Page images
PDF
EPUB

in which dutiful children are now to expect long life and happiness, is heaven.

Questions.---Who are you to honour? [Ans. My father and mother.] Do you not think your parents, who have' done so much for you, ought to be honoured and obeyed? [Ans. Yes.] Where will dutiful children have long life and happiness? [Ans. In heaven.]

Question. -What is the sixth commandment?
Answer.-Thou shalt do no murder.

Instruction.---Murder is a crime which is seldom committed but by very wicked people. You have been told of the dreadful punishment which is inflicted upon murderers in this life, and the Scriptures tell us that murderers will be shut out from the kingdom of heaven.

Questions.---What is murder? [Ans. Killing.] Is it not very wicked to commit murder? Ans. Yes.] Do you remember what has been told you concerning the punishment of murderers? [Ans. Yes.] Where does the Scripture say they will never be admitted? [Ans. Into heaven.]

Question,--What is the seventh commandment?
Answer. Thou shalt not commit adultery.

Instruction.---This commandment relates chiefly to husbands and wives; God commands them by this never to forsake one another; but it likewise forbids all kinds of indecency and uncleanness.

Questions.---Is it not a sad thing for families, when husbands and wives do not live happily together? [Ans. Yes.] Is it not very displeasing to God to be guilty of any kind of indecency either in thought, word, or deed? [Ans. Yes.]

Question. What is the eighth commandment?
Answer.-Thou shalt not steal.

Instruction.---You find you are commanded by God himself not to steal; if you ever do so, you may be sure God will punish you. The manner in which stealing is punished in this world has been explained to you; but a more dreadful punishment will be inflicted upon thieves in the world to come, if they do not repent.

Questions---Is not stealing a very wicked thing? [Ans. Yes.] Should not the fear of God keep you from stealing all your life? [Ans. Yes.]

Question.-What is the ninth commandment? Answer. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

Explanation.---To bear false witness against our neighbour, signifies to tell any kind of falsities of any body. This commandment should make us afraid of saying any thing ill of another, unless we are sure it is true.

Qusestions.---What is false witness? [Ans. Any falsity.] Should we not be very careful how we speak ill of any body? [Ans. Yes.]

Question. What is the tenth commandment?

[ocr errors]

Answer. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house,-thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife,nor his servant,-nor his maid,-nor his ox,-nor his ass,--nor any thing that is his.

Explanation.---To covet, is to desire to have what belongs to others without knowing they are willing to part with it, and without giving them any thing in return.

Questions.---Are not people apt to wish for things that belong to others? [Ans. Yes.] Should not the fear of God keep them from doing so? [Ans. Yes.]

LECTURE IV.

The summary of the Commandments,

Question. What dost thou chiefly learn by these commandments, that is, from the ten commandments which God spake from Mount Sinai?

Answer. My duty towards God, and my duty towards my neighbour.

Explanation.---Our duty means those things which we ought to do, and which God has for that reason commanded us to do. God never commands any thing but for the good of his creatures. The ten commandments which God gave from Mount Sinai, relate to two principal things, our Duty to God, and our Duty to our neighbour.

The four Commandments of the first table relate to our Duty to God, the other Six Commandments relate to our Duty to our Neighbour; and in the part of the Catechism we are now upon, our Duty to God and our Neighbour is summed up together, so as to shew, in few words, what each Table

teaches. The Commandments are written in the form of Two Tables upon the walls of most Christian Churches. When we see them so, we should remember they are the very Commandments which God spake and first wrote.

Questions.---What is meant by our Duty? [Ans. Those things which we ought to do.] Could we know these things of ourselves? [Ans. No.] How do we know them? [Ans. From God's Commandments.] Has not God been very gracious in giving us Commandments for our instruction? [Ans. Yes.] What has God promised in the second Commandment in respect to those who keep his commandments? [Ans. That he will shew mercy unto thousands in them.] How many Commandments were written upon the First of the Tables which God gave to Moses? [Ans. Four.] What do they relate to? [Ans. Our Duty to God.] How many were written on the Second? [Ans. Six.] What did they relate to? [Ans. Our duty to our neighbour.] Have you not seen the Commandments written in the form of two tables, in churches? [Ans. Yes.] What should you remember when you see them [Ans. That they are the Commandments of God, which he spake and wrote himself.

Question.What is your duty towards God?

Answer. My duty towards God is, to believe in him to fear him, and to love him with all my.. heart, with all my mind,-with all my soul,-and with all my strength;-to worship him,-to give him thanks,-to put my whole trust in him,-to cail upon him, to bonour his holy name, and his word; and to serve him truly all the days of

my life.

