{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_53465/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_53465","id":"gutenberg_53465","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/53465","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Religion/Spirituality","Category: Teaching & Education","Lutheran Church -- Catechisms"],"text":"LESSONS\n\nin the\n\nSmall Catechism of Dr. Martin Luther.\n\nFor the Senior Department of Lutheran\nSunday-Schools and for General Use.\n\nBy\n\nGEO. MEZGER,\nProfessor at Concordia Seminary,\nSt. Louis, Mo.\n\nSt. Louis, Mo.\nCONCORDIA PUBLISHING HOUSE.\n1923.\n\n\nLESSON 1.\n\nThe Catechism and the Bible.\n\n1. The little book we have before us is called the _Small Catechism._\nThe word \"catechism\" means _instruction._ This little book gives us\ninstruction in a brief and simple form, such as even a child can\nunderstand. It teaches us what every Christian, as a child of God,\nshould believe, and how every Christian, as a child of God, should\nlive.--This book is called the _Small Catechism_ not only because it\nis a small book, but mainly because we have also a _Large Catechism_ for\nolder people.\n\n2. The _Small Catechism_ was written by _Dr. Martin Luther, the great\nReformer of the Church._ Luther was born at Eisleben, a small town in\nGermany, November 10, 1483, and died at the same place, February 18,\n1546. He published his _Small Catechism in the year 1529,_ for the\nbenefit of the common people and the children, who are most in need of\nsuch instruction.\n\n3. Our Catechism is a small book, indeed, but it is a most precious\nlittle book. It does not contain Luther's thoughts and doctrines or\nthose of any other wise and learned man; it contains _God's own words_\nrevealed to us for our salvation. It does not teach us _all_ the\ndoctrines of God's Word, but those that every Christian must know in\norder _to believe rightly, to lead a godly life, and when his last hour\nis come to depart in peace._ Our Catechism teaches these doctrines in a\nshort form, in plain and simple words.\n\n4. _Our Catechism teaches God's Word._ How do we prove this? Luther has\ntaken the contents of his Catechism from the Bible, and the Bible is the\nWord of God.--The Word \"Bible\" means _book._ We call our Bible \"the\nbook\" because it really is the Book of books, the book in comparison\nwith which no other book is worthy to be called by that name, the most\nimportant and valuable book.--The Bible is also called _the\nScriptures,_ or _Scripture,_ which means something written, a written\nword. The Bible was written by _holy men of God._ These holy men did not\nwrite the Bible of their own will. _\"Holy men of God spake\"_ (and wrote)\n_\"as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.\"_ 2 Pet. 1,21. God Himself moved\nHis holy men to write the Bible.\n\n5. The Bible contains many _different books,_ written at different\ntimes. We divide the books of our Bible into _two chief parts._ The\nfirst we call the _Old Testament._ To it belong all the books written by\nthe prophets of God, by Moses, Samuel, David, Isaiah, and others, before\nour Savior was born.--The second part we call the _New Testament,_\nwhich contains all the books written by the evangelists and apostles,\nsuch as Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, Peter, and others, after our\nSavior came into this world. _Both Testaments teach us the same things\nand doctrines._ In what respect do they differ?\n\n6. The Bible is the written Word of God. It is true, holy men have\nwritten the Bible, but they wrote being moved by the Holy Ghost, and\nmoreover, they wrote what God told them to write, they wrote by\ninspiration of God. _\"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.\"_\n2 Tim. 3,16. God inspired His prophets and apostles, that is, He taught\nand told them what to write, He taught and gave them the very words\nwhich they were to use. When a teacher dictates to his pupils, the\nchildren, indeed, write the words; yet they do not write their own\nwords, but the words of their teacher. In a similar manner, God, as it\nwere, dictated His Word to the holy men; He told them what to write,\nand how to write it. So the whole Bible is God's Word. Therefore it is\nwholly _free from every error,_ it is _infallible._ Everything it tells\nus is the truth. God will not and cannot tell us an untruth.\n\n7. _For what purpose did God give us His Word in the Bible?_ The Holy\nScriptures _\"are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith\nwhich is in Christ Jesus.\"_ 2 Tim. 3,15. God's Word is to make us\n_wise,_ not wise unto the things of this world, unto our daily life and\nwork, but _wise unto salvation._ It teaches us how we who are sinners\ncan be saved from damnation. Nobody can teach us this but God in His\nWord.--Our salvation is in Christ Jesus. We are saved solely by faith\nin Him who has taken away the sins of the world. The Scriptures testify\nof Christ.--The Word of God is _able_ to make us wise unto salvation.\nIn it we find all we must know, all that is necessary to save us, to\ngive us eternal life. _\"Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto\nmy path.\"_ Ps. 119,105.\n\n8. _How should we use the Scriptures?_ Our Savior says: _\"Search the\nScriptures; for in them, ye think ye have eternal life; and they are\nthey which testify of Me.\"_ 3 John 5,39. We should _search_ the\nScriptures, that is, we should read and study them diligently. We hear\nGod's Word preached in our churches, we learn it in our schools, we\nshould read it daily in our homes. We should not only read, but _study_\nit _with earnest prayer to God_ that He would open our eyes that we may\nunderstand His Word.--We should read it so as _to seek and to find in\nit Christ,_ our Lord and Savior, and through faith in Him have eternal\nlife. _\"Blessed are they that hear the Word of God, and keep it,\"_ Luke\n11,28.\n\n9. From the Word of God our Catechism is taken. Luther took the most\nimportant doctrines from the Bible for his Catechism. _It may be called\na small Bible._ Gladly should we study this little book. As new-born\nbabes long and cry for their milk and grow thereby to become strong men\nor women, so children of God, newly born in Holy Baptism, should desire\nthe pure milk of the Word set before them in their Catechism and grow\nthereby in knowledge and faith unto salvation. 1 Pet. 2,2.\n\nREMEMBER:--\n\n_The Bible is the Word of God, written by inspiration of the Holy Ghost.\nGod gave us His Word to make us wise unto salvation through faith in\nChrist Jesus._\n\n_We should diligently search the Scriptures to find in them Christ, our\nSavior, and in Him, everlasting life._\n\nMEMORIZE:--\n\n_And that from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are\nable to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ\nJesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God._ 2 Tim. 3,15.16.\n\n_Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and\nthey are they which testify of Me._ John 5,39.\n\n_Blessed are they that hear the Word of God and keep it._ Luke 11,28.\n\nQUESTIONS.\n\n1. What does the word \"catechism\" mean? 2. What does the Catechism teach\nus? 3. By whom was our Catechism written? 4. Who was Dr. Martin Luther?\n5. When was our Catechism published? 6. From what other book are the\ndoctrines of our Catechism taken? 7. What does the word \"Bible\" mean?\n8. Why do we call this book the Bible? 9. How is the Bible also called?\n10. By whom was the Bible, or Holy Scripture, written? Whose word is the\nBible? 11. How is the Bible God's Word, though it was written by men?\n12. What are the chief parts of the Scriptures? 13. Of whom do both\nparts testify? 14. In what respect do they differ? 15. For what purpose\ndid God give us His Word? 16. Unto what does the Bible make wise? 17.\nHow do we obtain salvation? 18. How should we use the Bible? 19. What\ndoes the Psalmist say about God's Word? 20. Why should we also\ndiligently learn our Catechism?\n\nLESSON 2.\n\nThe First Commandment.\n\nWhich is the First Commandment?\n\n_Thou shalt have no other gods before Me._\n\nWhat does this mean?\n\n_We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things._\n\n1. We all have been baptized. In Holy Baptism God has received us as His\nchildren. _God is our heavenly Father._ A father gives his children his\ncommands. He tells them what they should do and not do, how they should\nlive to please him. So our heavenly Father has given us, His children,\nHis _commandments._ He tells us what, according to His will, we should\ndo and not do, how we should live and walk in His sight. As His obedient\nchildren we will gladly hear and learn His will and try, with His\ngracious help, to lead such lives as will please Him. It should be our\npleasure to fulfil His commandments, for they are the will of our\nFather, who loves us so dearly.--_The Ten Commandments are our\nheavenly Father's will; they tell us what we should do and not do._\n\n2. _\"Thou shalt have no other gods before Me,\"_ that is the first of the\nTen Commandments. That is the will of God, our Lord and Father, that we\nare to have no other gods before or besides Him. He who is the only true\nGod should be our God. Him alone, and nobody and nothing besides Him, we\nare to have and regard as our God. _\"I am, the Lord, that is My name;\nand My glory will I not give to another\"_ Is. 42,8. When do we regard\nGod as our God? When is He our God indeed? Our Catechism says: _\"We\nshould fear, love, and trust in God above all things.\"_ When we fear\nGod, and love Him, and trust in Him above all things, then He is truly\nour God.\n\n3. _\"We should fear God.\"_ A dutiful child fears his father. He\ncertainly is not afraid of him, but he honors and respects him. In the\nsame manner we should fear God. He says: _\"I am the almighty God.\"_ Gen.\n17,7. He has, through His mighty word, made heaven and earth. Because\nGod is so great and mighty, we should fear Him. We should not be afraid\nof Him,--the almighty God is our Father,--but we should honor and\nrespect Him above all things.\n\n4. A child shows his fear and filial respect for his father _by not\ndoing anything wrong,_ because his dear father might see it or hear of\nit. He is afraid he might displease his father by disobeying him, yes,\ncause him grief. _God is always with us. He sees and hears everything\nwe do or say, yea, He knows the very thoughts of our hearts._ We should\nalways remember that He is present wherever we are, and therefore behave\naccordingly. We should be afraid to grieve our heavenly Father by doing\nwrong. _The fear of God will keep us from doing anything against His\nholy will. \"By the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.\"_ Prov. 16,6.\n_Think of Joseph, in Egypt!_ When he was tempted by Potiphar's wife, he\nremembered that God was with him, therefore he told her: _\"How, then,\ncan I do this great wickedness and sin against God?\"_ Gen. 30,9.\nRemember always: God is with me! and you will not do such great\nwickedness and sin against your God. _\"I am the almighty God; walk before\nMe and be thou perfect.\"_ Gen. 17,1.\n\n_We fear God, when we honor and respect Him, when we walk before Him,\nand for His sake keep away from sin._\n\n5. _\"We should love God,\"_ We all love our parents. We esteem them\nhighly, our hearts cling to them, because we know how dearly they love\nus, and that they are doing all they can for us. God ought to be dearer\nto us than everything in this world, dearer even than our parents. He is\nour heavenly Father, our greatest Benefactor. From Him we receive all\nthat we have and enjoy. He loves us first, He has so loved us that He\ngave His dear Son for us. _So we should love Him and cling to Him with\nour whole heart._\n\n6. _\"This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments.\"_ 1 John\n5,3. If we love God, we shall gladly do as He bids us do. Thus our\n_Lord Jesus_ loved His heavenly Father. He says: _\"I will delight to do\nThy will, O My God; yea, Thy Law is within My heart.\"_ Ps. 40,8.\n_Abraham_ loved God, and therefore he was willing to sacrifice his only\nson for God's sake. Gen. 22,1-12.\n\n_We love God when we cling to Him with our whole heart and from love to\nHim fulfil His commandments._\n\n7. _\"We should trust in God.\"_ To trust in God means to put our\nconfidence in God and His promises, to be assured that He will give us\nwhat we need and what is good for us in this life and in the life to\ncome. We trust in God when we believe that He will not forsake us in the\nday of trouble, that whatever He sends us, though it seem evil, will be\nfor our good. Our Father can and will give us only good and perfect\ngifts. Thus _David_ trusted in the Lord when he went forth to conquer\nGoliath. 1 Sam. 17. Thus, too _those three men _trusted in God who\nsuffered themselves to be cast into the fiery furnace rather than deny\ntheir God. Dan. 3.\n\n_We trust in God when we put our confidence in Him and firmly believe\nthat He will give us all we need, that He will never forsake us, and\nthat everything which He sends us will be for our welfare._\n\n8. \"We should fear and love God and trust\" in Him _\"above all things,\"_\nthat is, more than in all other men or things. We may, and we really do,\nfear and love many things besides God. We fear and love our parents, our\nteachers, our friends, and we trust in them. God Himself bids us do so.\nFor God's sake we fear and love them. But we must fear and love _God_\nmore than all other things, more than even our parents, or our dearest\nfriends. _He must be first in our heart and in our life._ If our\nparents, or friends, or anything else would separate us from God, or\nprevent us from fearing and loving Him, or from trusting in Him above\nall things, we must cast them aside. If we fear and love and trust in\nanything more than in God, we make a creature our god; then we have\nother gods besides God; then we are worshiping idols (other gods that\nare no gods), as the heathen do. _\"Thou shalt worship the Lord, thy\nGod, and Him only shalt thou serve.\"_ Matt. 4,10.\n\n9. Fear, love, and trust God demands from us. Fear, love, and trust are\nto be found in the heart. _God claims our hearts in this commandment.\n\"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart.\"_ Prov. 3,5. Together with our\nhearts God wants our whole lives, all we are and have. _The First\nCommandment is the greatest of them all._ In this all the others are\nincluded. Let us daily pray God to grant us His grace to fear and love\nHim and trust in Him above all things, in order that we may have no\nother gods before Him.\n\nREMEMBER:--\n\n_1. We should fear and love God and trust in Him above all things; then\nwe shall have no other gods before Him; then He, the true God, will be\nour God indeed._\n\n_2. We should fear and love and trust in God above all things. God wants\nour whole heart and life, all that we are and have._\n\nMEMORIZE:--\n\n_I am the almighty God; walk before Me, and be thou perfect._ Gen. 17,1.\n\n_Trust in the Lord with all thine heart._ Prov. 3,5.\n\n_Thou shalt worship the Lord, thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve._\nMatt. 4,10.\n\nQUESTIONS.\n\n1. What does God tell us in His commandments? 2. Why has God a right to\ngive us these commandments? 3. Which is the First Commandment? 4. Who\nshould be our God? 5. When is the only true God our God? 6. What does it\nmean to fear God? 7. How do we show that we fear God? 8. What does the\nLord say Gen. 17,1? 9. What does it mean to love God? 10. What shall we\nfulfil if we love God? 11. What does it mean to trust in God? 12. What\nshall we firmly believe if we trust in God? 13. How should we fear and\nlove God and trust in Him? 14. Why should we fear and love God above all\nthings? 15. What sin do we commit if we fear and love any one more than\nGod? 16. What does our Lord say Matt. 4,10? 17. What does God demand of\nus in the First Commandment? 18. Why is the First Commandment the\ngreatest of all?\n\nLESSON 3.\n\nThe Second Commandment.\n\nWhich is the Second Commandment?\n\n_Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord, thy God, in vain._\n\nWhat does this mean?\n\n_We should fear and love God that we may not curse, swear, use\nwitchcraft, lie, or deceive by His name, but call upon it in every\ntrouble, pray, praise, and give thanks._\n\n1. We learned in the first Commandment that we should _fear and love our\nGod above all things._ That is the will of our Father in heaven. If we\nfear and love God, we shall gladly fulfil His commandments and do His\nwill. And it is only if we fear and love God that we shall do so. All\nour obedience to God and His commandments must come from a heart that\nfears and loves God. In every commandment our God demands again that we\nfear and love Him. Therefore our Catechism begins the explanation of\nevery commandment with these words: _\"We should fear and love God.\"_\n\n2. _\"Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord, thy God, in vain.\"_\nBecause we fear and love God, we must not take His name in vain. God has\na name, just as you and everybody has a name by which he is known and\ncalled; indeed, God has many names. You already learned several of His\nnames. _(God, Lord, Father, Jesus Christ, Holy Ghost, the Almighty,\nCreator, Savior,_ etc.) These names God has given Himself in His Word.\nThrough His names He shows us who and what He is, what He has done and\nstill is doing for His children. God is called Savior, and He really is\nthe Savior; He is called Creator because He has created heaven and\nearth; He is called the Almighty, for with Him nothing is impossible.\n_God's name is God Himself as He has revealed Himself to us._\n\n3. _We are not to take God's name in vain._ To take God's name in vain\nmeans to use His holy name _thoughtlessly_ and _without any need._ Many\npersons, it is sad to say, very often use the name of God, and\nespecially that of Jesus Christ, in their speech without thinking of\ntheir Savior, without even knowing that they do so. They use it even\nwhen they talk of vile things. They take God's name in vain and mock\nGod. _\"Be not deceived; God is not mocked.\"_ Gal. 6,7.\n\n4. Our Catechism shows us more plainly how God's name is taken in vain:\n_\"We should fear and love God that we may not curse, swear, use\nwitchcraft, lie, or deceive by His name.\"_ We should not _curse._ To\ncurse by God's name means _to call down upon oneself or another God's\npunishment. Peter_ cursed. Matt. 26,74. He said God should punish him if\nhe knew \"the man\" Jesus. Christians should never curse. They bless and\npraise God, their Father; how, then, can they curse their fellow-men and\nwish them God's punishment? Blessing and cursing should not come out of\nthe same mouth. Jas. 3,9.10.\n\n5. _We should not swear by God's name._ We swear when we use God's name\nto affirm the truth of what we say, as we hear it done so often in daily\nlife. Our Lord says to His disciples: _\"I say unto you, Swear not at\nall. ... But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay; for\nwhatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.\"_ Matt. 5,34,37.\n\n6. _We should not use witchcraft by God's name._ We use witchcraft when\nwe try to perform things which by natural means we cannot do, such as\n_fortune-telling, calling and asking the dead_ (as the Spiritualists\nclaim to do), etc. Such works are in themselves grievous sins, works of\nthe devil. But such sins are much greater when God's holy name is used\nin performing them. Christians should have nothing to do with these\nworks of darkness, these works of the devil. (Read Deut. 18,10-12.)\n\n7. _We should not lie or deceive by God's name._ Lying by God's name\nmeans telling a lie and using God's name and Word in order to make the\nlie seem to be the truth. So the _false prophets_ use God's name and\nWord in order to hide their false doctrines and make them appear as\nGod's truth. _\"Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the Lord, that\nuse their tongues and say, He saith.\" _Jer. 23,31, The hypocrites\ndeceive by God's name. They use God's name, they talk about God and His\nWord in order to hide their evil life. _\"Not every one that saith unto\nMe, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that\ndoeth the will of My Father which is in heaven.\"_ Matt. 7,21. Think of\nAnanias and Sapphira. Acts 5.\n\n8. To take God's name in vain is a _grievous sin._ God is greatly\ndispleased with it. How can we, who fear and love God, grieve Him by\ntaking His holy name in vain? _And God has threatened to punish all that\nmisuse His name. \"The Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His\nname in vain.\"_ Ex. 20,7.4\n\n9. God has revealed His name to us in order to _bless and save us._ He\nwants us to use His holy name _in the right way. \"We should call upon it\nin every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks.\"_ That is the right use\nof our Lord's name.--He wants us to _call_ on Him, to beg for His\nhelp, especially in all our troubles; for He alone can help us in all\nour needs. God says: _\"Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will\ndeliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me.\"_ Ps. 50,15.--We should\n_pray_ in His name; for in every true prayer we use His name aright. He\nwants us to come to Him daily and speak with Him, as a child speaks to\nhis father.--We should use His name in _praising_ and _thanking_ Him\nfor His manifold goodness, for all His benefits, all the great things He\ndoes for us. If He has delivered or helped us, we should glorify Him.\n_\"Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy\nname.\"_ Ps. 103,1. _\"O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good;\nbecause His mercy endureth forever.\"_ Ps. 118,1. If we rightly use the\nname of our God, we shall be blessed by it. _\"The name of the Lord is a\nstrong tower; the righteous runneth into it and is safe.\"_ Prov. 18,10.\n\nREMEMBER:--\n\n_1. God has given us His holy name that we may be blessed and saved by\nit._\n\n_2. He forbids us to take in vain and misuse His sacred name by cursing,\nswearing, using witchcraft, lying, or deceiving, or by thoughtlessly\nspeaking it._\n\n_3. He commands us to use it aright by calling upon it in all our needs,\nby praying, praising, and giving of thanks. We should fear and love God\nand so use His blessed name._\n\nMEMORIZE:--\n\n_I say unto you, Swear not at all, but let your communication be, Yea,\nyea; Nay, nay; for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.\"_ [tr.\nnote: sic on quotation mark] Matt. 5,34.37.\n\n_Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the Lord, that use their\ntongues and say, He saith._ Jer. 23,31.\n\n_Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt\nglorify Me._ Ps. 50, 15.\n\n_Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me bless His holy\nname._ Ps. 103,1.\n\nQUESTIONS.\n\n1. How does our Catechism begin the explanation of every commandment\nafter the First Commandment? 2. When only can and will we fulfil all the\ncommandments? 3. What, therefore, does God demand of us in every\ncommandment? 4. Enumerate some of God's holy names. 5. For what purpose\nhas God revealed His name to us? 6. What does it mean to take God's name\nin vain? 7. What does it mean to curse by God's name? 8. When do we\nswear by God's name? 9. Whose work is witchcraft? 10. What people lie by\nGod's name? 11. What does God say about the false prophets? (Jer. 3,31.)\n12. What does it mean to deceive by God's name? 13. What has God\nthreatened those who take His name in vain? 14. What is the will of God\nwith respect to His name? 15. How should we use God's name? 16. What\ndoes it mean to call upon God? 17. When especially should we do so? 18.\nRecite Ps. 50,15. 19. Why should we praise the Lord and give thanks unto\nHis name? 20. Recite Ps. 103,1.\n\nLESSON 4.\n\nThe Third Commandment.\n\nWhich is the Third Commandment?\n\n_Thou shalt sanctify the holy-day._\n\nWhat does this mean?\n\n_We should fear and love God that we may not despise preaching and His\nWord, but hold it sacred, and gladly hear and learn it._\n\n1. _\"Thou shalt sanctify the holy-day,\"_ that is the Third Commandment.\nWe Christians have a _holy-day._ We celebrate as our holy-day the first\nday in week, Sunday. We do not do this because God has commanded us to\nkeep this day or any other day holy, more sacred than the rest of the\nweek. In the Old Testament, before Christ came into the world, God had\ngiven His people a certain day as a holy-day, the seventh day of the\nweek, the _Sabbath._ In the New Testament, after Christ was born, God\nhas given no such commandment. _The Church, the Christians themselves,_\nhas chosen a holy-day. The Church chose Sunday, because it was on a\nSunday that our dear Lord, our Savior and our King, arose again from the\ndead. Every Sunday should remind us of the resurrection of our Savior,\nof His victory over sin, death, and the power of the devil.--We also\nkeep other days holy, for instance, Christmas, New Year's Day, Easter,\nand other festival days. Can you name some other Christian festival?\n\n2. _Why do we Christians celebrate certain days as holy-days though God\nhas not commanded us to do so?_ It is God's will that His children\nshould come together for services of _preaching and hearing His Word,_\nthat they should come together in their churches for public worship. In\norder to do this, it is necessary to set aside a _certain day._ That is\nthe reason why the Church celebrates Sunday and other feasts. _We\ncelebrate them not by divine command, but in order to have time for\npublic worship,_ for going to church, for services of preaching and\nhearing the Word of God. To the question, \"What does this mean?\" namely,\nto sanctify the holy-day, our Catechism rightly answers: _\"We should\nfear and love God that we may not despise preaching and His Word, but\nhold it sacred, and gladly hear and learn it.\"_\n\n3. _We should not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred,_\nthat is the will of God according to the Third Commandment. Remember, it\nis _His_ Word, the holy Word of our _heavenly Father,_ whom we should\nfear and love. It is God Himself who speaks to us in His Word, in the\nBible, when we read it. It is God Himself who sends His messengers to\nus, our pastors and teachers, to preach His Word that we may the better\nunderstand it. Our Savior says concerning His messengers: _\"He that\nheareth you heareth Me; and he that despiseth you despiseth Me; and he\nthat despiseth Me despiseth Him that sent Me.\"_ Luke 10, 16. In\ndespising His Word, we despise our Lord, yea, our God and Father\nHimself. A child does not despise the words of his respected and beloved\nfather. How deeply would we, then, offend our heavenly Father by\ndespising His Word!--If we really fear and love God, we shall not\ndespise His Word, but hold it sacred. We shall not forget that we are\nhearing our dear Father's voice when we are reading our Bible. When\nGod's Word is preached to us in our churches, we shall hear and receive\nit not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the Word of God.\n1 Thess. 2,13.\n\n4. _When is this done?_ When do we not despise God's Word, but rather\nhold it sacred? God's Word is _preached to to us in public worship._ We\ndespise the preaching of His Word when we do not go to church at all, or\nonly now and then, at long intervals, because we prefer to stay at home\nto do our work or to amuse ourselves. We despise preaching when we\ngo to church, but hear the sermon carelessly when we do not pay\nattention to the pastor. He that will not hear God's Word is not of God;\nsuch a one cannot remain God's child. John 8,47.--If we keep the\npreaching of God's Word sacred, we shall go to church regularly every\nSunday, unless sickness, or something else that we cannot avoid, hinders\nus. We shall go to church in order to hear the sermon, to listen\nattentively to it. We shall hear the Word willingly and gladly and\nrejoice that we may again hear the dear Gospel of the love of God in\nJesus Christ, our Lord. We shall rejoice and say: _\"Lord, I have loved\nthe habitation of Thy house, and the place where Thine honor dwelleth.\"_\nPs. 26,8.--God's Word is also preached and taught us in our\n_day-schools_ and _Sunday-schools._ Come to your school regularly, hear\nthe lessons from the Word of God diligently and attentively and you will\nhold His Word sacred; you will do the will of your Father.\n\n5. God's Word is not only preached, God has also given us the _Bible,\nHis written Word._ He wants us to read His Word in our _homes. \"Search\nthe Scriptures,\"_ John 5,39, our Savior says. We should not only read\nit, but read it carefully and often, read it with prayer to God that we\nmay more thoroughly understand it. The Word of God should dwell among us\n_richly, abundantly._ Col. 3,16. If we do not read and study our Bible\nat home, we are despising the Word of God.\n\n6. We should not only hear and read the Word of God, and hear and read\nit gladly; our Catechism also tells us _that we should learn it._ Like\nMary, the mother of Jesus, _so we, too, should keep all these words and\nponder them in our hearts._ Luke 2,19. We should try with the help of\nour Lord to live more and more according to God's Word. _\"Thy Word is a\nlamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.\"_ Ps. 119,105. If we do\nthis, we are holding God's Word sacred and shall be blessed by it.\n_\"Blessed are they that hear the Word of God and keep it.\"_ Luke 11,28.\nRemember _Hannah,_ the mother of little Samuel, 1 Sam. 1,2; _Mary_\nsitting at Jesus feet and hearing His Word, Luke 10,39. Remember\nespecially how our _Lord_ loved His Father's house. Luke 2,41-52.\n\n7. There is one thing we should not forget: to keep God's Word sacred.\nGod sends His messengers to us, our pastors and preachers. We should\n_honor and esteem and love them_ for their work's sake. We should obey\nthem when they preach God's Word and _pray_ for them. We should help\nthat the blessed Word of God may be preached to all nations, to\nall men, that all may hear it and be saved by it.