A.-(1.) The sovereignty of God, which is implied in the words, "I the Lord." He is our Maker, and has the right to command us to serve Him in whatever way he appoints.

(2.) He has redeemed us, and therefore we are "not our own." This is implied in the words, "thy God."

(3.) He is a jealous God, and will not give His glory to another. (Isa. xlii. 8.)

16. What does God threaten in this commandment?

A.-"To visit the sins," etc.

17.-Does this apply to all children of evildoers?

A.-No; only to those who walk in their parents' evil ways, and do not repent. (Ezek. xviii. 20.)

18. What is the promise which God here makes?

A. "To show mercy unto thousands," etc.

19.-What inference may be drawn from a comparison of the promise with the threat?

A. That God delights in showing mercy; and that He has "no pleasure in the death of the wicked."

20. Repeat the Third Commandment.

21.-What does the "name" of God imply.

A. His attributes, or all that is known to us of God.

22. What are the sins forbidden in the Third Commandment? A.-(1.) Blasphemy, or speaking evil of God.

(2.) Perjury, or false swearing. (James v. 12.)

(3.) Cursing, or profane swearing. (Matthew xxvi. 74.)
(4.) Rash Vows. (Matt. xiv. 7-10.)

common talk.

(Ephes. v. 4.)

(c) Levity in

(Eccles. v. 1.)

(d) Thought

(5.) All Irreverence, such as-(a) Using God's name in
(b) Jesting about sacred things.
sacred places, and at sacred times.
lessness in prayer.

23. What is the duty enjoined ?

A.-Reverence for God's name, and for all that bears His name.

24. What is the threat by which this Commandment is enforced?

25. Repeat the Fourth Commandment.

26. What is required of us here?

A.

That we should serve God

(1.) On the six days by working.

(2.) On the seventh day by resting, and keeping it holy.

27.-Why did the Jews keep the seventh day holy?

A.-(1.) Because God rested on that day from His work of Creation, and blessed it. (Gen. ii. 2, 3.)

(2.) Because they were commanded by God to keep it

(a) As a memorial of their deliverance from Egypt. (Deut. v. 15.) (b) As a sign that they were God's. (Exod. xxxi. 17.)

28-Why do we keep the First day of the week holy?

A.-(1.) To commemorate our Lord's resurrection from the dead, which took place on that day. (Matt. xxviii. 1–7.)

(2.) Because the Holy Spirit was poured down on the first day of the week. (Acts ii. i.)

(3.) Because the Apostles and early Christians were accustomed to meet for worship on that day, and hence it is called the Lord's Day. (Acts xx. 7; 1 Cor. vi. 2; Rev. i. 10.)

29.-Sum up briefly what God requires of us, in the first Four Commandments.

A. (1.) A single eye to his service.

(2.) Spiritual worship.

(3.) Reverence.

(4.) A weekly rest for religious refreshment.

30.-What is your duty towards God?

[6

No. 7.

THE CHRISTIAN DUTY.
(Continued.)

(B.) OUR DUTY TOWARDS MAN.-LOVE.

1. What do the last six Commandments teach us? A. Our duty towards our neighbour.

2.

"What is thy duty towards thy neighbour?"

3. And who is our neighbour?

A.-Every one with whom we have to do.

4. What was our Lord's answer to this question?

A.-Luke x. 25-38.

5.-How does He sum up the principle of the last six Commandments? A.-Matt. vii. 12.

6.-Quote St. Paul's words also.

A.-Rom. xiii. 9.

7.-What, then, is the principle of these Commandments?

A.-Unselfishness.

8.-Repeat the fifth Commandment.

9.-Mention some of the duties to our parents here enjoined.

A. (1.) Love, which will result in―(2.) Obedience. (3.) Respect. This may be shown-(a) By attending to their instructions and warnings. (Prov. xv. 5.) (b) By respectful behaviour towards them shown in submitting to their correction in our manner of speaking to them, waiting upon them, and consulting their wishes. (1 Kings ii. 19.) (c) By bearing with their infirmities. (4.) Succour, especially. (a) In times of sickness or trouble. (1 Sam. xxii. 3.) (b) In their old age. (Gen. xlvii. 12.)

10. Does this Commandment apply only to children and parents? A.-No; it teaches us to esteem and honour all who, in any sense, stand to us in a parent's place.

11. What is said of this Commandment in the New Testament ? A.-Ephes. vi. 2.

12. Repeat the sixth Commandment.

13.-What is included in the prohibition of murder?

A.-(1.) Cruelty of all kinds, to body, mind, and soul.

(2.) All feelings out of which such cruelty springs-anger, contempt, revenge, ill-will, envy, malice.

14.-Quote our Lord's exposition of this precept.

A.-Matt. v. 22.

