No. 9. THE CHRISTIAN PRAYER. (Continued.) 1. Repeat the Lord's Prayer: 2.-Why do we call God "Father"? (See Paper No. 5.) 3. Why are we taught to address him as "Our Father," rather than my Father? A.-(1.) To point out to us the duty of loving all mankind: for God is the Father of all, and they who have the same Father must be brethren. (2.) To remind us of those common ties which bind us together as Christians. (3.) To teach us not to be selfish, even in our prayers. 4.-Why are we taught to call Him "Our Father"? A. That we may approach Him with confidence, in the spirit of children approaching a loving parent. 5.-What does the expression "Which art in heaven teach us? A.-(1.) To approach God with reverence and godly fear (Heb. xii. 28); and in words weighty and few, because "God is in heaven, and thou upon earth." (Eccles. v. 2.) (2.) If our Father is in heaven, our home is there (Phil. iii. 20), and we ought to feel and live accordingly. (Col. iii. 1-5.) 6. What is the first petition in this prayer? A.-"Hallowed be Thy Name." 7.-What does the "Name" of God imply? (See Paper No. 6.) 8. What is meant by "hallowed"? A.-Sanctified, or regarded as holy. To hallow anything is to consecrate it to a holy use, or to glorify it. (Lev. x. 3.) 9.-What, then, do we pray for here? A.-That God may be honoured and glorified among men-(1.) In Thought. (1 Pet. iii. 15.) (2.) In Word. (Rom. xv. 6.) (3.) In Deed. (Matt. v. 16.) 10. What is the second petition? A.-"Thy Kingdom come.' 11.-What is meant by the kingdom of God?! A. That dominion which He exercises over all things. 12.-Under what three-fold aspect may this kingdom be considered? A.-As (1.) The Kingdom of Providence. (2.) The Kingdom of Grace. (3.) The Kingdom of Glory. 13. What do you mean by the KINGDOM OF PROVIDENCE? A.-The power which God exerts, without intermission, in the preservation and government of all created things, so that it may be said that the 66 very hairs of our heads are all numbered." 14.-What is our prayer respecting this kingdom? A.-(1.) That God may order all things for the glory of His name, and the good of His people. (2.) That we may trace all the blessings of Providence to their right source, and not regard them as matters of course, or as the effects of secondary causes only. 15. What do you mean by the KINGDOM OF GRACE? A. The rule which God exercises, by His Word and His Spirit, over the hearts of His children. 16. What does it embrace? A.-(1.) The reign of TRUTH in the world; and (2.) The reign of GRACE in the heart. 17.-What is our prayer respecting this kingdom? A.-(1.) That the number of labourers in Christ's vineyard may be increased, and the knowledge of the only way of Salvation be extended. (2.) That the whole earth may "be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." (Hab. ii. 14.) (3.) That it may come to us personally. (a) That Christ may dwell in our hearts by faith. (Ephes. iii. 17.) (b) That we may be Christians, not only in name, but in deed and in truth. 18.-What do you understand by the KINGDOM OF GLORY? A. The life of the redeemed in heaven. 19.-What is our prayer in respect to God's Kingdom? A.-(1.) "That the kingdoms of this world may become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ." (Rev. xi. 15.) (2.) "That we, with all those that are departed this life in the true faith of His holy name, may have our perfect consummation and bliss, both in body and soul, in His eternal and everlasting glory." 20. What is the third petition? A.-"Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” 21. What do we ask for here? A. The spirit of perfect OBEDIENCE. 22.-How may we know God's will? A.-(1.) By the working of His Providence. (2.) By the promptings of an enlightened conscience. (Rom. ii. 14, 15.) (3.) By the teaching of the Holy Spirit. (4.) By the Holy Scriptures. 23. What does it require from us? A.-(1.) Patient submission. (Matt. xxvi. 39; 1 Samuel iii. 18; Acts xxi. 13, 14.) (2.) Active obedience. (Ezr. vii. 23.) 24. By whom is God's will done in heaven? A.-By the Holy Angels, and the spirits of just men made perfect. 25.-Is it possible for man to oppose the will of God? A.-Luke vii. 30; Acts vii. 51. 26. What will be the end of those who continue to resist God? A. They will be "punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord." 27.-Quote three texts which declare most plainly what God's will is. A.-1 Tim. ii. 4; 1 Thess. iv. 3; 1 Thess. v. 18. 