\n\n8. In the First Commandment we learned that throughout our life we\nshould fear and love God and trust in Him with our whole heart; in the\nSecond, that we should not misuse His holy name, but use it to the\npraise of God and the salvation of our neighbors and ourselves; in the\nThird, that we should diligently hear and learn God's Word, so that all\nour actions, our entire life, may be ordered according to it. _These\nthree commandments relate to God. They teach us the love of God._ Now\nfollow the other seven, which relate to our neighbor, _whom we should\nlove as ourselves._\n\nREMEMBER:--\n\n_1. We sanctify our holy-day when we fear and love God that we may not\ndespise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred._\n\n_2. The fear and love of God will induce us to hear and read God's Word,\nnot carelessly, but diligently and gladly, to learn it and to live\naccording to it._\n\nMEMORIZE:--\n\n_He that heareth you heareth Me; and he that despiseth you despiseth Me;\nand he that despiseth Me despiseth Him that sent Me._ Luke 10,16.\n\n_Lord, I have loved the habitation of Thy house, and the place where\nThine honor dwelleth._ Ps. 26,8.\n\n_Let him that is taught in the Word communicate unto him that teacheth\nin all good things._ Gal. 6,6.\n\nQUESTIONS.\n\n1. Which day did God institute in the Old Testament as the holy-day of\nHis people? 2. Did God in the New Testament give us a certain day as our\nholy-day? 3. Why does the Christian Church choose a holy-day, though God\ndid not command us to do so? 4. What is God's will concerning His Word?\n5. What is necessary that Christians may come together to preach and\nhear God's Word? 6. How do we, therefore, sanctify our holy-days? 7. Why\nshould we not despise God's Word, but keep it sacred? 8. How do we show\nthat we do not despise the preaching of His Word? 9. Whose voice do we\nhear in the sermon? 10. As whose word should we, therefore, hear and\naccept the sermon? 11. Where do we also hear the Word of God? 12. In\nwhich book do we find the written Word of God? 13. How should we us\nour Bibles, the written Word of God? 14. What does it mean to learn\nGod's Word? 15. How must we, finally, show our love of God's Word? 16.\nTo whom do the first three commandments relate? 17. What does the First\nCommandment teach us? 18. The Second? 19. The Third? 20. What is the sum\nof these commandments? 21. To whom do the other commandments relate? 22.\nHow should we love our neighbor?\n\nLESSON 5.\n\nThe Fourth Commandment.\n\nWhich is the Fourth Commandment?\n\n_Thou shalt honor thy father and thy mother, that it may be well with\nthee, and thou mayest live long on the earth._\n\nWhat does this mean?\n\n_We should fear and love God that we may not despise our parents and\nmasters, nor provoke them to anger, but give them honor, serve and obey\nthem, and hold them in love and esteem._\n\n1. _\"Thou shalt honor thy father and thy mother.\"_ Go has given us a\ncommandment in regard to our _father_ and _mother,_ our _parents._ This\nis a very important commandment for all children. It is God's will that\nwe not only _love_ our parents, but also _honor_ them. We honor those\nwho occupy a higher position than we, who have been placed above us, who\nhave a right to command us and demand our obedience. By commanding us to\nhonor our parents, God places them above us. He wants children to regard\ntheir parents as being in God's stead, above them, as His\nrepresentatives, whom for His sake they should honor. Never forget that\nyour dear parents have been placed over you by God. Never forget to\nhonor and respect them for God's sake.\n\n2. What does it mean to honor father and mother? _\"We should, fear and\nlove God that we may not despise our parents ... nor provoke them to\nanger.\"_ We should not _despise_ our parents. We despise them when we do\nnot respect the high station in which God has placed them over us, when\nin our hearts we do not esteem them as God's representatives, when we\nact as though we were their equals or even stood above them.--We\nshould not _provoke them to anger,_ that is, we should not by word or\ndeed excite them to just anger or cause them pain and distress, by being\nunkind, stubborn, disobedient, even insolent towards them, or by wicked\ndeeds and sins which dishonor them. Remember _Absalom,_ who despised his\nfather David and caused him bitter grief by rebelling against him and\nmaking himself king in his stead. 2 Sam. 15. Remember the wicked sons of\nEli. 1 Sam. 2,12.--God is displeased with this sin. _\"The eye that\nmocketh at his father and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of\nthe valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it,\"_ says\nthe Word of God. Prov. 30,17. God will severely punish all bad and\ndisobedient children, very often in this life, as He did with Absalom,\nand if they do not repent, in eternity.\n\n3. We must not despise our parents, but should _give them honor,_ that\nis, we should regard them in our hearts as God's representatives; we\nshould respect their station, even if they are lowly, or poor, or even\nqueer. They are still our parents, and therefore should not be deprived\nof their honor because of their failings. It is _God's will_ that we\nhonor them.\n\n4. We should show in words and deeds that we honor our parents. We\nshould _serve_ them, we should do for them whatever we can, even if they\ndo not ask for it, and do it gladly. When they become old or sick, we\nshould do all in our power to help them, and so try to repay the love\nand care which they have shown us when we were young and weak and so\nmuch in need of their kindness. Your dear parents did and still do so\nmuch for you that you will hardly ever be able to repay them. _\"Let\nthem_ [the children] _learn . . . to requite their parents_ [to repay\ntheir love]; _for that is good and acceptable before God.\"_ 1 Tim. 5,4.\n\n5. We should, furthermore, show the respect we owe our parents by\n_obeying them._ We should do what they tell us, carry out their\ncommands, and do it without a murmur, willingly, quickly, fully, and\ngladly. In this manner you, at your age, can best prove that you honor\nyour parents. _\"Children, obey your parents in all, things; for this is\nwell-pleasing unto the Lord.\"_ Col. 3,20. _\"Hearken unto thy father that\nbegat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.\"_ Prov. 23,22.\n\n6. _\"We should hold them in love and esteem.\"_ God has given us our\nparents as a most precious gift. Through them our heavenly Father\nbestows upon us numberless other gifts and blessings. Our parents\nprovide for us; they give us all we need in this life; they shelter and\nprotect us. They try to lead us to our Savior by teaching us the Word of\nGod, by sending us to a Christian school. They bring us up in the\nnurture and admonition of the Lord. Eph. 6,4. Should we not love and\nesteem them as a precious gift of God? Should we not thank Him with all\nour heart, thank Him by doing His will in regard to our parents? Do not\nforget: _We honor our parents because we fear and love God, who has\ngiven us this most precious gift._\n\n7. Our Catechism not only says that we should honor our parents, but it\nadds the word _\"masters.\"_ God has placed other persons besides our\nparents over us, in _home, school, and state._ Our parents are also\nthose who take our parents place, _who take care of us and protect us_\nif our parents are dead or otherwise unable to take care of us. God has\nplaced over us our _teachers_ in our schools, who instruct us in our\nparents stead. There are many persons in our country, in our cities and\ntowns, who have been placed above us, such as the President of the\nUnited States, the governor of our State, the mayor of our city, etc. It\nis God who has placed also these rulers over us. He commands us to hold\nall these in honor and esteem, to serve and obey them in all things in\nwhich He has placed them over us.\n\n8. God has added to the Fourth Commandment a _special promise: \"Honor\nthy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise: That\nit may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.\"_ Eph.\n6,2.3. This shows how well-pleasing it is unto God if we keep this\ncommandment, if we honor and love our parents and masters. Our gracious\nLord will abundantly reward all children who honor their parents and\nmasters, and do it in the fear and love of God. He will bless them here\non earth in a way which is good for them, and He will bless and reward\nthem more abundantly in heaven. The most beautiful example of the\nfulfilment of this commandment is our _Lord Himself,_ of whom we read:\n_\"And He went down with them_ [His lowly parents], _and came to\nNazareth, and was subject unto them.\"_ Luke 2,51. He even remembered His\nmother when He was nailed to the cross. John 19,26.27.\n\nREMEMBER:--\n\n_1. Parents are a most precious gift of God. God has placed them over us\nthat through them He may provide for us, protect us, and lead us to\nHimself, our Savor, and to eternal life._\n\n_2. We should therefore highly honor and esteem our parents, serve and\nobey them in the fear and love of God, our heavenly Father._\n\n_3. This is well-pleasing to God, who will graciously reward us._\n\nMEMORIZE:--\n\n_Honor thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with\npromise: That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the\nearth._ Eph. 6,2,3.\n\n_Children, obey your parents in all things; for this is well-pleasing\nunto the Lord._ Col. 3,20.\n\n_Let them learn ... to requite their parents; for that is good and\nacceptable before God._ 1 Tim. 5,4.\n\nQUESTIONS.\n\n1. What is God's holy will regarding our parents? 2. What place does God\ngive our parents by commanding us to honor them? 3. Whose\nrepresentatives are they? 4. When do we despise our parents? 5. When do\nwe provoke them to anger? 6. Give examples of children who despised\ntheir parents. 7. How will God punish children who despise their\nparents? 8. What does it mean to hold our parents in honor? 9. How do we\nshow in words and deeds that we honor our parents? 10. When do we serve\nthem? 11. At what time especially can we repay their love? 12. What does\nit mean to obey our parents? 13. How should we carry out their commands?\n14. Why should we love and highly esteem our parents? 15. Who are the\n\"masters\" whom God has placed over us? 16. What has God added to this\ncommandment? 17. What does God teach us by adding this special promise?\n18. Who is the most beautiful example of the fulfilment of this\ncommandment?\n\nLESSON 6.\n\nThe Fifth Commandment.\n\nWhich is the Fifth Commandment?\n\n_Thou shalt not kill._\n\nWhat does this mean?\n\n_We should fear and love God, that we may not hurt nor harm our neighbor\nin his body, but help and befriend him in every bodily need._\n\n1. You all know what it means to kill. It means to take our own life or\nthe life of our neighbor, our fellow-man. This is what God forbids in\nthis commandment. _God is the Giver of all life._ He alone, therefore,\nhas the right to take it away. God made man in His image. How dare we\ndestroy the image of God! Our neighbor's life should be _sacred_ to us.\nGod will punish him who takes his neighbor's life. _\"Whoso sheddeth\nman's blood, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God\nmade He man.\"_ Gen. 9,6. Remember _Cain_ and _Judas._\n\n2. God forbids still more in this commandment. Our Catechism explains it\nby saying: _\"We should fear and love God that we may not hurt ... our\nneighbor in his body.\"_ In the story of the good Samaritan we learn what\nthis means. The man who went down from Jerusalem to Jericho fell among\nthieves (robbers), who wounded him and, leaving him half dead, departed.\nLuke 10,30. These robbers hurt the Jew in his body, they brought his\nlife into danger. But for the Samaritan he certainly would have died.\nThe life of our neighbor may be hurt in other ways. Pharaoh of Egypt\nendangered the lives of the Israelites by compelling them to do labor\nthat was too hard for them. We should not wound our neighbor in his\nbody, or in any other way bring his life or health into danger and thus\nshorten his life.\n\n3. _We should not harm our neighbor in his body,_ that is we should not\nby spiteful words or wicked deeds embitter his life and in this way\nshorten it. Remember how Joseph's brothers embittered his life by\nselling him into slavery, how they embittered the life of their father\nby telling him that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal They made\nlife a burden both to their brother and to their father.\n\n4. _We should fear and love God that we may ... help and befriend our\nneighbor in every bodily need._ Our neighbor is in bodily need when he\nis in danger of losing his life and health. Look again at the story of\nthe good Samaritan. There you will learn what it means to help and\nbefriend our neighbor in his bodily need. The poor Jew fell among\nrobbers, who stripped him of his raiment, wounded him and carelessly\ndeparted, though that poor man was nearly dead. The Jew certainly was in\nbodily need, being in great danger of losing his life. A Samaritan\npassed, and, seeing this poor man, he took compassion on him. He went up\nto him and helped him. He bound up his wounds, set him on his own beast\nbrought him to an inn, and took care of him. He helped the poor Jew in\nhis bodily need and saved his life.--But the good Samaritan did more.\nThe next day, not being able to stay any longer with his afflicted\nbrother, he gave money to the host of the inn, and asked him to take\ncare of the wounded Jew in his stead after his departure; he even\npromised to give the innkeeper more money if it should be necessary. The\ngood Samaritan befriended the Jew, he acted as a friend to him. Not only\ndid he save him from death, he also assisted him until he was no longer\nin bodily need. _\"Go, and do thou likewise,\"_ our Lord says.--That\nJew, like all the Jews at that time, most probably, was an enemy of the\nSamaritans. The Samaritan knew that, and still he helped and befriended\nhim. We should help and befriend not only our relatives and friends, or\nthose who are able and willing to repay us and help us when we are in\nneed, but also our enemies, those who hate and despitefully use us, _\"If\nthine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink,\"_ Rom.\n12,20. _\"Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them\nthat hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and\npersecute you.\"_ Matt. 5,44.\n\n5. The Samaritan _took compassion_ on the Jew, therefore he helped him.\nThe compassion, or pity, was in his heart. All our good works and all\nour sins issue from the heart. _We should watch over our hearts, over\nour thoughts._ No anger and hate against our neighbor should be in our\nhearts. And even if our neighbor does us wrong, if he injures and\ninsults us, we should not revenge ourselves, but love our brother.\n_\"Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer; and ye know that no\nmurderer hath eternal life abiding in him.\"_ 1 John 3,15.--We should\nalways be kind, merciful, and forgiving to our neighbor, even to our\nenemy. _\"Blessed are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy.\"_ Matt.\n5,7. And above all, we should _fear and love God,_ then we shall help\nand befriend our neighbor, him whom God has made in His image.\n\nREMEMBER:--\n\n_1. Life is God's gift. Only He who gave it has the right to take it.\nThe life of our neighbor should be sacred to us._\n\n_2. Therefore we should not kill or hurt or harm our neighbor, our\nfellowman, in his body, nor hate him or be angry with him. God has made\nman in His image._\n\n_3. We should help and befriend our neighbor whenever he is in bodily\nneed, always be kind and merciful to him and forgive him when he wrongs\nus._\n\nMEMORIZE:--\n\n_Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the\nimage of God made He man._ Gen. 9,6.\n\n_Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer; and ye know that no\nmurderer hath eternal life abiding in him._ 1 John 3,15.\n\n_Therefore, if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him\ndrink._ Rom. 12,20.\n\n_Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy._ Matt. 5,7.\n\nQUESTIONS.\n\n1. What does it mean to kill? 2. Why should we not take our fellow-man's\nlife? 3. In whose image did God make man? 4. What does God, furthermore,\nforbid in this commandment? 5. What does it mean to hurt our neighbor in\nhis body? 6. What does it mean to harm him in his body? 7. From whom may\nwe learn how to fulfil this commandment? 8. How did the good Samaritan\nhelp the Jew? 9. How did he befriend him? 10. When, even, should we help\nour neighbor? 11. What does our Lord say Matt. 5,44? 12. Where do all\nour good works and all our sins rise? 13. What kind of thoughts should\nnot be in our hearts against our neighbor? 14. What does the Bible tell\nus of him who hates his brother? 15. How should we be disposed towards\nour neighbor if he wrongs us? 16. When will we fulfill this commandment?\n17. What does our Lord say about the merciful?\n\nLESSON 7.\n\nThe Sixth Commandment.\n\nWhich is the Sixth Commandment?\n\n_Thou shalt not commit adultery._\n\nWhat does this mean?\n\n_We should fear and love God that we may lead a chaste and decent life\nin word and deed, and each love and honor his spouse._\n\n1. _We should lead a chaste and decent life,_ that is the demand of our\nGod and heavenly Father according to the Sixth Commandment. Our hearts\nmust be chaste to make our lives chaste and decent. Our _hearts_ should\nbe _chaste,_ that is, free from evil lusts, free from unclean and lewd\nthoughts and desires. When our hearts are chaste and pure, our lives\nwill be decent and modest and clean. The chastity of our hearts will\nshow itself in all the acts of our life. _\"Keep thyself pure,\"_ says the\nWord of God. 1 Tim. 5,22. Keep your heart pure and chaste.\n\n2. _We should lead a chaste and decent life in word._ We should refrain\nfrom _all filthy words_ that prove our heart to be unclean, from all\nwords, songs, jests, etc., of which we would be ashamed before God, or\nbefore parents if they would hear them. We should shun all those jests\nand verses which boy whispers to boy, or girl to girl, lest decent\npersons might overhear them. Only such words as are good and clean\nshould pass our lips. Never use a word that you would be ashamed of in\nthe presence of your parents and teachers! Always remember that God is\nwith you, that He will hear every word you utter in secret. _\"Let no\ncorrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is\ngood.\"_ Eph. 4,29.\n\n3. _We should lead a chaste and decent life in deed._ We should shun all\nacts which are mostly done in secret, all deeds which we would be\nashamed of in the presence of God, our parents, or other decent people.\nWe should walk honestly as in the day. Rom. 13,13. We should keep all\nmembers of our body clean and pure. _Our body is the temple of the Holy\nGhost._ 1 Cor. 6,19. How could a child of God use a member of his body\nfor filthy purposes and so defile God's temple, make it impure! We\nshould be modest and decent in our behavior, manners, dress, etc.\n\n4. _What must we do to lead such a chaste and decent life?_ Our hearts,\nby nature, are unclean and unchaste full of evil desires. We cannot\nhinder evil lusts from springing up in our hearts at times. But with the\nhelp of God we must try, and try earnestly, _to quench them, to put them\ndown,_ lest they gain a place in our hearts. We can do this only _by\nmeans of God's Word and prayer._ Think of God's holy commandment, of the\nwill of our heavenly Father according to which we should be pure in\nheart. God says: _\"Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see\nGod.\"_ Matt. 5,8. Remember that God knows the secret thoughts of your\nheart, and you will say with Joseph: _\"How, then, can I do this great\nwickedness and, sin against God?\"_ Gen. 39,9. The fear and love of God\nwill put down all evil lusts and lewd thoughts. And whenever filthy\ndesires arise and tempt you, pray to God for His help, pray earnestly\nand fervently: _\"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right\nspirit within me.\"_ Ps. 51,10.\n\n5. In order to lead a chaste and decent life, _we should, as far as\npossible, shun all temptations and all places and occasions where such\ntemptations will come upon us._ The world is an unclean place, full of\nevil lusts. Temptations meet us everywhere. Therefore we must always\nwatch over ourselves. _\"Flee youthful lusts,\"_ 2 Tim 2,22, as Joseph\nfled when Potiphar's wife tempted him. We should not go to places where\nsuch temptations may be met; we should shun bad company, impure books or\npictures, theaters, etc. where indecent talk or pictures may excite evil\nlusts in us.\n\n6. _When we are alone and idle,_ the devil often comes to tempt us with\nimpure thoughts and desires In order to lead a chaste and decent life,\nwe should avoid idleness and work diligently and faithfully. Find\nsomething useful to do in work or innocent play, and Satan will find\nless time to tempt you with lustful thoughts. But above all, pray to\nyour heavenly Father that He would guard you in all temptations, that\nyou may overcome and obtain the victory.\n\n7. We should fear and love God _that each may love and honor his spouse.\nSpouse_ is man or wife, persons who live in holy matrimony, as your\nparents do. _Matrimony_ is instituted by God, and it is His will that\nhusband and wife should love and honor each other, that they should\nfaithfully live together till death parts them. If one is unfaithful to\nthe other, or leaves the other, he or she commits _adultery._\n\nREMEMBER:--\n\n_1. God alone can make your heart chaste and keep it clean from sinful\nlust. Pray to Him: \"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right\nspirit within me.\"_ Ps. 51,10.\n\n_2. When temptation comes near you, when you feel in your heart the\nsinful lust, remember: God is with me, He sees and hears everything I\ndo, even the innermost thoughts of my heart. \"How, them, can I do this\ngreat wickedness and sin against God?\"_ Gen. 39,9.\n\n_3. Watch over yourself and keep away from all places where temptation\nis sure to come. \"Flee youthful lusts.\"_ 2 Tim. 2,22.\n\nMEMORIZE:--\n\n_Let us walk honestly as in the day._ Rom. 13,13.\n\n_Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which\nis good._ Eph. 4,29.\n\n_Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me._\nPs. 51,10.\n\n_Keep thyself pure._ 1 Tim. 5,22.\n\n_Flee youthful lusts._ 2 Tim. 2,22.\n\nQUESTIONS.\n\n1. What does God command in the Sixth Commandment? 2. When will our\n_hearts_ be chaste? 3. When will our lives be decent? 4. What does God\ndemand 1 Tim. 5,22? 5. When will we be chaste and decent in _words?_ 6.\nWhat kind of words should we never use? 7. How do we lead a chaste and\ndecent life in _deed?_ 8. What does God Himself call our bodies in His\nWord? 9. When do we defile this temple of God and make it impure? 10.\nHow should our behavior, our manners, be? 11. How are our hearts by\nnature? 12. What feelings will therefore often arise in our hearts? 13.\nBy what means can and should we put down these evil thoughts? 14. What\nshould they not gain in our hearts? 15. What places should we avoid in\norder to lead a chaste life? 16. Name some such places and occasions.\n17. What should we also avoid, in order that Satan may have less\nopportunity to tempt us? 18. What does God command those who live\ntogether in holy matrimony? 19. How long should husband and wife live\ntogether in this union? 20. What sin do they commit if they prove\nunfaithful to each other?\n\nLESSON 8.\n\nThe Seventh Commandment.\n\nWhich is the Seventh Commandment?\n\n_Thou shalt not steal._\n\nWhat does this mean?\n\n_We should fear and love God that we may not take our neighbor's money\nor goods, nor get them by false ware or dealing, but help him to improve\nand protect his property and business._\n\n1. _We should not steal;_ that means, _we should not take our neighbor's\nmoney or goods._ Our neighbor's, our fellow-man's, money and his goods\ndo not belong to us, but to him _They are his property._ It is God's\nwill that men should have property, money, and goods that belong to\nthem. All the goods in the world come from Him, they are His gift. He\ngives to every one as much earthly goods as He pleases, as much or as\nlittle as is best for him. There always will be rich people and poor\npeople among us. _The property of our neighbor should be sacred to us\nbecause it is given him by God, our heavenly Father._\n\n2. _We should not take our neighbor's money or goods._ It belongs to him\naccording to God's will; therefore we should not steal, that is, not\ntake his property away from him. He may give and present it to us, if he\nso chooses, but we should not take it. We may buy his goods at a fair\nprice, if he is willing to sell, but we should not take it against his\nwill. This may be done in various ways. Think of the _thieves_ into\nwhose hands the Jew fell who came down from Jerusalem to Jericho. Luke\n10,30. They stripped him of his raiment; _openly_ and _by force_ they\ntook his clothes and all that he had. We call such men _robbers._--\nOthers do not take their neighbor's property by force, they sneak into\ntheir neighbor's house and take his money and valuables _secretly,_\nwithout his knowledge, or they pick his pockets when there is a chance.\n_Achan_ took some of the spoils of the city of Jericho secretly and hid\nthe goods in the earth under his tent, in order that nobody might know\nwhat he had taken. Josh. 7,21. Such men are called _thieves;_ their sin\nis called _theft._ Also to-day there are many robbers and thieves in the\nworld.--Beware of taking your fellow-pupil's property, be it ever so\nsmall, a pen or a pencil, etc. That would be theft. Remember that your\nheavenly Father, whom you fear and love, will see you. Our Lord says:\n_\"Let him that stole steal no more, but rather let him labor, working\nwith his hands the thing which is good.\"_ Eph. 4,28.\n\n3. _We should not get our neighbor's money and goods by false ware or\ndealing._ That is another way of taking our neighbor's property. Taking\nour neighbor's property in this manner is generally called fraud or\ncheating. _\"Let no man go beyond_ [what belongs to him according to the\nwill of God], _and defraud his brother in any matter_ [in his trade and\nbusiness], _because that the Lord is the avenger of all such\"_ (the Lord\nwill punish all that commit such frauds). 1 Thess. 4,6. We should not\ntake our neighbor's money _by false ware,_ that is, by selling bad, poor\nwares to him in place of good ones for which he pays. We should not take\nhis money _by false dealings,_ that is, by using short weights and\nmeasures, and in this way keeping back what belongs to our neighbor, by\ntaking too much profit when buying or selling anything, and thus\ncheating our brother, by borrowing money or other goods and not\nreturning them, etc. _\"The wicked borroweth and payeth not again.\"_ Ps.\n37,21. There are many ways of taking our brother's money or goods. A\nchild of God will shun them all, he will be _honest_ in all his dealings\nwith his neighbor.\n\n4. _We should help our neighbor to improve ... his property and\nbusiness._ We should help and assist our neighbor as much as we can, by\n_word and deed,_ that his property and business, by means of which he\nearns his living, may be _improved,_ become better. If our neighbor is\npoor and suffers want, we should help him by _giving_ him of our money,\nor other goods which he may be in need of. _\"He that hath pity upon the\npoor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will He pay him\nagain.\"_ Prov. 19,17 We should lend him our money if he is in need,\nuntil he may be able to repay it. _\"Give to him that asketh thee, and\nfrom him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.\"_ Matt. 5,42.\n_Zacchaeus,_ after having joyfully received the Lord into his house, was\nready to give half of his goods to the poor. Luke 19,8. How\n_well-pleasing_ it is to our Lord when we help the poor and needy! _\"To\ndo good and to communicate forget not; for with such sacrifices God is\nwell pleased.\"_ Heb. 13,16.\n\n5. _We should help our neighbor to ... protect his property and\nbusiness._ Our neighbor's property and business sometimes is in danger,\nin danger by water or fire, or by wicked men who try to harm our\nbrother. We should _warn_ him against these dangers, we should give him\n_good advice how to overcome them._ But we should not only warn and\nadvise but also assist him as much as we can that his property may not\nbe lost or come to harm. Our love to God should prompt us to serve our\nbrethren. _\"This commandment have we from Him, that he who loves God\nlove his brother also.\"_ 1 John 4,21.\n\nREMEMBER:--\n\n_1. All our property has been given us by God. God bestows these goods\nas He pleases. Rich and poor will always be among us. The property of\nour neighbor should be sacred to us because God has given it to him._\n\n_2. We should, therefore, not take our neighbor's money and goods against\nhis will, neither by robbery and theft, nor by defrauding him by poor\nwares or crooked dealings. Always be honest!_\n\n_3. We should rather help him to improve his property and business and to\npreserve it from danger and harm._\n\nMEMORIZE:--\n\n_Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee\nturn not thou away._ Matt. 5,42.\n\n_He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which\nhe hath given will He pay him again._ Prov. 19,17.\n\n_To do good and to communicate forget not; for with such sacrifices God\nis well pleased._ Heb. 13, 16.\n\nQUESTIONS.\n\n1. Stating it in one word, what do we call all the money and goods our\nneighbor has? 2. From whom did he receive his property? 3. How should\nthe property of our neighbor be to us? 4. What does it mean to steal? 5.\nIn what way do men take the property of their neighbor against his will?\n6. What do we call robbery? 