxiii. 21. The 
 drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty ; and 
 drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags. 
 
 4. We are not to neglect the relief of our neighbor, or the 
 furtherance of his wealth when it is in our power. Deut. 
 xv. 8. Thou shalt open thy hand wide unto him, and 
 shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which 
 he wanteth. 
 
 5. We are not to do anything which may hinder the further- 
 ance of our neighbor's wealth. Zech. viii. 17. Let none 
 of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbor. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 I learn (1.) That I must avoid every act which may 
 wrongfully prevent the increase of my own worldly sub- 
 stance, or that of my fellow-men. And, hence (2.) That 
 I must avoid idleness, carelessness, wastefulness, impru- 
 dence in lending money, or giving it to undeserving ob- 
 jects. (3.) That I must abstain from a niggardly econo- 
 my, and also from all unlawful methods of making money, 
 such as gambling, fraud, forgery, taking advantage of a 
 man's ignorance or necessity in buying or selling, 
 adulterating goods, refusing to pay debts at the time and 
 way agreed upon, breach of trust, contracting debts when 
 
NINTH COMMANDMENT. 181 
 
 uncertain as to ability to pay, and especially with a de- 
 sign not to pay. (4.) I may not oppress, or even neglect, 
 the poor, nor refuse to contribute to the support of the 
 gospel at home and abroad, in a manner answerable to 
 my means. 
 
 What Illustrations are given ? 
 
 1. THE BEGGAR AND DR. SMOLLET. A beggar, asking Dr. 
 Smollet for alms, he gave him, through mistake, a guinea. 
 The poor fellow perceiving it, hobbled after him to re- 
 turn it ; whereupon Smollet returned it to him, with an- 
 other guinea, as a reward of his honesty, exclaiming, at 
 the same time : " What a lodging has honesty taken up 
 with!" 
 
 2. THK FOUNDATION PRINCIPLE OF THIS COMMANDMENT. 
 It is founded on that never-failing rule for the direction 
 of our practice (Mat. vii. 12), that what I judge due to my- 
 self, were I in another man's condition, in certainly as due to 
 him in his own. This is a rule applicable to all affairs. 
 Therefore, whatsoever thou hast to transact with thy 
 neighbor, though thou mayest spy advantages upon him, 
 and such as, if thou shouldst take, possibly he might 
 never know or never be able to redress ; yet then, take 
 thy conscience aside, and seriously ask whether thou 
 couldst be content, and think it honest and just to be so 
 dealt with thyself; if not, whatsoever the temptation be, 
 or how much soever thou mightest gain by hearkening 
 unto it, reject it with scorn, as that which could induce 
 thee to violate the first principle of common honesty 
 among men, and contradicts all the laws both of nature 
 and Scripture. Bp. Ezekiel Hopkins. 
 
 THE NINTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 Q. 76. WHICH is THE NINTH COMMANDMENT? 
 The ninth commandment is, Thou shalt not bear 1 
 false witness against thy neighbor. 
 16 
 
182 NINTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 Duties Required. 
 
 Q. 77 WHAI is REQUIRED IN THE NINTH COMMAND- 
 MENT? 
 
 The ninth commandment requireth the maintain- 
 ing and promoting of truth between man and man, 
 and of our own and our neighbor's good name, 
 especially in witness bearing. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 I' We should at all times use our speech with caution. 
 Prov. xvii. 27. He that hath knowledge spareth his 
 words. 
 
 2. We must at all times speak and maintain the truth. 
 Zech. viii. 16. Speak ye every man the truth to his 
 neighbor. 
 
 8. We must endeavor to promote the truth. Phil. iv. 8. 
 Whatsoever things are true think on these things. 
 
 4. We must endeavor to preserve our own good name. 
 Mat. v. 16. Let your light so shine before men, that they 
 may see your good works, and glorify your Father which 
 is in heaven. 
 
 5. We must endeavor to preserve our neighbor's good 
 name. Tit. iii. 2. Speak evil of no man. 
 
 6. We must be specially careful to speak truth in witness- 
 bearing. Prov. xiv. 5. A faithful witness will not lie ; 
 but a false witness will utter lies. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That while falsehood is a crime, it is especi- 
 ally so when designed to operate to the disadvantage of 
 my fellow-men. (2.) To put a high value upon my own 
 reputation and that of my fellow-men, especially when 
 called under oath to answer to questions put to me in a 
 court of justice or elsewhere. (3.) The duty of so act- 
 ing as to be worthy of respect, and of a good name. (4.) 
 
NINTH COMMANDMENT. 183 
 
 That I should be candid and just in my opinions and 
 conversation concerning others; that I should forbear 
 harsh, censorious, and rash observations ; that I should 
 never speak evil of the absent, unless called so to do by 
 obvious duty to others ; that I should defend their cha- 
 racter and doings when unjustly attacked, and discourage 
 tale bearing. 
 
 What Illustrations are in point ? 
 
 1. FENCES FOR THE TONGUE. God hath set two fences to 
 keep in the tongue the teeth and the lips ; and this 
 commandment is a third fence set about it, that it should 
 not break forth into evil. Watson. 
 
 2. SLANDERING is to report things of others unjustly. 
 Holiness itself is no shield from slander. You may smite 
 another, and never touch him. The wounds of the tongue 
 no physician can heal, and to pretend friendship to a 
 man, and yet slander him, is most odious. Watson. 
 
 3. PYTHAGORAS being asked what made men like God, 
 answered, " When they speak the truth." Ib. 
 
 4. It was a law of the Scythians that the man who told 
 a lie in connection with an oath, should lose his head, 
 because such an offence was adapted to take away all 
 truth and mutual confidence from among men. 
 
 6. The CHURCH OF ROME violates this commandment, by 
 allowing a lie or a false oath, if it be designed to pro- 
 mote the Catholic cause. But God's cause has no need 
 of lies for its support or advancement ; and it is an in- 
 sult to the God of Truth to pretend to promote it by false- 
 hood. 
 
 6. A MAN MAY BE KILLED IN NAME as well as in person. 
 Some are loath to take away their neighbor's goods ; con- 
 science would fly in their face ; but better take away their 
 grain out of their field, their wares out of their shop, 
 than take away their good name. This is a sin for which 
 
184 NINTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 reparation can never be made a blot in a man's name 
 being like a blot on white paper, which will never be got 
 out. Watson. 
 
 7. PHILIP HENRY says: "We should be troubled ap 
 much at unjust praises as at unjust slanders." 
 
 8. The Rev. SAMUEL PIERCE, of Birmingham, was a man 
 of an excellent spirit. It was a rule with him to dis- 
 courage all evil speaking ; nor would he approve of just 
 censure unless some good end was to be answered by it. 
 Two of his friends being on a visit at his house, one of 
 them, during the absence of the other, suggested some- 
 thing to his disadvantage. He put a stop to the conver- 
 sation, by answering, " He is here ; take him aside, and 
 tell him of it by himself; you may do him good." 
 
 9. BE TRUE. How striking these words of old George 
 Herbert, sung two centuries ago : 
 
 Lie not, but let thy heart be true to God ; 
 Thy mouth to it, thy actions to them both. 
 
 DARE TO BE TRUE. Nothing can need a lie i 
 A fault which needs it mosl, grows two thereby. 
 
 10. ASIATIC PROVERBS. He who relates the faults of 
 others to you, designs to relate yours to others. If you 
 be reproved for your faults, do not be angry with him 
 who does it ; but turn your anger against the things for 
 which he has reproved you. 
 
 Sins Forbidden. 
 
 Q. 78. WHAT is FORBIDDEN IN THE NINTH COMMAND- 
 MENT? 
 
 The ninth commandment forbiddeth whatsoever 
 is prejudicial to truth, or injurious to our own or 
 our neighbor's good name. 
 
NINTH COMMANDMENT. 185 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. We are never to be inattentive or careless as to what wt 
 speak. Prov. xxix. 11. A fool uttereth all his mind: but 
 a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards. 
 
 2. We are to do nothing which is prejudicial to truth. 
 E^h. iv. 25. Putting away lying, speak every man truth 
 with his neighbor. 
 
 3. We are not to do anything which is injurious to our own 
 good name. Job, xxvii. 6. My righteousness I hold fast, 
 and will not let it go : my heart shall not reproach me so 
 long as I live. 
 
 4. We arc not to do anything which will be injurious to 
 our neighbor's good name. Exod. xxiii. 1. Thou shalt not 
 raise a false report ; put not thine hand with the wicked 
 to be an unrighteous witness. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines 1 
 
 I learn (1.) To avoid the utterance of what I know to 
 be false, with the intention to deceive another ; all lies 
 for sport, for profit, for concealing some wrong action, for 
 preventing danger, for mischief, or from mere habit or 
 carelessness. (2.) That my own just reputation will be 
 hurt by my thinking too highly or too low of myself, by 
 an unnecessary exposure of my faults, by associating with 
 low or vicious or unprofitable companions, or by attempt- 
 ing to fill a station for which I am not fitted. (3.) That 
 the reputation of others will be hurt, when I judge them 
 from a wrong standard, or point of view ; when I decide 
 unfavorably, without full evidence, on their motives; 
 when I put a wrong construction upon their words or 
 deeds ; when I raise, spread, or receive false reports, to 
 their disadvantage ; when by encouragement or example, 
 I draw them into what is sinful, to the injury of their 
 character and standing in society. (4.) To forbear to use 
 or to receive flattery, or undue praise, as unjust both to* 
 myself and others ; also, as being false, adapted to deceive,. 
 16* 
 
186 NINTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 and sometimes to ruin, both soul and body. (5.) The 
 force of the Apostle James' language concerning the 
 tongue Ep. y chap. iii. 2-10. 
 
 What Illustrations are given ? 
 
 1. DIOGENES used to say : " Of all wild beasts, a slanderer 
 is the worst." 
 
 2. THE TONGUE. A certain man sent a servant to market 
 to bring him the best article which he could find there, 
 and the servant returned with a tongue; being sent a 
 second time, for the worst article in the market, he again 
 brought back a tongue. " I hear," says William Kelly, 
 "many complain of their having bad teeth; but I have 
 never heard any one complain of his having a bad tongue. 
 I don't read, however, in Scripture, of any threatenings 
 against bad teeth; but I find dreadful judgments de- 
 nounced against a bad tongue." 
 
 3. BISHOP BEVERIDGE says : " I resolve never to speak 
 of a man's virtues to his face, nor of his vices behind his 
 back." 
 
 4. AN ODD YOUNG LADY. At the house of Rev. B. 
 Jacobs, of Cambridgeport, some young ladies were one 
 day talking about one of their female friends. As he 
 entered the room, he heard the epithets, "odd," "singu- 
 lar," &c., applied. He asked, and was told the name of 
 <the young lady in question, and then said, very gravely, 
 
 " Yes, she is an odd young lady ; she is a very odd young 
 lady ; I consider her extremely singular. 1 ' He then added, 
 very impressively, " She was never heard to speak ill of 
 any absent friends." The rebuke was not forgotten by 
 'those who heard it. 
 
 5. PETER THE GREAT, of Russia, had many good traits 
 ( of character ; among others, the following: "When any 
 
TENTH COMMANDMENT. 187 
 
 one, in his presence, was speaking to the disadvantage of 
 an absent person, he at first listened attentively, and then 
 was accustomed to ask, " Is there not a fair side also to 
 the character of the person of whom you are speaking ? 
 Come, tell me what good qualities you have remarked 
 about him." 
 
 THE TENTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 Q. 79. WHICH is THE TENTH COMMANDMENT ? 
 
 The tenth commandment is, Thou shalt not 
 covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet 
 thy neighbor's wife, nor his man-servant, nor his 
 maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything 
 that is thy neighbor's. 
 
 Duties Required. 
 
 Q. 80. WHAT is REQUIRED IN THE TENTH COMMANDMENT ? 
 
 The tenth commandment require th full content- 
 ment with our own condition, with a right and 
 charitable frame of spirit toward our neighbor, and 
 and all that is his. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. We must be contented with our condition in life. Heb. 
 xiii. 5. Let your conversation be without covetousness ; 
 and be content with such things as ye have. 
 
 2. We are to cultivate a right and charitable disposition 
 towards the person of our neighbor. Rom. xii. 15. Rejoice 
 with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that 
 weep. 
 
188 TENTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 3. We are to cultivate a right disposition towards the prop* 
 erty of our neighbor. Luke, xii. 13. Take heed, and be- 
 ware of covetousness. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That my desires are to be kept within just 
 bounds, and that it is wrong for me not only to deprive 
 my neighbor of anything that is his, but even to desire 
 or wish to do it. (2.) On the other hand, that I should 
 bo pleased with what promotes the comfort or advantage 
 of my neighbor ; and should be so far satisfied with my 
 own condition in life that I shall always exercise a kind 
 and loving disposition towards my fellow-men, in respect 
 to their retaining and enjoying what they lawfully pos- 
 sess. (3.) That this law comprehends and recapitulates 
 all the rest concerning my neighbor, and provides the 
 most effectual method for rendering obedience to them 
 the regulation of my desires. To covet is "to have an 
 earnest desire for anything in the lawful possession of 
 another, and which, at the same time, he may desire to 
 retain." This command prohibits the violation (in wish 
 and desire) of the Eighth Command, and also of the 
 Seventh, and then universally ; so that it may be viewed 
 as a supplement to the other precepts of the Second 
 Table, commanding us to observe them, not only in the 
 letter, but in spirit. 
 
 What Illustrations can you relate? 
 
 1. AHAB AND J$TABOTH. King Ahab desired the vineyard 
 of Naboth, and, because the latter was unwilling to dis- 
 pose of it, Ahab gave his consent to the murder of Na- 
 both, that he might gain possession of the vineyard. The 
 story is recorded at length in 1 Kings, xxi. 2-19. 
 
 2. THE Two MERCHANTS. Two merchants of the same 
 city, being neighbors and jealous of each other, lived in 
 
TENTH COMMANDMENT. 189 
 
 a scandalous enmity. One of them, entering into him- 
 self, submitted to the voice of religion, which condemned 
 his resentments. He t consulted a pious person, in whom 
 he had great confidence, and inquired of him how he 
 should manage to bring about a reconciliation. " The 
 best means," answered he, " is this : Whenever any per- 
 son shall enter your store, in order to purchase, and you 
 have not what suits them, recommend to them to go over 
 to your neighbor." He did so. The other merchant 
 being informed of the person by whom these purchasers 
 came to him, was so struck with the good offices of a man 
 whom he considered his enemy, that he repaired immedi- 
 ately to his house to thank him for it, begged pardon, 
 with tears in his eyes, for the hatred he had entertained 
 against him, and besought him to admit him into the 
 number of his best friends. His prayer was heard, and 
 religion closely united those whom self-interest and 
 jealousy had divided. Chris. Treasury. 
 
 3. PHILIP HENRY. In speaking of contentment, he 
 used to say : " When the mind and the condition meet, 
 there is contentment. Now, in order to that, either the 
 condition must be brought up to the mind, and that is 
 not only unreasonable, but impossible, for as the condi- 
 tion riseth, the mind riseth with it ; or else the mind 
 must be brought down to the condition, and that is both 
 possible and reasonable." And he observed: "That no 
 condition of life will of itself make a man content, with- 
 out the grace of God ; for we find Haman discontented 
 in the court, Ahab discontented on the throne, Adam die- 
 contented in Paradise ; nay, and higher we cannot go, 
 the angels that fell were discontented even in heaven it- 
 sell" 
 
 4. COVETOUSNESS. Says Watson, " A man may be said 
 to be given to covetousness, when his thoughts are wholly 
 taken up about the world ; when he takes more pains for 
 
190 TENTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 tlie getting of earth than for the getting of heaven ; when 
 all his discourse is about the world ; when he doth so set 
 his heart upon worldly things tha* for the sake of them 
 he will part with the heavenly ; when he overloads him- 
 self with worldly business ; when his heart is so set upon 
 the world, that to get it he cares not what unlawful in- 
 direct means he useth." 
 
 5. Men first break the Tenth Commandment by covet- 
 ing, and then they break the Eighth by stealing. It was 
 an excellent appeal that SAMUEL made to the Hebrew 
 people : " Witness against me before the Lord, whose ox 
 have I taken, or whose ass, or whom have I defrauded." 
 And it was a brave speech of ST. PAUL, " I have coveted 
 no man's silver, or gold, or apparel." Whence was this ! 
 It was from contentment : " I have learned, in whatevei 
 state I am, therewith to be content." Watson. 
 
 Sins forbidden. 
 
 Q. 81. WHAT is FORBIDDEN IN THE TENTH COMMANDMENT? 
 
 The tenth commandment forbiddeth all discon- 
 tentment with our own estate, envying or grieving 
 at the good of our neighbor, and all inordinate 
 motions and affections to anything that is his. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. We are not to be discontented with our condition in life. 
 1 Cor. x. 10. Keither murmur ye as some of them also 
 murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. 
 
 2. We are not to be envious at the good of others. Gal. 
 v. 26. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, envying 
 one another. 
 