28.-What do we ask of God in this petition? A.-(1.) That we may know His will; and that, (2.) Knowing it, we may be enabled to do it. 29. Repeat a verse from a Hymn which expresses what we ought to pray for on this subject. A. "Renew my will from day to day, 30.-What do we pray for in the first three petitions? A.-(1.) Reverence. (2.) The increase of Christ's dominion. (3.) Conformity to God's will. 31.-How does the Church Catechism express it? A-That we may worship Him, serve Him, and obey Him, as we ought to do No. 10. THE CHRISTIAN PRAYER. (Continued.) 1. What is the fourth petition? A.-"Give us this day (or day by day) our daily bread." 2.-What does "bread" mean here? A.-Mainly, all things needful for the sustenance and preservation of our earthly life. 3. Why are we bidden to pray for "daily " bread? A. (1.) To remind us of our daily need of the provident care of God. (2.) To teach us to avoid over-anxiety for the future. (Matt. vi. 34.) 4.-Why are we told to ask for "bread" only? A. To teach us that we are not to desire luxuries, remembering that such things are always spoken of as dangerous to the soul. (Prov. xxx. 8, 9.) 5.-If God has given to us more than to others, what is our duty? A. To remember that it is a mockery to offer this petition, unless we do what we can to relieve the wants of others. (1 John iii. 17.) 6. Does the petition include any other meaning? A. Yes, we may use it for our spiritual wants also. (John vi. 34, 35.) 7.-What is the explanation of it in the "Desire"? A." I pray unto God that He will send us all things that be needful, both for our souls and bodies." 8. What is the fifth petition? A.-"Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us." 9.-What is the meaning of the word "trespass "? A.-Wandering off a path into forbidden ground. 10.-What, then, is the path, or way, referred to here? A.-The way of God's Commandments-"the narrow way," which leads to life. 11.-- How is the petition expressed in the Sermon on the Mount? A.-"And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." 12. And how in the Gospel according to St. Luke? A.-"And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us." 13. How is it that our sins can be called "debts"? A.-Because we owe obedience to God in all things; and anything short of that obedience is a debt which is set down against us. 14.—In what sense, then, do we ask for forgiveness? A. As the remission of a debt. 15.-How can we be forgiven? A.-Through "the full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction" made by our Lord upon the Cross. 16. What is implied in the latter clause of this petition? A.-That we can only expect God's forgiveness, on condition that we forgive all those who may offend us. (Matt. vi. 14, 15; Ephes. iv. 32.) 17.-What must be the limit of our forgiveness of others? A.-Matt. xviii. 23, 24. 18. What will make us ready to forgive? A. (1.) Striving, by God's help, to follow the example of our Saviour Christ. (2.) The remembrance of how much we ourselves need forgiveness. (Matt. xviii. 32, 33.) 19. What is the sixth petition? A.—“ And lead us not into temptation." 20.-What is the meaning of the word "temptation "? A.—It is used in Holy Scripture in two senses, one meaning trial, or test; the other enticement to sin. 21. Give instances of the first kind of temptation. A.-Gen. xxii. 1-14; Job i. 9-12; 1 Cor. 7-9. 22. Are we to pray against trials of this sort? A.-No, but we pray that they may not be too great for us to bear. (1 Cor. x. 13.) 23. Why does God thus tempt us?) A.-(1.) To try our faith, and purify our hearts, that we may come forth as gold from the hands of the refiner. (2.) To humble and prove us. (Deut. viii. 2, 16.) 24.-Does God tempt men to sin? A. James i. 13. 25.-By what, then, are we thus tempted? A.-(1.) By the sinful desires of our own hearts. (2.) By the devil, and his angels. (1 Thess. iii. 5.) (3.) By wicked men, and by everything that tends to withdraw our hearts from God. (1 John ii. 15.) 26. What are the requirements imposed on us by this petition? A. (1.) To watch and pray, that we enter not into temptation. (2.) To be careful that we do not lead others into temptation. (3.) To avoid all needless danger. (1 Cor. x. 12; 1 Thess. v. 22.) (4.) To put away all self-confidence. (5.) And, above all, to pray for the help of the Holy Spirit. 