7. What is theft? 8. How should we also not\ntake our neighbor's money or goods? 9. When do we take our neighbor's\nmoney by false wares? 10. When do we take it by false dealings? 11. How\ndoes the Bible call him who borrows money but does not repay it? (Ps.\n37,21.) 12. What does God command us to do in behalf of our neighbor's\nproperty and business? 13. How should we help our neighbor when he is\npoor and suffering want? 14. What does our Lord say Matt. 5,42? 15. To\nwhom does he lend who takes pity on the poor? 16. What do we learn from\nHeb. 13,16? 17. What should we do to protect our neighbor's property?\n18. If we love God, whom shall we love also?\n\nLESSON 9.\n\nThe Eighth Commandment.\n\nWhich is the Eighth Commandment?\n\n_Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor._\n\nWhat does this mean?\n\n_We should fear and love God that we may not deceitfully belie, betray,\nslander, nor defame our neighbor, but defend him, speak well, of him,\nand put the best construction on everything._\n\n1. _\"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor,\"_ that is\nthe command of our heavenly Father in the Eighth Commandment. _False\nwitness_ is any false statement against our neighbor, anything false and\ndeceitful that we say against him. A _false_ statement is saying\nsomething that is not true; it is a statement _against_ our neighbor\nwhen it will harm him, or hurt his good name, or deprive him of it\naltogether.--False witness comes out of an evil _heart,_ a heart that\nis false and insincere against our neighbor. We should not even _think\nevil_ of him. _\"Let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against your\nneighbor.\"_ Zech. 8,17. If we love God and for His sake our neighbor, we\nshall always think well of him, even if he is our enemy.\n\n2. We can bear false witness against our neighbor in many ways. Our\nCatechism explains: \"We should fear and love God that we may not\ndeceitfully belie, betray, slander nor defame our neighbor.\"--_We\nshould not belie our neighbor. Potiphar's wife_ belied Joseph. She told\nher husband a lie about Joseph, saying that he had tried to wrong her.\nShe did so in order to harm Joseph, to bring him into prison.--_We\nshould not lie,_ we should never wilfully and knowingly tell an untruth,\nor withhold the truth from our neighbor to harm him. Be careful always\nto tell the truth. Our Lord tells us that the _devil_ is a liar and the\nfather of it. John 8,44. If you tell a lie, you do the work of the\ndevil. Remember that you are a child of God and that a child of God\nfears and loves his heavenly Father. God hates all liars and will most\ncertainly punish them. _\"He that telleth lies shall not tarry [remain]\nin My sight,\"_ says the Lord Ps. 101,7.\n\n3. _We should not betray our neighbor._ We should not reveal his\nsecrets, not tell others what our neighbor does not want other people to\nknow. It shows a false and deceitful heart against our brother to reveal\nhis secret sins. _\"A talebearer revealeth secrets; but he that is of a\nfaithful spirit concealeth the matter.\"_ Prov. 11,13.\n\n4. _We should not slander nor defame our neighbor._ We are not to speak\nevil against our brother behind his back, when he is not present and\ntherefore not able to defend himself. Even if the evil which we tell of\nhim be true, we should not tell others of it. Holy Scripture admonishes\nus: _\"Speak not evil one of another, brethren.\"_ Jas. 4,11. Because we\nare brethren, we should not speak evil, but well, of one another. If we\nslander and backbite our neighbor, speak evil of him when he is not\npresent, we _defame_ him, that is, we harm his good name; it is our\nfault if other people will think evil of him. We are all much inclined\nto these sins; therefore beware of backbiting and slandering your\nneighbor. Honor and a good name are easily taken away, but not easily\nrestored.\n\n5. We should never speak against our neighbor to harm and injure him,\nbut we are to speak _for_ him. _We should defend him._ When in our\npresence anybody speaks evil of our brother behind his back, so that\nthis brother cannot speak for himself, we should not remain silent, but\nspeak for him, defend him against all false statements and lies uttered\nagainst him. We should never allow our neighbor to be slandered in our\npresence.\n\n6. _We should speak well of our neighbor._ We are to speak well of his\ngood works and deeds, to praise them as far as it can be done in keeping\nwith the truth. Especially when others speak evil of our brother, when\nthey slander and defame him, we ought to take his part and speak\nwell of him, so that he may keep his good name. We read of Jonathan,\nDavid's friend: _\"And Jonathan spake good of David unto Saul, his father_\n[who was David's enemy and wanted to kill him], _and said unto him, Let\nnot the king sin against his servant, against David, because he hath not\nsinned against thee, and because his works have been to thee-ward_\n[towards you] _very good.\"_ 1 Sam. 19,4. And in verse 6 we read that\nSaul listened to Jonathan and resolved not to kill David. Owing to\nJonathan's good words, then, David was safe for a while. The Jews who\nasked Jesus to heal the servant of the centurion spoke highly of him.\nThey besought the Lord instantly to hear the prayer of the centurion,\nsaying, _\"That he was worthy for whom He should do this, for he loveth\nour nation, and he hath built us a synagog.\"_ Luke 7,4.5. In the same\nway we should speak well of our neighbor and praise him.\n\n7. _We should put the best construction on everything_ that we hear of\nour neighbor, or that we see him doing. We should put the best\nconstruction on everything, that is, in love and charity we should cover\nhis faults and not make too much of them. We should explain all his\nwords and deeds in his favor as far as this can be done in keeping with\nthe truth. _\"Charity shall cover the multitude of sins.\"_ 1 Pet 4,9.\nTrue love and charity always thinks the best of the neighbor, always\nhopes for the best, and will suffer wrong rather than do wrong.\n_\"Charity believeth all things, hopeth all things endureth all things.\"_\n1 Cor. 13,7. It is a noble virtue to explain as best you can all you may\nhear of your neighbor.\n\n8. In this commandment God demands of us, His children, many good works\nwhich are well-pleasing to Him, if only we would recognize them. There\nis nothing which can do both greater good or harm in all matters than\nour tongue, though it is such a small and feeble member of our body.\n\nREMEMBER:--\n\n_1. If we love God and, for His sake, our neighbor, we shall always\nthink well of him, even though he is our enemy._\n\n_2. A child of God should never tell a lie. God hates a liar and will\npunish him._\n\n_3. Always speak well of your neighbor, defend him if he is falsely\naccused, and explain his deeds and words in his favor._\n\n_4. \"There is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, Thou knowest it\naltogether.\"_ Ps. 139,4.\n\nMEMORIZE:--\n\n_Let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbor._\nZech. 8,17.\n\n_Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor._\nEph. 4,25.\n\n_Speak not evil one of another, brethren._ Jas. 4,11.\n\n_Charity shall cover the multitude of sins._ 1 Pet. 4,8.\n\nQUESTIONS.\n\n1. Which is the Eighth Commandment? 2. What does it mean to bear false\nwitness against our neighbor? 3. When is a statement a false statement?\n4. When is it a statement against our neighbor? 5. When do we belie our\nbrother? 6. What does it mean to lie? 7. Who was the first liar in the\nworld? 8. How does God look upon a liar? 9. What does it mean to betray\nour neighbor? 10. When do we slander and defame him? 11. What ought we\nto do to protect the good name of our neighbor? 12. When should we\ndefend him? 13. What does it mean to speak well of him? 14. Who, for\nexample, spoke well of his friend? 15. Whom did the Jews praise in the\npresence of the Lord? 16. What does it mean to put the best construction\non everything? 17. What do we read 1 Pet. 4,8? 18. Of what member of our\nbody should we take especial care?\n\nLESSON 10.\n\nThe Ninth and Tenth Commandments.\n\nWhich is the Ninth Commandment?\n\n_Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house._\n\nWhat does this mean?\n\n_We should fear and love God that we may not craftily seek to get our\nneighbor's inheritance and house, nor obtain it by a show of right, but\nhelp and be of service to him in keeping it._\n\nWhich is the Tenth Commandment?\n\n_Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his man-servant, nor his\nmaid-servant, nor his cattle, nor anything that is thy neighbors._\n\nWhat does this mean?\n\n_We should fear and love God that we may not estrange, force, or entice\naway from our neighbor his wife, servants, or cattle, but urge them to\nstay and do their duty._\n\n1. In the Ninth and the Tenth Commandment God forbids the same. Both\ncommandments begin with the words: _\"Thou shalt not covet.\"_ To covet\nmeans eagerly and sinfully to desire and want what does not belong to\nus, but to some one else, to our neighbor. We are covetous when we envy\nour neighbor because of what he has, and want it for ourselves, and will\nnot be satisfied until we have obtained it for ourselves. Remember the\nstory of _King Ahab and Naboth._ Ahab, the wicked king of Israel, had a\nstrong desire for a certain vineyard which was the property of Naboth.\nHe offered to buy the vineyard, but Naboth did not want to sell it\nbecause he had inherited it from his fathers. Ahab kept on longing for\nthe property of his neighbor and was not satisfied until Naboth was\nstoned to death, and he was able to take possession of the vineyard.\n1 Kings 21,1-16. Here we learn what it is to covet our neighbor's\nproperty.\n\n2. We are all, by nature, covetous. We all envy our neighbor and desire\nto obtain what belongs to him. God forbids such evil desires. Already in\nthe Seventh Commandment we learned that our neighbor's property ought to\nbe sacred to us because God Himself gave it to him. God does not want us\neven to covet it, to _desire_ to obtain it against the will of our\nneighbor. We should, therefore, not _craftily,_ with cunning and fraud,\n_seek to get our neighbor's inheritance,_ what he inherited from his\nparents, or his _house,_ nor try _to obtain it by a show of right,_ in\nsuch a way that it appears right before men while it is wrong in the\nsight of God. We should not _force or entice away our neighbor's wife,\nor servants, or cattle, or whatever belongs to him._\n\n3. The property of our neighbor should be sacred to us. Because we love\nhim for God's sake, we should _help him and be of service to him in\nkeeping his property._ We should urge our _neighbor's wife or servants\nto remain with him and do their duty towards him_ whenever we see that\nthey are seeking to leave him. God, our heavenly Father, tells us in His\nWord: _\"By love serve one another.\"_ Gal. 5,13. And furthermore He says:\n_\"Look not every man on his own things, but ever man also on the things\nof others.\"_ Phil. 2,4.\n\n4. God forbids us to covet our neighbor's property, all that belongs to\nhim. _Covetousness is a sin of the heart._ God teaches us a very\nimportant lesson in these last two commandments. He teaches us that not\nonly our evil deeds nor only our evil words are sins against the holy\nGod, _but also our evil thoughts._ In the sight of God every desire for\nanything that He has forbidden in His Word is evil, is a sin, even if\nthis sinful thought does not break out in evil words or deeds. Every\nlust in itself is truly a sin which God has threatened to punish. _\"Thou\nshalt not covet,\"_ is His demand. Every sinful thought, every impure\ndesire in our heart, proves that we do not fear and love our heavenly\nFather as we should, that we have broken not only these two\ncommandments, but the first also, yea, all the commandments of our Lord.\n\n5. God demands that our hearts be holy. There should be no evil lust, no\ndesire for any sin in our hearts, _but only a holy desire to serve our\nGod and Father. \"Ye shall be holy [without any sin], for I, the Lord,\nyour God, am holy.\"_ Lev. 19,2. Our hearts should be so filled with fear\nand love of God and all that is good in His eyes that no evil thought,\nno sinful lust, can find room in them. _\"Be ye therefore perfect,\neven as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.\"_ Matt. 5,48.\n\n6. These last two commandments, even as the First Commandment,\nespecially teach us that we have not kept the commandments of our Lord,\nand _that we cannot keep them perfectly._ Our hearts are full of lust\nagainst the demands of God, full of evil thoughts. Our lust so often\nentices and tempts us to sin by word and deed. We must confess that\n_we all are sinners in the sight of God._ And \"the wages of sin is\ndeath.\" We are poor and lost sinners. Therefore _we daily pray for God's\nforgiveness,_ we beg our heavenly Father to be gracious unto us for\nChrist's sake, who has fulfilled the commandments of God in our stead\nand borne our sins.\n\nREMEMBER:--\n\n_1. \"Thou shalt not covet,\" is God's command. If you covet what belongs\nto your neighbor, you sin against God. Every desire in your heart to do\nwhat the Lord has forbidden is a sin in the sight of God._\n\n_2. God wants our hearts to be without sin, perfect and holy, as He\nHimself is holy._\n\n_3. My heart is sinful. \"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a\nright spirit within me.\"_ Ps. 51,10.\n\nMEMORIZE:--\n\n_By love serve one another._ Gal. 5,13.\n\n_Ye shall be holy; for I, the Lord, your God, am holy._ Lev. 19,2.\n\n_Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is\nperfect._ Matt. 5,48.\n\nQUESTIONS.\n\n1. What does God forbid in the last two commandments? 2. What does it\nmean to covet? 3. Why should we not covet our neighbor's property? 4.\nHow should we not seek to get our neighbor's inheritance and house? 5.\nWhat does it mean to obtain our neighbor's property by a show of right?\n6. Whom should we not force and entice away from our neighbor? 7. What\nshould we do concerning our neighbor's inheritance and house? 8. What\ndoes our Lord tell us Gal. 5,13? 9. What should we do concerning our\nneighbor's wife and servants? 10. What important lesson do these\ncommandments teach us? 11. What does every impure desire in our heart\nprove? 12. How should our hearts be? 13. What does our Lord command Lev.\n19,2? 14. With what ought our hearts to be filled? 15. What does our\nSavior say Matt. 5,48? 16. What must we confess when we consider\nthe commandments of God? 17. What should therefore be our daily prayer?\n\nLESSON 11.\n\nThe Close of the Commandments.\n\nWhat does God say of all these Commandments?\n\n_He says thus: I, the Lord, thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the\niniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth\ngeneration of them that hate Me, and showing mercy unto thousands of\nthem, that love Me and keep My commandments._\n\nWhat does this mean?\n\n_God threatens to punish all that transgress these commandments.\nTherefore we should fear His wrath, and not act contrary to them. But He\npromises grace and every blessing to all that keep these commandments.\nTherefore we should also love and trust in Him, and willingly do\naccording to His commandments._\n\n1. Thus says the Lord of all His commandments: _\"I, the Lord, thy God,\nam a jealous God.\"_ God reminds us that He who has given us His\ncommandments is the _Lord._ He is our Lord, we are His servants. He, as\nour Lord, has the right to give us His commandments, and we are in duty\nbound to obey them.--He furthermore reminds us that He is _our God._\nThrough Christ, our Savior, God has become our God, our Father. A father\nwill give only good gifts to His children. Our heavenly Father means\nwell in giving His commandments. They are to be a blessing to us and\nwill be a blessing, if we rightly use them. We should thank Him for His\ncommandments.--God tells us that He is a _jealous God._ God is not\nlike a weak father who gives his children commands, but does not see to\nit that his children obey. God is a strict, a very strict father. He\nwatches over His children whether they fulfil His commandments or break\nthem.--And do not forget: Our God is the _almighty_ God. He has the\npower to do what He says, to carry out His threats and to fulfil His\npromises. _\"There is one Lawgiver_ [this lawgiver is God, who has given\nus His commandments], _who is able to save and to destroy.\"_ Jas. 4,12.\n\n2. God is a _jealous_ God. This He shows by _\"visiting the iniquity_\n[the wickedness] _of the fathers upon the children unto the third and\nfourth generation of them that hate Him.\"_ That means: _\"God threatens\nto punish all that transgress these commandments.\"_ Those who break the\ncommandments of God surely deserve punishment. By breaking the Law of\nGod they sin against Him, they show that they _hate_ God, who has\ncreated and preserved them, who gives them life and all they need, who\nwants to be their Father in Christ, that they may become His children.\nInstead of loving God, they hate Him, who is the Giver of all they have\nand enjoy.--What punishment does God threaten those who hate Him? This\nis what He threatens: _\"Cursed be he that confirmeth_ [keeps] _not all\nthe words of this Law to do them.\"_ God's displeasure, His curse, His\nanger and wrath, will be upon him that sins. How fearful is it to be\ncursed by the almighty God!--When God gave Adam the first command, He\nsaid: _\"In the day that thou eatest thereof_ [of the tree] _thou shalt\nsurely die.\"_ Gen. 2,17. God threatens _death_ to every sinner. _\"The\nsoul that sinneth, it shall die.\"_ Ezek. 18,20. _\"The wages of sin is\ndeath,\"_ God tells us in His Word. Rom. 6,23. And after death eternal\ndamnation awaits the sinner. _Verily, we should fear God's wrath and\nterrible punishment and not act contrary to His commandments._ We should\ndaily pray our heavenly Father for grace to help us shun and flee all\nsins, even every evil thought that would bring God's wrath and\npunishment upon us. Daily we will go to Christ, our only Savior, who has\nredeemed us from all sin, from death, and from the power of the devil.\n\n3. Our God is a _merciful_ God. This He proves _\"by showing mercy unto\nthousands that love Him and keep His commandments.\"_ God threatens to\npunish all that transgress these commandments, but He also _\"promises\ngrace and every blessing to all that keep these commandments.\"_ Our God\nis a gracious and loving God. He promises to reward those who keep His\ncommandments. It is true, we do not deserve any reward, even if we\nfulfil His Law and live according to His will. It is our duty to do so.\nBut so kind and loving is He to His children that He will reward them if\nthey do what they owe Him.--What does our God promise us? He promises\n_grace and every blessing._ The grace of God will be upon us when in\nlove of God we try to keep His commandments. He will be well pleased\nwith us, His children. What a great thing it is to be assured of God's\ngrace and good will! Who can harm us when the Lord is with us? He\nfurthermore promises _every blessing_ to those who keep His\ncommandments. God will bless His obedient children here on earth, in\nthis life, but far more will He bless them in the life to come with\neternal salvation. In heaven we shall see Him, our Father and Savior.\n_Therefore we should also love and trust in Him and willingly do\naccording to His commandments._\n\n4. The Ten Commandments teach us the _holy will of our God,_ or, as we\nalso call it, _His Law._ Here we learn what as God's children we should\ndo and not do, in order to please Him. Gladly we should learn it. We\ndesire to love Him who has loved us.--We learn also _that we have not\nkept the Law,_ that we cannot keep it, that we daily transgress the\ncommandments of our Lord. We learn that we are sinners who have\ndeserved death and damnation. This also we should learn willingly, for\nit teaches us _how much we need a savior._ And then we go to our only\nSavior, to our Lord, who has fulfilled the Law in our stead.\n\nREMEMBER:--\n\n_1. God is our Lord. He has a right to give us His commandments, and it\nis our duty to obey Him. He is a jealous God, who will see to it that\nHis Law is fulfilled._\n\n_2. God threatens to punish all who hate Him and transgress His\ncommandments. Fear His wrath and do not act contrary to His holy will._\n\n_3. God promises grace and every blessing to all who love Him and keep\nHis commandments. Love and trust Him, and willingly do according to His\nwill._\n\nMEMORIZE:--\n\n_There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy._ Jas. 4,12.\n\n_Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this Law to do them._\nDeut. 27,26.\n\n_The soul that sinneth, it shall die._ Ezek. 18,20.\n\n_The wages of sin is death._ Rom. 6,23.\n\n_This do, and thou shalt live._ Luke 10,28.\n\nQUESTIONS.\n\n1. What does God call Himself at the close of the Ten Commandments? 2.\nWhat right has God as our Lord? 3. What is our duty to Him? 4. Of what\ndoes God remind us when He calls Himself a jealous God? 5. What does God\nthreaten to all that transgress His commandments? 6. What is the\npunishment that God threatens? 7. What is the wages of sin? 8. What\npunishment does God threaten the sinner after his death? 9. What does\nGod promise those that love Him and keep His commandments? 10. Why do we\nnot deserve any reward? 11. What is the reward which God promises us?\n12. What should we do because God promises such rich reward? 13. What do\nthe Ten Commandments teach us? 14. What do we furthermore learn from\nthem? 15. Of whom are we in need because we are sinners? 16. Who is our\ntrue and only Savior?\n\nLESSON 12.\n\nReview.\n\n1. We have studied the Ten Commandments. Who gave us these commandments?\nIn all His commandments God tells us His holy will; He tells us what we\nshould do and not do. Why should we gladly obey Him? What is our\nFather's will according to the _First Commandment?_ When do we regard\nGod as our God? When do we show that we fear and love Him? What does it\nmean to trust in God? What sin do we commit if we fear and love any one\nmore than the true God?\n\n2. Which is the _Second Commandment?_ Our Catechism begins the\nexplanation of every commandment after the First with these words: \"We\nshould fear and love God.\" What do we learn from this? In the Second\nCommandment God reveals His will concerning His holy name. Mention some\nof God's names. In all these names God shows us who and what He is. His\nname should therefore be sacred to us. When do we take His holy name in\nvain? What does it mean to curse by God's name? How should we use His\nholy name?\n\n3. Which is the _Third Commandment?_ We celebrate as our holy-day the\nfirst day of the week, Sunday. Who instituted this holy-day? How do we\nsanctify our holy-day? We should not despise preaching and His Word.\nWhen do we despise preaching and God's Word? How should we hold God's\nWord? How is this done?--To whom do the first three commandments\nrelate? What is their sum? To whom do the other commandments relate? How\nshould we love our neighbor?\n\n4. We should love our neighbor as ourselves. Of all our fellow-men our\ndear _parents_ are nearest to us. What is God's will concerning our\nparents? What place does God give them by commanding us to honor them?\nWhose representatives are they? We should honor our parents as God's\nrepresentatives. God has placed them over us. What should we therefore\nnot do with regard to our parents? When do we honor them?\n\n5. In the _Fifth Commandment_ God teaches us His will regarding the\nlife, body, and health of our neighbor. Who is the Giver of all life?\nWhat right, therefore, belongs to God alone? God forbids us to kill, to\ntake the life of our neighbor. But He forbids more. What does God\nfurthermore forbid in this commandment? When do we hurt our neighbor in\nhis body? When do we harm him in his body? When should we help and\nbefriend our neighbor? What is \"bodily need\"? How should our hearts be\ndisposed towards our neighbor according to the Fifth Commandment?\n\n6. According to the _Sixth Commandment_ we should lead a chaste and\ndecent life. How should our hearts be in order that we may lead such a\nlife? When are our hearts chaste? When do we lead a chaste and decent\nlife in words? What acts must we shun to lead a chaste and decent life\nin deed? Our hearts, by nature, are unclean and full of evil lust; what\nshould we do that our hearts may become clean? Do you know the prayer\nfor a clean heart? Ps. 51,10. What kind of place is this world? What may\nmeet us everywhere? What places should we therefore shun? What does God\ncommand of married people in this commandment?\n\n7. In the _Seventh Commandment_ God protects our neighbor's property.\nFrom whom do we receive all that belongs to us? The property of our\nneighbor should be sacred to us because it is given him by God. What\ndoes God therefore forbid in this commandment? When do we steal our\nneighbor's property? There are many ways of taking our neighbor's\nproperty. Name some of them. How do we take our neighbor's goods and\nmoney by false ware and dealing? In what way should we help our neighbor\nto keep and improve his property?\n\n8. Which is the _Eighth Commandment?_ What is false witness? When do we\nbear false witness against our neighbor? When do we tell a lie? Never\ntell a lie. God hates all liars. Who was the first liar? What does it\nmean to slander and defame our brother? How should we act toward our\nneighbor according to the Eighth Commandment? When do we put the best\nconstruction on everything we hear about him? Of which member of our\nbody should we take special care?\n\n9. _The Ninth and the Tenth Commandment_ begin with these words: \"Thou\nshalt not covet.\" Covetousness is in the heart. What important lesson do\nwe therefore learn from these commandments? What should not be found in\nour hearts according to these commandments? How should our hearts be?\nAre they holy? What must we therefore confess? What should be our daily\nprayer?\n\n10. _What does God say of all these commandments?_ Why does He call\nHimself the Lord? What does He mean when He calls Himself a jealous God?\nWhat does He threaten in these words? Whom will He punish? What does He\nthreaten those who hate Him and transgress His commandments? Therefore\nwe should fear His wrath and not act contrary to His commandments. What\ndoes God promise those who love Him and keep His commandments? What is\nthe reward which He promises them? Why does He give His children such\nrich rewards? What should this grace and kindness of God induce us to\ndo? What do the Ten Commandments teach us? We do not perfectly fulfil\nthe will of God; we are sinners. Whom are we in need of because we are\nsinners? Who is our true and only Savior?\n\nLet us all diligently study the Ten Commandments and learn therefrom the\nwill of our Father. Let us pray to God for His Spirit that we may live\naccording to His will more and more.\n\nLESSON 13.\n\nOur Creed.\n\n1. You have already learned by heart the Three Articles of the Creed.\nThese articles, together with their explanation, form the _Second Chief\nPart of our Small Catechism._ The Three Articles are called the _Creed,_\nthat is, the _Christian faith._ In these articles is contained all that\nwe Christians _believe_ in our hearts, and _confess_ with our mouths,\n_regarding God and His works,_ all that He has done and will do for us,\nHis children. Through Baptism you have become God's children; you must\ntherefore also believe and confess what our Church confesses in these\nThree Articles. Consequently it is necessary for us to study them, in\norder that we may understand them.\n\n2. No man knows of himself who God is and what He has done for us. _God\nalone_ can tell us about these things. And God has revealed Himself to\nus; He has told us in His holy _Word_ who He is and what He has done for\nus. From Holy Scriptures alone do we learn what we, as Christians, are\nto know and believe regarding God and His works. And what God tells us\nin His Word we verily may believe. It must be true, since God cannot and\nwill not lie.--All the doctrines in Holy Scriptures which teach us who\nGod is and what He has done and will do for us to save us, we call the\n_Gospel._ The word Gospel means _glad tidings, good news._\n\n3. In the first part of our Small Catechism we also studied a word of\nGod, and we have called it the _holy will of God,_ or the _Law._ So you\nsee that there are _two chief doctrines in our Bible;_ one we call the\nLaw; the other, the Gospel. Both are revealed to us by our heavenly\nFather, both are the Word of God. _But they differ greatly from each\nother._ The _Law_ tells us how, according to the will of God, we ought\nto be and what we must do and not do to please our God. From it we learn\nthat we all are sinners, having not kept His commandments, and that God\nthreatens to punish all who hate Him and break His commandments; that,\ntherefore, as transgressors of His Law, we deserve His punishment, death\nand damnation. The Law does not bring us glad tidings.--The _Gospel_\nhas quite another message for us. It brings a message of joy to sinners,\nto those who have broken the commandments. It tells us that God loves\neven us sinners. _\"God so loved the world,\"_ that is, all sinful men,\n_\"that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him\nshould not perish, but have everlasting life.\"_ John 3,16. It teaches\nus what and how much God, moved by His love and grace toward us sinners,\nhas done and will do to save us from the deserved punishment of the Law,\nfrom sin, death, and hell. These are indeed good tidings, tidings of\ngreat joy for all men, to know that we have a Savior who can and will\nsave us and give us eternal happiness in heaven. This Gospel of great\njoy we hear and learn in the Three Articles of our Christian faith.