 3. We are not to grieve at the good of others. James, v. 
 9. Grudge not one against another. 
 
 4. We are not improperly to desire the possession of our 
 
TENTH COMMANDMENT. 191 
 
 neighbor's property. Deut. v. 21. Neither shalt thou de- 
 sire anything that is thy neighbor's. 
 
 5. We are not to form any purpose in our mind, for un- 
 lawfully obtaining possession of our neighbor's property. 
 Psal. 1. 18. When them sawest a thief, then thou consent- 
 edst with him. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines? 
 
 I learn (1.) That I must suppress or avoid all such un- 
 easiness or fretfulness respecting my own circumstances 
 as would lead me to hate others, or to be unhappy, in 
 view of anything which they possess, and which I may 
 be in want of. (2.) The sin of Envy a sin destructive 
 to peace of mind and amiableness of temper, and liable 
 to be greatly injurious to those also concerning whom I 
 shall indulge it. (3.) That while I am not allowed to be 
 discontented with my condition, I am not therefore obli- 
 gated not to seek to improve my condition my habits 
 my character my property and various means of happi- 
 ness. (4.) I am taught to love others as I love myself, 
 and to promote their good estate as well as my own. 
 
 What Illustrations are at hand ? 
 
 1. How TO AVOID DISCONTENT. WATSON advises us (1.) 
 To believe that condition best which God carves out to 
 us by his providence. (2.) To consider that the less 
 estate we have, the less account we shall have to give at 
 the last day ; the less riches, the less reckoning. 
 
 2. EXPLANATION. We may desire the house of oar 
 neighbor, but not if his yielding it to us is to be injuri- 
 ous either to his worldly prosperity or to his feelings. 
 But among the Israelites it was otherwise, and the law 
 most minutely provides for the preservation, in its entire- 
 ness, of the property of each family and branch of a 
 family (Lev. xxv. 23-31). We may desire to have the 
 servant of our neighbor, if the welfare of that servant ia 
 
192 TENTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 to be promoted by the change of situation; but the 
 ancient people of God had, according to the law, and for 
 the space of time it prescribed, a right of property in the 
 labor of those who were with them in servitude. Hence, 
 in the Tenth Commandment, they occupy a middle place 
 between a man's family and his chattels ; and to allure 
 them from him was, in one sense, like depriving him of 
 his wife or children ; and, in another sense, like taking 
 from him without his consent, or without just remuner- 
 ation, his house or his field, his ox or his ass. "Whatever 
 our neighbor has, that he has a right to dispose of, we 
 may desire, but not selfishly, and without a regard to his 
 feelings and interests, nor so vehemently, but that we 
 may be fully content without it. Maresi Sup. Don., p. 62. 
 
 3. THE Two HEAPS. "I see, in this world," said the 
 Rev. JOHN NJEWTON, " two heaps one of human happi- 
 ness, and one of misery. Now, if I can take but the 
 smallest bit from the second heap, and add to the first, 
 I carry a point. If, as I go home, a child has dropped a 
 halfpenny, and if by giving it another, I can wipe away 
 its tears, I feel that I have done something. I should be 
 glad, indeed, to do great things, but I will not neglect 
 such little ones as these." 
 
 4. Do AS YOU WOULD BE DONE BY. What a great 
 change the complete observance of this ''Golden Rule," 
 even for one single day, would produce among us ! The 
 effect of it would utterly astonish you ! Strange sights 
 would meet you on every side. You would see a great 
 deal of property at once change hands, old debts would 
 be paid off, whether outlawed or not outlawed, whether 
 the papers were burned up, or not burned up. You 
 would see lands and houses belonging to Mr. Gripe 
 quickly and quietly pass over to Mr. Type ; you would 
 see " any quantity " of borrowed books, umbrellas, and 
 the like, returned to their legitimate and patient owners. 
 
SPECIAL DUTIES. 193 
 
 You would see rum-selling and rum-buying, as the law- 
 yers have it, " done away" at once. Gambling, and bet- 
 ting, and swearing, and cheating, and " shaving," and 
 "puffing," would entirely cease. There would be no 
 lies told. Not one. There would be no lampoons 
 written. Not one syllable of slander, or of obloquy, or 
 of abuse, or of ridicule, would be spoken ; not an un- 
 kind look be given, not an unkind feeling entertained. 
 All fretfulness and strife in families would cease ; brothers 
 and sisters would for one day live in harmony ; husbands' 
 and wives would forget their differences; the young 
 would be kind to the old folks at home ; the old would 
 instruct with mild suavity the young. Friends long 
 separated by misunderstanding would come together 
 again ; neighbors would greet each other kindly. Let 
 this " Golden Rule " prevail, and the main current of con- 
 versation and behavior would be changed. Boston Travel- 
 ler. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 SPECIAL DUTIES WHICH GOD REQUIRES OF MAN 
 UNDER THE GOSPEL DISPENSATION. 
 
 INTRODUCTION. SHOWING MAN'S INABILITY TO KEEP THK MORAL 
 LAW THAT THERE ARE VARIOUS DECREES OF GUILT IN BREAK- 
 ING IT AND THE DESERT OF EVERY TRANSGRESSION. 
 
 Q. 82. Is ANY MAN ABLE PERFECTLY TO KEEP THE COM- 
 MANDMENTS OF GOD ? 
 
 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. 
 17 
 
194 SPECIAL DUTIES. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Answer ? 
 
 1. No mere man since the fall is able to keep the com- 
 mandments of God perfectly. Eccl. vii. 20. There is not 
 a just man upon earth, that doeth good and sinneth not. 
 
 2. Adam, before the fall, was able to keep God's law per- 
 fectly. Eccl. vii. 29. God hath made man upright. 
 
 3. Our Lord Jesus Christ, not being a mere man, did in this 
 life perfectly keep the commandments of God. Isa. xlii. 21. 
 The Lord is well pleased for his righteousness' sake ; he 
 will magnify the law, and make it honorable. 
 
 4. All men, in this life, break the commandments of God 
 daily. Gen. vi. 5. Every imagination of the thoughts of 
 his heart was only evil continually. 
 
 5. The saints, removed from this life to heaven, perfectly 
 keep the commandments of God. Isa. Ivii. 2. Each one 
 walking in his uprightness. 
 
 G. We all daily break the commandments of God in our 
 thoughts. Gen. viii. 21. The imagination of man's heart 
 is evil from his youth. 
 
 7. We all daily break the commandments of God in our 
 words and conversation. James, iii. 8. The tongue can no 
 man tame ; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 
 
 8. We all daily break the commandments of God in our 
 actions. Rom. vii. 19. The good that I would, I do not ; 
 but the evil which I would not, that I do. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That Jesus Christ was altogether distin- 
 guished from other men, inasmuch as he embodied, or 
 showed forth, the law of God in its perfect excellence and 
 widest range of precepts. (2.) That it is my duty to 
 strive to imitate him, and, on the other hand, to avoid 
 the imitation of the conduct and spirit of men generally. 
 (3.) That I have cause for daily humiliation and sorrow 
 over the corrupt tendencies of my mind and heart, and 
 over my manifold acts of wrong-doing. (4.) That my 
 hope of reform and of perfect obedience, must be in God's 
 grace manifested through the Lord Jesus Christ. (5.) 
 
SPFCIAL DUTIES. 195 
 
 Though I have no reason, from Scripture, or observation, 
 or past experience, to hope to attain a complete and 
 habitual conformity to the law of God in this life, yet 
 not being therefore excused from obeying it, I am bound 
 to make most vigorous and prayerful efforts to observe it 
 in all respects and in its whole extent ; for my inability 
 has proceeded from a wrong and blameworthy state of 
 feeling towards God and my fellow-men. (6.) To antici- 
 pate with pleasure that life to come, in which I shall, 
 through God's grace, perfectly keep and honor the ad- 
 mirable law of my Creator and Redeemer. (7.) To limit 
 the meaning of certain texts of Scripture which seem to 
 support the doctrine that Christians may, and do attain, 
 complete, absolute perfection of character and conduct in 
 this life. " In some of those texts," as Dr. Woods re- 
 marks, " the language used is intended to set forth the 
 sincerity or uprightness of believers, in distinction from 
 hypocrites, and also their freedom from any such offences 
 as would expose their public character to discredit, or 
 their piety to suspicion. Job was perfect and upright 
 words doubtless of the same general import, denoting 
 real integrity or goodness. (8.) In several instances the 
 Psalmist uses the strong language of self-justification, and 
 seems at first view to say he is not chargeable with any 
 sin, when his meaning evidently is, that he is innocent of 
 the crimes which his enemies laid to his charge. (9.) In 
 some cases, pious men, under the former dispensation, are 
 said to have followed the Lord wholly, when the obvious 
 meaning i's, that they kept themselves from idolatry, and 
 adhered uniformly to the worship of the true God. (10.) 
 When the New Testament writers speak of perfection, they 
 often refer to a state of maturity or manhood in knowledge 
 or in holiness, in distinction from a state of childhood o, state 
 of advancement in piety, in distinction from the common 
 state of new converts ; and sometimes they refer to the 
 
196 SPECIAL DUTIES. 
 
 purity and blessedness of heaven, which is the high ob- 
 ject to which all Christians aspire. But in no case do 
 the circumstances require that the language employed 
 should be understood to denote complete sanctification as 
 actually attained in the present life. 
 
 What Illustrations can you produce ? 
 
 1. THE CHILD'S WISH. A group of children were talk- 
 ing together, when the question was proposed, " What is 
 the thing you wish for most ?" Several of the children 
 said they would like to have nice or pretty things. But 
 when it came to the turn of a little boy, ten years old, to 
 speak, he said, "I wish to live without sinning." These 
 were not idle words, not mere profession ; for the child 
 showed by his conduct that he hated sin. How many of 
 the dear children wish to live without sinning ? How 
 many try to live without sinning ? Am. Messenger. 
 
 2. MRS. HAWKES, a pious English woman, in one of her 
 letters, thus writes : " You want to know how I have 
 been conquering self. Alas ! I have been only fighting 
 against self, but I am still very far from being a conqueror ; 
 and I am thankful to say, as you do, Jesus shows me my 
 strength is in him] and my desire is, to be as a little child. 
 When I want to act, I go to him for wisdom and strength. 
 If I feel anger, I run to him, and show it to him. When 
 I feel pride rising upon any occasion, I go to him and 
 confess it. To him I take every sin as it arises, every 
 want, every desponding thought. To him I go for every 
 good thought, every good desire, every good word and 
 work, crying, Lord, help me in this Lord, help me in 
 the other. It is thy grace alone that can produce anything 
 good in me. What else is meant by Christ's living in me, 
 and I in him ? It is by this simple faith that we must 
 bring forth good fruits ; and, to obtain it, we must plead 
 
DIFFERENT DEGREES OF GUILT. 197 
 
 the promises. How are we to be transformed in the 
 the spirit of our minds, and to be changed into his image, 
 from glory to glory ? Not by looking within, but by 
 looking t-o Jesus." 
 
 Different Degrees of Guilt in Breaking the Law. 
 
 Q. 83. ARE ALL TRANSGRESSIONS OF THE LAW EQUALLY 
 HEINOUS ? 
 
 Some sins, in themselves, and by reason of 
 several aggravations, are more heinous in the sight 
 of God than others. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. Some sins are in themselves more heinous in the sight 
 of God than others. 1 John, v. 1C. There is a sin unto 
 death : I do not say that ye shall pray for it. 
 
 2. Aggravations make sins more heinous in the sight of 
 God. Mat. xxiii. 14. Wo unto you, Scribes and Phari- 
 sees, hypocrites ! for ye devour widows' houses, and for 
 a pretence make long prayer ; therefore ye shall receive 
 the greater damnation. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) Not only to regard some acts of transgress- 
 ion as more offensive to God than others, but to examine 
 the circumstances that attend them, as rendering them 
 more or less criminal. (2.) The value of those distinc- 
 tions concerning this matter, which are presented in the 
 Assembly's Larger Catechism, and the importance of fre- 
 quently meditating upon them, so as to gain a holy dread 
 of sin, and to guard myself especially against its more 
 flagrant forms. Those distinctions are thus stated : 
 
 " Sins Receive their Aggravations, 
 
 1. "From the persons offending : If they be of riper 
 17* 
 
198 DIFFERENT DEGREES OF GUILT 
 
 age, greater experience, or grace ; eminent for profession, 
 gifts, place, office, guides to others, and whose example is 
 likely to be followed by others. 
 
 2. " From the parties offended : If immediately against 
 God, his attributes and worship ; against Christ, and his 
 grace ; the Holy Spirit, his witness and workings ; against 
 superiors, men of eminence, and such as we stand especi- 
 ally related and engaged unto ; against any of the saints, 
 particularly weak brethren, the sou^s of them, or any 
 other ; and the common good of all or of many. 
 
 3. " From the nature and quality of the offence : If it be 
 against the express letter of the law, if it break many 
 commandments, contain in it many sins : If not only con- 
 ceived in the heart, but breaks forth in words and actions, 
 if it scandalize others, and admit of no reparation : If 
 against means, mercies, judgments, light of nature, con- 
 viction of conscience, public or private admonition, cen- 
 sures of the church, civil punishments ; and against our 
 prayers, purposes, promises, vows, covenants and engage- 
 ments to God or men: If done deliberately, wilfully, 
 presumptuously, imprudently, boastingly, maliciously, 
 frequently, obstinately, with delight, continuance, or re- 
 lapsing after repentance. 
 
 4. " From circumstances of time and place : If on the 
 Lord's day, or other times of divine worship ; or immedi- 
 ately before or after these, or other helps to prevent or 
 remedy such miscarriages : If in public, or in the pres- 
 ence of others, who are thereby likely to be provoked 
 or defiled." 
 
 I learn (3.) That while some sins are greater than 
 others, none are to be regarded as little sins as un- 
 worthy of anxious care as matters of indifference, for it 
 cannot be a trifle to violate the law of so great a God as 
 Jehovah. 
 
DESERT OF EVERY VIOLATION OF THE LAW. 199 
 
 What Illustrations are given ? 
 
 1. LITTLE SINS. Respecting the danger of what some 
 improperly call little sins, it has been said, " A small 
 pen-knife will take away life, as well as a large sword." 
 
 2. Says Pliny Fisk : " Once I was blind to the evil of 
 sin in general; and in particular to the number and 
 aggravation of my own transgressions. Except for some 
 overt transgression, I felt but little consciousness of guilt. 
 But I have since realized that sin is an evil and bitter 
 thing, and that my own sins are exceedingly numerous 
 and aggravated. Many things which once appeared law- 
 ful, and even laudable, appear now exceedingly sinful 
 and odious, and never more so, I think, than when all 
 thought of punishment is out of mind. "When I think of 
 my sins as violations of God's reasonable and holy law, 
 they appear inexcusable, and criminal, beyond descrip- 
 tion. "When I consider them as committed against God, 
 they look like a compound of the most presumptuous re- 
 bellion, the most wanton ingratitude, the most wicked 
 irreverence. When I dwell on their tendency, as it re- 
 spects my fellow-sinners, they seem to be unmixed mal- 
 evolence." 
 
 3. PITHY SATING. He that makes light of small sins, 
 is in the ready way to fall into great ones. 
 
 Desert of every Violation of the Law. 
 
 Q. 84. WHAT DOTH EVERY SIN DESERVE? 
 
 Every sin deserveth God's wrath and curse, both 
 in this life, and that which is to come. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 1. Every sin deserves the wrath and curse of God in this 
 
200 DESERT OF EVERY VIOLATION OF THE LAW. 
 
 life. 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. 
 
 2. Every sin deserves the wrath and curse of God for ever 
 in the world to come. Rom. vi. 23. The wages of sin is 
 death : but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus 
 Christ our Lord. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That it involves no small danger to trans- 
 gress, even once, the law of God ; how much greater 
 danger, then, to be guilty of numberless transgressions ? 
 (2.) That the sufferings of this life form but a small and 
 inconsiderable part of what I deserve on account of my 
 sins. (3.) It is wise to seek immediate deliverance from 
 exposure to the infinitely greater the everlasting suffer- 
 ings of the life to come. (4.) If God should treat me ac- 
 cording to simple justice I could not be happy, but must 
 be utterly miserable, in time and in eternity. (5.) What- 
 ever be my afflictions in the present life, I have no just 
 reason to complain, for they are altogether trifling when 
 compared with what it would be just for God to send 
 upon me. 
 
 What Illustrations are given ? 
 
 1. WAGES OF SIN. The wages that sin bargains with 
 the sinner to give, are life, pleasure, and profit ; but the 
 wages it pays him with are death, torment, and destruc- 
 tion. He that would understand the falsehood and de- 
 ceit of sin must compare its promises and its payment to- 
 gether. South. 
 
 2. THE MALIGNITY OF SIN. The heinousness of any sin 
 is not to be judged of by the magnitude of the object 
 about which it is conversant, or tho grossness of the out- 
 ward action. When the Lord expressly says, " Thou shalt 
 
SPECIAL DUTIES REQUIRED OF MAN. 201 
 
 not" and his rational creature says, " I WILL," whether 
 the contest be about " an apple," or a kingdom, it is stub- 
 bornness and rebellion. Scott. 
 