15. What is the duty enjoined ?

A.-Charity, or benevolence, shown-(1:) In thought; as (a) By forgiveness of evil. (b) By rejoicing in the good of others. (c) By cherishing kindly views of others. (d) By compassion for the sufferings of others. (2.) In word; as (a) By gentle answers, or silence under provocation, after the example of our Lord. (b) By kind advice and encouragement, to the young and weak. (c) By words of comfort and sympathy to those in trouble or poverty. (d) By general kindness to all. (3.) In deed; as (a) By help to the poor, the sick, and afflicted. (b) By denying ourselves in order to do good to others.

16. Repeat the seventh Commandment.

17. What does it forbid ?

A. All impure thoughts, words, and actions.

18-How do you know that an impure thought is a violation of this Commandment?

A 3

A.-Because our Lord Himself has so declared, in His Sermon on the Mount. (Matt. v. 28.)

19.-Why is an unchaste thought forbidden?

A. Because it leads to sin in act, as a spark may break forth into a flame. 20.-Quote a passage from Scripture which warns us against impure words.

66

A.-Ephes. iv. 29.

21.-What are the duties enjoined ?

A.-Purity and self-control; or, as it is expressed in the Catechism, temperance, soberness, and chastity."

22. Repeat the eighth Commandment, in the words of the Catechism. 23.-In what way may we break this Commandment?

A. (1.) By actual theft. (2.) By idleness. (3.) By wasting our employer's time and property. (4.) By living beyond our means. (5.) By taking advantage of a man's ignorance in buying and selling. (6.) By borrowing money when we have no hope of repaying it. (7.) By taking advantage of a man's necessity; and in many other ways.

24. Give the ninth Commandment in the words of the Catechism. What is forbidden here?

A. All that is contrary to truth, or injurious to our neighbour's repu tation?

25.-How may we injure our neighbour's reputation?

A.-(1.) By imputing bad motives to him. (2.) By spreading evil reports about him. (3.) By passing harsh judgments upon him.

26. Repeat the tenth Commandment. Name some of the things forbidden by it.

A. (1.) All discontent with our own condition. (2.) All envying or grieving at the prosperity of our neighbour. (3.) Covetousness.

27.-Sum up the teaching of the last six Commandments.

A. (1.) The fifth teaches OBEDIENCE, the religion of the family. (2.) The sixth, INNOCENCE, the religion of society. (3.) The seventh, PURITY, the religion of the body. (4.) The eighth, HONESTY, the religion of the hands. (5.) The ninth, TRUTH, the religion of the tongue. (6.) The tenth, CONTENT, the religion of the thoughts.

28.-What great truths ought we to learn from the Ten Commandments? A.-(1.) The essential holiness of God.

(2.) The necessity of the blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse us from all sin. 29. How does our Church recognize the binding authority of the Ten Commandments?

A.-By having placed them in a conspicuous part of her places of worship; and also by having them regularly read in her services, in the hearing of the whole congregation.

30. What new Commandment did our Lord give His disciples? A.-John xiii. 34.

31.-Show from Holy Scripture that outward obedience is of no avail unless the heart be right with God.

A.-1 Sam. xv. 22, 23; Isa. xxix. 13, 14; Ezek. xxxiii. 31; Matt. xv. 7, 8, 9.

32.-How may we hope to be able to keep God's Commandments? A. By earnestly asking Him at all times for the help of His Holy Spirit. (Repeat, "My good child know this, that thou art not able," etc.) 33.-What do you mean by "His special grace"?

A. His special help and strength for a special time of need. (Heb. iv. 16.)

34. In what prayer in our Church Service do we ask for pardon for the past, and grace for the future?

A. In the responses after the Commandments, "Lord have mercy upon us," etc.

[7

No. 8.

THE CHRISTIAN PRAYER.

1.-Repeat-"My good child, know this, that thou art not able to do "these things of thyself, nor to walk in the Commandments of God, and to serve Him without His special grace; which thou must learn at all times to call for by diligent prayer."

2.-What are the three things we may note in this statement?

A. (1.) Our own frailty. (2.) Our need of grace. (3.) The means of obtaining grace.

3.-Is this frailty, or inclination to evil, natural to us?

A. Yes, ever since Adam's fall.

4. What is the remedy?

We inherit it from him.

A:-Grace, or God's help and favour:

5.-How can we obtain this?

A.-By prayer.

6.-What is prayer?

A. The earnest desire of the soul after God. 7.-What are the essentials of true prayer?

A.-(1.) A sense of need. (2.) Faith in God's promises. (Mark xi. 24.) (3.) Submission to God's will. (1 John v. 14.) (4.) Sincerity. (Jer. xxix. 13.) (5.) Humility. (1 Pet. v. 5, 6.) (6.) Fervency. (James v. 16.) (7.) Perseverance. (Rom. xii. 12; Ephes. vi. 18.) (8.) Dependence on the Lord Jesus Christ, as the only Mediator between God and man. (John xiv. 6; 1 Tim. ii. 5.)

8. Show the duty of Public Prayer.

A.-Heb. x. 25; St. Matt. xviii. 20.

9.-Give an example from the New Testament of Social or Family Prayer. A.-Acts xii. 12.