\n\n4. We call the Three Articles the Creed, or the _Apostles' Creed._ This\nCreed contains what the apostles of the Lord believed and what they\ntaught in all the world, as the Lord Himself had commanded them: _\"Go ye\ninto all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.\"_ Mark\n16,15. Let us give thanks to our dear Lord for having graciously sent\nHis Gospel also to us that we may be saved thereby.\n\n5. We have three articles of faith, because God has done three great\nsaving works for us. We call these _Creation, Redemption, and\nSanctification._ In our next lesson we shall begin our study of the\nfirst of the Three Articles, which treats of Creation.\n\nREMEMBER:--\n\n1. _In the Three Articles is contained all that we believe and confess\nregarding God and His saving works for us. We call them also the\nApostles' Creed. Our Creed is taken from Scripture._\n\n2. _There are two chief doctrines in the Bible, the Law and the Gospel.\nBoth are God's Word. The Law tells us how, according to the will of God,\nwe ought to be and what we must do and not do. It also tells us that God\nwill punish us because we have not fulfilled, His commandments._\n\n3. _The Gospel brings to us the glad tidings of the grace and love of\nGod. It tells us what God in His grace has done and will do to save us\nfrom the punishment of the Law, from sin and hell._\n\nMEMORIZE:--\n\n_The Gospel is the glad tidings of the grace of God toward all men,\nproclaiming to them salvation from sin and death in Christ Jesus._\n\n_God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that\nwhosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting\nlife._ John 3,16.\n\n_Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature._ Mark\n16,15.\n\nQUESTIONS.\n\n1. Of what does the Second Chief Part of our Catechism treat? 2. How do\nwe also call these Three Articles? 3. What does the word \"creed\" mean?\n4. Where are the Three Articles of our Christian faith taken from? 5.\nHow many chief doctrines are contained in the Scriptures? 6. How are\nthese two doctrines called? 7. What does our Lord tell us in His Law? 8.\nWith what does the Law threaten us because we have not fulfilled it? 9.\nWhat will our punishment be according to the Law? 10. What is the\nGospel? 11. What does the word \"Gospel\" mean? 12. What does God reveal\nto us in His Gospel? 13. Recite the Gospel-message that we find John\n3,16. 14. In what work especially has God shown His love toward mankind?\n15. Who, according to the words of our Savior, shall not perish? 16.\nWhat will God give to him that believeth? 17. Why are the Three Articles\ncalled the Apostles' Creed? 18. Why do we confess our faith in three\narticles? 19. What are the three great works which God has done and will\ndo for our salvation? 20. To whom is the Gospel to be preached? 21.\nRecite the command of our Lord to His disciples to preach the Gospel to\nall the world. 22. What does the word \"creature\" in this verse mean?\n\nLESSON 14.\n\nThe First Article.\n\nOf Creation.\n\nWhich is the First Article of the Creed?\n\n_I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth._\n\nWhat does this mean?\n\n_I believe that God has made me and all creatures._\n\n1. _\"I believe in God,\"_ thus the First Article begins. Every Christian\nshould confess and every true Christian does confess: _I, I myself,_\nbelieve in God. It is of no avail to us that anybody else believes, we\nourselves must believe in God. _We believe in God the Father Almighty._\nWe believe that God is the Father Almighty, or the almighty Father. And\nwhy do we believe that God is the almighty Father? Because He is _the\nMaker of heaven and earth._ That is God's first great, saving work for\nus. He has made heaven and earth. We call this work the _creation._\n\n2. _God is the Maker of heaven and earth._ Our Catechism explains these\nwords thus: _\"I believe that God has made me and all creatures.\"_ God\nhas made _me;_ it is due to Him that I came into existence, that I am\nliving. He gave me life and everything that I have. God, however, did\nnot only make me, but me _and all creatures._ Creatures are all things\nthat God has made. Heaven and earth, all the angels, the sun, the moon,\nthe glittering stars, all things on earth, the mountain and the mighty\noceans, all animals, large and small, all the plants on land and in the\nwater, man himself; all things that we see, yes, even those we do not\nsee, all things, visible and invisible, are His creatures. God has made\nthem all, they are the work of His almighty power. \"In the beginning God\ncreated the heaven and the earth.\" Gen. 1,1. \"By Him were all things\ncreated that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and\ninvisible.\" Col. 1,16.\n\n3. In Bible History you have already learned _how_ God made or created\nheaven and earth. Before God began to create the world, nothing was\nthere except God alone, the Creator. God always was, is, and in all\neternity will be. _\"From everlasting to everlasting Thou art God.\"_ Ps.\n90,2.--God did not have any material out of which to make this world.\n_Out of nothing_ He created heaven and earth. God simply said, \"Let\nthere be light,\" and there was light. He simply said, Let there be the\nsun and the moon and the stars, and, behold, there they were, shining in\nall their splendor. In this manner, by speaking, by His word, God made\nall things, visible and invisible, heaven and earth. God has created\neverything without any means; _God has made heaven and earth and all\ncreatures out of nothing, by His word._ We do not understand how this is\npossible; but we believe it because God Himself has revealed it to us in\nHis Word. _\"Through faith, we understand that the worlds were framed by\nthe word of God.\"_ Heb. 11,3. God made all things by His word, with the\nexception of His foremost creature, man. It pleased Him to form the\nfirst man in a different manner. Do you know how God made Adam? Read\nGen. 1,26-28 and 2,7.--God could have made heaven and earth, as we see\nthem now, in one instant, but it has pleased Him to do it in _six days._\nIn six days _\"the heavens and the earth were finished and all the host of\nthem.\"_ Gen. 2,1. And when all this was finished, _\"God saw everything\nthat He had made, and, behold, it was very good.\"_ Gen. 1,31.\n\n4. When we consider this great work of our Lord, consider that He has\nmade the whole world, the heavens and all the host of them, the mighty\nsun, the countless stars, the earth with all its treasures, with its\nmillions of living creatures, must we not say that God, who created all\nthese things by His word alone, is a _mighty_ and _powerful_ God, more\npowerful and mighty than all other things which He has made? And it is\ntrue indeed, God is more powerful than His creatures. He is _almighty._\nWe believe in God, _the Father Almighty. \"With God nothing shall be\nimpossible,\"_ Holy Scripture tells us. Luke 1,37. _\"He hath done\nwhatsoever He hath pleased.\"_ Ps. 115,3. God is an almighty Father. In\nHim we can trust. He can and will be our help. No one and nothing can\nresist His mighty power.\n\n5. When we consider how wonderful this world is made, when we consider\nthat everything that came from the hand of God was very good, that\neverything was made as it should be to serve its end, must we not say\nthat God is a very wise God, being able to plan such a wonderful and\ngood work? Yea, _our God is the all-wise God._ What He does is always\ngood and wise, even if we do not understand it.--And remember,\nmoreover, that God has created this beautiful world for us, His\nchildren. This great and wonderful earth is to be our dwelling-place;\nsun, moon, and the stars are to serve us. Is not our God a loving, a\ngood, a merciful God? Truly, _\"the Lord is good to all; and His tender\nmercies are over all His works.\"_ Ps. 145,9. _\"God is Love.\"_ 1 John\n4,8. In Him, our loving, merciful God, will we trust; He _will_ surely\nhelp us.\n\nREMEMBER:--\n\n1. _I myself must believe in God the Father Almighty. The faith of\nanother cannot save me._\n\n2. _In six days God created heaven and earth. He is the Creator of all\nthings, visible and invisible. He has created, that is, made, all things\nout of nothing, by His word. This we believe because God Himself\nhas revealed it unto us in Holy Scriptures._\n\n3. _God, the Maker of heaven and earth, always has been and always will\nbe. From everlasting to everlasting He is God. He is our almighty and\nall-wise Father, always loving, good, and merciful. In Him we can and\nwill trust._\n\nMEMORIZE:--\n\n_In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth._ Gen. 1,1.\n\n_Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of\nGod._ Heb. 11,3.\n\n_From everlasting to everlasting Thou art God._ Ps. 90,2.\n\n_With God nothing shall be impossible._ Luke 1,37.\n\n_God is Love._ John 4,8.\n\nQUESTIONS.\n\n1. Why do we say in our Creed, _I_ believe? 2. In whom do we believe\naccording to the First Article? 3. Why do we call God \"the Father\nAlmighty\"? 4. How does our Catechism explain the words \"Maker of heaven\nand earth\"? 5. What are creatures? 6. In how many days did God create\nheaven and earth? 7. What does it mean when we say God _created_ them?\n8. Why do we believe that God made everything out of nothing, merely by\nHis word? 9. Recite Heb. 11,3. 10. How was everything when God had\nfinished the work of creation? 11. What do we learn of God from Ps.\n90,2? 12. Why is God called the almighty Father? 13. How does the\ncreation show us that God is all-wise? 14. Which other qualities of God\ndo we learn from His work of creation? 15. Why can and will we always\ntrust in the almighty, all-wise, loving, and merciful God?\n\nLESSON 15.\n\nThe First Article.\n\nGod Has Made Me And Still Preserves Me.\n\nWhich is the First Article of the Creed?\n\n_I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth._\n\nWhat does this mean?\n\n_I believe that God has made me and all creatures, that He has given me\nmy body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my\nsenses, and still preserves them._\n\n1. God is the Maker of heaven and earth. I believe that God made all\ncreatures, all things in heaven and earth. He also created _man._ About\nthe creation of man we read in the Holy Scriptures: _\"And God said, Let\nus make man in Our image, after Our likeness, and let them have dominion\nover the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the\ncattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that\ncreepeth upon the earth. So God created man in His own image, in the\nimage of God, created He him; male and female created He them. And God\nblessed them; and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and\nreplenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of\nthe sea and over the fowl of the air and over every living thing that\nmoveth upon the earth.\"_ Gen. 1,26-28. _\"And the Lord God formed man of\nthe dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of\nlife; and man became a living soul.\"_ Gen. 2,7. There is a _great\ndifference_ between the creation of man and the creation of all other\nvisible things. God, so to say, took especial care about this last of\nall His wonderful works. He did not merely say: Let there be a man, but\nGod the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, as it were, _deliberated_ and\n_planned_ beforehand how to make man. God then formed man, that is, his\nbody, _out of the dust of the ground,_ and _breathed the breath of\nlife,_ his soul, into his nostrils, his nose, and so man became a living\nsoul.--And what is more, God created man _in His own image, after His\nlikeness._ As God is Lord and Master over all things and governs them,\nso He gave to man the power to govern all things on earth; He gave him\n_dominion_ over all the creatures on earth, to be Lord over this world.\nGod made man in His own image. Adam and Eve were created _holy, without\nany blemish and sin._ They _knew_ and _loved God,_ their Creator, and\nlived according to His holy will. Truly, man is the _foremost of all of\nGod's visible creatures._ God has made all men; therefore I confess, He\nmade _me._\n\n2. _\"I believe,\"_ I know it to be true from the Word of God, _\"that God\nmade me.\" He has made me by giving me body and soul._ True, God did not\nmake me as He made Adam, by forming my body out of the dust and\nbreathing the breath of life into my nostrils. He made me by giving me\nbody and soul through my parents. Nevertheless it is true that God has\nmade me, that my body and my soul are _the gift of God,_ my heavenly\nFather. I confess: _\"The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of\nthe Almighty hath given me life.\"_ Job 33,4.\n\n3. How wonderfully did God make me! _\"He has given me my body and soul,\neyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses.\"_ Consider\nhow beautifully and wonderfully God made your body. He gave you _eyes_\nand _ears._ You can _see_ and _hear;_ you can see all the great works of\nGo, the sun, the moon, and the stars, all the animals and plants, the\nmighty mountains and the vast seas. You can see your fellow-men, your\nfriends and parents, and hear their voices, hear their words that\ninstruct and console you. You ca read your Bible and hear the preaching\nof God's Word. He gave you not only eyes and ears, but _all the members\nof your body_--your mouth so that you are able to talk to your friends\nand parents and make known your needs and wishes; your feet and hands\nfor your work.--We are wonderfully made. God has given you a _soul,_\nand He has endowed it with _reason,_ and has given you _all your\nsenses._ You are able to _think_ about the great work of God that\nsurround you, to try to understand what they are and for what purpose\nGod created them, You are able to understand all that God tells you in\nHis Word about Himself, His will, and His grace, and thus to know Him.\nYou are able to _feel_ His goodness, His fatherly love and mercy. Surely\nwe must say: _\"I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully\nmade. Marvelous are Thy works, and that my soul knoweth right well.\"_\nPs. 139,14.\n\n4. _\"I believe that God has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and\nall my members, my reason and all my senses, and still preserves them.\"_\nEvery Christian confesses: God, my Father, _preserves_ me, my life, my\nbody and soul, all that I am. God has not made us and given us His great\ngifts and then left it to us how to preserve and keep them. This we\ncould never do. He is not like a builder who, having finished a house,\nleaves it and lets others take care of it in the future. _\"He is not far\nfrom every one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our\nbeing.\"_ Acts 17, 27.28. He will preserve us, and He alone, our Almighty\nFather, can do it. He has preserved me until this day. The fact that I\nam still enjoying life, that I still have body and soul with all their\nprecious gifts, that I still can see and hear and have the use of my\nmembers, that I still have the gift of reason and the use of my senses,\nall this is not my work, not due to my prudence, or the care of my\nparents, or the skill of a physician, _but it is God's work and gift\nalone. \"He upholds all things by the word of His power.\"_ Heb. 1,3. And\nI believe that God, my Father, will also in future preserve me, His\nchild, until the hour of death, and that He will then for Christ's sake\ntake me up to heaven, body and soul, and there preserve me forever.\n\nREMEMBER:--\n\n1. _God has made you. He has given you your body and soul, eyes, ears,\nand all your members, your reason and all your senses. He is your\nalmighty Father._\n\n2. _God has preserved and still preserves you. That you are still\nliving, that you have body and soul and the use of your reason and all\nyour members, is God's free gift alone. God is your almighty Father._\n\n3. _How precious are these gifts of God! Never forget how wonderfully\nyou are made. God, your almighty Father, is also a very kind and loving\nFather._\n\nMEMORIZE:--\n\n_I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous\nare Thy works, and that my soul knoweth right well._ Ps. 139,14.\n\n_He is not far from every one of us; for in Him we live and move and\nhave our being._ Acts 17,27.28.\n\n_He upholds all things by the word of His power._ Heb. 1,3.\n\nQUESTIONS.\n\n1. On which of the six days did God create man? 2. What is the\ndifference between the creation of man and the creation of all other\nvisible creatures? 3. What did God do before He created man? 4. Out of\nwhat did He form his body? 5. How did God create his soul? 6. What does\nit mean that God created man in His own image? 7. How were Adam and Eve\nafter God had created them? 8. How did they show that they were holy and\nwithout sin? 9. How did God make _you?_ 10. Through whom did He give you\nbody and soul? 11. Which gift did God bestow upon your body? 12. Why are\neyes and ears and all members such wonderful gifts of God? 13. Which is\nGod's greatest gift to your soul? 14. Why is reason His greatest gift?\n15. What does God do for us in addition to having created us? 16. What\ndoes it mean that God preserves us? 17. Until what day did God preserve\nyou? 18. How long will He preserve you? 19. What, therefore, is God to\nme because He made me and preserves me?\n\nLESSON 16.\n\nThe First Article.\n\nHow My Heavenly Father Provides For Me And Guards My Life.\n\nWhich is the First Article of the Creed?\n\n_I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth._\n\nWhat does this mean?\n\n_I believe that God has given me also clothing and shoes, meat and\ndrink, house and home, wife and children, fields, cattle, and all my\ngoods; that He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to\nsupport this body and life; that He defends me against all danger, and\nguards and protects me from all evil._\n\n1. In the First Article of our Christian faith we say: _\"I believe in\nGod the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.\"_ This means, as we\nhave learned: _I believe that God has made me and has given me my body\nand soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses,\nand still preserves them._ God generally does not preserve us by His\nword and will alone, but through _earthly means._ In order to preserve\nour life and body, we must eat and drink, have clothing, house and home,\netc. True, God could preserve us without these means. He is the\nAlmighty. He has done so at times. He preserved Moses' life for forty\ndays and nights without food and drink on Mount Sinai. Ex. 34,28. Jesus\ntwice, as you know, fed several thousand people with a few loaves of\nbread and with a few fish. God can do so to-day, and He will do it if\nHis children are in need of it. But generally it pleases God to preserve\nour body and life through outward means. _God preserves me by providing\nme with all that I need to support my body and life._\n\n2. I need many things to support my body and life. Our Catechism names\nquite a number of them. In order to support our life, we must have _meat\nand drink._ We must have _clothing and shoes, house and home_ to protect\nour bodies from sunshine and rain. True, you have not everything that\nis named in our Catechism; but all these things are necessary to\npreserve our lives, and somebody must have them. The farmer must have\n_fields_ and _cattle_ to provide for his life and for the lives of many\nother people. _All my goods,_ all that I need and have, clothing and\nshoes, meat and drink house and home, father and mother, brothers and\nsisters, were given me _by God, my heavenly Father. \"The eyes of all\nwait upon Thee, and Thou givest them their meat in due season Thou\nopenest Thine hand and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.\"_\nPs. 145,15.16.\n\n3. God provides me with all that I need to support my life. God\ngenerally does it through _the work of our hands._ He can do it without\nour work, or labor, and at times has done so. Remember how God gave\nmanna from heaven to the children of Israel when they were in the\ndesert. Deut. 8,3.4. Remember how He fed His prophet Elijah during the\nfamine by sending the ravens to bring him his daily bread. 1 Kings 17.\nGod can do the same thing to-day, and He certainly will do so whenever\nHis children are in need of it. _\"Cast all your care upon Him; for He\ncareth for you.\"_ 1 Pet. 5,7. As a rule, however, God wants us to work\ndiligently and carefully to save what we earn. But still it is _God_\nthat provides for us. He gives us strength and health for our work. He\nblesses our labors. Without His blessing all our labor would be in vain.\n_\"Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.\"_\nPs. 127,1.\n\n4. God provides me with all that I need for my life and body, and He\ndoes so _richly and daily._ God provides me _richly._ I have a rich\nFather. He is the Maker of heaven and earth. Everything belongs to Him.\nOut of His abundance He gives us richly all that we need, and often more\nthan we need. He gives us daily, that is, He never tires of giving.\nEvery morning He begins anew to bless us by giving us our daily bread.\n\n5. One thing more is needed to preserve us. Our life and our body are in\nconstant danger. But a child of God confesses: _\"He defends me against\nall danger, and guard and protects me from all evil.\"_ Remember how He\ndefended the children of Israel against their enemies, the Egyptians, at\nthe Red Sea. Ex. 13.14. Remember how He guarded His Son, the\nChrist-child, whom King Herod sought to kill. Matt. 2,13-15. So God\ndefends and guards all His children. _\"There shall no evil befall thee,\nneither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.\"_ Ps. 91,10. True, also\nchildren of God have to suffer, they have many troubles and misfortunes;\nbut their Father protects them in all these troubles, so that nothing\ncan really harm them, but that everything must work together for good to\nthem. Joseph in Egypt had to suffer much that was meant to do him harm,\nbeing cast into prison; but God was with him and made everything turn\nout for his welfare. He himself said to his brothers: _\"Ye thought evil\nagainst me, but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this\nday, to save much people alive.\"_ Gen. 50,20.--In protecting His\nchildren from evil, God often uses His _angels,_ those holy spirits whom\nHe has created, and whom He sends out to minister to His children. By an\nangel God protected Daniel in the den of the lions and the three men in\nthe fiery furnace. He sends His angels to protect us from evil. _\"He\nshall give His angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways.\nThey shall bear thee up in their hands lest thou dash thy foot against a\nstone.\"_ Ps. 91, 11.12.\n\nREMEMBER:--\n\n1. _God preserves you by providing you with all things that you need for\nyour life and body. He does so richly and daily. Therefore trust in Him,\nyour rich and merciful Father._\n\n2. _God wants you to work diligently and earn your daily bread; He also\nwants you to be thrifty, saving, with what He has given you. But with\nall your working and saving you could never provide the necessary food\nand clothing without God's blessing. He alone provides for you._\n\n3. _Trust in God! He will defend you against all danger and guard and\nprotect you from all evil. He will send His angels so that no evil may\nharm you._\n\nMEMORIZE:--\n\n_The eyes of all wait upon Thee, and Thou givest them their meat in due\nseason. Thou openest Thine hand and satisfiest the desire of every\nliving thing._ Ps. 145,15.16.\n\n_Cast all your care upon Him, for He careth for you._ 1 Pet. 5,7.\n\n_There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy\ndwelling._ Ps. 91,10.\n\n_He shall give His angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy\nways._ Ps. 91, 11.\n\n_Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it\nto pass._ Ps. 37,5.\n\nQUESTIONS.\n\n1. How does God preserve you? 2. What must you do to preserve your life\nand body? 3. Where has God shown that He can preserve us without any\nmeans? 4. In what manner does God generally preserve us? 5. Which of the\nthings that are needed to support our life and body does our Catechism\nmention? 6. Who gave me all the good things I have? 7. In what way does\nGod generally provide us with the things necessary for our life? 8.\nWhen, for instance, did God show that He can provide for us without the\nlabor of our hands? 9. What, however, is God's rule in this matter? 10.\nCan you show that God provides for us even though we work to earn our\nliving? 11. How does God provide you with all that is needed for your\nlife? 12. Why can He provide richly for His children? 13. What more does\nGod do to preserve us? 14. Give examples of God's protecting care over\nHis children. 15. What is our consolation when we have troubles and\nmisfortunes? 16. Whom does God often send forth to protect His children?\n17. What do we read Ps. 37,5?\n\nLESSON 17.\n\nThe First Article.\n\nGod Has Made Me And Preserves Me Out Of Fatherly, Divine Goodness And\nMercy.\n\nWhich is the First Article of the Creed?\n\n_I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and earth._\n\nWhat does this mean?\n\n_I believe that God does all this out of fatherly, divine goodness and\nmercy, without an merit or worthiness in me._\n\n1. We have learned that God has _made_ me by giving me my body and soul,\nand that He still _preserves_ me by giving me richly and daily all that\nI need for life and body, by guarding and protecting me from all evil.\nNow we ask, _Why has God done all this for me?_ Our Catechism answers:\nHe has done _\"all this purely out of fatherly, divine goodness and\nmercy.\"_ This answer is taken from the Word of God. _\"The Lord is good\nto all, and His tender mercies are over all His works.\"_ Ps. 145,9.--\nGod is moved by His _goodness_ to bestow His manifold blessings on us.\n_Our God is good._ Ps. 118,1. He loves all His creatures, especially\nthose whom in Holy Baptism and through faith in Jesus Christ He has\naccepted as His children. He wishes to make them happy here on earth and\nabove all, eternally in heaven. He also loves you; therefore He has\nformed your body so beautifully and given you an immortal soul;\ntherefore He provides you with all that is needed for your life and\nbody, and does this richly and daily.\n\n2. God is moved by His _mercy_ to provide for me and protect me. _\"His\ntender mercies are over all His works.\" Our God is a merciful God._ He\nknows that without Him, without His provident care, we are helpless,\nunable to support our life, not even for a single day. And He has\ncompassion on us. He does not like to see His children in need and\ndanger. His tender mercies are over you also; therefore He feeds and\nclothes you through your parents or friends; therefore He guards and\nprotects you, His child.\n\n3. His goodness and mercy is _fatherly_ goodness and mercy. He provides\nfor me and protects me as a _father_ provides for his children and\nprotects them. _\"Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord\npitieth them that fear Him.\"_ Ps. 103,13. Not only in His Word does God\nassure us that He is our loving Father, but He daily proves it to us by\nthe blessings He sends us. He has given me my beautiful body and a\nrational soul, that is, powers to think and understand; He daily\nprovides for everything I need; He is at my side in every danger to\ndefend me; from every evil that comes near me He protects me. Surely\n_God is my Father._--His goodness and mercy are a _divine_ goodness\nand mercy, such as only God has and can have, a _perfect_ and\n_never-failing_ goodness and mercy. My Father is the _Father\nAlmighty,_ who daily will and can provide for and protect His\nchildren. _\"His compassions fail not. They are new every morning.\"_\nLam. 3,22.--Therefore I confess: _I believe in God, my almighty\nFather,_ that is, I do not only know from the Word of God and from the\nblessings I am daily receiving from Him that the almighty God is my\nFather, but _with all my heart I trust in Him,_ I confide in Him, I\nrely on Him as on my true Father. When I am in need, I trust in Him,\nmy Father; He will and can provide for me. When dangers surround me, I\ntrust in Him, my Father; He will and can defend me. When evil seems to\ncome near me, I trust in Him, my Father; He will and can protect me. _To\nbelieve in God the Father Almighty means to be fully assured that the\nalmighty God is my Father, and with all my heart to trust in Him who is\nmy Father for Jesus' sake._\n\n4. Whatever God does for His children, He does _\"purely_ out of\nfatherly, divine goodness and mercy.\" His fatherly goodness and mercy--\nnothing else--moves Him to show us goodness and mercy. He provides and\nprotects me _\"without any merit or worthiness in me.\"_ When a man\nperforms some work for another man, he has done something for him and\nthereby earned, or _merited,_ payment for such service. We have not\ngiven anything to God, so that He would be in duty bound to reward us\nfor it. We have not earned His fatherly love, nor can we ever do so.--\nWhen a rich man bestows a free gift upon a poor man, this poor man has\ncertainly not merited this gift, but he may be _worthy_ of the help. His\nworthiness may have moved the rich man to take pity on him. We are _not\nworthy_ of anything that God bestows upon us; we do not deserve His\nfatherly love and kindness. We have transgressed, and daily transgress,\nHis holy commandments. We are sinners. We so often misuse God's kindness\nand His gifts. If God were to treat us according to our merits and\nworthiness, He would not be able to bless us, but he would have to\npunish and condemn us. In us God does not find anything that might move\nHim to love us and to care for us. It is _purely_ out of His fatherly,\ndivine goodness and mercy that He loves me and provides for me, an\nunworthy sinner. We must confess with Jacob: _\"I am not worthy of the\nleast of all the mercies and of all the truth which Thou hast showed\nunto Thy servant.\"_ Gen. 32,10.