 Special Duties Required of Man under the Gospel 
 Dispensation. 
 
 Q. 85. WHAT DOTH GOD REQUIRE OF us, THAT WE MAY 
 
 ESCAPE HIS WRATH AND CURSE DUE TO US FOR SIN? 
 
 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. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. God himself hath devised a way of escape from the ef- 
 fects of sin. John, iii. 16. God so loved the world, that 
 he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth 
 in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. 
 
 2. Faith in Christ is necessary for escaping the wrath and 
 curse of God. Acts, xvi. 31. Believe on the Lord Jesus 
 Christ, and thou shalt be saved. 
 
 3. True repentance is necessary for escaping the wrath 
 and curse of God. Luke, xiii. 3. Except ye repent, ye 
 shall all likewise perish. 
 
 4. A diligent use of the means of grace is required of all 
 who would escape the wrath and curse of God. Phil. ii. 12, 
 13. Work out your own salvation with fear and trem- 
 bling : for it is God which worketh in you both to will 
 and to do of his good pleasure. 
 
 5. The benefits of salvation are usually communicated to 
 sinners by means of the ordinances. Rom. x. 14. How 
 then shall they call on him in whom they have not be- 
 lieved ? and how shall they believe in him of whom they 
 have not heard? and how shall they hear without a 
 preacher ? 
 
202 OF FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That, on account of sin, I am in great peril. 
 (2.) That God has graciously appointed certain means of 
 escape. (3.) That if I neglect the means appointed I 
 must suffer the punishment which I deserve. (4.) That 
 my deliverance from sin and its consequences should be 
 one great business of my life on earth. (5.) It becomes 
 me to warn, and otherwise to assist, my fellow-men to 
 avoid, or get away from, the miseries which sin has 
 created. 
 
 What Illustrations are given? 
 
 1. A QUESTION. "MAMMA," said a little child, "my 
 Sabbath-school teacher tells me that this world is only a 
 place in which God lets us live awhile that we may pre- 
 pare for a better world. But, mother, I do not see any 
 body preparing. I see you preparing to go into the 
 country, and Aunt Ellen is preparing to come here. 
 But I do not see any one preparing to go there. Why 
 don't you try to get ready ? You scarce ever speak about 
 going." Ch. Treasury. 
 
 2. JOHN NEWTON wisely remarks : " Many have puzzled 
 themselves about the origin of evil. I observe there is 
 evil, and that there is A WAY TO ESCAPE IT, and with this I 
 begin and end." 
 
 SECTION I. 
 
 OF FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 Q. 86. WHAT is FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST? 
 
 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. 
 
OF FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST. 203 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace. John, xx. 81. 
 That believing ye might have life through his name. 
 
 2. Jesus Christ is received as our Saviour, by faith. John f 
 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. 
 
 3. By faith we depend upon Christ for salvation. Acts, 
 xv. 11. We believe, that through the grace of the Lord 
 Jesus, we shall be saved. 
 
 4. By faith we depend on Christ alone for salvation. GaL 
 ii. 1 6. We have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might 
 be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works 
 of the law. 
 
 5. By faith we receive Christ as offered in the Gospel. 
 Eph. i. 13. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard 
 the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Truths 
 I learn (1.) That trust in Christ is essential to future 
 happiness. (2.) That I must put no trust in any supposed 
 goodness or in any efforts of mine own, as deserving of 
 salvation, or as recommending me to Christ. (3.) That I 
 am indebted to God, not only for the gift of his dear Son, 
 as my Saviour, but for the disposition so to accept of that 
 gift as to be profited by it, or to have an interest in it, 
 and hence there is no merit in faith. (4.) That I must 
 look to Christ daily and thankfully, not only for pardon, 
 but for the destruction of all that is sinful in my heart 
 and life, as preparatory to a .residence with him in 
 heaven. 
 
 How can you Illustrate this subject ? 
 
 1. I was once called, says the excellent William Jay, 
 of England, to attend the dying bed of a young female. 
 In answer to my inquiries, she replied: "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 
 
204 OF FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 know I come to him, and I EXPECT HE WILL BE AS GOOD 
 A8 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." 
 
 2. How TO GO TO CHRIST. A. MINISTER of the Gospel one 
 day had gone into his cellar, which in winter was quite 
 dark, and entered by a trap door. A little daughter, only 
 three years old, was trying to find him, and came to the 
 trap door ; but, on looking down, all was dark, and she 
 called: "Are you down cellar, papa?" "Yes, would 
 you like to come, Mary ?" " It is dark ; I can't come 
 down, papa." " Well, my daughter, I am right below 
 you, and I can see you, though you cannot see me, and if 
 you will drop yourself, I will catch you." " Oh, I should 
 fall: I can't see you, papa." "I know it," he answered, 
 " but I am really here, and you shall not hurt yourself. 
 If you will jump, I will catch you safely." Little Mary 
 strained her eyes to the utmost, but she could see no 
 glimpse of her father ; she hesitated, then advanced 
 a little farther, then, summoning all her resolution, 
 she threw herself forward, and was received safely 
 in her father's arms. A few days after, she again dis- 
 covered the cellar door open, and supposing her father to 
 be there, she called : " Shall I come again, papa ?" " Yes, 
 my dear, in a minute," he replied, and had just time to 
 reach his arms towards her, when, in her childish glee, 
 she fell shouting into his arms ; and clasping his neck, 
 said : " I knew, dear papa, I should not fall." The above 
 is a plain illustration of the manner in which a sinner, of 
 any age, must put his trust in Christ alone, in his alleged 
 power, and willingness, and offer to save, at once, now, 
 whoevei casts himself, like this little girl, into the open 
 arms of his mercy ; not waiting for any fitness for the 
 act, nor doubting a happy result, as was found in the 
 case above. 
 
OP REPENTANCE UNTO LIFE 205 
 
 3. CHINESE CHILDREN. Miss Grant, at Singapore, had a 
 school for little Chinese girls. She was one day asking a 
 class this question, " Were you sure of dying to-morrow, 
 what would you do to-day ?" One said, " She would be 
 getting her grave ready" which is a very important 
 business among the Chinese ; but another, with a resolute 
 countenance, said, " I would believe strongly in Jesus." 
 
 4. How TO STRENGTHEN FAITH. The sailor, by using his 
 eyes in looking for land, acquires great keenness of sight. 
 Use the eye of Faith in looking for your eternal haven, 
 and you give it greater clearness of vision. 
 
 SECTION II. 
 
 OF REPENTANCE UNTO LIFE. 
 
 Q. 87. WHAT is REPENTANCE UNTO LEFE ? 
 
 Repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby 
 a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin and appre- 
 hension 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 endeavor after, new obedi- 
 ence. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer 1 
 
 1. Repentance is a saving grace. 2 Cor. vii. 10. Godly 
 sorrow worketh repentance to salvation, not to be re- 
 pented of. 
 
 2. In repentance there must be a true sense of sin. Psal. 
 li. 4. Against thee, thee only have I sinned, and done 
 this evil in thy sight. 
 
 3. In repentance there is an apprehension of mercy in 
 God. Rom. ii. 4 The goodness of God leadeth thee to 
 repentance. 
 
 18 
 
206 OF REPENTANCE UNTO LIFE. 
 
 4. The mercy of God to the sinner is exhibited only in 
 Christ. Rom. iii. 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. 
 
 5. In true repentance there is a sincere grief for sin. Jer. 
 xxxi. 19. I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because 
 I did bear the reproach of my youth. 
 
 6. In true repentance there is a sincere hatred of sm. 
 Ezek. xxxvi. 31. Then shall ye remember your own evil 
 ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall 
 loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities, 
 and for your abominations. 
 
 7. In true repentance, the sinner turns from his sin. 
 Ezek. xviii. 30. Repent, and turn yourselves from all 
 your transgressions. 
 
 8. In true repentance, the sinner returns back unto God. 
 Lam. iii. 40. Let us search and try our ways, and turn 
 again to the Lord. 
 
 9. In repentance, there is a full purpose of future obedi- 
 ence to God. Psal. cxix. 59. I thought on my ways, and 
 turned my feet unto thy testimonies. 
 
 10. In true repentance, there is an anxious endeavor to 
 obey God. Jer. xxxi. 18. Turn thou me, and I shall be 
 turned ; for thou art the Lord my God. 
 
 11. The obedience following true repentance, is a new obedi- 
 ence. Horn. vii. 6. That we should serve in newness of 
 spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That mere sorrow on account of sin does 
 not amount to Repentance. (2.) That so long as sin is 
 committed, repentance will be a pressing duty. (3.) 
 That I should study the great wrong I have done in 
 breaking God's law and opposing his revealed will, in 
 days past. (4.) That I must look to God for the aid of 
 his Holy Spirit to make me hate sin more deeply, and to 
 turn from the practice of all sin, whether inward or out- 
 ward, against God and against man, and against my own 
 soul. (5.) That I should deeply adore, and earnestly ap~ 
 
OF REPENTANCE UNTO LIFE. 207 
 
 prehend, or lay hold of, the mercy of God which is shown 
 to repenting sinners, on account of what Christ has suf- 
 fered in our behalf. (6.) That this repentance or change 
 of heart does not merit everlasting life, for it is produced 
 and maintained in the soul by the gracious act of God, and 
 is simply a necessary preparation for the life of heaven. 
 (7.) God would dishonor himself and his holy law should 
 he pardon any sinner who does not condemn and hate 
 himself for his transgression of that law, and does not 
 sincerely purpose and endeavor to honor it, and thus to 
 honor God in all his future conduct. (8.) Hence, I learn, 
 that careless and impenitent sinners will derive no bene- 
 fit from Christ's sufferings. (9.) That their guilt and sin- 
 fulness are fearfully increased by not regarding the mercy 
 that is offered them through Christ, upon condition of 
 their repentance. 
 
 How can you Illustrate this Subject ? 
 
 1. WHAT is PENITENCE ? Penitence is the tear that 
 drops from the eye of faith, when that eye is fixed upon 
 the cross. 
 
 2. REPENTANCE NOT MERE SORROW. Repentance is not 
 mere sorrow for sin, or hell would be the most penitent 
 world in the universe. Not a lost soul there but is sorry 
 for the course which led to so fearful a termination. 
 Ford. 
 
 3. SECRET SIN. It was an impressive saying of Bishop 
 TAYLOR : " Though I could commit sin so secretly that no 
 person living should ever hear of it, and though I were 
 sure that God would never punish me for it, yet would I 
 not commit sin, for the very filthiness of sin." 
 
 4. Mr. BOLTON said to his children, who stood around 
 his dying bed, "See that none of you meet me in an un- 
 converted state, at the Day of Judgment." 
 
 5. " I WILL RUN THE RISK." At the close of a discourse 
 of great pungency and plainness, a preacher made a 
 
208 OF REPENTANCE UNTO LIFE. 
 
 solemn appeal to his hearers, whether in view of the 
 truths and warnings he had uttered, they would run the 
 risk of delaying the work of repentance ? At the close 
 of the service, in passing down the aisle, a lady, deeply 
 impressed with the appeal which had been made, said, in 
 a low but earnest tone, to a gay young lady of her ac- 
 quaintance, " Can you resist such an appeal as you have 
 just heard ? Will you venture to run the risk of your 
 soul ?" " O yes," she replied in a thoughtless tone, " I will 
 run the risk." A few days after, the pastor who made this 
 appeal was called to attend the funeral of a young lady, 
 in a certain street, who had died suddenly. It proved to 
 be the young lady who had ventured to run such a dread- 
 ful risk of losing her soul. Behind the curtain of eternity 
 we may not penetrate or follow the soul to its last ac- 
 count. Zion's Herald. 
 
 6. THE LAST QUESTION. A little boy, on his death-bed, 
 urging his father to repentance, said, " Father, I am going 
 to heaven ; what shall I tell Jesus is the reason why you 
 won't love him ?" Before the weeping father could an- 
 swer, the child had fallen asleep in Jesus. 
 
 7. DISTKESS FOR SIN. In a powerful revival, the Rev. 
 DR. NETTLETON once said, " It may be new to some of you 
 that there should be such distress for sin. But there was 
 great distress on the day of Pentecost, when thousands 
 were pricked in the heart, and cried out, 'Men and 
 brethren, what shall we do ?' Some of you may, per- 
 haps, be ready to say, * If this is religion, we wish to have 
 nothing to do with it.' My friends, this is not religion. 
 Religion does not cause its subjects to feel and act thus. 
 These individuals are thus distressed, not because they 
 have religion, but because they have no religion, and have 
 found it out. It was so on the day of Pentecost. They 
 had made the discovery that they were lost sinners, and 
 that their souls were in jeopardy every hour." 
 
THE DILIGENT USE OF THE MEANS OF GRACE. 209 
 
 SECTION III. 
 
 OF THE DILIGENT USE OF THE MEANS OF GRACE 
 
 VIZ., THE WORD OF GOD, THE SACRAMENTS AND 
 PRAYER. 
 
 Q 88. WHAT ARE THE OUTWARD MEANS WHEREBY CHRIST 
 
 COMMUNICATETH TO IIS THE BENEFITS OF REDEMPTION? 
 
 The outward and ordinary means whereby 
 Christ com muni cateth to us the benefits of redemp- 
 tion, are his ordinances ; especially the word, sacra- 
 ments and prayer, all which are made effectual to 
 the elect for salvation. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1 . There are certain means of grace to be observed by the 
 people of God. Acts, ii. 42. They continued steadfastly 
 in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking 
 of bread, and in prayers. 
 
 2. The means of grace have been appointed by Christ. 
 Matt, xxviii. 20. Teaching them to observe all things 
 whatsoever I have commanded you. 
 
 3. The benefits of redemption are communicated by the 
 means of grace. Eph. iv. 11, 12. He gave some, apostles; 
 and some, prophets ; and some, evangelists ; and some, 
 pastors, and teachers ; for the perfecting of the saints, for 
 the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of 
 Christ. 
 
 4. The word of God is one special means of grace. John, 
 xx. 31. These are written, that ye may believe that Jesus 
 is the Christ, the Son of God; and that, believing, ye 
 might have life through his name. 
 
 5. The Sacraments are special means of grace, 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 ? 
 
 6. Prayer is a special means of grace. Mark, xi. 24. 
 
210 THE DILIGENT USE OF THE MEANS OF GRACE. 
 
 What things soever ye desire when ye pray, believe that 
 ye receive them, and ye shall have them. 
 
 7. The means of grace are, by the Spirit, rendered effectual 
 to the salvation of God's people. 1 Thess. i. 5. Our gospel 
 came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and 
 in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That the elect, or God's chosen people, will 
 not be saved without the use of means, for tfcey need the 
 influence of means to change their dispositions and 
 manner of life, bringing these into a correspondence with 
 the heavenly state. (2.) That it is not wise, or respect- 
 ful to God, to neglect the means of salvation ; for God 
 has commanded them to be used by all. (3.) I have no 
 business to decline the use of these means so long as I am 
 not assured that I am one of the elect ; for God gives no 
 one such assurance except as it may be gained from using 
 the means of grace, and by the use of them being brought 
 to that faith in Christ, and that repentance unto life, 
 which have already been explained. (4.) I must daily 
 thank God for these means of salvation, use them with 
 humble dependence on God to make them avail to my 
 preparation for heaven, and labor to give to all my fellow- 
 men the same advantages for eternal life. (5.) My com- 
 passion should go forth daily to those in Christian lands 
 who neglect or pervert and abuse the gospel of Christ 
 and Christian rites, and also to the millions of mankind 
 to whom Christ has never been held forth as an almighty 
 and sufficient Saviour. 
 
 What Illustrations are given ? 
 
 1. THE BIBLE WITHHELD BY ROMISH PRIESTS. Says 
 " Kirwan " to Archbishop Hughes : " God has commanded 
 me to * Search the Scriptures/ Who has given you author- 
 ity to forbid me ? What right have you to forbid me, more 
 
THE DILIGENT USE OF THE MEANS OF GRACE. 21 1 
 
 than I have to forbid you ? Produce your credentials I 
 Where does God place his Revealed Will in the keeping 
 of pope, prelate, or priest, to be doled out to his erring 
 children in such ways and parcels as they may deem 
 best? He has no more placed the Bible under your con- 
 trol, or that of your church, than he has the sun in heaven 
 or the vital air." 
 
 2. PRAYING TO SAINTS. "In looking over the Bible," 
 says the Rev. Dr. Nevins, " the book which contains the 
 religion of Protestants, and which, being older than tho 
 Roman Catholic religion, proves the seniority of Pro- 
 testantism over Popery, I find no account of praying to 
 saints. I do not read of Joshua praying to Moses, or of 
 Elisha invoking Elijah. No ! there is not a word of what 
 constitutes so much of the doctrine of the Catholic in 
 either Testament, We do not find anything in the Acts 
 or Epistles about praying to the beloved Virgin, whom 
 they call our Lady, in allusion to the phrase our Lord. 
 * * * * * Catholic books are full 
 of the blessed Virgin. The Bible is all about Christ. 
 There is the difference." Thoughts on Popery. 
 