Explanation.---To believe in God, is to believe that there is a God, and that there is in the divine nature three persons in one God; that the word of God in the holy Scriptures is true, and that God will reward the good and punish the wicked. To fear God, is to be afraid of offending him, lest we lose his favour. To love God, is to look upon him as our heavenly father, our best friend, and our greatest benefactor, and to feel gratitude for all his goodness, together with an earnest desire to please him by every thought, word, and action. To worship God, is to pray to him both in public and private, and to obey his Divine Ordinances. We should give God thanks for all his goodness to us, because we can make no other return for the numberless benefits he

bestows upon us. To put our whole trust in God, is, to

[blocks in formation]

believe that God is able to provide for all our necessities, and that he certainly will give us what is best for us, because he has promised to do so; and this should keep us from doing wickedness in times of distress. To call upon God, is, to pray to him for help and comfort in all our afflictions. To honour his holy name, is to use it with the utmost reverence. To honour God's word, is to receive the Scriptures as coming immediately from God, and to receive his commandments as spoken to ourselves. To serve God truly, is to do the will of God, and to follow his commandments with sincerity and truth. It is not enough to serve God while we are young, and leave off when we are old; or to neglect. serving him in our youth, from the thought that it will be time enough when we are old: but we must remember that we are bound by the Christian Covenant to serve him truly all the days of our lives.

Questions.---Should you not believe in God? [Ans. Yes.] Should you not be afraid of offending him? [Ans. Yes.] Should you not love God? [Ans. Yes. How should you love God? [Ans. With all my heart, with all my soul, and with all my strength.] Should you not worship God? [Ans. Yes.] What is worshipping God? [Ans: Kneeling to him, and praying to him as God.] Should you not give God thanks for all the mercies and blessings he bestows upon you? [Ans. Yes.] Should you not put your whole trust in him, and think that he will do what is best for you, and all his creatures? [Ans. Yes.] Should you not honour his holy name and his word? [Ans. Yes.] What is God's word? Ins. The commandments, and the rest of the Scriptures.] Should you not serve God? [Ans. Yes.] How should you serve him? [Ans. Truly.] How long should you serve God? [Ans. All the days of my life.] Do you not see that all these things belong to your duty to God? [Ans. Yes.] · Question. What is your duty towards your neighbour?

Answer. My duty towards my neighbour, is to love him as myself;-and to do unto all men as I would they should do unto me.-To love, honour, and succour my father and mother.-To honour and obey the King, and all that are put in authority under him-To submit myself to all my governors,— teachers, spiritual pastors,—and masters.-To order myself lowly and reverently to all my betters.-To

hurt nobody by word or deed.-To be true and just in all my dealings.-To bear no malice nor hatred in my heart. To keep my hands from picking and stealing, and my tongue from evil speaking,lying, and slandering.-To keep my body in temperance,-soberness,-and chastity.-Not to covet nor desire other men's goods;-but to learn and labour truly to get mine own living, and to do my duty in that state of life unto which it shall please God to call me.

Explanation.---To love our neighbour as ourselves, is to love others after the same manner as we love ourselves, to be ready to do by every body what we should wish them to do by us, were we in their places, and they in ours. has been explained to you in former Lectures.*

This

Our Spiritual Pastors are God's ministers, the clergy. To 'hurt any body in word, is to say bad things of them, or to them; to hurt them in deed, is to do bad things by them. To be true and just in all our dealings, is to act with the strictest honesty towards all mankind.

Picking signifies taking little things that belong to other people. Stealing signifies taking things of more value.

Evil Speaking signifies every thing that is said contrary to God's commandments, and our duty to our neighbour.

Lying, is speaking any kind of falsehood whatever. Slandering, is telling any falsehood with a design to hurt the character of another. Lying is a most detestable vice; every one hates a liar. It certainly is not doing as we would be done by, to slander others; a good character is a very valuable thing, nobody can be comfortable without it: and by being robbed of it, a man or woman, boy or girl, may lose a livelihood.

To keep the body in soberness, means never to drink to excess, as drunkards do. To keep it in temperance, signifies, never to eat to excess, as gluttons do. To keep it in chastity, signifies, never to talk indecent language, and never to do any dirty or indecent action.

To covet, is to wish in our hearts that we had things which belong to other people. This is not loving our neighbour as ourselves, and is very likely to lead us to do by others as we would not have them do unto us; to steal the things we

See on the Practice of Religious and Moral Duties, Vol. I.

« PreviousContinue »