\n\nREMEMBER:--\n\n1. _In bestowing all His blessings on me God is moved only by His\ngoodness and mercy, not by any merit or worthiness in me. All I am and\nall I have and receive is a free gift of His love and kindness._\n\n2. _God's goodness and mercy are a fatherly and divine goodness and\nmercy. He daily shows that He is my Father indeed, who loves me and\ncares for me with a most perfect, never-failing, never-ceasing love._\n\n3. _To believe in God the Father Almighty means to know and be assured\nfrom Scripture that the almighty God is my Father, and with all my heart\nto trust and confide in Him who is my Father for Christ's sake._\n\nMEMORIZE:--\n\n_The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His\nworks._ Ps. 145,9.\n\n_Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that\nfear Him._ Ps. 103,13.\n\n_I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth\nwhich Thou hast showed unto Thy servant._ Gen. 32,10.\n\n_I believe in God the Father Almighty, that is, I know and am assured\nthat the almighty God is my Father; with all my heart, therefore, I\ntrust and confide in Him who is my Father for Christ's sake._\n\nQUESTIONS.\n\n1. Who has made you and still preserves you? 2. What moves God to do\nthis? 3. Whom among His creatures does God especially love? 4. How does\nHe show His goodness and love toward His children? 5. What furthermore\nmoves God to care for His children? 6. What does it mean that God is\nmerciful? 7. How are His goodness and mercy called in our Catechism? 8.\nWhat do we read Ps. 103,13? 9. How does God daily show His fatherly\ngoodness toward you? 10. How are His goodness and mercy furthermore\ncalled in our Catechism? 11. Why is His goodness called a divine\ngoodness? 12. What do we therefore confess because God daily shows us\nHis fatherly love and mercy? 13. What does this mean, \"I believe in God\nthe Father Almighty\"? 14. Why may and should we trust and confide in God\nas in our Father? 15. What does not move God to love us and provide for\nus? 16. Why do we not merit God's love and kindness? 17. Why are we not\nworthy of His goodness and mercy? 18. What have we sinners merited? 19.\nRecite what Jacob said to the Lord. Gen. 32,10.\n\nLESSON 18.\n\nThe First Article.\n\nFor His Goodness And Mercy I Will Thank And Praise My Father, And Serve\nAnd Obey Him.\n\nWhich is the First Article?\n\n_I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth._\n\nWhat does this mean?\n\n_I believe that for all this it is my duty to thank and praise, to serve\nand obey Him. This is most certainly true._\n\n1. Great are the blessings which we daily receive from our heavenly\nFather. It is He who preserves our bodies and souls. It is He who\nprovides us with all that we need for our lives, and who defends us\nagainst all danger and guards and protects us from all evil. And He does\nall this without any merit or worthiness in me, moved purely by His\nfatherly, divine goodness and mercy. When we consider all this love\nand kindness, we ask, _What, then, is our duty toward our Father in\nheaven? \"What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits toward\nme?\"_ Ps. 116,12. Our Catechism answers: _\"For all which it is my duty\nto thank and praise, to serve and obey Him.\"_\n\n2. For all His benefits we should, and, most certainly, every child of\nGod gladly will, _thank_ our Father. When somebody has shown us a\nkindness and given us valuable gifts, we certainly thank him. How we do\nlook down with contempt upon an ungrateful person! If we give thanks to\nour human benefactors, how much more should we thank God, our greatest\nBenefactor, from whom we receive every good and perfect gift! It is\n_God's will_ that we thank Him. _\"O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is\ngood, because His mercy endureth forever.\"_ Ps. 118,1. Remember how well\npleased our Lord was with the _grateful Samaritan_ who alone of the ten\ncame back to thank Him for the gift of his health. Luke 17, 17-19. To be\nable to thank God we must _believe in our hearts_ that everything that\nwe are, have and enjoy is God's gracious gift. Yet many do not admit\nthis. They boast that they themselves provide for their life by their\ndaily work, that they themselves defend their bodies and souls from\ndanger and evil, and so they do not consider it their duty to thank the\nLord. We are assured that all we have is a free gift of God, and\ntherefore we must and will thank Him in all our prayers. Do not forget\nto do this, especially in your morning and evening prayers, as well as\nbefore and after meals. (See the prayers in your Catechism.)\n\n3. _We should praise God, our Father._ With glad and rejoicing hearts we\nwill _tell_ others, our fellow-men, of the great and wondrous things the\nLord has done for us. We will _make know_ to them what a mighty and wise\nas well as gracious, merciful, and loving Father our God is, and thus\n_glorify_ His name in the world, also in the presence of _unbelievers.\n\"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits!\"_ Ps.\n103,2. \"To God, the Father of all love, the God of earth and heaven, the\nmighty God who reigns above, be praise and glory given! With healing\nbalm my soul He fills and every pain and sorrow stills: To God all\npraise and glory!\"\n\n4. _It is our duty to serve the Lord._ God, it is true, is not in need\nof our poor services, for it is He who gives us day by day everything we\nhave. But He has told us in His Word that what we do to our brethren for\nHis sake _we have done unto Him._ Matt. 25,40. _In serving our brethren\nwe serve God._ We serve Him by not using the gifts we receive from Him\nmerely for our own benefit, much less for sinful purposes, in the\nservice of sin and Satan, but _by using them to help our neighbor in\ndistress._ We serve Him by using our worldly goods _to further our\nFather's kingdom here on earth, by laboring and giving for His Church,\nfor Foreign and Home Missions, and for all purposes pleasing to God._ In\nthis manner our whole life will be a service and a thank-offering to\nGod, our gracious Father. \"O grant that I may through Thy grace use all\nmy powers to show Thy praise, and serve and help my neighbor.\"\n\n5. _Finally, it is my duty to obey Him, my Father._ I know that God is\nmy Father, and I am His child. How can a child show his love and his\ngratitude toward his father better _than by obeying him?_ So will I\nrender my thanks unto my heavenly Father by cheerfully and willingly\nobeying Him and by doing according to His commandments. Above all, I\nwill, according to His First Commandment, _love Him and trust in Him,_\nmy Father, in every need and danger, firmly believing that He will never\nleave nor forsake me.\n\n6. _\"This is most certainly true.\"_ With these words we conclude our\nFirst Article. These words are the explanation of the word _Amen_ which\nwe find at the end of our Creed. _Amen_ means: \"This is most certainly\ntrue.\" We declare it to be most certainly true what we have confessed\nand what we believe. It is most certainly true that God has made me\nand still preserves me. It is most certainly true that God has given me\nmy body and soul, that He provides for me and defends, guards, and\nprotects me. It is most certainly true that He has done all this purely\nout of His fatherly, divine goodness and mercy. It is most certainly\ntrue that God is my almighty Father whom I, His child, am in duty bound\nto thank and praise, to serve and obey. _From God's Word we know that\nall this is most certainly true._\n\nREMEMBER:--\n\n1. _God is our heavenly Father, our greatest Benefactor; therefore we\nshould thank and praise, serve and obey Him. Let us never forget all His\nbenefits._\n\n2. _We thank God when we believe and acknowledge it to be true that all\nwe have is the gift of God's goodness and mercy, given us without any\nmerit or worthiness in us.--We praise Him when we glorify Him and His\ngracious deeds also before our fellow-men._\n\n3. _We serve our heavenly Father by devoting all the powers of body and\nsoul, all of which are His gifts, not to the service of sin and Satan,\nbut to the service of our fellow-men and of the Church of God.--We\nobey Him by fulfilling His will, by keeping His commandments, especially\nby loving Him and trusting in Him._\n\nMEMORIZE:--\n\n_What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits toward me?_ Ps.\n116,12.\n\n_O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good; because His mercy endureth\nforever._ Ps. 118,1.\n\n_Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits!_ Ps. 103,2.\n\nQUESTIONS.\n\n1. Which are the great blessings we receive from God, according to the\nFirst Article? 2. What do we ask when we consider these blessings? 3.\nHow is this expressed in Ps. 116,12? 4. How does our Catechism answer\nthis question? 5. Why is it our duty to thank God? 6. How can you prove\nfrom Scripture that God is pleased with our gratitude? 7. What must we\nadmit in our hearts in order really to thank God? 8. Most men do not\nadmit this; what do they believe regarding their worldly goods? 9. At\nwhat time especially should we thank God for His benefits? 10. What does\nit mean to praise God? 11. Before whom also should we glorify Him? 12.\nRecite Ps. 103,2. 13. What, in addition, is our duty towards God? 14.\nHow can we serve our Father? 15. How do you know that you are serving\nGod by serving your neighbor? 16. What should I also do to serve God?\n17. What finally, is our duty towards our Father in heaven? 18. When do\nwe obey Him? 19. How should we obey Him, according to the First\nCommandment? 20. What do we express in the last words of the First\nArticle? 21. How do we know that everything we have confessed in this\narticle is most certainly true?\n\nLESSON 19.\n\nThe First Article.\n\nReview Lesson.\n\n1. We have begun to study the Three Articles of our Creed. These\narticles contain all that we believe and confess regarding God and His\nworks, all that He has done and Will do for us, His children. Where did\nGod reveal Himself and His works to us? What do we call all the\ndoctrines of Scripture that teach us who God is and what He has done for\nus? What is the meaning of the word _Gospel?_ There are two chief\ndoctrines in the Bible. What are they called? What does the Law tell us?\nWhat are the good tidings brought to us in the Gospel?\n\n2. We confess in the First Article that God is the Father Almighty,\nMaker of heaven and earth. God is the Maker of heaven and earth. What do\nwe call this great work of God? What is the meaning of the word create?\nWhat do we call all the things that God has made? What does it mean to\nsay: God created all things _by His word?_ In how many days did God\ncreate this world, heaven and earth?--When we thoughtfully consider\nthis great work of God, His creation, we can learn from it how wonderful\nour God is. What does creation teach us about God? When we say, God is\nalmighty, what does that mean? How does creation teach us that God is an\nall-wise God? How does creation show us God's great love and kindness\ntoward His creatures? How were all creatures when God had made them?\n\n3. God is the Maker of heaven and earth, He created all things.\nTherefore He also created man. How did God create the first man? Man is\nthe foremost of all the visible creatures. How do we prove this? In\nwhose image did God make our first parents? In what respect did God make\nman in His image? How were our first parents when God had made them?\nWhom did they know and love? How did they live?--God made all men;\nwhom, therefore, did He also make? What did God give me in making me? It\nis true that God did not make me in the same manner as He made our first\nparents. Through whom did He give me my body and soul?--Consider how\nwonderfully God has made you. Why did God give you eyes and ears? What\ncan you do because God endowed your soul with reason? All this proves\nthat we are God's foremost creatures.--God has made you, but what do\nwe furthermore confess? What does this statement mean: God preserves me?\nWhat do we read Heb. 1,3? In whom do we all live and move and have our\nbeing?\n\n4. We confess in the First Article that our heavenly Father has made me\nand all creatures, that He has given me my body with all its members, my\nsoul, my reason and all my senses, and that He still preserves me, so\nthat in Him we live and move, and have our being. How does God preserve\nme? from whom do we receive all things to support our body and life?\nRecite Ps. 145,15.16. In what manner does God, as a rule, provide us\nwith all the things that we need to support our body and soul? Why is it\nthat we, nevertheless, must say that God provides for us? What must God\nalso do to preserve my body and life? Whom does God often use to protect\nHis children from danger and evil?\n\n5. God has done great things for me. He has made me, He has given me my\nbody and soul. He still preserves me by providing daily and richly all\nthat I need for my life and body, by guarding and protecting me from all\nevil. What moves God to give me all these great benefits? Recite Ps.\n145,9. What does that mean: God is good to all His creatures? Whom\nespecially does God love? What does that mean: God is merciful? How are\nGod's goodness and mercy called in our Catechism? Why is His goodness\ncalled a fatherly goodness? Why is it called a _divine_ goodness? Why do\nwe say that it is _purely_ fatherly and divine goodness that moves God?\nWhat have we merited by our conduct toward God? Why are we unworthy of\nall the benefits of God? What must we confess with Jacob? Gen. 32,10.\nWhat do we say by confessing: \"I believe in God the Father Almighty\"?\n\n6. Great are the blessings which we have received, and daily are\nreceiving, from our heavenly Father. And He gives all His blessings out\nof fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness\nin me. What, therefore, is our duty over against God? We should, in the\nfirst place, thank our Father. What do we think of an ungrateful person?\nWhat do we read Ps. 118,1? With whom was our Lord well pleased? Why are\nso many men not thankful to God? When only shall we be truly thankful?\n--In the second place, we should praise our Father. What does it mean\nto praise God? Before whom also should we glorify God?--In the third\nplace, we should serve God in order to show Him our gratitude. How can\nwe serve God although He is not in need of our services? How ought we to\nuse all the gifts of God in order to serve Him?--Lastly, we should\nobey our Father. When do we obey Him? Which commandment, especially,\nshould we keep? What does this commandment require of us? Why do we\nclose the First Article with the words: \"This is most certainly true\"?\n\nWe all believe in one true God,\nFather, Son, and Holy Ghost,\nPresent Helper in all need,\nPraised by all the heavenly host,\nBy whose mighty power alone\nAll is made and wrought and done.\n\nLESSON 20.\n\nThe Second Article: Of Redemption.\n\nI Believe That My Lord Jesus Christ Is True God.\n\nWhich is the Second Article?\n\n_I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord._\n\nWhat does this mean?\n\n_I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from\neternity, ... is my Lord._\n\n1. _\"I believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord\"_ thus the Second Article of\nour Creed begins. Every true Christian, every child of God, confesses: I\nbelieve in my Lord Jesus Christ. I believe that Jesus Christ is my Lord.\nWe do not only believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and\nearth, but likewise in our Lord Jesus Christ. You know what it means to\nbelieve in Jesus Christ. It means, I know and am assured by God's Word\nthat Jesus Christ is my Lord, and with all my heart I trust and confide\nin Him as in my Lord. Our Catechism teaches us _two things_ about our\nLord Jesus Christ: 1. _who our Lord Jesus Christ is,_ and 2. _what He\nhas done for me to become my Lord._\n\n2. _Who is our Lord Jesus Christ?_ We confess _\"I believe in Jesus\nChrist, His only Son,\"_ that is, God the Father's only Son. Many are\ncalled, and in truth are, God's children. _\"Ye are all the children of\nGod by faith in Christ Jesus.\"_ Gal. 3,26. All who believe in our Lord\nJesus Christ are sons and daughters of God. How, then, can we say that\nJesus Christ is God's only Son? Our Catechism says: _\"I believe that\nJesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, is my\nLord.\"_ All those who believe in Christ are God's children; God has\n_adopted_ them as His children for Christ's sake. Christ, however, is\nGod's _own Son, begotten, born of the Father from eternity._ Before God\ncreated heaven and earth, Christ was God's Son, begotten of the Father.\nGod Himself says to this His only Son: _\"Thou art My Son; this day_\n[that is, from eternity] _have I begotten Thee.\"_ Ps. 2,7. _\"God so\nloved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever\nbelieveth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.\"_ John\n3,16. Christ is God's Son, begotten of the Father from eternity, and it\nis for this reason, too, that in the First Article we call God the\n_Father._ He is the Father of His own only Son, through whom He is also\nour Father.\n\n3. Whoever is born of human parents is a true man; he has a human body\nand a human soul. Our Lord Jesus Christ is born of the Father from\neternity, and therefore _He is true God._ We confess that we believe in\nJesus Christ, true God. He is true God in the same sense as the Father\nis true God. _Together with the Father He is the one true God._ He\nhimself has said: _\"He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father.\"_ John\n14,9. _\"I and My Father are one.\"_ John 10,30 The Father is the\n_almighty_ God; likewise the Son, our Lord, is the _almighty_ God. _\"All\npower is given unto Me in heaven and in earth.\"_ Matt. 28,18. God the\nFather is always with us wherever we are; likewise the Son, our Lord, is\nwith us always. _\"Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the\nworld.\"_ Matt. 28,20. God the Father has created all things; likewise\nthe Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. _\"All things were made by Him; and\nwithout Him was not anything made that was made.\"_ John 1,3. He tells us\nthat we should _honor_ Him as we honor the Father. _\"All men should\nhonor the Son even as they honor the Father.\"_ John 5,23. He tells us\nthat we should believe in Him as we believe in the Father. _\"Ye believe\nin God, believe also in Me.\"_ John 14,1.\n\n4. Jesus Christ is true God from eternity. When our Lord was dwelling\nhere on earth among men, He _showed_ that He was true God. His apostle\nJohn tells us: _\"We_ [the apostles] _beheld His glory, the glory as of\nthe Only-begotten of the Father.\"_ John 1,14. With His almighty word He\nhealed the sick, He made the blind to see, the lame to walk, the deaf to\nhear, He brought the dead to life again: the daughter of Jairus, the son\nof the widow in Nain, and Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha.\nRemember how the winds and the sea obeyed Him, how He stilled the storm\nand walked on the sea as on dry land, how He changed water into wine.\n\n5. _Our Lord Jesus Christ is true God, the only-begotten Son of the\nFather._ His disciples confessed it time and again. Simon Peter\nconfessed regarding the Lord: _\"Thou art the Christ, the Son of the\nliving God.\"_ Matt. 16,16. Thomas said to Him, _\"My Lord and my God.\"_\nJohn 20,28. And Jesus was well pleased with their confessions and\naccepted them. _\"This_ [our dear Lord] _is the true God and eternal\nlife,\" is what John the Apostle tells of Him._ 1 John 5,20. And St. Paul\nwrites: _\"Who_ [Christ] _is over all, God blessed forever.\"_ Rom. 9,5.\n_From our Bible, from the Word of God,_ we know it to be most certainly\ntrue that our Lord is true God, begotten of the Father from eternity.\n\n6. Never forget that our dear Lord, together with the Father, is the one\ntrue God. _Therefore I believe in Him and trust in Him with all my\nheart._ In every need and trouble, in every danger, I lift up my hands\nto my Lord and God and _pray_ to Him. He will not forsake me, for He is\n_\"Jesus Christ, the same yesterday to-day and forever.\"_ Heb. 13,8.\n\nREMEMBER:--\n\n1. _Our Lord Jesus Christ is the only Son of God the Father, His own\nSon, begotten of the Father from eternity._\n\n2. _Our Lord Jesus Christ is true God, with God the Father the one true\nGod in whom we believe, and to whom we pray._\n\n3. _This we know and believe because God Himself has revealed it to us\nin His holy Word. Our confession is and always will be: \"I believe in\nJesus Christ, His only Son.\" I believe that Jesus Christ is true God,\nbegotten of the Father from eternity._\n\nMEMORIZE:--\n\n_This is the true God and eternal life._ 1 John 5,20.\n\n_Who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen._ Rom. 9,5.\n\n_Thomas answered and said unto Him, My Lord and my God._ John 20,28.\n\n_For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that\nwhosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting\nlife._ John 3,16.\n\n_All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth._ Matt. 28,18.\n\n_Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world._ Matt. 28,20.\n\nQUESTIONS.\n\n1. What does it mean to believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord? 2. What two\nthings does our Catechism teach us about our Lord Jesus Christ? 3. Whose\nonly Son is Jesus Christ? 4. Who also are God's children? 5. Why is\nJesus called God's _only_ Son? 6. Where in the Bible is Christ called\nthe only-begotten Son of God? John 3,16. 7. Christ is the own, the\nonly-begotten Son of God; what must He therefore be? 8. What is Christ\ntogether with the Father? 9. Where does our Lord Himself say so? 10.\nWhere does our Lord say that He is almighty? 11. Where does He promise\nthat He will always be with us? 12. What great work of God the Father is\nalso done by the Son? 13. How should we honor the Son? 14. How did\nChrist show, when He was dwelling visibly on earth, that He is true God?\n15. What did Peter confess of the Lord? 16. What did Thomas say to Him?\n17. What does the Apostle John write about the Lord? 18. What does St.\nPaul write? 19. How do we know that it is most certainly true that\nChrist is true God? 20. What must our confession regarding Christ always\nbe?\n\nLESSON 21.\n\nThe Second Article.\n\nI Believe That My Lord Is True God And True Man.\n\nWhich is the Second Article?\n\n_I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by\nthe Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,\nwas crucified, dead, and buried._\n\nWhat does this mean?\n\n_I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from\neternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord._\n\n1. We confess that Jesus Christ is the only Son of God, begotten of the\nFather from eternity and therefore true God. We also confess _that He is\nborn of the Virgin Mary and therefore is a true man,_ with a human soul\nand a human body. Holy Scripture expressly calls our Lord a man. _\"There\nis one God and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.\"_\n1 Tim. 2,5. Our Lord is indeed true man. While He was visibly dwelling\nhere on earth, He lived as a man among men. He was born in Bethlehem as\na little child. In the house of His mother and His foster-father Joseph\nHe grew up like other children. He became hungry and thirsty, He ate and\ndrank, He grew tired and slept, and lastly, He died.\n\n2. Christ, our Lord, is _true_ man, man in the true sense of the word.\nHe is our Brother. But there is _one great difference_ between Him and\nall other men. We confess in the Second Article that He was _conceived\nby the Holy Ghost._ Though our Lord was born of a human mother, He did\nnot have a human father. He was conceived by the power of God the Holy\nGhost without sin. _\"The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee_ [the Virgin\nMary], _and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee; therefore\nalso that Holy Thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son\nof God.\"_ Luke 1,35. Christ, our Lord, was born _holy, without sin,_ and\nduring His life He never committed any sin, but always fulfilled the\nwill of God, His Father.\n\n3. Christ, our Lord, is true God and true man. There are not two\nChrists, one who is God, and another who is man, but _only one Christ,\nwho is God and man at the same time, God and man in one person, the\nGod-man._ He is _Emmanuel,_ that is, God with us, God in our flesh and\nblood. Matt. 1,23. How this is possible we cannot understand, but we\nfirmly believe it because God Himself has revealed it to us in His Word.\nThe Son of God, the true God, became a true man, born of a woman. _\"The\nWord_ [the Son of God] _was made flesh_ [man], _and dwelt among us.\"_\nJohn 1,14.\n\n4. The Son of God, the true God, became man, but more than that. _He\nalso humbled Himself._ He did not, as a rule, show forth His divine\nglory nor use His divine powers, but was like any other man. He did not\ncome to us as a great prince, in kingly splendor, but though He is our\nGod and King, He came to us _as a low, poor man._ From Bible History you\nknow the life of the God-man, how He was _born_ a little child in\nBethlehem, of the Virgin Mary, a lowly maid in Israel, though she came\nfrom the royal house of the great King David. And after He was born, He\n_suffered._ His whole life was a constant suffering. He was despised by\nHis people, persecuted by the priests and Pharisees. He was so poor that\nHe did not have where to lay His head. Remember how He suffered that\nunspeakable agony in the Garden of Gethsemane and in the courts of His\nenemies, where they passed that cruel sentence of death upon Him who had\nnever committed a sin. And _under Pontius Pilate,_ the governor of\nJudea, He was _crucified,_ nailed to a cross. And on the cross He\n_died,_ died the death of a criminal. And after His death His friends\n_buried_ His body, just as they would have buried that of any other man.\nVerily, the Son of God, our Lord, _deeply humbled Himself;_ He humbled\nHimself unto death, even the death of the cross.\n\n5. _Why did our Lord do all this?_ Why did the Son of God become man?\nWhy did our Lord humble Himself so deeply? He did it for our sake, for\nthe sake of all men, for those who are His enemies. _He did it for me\nthat He might become my Lord and Savior._ Therefore our Lord was called\n_Jesus._ This name means helper, savior. It was given to our Lord by the\nwill of God; for He had an angel tell Joseph: _\"She_ [the Virgin Mary]\n_shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus; for He\nshall save His people from their sins.\"_ Matt. 1,21. Jesus is our\nSavior.--Our Lord is also called _Christ._ Christ means the _Messiah._\nOur Lord is the Messiah whom God had promised to His people in the Old\nTestament. All the prophecies regarding the Messiah in the Old Testament\nhave been fulfilled in Jesus Christ, our Lord.--Our Lord Jesus Christ\nis the Savior, and He is our _only_ Savior. _\"Neither is there salvation\nin any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men\nwhereby we must be saved.\"_ Acts 4,12.\n\nREMEMBER:--\n\n1. _Our Lord Jesus Christ is true God, born of the Father from eternity;\nbut He is also true man, born in time of the Virgin Mary. He is like\nunto other men, except that He is holy and without sin._\n\n2. _Christ, our Lord, is true God and true man in one person--the\nGod-man. As such He is my Savior._\n\n3. _The Son of God did not only become man, He also humbled Himself,\nsuffering and dying, dying on the cross._\n\n4. _Christ, our Lord, has done all this to be Jesus, the Savior of all\nmen, to be Christ, the promised Messiah. He has done all this for me\nthat He might become my Lord._\n\nMEMORIZE:--\n\n_There is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ\nJesus._ 1 Tim. 2,5.\n\n_The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory,\nthe glory as of the Only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and\ntruth._ John 1,14.\n\n_She shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus; for He\nshall save His people from their sins._ Matt. 7,21.\n\n_Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name\nunder heaven given among men whereby we must be saved._ Acts 4,12.\n\nQUESTIONS.\n\n1. What do we confess regarding our Lord? 2. What do we also confess? 3.\nRecite the passage of Scripture where Christ is expressly called man. 4.\nHow did our Lord show in His life here on earth that He was truly a man?\n5. By whom was Christ conceived? 6. How was He, therefore, when He was\nborn? 7. What, therefore, is the difference between Him and all other\nmen? 8. We confess that Christ is God and man, What do we mean by this?\n9. What did the Son of God become? 10. How do we read John 1,14? 11. Our\nLord became true man; what did He also do? 12. What did He, as a rule,\nnot show and use while He was here on earth? 13. What kind of man did\nour Lord become? 14. How was He born? 15. What was His whole life here\non earth? 16. How poor did He become? 17. How did He die? 18. Why did\nChrist do all this? 19. For whose sake also did He humble Himself? 20.\nWhy is my Lord called Jesus? 21. Why is He called the Christ?\n\nLESSON 22.\n\nThe Second Article.\n\nMy Lord Has Redeemed Me, A Lost And Condemned Creature.\n\nWhich is the Second Article?\n\n_I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord._\n\nWhat does this mean?\n\n_I believe that Jesus Christ is my Lord, who has redeemed me, a lost and\ncondemned creature, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and\nfrom the power of the devil._\n\n1. We have learned that our Lord is true God and true man. We have heard\nthat the Son of God became man and humbled Himself even unto death for\nour sake to become our Lord and Savior. Our Catechism furthermore tells\nus _by what means Jesus Christ, true God and true man, became my Lord\nand Savior._ That is the great work of our Lord: He came into this world\nto save, to redeem us. His work is our _redemption._ Let us diligently\nand prayerfully consider this great work of our Lord--our redemption.\n\n2. _Christ has redeemed me,_ so I confess. We were in great need of such\na Lord and of the redemption which He was to bring. For without such a\nLord _we are lost and condemned creatures._ We are _lost_ creatures.