 3. A CHILD'S REBUKE. On a certain occasion when a 
 minister was speaking of the neglect of family duties, of 
 reading the Scriptures, and of family prayer, a little girl, 
 who listened attentively, and perceived that the preacher 
 was describing a neglect that she had herself noticed at 
 home, whispered to her mother, "Ma, is the minister 
 talking to you?" To the mother this simple question 
 was more powerful than the sermon. She was immedi- 
 ately brought under deep convictions of sin, which- re- 
 sulted in her hopeful conversion to God. 
 
 ALEXANDER PATERSON. "It was our Communion last 
 Sabbath," he writes to his friend, Mr. 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 
 
212 THE WORD OF GOD AS A MEANS OF GRACE. 
 
 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. * * * * The 
 
 marriage supper hastens. Oh, how little have we seen 
 of Christ ! There is enough in him to fill men and angels 
 with new wonder to all eternity." 
 
 OF THE WORD OF GOD AS A MEANS OF GRACE. 
 
 Q. 89. HOW IS THE WORD MADE EFFECTUAL TO SALVA- 
 TION? 
 
 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. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. The Holy Spirit alone makes the word effectual to sal- 
 vation. 1 Pet. i. 22. Ye have purified your souls in 
 obeying the truth through the Spirit. 
 
 2. The reading of the word is made an effectual means of 
 convincing sinners. 2 Kings, xxii. 10, 11. Shaphan read 
 it before the king. And it came to pass, when the king 
 had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent 
 his clothes. 
 
 3. The reading of the word is made an effectual means of 
 converting sinners. Psal. xix 7. The law of the Lord is 
 perfect, converting the soul. 
 
 4. The reading of the word is an effectual means of 
 building up God's people in holiness. Acts, xx. 32. I 
 commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, 
 which is able to build you up, and to give you an in- 
 heritance among all them which are sanctified. 
 
 5. The reading of the word is an effectual means of 
 comforting God's people. Rom. xv. 4. Whatsoever things 
 
THE WORD OF GOD AS A MEANS OF GRACE. 213 
 
 were written aforetime, were written for our learning, 
 that we, through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, 
 might have hope. 
 
 6. The reading of the word is made effectual to salvation 
 through faith. 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. 
 
 7. The preaching of the word is especially an effectual 
 means of convincing sinners. Acts, ii. 37. 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 ? 
 
 8. The preaching of the word is especially an effectual 
 means of converting sinners. Acts, xxvi. 17, 18. The 
 Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, to open their eyes, 
 and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the 
 power of Satan unto God. 
 
 9. The preaching of the word is especially an effectual 
 means of building up God's people in holiness. Col. i. 28. 
 We preach, warning every man, and teaching every man 
 in all wisdom ; that we may present every man perfect 
 in Christ Jesus. 
 
 10. The preaching of the word is especially an effectual 
 means of comforting God's people. 1 Thess. iii. 2. And 
 sent Timotheus to establish you, and to comfort you 
 concerning your faith. 
 
 11. The preaching of the word is made effectual to salva- 
 tion, only through faith. Heb. iv. 'J. The word preached 
 did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them 
 that heard it. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines? 
 
 I learn (1.) That the use of the means of religious in- 
 struction, improvement, comfort, and salvation, will not 
 be availing except the energy of the Holy Spirit be ex- 
 erted in connection with them. And (2.) That, to enjoy 
 the aid of the Holy Spirit, I must rely wholly and con- 
 stantly upon the merit, death, and intercession of the 
 Son of God. (3.) That none can be saved who are not 
 
214 THE WORD OF GOD AS A MEANS OF GRACE. 
 
 thus looking to Christ, however diligently they may read 
 the Scriptures, attend upon public preaching, or abound 
 in prayer. (4.) That the only proper and profitable 
 manner of performing these duties is to seek therein the 
 promised favor of the Holy Spirit. (5.) That the whole 
 credit of the spiritual peace, comfort, purity, and salvation 
 of those who are finally saved, must be forever given to 
 God the Spirit, through the mediation and worthiness of 
 God the Son. (6.) That a merely outward and formal 
 religion has no fitness or efficacy to prepare men for 
 everlasting life. 
 
 What Illustrations ean you give ? 
 
 1. WHAT THE SPIRIT CAN DO. The Spirit is an almighty 
 Spirit. He can break the strongest bad habits, like tow 
 before the fire. He can make the most difficult things 
 easy, and the mightiest objections melt away like snow 
 in spring. The. Spirit can take a Roman Catholic monk, 
 brought up in the midst of Romish superstition trained 
 from his infancy to believe false doctrine, and obey the 
 Pope steeped to the eyes in error and make that man 
 the clearest upholder of justification by faith the world 
 ever saw. He has done so already. He did it with 
 Martin Luther. The Spirit can take an English tinker* 
 without learning, patronage, or money a man at one 
 time notorious for nothing so much as blasphemy and 
 swearing and make that man write a religious book 
 which shall stand unrivalled and unequalled in its way, 
 by anything since the time of the apostles. He has done 
 so already. He did it with John Bunyan, the author of 
 the "Pilgrim's Progress." The Spirit can take a sailor, 
 drenched in worldliness and sin a profligate captain of 
 a slave ship and make that man a most successful 
 minister of the Gospel a writer of letters, which are a 
 storehouse of experimental religion ; and of hymns, which 
 
PROPER USE OF THE WORD OF GOD. 215 
 
 are known and sung wherever English is spoken. He 
 has done it already. He did it with John Newton. Ryle. 
 2. DR, GRIFFIN showed his profound sense of the need 
 of divine influence to give efficacy to preaching, by a re- 
 mark which he dropped concerning a young man, a pupil 
 of his, who had just commenced preaching, " He has," 
 said he, " a very active mind and superior talents. The 
 only question I have about him is, whether he will pray 
 down the Holy Spirit while he preaches ?" 
 
 Proper use of the Word of God. 
 
 Q. 90. HOW IS THE WORD TO BE READ AND HEARD, THAT 
 IT MAY BECOME EFFECTUAL TO SALVATION? 
 
 That the word in ay become effectual to salva- 
 tion, we must attend thereunto with diligence, 
 preparation, and prayer, receive it with faith and 
 love, lay it up in our hearts, and practice it in our 
 lives. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. The Word o/ God must be attended to, and understood. 
 Acts, viii. 30. Understandest thou what thou readest ? 
 
 2. The Word of God mwst be attended to with diligence. 
 Acts, xvii. 11. And searched the Scriptures daily, whether 
 those things were so. 
 
 3. The Word of God must be attended to with preparation. 
 James, i. 21. Lay apart all filthiness and superfluity 
 of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the ingrafted 
 word, which is able to save your souls. 
 
 4. The Word of God must be attended to in the exercise of 
 prayer. Psal. cxix. 18. Open thou mine eyes, that I may 
 behold wondrous things out of thy law. 
 
 5. The Word of God must be received with faith. I Thess. 
 ii. 13. For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, 
 because, when ye received the Word of God which ye 
 
216 PROPER USE OF THE WORD OF GOD. 
 
 heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but 
 (as it is in truth) the Word of God, which effectually 
 worketh also in you that believe. 
 
 6. The Word of God must be received with love. Psal. 
 cxix. 97. O how love I thy law ! 
 
 Y. The Word of God must be meditated upon. Col. iii. 
 16. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all 
 wisdom. 
 
 8. The Word of God must be laid up in the heart. Deut. 
 xi. 18. Ye shall lay up these my words in your heart, 
 and in your soul. 
 
 9. The truths of the Word must be reduced to practice in 
 our lives. James, i. 22. Be ye doers of the Word, and 
 not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That but few so read the Scriptures or attend 
 upon Gospel preaching, as to make them effectual for sal- 
 vation. (2.) That I must be more earnest, and prayerful, 
 and laborious in effort, to gain salvation, as an attainable 
 and most desirable result of attendance upon the preached 
 gospel. (3.) That I must not be satisfied with any result 
 short of this, either in my own case or that of others. 
 (4.) That salvation is not to be expected without inces- 
 sant effort. 
 
 What Illustrations are given ? 
 
 1. A CONVERSATION ABOUT A REVIVAL. " Mamma," said 
 Lucy to her mother, " What is a Revival ? I often see it 
 stated in the papers that there has been a revival in such 
 and such places. What does it mean ?" " A revival," 
 said her mother, " is a certain state of things in a com- 
 munity, produced by the presence and operation of the 
 Holy Spirit on the minds and hearts of the people, lead- 
 ing them to believe and act more like rational, account- 
 able beings, than they do at other times." "Why, 
 mother, how do people feel and act in revivals?" " They 
 
PROPER USE OF THE WORD' OF GOD. 217 
 
 feel that they have souls which must be happy or miser- 
 able forever, and that much needs to be done to prepare 
 them for happiness. Those who love the blessed Saviour 
 feel very anxious that others should love him too. Pa- 
 rents are uncommonly desirous that their children should 
 now turn from the ways of sin, and be engaged in serving 
 the Lord and doing good ; and ministers feel that their 
 unconverted hearers are exposed to everlasting suffering, 
 and that unless they soon repent and love God, and pray, 
 they will lie down in everlasting sorrow. Many of those 
 who are not Christians begin to feel that they have done 
 very wrong in neglecting to receive the Lord Jesus as 
 their Saviour, and living in disobedience to the commands 
 of God. Those who have been in the practice of swear- 
 ing, or breaking the Sabbath, or drinking, or gambling, 
 or attending theatres, or neglecting the worship of God, 
 feel Very guilty for their past conduct, and often inquire 
 of the minister, or some intelligent Christian, what they 
 shall do to be saved. Those unconverted persons who 
 hav r e always been honest and moral, and who have been 
 in the habit of attending religious meetings, sometimes 
 are in great distress and perplexity, in view of their in- 
 gratitude to their Maker and Redeemer, and are ready 
 to cry out, in the language of the humble publican, * God 
 be merciful to me a sinner !' And sometimes little chil- 
 dren are seen weeping over their sins, and asking pious 
 people to pray for them. And, as the result of the uni- 
 versal feeling and anxiety in the community, people de- 
 sire to assemble together very often, for preaching, and 
 exhortation, and prayer; and when at meeting, they find 
 no difficulty in keeping awake. They hear with all their 
 ears, and are ready to put in practice what they hear. 
 There is a life, and zeal, and unction, in the exhortations,, 
 and prayers, and singing, that makes it manifest that the 
 Holy Spirit is present. As the revival advances, those 
 19 
 
218 THE SACRAMENTS AS MEANS OF GRACE. 
 
 who were anxious about themselves, one after another, 
 repent of their sins, submit to God, believe in the Lord 
 Jesus Christ, and are filled with love, and joy, and peace, 
 and comfort. Fathers, who had never prayed with their 
 family before, now call them together, and read the Bible 
 and pray with them. After those who have become 
 Christians in this revival have waited long enough to try 
 the evidences of their conversion, they offer themselves 
 to the church to become members. They wish to obey 
 the Saviour's command in regard to the Lord's Supper, 
 'This do in remembrance of me.'" [Selected.] 
 
 2. A PRACTICAL PREACHER. A New England clergyman, 
 enforcing on his congregation the necessity of practical 
 godliness, and contrasting the early Christians with those 
 of the present generation, very properly remarked : " We 
 have too many resolutions, and too little action. ' The 
 Acts of the Apostles/ is the title of one of the books of 
 the New Testament ; their resolutions have not reached 
 us. 
 
 OP THE SACRAMENTS AS MEANS OF GRACE. 
 
 Of the JUfficacy of the Sacraments. 
 
 Q. 91. HOW DO THE SACRAMENTS BECOME EFFECTUAL MEANS 
 OP SALVATION ? 
 
 The sacraments become effectual means of sal- 
 vation, not from any virtue in them, or in him 
 that doth administer them ; but only by the bless- 
 ing of Christ, and the working of his Spirit in them 
 that by faith receive them. 
 
THE SACRAMENTS AS MEANS OF GRACE. 219 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 A. The sacraments possess no virtue in themselves. Acts, 
 viii. 13, 23. Simon himself believed also, and was bap- 
 tized. But Peter said unto him, I perceive that thou art 
 in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity. 
 
 2. The sacraments are not rendered effectual by any vir- 
 tue in the per son administering them. 1 Cor. iii. 7. Neither 
 is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth ; 
 but God that giveth the increase. 
 
 3. The sacraments are rendered effectual by the blessing of 
 Christ. Matt. iii. 11. He shall baptize you with the 
 Holy Ghost, and with fire. 
 
 4. The sacraments are made effectual by the operation of 
 the Spirit of God. John, vi. 63. It is the Spirit that 
 quickeneth ; the flesh profiteth nothing. 
 
 5. The sacraments become effectual to those only who re- 
 ceive them by faith. Mark, xvi. 16. He that believeth 
 and is baptized, shall be saved. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) Not to depend on the outward religious 
 ceremony, but on the influences of the Holy Spirit in my 
 heart, when I observe the ordinance of baptism in the 
 Lord's Supper. (2.) The error of those who think they 
 will be saved merely because they have been baptized or 
 have partaken of the memorials of Christ's death. (3.) 
 The error of the tenet of the Romish Church, that the effi- 
 cacy of the sacrament depends upon the intention of the 
 priest to bless, or otherwise, who administers them, thus 
 wrongfully and arrogantly ascribing to him that power 
 to withhold or bestow religious benefit which belongs 
 alone to the Holy Spirit. (4.) The duty resting upon all 
 who love Christ to profess the fact, and to observe the 
 Lord's Supper in honor of his death. 
 
 What Illustration is given? 
 A RELIGION WITHOUT A HOLY SPIRIT. " A gentleman of 
 
220 THE SACRAMENTS AS MEANS OF GRACE. 
 
 intelligence, who was born of Catholic parents, and edu- 
 cated in the Catholic Church, but left it recently for Pro- 
 testantism, said to his brother, who is still a Catholic : 
 ' Why, brother, as long as I was a Catholic I never knew 
 that there was a Holy Spirit.' And what (asks Dr. 
 Kevins) do you think was the brother's reply ? * Well, 
 I don't know that there is one now!' The narrative of 
 what passed between these two men (adds Dr. N.) struck 
 me with great force. A religion without a Holy Spirit ! 
 and this the religion, according to the computation of 
 Bishop England, 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 & fitness for it ? As a 
 sinner, I am equally destitute of both. There can be 410 
 heaven without holiness. And whence has any man holi- 
 ness but from the Holy Spirit ? And is it likely he will 
 act when he is not acknowledged ? * * ,.'* 
 
 * # * * These men knew not that there was 
 a Holy Spirit. Why did they not know it ? I will tell 
 you. Because so little is said of the Holy Spirit among 
 the Catholics, there is so little need of any such agent, 
 according to their system ! They do not believe in the 
 necessity of a change of heart. Why should there be a 
 Holy Spirit ? The priest does not want any such help to 
 prepare a soul for heaven. The Catholic system is com- 
 plete without a Holy Spirit. Therefore nothing is said of 
 him in the pulpit, and the confession box ; and the sinner 
 is not directed to seek his influences or rely on his aid. 
 
 * * # # This is one of the capital crimes 
 of the Catholic Church. She does not speak against 
 the Holy Ghost. No, she is silent about him." Thoughts 
 on Popery. 
 
THE NATURE OF THE SACRAMENTS. 221 
 
 Of the Nature of the Sacraments. 
 
 Q. 92. WHAT is A SACRAMENT? 
 
 A sacrament is a holy ordinance instituted by 
 Christ, wherein by sensible signs, Christ and the 
 benefits of the new covenant, are represented, 
 sealed, and applied to believers. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. The sacraments are holy ordinances. 1. Cor. x. 21. Ye 
 cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils ; 
 ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the 
 table of devils. 
 
 2. The sacrament of baptism was instituted by Christ. 
 Matt, xxviii. 19. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, 
 baptizing them. 
 
 3. The sacrament of the supper was instituted by Christ. 
 Matt, xxvi 26. And as they were eating, Jesus took 
 bread and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the dis- 
 ciples, and said, Take eat ; this is my body. 
 
 4. Christ is represented, by sensible signs, in the sacra- 
 ment of baptism. Rom. vi. 3, 4. Know ye not that so 
 many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ, were bap- 
 tized into his death ? Therefore we are buried with him 
 by baptism into death. 
 
 5. Christ is represented, by sensible signs, in the sacrament 
 of the Supper. 1 Cor. xi. 24. This is my body which is, 
 broken for you : this do in remembrance of me. 
 
 6. The benefits of the new covenant are represented in th& 
 sacraments. John, vi. 53, 54. Except ye eat the flesh of 
 the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in 
 you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, 
 hath eternal life. 
 
 7. Christ, and the benefits of the new covenant, are sealed 
 to believers in the sacraments. Rom. iv. 11. He received, 
 the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness oi 
 the faith, which he had, yet being uncircumcised. 
 