10. How did our Saviour enforce the duty of Private Prayer?

A.-(1.) By precept. (Matt. vi. 6.) (2.) By His own example. (Matt. xxvi. 39; Mark i. 35; Luke vi. 12; xxii. 44.)

11.-Mention instances from Holy Scripture of good men engaging in private prayer.

A.-(1.) Abraham. (Gen. xvii. 18-20.) (2.) Eliezer. (Gen. xxiv. 12-56.) (3.) Jacob. (Gen. xxxii. 24-30.) (4.) Moses. (Exod. xvii. 11; xxxiii. 13-14.) (5.) Hannah. (1 Sam. i. 10.) (6.) Samuel. (1 Sam. viii. 6.) (7.) David. (2 Sam. xv. 31.) (8.) Daniel. (Daniel vi. 10.) (9.) Cornelius. (Acts x. 2.) (10.) St. Paul. (2 Cor. xii. 8.)

12. How often ought we to pray?

A.--We should try to live continually in a spirit of dependence upor God; but we should especially pray to Him in the morning, that we may be preserved from the temptations of the day and at night, that we may not lie down with the sins of the day unpardoned. (Psalm v. 3; lv. 17; lxxxviii. 1; Dan. vi. 10.)

13. What encouragements are there to prayer?

A.-(1.) God is ever ready to hear prayer. (Job xxii. 27; Psa. 1. 15; Isa. lxv. 24; Zech. xiii. 9; John xv. 7; Rom. x. 13; James v. 16.) (2.) There is everything on God's part to make prayer easy, if we will only attempt it. (a) There is a way by which any man, however sinful, may draw near to God the Father. (John xiv. 6; Heb. vii. 25.) (b) There is an Advocate always waiting to present the prayers of those who will

employ Him. (1 John ii. 1.) (c) There is the Holy Spirit ever ready to help our infirmities in prayer. (Rom. viii. 26.) (3.) There are great and precious promises to those who pray. (Matt. vii. 7, 8; xxi. 22; John xiv. 13, 14.) (4.) There are wonderful examples in Holy Scripture of the power of prayer. (Mention some.) (James v. 17; 2 Chron. xxxii. 24; Acts xii. 5.)

14. Give arguments in favour of a precomposed form of public prayer. A.-(1.) Set forms of prayer were used by the Jewish Church. (a) The Psalms were forms of prayer and praise. They were written not only for the Psalmist's private use, but also for the public service of the Temple. (1 Chron. xvi. 7.) This will appear from their titles and internal structure. (Psa. iv. v. xlii. xliv. 1. xcii.) (b) Precomposed forms of prayer will be found in Deut. xxi. 7, 8; xxvi. 3-15; Num. vi. 22-27; x. 35, 36; Isa. xii. 1-4; Hosea xiv. 1, 2; Neh. ix. (c) That the Jews used set forms of prayer is the testimony of Josephus, Philo, and other ancient writers. (2.) Set forms were sanctioned by our Lord, who not only attended the services of the Temple and Synagogue, in which fixed forms were used, but also gave a fixed form for the use of His disciples. Observe also Matt. xxvi. 44. (3.) That the Primitive Church had set forms of prayer may be inferred from the following texts:-Acts iv. 23, 24; 1 Cor. xiv. 26; 1 Tim. ii. 1; Ephes. v. 19. (4.) The practical advantages of having a Book of Common Prayer are sufficient in themselves to recommend and justify its use.

15.-Mention some of these advantages.

A.-(1.) Fixed forms are an indispensable condition of common prayer; for how can we join with one accord in offering up our supplications before God, unless we know beforehand what we are going to ask for? (2.) They render the congregation independent of the personal gifts and varying moods of the Minister who conducts the service. (3.) Another advantage in a fixed form of service is that the congregation can take their part, as well as the Minister. This is a most important advantage, which only those can enjoy who use a fixed form. (4.) A further advantage is that we may enjoy the feeling that, whilst we are engaged in prayer, numbers of other Church congregations are offering up the very same petitions to the Throne of Grace that we offer. The thought, too, is very sweet that our relations and acquaintances, who may be far away, parents whom we honour, brethren whom we love, friends whom we esteem, are perhaps at the very moment uttering the same prayers, offering the same praises, before our Father's throne, in the very same words that we are using their hearts soaring upwards on the same wings that bear up ours to heaven. (5.) A set form of prayer is a great means of preventing our minds from wandering. If we keep our eye steadily fixed on the prayer that is being offered, the danger of our thoughts wandering becomes much less, for wandering eyes often lead to wandering thoughts. (6.) Where a precomposed Liturgy is used the congregation are always sure of being able to address God in terms becoming the Divine Majesty-the product of ages of piety, such as no individual mind, however gifted, could hope to rival. 16. What is the form of prayer which our Saviour prescribed called? A.-The Lord's Prayer.

17. How may it be divided?

A.-Into five parts-(1.) The Invocation. (2.) Three Petitions at the beginning, having reference to God's honour. (3.) One in the midst having reference to our temporal wants. (4.) Three at the close, having reference to our sins and spiritual dangers. (5.) The Doxology.