\nWhat does this mean? Remember the beautiful story of the _Prodigal Son._\nThe father in this story said of his son after his return that he had\nbeen lost. Wilfully and sinfully the son had left his home and his\nfather and gone into a far country, where he spent all his goods with\nriotous living. He was now far away from his father, separated from him\nand his home. He was lost in that far-away country, where great misery\nand distress soon overtook him. Without his father he would have\n_perished_ with hunger. Thus we are lost without Christ. We have sinned\nagainst our heavenly Father, we have transgressed His commandments. By\ncommitting sins we have left our Father and are separated from Him. We\nare in a far-away country, in this sinful world, where misery and\ndistress surround us. We are without God and without hope in the world.\nWithout our Lord we must perish, suffer eternal death. _Without Christ\nwe are indeed lost._ Every one of us must confess: I am a lost creature.\n_\"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his\nown way.\"_ Is. 53,6.\n\n3. I confess also that I am a _condemned_ creature. God, as you have\nlearned, is a righteous and jealous God. He _threatens to punish_ all\nthat transgress His commandments. When Adam and Eye transgressed God's\ncommand, the threatened punishment came over them. _\"In the day that\nthou eatest thereof,\"_ God had told Adam, _\"thou shalt surely die.\"_\nGen. 2,17. _Death_ is the punishment of all sinners, not only death here\non earth, but _eternal death,_ that is, _eternal damnation._ That is the\nsentence which God passed upon all that have sinned, that they should be\nseparated from Him in eternity, from Him in whom alone we find life and\ntrue happiness.--It was the _devil_ that tempted Adam and Eve to sin.\nThey heard and obeyed his voice instead of the voice of their Father. He\nbecame their Lord and master. _\"He that committeth sin is of the\ndevil.\"_ 1 John 3,8. Because we have sinned, we are under the power of\nthe devil, we belong to his kingdom. Without Christ we are all lost and\ncondemned creatures, that is, _we are separated from God, our Father; we\nare under God's judgment of damnation; we are under the powers of sin,\ndeath, and the devil. They are our masters. \"We were by nature the\nchildren of wrath.\"_ Eph. 2,3.\n\n4. I am a lost and condemned creature; I am in the power of sin, death,\nand the devil. _Who can help me in this misery and redeem and save me?_\nSurely not I myself. How could I deliver myself from these mighty\nenemies? I have nothing with which I might atone for my sins or remove\nGod's wrath and curse. Neither can any other man help me, powerful and\nwise though he may be. _All_ men are lost and condemned creatures, just\nas helpless as I am. _There is only One who is able to help and redeem\nus, Jesus Christ, our Lord._ He is the _God-man._ He could conquer these\nfearful enemies, sin, death, and the devil. He is the _almighty God._ He\nalone among men is without sin, and therefore not in the power of the\ndevil. He can redeem me, _and He has redeemed me._ In order to redeem\nthe world, the Son of God became man, humbled Himself, and suffered and\ndied. Thankfully I confess _that Christ has redeemed me, that He is my\nLord._\n\n5. I confess that Christ, my Lord, has redeemed me. But not only me did\nHe redeem, but _all men,_ from Adam up to the last man that will be born\nbefore the Day of Judgment. God loved the _world,_ all _mankind,_ and He\nso loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son to redeem and save\nthe world. All men are lost and condemned creatures, all are under God's\nwrath and in the power of sin, and our Savior Himself said: _\"The Son of\nMan is come to save that which was lost.\"_ Matt. 18,11. John the Baptist\npointed to Him and said: _\"Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the\nsin of the world.\"_ John 1,29. _\"He is the propitiation for our sins,\nand not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.\"_\n1 John 2,2. Christ, my Lord, has redeemed all mankind, and therefore I\nknow that it is most certainly true: _He has redeemed also me._\n\nREMEMBER:--\n\n1. _Without Christ, my Lord, I am a lost and condemned creature. I am\nwithout God and hope in this world, separated from God and under the\nsentence of damnation._\n\n2. _By nature I am in the power of sin, death, and the devil. I belong\nto Satan's kingdom. Sin, death, and the devil were my masters._\n\n3. _In this dreadful distress no man was able to help me. Only Christ\ncould redeem me, for He is the God-man; and He has redeemed me and all\nthe world._\n\nMEMORIZE:--\n\n_He that committeth sin is of the devil._ 1 John 3,8.\n\n_The Son of Man is come to save that which was lost._ Matt. 18,11.\n\n_Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world._ John\n1,29.\n\n_He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also\nfor the sins of the whole world._ 1 John 2,2.\n\nQUESTIONS.\n\n1. What do we call the great work which Christ has done for us and all\nmen? 2. What do I confess in the Second Article concerning myself? 3.\nFrom which parable of our Lord do we learn what it means to be lost? 4.\nWhy was the Prodigal Son called lost? 5. How did he become separated\nfrom his father? 6. What happened to him in that far-away country? 7.\nHow did we become separated from our heavenly Father? 8. What always\nseparates us from God? 9. What do we furthermore confess concerning\nourselves? 10. Why are we condemned creatures? 11. What does God\nthreaten to those who transgress His commandments? 12. In what does the\npunishment of sin consist? 13. What death is meant? 14. Who tempted Adam\nand Eve to sin? 15. Of whom is he who commits sin? 16. Under whose power\nare we because we have sinned? 17. Who alone is able to help us in our\nmisery? 18. Why can Jesus Christ surely help and save us? 19. Whom did\nChrist redeem? 20. How can you prove from Scripture that Christ has\nredeemed all men?\n\nLESSON 23.\n\nThe Second Article.\n\nChrist, My Lord, Has Redeemed Me With His Holy, Precious Blood.\n\nWhich is the Second Article?\n\n_I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord._\n\nWhat does this mean?\n\n_I believe that Jesus Christ is my Lord, who has redeemed me, a lost and\ncondemned creature, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and\nfrom the power of the devil, not with gold or silver, but with His holy,\nprecious blood and with His innocent suffering and death._\n\n1. Christ has redeemed and _purchased us,_ that is, He bought us. Our\nLord had to pay a price, a very high price for our redemption. He has\npurchased or bought me not with _gold_ or _silver. \"Ye know that ye were\nnot redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold.\"_ 1 Pet 1,18.\nGold and silver are, indeed, highly prized among men. Much can be\naccomplished, much can be bought with gold and silver for the support of\nour life and for our comfort here in this world. But all the gold and\nsilver, all the treasures in the world, cannot buy our redemption. Gold\nand silver cannot redeem one lost and condemned sinner from sin, death,\nand the powers of the devil, from hell and damnation. A much higher\nprice was necessary. Our Lord has paid this price.\n\n2. Christ redeemed and purchased us with His _blood._ He shed His blood\nfor us. He gave His _life_ for our redemption. Consider the great love of\nour Lord. He gave His life not for His friends, but for us, who were His\nenemies. We call this blood a _holy_ blood. _It is the blood of a holy\nman._ Our Savior was born without sin, and He never committed a sin in\nHis life. We have been redeemed, not with gold or silver, _\"but with the\nprecious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without\nspot.\"_ 1 Pet. 1,19. We call the blood of Christ a _precious_ blood.\nThis blood is the most precious thing in heaven and earth. It is the\n_blood of the Son of God,_ shed for our sins. _\"The blood of Jesus\nChrist, God's Son, cleanseth us from all sin.\"_ 1 John 1,7.\n\n3. Christ purchased us with His blood _and with His suffering and\ndeath._ Suffering and dying our Lord shed His blood for us. We say it\nwas an _innocent_ suffering and death, because He did not deserve this.\nHe was without sin, He never did any wrong. He did not suffer and die\nbecause of any guilt of His own. He suffered and died _on account of my\nguilt and the guilt of the whole world._ During His whole sinless life\nHe fulfilled God's commandments. _We_ ought to have kept the\ncommandments, but we could not do it because we were born in sins.\nChrist, our Lord, has fulfilled the Law of God _for us, in our stead._\nHe came into this world and was made under the Law that He might redeem\nus, who were under the Law. _We_ had transgressed the commandments,\ntherefore the wrath of God was upon us, and we deserved His punishment.\n_We_ ought to have suffered death, eternal death. _Christ_ was\n_innocent,_ without sin, and still He suffered death on the cross. _He\ndid all this for us, in our stead. \"Surely He hath borne our griefs and\ncarried our sorrows.... He was wounded for our transgressions, He was\nbruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him,\nand with His stripes we are healed.\"_ Is. 53,4.5.--It was a high price\nthat Jesus paid for our salvation. He gave Himself for us. How thankful\nwe ought to be to our dear Savior, who lived and died for us that we may\nbe saved! How thankful we ought to be to our heavenly Father, who _\"so\nloved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever\nbelieveth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life\"!_ John\n3,16.\n\n4. Christ paid a high price for me. He gave Himself a ransom for my\nsalvation. But before His death on the cross my Savior cried out: _\"It\nis finished.\"_ His great work is finished indeed. My Lord _has_\npurchased and redeemed me and all mankind. Because Christ shed His\nprecious blood, and suffered and died for us in our stead, we are\nredeemed and free from _our sins._ By leading a sinless life Christ has\nfulfilled all commandments of God for us; _in Him we have fulfilled\nthem._ We are free from the curse of the Law. _\"Christ hath redeemed us\nfrom the curse of the Law, being made a curse for us.\"_ Gal. 3,13. All\nthe punishments for our sins were suffered by Christ. _In Him God has\npunished us,_ and therefore we no longer need to suffer punishment for\nour sins.--We have been redeemed from _all_ sins.  There is not a\nsingle sin, either great or small, from which Christ, our Lord, has not\nredeemed us. _He has earned forgiveness of all sins for us._\n\n5. The penalty of sin is _death,_ eternal death and damnation. Christ,\nour Lord, has taken away our sins, He has earned forgiveness for us;\ntherefore _we have been redeemed from death._ He has suffered death for\nus and therefore we are free from death. Eternal death has no power over\nus; for _\"Christ hath abolished death, and hath brought life and\nimmortality to light.\"_ 2 Tim. 1,10. We no longer need to fear death. In\ndeath our Lord gives us everlasting life.\n\n6. Since Christ has suffered and died for us, _we have also been\nredeemed from the power of the devil._ Through sin the devil has power\nover us. Our sins are forgiven; by His death the Lord _destroyed the\nworks of the devil._ Satan has lost his power over me. He cannot force\nme to sin nor keep me in his kingdom. _\"Through death He destroyed him\nthat had the power of death, that is, the devil.\"_ Heb. 2,14. We thank\nthe Lord for having redeemed us from all sin, from death, and from the\npower of the devil.\n\nREMEMBER:--\n\n1. _I have been bought with a price. My Lord has purchased me, not with\ntreasures of this world, but with His own precious blood, with His\ninnocent suffering and death._\n\n2. _In my stead Christ fulfilled all the commandments of God. In my\nstead He suffered and died for my sins. With His stripes I am healed._\n\n3. _Now I am redeemed and free from all sins, from death, and from the\npower of the devil. In Christ I have forgiveness of all my sins._\n\nMEMORIZE:--\n\n_Ye know that ye ware not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver\nand gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a Lamb without\nblemish and without spot._ 1 Pet. 1,18.19.\n\n_The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sins._ 1 John\n1,7.\n\n_Surely He hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.... He was\nwounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the\nchastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are\nhealed._ Is. 53,4.5.\n\n_Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law, being made a curse\nfor us._ Gal. 3,13.\n\n_Christ hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to\nlight._ 2 Tim. 1,10.\n\nQUESTIONS.\n\n1. What does it mean when we say that the Lord purchased us? 2. Wherein\ndid the price which He paid for us not consist? 3. With what did our\nLord redeem us? 4. Why do we call His blood a holy blood? 5. Why do we\ncall it a precious blood? 6. What do we read 1 John 1,7? 7. Why do we\ncall the suffering and death of our Lord an innocent suffering and\ndeath? 8. Why did our Lord not deserve suffering and death? 9. For whom\ndid He suffer and die? 10. What did Christ during His whole life fulfil?\n11. For whom did He do this? 12. What did we deserve for our sins? 13.\nWho suffered the punishment we had deserved in our stead? 14. What does\nthe prophet say Is. 53,4.5? 15. What do we know regarding this great\nwork of our Lord? 16. From what have we been redeemed? 17. What did\nChrist earn for us with regard to our sins? 18. From what have we also\nbeen redeemed? 19. What need we no longer fear? 20. In what respect are\nwe redeemed also from the power of the devil?\n\nLESSON 24.\n\nThe Second Article.\n\nMy Lord Has Won Me That I May Be His Own.\n\nWhich is the Second Article?\n\n_I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord._\n\nWhat does this mean?\n\n_I believe that Jesus Christ is my Lord, who has won me, that I may be\nHis own, and live under Him in His kingdom, and serve Him in everlasting\nrighteousness, innocence, and blessedness._\n\n1. Christ, my Lord, has redeemed and purchased me, and we add: _He has\nwon me._ He has won me after a hard fight with sin, death, and the\ndevil. In the first prophecy of the promised Messiah, God said to the\nserpent, to Satan: _\"I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and\nbetween thy seed and her Seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt\nbruise His heel.\"_ Gen. 3,15. This prophecy has been fulfilled in the\ncoming of Christ, our Lord. He is the _Seed of the woman._ The serpent,\nSatan, indeed, bruised His heel. Christ had to suffer and die for us.\nBut through His death on the cross our Lord has gained the victory He\nhas bruised the serpent's head and destroyed his works. He has delivered\nus out of the hand of our enemies. Sin, death, and the devil no longer\nhave any power over us. Christ has won us for Himself. _He has become my\nLord. I now am His own,_ I belong to Him, to Him alone, who has bought\nme and won me. _Christ has won me in order that He may be my Lord and I\nHis own._\n\n2. Christ, my Lord, has won me that I may _live in His kingdom._ Without\nChrist we are all in Satan's kingdom, living under him. He is our evil\nmaster, who rules over us But Christ has delivered us out of the hand of\nour enemies that we should live in His kingdom.--_Our Lord has a\nkingdom here on earth._ For the purpose of founding this His kingdom, He\ncame into the world and humbled Himself, and suffered and died for us.\nOur Lord, truly, is a King. He Himself told us so. When Pontius Pilate\nasked Him, _\"Art Thou a king, then?\"_ He answered: _\"Thou sayest that I\nam a King.\"_ To His kingdom all those belong who believe and trust in\nHim and accept Him as their Lord and King. For this purpose my Lord\nredeemed and won me, that I, too, may belong to His kingdom and live\nunder Him.\n\n3. The kingdom of our Lord and King is a _most glorious kingdom._ The\nLord Himself reigns and rules in His kingdom with His grace and love. In\nHis kingdom we live _under Him._ He rules and governs my whole life.\nUnder His rule and care I shall not want. I live under Him, under His\nprotection. He protects me from the temptations of sin, the godless\nworld, and the devil. My Lord and King is always with me. Under His care\nand protection I am _safe;_ for my King is _the almighty God, whom\nnothing can withstand._ All power is given unto Him in heaven and in\nearth. Matt. 28,18. _This kingdom of our Lord we call the Kingdom of\nGrace;_ for with grace and love our King governs all who accept Him\nas their Lord and King.\n\n4. For this purpose Christ has redeemed and won me, that I may be His\nown and live under Him in His kingdom and _serve Him,_ who has become my\nLord. Before Christ became our Lord, we had other masters. We served our\nenemies, sin and the devil. We could not but serve them, and we served\nthem willingly, even joyfully. How miserable to be a servant of Satan\nand sin, to do their will, to obey them! _The wages of sin is death,_\neternal, death and damnation. Our Lord has delivered us from sin and\nSatan, He has won us as His own. _\"That we, delivered out of the hand of\nour enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness\nbefore Him, all the days of our life.\"_ Luke 1, 74.75. We live in the\nkingdom of our Lord under His care; we need not fear our enemies if we\ndo not serve them. We serve Him who has delivered us. In His kingdom our\nLord gives us strength to serve Him by living according to His\ncommandments, by doing His good and gracious will. To serve this Lord is\na _noble_ service. Can there be a nobler service than to serve God, the\nhighest Lord, to serve the highest King, who has bought and won us out\nof the hands of our enemies, of sin and Satan? _Gladly_ and _joyfully_\nwill we serve Him, our Savior and our Lord.\n\n5. We serve our Lord _in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and\nblessedness._ The kingdom of our Lord is, indeed, a glorious kingdom. In\nHis kingdom we serve Him in _righteousness._ We are not righteous in\nourselves, but our Lord has gained a perfect righteousness for us. He\nhas fulfilled the Law in our stead. Clothed in Christ's blood and\nrighteousness, we serve our Lord, and therefore our poor service is\n_well-pleasing_ to God.--We serve our Lord in _innocence._ We are free\nfrom the guilt of our sins. Sad to say, we daily sin in the service of\nour Lord, we deserve nothing but punishment; but God forgives us our\nsins_ daily and richly for Christ's sake, and so we are _innocent_ in\nHis sight. In holiness and righteousness we will serve Him all the days\nof our life.--We serve Him in _blessedness._ It is blessedness to\nserve this our Lord. He blesses His servants with all His rich gifts. He\nblesses them here on earth and leads them to eternal blessedness in\nheaven. It is _everlasting righteousness and innocence and blessedness\nthat our Lord gives us. He leads His servants to _His kingdom in\nheaven._ Here in this world His kingdom is a _Kingdom of Grace;_ in\nheaven it is the _Kingdom of Glory. \"The Lord shall deliver me from\nevery evil work, and will preserve me unto His heavenly kingdom; to whom\nbe glory forever and ever! Amen.\"_ 2 Tim. 4,18.\n\nREMEMBER:--\n\n1. _Through His sufferings and death, Christ has become my Lord, and\ntherefore I am His own. I am living in His kingdom, under Him, my King,\nbeing delivered from the hands of all my enemies. He cares for me and\nprotects me._\n\n2. _In His kingdom I am serving my King in everlasting righteousness,\ninnocence, and blessedness, which He bestows on me. For my Lord's sake\nGod forgives me all my sins and accepts my poor sinful service._\n\n3. _Our Lord's kingdom is a twofold kingdom, the Kingdom of Grace here\non earth, in which our King reigns with His grace, with forgiveness of\nsins, and the Kingdom of Glory in heaven, in which we shall reign with\nour King, freed from all evil, in His glory forever and ever._\n\nMEMORIZE:--\n\n_I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and\nher Seed; it shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise His heel._ Gen.\n3,15.\n\n_Pilate, therefore, said unto Him, Art Thou a king then? Jesus answered,\nThou sayest, I am a King._ John 18,37.\n\n_That we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, might serve\nHim without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days\nof our life._ Luke 1,74.75.\n\n_The Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me\nunto His heavenly kingdom; to whom be glory forever and ever! Amen._\n2 Tim. 4,18.\n\nQUESTIONS.\n\n1. From whom has our Lord won me? 2. To whom do I now belong? 3. Recite\nthe first prophecy of the promised Messiah. 4. Who has no power over me\nsince Christ has won me? 5. In whose kingdom may I live? 6. What does it\nmean to live under Him? 7. What will our Lord do as our King? 8. Why are\nwe safe under His rule and protection? 9. How do we call His kingdom\nhere on earth? 10. Because Christ is our Lord, what should we therefore\ndo? 11. Whom must we serve when we are not in our Lord's service? 12.\nWhy is this service a miserable service? 13. Why can we now serve our\nLord? 14. Why is His service a glorious service? 15. who has given us\nthe righteousness in which we serve our Lord? 16. Why are we innocent\nbefore God? 17. Why is it blessedness to serve the Lord? 18. How do we\ncall His kingdom in heaven?\n\nLESSON 25.\n\nThe Second Article.\n\nReview Lesson.\n\n(1) 1. In whom does every Christian believe according to the Second\nArticle? 2. What do we mean when we say: I believe in Jesus Christ, my\nLord? 3. What two things does our Catechism teach us about our Lord\nJesus Christ? 4. What do we confess in the Second Article concerning the\n_person_ of our Lord? 5. Prove from Scripture that Christ is God's only\nSon, the only-begotten Son of the Father. 6. If Christ is God's\nonly-begotten Son of the Father, He must be true God with the Father.\nHow can you prove this from Holy Writ? 7. How did the apostles confess\nJesus Christ as their God? 8. What do we confess about our Lord in the\nbeginning of the explanation of the Second Article? 9. Together with\nwhom is Christ true God? 10. In what respect is there no difference\nbetween Jesus and His Father? Christ is coequal with the Father. He has\nthe same divine majesty, glory and honor.\n\n(2) We confess that Jesus Christ is God's only Son and therefore,\ntogether with the Father, true God from eternity. 1. What do we\nfurthermore confess concerning our Lord? 2. How can you prove that\nChrist is true man? 3. Christ is indeed true man, born of the Virgin\nMary. But there is one great difference between Him and all other men.\nWhich is it? 4. Why was Christ conceived and born without sin? 5. Christ\nis true God and true man; there are, however, not two Christs, one true\nGod and the other true man; there is but one Christ. What is He? 6. The\nSon of God became true man, but He did more. What kind of a man did He\nbecome? 7. How does the Second Article describe the lowly life of our\nSavior here on earth? 8. Why did Christ humble Himself so deeply? 9.\nWhat does the name Jesus mean? 10. Why is He called Savior? 11. Why was\nJesus called the Christ?\n\n(3) We learn from our Catechism not only who Jesus, our Lord, is, but\nalso what He has done for us to become our Lord. 1. What does our\nCatechism say concerning the work of our Lord? 2. Christ has redeemed\nme; how do we therefore call His work? 3. Why was it necessary that I\nshould be redeemed? We are by nature lost and condemned creatures. 4.\nFrom which parable of the Lord can you learn what it means to be lost?\n5. Why are we also condemned creatures? 6. Who had pronounced judgment\nupon us because of our sins? 7. What was this punishment? 8. We were\nunder the power of sin, death, and the devil. Who alone could help us in\nthis distress? 9. We confess that Christ redeemed me, a lost and\ncondemned sinner; but I am not the only one whom He has redeemed. Whom\ndid He also redeem? 10. Prove from Scripture that our Lord redeemed all\nmen. 11. What conclusion may and should I draw from this truth?\n\n(4) Our Catechism says that our Lord has redeemed and purchased us. 1.\nWhat is the meaning of the Word purchase? 2. Christ has bought us with a\nprice. What is the price our Lord paid for our redemption? 3. Why could\nwe not be bought with gold or silver? 4. We have been purchased with His\nblood. How did Christ purchase us with His blood? 5. It is, indeed, a\nhigh price which our Lord paid for us. Why do we call His blood a holy\nblood? 6. Why is it called a precious blood? 7. What does Christs blood\ndo for us regarding our sins? 8. Christ has purchased us with His\nsuffering. Why do we call His suffering an innocent suffering? 9. In\nwhose stead did Christ suffer all the punishment of sin? 10. What is the\npunishment of sin?--11. Christ has purchased us with His holy blood\nand His innocent suffering. From whom did He purchase us? Christ\nredeemed us from the power of sin, and death, and the devil. 12. How did\nChrist redeem us from all sins? 18. What did He fulfil in our stead? 14.\nWhy are we also free from death? 15. Being free from sin we are also\nfree from the power of the devil. Why are we free from his power?\n\n(5) Christ, our Lord, has redeemed and purchased us. He has also _won_\nus. He has won us after a severe fight with sin, death, and the devil.\n1. Which is the first prophecy of this conflict between our Savior and\nthe devil? 2. Christ gained the victory in this conflict. He won us. To\nwhom do we now belong? 3. We are Christ's own; we live in His kingdom.\nTo whose kingdom do we belong without Christ? 4. Christ has won me from\nthe power and the kingdom of the devil; Christ now is my King. Who\nbelongs to His kingdom? 5. What do we call His kingdom here on earth?\n6. Why do we call it the Kingdom of Grace? 7. In His kingdom we live\nunder Him. What does this mean? 8. Not only do we live under our King,\nunder His care and protection, we also serve Him. How do we serve Him?\n9. Out of whose hand has our Lord delivered us? 10. How do we serve\nour Lord? 11. Without Christ we had to serve sin and the devil. Why is\nthis service such a degrading service? 12. Why should we gladly and\nwillingly serve our Lord in His kingdom? 13. We serve our Lord in\nrighteousness, innocence, and blessedness. Which righteousness is here\nmeant? 14. In what respect are we innocent in the eyes of God? 15. Why\ndoes His service bestow blessedness upon us? 16. To what kingdom does\nour gracious Lord lead us after this life? 17. Why is this kingdom\ncalled the Kingdom of Glory?\n\nLet us give thanks to our dear Savior, who has become our Lord, that we\nmay be His own and in His kingdom live under Him and serve Him in\neverlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness. Amen.\n\nLESSON 26.\n\nThe Second Article.\n\nHow Our Lord As Victor Descended Into Hell And Rose Again From The Dead.\n\nWhich is the Second Article?\n\n_I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord.... He descended into\nhell; the third day He rose again from the dead._\n\n1. We believe and confess in the Second Article of our faith that Jesus\nChrist, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, became also true\nman, born of the Virgin Mary, that He suffered, was crucified, died on\nthe cross, and was buried. All this our Lord has done to redeem us lost\nand condemned creatures from all our sins, from death, and from the\npower of the devil, that He may be our Lord, that we may be His own and\nlive under Him in His glorious kingdom and serve Him in everlasting\nrighteousness and blessedness. Our Lord died and was buried for our\nsakes to redeem us. Is, then, our Lord still in death and in the grave?\nDo we believe in a dead savior? Do we serve a dead and helpless king?\nThank God, we do not! _We know from Holy Writ that our Lord came to life\nagain, that our living Lord descended into hell and on the third day\nafter His death rose again from the grave._\n\n2. We confess in the Second Article: _\"He,\"_ our Lord Jesus Christ,\n_\"descended into hell.\"_ When our Lord descended into hell, He was no\nlonger dead. It is true, when they took Him from the cross and buried\nHim, He was really dead. Nobody, indeed, had taken His life from Him, He\nhad laid it down of Himself, of His own free will, laid it down for us\nthat we might not suffer eternal death; _but in His grave Christ, the\nSon of God, took His life back again. \"Christ was put to death in the\nflesh, but quickened_ [came to life again] _by the Spirit.\"_ 1 Pet.\n3,18. As our living Lord He went down into hell, into the place whither\nthe evil spirits, the devils and condemned men, have been banished.\nChrist did not enter the gates of hell _in order to be punished there\nfor His sins;_ for our Savior was without sin and blemish. He did not\ndescend into hell _to suffer the penalty for our sins;_ this He had\nalready done on the cross. He descended into hell _to show that He had\nwon the victory over the devil and all his hosts._ \"He made a show of\nthem openly, triumphing over them.\" Col. 2,15. As the triumphant Victor\nover all His enemies Christ entered hell, the abode of Satan. Now we are\ncertain that the old Evil Foe cannot keep us in his power, that _we are\nfree from hell and damnation._\n\n3. _On the third day our Lord rose again from the dead._ You have often\nheard the Easter-Gospel, the joyful tidings of Christ's glorious\nresurrection: Our Lord is not dead, but He lives. When, very early in\nthe morning, the women came to the grave to anoint the body of their\nMaster, they did not find Him, the grave was empty, and an angel of God\nbrought them the message: _\"Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is\nnot here, but is risen.