 19* 
 
222 THE NATURE OF THE SACRAMENTS. 
 
 8. Christ and the benefits of the new covenant, are applied 
 to believers in the sacraments. John, vi. 56, 57. He that 
 eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, 
 and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I 
 live by the Father : so he that eateth me, even he shall 
 live by me. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That the Romanists are wrong in declaring 
 that the bread and wine used in the Lord's Supper, 
 when consecrated by the priest, are converted into the 
 real body and blood of the Lord, and cease to be bread 
 and wine. My senses prove that this doctrine is false, 
 and many arguments from Scripture overthrow it. (2.) 
 That either having been baptized, or having also observed 
 the Lord's Supper, I am under the more solemn engage- 
 ment to devote my life to Christ. (3.) The great privi- 
 lege to a believer, of properly receiving the sacrament ; 
 since Christ therein pledges himself to bestow all that he 
 has promised in the New Testament, and actually be- 
 stows, to a greater or less extent, the several blessings 
 purchased by his blood. (4.) That the sacraments should 
 be observed with great reverence, with lively gratitude 
 and hope, and with spiritual joy. 
 
 What Illustration can you relate ? 
 
 ROMISH ADMINISTRATION OF THE COMMUNION. " KIRWAN," 
 in one of his letters to Archbishop Hughes, says : " I 
 went into St. Peter's, in Barclay Street. The communicants 
 drew around the altar upon their knees. With a little 
 box in his hand, the priest passed from one to the other, 
 taking a wafer, smaller than that used in sealing a letter, 
 from the box, and placed it upon the extended tongue 
 of the communicant. I was always taught that the teeth 
 must not touch the wafer that it must melt upon the 
 
THE NEW TESTAMENT SACRAMENTS. 223 
 
 tongue. This I find to be the law of your church. I 
 witnessed the ceremony, as I had often done be- 
 fore. I retired from the scene, asking these questions : 
 Is that little wafer the real body and blood of Christ ? 
 Does the priest, in that little box, not as large as a snuff- 
 box, carry two or three hundred real bodies of Christ? 
 Do these communicants, each in their turn, eat the real 
 body and blood of Christ ? My dear sir, I cannot express 
 to you the violence with which my mind rejected the ab- 
 surdity." 
 
 Of the New Testament Sacraments. 
 
 Q. 93. WHICH ARE THE SACRAMENTS OF THE NEW TESTA- 
 MENT? 
 
 The sacraments of the New Testament are 
 Baptism, and the Lord's Supper. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. Baptism is a sacrament of the New Testament. Mat. 
 xxviii. 19. Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, bap- 
 tizing them. 
 
 2. The Lord's Supper is a sacrament of the New Testa- 
 ment. 1 Cor. xi. 23. I have received of the Lord, that 
 which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus, tho 
 same night in which he was betrayed, took bread, <fcc. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Truths ? 
 I learn (1.) That the Jewish and Christian church are 
 the same religious body, only under different modes of in- 
 struction, and with different advantages, both looking to 
 Christ as the source of their richest blessings. (2.) That 
 the Romanists have no authority for teaching that there 
 are seven sacraments to be observed in the Christian 
 church ; to baptism and the Lord's Supper, adding con- 
 firmation, penance, ordination, marriage, and extreme 
 unction. Though marriage and ordination are proper to 
 be used, they have none of the qualities of a sacrament. 
 
224 THE NATURE AND USE OF BAPTISM. 
 
 - 
 
 What Illustration is given? 
 
 SEVEN SACRAMENTS. "What ! seven ! How is this ? 
 (asks the Rev. Dr. Nevins), I read in the Bible of only 
 two. Whence have they the other five ? O, they came 
 from the other source of Christian doctrine (?) tradition. 
 It is true, the apostles wrote of only two sacraments ; but 
 Catholics would have us believe that they preached and 
 conversed about five others ; and those that heard them 
 spoke of these sacraments to others ; and they to others 
 still ; and so the story passed from lip to lip, until the 
 Council of Trent (I believe it was) concluded that some- 
 thing had better be written about those five extra sacra- 
 ments. I wonder that was never thought of before. It 
 is surprising that it never occurred to the apostles, when 
 they were writing their Epistles, to say a syllable about 
 these seven sacraments. I may be very hard to please, 
 but I cannot help feeling a desire to have Scripture, as 
 well as unwritten tradition, in support of a doctrine or 
 practice called Christian. I like to be able to trace a 
 doctrine all the way back to the Bible, and to find it 
 originating in tho very oracles of God themselves."- 
 Thoughts on Popery. 
 
 Of the Nature and Use of Baptism. 
 
 Q. 94. WHAT is BAPTISM? 
 
 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 engage- 
 ment to be the Lord's. 
 
THE NATURE AND USE OF BAPTISM. 225 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. Water is the sign to be used in Baptism. Acts, x. 47. 
 Can any man forbid water, that these should not be bap- 
 tized ? 
 
 2. Baptism is to be administered in the name of the Father, 
 of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Mat. xxviii. 19. Bap- 
 tizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, 
 and of the Holy Ghost. 
 
 3. The ingrafting of believers into Christ is signified by 
 baptism. 1 Cor. xii. 13. By one spirit are we all bap- 
 tized into one body. 
 
 4. Baptism seals the ingrafting of believers into Christ. 
 Gal. iii. 27. As many of you as have been baptized 
 into Christ, have put on Christ. 
 
 5. Baptism signifies our having a right to the benefits of 
 the covenant of grace. Acts, ii. 38. 'Repent and be bap- 
 tized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for 
 the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the 
 Holy Ghost. 
 
 6. The Christian, in baptism, engages to be the Lord's. 
 Rom. vi. 4. We are buried with him by baptism 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. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That the signification of baptism, as above 
 described, relates only to believers, and not to all per- 
 sons, infants or adults, that have been baptized. (2.) That 
 it does not secure regeneration, or a religious and holy 
 character, but is merely an outward symbol or sign of 
 the necessity of the influence of the Holy Spirit to pro- 
 duce it. (3.) It implies, therefore, the doctrine that we 
 are born depraved beings or that we have a sinful 
 nature, which requires morally to be made new, or re- 
 generated. (3.) It is also regarded as showing the need 
 of our being cleansed from the guilt of sin, or delivered 
 from its condemning power, by the atoning blood of 
 
226 THE NATURE AND USE OF BAPTISM. 
 
 Christ. (4.) It signifies that the baptized person is re- 
 cognized as owing supreme love and devotion to the 
 Father, Son, and Spirit; and if he be an adult person, 
 solemnly promises to exercise such devotion and love. It 
 is also a profession of faith in the doctrine of the Holy 
 Trinity and of the several offices and relations of the 
 persons of the Trinity, concerning man's salvation. (5.) 
 It is a sign of admission into the visible church an out- 
 ward "engrafting into Christ" into his "body" the 
 Church ; and further, a pledge of future conformity to all 
 the laws and institutions of Christ, for the conduct and 
 sanctification of the church. (6.) The distinction be- 
 tween baptism as a sign and seal, is to be understood. To 
 some it is a sign merely ; to others, that is, to true be- 
 lievers, it is both a sign and a seal. (7.) That the rite of 
 baptism does not possess an efficacy to remove original 
 sin, as some falsely claim, for in that case all baptized per- 
 sons would lead a holy life, and be free from the miseries 
 that sin has introduced. (8.) That baptized persons, 
 whether children or grown-up persons, should not be 
 worldly-minded, unbelieving, and impenitent, but are 
 justly expected to be sincere and cheerful followers and 
 worshippers of Jesus Christ. 
 
 What Illustration can you relate? 
 
 IMPORT OF THE BAPTISMAL COVENANT. The Rev. PHILIP 
 HENRY, for the use of his children, prepared this short form 
 of words, showing what is implied in baptism ; taught it 
 to his children, required them to repeat it every Sabbath 
 evening, after their recitation of the Catechism, and was 
 wont to add : " So say, and so do, and you are made for 
 ever :" " I take God the Fatherf to be my chiefest good 
 and highest end. I take God the Son to be my Prince 
 and Saviour. I take God the Holy Ghost to be my 
 Sanctifier, Teacher, Comforter, and Guide. I take the 
 
THE SUBJECTS OF BAPTISM. 227 
 
 "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 also 
 took pains with his children to lead them into the under- 
 standing of it, and to persuade them to a free and cheer- 
 ful consent to it. And when they grew up, he made them 
 all write it over severally with their own hands, and very 
 solemnly set their names to it, which he told them he 
 would keep by him, and it should be produced as a testi- 
 mony against them, in case they should afterwards do- 
 part from God, and turn from following after him. 
 
 Of the Subjects of Baptism. 
 
 Q. 95. To WHOM IS BAPTISM TO BE ADMINISTERED ? 
 
 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 in 
 fants of such as are members of the visible church 
 are to be baptized. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. Baptism is not to be administered to any who are not 
 members of Christ's church, till they profess their faith in 
 him. Acts, viii. 36, 37. What doth hinder me to be bap- 
 tized ? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thy 
 heart, thou mayest. 
 
 2. A profession of future obedience to Christ is necessary, 
 previous to baptism. 1 Pet. iii. 21. The like figure 
 whereunto 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. 
 
 3. Children of believing parents are proper subjects of 
 
228 , THE SUBJECTS OF BAPTISM. 
 
 baptism, as God bestows on many of them the blessings which 
 it signifies. Luke, xviii. 16. Suffer little children to come 
 unto me, and forbid them not ; for of such is the king- 
 dom of God. 
 
 4. Children of believing parents are entitled to the sign 
 of the covenant, as God has given them the promises of it. 
 Acts, ii. 39. The promise is unto you and to your chil- 
 dren. 
 
 5. Children are to be considered ceremonially holy, and 
 are entitled to the sign of the covenant, by the profession and 
 membership of only one of their parents. 1 Cor. vii. 14. 
 The unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and 
 the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband : else 
 were your children unclean ; but now are they holy. 
 
 6. The infants of a family are entitled to the sign of the 
 covenant, on the profession and baptism of their parent. 
 Acts, xvi. 33. Was baptized, he and all his, straight- 
 way. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) The nature of infant baptism. It is suited 
 to remind the children that they belong to God, have 
 been devoted to his service, and have no right to live a 
 worldly and sinful life. (2.) It helps parents, and the 
 church, and the pastor, to be faithful in their endeavors 
 so to pray for, watch over, instruct, and guide them, that 
 by God's grace they may become real disciples of Christ, 
 and an honor to the Christian Church into which baptism 
 openly admits them. (3.) No baptized person can remain 
 an enemy of Christ, or impenitent, without a shocking 
 violation of God's solemn ordinance. 
 
 What Illustrations are given ? 
 
 1. THE ROMISH IDEA OF BAPTISM. As stated by Chal- 
 loner, a Roman Catholic writeH the effects of baptism, 
 when duly administered, are these : It washes away 
 original sin ; it remits all actual sin ; it infuses the habit 
 of divine grace into the soul ; it gives a right and title 
 
THE SUBJECTS OF BAPTISM. 229 
 
 to heaven; it makes us children and inemhers of the 
 church. "Now, sir," (remarks "Kirwan" in his Letters 
 to Archbishop Hughes,) "I have no sense by which I can 
 perceive how the application of water by a priest, or a 
 minister, or a cure, or a midwife, can accomplish all this, 
 whilst testimony to the contrary addresses itself to all my 
 senses. Christ died for the sins of all that believe in 
 him; it is faith in Christ that secures the washing away 
 of original and actual sin ; and faith is the exercise of a 
 heart renewed by the Holy Ghost. Being justified by 
 faith we have peace with God, and a title to heaven. 
 All this I can understand-; but how your dipping three 
 times in water can do all this, I see not. "What the Bible 
 attributes to the Holy Spirit, and to the exercise of true 
 faith, you claim for the Sacrament of Baptism. If your 
 doctrine of baptismal regeneration is true, what a singu- 
 lar commentary we have of it in the lives of your people ! 
 What singular manifestations of the habits of divine 
 grace which your baptism infuses into the soul, you see 
 daily among your people ! I only wonder that the facts 
 in the case have not long since exploded your doctrine, 
 and led you back to the simplicity of the sacrament as 
 taught in the Bible !" 
 
 2. History of the Rite of Baptism. There never was 
 any age, at least since Abraham, (says Dr. Wall,) in which 
 the children, whether of Jews or proselytes, that were 
 admitted into covenant, had not some badge or sign of 
 such their admission. The male children of Abraham's 
 race were entered by circumcision. The whole body of 
 the Jews, men, women, and children, were, in Moses' time, 
 baptized. After which, the male children of proselytes, 
 that were entered with their parents, were, as well as 
 their parents, admitted by circumcision, baptism, and a 
 sacrifice the female children by a baptism and a sacri- 
 fice, K"ow, after that circumcision and sacrifice were to 
 20 
 
230 THE NATURE AND USE 
 
 be abolished, under the Gospel dispensation, there was 
 nothing left but baptism or washing, for a sign of the 
 covenant, and of professing religion. This our Saviour 
 took, probably as being the easiest and the least operose 
 (laborious) of all the rest ; and as being common to both 
 sexes, making no difference of male or female, and en- 
 joined it to all who should enter into the kingdom of God. 
 And St. Paul does plainly intimate to the Colossians, 
 (Col. ii. 11, 12,) that it served them instead of circum- 
 cision, calling it the circumcision of Christ, or Christian 
 circumcision. Hist. Inf. Baptism, v. 1, p. 90. 
 
 3. Origen, who possessed more information than any 
 man of his day, and who lived near the time of the 
 apostles, says : " The church received a tradition, or order, 
 from the apostles, to give baptism to little children also." 
 Augustine, who was born in the middle of the fourth 
 century, affirms : " The whole Church practises infant 
 baptism. It was not instituted by councils, it was al 
 ways in use." Pelagius, who lived at the same time, and 
 who had visited the most noted churches in Europe, Asia, 
 and Africa, declares tbat he never heard of any one, even 
 the most impious heretic, who asserted that infants were 
 not to be baptized. Dr. Gill himself, one of the most 
 learned of the Baptist writers, acknowledges that infant 
 baptism was the practice of the church universally, from 
 the third to the eleventh century. Cogswell's Theol. Class 
 Book. 
 
 Of the Nature and Use of the Lord's Supper. 
 
 Q. 96. WHAT is THE LORD'S SUPPER? 
 
 The Lord's supper is a sacrament, wherein, by 
 giving and receiving bread and wine, according to 
 Christ's appointment, his death is showed forth; 
 
OF THE LORDS SUPPER. 231 
 
 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. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. Bread is appointed to be one of the elements of the 
 Lord's Supper. Luke, xxii. 19. He took bread, and gave 
 thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them. 
 
 2. Wine is appointed as the other element to be used in the 
 Lord's Supper. Mat. xxvi. 27. He took the cup, and 
 gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all 
 of it. 
 
 3. Christ's death is shoived forth by giving and receiving 
 bread and wine in the sacrament of the Supper. 1 Cor. xi. 
 26. As oft as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do 
 show the Lord's death till he come. 
 
 4. It is not in a corporal or carnal manner that Christ's 
 body and blood are received in the sacrament. 1 Cor. x. 16. 
 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the com- 
 munion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we 
 break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ ? 
 
 5. The body and blood of Christ in the sacrament are re- 
 ceived by faith. John, vi. 35. I am the bread of life : he 
 that cometh to me shall never hunger ; and he that be- 
 lie veth on me shall never thirst. 
 
 6. Christians in the sacrament are made partakers of 
 Christ and all his benefits. John, vi. 51. I am the living 
 bread which came down from heaven. If any man eat 
 of this bread, he shall live for ever : and the bread that 
 I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of 
 the world. 
 
 7. Spiritual nourishment is conferred in the sacrament. 
 John, vi. 55. My flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is 
 drink indeed. 
 
 8. The Christian is enabled to grow in grace by worthily 
 partaking of the Lord's Supper. John, iv. 14. The water 
 tKat I shall give him, shall be in him a well of water 
 springing up into everlasting life. 
 
232 THE NATURE AND USE 
 
 What Lessons do^you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That in this sacrament Christians do not 
 eafc and drink the real body and blood of Christ, as the 
 Romanists believe; and that the observance is useful, 
 only as exciting the mind to an affectionate remembrance 
 of the sufferings of Christ as the procuring cause of all 
 our spiritual blessings. (2.) That those Christians who 
 neglect, or do not take pains properly to observe this 
 ordinance, are guilty not only of a great disrespect and 
 want of love to Christ, but of a great disregard to their 
 own spiritual welfare and comfort. (3.) That true love 
 to Christ will prompt us to show forth the fact of his 
 death, both in honor of him, and for the salvation of men. 
 (4.) That this ordinance is not a sacrifice for sin, as the 
 Romanists pretend, but a symbol or remembrance of the 
 one sacrifice for sin, which Jesus offered once for all. 
 
 What Illustrations are offered? 
 