27. What is the last petition? A." But deliver us from evil." 28. What do you ask for in this petition? A. To be delivered (1.) From all sin and wickedness (a) In the world. (1 John v. 19.) (b) In ourselves. (Matt. xv. 19.) (2.) From our "ghostly enemy," Satan, the original author and constant promoter of evil. (Ephes. vi. 11; 1 Pet. v. 8.) (3.) From everlasting death, or that everlasting separation of body and soul from God which is the consequence of sin. 29.-How can we escape this? A. Only by fleeing to Jesus Christ, and accepting Him by faith as our Redeemer. 30.-What are the concluding words of the Lord's Prayer? A. "For Thine is the Kingdom," etc. 31. What is the name usually given to these words? A.-The Doxology. 32.-What is noticeable about their place in the Lord's Prayer? A. They occur in St. Matthew's version of it, but not in St. Luke's. 33.-Why does the Doxology form a fitting conclusion to the Lord's Prayer? A.-(1.) Because all the blessings we pray for are given by God's appointment as our KING. (2.) Because all we receive and hope for is given through His power as THE ALMIGHTY. (3.) Because all we receive is given to us to use for His GLORY. 34.-What is the meaning of the word "Amen"? A. "It is true." "So be it." "The Lord do so." It is an expression of (1.) Our assent to what has been said. (2.) Our desire to obtain all our petitions. 35.-What is the ground of our hope in prayer? A.-The Name of Jesus Christ. 36. Repeat the whole of the Lord's Prayer, as explained in the Church Catechism. No. II. THE CHRISTIAN SACRAMENTS. 1.-"How many Sacraments has Christ ordained in His Church? A.-"Two only, as generally necessary to salvation, that is to say, Baptism and the Supper of the Lord." 2.-Why do we use the word "only" here? A. To make it plain that other ordinances of the Church are not Sacraments, for this, among other reasons, that they are not "generally necessary to salvation." 3. What is the meaning of "generally necessary?" A.-"Generally "-(1.) In the sense of being necessary to all classes of Christians; and (2.) In the sense that they are necessary wherever they may be had. 4.-What is the literal meaning of the word "Sacrament" A.-It comes from the Latin Sacramentum, which means-(1.) A sign or token. (2.) The oath taken by the Roman soldiers to be loyal to the Emperor, and obedient to their officers. (3.) A solemn engagement of any kind. 5.-Is this name properly applied to religious ordinances, like Baptism and the Lord's Supper? A. Yes, for they are-(1.) Signs, or tokens, of our love to the Lord Jesus Christ, and of His love to us. (2.) By means of them we are pledged to a holy loyalty of heart to God, and obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ as the Captain of our Salvation; and (3.) We solemnly engage to live after His example. 6." What meanest thou by this word Sacrament"? A.—I mean—(1.) An outward and visible sign of (2.) An inward and spiritual grace given unto us; which sign was (3.) Ordained by Christ Himself, as (a) A means whereby we receive that grace, and (b) A pledge to assure us thereof. 7.-What is the meaning of (1.) "sign," (2.) "pledge," (3.) " means "? A.-(1.) A sign is a symbol, or representation, of the thing signified. (2.) A pledge is an assurance, or guarantee, that a promise or engagement will be observed. (3.) Means-a medium, channel, or mode of conveyance. 8. Show that the Sacraments are means of grace. A. Acts xxii. 16; 1 Cor. x. 16; 1 Pet. iii. 21; Ephes. v. 26. 9. Show that they are seals or pledges of God's grace. A.-Rom. iv. 11; Heb. x. 22, 23. 10. Did God in times past make use of material things as signs and pledges to men? A. Yes, frequently, for example-(1.) The Rainbow was a sign and pledge to Noah that God would no more destroy the world by a flood. (Gen. ix. 13, 15.) (2.) Circumcision was a sign and pledge to Abr ham of the covenant between himself and God. (Gen. xvii. 11; Rom. iv. 11.) (3.) The Miracles which Moses performed before Pharaoh were signs and pledges of his divine mission. (Exod. iv. 11.) (4.) The Fleece was a sign and pledge to Gideon that the Lord would give him victory in the battle against the Midianites. (Judges vi. 36-40) (5.) The return of the shadow ten degrees on the sun-dial of Ahaz was a sign and a pledge to Hezekiah that the Lord would have mercy upon him. (2 Kings xx. 8-11.) 11. Did God use material things as supernatural means of working upon men? A.-Yes, for example :—(1.) The Brazen Serpent in the Wilderness |