of them, and what they have to expect from him. These books are also called the Scriptures.

2. Qu. Have the Scriptures informed us what God himself is?

An. We learn in the Scriptures that God is a Being who had no beginning, and will have no end. He is almighty, perfectly wise, and infinitely good. He is every where present, and never changes in his nature or disposition.

3. Qu. In what manner has God made his great power known?

An. God made this world, together with the sun, moon, and stars.. He made all kinds of plants, and trees to grow out of the earth. He made all kinds of animals to live upon it, and he made man the chief and most excellent of them all.

4. Qu. In what does it appear that God is perfectly wise?

An. In bringing about all his designs in the best manner; in his knowing every thing, even the thoughts of our heart; in foreseeing all that will

ever come to pass, and thereby governing the world by his providence.

5. Qu. What are the effects of the goodness of God?

An. He has made all living creares capable of being happy; having provided for the supply of all their wants, by furnishing them with proper materials for their food, raiment, and every thing they have occasion for; and by giving all of them as much strength and sagacity as are necessary for their preservation and defence.

6. Qu. In what respects has God been good to men in particular?

An. Besides the provision he has made for feeding and cloathing us, and giving us more understanding than brute creatures, he has sent good men from time to time to teach us his will, and to persuade men to turn from vice and wickedness, and to live good lives, in order to secure his favour, and obtain immortal happiness in the world

to come.

7. Qu. Give me a few instances of the divine wisdom and goodness in the world in general?

An

An. God has provided clouds to give rain, without which corn and plants could not grow; and the sun not only gives light, but also heat to raise the water in vapour, which again forms clouds, and so produces a perpetual supply of rain. He has provided different kinds of food suited to the natures of the different creatures he has made to live upon the earth; and though other animals have not the reason of man, God has given them a principle, which we call instinct, whereby birds can build their own nests, and all of them can provide for their subsistence, preservation, and defence better than we could do for them.

8. Qu. Give me some instances of the divine goodness with respect to men?

use to us.

An. Men could not live without seeing, and God has giving them eyes to see, and has also made the light, without which our eyes would have been of no We often want to take things and carry them from place to place, and God has given us hands and fingers, whereby we can lay hold of them. We have occasion to move from one place to another, and he has made us with legs and feet, whereby we can walk, and go where we please. We cannot live without food, and he has both enabled us to get food from the earth, and made us with mouths to take it in, the teeth to chew it, and stomachs to digest it, and convert it into proper nourishment. All these things are proofs both of the wisdom and goodness of God.

9. Qu. How doth God govern the world by his providence?

An. He suffers nothing to come to pass, but what tends to promote his design of making mankind virtuous and happy. His providence extends

to

to the meanest creatures that he has made, and even a sparrow falls not to the ground without his will.

10. Qu. If nothing come to pass without the will of God, why doth he suffer storms and tempests, pain and sickness, which occasions such distress and misery to his creatures?

An. The evils and miseries of which we complain are intended for our good, though we are not always sensible of it. They are the corrections of a wise .and affectionate pa

rent.

11. Qu. What doth God require of us, in order to live and die in his favour?

An. All that God requires of us is comprehended in these two precepts, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and thy neighbour as thyself.

12. Qu. In what manner must we express our love to God?

An. By a grateful sense of his goodness to us, by a constant care to do his will, and by an intire and chearful submission

submission to all the dispensations of his providence.

13. Qu. How must we express our love to our fellow creatures?

An. By doing to others as we should think it right for them to do to us, in the same circumstances.

14. Qu. By what methods must we cherish our love to God, and increase our confidence in him?

An. We must frequently consider the benefits he confers upon us. We must also address ourselves to him in prayer; thanking him for the mercies he bestows upon us, confessing our sins before him, and asking of him whatever he knows to be needful and good for us.

15. Qu. How shall we bring ourselves into the best disposition for performing our duty to God and man?

An. By a proper government of our passions according to the dictates of reason and conscience; by living in temperance and chastity, and never indulging a proud, malicious, or selfish temper.

16. Qu. What must we do when persons affront and injure us?

An. We must not retain evil for evil; and if they repent, we must forgive them, as we hope that God will forgive us our offences against him.

17. Qu. Hath the Divine Being any where delivered distinct directions concerning