 1. THE MASS. It never occurs to the Christian reader 
 of the Scriptures that by the mass, Catholics can mean 
 the transaction recorded by Matthew in his 26th chapter, 
 and by three other sacred writers, and which we com- 
 monly speak of as the institution of the Lord's Supper. 
 But that is what they mean by it. Then, they tell us, 
 the first mass was said. In the Douay Catechism we find 
 these questions and answers : Q. Who said the first mass ? 
 A. Jesus Christ. Q. When did he say it ? A. At his 
 last supper. Here it is, question and answer for it, if not 
 chapter and verse. The Biblical reader will please to 
 bear in mind, whenever hereafter he reads the narrative 
 of the transaction, that the writer is giving an account 
 of the first mass that was ever said. But what do they 
 mean by the mass? The "Christian's Guide" says, on 
 the subject: "I profess, likewise, that in the mass there 
 
OF THE LORD'S SUPPER. 233 
 
 is offered to God a true, proper, and propitiatory sacrifice 
 for the living and the dead." Christ offered it first when 
 he said mass, and every priest now offers it when he 
 says mass. * * * * * The Catholics 
 say that when Christ performed these actions with the 
 bread and wine, he offered himself to God as a propitiatory 
 sacrifice. How does what he did bear the least resemblance 
 to the offering of a propitiatory sacrifice ? There was 
 no bloodshed no life taken as was the case in all pro- 
 pitiatory sacrifices under the law-; and in the sacrifice 
 which Christ made of himself on the cross, and which has 
 always, by Pagans, as well as the disciples of the true re- 
 ligion, been considered essential to a propitiatory sacrifice. 
 I confess there was something offered. Bread and wine 
 were offered. These might constitute a eucharistic sacri- 
 fice, but never a propitiatory one. * * * A 
 sacrifice, to be a sacrifice, must be offered to God, as even 
 the quotation from the " Christian's Guide " recognizes. 
 But what was offered in this case was offered to the dis- 
 ciples. " Take eat," he said to them. It is true the bread 
 and wine were offered to them as the memorial of a sacri- 
 fice in which the body of Christ was to be broken and 
 his blood shed ; but the memorial of a sacrifice is not a 
 sacrifice. The emblematical representation of a thing is 
 not the thing itself. Plainly there was no sacrifice in this 
 transaction. But again, if Christ in the eucharist offered 
 himself a sacrifice to God, as they affirm, and afterwards, 
 as all admit, offered himself on the cross, then he twice 
 offered himself; and if so, the writer of the Epistle to 
 the Hebrews was under a great mistake, for he says, 
 *' Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many " " we 
 are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus 
 Christ, once for all." Here is a contradiction. Which shall 
 we believe ? The apostle of the Gentiles or the Catholic 
 Church ? * * * * But if the Catholic 
 
 20* 
 
234 THE LORD'S SUPPER. 
 
 doctrine be true, Christ has been offered not twice only, 
 but innumerable times. In every mass that ever has been 
 said, he has been offered. NevM Thoughts on Popery. 
 
 2. HOW DO YOU REMEMBER CHRIST ? Some who profeSS 
 
 respect, and indeed love, for Christ, remember Christ in 
 their own way, but not in his way. They do some things 
 in remembrance of him, but not that which he said " do." 
 I wonder, (says Dr. Nevin,) they do not adopt his way. I 
 cannot help suspecting their love when I see they do not. 
 It always appeared to me that such a benefactor as Christ 
 ought to be remembered, and that sinners whom he died 
 to save, should remember him in that way, even though 
 it should not seem to them the most appropriate and 
 reasonable manner of commemorating him. Practical 
 Thoughts. 
 
 3. His LAST WISH. It is enough for me, (says the Rev. 
 Dr. Nevin,) that my Saviour inclined to this mode of 
 being remembered, and expressed such a wish : the least I 
 can do, is to comply with it. He did not express a great 
 many wishes. I cannot help regarding it as unkind, that 
 this one wish of Jesus should not be complied with ; and 
 especially when I consider what a friend he was what a 
 benefactor. * * * * * All his 
 wishes, I think, should be complied with ; but this was 
 his last. He was going to suffer ; he was to die in a few 
 hours ; and such a death too ! and for them of whom he 
 made the request, that they might never die. * * 
 * * * * I wonder those words, " broken 
 for you," do not break the heart of every one who re- 
 fuses. Practical Thoughts. 
 
 4. HALF A SACRAMENT ! Who ever heard of such a 
 thing ? A sacrament divided ! Yes, even so. The au- 
 thorities of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope, Council, 
 &c., have divided the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, 
 which our Lord instituted the same night in which he 
 
THE LORD'S SUPPER. 235 
 
 was betrayed ; and ever since the Council of Constance, 
 they have allowed the people only half of it. * * 
 * * * * But did not Christ give the cup, 
 
 in the original institution of the sacrament, to as many 
 as he gave the bread ? Yes, Christ did. So say Matthew, 
 Mark, Luke, and Paul. He took the cup, they tell us, 
 and gave it to them; and Matthew adds that he said in 
 giving it, " Drink ye all of it." Let not this be omitted 
 by any disciple. It would seem as if Christ foresaw 
 what the Constantine Council were going to do, and 
 therefore said, " Drink ye all of it." Rome might, with 
 much more plausibility, have denied her laity the other 
 half of the sacrament the bread. * * * There 
 can be no such thing in reality as half a sacrament : to 
 divide a sacrament, is to destroy it. Thoughts on Popery. 
 
 Of the Proper Observance of the Lord's Supper. 
 
 Q. 97. WHAT is REQUIRED TO THE WORTHY RECEIVING OF 
 THE LORD'S SUPPER? 
 
 It is required of them that would worthily par- 
 take 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. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. Self-examination is required of all who would worthily 
 partake of the Lord's Supper. 1 Cor. xi. 28. Let a man 
 examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and 
 drink of that cup. 
 
 2. Communicants should examine themselves as to their 
 
236 THE PROPER OBSERVANCE 
 
 knowledge to discern the Lord's body. 1 Cor. xi. 29. Eateth 
 and drinketh damnation (or judgment) to himself, not 
 discerning the Lord's body. 
 
 3. Communicants should examine themselves as to their 
 faith. 2 Cor. xiii. 5. Examine yourselves whether ye 
 be in the faith. 
 
 4. Communicants should examine themselves as to their 
 repentance. Lam. iii. 40. Let us search and try our 
 ways, and turn again to the Lord. 
 
 5. Communicants should examine themselves as to their 
 love. 1 John, iv. 8. He that loveth not, knoweth not 
 God ; for God is love. 
 
 6. Communicants should examine themselves as to their 
 new obedience. 1 Cor. v. 8. 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. 
 
 7. For communicants to neglect the duty of self-examina- 
 tion is dangerous. 1 Cor. xi. 31. If we would judge our- 
 selves, we should not be judged. 
 
 8. Communicating unworthily, exposes us to the judgments 
 of God. 1 Cor. xi. 29. He that eateth and drinketh un- 
 worthily, eateth and drinketh damnation (or judgment) 
 to himself, 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That much careful thought should precede 
 an attendance at the Lord's Table. (2.) That the public 
 preparatory lecture may be highly useful. (3.) That I 
 should pray much for God's presence and blessing at the 
 ordinance, and should read such religious books, and 
 such portions of Scripture, as treat of the sufferings of 
 Christ, with a view to raise in my soul devout affections 
 suited to the occasion. 
 
 What Illustrations can you relate ? 
 
 1. THE French, particularly the army, had great attach- 
 ment to Bonaparte. Said he, "At Arcola, when I was ad 
 vancing, Col. Meuron, my aide-de-camp, threw himself 
 
OF THE LORD'S SUPPER. 287 
 
 before me, covered me with his body, and received the 
 wound which was destined for me. He fell at my feet, 
 and his blood spouted up in my face. He gave his life to 
 preserve mine." What, then, should not the Christian 
 soldier be willing to do for Christ, the Captain of his sal- 
 vation, leading him on to no dubious victory ? 
 
 2. THE PRESENCE OF CHRIST. Jesus, at the right hand 
 of the Father, is yet present with all his younger brethren 
 and sisters in this vale of weeping. His human nature is 
 at the right hand of God upon the throne a lamb as it 
 had been slain. But his divine nature is unlimited, fills 
 all worlds, and is present in every dwelling of every dis- 
 ciple in this world. His Divine nature thus brings in 
 continual information to his human heart of anything 
 that is going on in the heart and history of his people ; so 
 that his human heart beats towards us just as if he were 
 sitting by our side. M'Cheyne. 
 
 3. After receiving the second time the Lord's Supper, 
 M'Cheyne writes in his journal : "I well remember when 
 I was an enemy, and especially abhorred this ordinance as 
 binding me down ; but if I be bound to Christ in heart, I 
 shall not dread any bands that can draw me close to 
 him." 
 
 4. Says the Rev. Thomas Adam, " I do not go to the 
 Lord's Table to give, but to receive ; not to tell Christ 
 how good / am, bnt to think how good he is. The words 
 are, * Do this in remembrance of me,' as if the Saviour 
 said : ' Remember who I am, and what thou art ; remem- 
 ber me as thy Saviour as thy Master ; remember my 
 love, and thy obligations ; remember me as hating thy 
 sin, as bearing thy sin ; remember me, and fear not ; re- 
 member me, and sin not ; remember me to live for me, 
 by me, with me.' " 
 
238 THE NATURE OF PRAYER. 
 
 Of the Nature of Prayer. 
 Q. 98. WHAT is PRAYER? 
 
 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. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. Prayer is the offering up of our desires. Psal. Ixii. 8. 
 Pour out your heart before God. 
 
 2. Prayer must be offered up to the true God. Isa. xlv. 
 22, 23. Look unto nie, and be ye saved, all the ends of 
 the earth : for I am God, and there is none else. I have 
 sworn by myself, and the word is gone out of my mouth 
 in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every 
 knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. 
 
 3. Prayer must be sincere. Jer. xxix. 13. And ye shall 
 seek me and find me, when ye shall search for me with 
 all your heart. 
 
 4. Prayer must be frequent. 1 Thess. v. 17. Pray with- 
 out ceasing. 
 
 5. Prayer must be offered up for things only which are 
 agreeable to God's will. 1 John, v. 14. If we ask any- 
 thing according to his will, he heareth us. 
 
 6. Prayer^must be offered up in the name of Christ. 
 John, xvi. 23. Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my 
 name, he will give it you. 
 
 7. Prayer must be offered up with confession of sin.* 
 Dan. ix. 4. 1 prayed unto the Lord my God, and made 
 my confession. 
 
 8. Prayer must be offered up with thanksgiving. Phil. 
 iv. 6. By prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let 
 your requests be made known unto God, 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines 1 
 
 I learn (1.) That the words of prayer, however proper 
 and scriptural, do not amount to prayer if they do not 
 
THE NATURE OF PRAYER. 239 
 
 express the feelings of my heart. (2.) That it is a great 
 insult to God to address him in the language of prayer, 
 without corresponding desires; in the language of con- 
 fession, without humility and penitence for the sins con- 
 fessed; in the language of praise, without an adoring 
 sense of the divine goodness and condescension for the 
 mercies acknowledged. (3.) That I can obtain blessings 
 by prayer only through the mediation and grace of Christ. 
 (4.) That they who do not pray in the method required 
 above, practically deny their dependence on God, their 
 indebtedness to God, their sinfulness and their need of 
 Christ's favor. (5.) That not only private, but family 
 prayer, .is a duty and a privilege. 
 
 What Illustrations are offered ? 
 
 1. CAUSE FOR THANKSGIVING. At a meeting of ministers, 
 as they were inquiring after each other's welfare, one 
 said, " I feel that I have peculiar occasion for thanks- 
 giving that I am here, for my life was brought into great 
 peril by an accident on the way." " And I," said another, 
 " have surely still greater cause for thanksgiving, seeing 
 that I was brought all' the way hither without any accident 
 at all." 
 
 2. M'Gheyneon Confession. He says : " 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, the soul ought to cast a glance 
 of abhorrence at the sin. If I go on with the duty, bear- 
 ing the sin unconfessed, I go on with a burdened con- 
 science, and add sin to sin. **#**! 
 ought to confess often the sins of my youth, like David 
 and Paul my sins before conversion, my sins since con- 
 version sins against light and knowledge against love 
 and grace against each person of the Godhead. I ought 
 to look at my sins in the light of the Holj Law in the 
 
240 THE NATURE OF PRAYER. 
 
 light of God's countenance in the light of the Cross in 
 the light of the Judgment-seat in the light of Hell in 
 the light of eternity." He further says: "I ought to 
 examine my dreams, my floating thoughts my predilec- 
 tions my often-recurring actions my habits of thought, 
 feeling, speech, and action the slanders of my enemies 
 and the reproofs and even banterings of my friends to 
 find out traces of my prevailing sin matter for confess- 
 ion. I ought to have a number of Scriptures marked, 
 to bring sin to remembrance. I ought, on Sabbath even- 
 ings, and on Communion Sabbath evenings, to be especi- 
 ally careful to confess the sins of holy things. Memoir, 
 p. 135. 
 
 3. PRAYER OF A ROOM-MATE. The celebrated English 
 preacher and writer, JOHN ANGEL JAMES, owed his con- 
 version, in the way of means, to the sight of a com- 
 panion, who slept in the same room with him, bending 
 his knees in prayer on retiring to rest. " That scene, so 
 unostentatious, and yet so unconcealed," says he, " roused 
 my slumbering conscience, and sent an arrow to my 
 heart ; for though I had been religiously educated, I had 
 restrained prayer, and cast off the fear of God: my con- 
 version to God followed, and soon afterwards my entrance 
 upon college studies for the work of the ministry." 
 
 4. DR. CHALMERS AND HIS DAUGHTER. The Rev. Dr. 
 Fletcher, of London, having preached with great accept- 
 ance to children in Glasgow, Dr. Chalmers invited him to 
 breakfast on the following morning. After breakfast, and 
 family worship, Dr. Chalmers said to him, " Sir, it was 
 not an invitation founded on mere compliment that I 
 gave you last evening to meet me this morning ; nor was 
 it to enjoy your conversation. I have a daughter who 
 appears still to have no part or lot with the people of 
 God. If there be any human instrumentality, under God, 
 which can impress her mind, I believe it must foe wielded 
 
THE RULE OF DIRECTION IN PRAYER. 241 
 
 by yourself. I will call her in ; and while you are speak- 
 ing to her, an agonized father will be speaking to his God." 
 The result was her hopeful conversion. 
 
 5. LUTHER'S PRAYERS. " No day passes," said a German 
 pastor in 1530, "in which he does not devote at least 
 three hours to prayer and meditation. I once succeeded 
 in hearing him pray. What energy, what faith in his 
 words ! He prays earnestly as a man communing with 
 God ; and with such trust and faith as a man conversing 
 with his father." 
 
 Of the Rule of Direction in Prayer. 
 Q. 99. WHAT RULE HATH GOD GIVEN FOR OUR DIRECTION ur 
 
 PRAYER ? 
 
 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. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. The young and unskilful should be taught to pray. 
 Luke, xi. 1. Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught 
 his disciples. 
 
 2. We have need to be directed in prayer. Rom. viii. 26, 
 We know not what we should pray for as we ought. 
 
 3. The whole word of God is of use to direct us in prayer. 
 -~-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. 
 
 4. The Lord's prayer is the special rule given us for our 
 direction in prayer. Mat. vi. 9. After this manner, there- 
 fore, pray ye, " Our Father," <fec. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines? 
 
 I learn (1.) The propriety and advantage of using the 
 21 
 
Lord's Prayer as a daily help in my devotion. (2.) To 
 make myself familiar with all those other parts of the 
 Bible which may both supply me with suitable thoughts 
 and expressions to be used in prayer, and show with what 
 dispositions and aims I am to approach my God in this 
 service. (3.) That I am not required to confine myself to 
 any particular form or forms of prayer. (4.) That hav- 
 ing the Bible as a guide and help, all should learn to 
 pray with propriety and acceptance, (5.) Those who do 
 not thus pray, are without excuse. 
 
 What Illustrations are given ? 
 
 L Matthew Hale, once Chief-Justice of England, in his 
 Letters to his Children, says : " If I omit, praying and 
 reading a portion of God's blessed word in the morning, 
 nothing goes well with me all day." 
 
 2. Dr. Doddridge used often to say, " that he never ad' 
 vanced well in human learning without prayer, and that 
 he always made the greatest progress in his studies when 
 he prayed with the greatest fervency." 
 
 3. Towards the close of her last illness, and when able 
 only to speak in short sentences, Mrs. Hannah More said 
 to a little girl, in whom she was interested : " God bless 
 thee, my dear child ; love God ; serve God ; love to pray 
 to God more than to do any other thing." 
 
 4. Says PHILIP HENRY : " Let prayer be the key of the 
 morning ', and the bolt of the night." 
 
 Of the Preface to the Lord's Prayer. 
 
 Q. 100. WHAT DOTH THE PREFACE OF THE LORD'S PRAYER 
 TEACH us? 
 
 The preface of the Lord's prayer, (which is, 
 " Our Father which art in heaven,") teacheth us to 
 
THE PREFACE TO THE LORD'S PRAYER. 243 
 
 draw near to God with all holy reverence and con- 
 fidence, as children to a father, able and ready to 
 help us: and that we should pray with and for 
 others. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. We are, in prayer, to approach God with holy rever- 
 ence. Psal. cxlv. 19. He will fulfil the desire of them 
 that fear him : he also will hear their cry, and will save 
 them. 
 