\"_ Luke 24,5.6. After His resurrection our Lord\nshowed Himself to His disciples as their living Savior. They saw Him,\nthey spoke to Him, and ate with Him. _The Lord convinced them that He\nwas risen._ They are the witnesses of His resurrection. Even the\n_soldiers_ whom the enemies had placed around the grave as a watch, lest\nHis disciples might come by night and steal the body, could not deny\nthat the grave was empty, that the Lord had risen. Matt. 28,4.11-15. _We\nare sure that Christ, our Lord, is not dead, but lives; for God Himself\ntells us in His Word that Christ was raised up from the dead by the\nglory of the Father._ Rom. 6,4. Joyously we confess: _\"I know that my\nRedeemer liveth.\"_ Job 19,25.\n\n4. Christ is risen. He came forth from His sepulcher with _the same\nbody_ that was laid in the grave. _The tomb was empty._ The disciples\nknew Him when He showed Himself. They saw the print of the nails in His\nhands and His feet and the wound in His side. He let them touch His\nbody in order to convince them that He was not a spirit. Luke 24,39.40.\nBut after His resurrection His body was _glorified;_ it was free from\nall human weakness and sufferings, free from death.\n\n5. _The resurrection of our Savior is full of comfort and consolation\nfor us. \"If Christ be not raised, your faith is vain, ye are yet in your\nsins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If\nin this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most\nmiserable.\"_ 1 Cor. 15,17-19. This would be our sad lot if Christ were\nnot risen. All our faith and hope in Him would be in vain. But He _is_\nrisen, and now we know _that He is the true Son of God._ We know that\nChrist _has gained the victory over all our enemies,_ sin, death, and\nthe devil, who could not keep Him in their power. We know that Christ\n_has paid the penalty for our sins,_ that our sins are forgiven. We know\nthat we have a _living_ Savior, _who is with us alway,_ to govern and\nprotect us in His kingdom. We know that we shall not perish when we die,\nthat our risen Lord will not leave us in the grave, but will _raise us\nagain unto eternal life. \"Because I live, ye shall live also.\"_ John\n14,19. Our Lord is risen, and so we put our trust in Him both in life\nand death. \"Jesus, my Redeemer, lives! I, too, unto life must waken\nEndless joy my Savior gives; Shall my courage then be shaken? Shall I\nfear, or could the Head Rise and leave His members dead?\"\n\nREMEMBER:--\n\n1. _Christ descended into hell to show Himself as Victor over our\nenemies, over the devil and all his hosts._\n\n2. _Christ is risen. We know that our Redeemer lives. We have a living\nSavior, our sins are forgiven. Our King lives forever; under Him we live\nin everlasting righteousness and innocence._\n\n3. _Christ is risen; He has conquered death. Though we must die, He will\nrecall us from our graves and raise us to eternal life and everlasting\nblessedness._\n\nMEMORIZE:--\n\n_I know that my Redeemer liveth._ Job 19,25.\n\n_If Christ be not raised, your faith is vain, ye are yet in your sins.\nThen they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished._ 1 Cor.\n15,17.18.\n\n_Because I live, ye shall live also._ John 14,19.\n\nQUESTIONS.\n\n1. Where did Christ go after He had come to life again in the grave? 2.\nWhy did Christ not descend into hell? 3. What was His purpose in\ndescending into the abode of Satan? 4. When did our Lord rise from the\ndead? 5. What message did the angel bring to the women at the grave? 6.\nWho are the witnesses of His resurrection? 7. How did our risen Lord\nconvince His apostles that He was alive again? 8. Who even could not\ndeny His resurrection? 9. What makes us perfectly certain that Christ\nis risen and lives forever and ever? 10. How was Christ's body after His\nresurrection? 11. What does that mean, Christ's body was glorified? 12.\nWhat do we know regarding our sins since Christ is risen? 13. What\nconsolation does His resurrection give us for our Christian life? 14.\nWhat consolation does it give us in the hour of death?\n\nLESSON 27.\n\nThe Second Article.\n\nThe Triumphant Ascension Of Our Lord.\n\nWhich is the Second Article?\n\n_I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord.... He ascended into\nheaven and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty._\n\nWhat does this mean?\n\n_Even as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity._\n\n1. After His resurrection our Lord _remained here on earth for forty\ndays._ During these days He repeatedly appeared to His disciples; He\nshowed Himself alive to them by many proofs. He convinced them that He\nwas not dead, but lived. He spoke to them about the kingdom of God,\n_His_ kingdom. He finally gave them His great command or commission, to\ngo out into all the world and preach the Gospel of their living Savior\nto all men. Acts 1,3.\n\n2. On the _fortieth day_ when the apostles were assembled in Jerusalem,\nthe Lord appeared to them again. He told them: _\"Behold, I send the\npromise of My Father upon you; but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem\nuntil ye be endued with power from on high.\"_ Luke 24,49. He commanded\nHis disciples to remain in Jerusalem until they had received the gift of\nthe Holy Ghost, that in His power they might be His witnesses unto the\nuttermost parts of the earth. Then our Lord led them out to _Mount\nOlivet,_ as far as to _Bethany._ And there He lifted up His hands and\nblessed them. _While He blessed them, He was parted from His beloved\napostles and carried up into heaven._ While the disciples looked on\nHe was taken up higher and higher, until a cloud received Him out of\ntheir sight. Luke 24,50.51; Acts 1,8.9. In this manner our Lord was\nreceived up to His heavenly glory _Visibly,_ before the eyes of His\ndisciples, He ascended on high and entered into the glory of His Father.\n\n3. Christ ascended into heaven, _and He did so for our sake._ He\nascended up on high as _the triumphant Victor_ over all His and our\nenemies. His entrance into heaven assures us _that He has opened heaven\nagain for us through His sufferings and death._ Before His death He gave\nHis apostles the promise: _\"In My Father's house are many mansions. I go\nto prepare a place for you.\"_ John 14,2. This promise He has fulfilled.\nHe went up to heaven to prepare a place in His Father's house for all\nwho believe in Him, their Savior.--Our Lord ascended into heaven, _and\nwhere He is, there shall we, His friends and disciples also be._ He will\nnot leave us behind in this world. As truly as Christ went up to heaven,\nwe, His own, will follow Him to His and our Father's house. _\"Where I\nam, there shall also My servant be.\"_ John 12,26. Our Lord prayed for us\nbefore His death upon the cross: _\"Father, I will that they also whom\nThou hast given Me be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory,\nwhich Thou hast given Me.\"_ John 17,24. \"Mighty Lord, in Thine ascension\nwe by faith behold our own.\"--Remember: _Our Treasure, our Lord and\nSavior, is in heaven, and where our Treasure is, our hearts and hopes\nshould also be._\n\n4. _\"He was received up into heaven and sat on the right hand of God,\"_\nthus we read Mark 16,19. We, therefore, confess that our ascended Lord\nnow _\"sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.\"_ What does\nthis mean? It does not mean that in heaven, at the right hand of God the\nFather, there is a special throne, prepared for our Lord, the God-man\nJesus Christ, upon which He is now seated in divine glory, adored and\npraised by all the heavenly hosts, and that, because He is sitting on\nthat throne, He is _far away from us, His own._ It means--and so our\nCatechism explains it--that our dear Lord, after being raised from\nthe dead, _\"lives and reigns to all eternity.\"_ It means that Christ,\nthough He was dead, lives and is alive forevermore, that our living Lord\nis with us and reigns over us as our gracious King to all eternity. He\nis, and will be, according to His almighty power, our King forever and\never.\n\n5. Christ, indeed, ascended into heaven. He now is in heaven, in the\nglory of His Father; _but He is not far away from us. He is with us._ We\ncannot see Him, as His apostles saw Him, but He is with us _invisibly in\nHis Word, His Gospel._ When we read or hear His Gospel or think about\nit, our Savior is always at our side. He Himself has promised us: _\"I\nwill not leave you comfortless; I will come to you.\"_ John 14,18.--\n_Our Lord lives and reigns to all eternity,_ that is, He rules and\ngoverns us, His own, His disciples. He leads and protects us against all\nour enemies. Out of His almighty hand no enemy can pluck us. Our mighty\nLord on God's throne is our Good Shepherd, who leads us in the paths of\nrighteousness for His name's sake. Ps. 23.--Christ's resurrection, His\nascension, and His sitting at the right hand of God assure us of the\nfact that He is indeed our Lord, and will be our Lord and King to\neternity; and in His kingdom we shall live and Him we shall serve in\neverlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness.\n\nREMEMBER:--\n\n1. _Christ, our Savior, ascended into heaven as the triumphant Victor\nover all His and our enemies. He entered into heaven, into the glory of\nHis Father, there to prepare a place for us._\n\n2. _His ascension assures us that the gates of heaven are open to all\nwho believe in Him, that we shall be where He is to see His glory._\n\n3. _Our Lord sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, that is,\nHe, the God-man, lives to eternity, lives, and is with us in His Word,\nand reigns over His own with His almighty power forever and ever._\n\nMEMORIZE:--\n\n_In My Father's house are many mansions. I go to prepare a place for\nyou._ John 14,2.\n\n_I will come again and receive you unto Myself, that where I am, there\nye may be also._ John 14,3.\n\n_Where I am, there shall also My servant be._ John 12,26.\n\n_I will not leave You comfortless; I will come to you._ John 14,18.\n\nQUESTIONS.\n\n1. How long did our Lord remain on earth after His resurrection? 2. What\ndid He do during these forty days? 3. Where were His disciples assembled\non the fortieth day? 4. What promise did the Lord give them? 5. Why were\nthey to be endued with the power of the Holy Ghost? 6. Where did Christ\nlead the apostles? 7. In what manner was the Lord taken up into heaven?\n8. Who were the witnesses of His ascension? 9. What has Christ prepared\nfor us in His Father's house? 10. What does our Savior say John 12,26?\n11. Since our Lord is in heaven, who also shall be there? 12. What does\nthe sitting of Christ at the right hand of the Father not mean? 13. With\nwhat words does our Catechism explain it? 14. How is our Lord with us\nafter His ascension? 15. What does it mean that our Lord reigns over us?\n16. Of what does His resurrection, His ascension, and His sitting at the\nright hand of God make us certain?\n\nLESSON 28.\n\nThe Second Article.\n\nChrist Will Come To Judge The World\n\nWhich is the Second Article?\n\n_I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who sitteth at the\nright hand of God the Father Almighty, from thence He shall come to\njudge the quick and the dead._\n\n1. When our Lord ascended into heaven and His disciples were looking\nafter Him as He was taken up before their eyes, higher and higher, two\nmen stood by them in white apparel, two angels, who said: _\"This same\nJesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like\nmanner as ye have seen Him go into heaven.\"_ Acts 1,11. We confess\ntherefore that our Lord _will come again,_ that He will come again in\nlike manner as His apostles saw Him taken up into heaven. He will come\n_visibly._ All men on earth will see our Lord coming in a cloud with\npower and great glory. Luke 21,27. He will not come again in deep\nhumility and poverty, as He came when He was born in Bethlehem, but\nwith great power and glory. _\"The Son of Man shall come in the glory of\nHis Father with His angels.\"_ Matt. 16,27. All men will see Him as the\nalmighty King surrounded by His heavenly hosts. Every one will then have\nto confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, and every one will have to bow to\nHim. _Our Lord will come again visibly and in great glory._\n\n2. When the Lord comes in His glory, the heavens shall pass away with a\ngreat noise, and the earth and all the works therein shall be burned up.\n2 Pet. 3,10. _The Last Day, the end of this world, will then have come._\nOn this Last Day our Lord will come to _\"judge the quick and the dead.\"_\nChrist has been ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. Acts\n10,42. He will judge the _quick,_ that is, those who are still living\nwhen He comes. He will judge the dead. On that day all the dead will\nrise again and will be brought before the Lord to be judged by Him.\n\n3. Christ Himself has given us a beautiful description of His Judgment.\n(Read the whole passage, Matt. 25,31-46.) He tells us: _\"When the Son of\nMan shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then\nshall He sit upon the throne of His glory, and before Him shall be\ngathered all nations.\"_ Matt. 25,31.32. Christ is the Judge of all\nnations, of all men. _\"We must all appear before the judgment-seat of\nChrist, that every one may receive the things done in His body,\naccording to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.\"_ 2 Cor.\n5,10. No one, be He ever so mighty, rich, or learned, can escape His\nJudgment.\n\n4. How will Christ judge? He says: _\"And He shall separate them one from\nanother, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats. And He shall\nset the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.\"_ Matt.\n25,32.33. The _sheep are those who truly believe in Christ, their\nSavior,_ and in Him have forgiveness of their sins. _The goats are those\nwho in this life rejected Christ and His grace._ To His sheep He will\nsay: _\"Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for\nyou from the foundation of the world.\"_ V. 34. On the goats He will\npronounce this judgment: _\"Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting\nfire, prepared for the devil and his angels.\"_ V. 41. And then the Lord\nwill prove to all men that His judgment is a righteous one by the good\nworks of the believers and the evil deeds of His enemies.--This\njudgment is final and will never be altered. His enemies _\"shall go away\ninto everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal.\"_\nMatt. 25,46.\n\n5. _When will this great Day of Judgment, the day of our Lord, come?_\nThis we do not know. Our Lord says: _\"Of that day and that hour knoweth\nno man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the\nFather.\"_ Mark 13,32. We should not try to find out the exact day of the\ncoming of our Lord. But God has in His Word revealed two important\nthings about this day. He tells us that His day will come _suddenly,\nwhen nobody expects it. \"The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the\nnight.\"_ 2 Pet. 3,10. _\"Watch therefore; for ye know neither the day nor\nthe hour wherein the Son of Man cometh.\"_ Matt. 25,13.--We also know\nthat this day will come _soon. \"The end of all things is at hand.\"_\n1 Pet. 4,7. We may and should expect the Lord _daily_ and be prepared to\nreceive Him. There are many signs which announce the coming of Christ.\nMatt. 24,14-31; Luke 21,25-36.\n\n6. _\"This is most certainly true.\"_ With these words we conclude also\nour Second Article. From God's Word we know that all we have learned in\nthe Second Article is most certainly true. Therefore we believe and\nconfess it.\n\nREMEMBER:--\n\n1. _On the Last Day our Lord will come again visibly and in great glory\nto judge the quick and the dead, all men. You, too, must appear before\nthe judgment-seat of Christ._\n\n2. _On this day He will cast away the wicked and unbelievers into\neverlasting punishment. The righteous He will receive into His\neverlasting kingdom. Believe in Christ, and you will be saved._\n\n3. _We know neither day nor hour of His coming, but we know that His day\nwill come unexpectedly and soon. Watch always and be prepared to receive\nyour Lord._\n\nMEMORIZE:--\n\n_He is ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead._ Acts 10,42.\n\n_The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night._ 2 Pet. 3,10.\n\n_The end of all things is at hand._ 1 Pet. 4,7.\n\n_We must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ, that every one\nmay receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done,\nwhether it be good or bad._ 2 Cor. 5,10.\n\nQUESTIONS.\n\n1. How did the apostles learn of the coming of their Lord at His\nascension? 2. How will the Lord come again, according to the words of\nthe angels? 3. Who will see our Lord in His second coming? 4. What is\nthe difference between His first and His second coming? 5. On what day\nwill the Lord come again? 6. What is the purpose of His coming? 7. Who\nare the quick? 8. How can the Lord judge the dead? 9. Whom, therefore,\nwill Christ judge? 10. How will Christ judge? 11. Who are His sheep? 12.\nWho are the goats? 13. What will Christ say to His sheep on that day?\n14. What judgment will He pronounce on His enemies? 15. When will the\nlast day, the Day of Judgment, come? 16. What has God revealed to us\nconcerning this day? 17. When, therefore, should we expect our Lord and\nprepare for His coming?\n\nLESSON 29.\n\nThe Second Article.\n\nREVIEW LESSON.\n\n1. We confess in the Second Article that Christ, the God-man, is our\nLord. In order to become our Lord, He had to redeem and purchase us from\nthe cruel masters to whom we belonged, from all our sins, from death,\nand from the power of the devil. To purchase us He had to pay a price,\na very high price--His holy, precious blood, His life. To purchase us\nHe of His own free will gave up His life; He died on the cross. Christ\nwas dead and buried. Do we now believe in a dead and buried Lord and\nSavior? What happened after His death, when He was still in His grave?\nWhere did He go after having been quickened by the Spirit? What was His\npurpose in entering the habitation of Satan and his evil spirits? Christ\nshowed Himself to be the Victor over Satan and hell. For whose benefit\ndid He win this victory? From whose power are we free?\n\n2. What happened on the third day after the death of our Lord? Christ\nrose from the dead. What does that mean? Christ came forth from His\nsepulcher. Who brought this glad message to the women? How did the Lord\nconvince His disciples that He was living? Even who could not deny His\nresurrection? What makes us sure that Christ rose from the dead? What do\nwe therefore gladly confess? (Job 19,25.)--With what body did Christ\ncome forth from His grave? How can we prove that it was the same body\nthat was laid in the grave? But how was Christ's body after His\nresurrection? His body, indeed, was glorified. What does this mean?--\nThe resurrection of our Lord is of great importance for us. It is full\nof comfort and consolation. If Christ would still be dead and lying in\nthe grave, how could He be our Savior and King, and how would it be\npossible for Him to help us? Our faith in Him would be vain; indeed, we\nwould be of all men most miserable. What does the Apostle Paul say about\nthis? (1 Cor. 15,17-19.) But Christ is risen indeed. What great comfort\nfor us! Whom has He conquered? Who alone is able to conquer this\npowerful enemy? What, therefore, must our Lord be? Christ rose after He\nhad given His life a ransom for our sins. What, therefore, does the\nresurrection of our Lord prove concerning our sins? Christ is risen and\nlives forever. What comfort does this give us for our whole life? What\ncomfort does it give us in the hour of death?\n\n3. How long did our Lord remain with His disciples after His\nresurrection? Why did He repeatedly show Himself to them? What happened\non the fortieth day? Where did His ascension take place? What promise\ndid the Lord give His apostles just before His ascension? Why were they\nto be endued with the power of the Holy Ghost? In what manner did the\nascension of our Lord take place?--Christ ascended into heaven as the\ntriumphant Victor over all His enemies. His enemies are our enemies.\nWhat does His ascension prove concerning our enemies? For whose sake,\ntherefore, did Christ ascend into heaven?--Christ ascended into\nheaven. Heaven is His Father's house. Why did our Lord go to His\nFather's house for us? He has prepared a place for us in heaven. He has\nopened the gates of heaven for us. What does our Lord say John 12,26?\nWhere will our Savior lead us, His disciples, too? Christ, our Treasure,\nis in heaven; what, therefore, shall be there also?\n\n4. Christ ascended into heaven, and He now sits at the right hand of God\nin the glory of His Father. How does our Catechism explain this? Though\nChrist is sitting at the right hand of God, He is always with us, His\ndisciples. In what manner is He with us? What must we use, read, hear,\nand think about in order that our Lord may be with us? What promise did\nHe give us, John 14,18? The Lord sitting at the right hand of God reigns\nover us; what does this mean? Of what does Christ's resurrection,\nascension, and the sitting at the right hand of God make us certain?\n\n5. When our Lord ascended into heaven, two angels stood by the\ndisciples. They told them that Christ would come again in like manner as\nthey had seen Him taken up into His glory. What do we learn from these\nwords about the coming of our Lord? Who will see Him when He returns?\nWhat is the difference between the first and the second coming of\nChrist? Our Lord will come again with power and glory. What will all men\nhave to confess on that day, even His enemies? Who will escort the Lord\nwhen He returns in His glory?--What is the purpose of His coming? Whom\nwill the Lord judge? What judgment will He pronounce on His sheep? How\ndo we become His sheep? Who, therefore, will stand before the Son of Man\non Judgment Day? What terrible sentence will His enemies hear? Our Lord\ntells us that after the Judgment His enemies will go away into\neverlasting punishment, but His sheep into everlasting life. How,\ntherefore, is this Judgment?--Who alone knows the day and hour of the\nsecond coming of Christ? What should we therefore never try to do? What,\nhowever, does Scripture tell us concerning the Last Day? When,\ntherefore, should we expect His coming and prepare for it? What does our\nLord Himself say to us, Matt. 25,13? Believe in Jesus Christ, and you\nwill be saved.\n\nAnd we believe in Jesus Christ,\nSon of God and Mary's Son,\nWho from heaven above came down\nAnd leads us to heaven's throne;\nBy whose blood and death are we\nRescued from all misery.\n\nLESSON 30.\n\nThe Third Article: Of Sanctification.\n\nThe Holy Ghost. The Triune God.\n\nWhich is the beginning of the Third Article?\n\n_I believe in the Holy Ghost._\n\n1. According to the Second Article we believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord,\nthat is, we do not only know that it is true what God's Word says about\nChrist and His work for us, but _we put all our confidence, all our\ntrust, in Him as our Savior_ who has redeemed us. That is the true,\nsaving faith. This saving faith is not our own work. _It is the work of\nGod the Holy Ghost._ Without Him and the work which He performs in us no\nman would come to Jesus and believe in Him. The Holy Ghost alone can and\ndoes bring to Christ those that believe in Him. About the Holy Ghost and\nthe work which He performs in us we learn in the _Third Article of our\nChristian Creed._\n\n2. _\"I believe in the Holy Ghost,\"_ these are the first words of the\nThird Article. We _believe_ in the Holy Ghost, thus we confess. To\nbelieve in some one means, as we have learned, _to put one's whole\nconfidence and trust in him._ Now, God tells us in the First Commandment\nthat we should fear and love Him above all things _and trust in Him\nalone. In God only_ we should believe. And therefore we believe in the\nHoly Ghost, because He is the true God. _In saying that we believe in\nthe Holy Ghost, we confess that He is the one true God, that He is our\nGod, God as truly as the Father and Jesus Christ, His only Son, our\nLord._ The apostle says: _\"Know ye not that ye are the temple of God,\nand that the Spirit of God, dwelleth in you?\"_ 1 Cor. 3,16. Because the\nSpirit of God, the Holy Ghost, dwells in us, we are _God's_ temple. The\nHoly Ghost therefore is the true God.--Remember what you learned in\nthe history of creation. There we read: _\"And the Spirit of God moved\nupon the face of the waters.\"_ Gen. 1,2. The work of creation is\nascribed to the Spirit of God, to the Holy Ghost. Creation is the work\nof God. _Therefore the Holy Ghost must be God._\n\n3. _We believe in the Father, and we believe in Jesus Christ, God's only\nSon, and we believe in the Holy Ghost._ There are _three distinct\npersons_ in whom we believe. There are three persons whom we confess to\nbe our God--God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. And\nwe confess this according to Scripture. Christ, our Lord, commands us to\nbaptize in the name of God the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost.\nMatt. 28,19. Let me remind you of the _baptism of our Lord._ There the\nthree divine Persons revealed themselves. _God the Son,_ our Lord Jesus\nChrist, stood in the river Jordan, being baptized by John. _God the\nFather_ revealed Himself in a voice from heaven, saying: _\"This is My\nbeloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.\"_ And the heavens opened, and\nthe _Spirit of God, the Holy Ghost,_ like a dove, descended upon our\nLord. _There are three distinct divine Persons in God, the Father, the\nSon, and the Holy Ghost._\n\n4. We confess that the Father is God, and the Son is God, and the Holy\nGhost is God. _There are not three gods, however, but only one God.\n\"Hear, O Israel: the Lord, our God, is one Lord.\"_ Deut. 6,4. The one\nand only true God has revealed Himself in three distinct divine Persons.\n_Our God, the one true God, besides whom there is no other God in heaven\nand earth, is God the Father, God the Son, and God, the Holy Ghost,\nthree divine Persons, but one God._ Because God has revealed Himself in\nthree divine Persons, we say: _God is the Triune God, the Holy\nTrinity._--How it is possible that there are three distinct divine\nPersons, but only one God, we do not _understand;_ but in accordance\nwith the Word of God we _believe_ in the Triune God, in God the Father,\nSon, and Holy Ghost, who has created us, redeemed us, and sanctifies us,\nor makes us holy. In Him we believe, Him we praise and adore as our God.\n\n5. The Holy Ghost is the true God, the Third Person of the Holy Trinity.\nThe Third Person is called the Holy Ghost because _He Himself is\nperfectly holy,_ even as the Father and the Son. He is without sin.\n_\"Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His\nglory.\"_ Is. 6,3. Three times God is called holy, because there are\nthree divine Persons in God.--But the Holy Ghost is called holy also\n_because He makes us sinners holy._ That is His work, making us holy,\nwho by nature are unholy and sinful. He makes us holy by bringing us to\nChrist, our Savior, by kindling faith in Him in our hearts. This work of\nthe Holy Ghost we call _sanctification._\n\nREMEMBER:--\n\n1. _The Holy Ghost is true God together with the Father and the Son.\nTherefore we confess that we believe in Him._\n\n2. _The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God.\nAccording to Scripture we confess three distinct divine Persons in God._\n\n3. _There are not three gods, however, but only one true and eternal\nGod, who has revealed Himself in three Persons._\n\n4. _The one true God, our God, is the Triune God, the Holy Trinity, God\nthe Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost._\n\nMEMORIZE:--\n\n_Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God\ndwelleth in you?_ 1 Cor. 3,16.\n\n_Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of\nthe Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost._ Matt. 28,19.\n\n_Hear, O Israel: the Lord, our God, is one Lord._ Deut. 6,4.\n\n_Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His\nglory._ Is. 6,3.\n\nQUESTIONS.\n\n1. Of whom does the Third Article treat? 2. In whom do we believe? 3.\nWhat does it mean to believe in some one? 4. In whom alone should we\nbelieve? 5. What do we therefore confess when we say that we believe in\nthe Holy Ghost? 6. How do we prove from 1 Cor. 3,16 that the Holy Ghost\nis true God? 7. What divine work is ascribed in Scripture to the Holy\nGhost? 8. What, therefore, must the Holy Ghost be? 9. How many divine\npersons do we confess in the Three Articles of our Christian Faith? 10.\nHow are they called? 11. In whose name are we baptized? 12. How did the\nthree divine persons reveal themselves at the baptism of our Lord? 13.\nHow many gods are there? 14. In how many persons did the one true God\nreveal Himself? 15. Who, therefore, is the one true God? 16. How do we\ncall God because He has revealed Himself in three distinct persons? 17.\nWhich person of the Holy Trinity is the Holy Ghost? 18. Why is He called\nholy? 19. What is His work? 20. By what other name is this work of the\nHoly Spirit known?\n\nLESSON 31.\n\nThe Third Article.\n\nWithout The Holy Ghost I Cannot Believe In Jesus Or Come To Him.\n\nWhich is the Third Article?\n\n_I believe in the Holy Ghost._\n\nWhat does this mean?\n\n_I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus\nChrist, my Lord, or come to Him._\n\n1. We confess that we cannot by our own reason or strength believe in\nJesus Christ or come to Him. Whoever would be saved must believe in\nJesus Christ and so come to Him _\"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and\nthou shalt be saved.\"_ Acts 16,31. Christ, our Lord, it is true, has\ndone everything that was necessary for our salvation. He redeemed us, He\npaid the penalty for all our sins, by His sufferings and death He gained\nfor us the grace of God and the forgiveness of sins. He has done\neverything that we might be His own and live under Him as our Lord. All\nthings are made ready for our salvation.