 2. We are, in prayer, to approach God with holy con- 
 fidence. Eph. iii. 12. In whom we have boldness and 
 access with confidence. 
 
 3. We are, in prayer, to approach God as our Father. 
 Rom. viii. 15. Ye have received the spirit of adoption, 
 whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 
 
 4. We are, in prayer, to approach God as being able to 
 help us. Eph iii. 20. Unto him who is able to do ex- 
 ceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think. 
 
 5. We are, in prayer, to approach God as being willing 
 to help us. Mat. vii. 11. How much more shall your 
 Father which is in heaven give good things to them that 
 ask him. 
 
 6. We are to join with others in grayer. Acts, xii. 12. 
 Many were gathered together, praying. 
 
 7. We are to pray for others. 1 Tim. ii. 1. I exhort 
 therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, inter- 
 cessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That to use this prayer with sincerity, I 
 must be a child of God, and as I am not such by nature, 
 I must be " born again" of the Spirit. (2.) That I shoiiM 
 esteem it the greatest privilege to speak to such a Father 
 as this prayer addresses, and to come to him as a child. 
 (3.) Though He is said to be in heaven, yet he also fills 
 immensity, so that he is always near me, and able to 
 
244 THE PREFACE TO THE LORD S PRAYER. 
 
 help me. (4.) I must learn to confide in my Heavenly 
 Father as able and ready to help his children when they 
 call upon him. 
 
 What Illustrations can you give ? 
 
 1. AN AGED POOR MAN. One of the members of Christ's 
 flock was reduced to great poverty in his helpless old 
 age, and yet he never murmured. A kind-hearted neigh- 
 bor who met him on the road, said to him, " You must be 
 badly off. I cannot tell how you maintain yourself and 
 your wife ; and yet you are always cheerful." " Oh, not 
 so," replied the old Christian ; " we are not badly off. 
 "We have a rich Father, and he does not suffer us to 
 want." " Your father not dead yet ! he must be very 
 old indeed." "My Father never dies, and he always 
 takes care of me." fhat aged Christian was a daily 
 pensioner on the providence of his merciful and covenant- 
 keeping God. 
 
 2. " AH, MASSA, YOU NO UNDERSTAND IT !" A few years 
 since, in one of our large cities, lived a poor colored 
 woman, named Betty, who had been confined by sickness 
 for near twenty years. She had long been blind, and 
 was said to be 105 years old ; was noted for her good 
 
 sense and warm-hearted piety. Mr. B , a man of 
 
 wealth and large business, in the same city, often took 
 time to call and see her. His voice, and even his step, 
 had become familiar to her, and always lighted up a 
 smile on her dark and wrinkled face. He would often 
 say some pleasant thing to cheer this lonely pilgrim on 
 
 her way to Zion. One day, Mr. B took a friend from 
 
 the country to see Betty. As he entered the cottage 
 door, he said, "Ah, Betty, you are alive yet." "Yes, 
 tank God," said Betty. "Betty," said he in a half 
 sportive tone and manner, " why do you suppose God 
 keeps you so long in this world, poor, and sick, and blind, 
 
THE FIRST PETITION IN THE LORD'S PRAYER. 245 
 
 when you might go to heaven, and enjoy so much?" 
 Betty assumed her most serious and animated tone, and 
 replied: "Ah, Massa, you no understand it. Dere be 
 two great tings to do for de church ; one to pray for it 
 toder be to act for it. Now, Massa, God keeps me alive to 
 pray for de Church, and he keeps you alive to act for it. 
 Your great gifts no do much good, Massa, without poor 
 
 Betty 1 s prayers" For a few moments Mr. B and his 
 
 friend stood silent and astonished. They felt the knowl- 
 edge and the dignity of this short sermon. " Yes, Betty," 
 
 replied Mr. B , in the most serious and subdued tones, 
 
 "your prayers are of more importance to the church 
 than my alms." This short sermon, preached by poor 
 
 Betty, was never forgotten by Mr. B or his friend. 
 
 It made them more humble, more prayerful, and more 
 submissive in afflictions. Abd. from Parents' Magazine. 
 
 Of the First Petition in the Lord's Prayer. 
 
 Q. 101. WHAT DO WE PRAY FOR IN THE FIRST PETITION? 
 
 In the first petition, which is, " Hallowed be 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. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in is Answer ? 
 
 1. Without God we are of ourselves unable to glorify 
 him. 2 Cor. iii. 5. Not that we are sufficient of our- 
 selves to think anything as of ourselves ; but our suffi- 
 ciency is of God. 
 
 2. We should pray that God would enable us to glorify 
 him. Psal. ii. 15. Lord, open thou my lips, and my 
 inouth shall show forth thy praise. 
 
246 THE FIRST PETITION IN THE LORD*S PRAYER. 
 
 3. We should pray that God would enable others to glorify 
 him. Psal. Ixvii. 3. Let the people praise thee, O God ; 
 Let all the people praise thee. 
 
 4. We should pray that God would dispose of all things 
 for the glorifying of himself. John, xii. 28. Father, 
 glorify thy name. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That without divine help I cannot enter- 
 tain sufficiently great, and noble, and devout thoughts of 
 God, nor act with due respect and awe before Him. (2.) 
 The sin of hastily and without some preparation of mind, 
 calling upon God in prayer. (3.) By the "name" of 
 God, I am to understand God himself, by whichever of 
 his names he may be addressed, or thought of. (4.) The 
 great and shocking sin of a profane use or mention of any 
 of the names by which God is made known to us. 
 
 What Illustrations can you give ? 
 
 1. CHILDHOOD'S PRAYER. A lady, in advanced life, thus 
 writes of herself: "I left home at the age of eleven, 
 alone and unaided, to gain my own livelihood. I went 
 to sea among such as were sailors sixty years ago ; and 
 all that prevented me from ruin was the prayer which 
 my mother had taught me nightly. And old as I now 
 am, not a night passes in which I do not offer the Lord's 
 Prayer ; scarcely a night without the simple petition of 
 the child ' Now I lay me down to sleep,' " &c. Such and 
 so powerful were the early teachings of a mother, and 
 such the influence of this prayer. 
 
 2. DAVID BRAINERD. Among the dying sayings of this 
 heavenly-minded man, President Edwards has recorded 
 the following: "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 
 
THE SECOND PETITION. 247 
 
 always was, ever since I suppose I 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 honor to God. It is no matter where I shall be 
 stationed in heaven, whether I have a high or a low seat 
 there ; but to love, and please, and glorify God is all." 
 
 Of the Second Petition. 
 
 Q. 102. WHAT DO WE PRAY FOR IN THE -SECOND PETI- 
 TION? 
 
 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. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. The kingdom of the universe is God's. Psal. ciii. 19. 
 His kingdom ruleth over all. 
 
 2. Satan has a kingdom in this world. John, xiv. 30. 
 The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in. 
 me. 
 
 3. We should pray for the destruction of Satari s author- 
 ity and kingdom. Psal. Ixviii. 1. Let God arise, let his 
 enemies be scattered : let them also that hate him flee 
 before him. 
 
 4. God has in Christ established a kingdom of grace in 
 the world. Luke, i. 33. He shall reign over the house 
 of Jacob for ever ; and of his kingdom there shall be no 
 end. 
 
 5. We should pray for the advancement of the kingdom of 
 grace. Isa. Ixh. 7. Give him no rest till he establish, 
 and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. 
 
248 THE SECOND PETITION. 
 
 6. We should pray that we ourselves be made subjects of 
 Christ's kingdom. Luke, xxiii. 42. Lord, remember me 
 when thou comest into thy kingdom. 
 
 7. We should pray that others be brought into the king- 
 dom of grace. Rom. x. 1. Brethren, my heart's desire 
 and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be 
 saved. 
 
 8. We should pray that God would keep us in his king- 
 dom of grace. Psal. exix. 117. Hold thou me up, and I 
 shall be safe : and I will have respect unto thy statutes 
 continually. 
 
 9. We should pray that God would keep others in his king- 
 dom of grace. 1 Thes. v. 23. I pray God your whole 
 spirit, and soul, and body, be preserved blameless unto 
 the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 10. There is approaching for the people of God a kingdom 
 of glory. Rev. xxii. 5. There shall be no night there ; 
 and they need no candle, neither light of the sun ; for 
 the Lord God giveth them light : and they shall reign for 
 ever and .ever. 
 
 11. We should pray that the kingdom of glory should be 
 hastened. Rev. xxii. 20. He which testifieth these things 
 saith, Surely I come quickly, Amen. Even so, come, 
 Lord Jesus. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) To pray that the gospel may be every- 
 where preached, believed, and obeyed, so that the power 
 of Satan may become less and less in every heart, and 
 that the power of Christ may become greater, and even 
 supreme. (2.) That all men may yield themselves to 
 Christ as their rightful sovereign and Saviour. (3.) That 
 the full effects of the religion of Christ as experienced in 
 heaven are worthy of my earnest desire and prayer. 
 
 What Illustrations can you give ? 
 
 1. REV. DR. GRIFFIN. In his diary he says : " The three 
 strongest desires which have habitually influenced me 
 for years are : (1.) To be delivered from sin. If this 
 
THE SECOND PETITION. 249 
 
 could be, I could bear anything, and be happy in poverty 
 and disgrace. (2.). To enjoy God. I think I surely long 
 more for this than riches or honors, and would give up 
 everything for it. (3.) That God's kingdom may come. 
 When I hear of any appearance favorable to Zion, my 
 heart is glad." 
 
 2. Rev. DR. CHARLES HALL. He had devoted his chil- 
 dren to God. He most earnestly desired to see them all 
 not only Christians, but eminently useful Christians. In 
 a letter to one of his sons, after a vivid sketch of the 
 peculiarities of the age, this passage follows : " You 
 will soon come, if your life is spared, upon the stage, 
 right in the forenoon of a day of action, such as the world 
 never saw. I would fain impress you with the idea, that 
 you are to live in an uncommon era ; and that yOu owe it 
 to your own character, to God, and to the interests of 
 human nature, to be more, and do more, than if you had 
 lived at another time. [Dr. Smith's Discourses.] 
 
 3. JONATHAN EDWARDS. In his account of his views 
 and feelings soon after he received the hope of salvation, 
 President Edwards says : " My heart was knit in affec- 
 tion 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 favor- 
 able aspect on the interest of Christ's kingdom, my soul 
 eagerly catched at it, and it would much animate and re- 
 fresh me. I used to be earnest to read public news letters, 
 mainly for that end ; to see if I could find some news 
 favorable to the interest of religion in the world." He 
 regarded (says the Puritan) the history of the world as 
 
250 THE THIRD PETITION. 
 
 the history of redemption. Every event furnished him 
 with an occasion of thanksgiving or of prayer. The 
 same was true of the apostolic ELLIOT. When incidents 
 had been related in his hearing, and had formed the sub- 
 ject of conversation, he used to say, " Now let us turn all 
 this into prayer." 
 
 4. A TOO COMMON INCONSISTENCY. If persons who have 
 money to spare for a thousand superfluities, or even for 
 a thousand mischievous indulgences, do almost nothing 
 for the spiritual welfare of others, what a condemning 
 contrast do they exhibit between their prayers and their 
 conduct ! Either let men live to promote the kingdom of 
 God, or cease to pray that it may come. If they will live so 
 as to promote the world's sensuality, scepticism, and un- 
 godliness, then let them never more utter the petitions 
 which they do not mean ; and if they will not labor for 
 the world's conversion, let them not pretend to pray for 
 
 Of the Third Petition. 
 
 Q. 103. WHAT DO WE PRAY FOR IN THE THIRD PETITION? 
 
 In the third petition, which is, " Thy will be 
 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. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. We are of ourselves unable to know or to do the will of 
 God. 1 Cor. li. 14. The natural man receiveth not the 
 things of the Spirit of God : for they are foolishness unto 
 him : neither can he know them, because they are spirit- 
 ually discerned. 
 
THE THIRD PETITION. 251 
 
 2. God only can make us able and willing to obey and sub- 
 mit to his will. Phil. ii. 13. It is God which worketh in 
 you both to will 'and to do of his good pleasure. 
 
 3. We ought to pray that the will of God may be known 
 and obeyed over all the earth. Psal. Ixvii. 2. That thy 
 way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among 
 all nations. 
 
 4. We ought to pray that God would make us able and wil- 
 ling to know his will. Eph. i. 18. The eyes of your under- 
 standing being enlightened; that ye may know what is 
 the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory 
 of his inheritance in the saints. 
 
 5. We ought to pray that God would make us able and wil- 
 ling to obey his will. Psal. cxix. 35. Make me to go in 
 the path of thy commandments ; for therein do I delight. 
 
 6. We ought to pray that God would make us able and wil- 
 ling to submit to his will. Acts, xxi. 14. The will of the 
 Lord be done. 
 
 7. We ought to obey the will of God in all things. Psal. 
 cxix. 5, 6. O that my ways were directed to keep thy 
 statutes ! then shall I not be ashamed when I have respect 
 unto all thy commandments. 
 
 8. We ought to submit to the will of God in all things. 1 
 Sam. iii. 18. It is the Lord, let him do what seemeth 
 him good. 
 
 9. We ought humbly to obey and submit to the will of God 
 as the angels do in heaven. Job, i. 21. The Lord gave, and 
 the Lord hath taken away ; blessed be the name of the 
 Lord. 
 
 10. We ought cheerfully to obey and submit to the will of 
 God-. Psal. c. 2. Serve the Lord with gladness: come 
 before his presence with singing. 
 
 11. We ought diligently to obey the will of God. Psal. 
 cxix. 37. Quicken thou me in thy way. 
 
 12. We ought constantly to obey and submit to the will of 
 God. Psal. cxix. 112. I have inclined my heart to per- 
 form thy statutes always, even unto the end. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That it is my duty to study the Scriptures 
 that I may obtain a better knowledge of what God de- 
 
252 THE THIRD PETITION. 
 
 sires me to do, and to be. (2.) To submit to the calami- 
 ties and privations that are divinely appointed to me, 
 with a cheerful patience, that shall prompt me to say, as 
 Christ said, " Not as I will, but as thou wilt." (3.) To 
 labor to send the Gospel to all men, and to pray for its 
 success, that all men may be in a condition to be prepared 
 to act in proper obedience to the will of God. (4.) There 
 is deplorable need for putting up, daily and earnestly, 
 this third petition of the Lord's prayer, for almost uni- 
 versally men are seen doing their own will in opposition 
 to the will of their heavenly Father. 
 
 What Illustrations are given ? 
 
 1 How TO DO GOD'S WILL. A Sabbath-school teacher, 
 instructing his* class in 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 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 im- 
 mediately ;" 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, " Why, 
 sir, they do it without asking any questions" 
 
 2. SUBMISSION TO CIRCUMSTANCES. Dr. Johnson used to 
 gay that a habit of looking on the best side of every 
 event is better than a thousand a year. Bishop Hall 
 quaintly remarks: "For every bad there might be a 
 worse ; and when a man breaks his leg, let him be thank- 
 ful it was not his neck." 
 
 3. As the late Rev. DR. CHARLES HALL was near the 
 end of life, a friend asked him : "Do you really feel that 
 
THE THIRD PETITION. 253 
 
 your heavenly Father is about to call you to rest from 
 your labors ?" " I do not know," he answered, " for sub- 
 stance, how that may be ; nor do I feel solicitous to know. 
 I leave all that, with all my interests, however great or 
 dear, to the disposal of infinite wisdom and goodness." 
 The last Sabbath but one before his death, his daughter 
 read to him the lines : 
 
 " My times are in thy hand ; 
 
 My God I wish them there : 
 My life, my friends, my soul I leave, 
 Entirely in thy care." 
 
 Having given the closest attention to the end, he then 
 remarked, with emphasis : " I think I can say that." 
 
 4. THE WIDOW'S GRIEF. JEbenezer Adams, an eminent 
 member of 'the Society of Friends, on visiting a lady of 
 rank, whom he found, six months after the death of her 
 husband, on a sofa covered with black cloth, and in all 
 the dignity of woe, approached her with great solemnity, 
 and gently taking her by the hand, thus addressed her : 
 "So, friend, I see then, thou hast not yet forgiven God 
 Almighty." This reproof had so great an effect upon the 
 lady, that she immediately laid aside her violent grief, 
 and again entered on the discharge of the duties of life. 
 
 5. THE DYING BOY. The son of a Baptist minister, in 
 Massachusetts, aged five and a half years, being asked, 
 when near his death, whether he chose to live with his 
 parents and friends here, or die and be with Jesus in 
 heaven, cheerfully answered: "I would rather die, and 
 be with Jesus in heaven, and WAIT THERE TILL YOU COME." 
 
 6. DR. DODDRIDGE, being found in tears, when just about 
 to embark for Lisbon, in pursuit of health, remarked : "I 
 am weeping, but my tears are those of joy. I can give 
 up my country, my relations, my friends, into the hands 
 of God ; and as to myself, I can as well go to HEAVEN 
 from Lisbon, as from my own study at Northampton." 
 
 22 
 
254 THE FOURTH PETITION. 
 
 7. The Rev. JOHN NEWTON, in his seventy-fifth year, 
 thus writes to Rev. Samuel Pierce: "I am waiting for 
 my dismission. I desire to leave the how, and the when, 
 and the where, to him who does all things well. My 
 prayer is, that while I live'l may live to Him; that when 
 the summons shall arrive, I may be found ready ; and 
 that if He sees fit to lay me aside, I may be preserved 
 from the weakness which sometimes clouds old age, even 
 of good men ^ that I may not disparage my profession or 
 ministry, by impatience, peevishness, or jealousy; but 
 may retire with a good grace, truly thankful that 
 others are coming forward to serve him, I hope, better, 
 when I can serve Him no longer." 
 
 8. To an afflicted mother, at the grave of her dead 
 child, it was said, " There was once a shepherd, whose 
 tender care was over his flock day and night. One sheep 
 would neither hear his voice nor follow him ; so he took 
 up her little lamb in his arms, and then the sheep came 
 after him." 
 
 9. DIFFICULTY OF SUBMITTING TO PRESENT CIRCUMSTANCES. 
 When I am well, I think I could die contentedly : when 
 I am sick, I am impatient to be well again. Adam. 
 
 Of the Fourth Petition. 
 
 Q. 104. WHAT DO WE PRAY FOR IN THE FOURTH PETI- 
 TION? 
 
 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. 
 
 What Truths arc embraced in this Answer? 
 1. Temporal good things may bo made a subject of prayer. 
 
THE FOURTH PETITION. 255 
 
 Gen. xxviii. 20. 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. 
 
 2. Every good thing we enjoy is undeserved by us, and is a 
 free gift from God. Gen. xxxii. 10. I am not worthy of 
 the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which 
 thou hast showed unto thy servant. 
 
 3. We are to seek only what may be necessary for the pre- 
 sent day and not be over, anxious for the future. Mat. vi. 
 34. Take therefore no thought for [or, be not over 
 anxious about,] the morrow: for the morrow shall take 
 thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day 
 is the evil thereof. 
 
 4. We are to ask for such a portion of the good things of 
 life as God, in his wisdom, sees to be best for us. Prov. 
 xxx. 8. Feed me with food convenient for me. 
 
 5. We are to seek God's blessing on what we receive, which 
 alone makes temporal good things valuable. Prov. x. 22. 
 The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth 
 no sorrow with it. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 I learn (1.) That God is mindful of my wants in this 
 life, as well as those of the life to come. (2.) That for 
 present mercies of each day I owe him my thanks. (3.) 
 That I should look to God for the needful supplies of 
 each day and hour. 
 
 " This day be bread and peace my lot ; 
 
 All else beneath the sun, 
 Thou knowa't if best bestowed or not, 
 And let thy will be done." 
 
 What Illustration can you relate ? 
 
 THE SCANTY MEAL. A traveller, overtaken in a storm, 
 sought shelter in a dilapidated and lonely dwelling. Be- 
 fore entering, however, he looked through 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 HEAVEN TOO ?" 
 
256 THE FIFTH PETITION. 
 
 2. HEPDOMADAL DEVOTIONS. Some never unite in any 
 form of social prayer but on the Sabbath. To suit their 
 hebdomadal devotions this (fourth) petition should have 
 run : " Give us this week our weekly bread." But as it 
 now is, we have the supplies of the other six days un- 
 asked for. We acknowledge our dependence on God for 
 only a seventh portion of our time. Dr. Nevins. 
 
 3. ASKING BLESSINGS UPON FOOD. "I was on one oc 
 casion," says George Pritchard, " dining on board an Eng- 
 lish ship of war, with Queen Pomare, other members of 
 the royal family, and several chiefs. A large table was 
 prepared on the quarter-deck. All being seated, the 
 plates were soon abundantly supplied, but not one of the 
 natives attempted to eat. The captain was greatly sur- 
 prised at this, and said to me : " Mr. Pritchard, I fear we 
 have not provided such food as the natives like : I don't 
 see one of them begin to eat." I replied : " You could 
 not have provided anything that the natives would like 
 better ; the reason why they do not commence eating, is 
 simply this : they are accustomed always to ask a bless- 
 ing." Before I could say anything more, the captain, 
 evidently feeling a little confounded, said : " I beg your 
 pardon, Mr. Pritchard ; please to say grace." I immedi- 
 ately " said grace," when the natives soon gave proof 
 that they liked the food which had been provided. One 
 of the officers from the end of the table looked at the 
 captain very significantly, and said : " We have got it 
 to-day !" and then addressing himself to me, said : " Mr. 
 Pritchard, you see what a graceless set we are." All the 
 gentlemen seemed to feel the rebuke thus unintentionally 
 given. The Missior (try's Record. 
 
 Of the Fifth Petition. 
 
 Q. 105. WHAT DO WE PRAY FOR IN THE FIFTH PETITION ? 
 In the fifth petition, which is, " And forgive us 
 
THE FIFTH PETITION. 257 
 
 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. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer? 
 
 1. We should pray for the pardon of sin. Hos. xiv. 2. 
 "Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously. 
 See also Ps. li. 1. 
 
 2. Pardon of sin is to be expected only through Jesus 
 Christ. Eph. i. 7. "In whom we have redemption 
 through his Word, the forgiveness of sins, according to 
 the riches of his grace." 
 
 3. We must forgive others. Col. iii. 13. "Forbearing 
 one another, and forgiving one another." 
 
 4. God alone can enable us, from the heart, to forgive 
 other*. Gal. v. 22, 23. " The fruit of the Spirit is love, 
 joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 
 meekness, temperance ; against such there is no law." 
 
 5. Our being enabled to forgive others, encourages us to 
 ask forgiveness for ourselves. Luke, xi. 4. " Forgive us 
 our sins ; for we also forgive every one that is indebted 
 to us." 
 
 6. Unless we forgive others, we ourselves shall not be for- 
 given. Mat. 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." See also Mai. 
 vi. 14, 15. 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines? 
 
 I learn (1.) That ill-will, a spirit of revenge, or even a 
 want of kind regard, towards any of my fellow-men who 
 may have wronged me, will justly stand in the way of 
 my receiving pardon and love from my heavenly Father, 
 and will shut me out of heaven. (2.) Not only the danger 
 but the moral evil of an unkind and unforgiving disposi- 
 22* 
 
258 THE FIFTH PETITION. 
 
 tion, which renders one so unlike God. (3.) My constant 
 need of divine help, to keep my mind and heart in this 
 undisturbed, meek, loving frame towards all with whom 
 I have to do. (4.) That if I am not inclined to foigive 
 others, I ought to be ashamed to ask God to forgive my 
 greater sins against him. (5.) I should never cease to 
 thank the Redeemer, that he, by offering himself to die 
 in our stead, made full satisfaction to the justice of God 
 for my sins ; yet, so far as I am concerned, pardon is a 
 matter of grace. I have done and suffered nothing, to 
 entitle me to claim the remission of punishment as a 
 right. 
 
 " 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, rend'ring none ?" 
 
 SHAKSPKARE. 
 
 What Illustrations are offered? 
 
 1. THE LITTLE BLIND BOY. A little blind boy was asked 
 what forgiveness is. His beautiful reply was : " It is the 
 odor that flowers breathe when trampled upon." 
 
 2. "WHO ARE THE MEEK?" was a question put by a 
 missionary in Jamaica, when questioning some little black 
 boys on Mat. v. One of them very pertinently answered : 
 " Those who give soft answers to rough questions." 
 
 3. Rev. CHARLES SIMEON, says : " To pass by a trans- 
 gression is more becoming the Gospel than to resent it." 
 " A man strikes me with his sword, and inflicts a wound. 
 Suppose, instead of binding up the wound, I am showing 
 it to everybody ; and after it has been bound up, I am 
 taking off the bandage continually, and examining the 
 depth of the wound, and making it to fester, till my limb 
 
THE SIXTH PETITION. 259 
 
 becomes greatly inflamed, and my general health is ma- 
 terially affected; is there a person in the world who 
 would not call me a fool ? Now, such a fool is he also, 
 who by dwelling upon little injuries, or insults, or provoca- 
 tions, causes them to agitate and influence his mind. 
 How much better were it to put a bandage over the 
 wound, and never look at it again ?" 
 
 4. GENERAL OGLETHORPE AND JOHN WESLEY. In the course 
 of a voyage to America, Mr. Wesley heard Gen. Ogle- 
 thorpe, with whom he sailed, making a great noise in the 
 cabin, upon which he stepped in to know the cause. The 
 General immediately addressed him, saying: "Mr. Wes- 
 ley, you must excuse me, I have met with a provocation 
 too great for man to bear. You know the only wine I 
 drink is Cyprus wine, as it agrees with me best of any ; 
 I therefore provided myself with several dozens of it, and 
 this villain (the servant, who was present, almost dead 
 with fear) has drank up the whole of it. But I will be 
 revenged on him. I have ordered him to be tied hand 
 and foot, and to be carried to the man-of-war which sails 
 with us. The rascal should have taken care how he used 
 me so, for I never forgive." "Then, sir," said Mr. 
 Wesley, looking calmly at him, " I hope you never sin." 
 The General, confounded at the reproof, threw his keys 
 to the servant, and bade him do better in future. Here, 
 then, is the point. If we would never forgive, we must 
 never sin. The very proneness to sin which we find in 
 ourselves, should be a most powerful incentive to the 
 cultivation of a spirit of forgiveness. Rel. Herald. 
 
 Of the Sixth Petition. 
 Q. 106. WHAT DO WE PEAT FOR IN THE SIXTH PETITION? 
 
 In the sixth petition, which is, " And lead us not 
 into temptation, but deliver us from evil," we pray 
 
260 THE SIXTH PETITION. 
 
 that God would either keep us from being tempted 
 to sin, or support and deliver us when we are 
 tempted. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer ? 
 
 1. We should pray that Cfod, if consistent with his will, 
 would keep us from being tempted into sin. Mat. xxvi. 41. 
 " Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation." 
 See also 2 Chron. xxxii. 31. 
 
 2. We should pray for support under temptation. Psal. 
 cxix. 133. "Let not any iniquity have dominion over 
 me." 
 
 3. We should pray for deliverance from temptation. 2 
 Cor. xii. 8. " For this thing I besought the Lord thrice 
 that it might depart from me." 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines ? 
 
 I learn (1.) That I am constantly exposed to sin as well 
 as to suffering, and that on God alone I must rely for 
 grace to feel and act right. (2.) That it is a wicked and 
 a dangerous thing, for any, after uttering this prayer, to 
 put themselves, unless duty calls, in a situation where 
 they know they will be strongly tempted or inclined to 
 violate God's commands. (3.) To withstand temptation, 
 I must impress my heart with a sense of God's presence 
 and holiness; with my obligation to obey him in all 
 things, and even by the greatest effort ; with the evil 
 nature of sin, and the misery consequent upon indulging 
 in it ; and with the fact that Christ died to induce me to 
 abandon all sin, and to save me from the power of temp- 
 tation and from the malicious arts of the Temj ter. 
 
 What Illustrations are given ? 
 1. " Go to dark Gethsemane, 
 
 Ye that feel the Tempter's power, 
 Your Redeemer's conflict see, 
 
 Watch with him one little hour ; 
 Turn not from his griefs away, 
 Learn of Jesus Christ to pray." 
 
THE CONCLUSION OF THE LORD'S PRAYER. 261 
 
 2. The Rev. CHARLES HALL, while in Stratford-upon Avon, 
 writes : " The great enemy has this day sorely buffeted 
 me, so that my joy has been turned unto mourning. I 
 go to my bed looking to Jesus, or towards him, for Oh, I 
 do not perceive his smiling face. * Return, holy Dove 
 return/ " 
 
 Of the conclusion of the Lord's Prayer. 
 Q. 107. WHAT is THE CONCLUSION OF THE LORD'S PRATER? 
 
 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 an 
 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. 
 
 What Truths are embraced in this Answer? 
 
 1. We should take our encouragement in prayer from God 
 only. Dan. ix. 18. ""We do not present our supplica- 
 tions before thee for our righteousness, but for thy great 
 mercies." 
 
 2. In our prayers we should join, thanksgiving and praise. 
 1 Chron. xxix. 10. " David blessed the Lord before all 
 the congregation ; and David said, Blessed be thou, Lord 
 God of Israel, our Father, for ever and ever." 
 
 3. In our prayers we should ascribe the kingdom or uni- 
 versal dominion to God. 1 Chron. xxix. 11. "All that is in 
 the heaven and the earth is thine ; thine is the kingdom, 
 O Lord ; and thou art exalted as head above all." 
 
 4. In our prayers we should ascribe all power and glory 
 unto God. 1 Chron. xxix. 11. "Thine, O Lord, is the 
 greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, 
 and the majesty." 
 
 4. In prayer we should earnestly desire that God would 
 
262 THE CONCLUSION OP THE LORD'S PRAYER. 
 
 hear us. Dan. ix. 19. O Lord, hear; Lord, forgive; O 
 Lord, hearken and do ; defer not, for thine own sake. O 
 my God." 
 
 6. We should pray with a hope and an humble assurance 
 that God will hear us. Heb. x. 22. " Let us draw near 
 with a true heart, in full assurance of faith." 
 
 6. Our prayers should be concluded with an "Amen" 
 Psal. cvi. 48. "Let all the people say, Amen." 
 
 What Lessons do you derive from the above Doctrines? 
 
 I learn (1.) That this prayer should be used with confi- 
 dence, and assurance of hope, since Christ, the infal- 
 lible Teacher, who best knows what God's will is, and 
 what he may be pleased to grant, has authorized and di- 
 rected me to use it. (2.) In prayer I am to have refer- 
 ence to the glory of God as the chief end to be attained 
 by prayer, since it is the chief end for which God made 
 me and all other beings and things. (3.) I should enter- 
 tain large conceptions of the power of God to confer 
 upon me and others all needed good. (4.) I should call 
 to mind the great supremacy of God, his exalted rank as 
 the King of kings, that I may promptly yield him the 
 deepest reverence, and most largely desire that worship 
 and obedience may be rendered to Him by all his crea- 
 tures. 
 
 What Illustration follows ? 
 
 THE JANEWAY FAMILY, of England, is remarkable in the 
 annals of piety, for the fervor of their devotion and the 
 joyful and even exulting state of mind in which they 
 passed from the scenes of time into eternity. As illus- 
 trative of the subject in hand, the following expressions 
 of feeling are taken from the record of their last hours : 
 The Rev. WILLIAM JANEWAY (jthe father) said to his son : 
 " My heart is full ; I can hold no more. I know now 
 what that sentence means, 'The peace of God which 
 
passeth understanding.* I cannot express what glorious 
 discoveries God hath made of himself to me. Oh, help 
 me to bless the Lord 1" 
 
 His second son, the Rev. JOHN JANEWAY, observed: 
 "Death has lost its terribleness it is nothing. I say, 
 death is nothing, through grace, to me. I can as easily 
 die as shut my eyes, or turn my head and sleep: 
 I long to be with Christ; I long to die." When 
 Christians came to see him, he would beg of them to 
 spend all the time with him in praise. " help me 
 to praise God! I have now nothing else to do, from this 
 time to eternity, but to praise and love God. I have 
 what my soul desires upon earth. I want but one thing, 
 and that is, a speedy lift to heaven. praise, praise, praise 
 that infinite boundless love, that hath, to a wonder, looked 
 upon my soul, and has done more for me than thousands 
 of his dear children. Come, help me with praises, all 
 that's little ; come help me, ye glorious and mighty 
 angels, who are so well skilled in this heavenly work of 
 praise! Praise him, all ye creatures upon the earth! 
 Praise is now my work, and I shall be engaged in that 
 sweet employment for ever. Let us s. ag a psalm of praise. 
 Come let us lift up our voice in the praise of the Most 
 High : I with you as long as my breath doth last, and 
 when I have none, I shall do it better." A little before 
 he died, in the prayer, or rather in the praises, he was 
 so wrapt up with admiration and joy, that he could scarce 
 forbear shouting for joy. In the conclusion of the duty, 
 with abundance of faith and fervency, he said aloud, 
 "Amen! Amen!" 
 
 The Rev. JAMES JANEWAY (the third son), just before 
 he died, was also in a remarkably happy and devout 
 frame of mind. Though very weak in body, he broke 
 forth with a loud voice, " Amen ! Hallelujah 1" and de- 
 sired others to join with him ; but as they did not im- 
 
264 THE CONCLUSION OF THE LORD'S PRAYER. 
 
 mediately do it, he added, " James Janeway is the only 
 singer." Soon he was transported with joy again, and 
 thus gave expression to it : " Millions of praises to the 
 Most High Jehovah ! Heaven and earth praise him f Ye 
 mountains and hills praise him! All ye saints bless 
 Him, who hath visited us in our low estate, and redeemed 
 us, by grace, unto himself 1" 
 
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