\n\n2. _The only thing that we need do now is to come to Christ and accept\nfrom Him all He has gained for us._ Take an example. You are in great\nwant and distress. A rich and charitably inclined man offers you a sum\nof money sufficient to help you out of your trouble. The money is yours,\nfor the rich man has given it to you. If you take it, your want will be\nat an end. But suppose you do not take it. Perhaps you do not believe\nthat the rich man really means what he says, or you do not want to\naccept it from him, or, if you have taken it, you are not making use of\nit. The help has then been offered to you in vain. Your sad condition\nremains as it was. So it is with what Christ, our Savior, has merited\nfor us. He has gained full salvation for us, and He offers it to us in\nHis Word. If we do not accept it, His work is in vain as far as we are\nconcerned; we remain in our sins.\n\n3. How do we accept what Christ has gained for us? _By believing in Him\nas our Savior._ He believes in Christ who from his whole heart\nconfesses: I know from the Word of God that Christ is _my_ Lord, that He\nhas redeemed me from all _my_ sins, from death, and from the power of\nthe devil. I know from the Word of God that _I_ am Christ's own, His\nchild, that He is really _my_ Lord. For His sake all _my_ sins are\nforgiven. Through His suffering and death _I_ am free from death and\ndamnation and have everlasting life. _What Christ has done He has done\nfor me, a lost and condemned sinner._ In Him is my only hope. By faith\nwe come to Christ. Faith is, as it were, the _hand_ with which we take\neverything that Christ has gained for us.\n\n4. Believe in Jesus Christ and you will be saved, that is the only way\nto heaven and everlasting life. But we confess that _we cannot by our\nown reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, or come to Him._ Alas!\nalso this is most certainly true. We are lost and condemned sinners. The\nScriptures tell us that all men are by nature _blind_ in these things.\nWe do not understand the glorious message that in Christ alone is our\nsalvation. We always try to save ourselves by our good works. If we are\ntold about this salvation, we think it _foolishness._ \"The natural man\nreceiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness\nunto Him.\" 1 Cor. 2,14.--We have not the _strength_ to come to Jesus,\nour Savior. We are _dead_ in the sight of God. _\"Ye were dead in\ntrespasses and sins.\"_ Eph. 2,1. A dead person cannot do anything to\nbring himself to life again. Lazarus could not raise himself from the\ngrave. So we cannot do anything to raise ourselves from our death in\nsins. _\"No man can say that Jesus is the Lord_ [that is, believe in Him]\n_but by the Holy Ghost.\"_ 1 Cor. 12,3. And even if we could, we would\nnot come to Jesus and believe in Him. We are by nature God's enemies. We\ndo not want to be saved by Him. We cannot by our own reason or strength\nbelieve in Jesus Christ, or come to Him. _As far as we are concerned, we\nare lost._\n\n5. But God has had pity on us. He sent His Holy Ghost. The _Holy Ghost_\ndoes what we cannot do. He brings us to Christ, He works in us true\nfaith. True faith is God's work in us, the work of the Holy Ghost, _His\nwork alone._ Not our works, but His _grace alone_ moves Him to do this\nwork. _\"By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves,\nit is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast.\"_\nEph. 2,8.9.\n\nREMEMBER:--\n\n1. _Christ has done everything for my salvation. All now depends upon my\ncoming to Jesus, my Lord and Savior._\n\n2. _I come to Jesus by believing in Him. True faith in Christ is not my\nown work. I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe\nin Jesus Christ, or come to Him._\n\n3. _Saving faith in Christ is the work of the Holy Ghost alone. Not my\nworks or my merits, but only His grace has moved Him to bring me to\nChrist and save me._\n\nMEMORIZE:--\n\n_The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they\nare foolishness unto Him._ 1 Cor. 2,14.\n\n_Ye were dead in trespasses and sins._ Eph. 2,1.\n\n_No man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost._ 1 Cor.\n12,3.\n\n_By grace are ye saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is\nthe gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast._\n\nQUESTIONS.\n\n1. What has Christ done for our salvation? 2. In what manner did He gain\nfor us the grace of God, forgiveness of sins, and life everlasting? 3.\nWhat is now the one thing necessary for our salvation? 4. What happens\nif we do not accept all that Christ offers us for our salvation? 5. How\ndo we come to Christ and accept in true faith what He has gained for us?\n6. What does it mean to believe in Christ? 7. In what respect may we\ncompare our faith with a hand? 8. Which is the only way to heaven? 9.\nWhat do we confess in the Third Article about our coming to Christ and\nbelieving in Him? 10. Why are we not able to come to Christ by our own\nreason? 11. How do we always try to save ourselves? 12. Why do we not\nhave strength to come to Jesus and believe in Him? 13. What does the\napostle say 1 Cor. 12,3? 14. Who alone can bring us to Christ and work\nfaith in us? 15. What moves the Holy Ghost to perform this work in us?\n\nLESSON 32.\n\nThe Third Article.\n\nThe Holy Ghost Has Called Me.\n\nWhich is the Third Article?\n\n_I believe in the Holy Ghost._\n\nWhat does this mean?\n\n_I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus\nChrist, my Lord, or come to Him, but the Holy Ghost has called me by the\nGospel._\n\n1. We cannot by our own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, our\nLord, or come to Him. The Holy Ghost alone is able to bring us to\nChrist, our Savior. How does He bring us to Christ? We confess as\nchildren of God that _the Holy Ghost has called me by the Gospel._ By\ncalling me through the Gospel, the Holy Ghost has brought me to Jesus\nChrist, my Lord and Savior. Let us see what this means.\n\n2. Our Lord, in a parable, once spoke of a certain rich man who made a\ngreat supper for his guests. And he sent out his servants at supper-time\nto say to those who were bidden: _\"Come, for all things are now ready.\"_\nLuke 14,16.17. The meal was prepared, and the rich man invited his\nguests to come and partake of it. At dinner-time, when your mother has\nprepared dinner for the family, she calls to you, \"Dinner is ready. Now\ncome and eat! It is prepared for you too.\" In a similar manner the _Holy\nGhost calls us and invites us to come to Christ and accept His\nsalvation._ Christ, our Savior, has prepared all things; He has prepared\nforgiveness of all our sins, life, and salvation. All things necessary\nfor our salvation are ready in Christ. All is finished. And now the Holy\nGhost brings us these glad tidings: All things are now ready, all things\nneeded for your salvation. Come, whosoever you are, come to your Savior!\nCome and take and enjoy what He in His great love has prepared for you.\n_We come to Jesus only by faith._ The Holy Ghost calls us and invites\nus, Come, _believe_ in your Savior, and You will be saved.\n\n3. You do not see the Holy Ghost when He calls you. _The Holy Ghost\ncalls you by the Gospel._ The Gospel, as you have learned (Lesson 14),\n_is the glad tidings of the grace of God for all men,_ the tidings of\nwhat Christ has done for us to save us. As the rich man in the parable,\nso the Holy Ghost sends His _servants._ These servants are all those who\ntell you the Gospel of Christ, your minister, your teacher, your\nparents, etc. When you hear the Gospel or read it, the Holy Ghost comes\nto you and calls you. In the Gospel He says to you: All things have been\nprepared by Christ; they are ready for you, for your salvation. In\nChrist you have forgiveness of your sins and salvation. _Come now, you\nlost and condemned sinner, and take what your Lord freely offers you.\nBelieve in Christ, and you will be saved._ That is the call of the Holy\nGhost by the Gospel. _\"He called you by our Gospel to the obtaining of\nthe glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.\"_ 2 Thess. 2,14.\n\n4. When your mother calls you to dinner, you must come by your own will\nand strength, and you have the strength to do so. We sinners have\nneither the will nor the strength to come to Jesus. The Holy Ghost knows\nthat we cannot by our own strength come to our Savior. _By calling us He\ngives us the strength to hear and to follow His call._ By His call He\nbrings us to Christ and works in us faith in our Lord, so that we\nwillingly come to Him. The call of the Holy Ghost is God's call, full of\npower. This work of the Holy Ghost we also call _conversion._ The Holy\nGhost alone converts us, that is, He turns us from our sins to Christ.\n\"Turn Thou me, and I shall be turned; for Thou art the Lord, my God.\"\nJer. 31,18.\n\n5. Remember that the Holy Ghost brings you to Christ _by the Gospel._\nOnly through the Gospel does He work in the hearts of men. The Gospel is\nthe means by which we obtain the grace of God and salvation. _If we do\nnot read or hear the Word of God, the Gospel, the Holy Ghost cannot\nperform His work in us._ Therefore you should _diligently_ read and hear\nthe Word of God, the Gospel. _\"It is the power of God unto salvation to\nevery one that believeth.\"_ Rom. 1,16.\n\nREMEMBER:--\n\n1. _Christ has prepared your whole salvation. All is ready, ready for\nyou. The Holy Ghost calls and invites you to come and partake freely of\nwhat Jesus has gained for you._\n\n2. _By His call the Holy Ghost gives you strength to follow His call, to\ncome to your Lord. He Himself works by His call in your heart the true\nfaith in your Savior and so brings you to Christ. This work of the Holy\nGhost is also called conversion. Conversion is the work of the Holy\nGhost alone. Our salvation is a free gift of God._\n\n3. _The Holy Ghost calls us by the Gospel of Christ. Diligently read and\nhear God's saving Word._\n\nMEMORIZE:--\n\n_Come, for all things are now ready._ Luke 14,17.\n\n_Turn Thou me, and I shall be turned; for Thou art the Lord, my God._\nJer. 31,18.\n\n_By grace are ye saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is\nthe gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast._ Eph. 2,8.9.\n\n_I am not ashame of the Gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God\nunto salvation to every one that believeth._ Rom. 1,16.\n\nQUESTIONS.\n\n1. What do we confess in the Third Article concerning ourselves? 2.\nWhose work is it that we come to Christ? 3. Who has prepared all things\nnecessary for our salvation? 4. Who calls us to come and partake of all\nthat Christ has gained? 5. What do we mean when we say that the Holy\nGhost calls us? 6. By what means does the Holy Ghost call us to Jesus?\n7. What is the Gospel? 8. Who are the servants the Holy Ghost sends to\nus with the Gospel message? 9. What the Holy Ghost do when you hear or\nread the Gospel? 10. What are we not able to do of ourselves when the\nHoly Ghost calls us? 11. What does the Holy Ghost give us when He calls\nus? 12. What does He work in us by His call? 13. What other name have we\nfor this work of the Holy Ghost? 14. Whose work alone is our conversion?\n15. To whom does the Holy Ghost tun us when He converts us? 16. The Holy\nGhost converts us by the Gospel; what should we therefore diligently do?\n\nLESSON 33.\n\nThe Third Article.\n\nThe Holy Ghost Has Enlightened, Sanctified, And Kept Me In The True\nFaith.\n\nWhich is the Third Article?\n\n_I believe in the Holy Ghost._\n\nWhat does this mean?\n\n_I believe that the Holy Ghost has called me by the Gospel, enlightened\nme with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith._\n\n1. The Holy Ghost has called me by the Gospel, and in doing so _He has\nalso enlightened me with His gifts._ By calling me, He has kindled true\nfaith in Christ in me, so that I know Christ and acknowledge Him to be\nmy Savior, I believe and trust, rejoice and find comfort in Him alone\nfor life and death. These are gifts of the Holy Ghost with which He\nenlightens every child of God: _true knowledge of Christ as his\nRedeemer, true faith in Him, peace with God, his Father, joy and comfort\nin all distress._ What wonderful gifts! How rich does the Holy Ghost\nmake a child of God! _Do not forget to thank Him daily for the precious\ngifts He bestows upon you._\n\n2. _\"The Holy Ghost has sanctified me,\"_ that is, _He has made me holy,\nand He does this every day, more and more._ He sanctifies me _\"in the\ntrue faith.\"_ By His call the Holy Ghost has called forth in us true\nfaith in our Lord. Through faith you have forgiveness of sins and are a\nchild of God, with whom God, for Christ's sake, is well pleased. _But it\nis God's will that His children lead a holy life,_ flee and shun all\nsin, and live according to His commandments. _\"This is the will of God,\neven your sanctification.\"_ 1 Thess. 4,3. Of ourselves we cannot do\nthis, but the Holy Ghost comes to our aid. _He sanctifies us, He makes\nus holy._ Through faith He comes into our heart and dwells in us. _\"Know\nye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God\ndwelleth in you?\"_ 1 Cor. 3,16. And the Holy Ghost _works_ in us, the\nchildren of God. In His strength we begin _to hate the sins_ that we\nformerly loved, and to flee them. In His strength we begin _to fear and\nlove God above all things, and to trust in Him._ We no longer serve the\ndevil and our sins, but begin to serve our Lord who has redeemed us, and\nour Father in heaven.\n\n3. True, we are not _perfectly holy,_ nor do we become so as long as we\nlive here on earth. True children of God also must confess _that they\ndaily sin much and deserve nothing but punishment._ But they are\nheartily sorry for this. They daily ask God's forgiveness for Christ's\nsake. And the Holy Ghost _daily_ gives them _new strength and power_ to\nfight and struggle against all temptations of the devil and the world\nand their own evil lusts. He daily gives them new strength to walk in\ngodliness, to love God and their neighbor. Let us abide in Him, and we\nshall more and more overcome the devil, the world, and our sins, become\nmore and more holy as our Lord and God is holy. _\"He that abideth in Me\nand I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without Me ye can\ndo nothing.\"_ John 15,5.\n\n4. _\"The Holy Ghost has kept me in the true faith,\"_ so a child of God\nconfesses. The Holy Ghost has already called and enlightened us and\nbegun to sanctify us _in Holy Baptism._ There already He has brought us\nto Christ and has bestowed His precious gifts upon us. And to-day we\nstill have the true faith; we believe in our Savior, and in Him we are\nchildren of God. _That is not our own merit, it is the work of the Holy\nGhost in us._ He has worked in us by the Gospel, through our parents,\nthrough the Christian school and the church, and by the Gospel. He has\nkept us in the true faith. _\"Ye are kept by the power of God through\nfaith unto salvation.\"_ 1 Pet. 1,5.--And He has promised in His Word\n_that He will keep us in this faith until our end. \"He which hath begun\na good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.\"_\nPhil. 1,6.\n\n5. This is the work of the Holy Ghost in all true believers, and _He is\nwilling to perform this work in every one who hears the Gospel._ God\nearnestly desires to save all men. _\"God will have all men to be saved\nand to come unto the knowledge of the truth.\"_ 1 Tim. 2,4. Christ died\nfor all men; He redeemed all lost and condemned sinners. The Gospel is a\npower of God unto salvation to all who read and hear it.--_And yet not\nall men are saved; most men are lost._ What is the cause of this? They\nare lost _by their own fault._ Most men will not be saved. They\nobstinately resist the Holy Ghost and the saving Gospel, and so they do\nnot come to Christ, but are condemned. _\"O Israel, thou hast destroyed\nthyself, but in Me is thine help.\"_ Hos. 13,9.\n\nREMEMBER:--\n\n1. _The Holy Ghost has enlightened me and bestowed on me His precious\ngifts, the right knowledge of Christ, true faith in Him._\n\n2. _He sanctifies me and makes me holy. He daily gives me strength to\nstruggle against Satan, world, and sin, to overcome them and to lead a\ngodly life, to love God and my neighbor._\n\n3. _He has, by the Gospel, kept me in the true faith until this day, and\nHe has promised me that He will do so until the end._\n\n4. _This work the Holy Ghost desires to perform in all that hear the\nGospel. Whosoever is lost is lost by his own fault._\n\nMEMORIZE:--\n\n_This is the will of God, even your sanctification._ 1 Thess. 4,3.\n\n_Ye are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation._ 1 Pet.\n1,5.\n\n_He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of\nJesus Christ._ Phil. 1,6.\n\n_God will have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the\ntruth._ 1 Tim. 2,4.\n\nQUESTIONS.\n\n1. Which is the second work of the Holy Ghost mentioned in our\nCatechism? 2. With what does the Holy Ghost enlighten us? 3. What are\nHis gifts? 4. What has the Holy Ghost by His call kindled in us? 5.\nWhose children are we through faith? 6. What is God's will regarding His\nchildren? (1 Cor. 3,16.) 7. What does the word \"sanctify\" mean? 8. Who\nperforms this work in us? 9. What do we, by the grace of the Holy Ghost,\nbegin to hate? 10. Whom do we begin to love? 11. What must even true\nbelievers confess? 12. What do we therefore daily ask of God? 13. And\nwhat does the Holy Ghost daily grant us? 14. Which is the last work\nwhich the Holy Ghost performs in us? 15. Since when has He kept us in\nthe true faith? 16. How long has He promised to keep us in the faith?\n17. In whom will the Holy Ghost perform this work He has begun in us?\n18. What is the gracious will of God toward all men? 19. What is the\nreason that not all men are saved? 20. Whose fault is it that they are\nlost? 21. By whose work alone are we saved?\n\nLESSON 34.\n\nThe Third Article.\n\nREVIEW LESSON.\n\n1. In the Third Article of our Creed we learn about the Holy Ghost,\nabout His person and His work. We confess that we believe in the Holy\nGhost. In whom alone should we believe? What do we therefore confess of\nthe Holy Ghost when we say that we believe in Him? How can we prove\nfrom Holy Scripture that the Holy Ghost is true God? 1 Cor. 3,16. Which\ndivine work is ascribed to the Holy Ghost?\n\n2. In whom do we believe according to the First Article? In whom\naccording to the Second Article? And in whom according to the Third\nArticle? In how many Persons of the Godhead do we believe, according to\nour Creed? There are three distinct Persons in whom we believe. We\nbelieve in them; what, therefore, are they? All these three persons are\nthe true God. In whose name have we been baptized? On what occasion did\nthese three divine Persons reveal themselves to us? How did they reveal\nthemselves at the baptism of Christ? The Father is God, the Son is God,\nand tho Holy Ghost is God; how many Gods are there? In how many Persons\ndid the one true God reveal Himself? Who, therefore, is the one true\nGod? What do we call God because He is one and has revealed Himself in\nthree Persons?--Why is the third Person of God called the Holy Ghost?\nThe Holy Ghost makes us holy; what do we call this work of the Holy\nSpirit?\n\n3. What has Christ done for our salvation? What has He gained for us in\norder to save us? What is now the one thing necessary for our salvation?\nWhat becomes of us if we do not come to Jesus and accept what He has\nmerited for us? How do we come to Jesus and accept all that He offers\nus?--Believe in Jesus Christ, your Savior; that is the only way to\nheaven. But what must we confess concerning our believing and coming to\nChrist? Why can we not by our own reason and strength believe in Christ\nor come to Him? What do we read Eph. 2,1? We are dead in trespasses and\nsins. A dead person cannot do anything to raise himself from death to a\nnew life. As far as we are concerned, we are lost and condemned\ncreatures. Who took pity on us? Whom did God send to raise us from the\ndeath of our sins? To whom does the Holy Ghost bring us? Do we and can\nwe help Him to perform this work in us? Whose work alone is it? By what\nis the Holy Ghost moved to bring us to Christ, our Lord, and thus to\nsave us?\n\n4. The Holy Ghost alone can bring us to Christ. Our Catechism tells us\nhow the Spirit of God performs this work in us. What do we confess in\nthe Third Article about this work of the Holy Ghost? The Holy Ghost has\ncalled me. In which parable does Christ Himself explain what this\nmeans? As this rich man had prepared a supper for His guests, so Christ\nhas prepared, as it were, a supper for us, for all men. What is this\nsupper which Christ has prepared for all men? In what manner did He\nprepare everything for our salvation? Who now calls us to the salvation\nChrist has prepared? What does the Holy Ghost say to us in this call? We\ncome to our Lord and to the meal He has prepared for us by believing in\nHim. The Holy Ghost calls and invites us to believe in Jesus Christ, our\nLord, and be saved.--By what means does the Holy Ghost call and invite\nus to Christ, to faith in Him? Who, generally, are the servants He sends\nout to call us to Christ by the Gospel? But who is it that really calls\nus when we hear the Gospel?--The Holy Ghost calls us by the Gospel. He\nsays to us, Come to your Lord and be saved. What are we not able to do\nby our own strength when the Holy Ghost calls us? What does the Holy\nGhost give us in calling us? What does He call forth in us by His call?\nWhat do we call this work of the Spirit? Who alone performs conversion\nin us? The Holy Ghost brings us to Christ, or converts us, only through\nthe Gospel. When can the Holy Ghost not perform this work in us? What\nshould we therefore diligently do?\n\n5. What is the second work of the Holy Ghost? With what does the Holy\nGhost enlighten us? What are His gifts?--The Holy Ghost sanctifies me;\nwhat does that mean? The Holy Ghost sanctifies us in the true faith.\nWhose children are we through faith? What is God's will toward His\nchildren? 1 Thess. 4,3. Who performs this work in us? The Holy Ghost\ndwells in our heart, and renews and sanctifies it. What do we hate now\nby the power He has granted us? Whom do we begin to love?--Our\nsanctification in this life is never perfect. What must also the\nchildren of God confess? What do they therefore ask of their Lord every\nday? But what does the Holy Ghost daily give them? Against whom do the\nchildren of God daily struggle and fight? In whose strength do they more\nand more overcome the devil, the world, and their own sins?--Which is\nthe last work performed in us by the Holy Ghost? Since when has the Holy\nGhost kept us in the true faith? How long has He promised to keep us\nwith Christ?--In whom is the Holy Ghost willing to perform His work to\nthe end in order to save them? What is God's gracious will towards all\nmen? What additional proof can you give for the fact that God desires\nall men to be saved? How is it that not all men are saved? Whose fault\nis it that those are lost who are condemned? By whose grace and work\nalone are we saved?\n\nLESSON 35.\n\nThe Third Article.\n\nThe Holy Christian Church.\n\nWhich is the Third Article?\n\n_I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy Christian Church, the communion\nof saints._\n\nWhat does this mean?\n\n_I believe that ... the Holy Ghost has called me, ... even as He calls,\ngathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth\nand keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith._\n\n1. God the Holy Ghost has called me to Christ, sanctified me, and kept\nme in the true faith. The Holy Ghost, however, has performed this work\nof His grace _not only on me._ Besides me He has called, and still\ncalls, many poor lost sinners to Christ, enlightens them with His\nprecious gifts, with faith in their Savior. All these the Holy Ghost\nalso _\"gathers,\"_ as our Catechism states. The Holy Ghost does not\nsuffer those who have been converted by the Gospel to _be separate,_ but\nadds them to His disciples, as on that first Pentecost all those were\nadded to the congregation of the disciples who had been converted by\nPeter's sermon. Acts 2,41. All true believers are Christ's own; through\nfaith in Him they are closely united as brethren and sisters in the one\nLord. _All true believers, taken together are the holy Christian Church\non earth, which the Holy Ghost sanctifies and keeps in the one true\nfaith._\n\n2. The Third Article calls the Christian Church _the communion of\nsaints._ It is a communion, a congregation, of _saints,_ that is, of\n_holy people._ They are not holy in themselves, but the Holy Ghost has\nsanctified them, or made them holy, through faith in Christ. In Christ\nthey have _forgiveness of all their sins_ and are holy in the eyes of\nGod. _Only true believers in Christ therefore belong to the Christian\nChurch; only they, but all of them._ Instead of the communion of saints\nwe might also say _the communion of true believers._--The Church is\nthe communion of saints. All believers in Christ are a _communion,_ a\n_congregation;_ they form, as it were, one _body._ They do not all live\ntogether at one place, in one city, or in the same country,--we find\nthem scattered over all the earth,--but they are _closely bound\ntogether by one and the same faith in Christ._ They belong to one\nfamily, of which Christ is the Head and Master, and all are members.\n_The Church is the communion of saints; for believers only, but all\nbelievers, are members of it._\n\n3. We _believe_ that the holy Christian Church is here on earth, but we\ndo not _see_ it; it is invisible. Only true believers belong to the\nChurch, and no man can look into another's heart and see his _faith._\nOnly One really knows who the members of the Church are. _\"The Lord\nknoweth them that are His.\"_ 2 Tim. 2,19. We cannot see the Church, but\n_we believe that it is here on earth;_ for holy Scripture assures us\nthat the Holy Ghost by the Gospel at all times calls men to Christ and\nkeeps them in the true faith to the end of the world. Our Lord says:\n_\"Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church; and the\ngates of hell shall not prevail against it.\"_ Matt. 16,18.--The Church\nis _holy_ because all its members are _holy by faith in Christ_ and in\nthe strength of the Holy Ghost _lead a godly life_ and serve their Lord\nin His kingdom in righteousness.--It is called the _Christian_ Church\nbecause it is built on _Christ. \"Other foundation can no man lay than\nthat is laid, which is Jesus Christ.\"_ 1 Cor. 3,11. And He is not only\nits Foundation, but also _the Head and King of the Church._\n\n4. We do not see the Church, _but we know where it is, where we can find\nit._ The Holy Ghost calls and keeps the Church only _by the Gospel._ God\nhas promised us that, where His Gospel is preached, it shall not remain\n_without fruit;_ some of those who hear it will come to Christ and\nbelieve in Him. _Wherever the Word of God is preached, and only where it\nis in use, the holy Christian Church is to be found._\n\n5. Scripture also speaks of a _visible_ Church, of visible congregations\nof Christians. A visible Church is the number of all those who call\nthemselves Christians, who _profess their faith in Christ and are\ngathered about God's Word._ In these visible congregations there are not\nonly true believers, but also _hypocrites,_ who indeed confess the\nChristian faith, but do not believe in their Savior. Among the visible\nchurches there are _many false churches and one true visible Church._\nThe true visible Church teaches and confesses the Word of God _in all\nits purity, without false doctrines. This true visible Church is the\nEvangelical Lutheran Church._ To this Church we ought to belong, and to\nno other; for our Lord says: _\"If ye continue in My Word, then are ye My\ndisciples indeed, and ye shall know the truth; and the truth shall make\nyou free.\"_ John 8, 31.32. _\"Beware of false prophets!\"_ Matt. 7,15.\n\nREMEMBER:--\n\n1. _Let it be your earnest concern to be and remain a member of the\ninvisible Church of Christ; remain steadfast in the true faith. He that\nbelieves, and He only, shall be saved._\n\n2. _Let it also be your earnest concern to belong to the true visible\nChurch, the Evangelical Lutheran Church. In this Church the pure Word is\npreached, the Gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation. Avoid\nall false churches. \"Beware of false prophets!\"_\n\n3. _Pray and work with all diligence for your Church that it may be\nmaintained and extended._ Matt. 28,19.\n\nMEMORIZE:--\n\n_The Lord knoweth them that are His._ 2 Tim. 2,19.\n\n_Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church; and the\ngates of hell shall not prevail against it._ Matt. 16,18.\n\n_Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus\nChrist._ 1 Cor. 3,11.\n\n_If ye continue in My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed, and ye\nshall know the truth; and the truth shall make you free._ John 8,31.32.\n\nQUESTIONS.\n\n1. Who are the members of the holy Christian Church? 2. By whom was the\nChurch founded? 3. In what way does the Holy Ghost build up and preserve\nthe Church? 4. What is the Church also called in the Third Article? 5.\nWho are the saints? 6. Why are believers called saints? 7. How are they\nsanctified by the Holy Ghost? 8. What does the Word \"communion\" mean?\n9. What binds true believers so closely together? 10. Why is the Church\ncalled the _holy_ Church? 11. Why is it called the _Christian_ Church?\n12. Where do we find the true Church? 13. Why is this so? 14. What is\nthe visible Church? 15. Who also, besides true believers, belongs to\nthese visible churches? 16. Which is the true visible Church? 17. How is\nthe true visible Church called? 18. Why should we belong to this Church\nand avoid all false churches?\n\nLESSON 36.\n\nThe Third Article.\n\nThe Forgiveness Of Sins.\n\nWhich is the Third Article?\n\n_I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy Christian Church, the communion\nof saints; the forgiveness of sins._\n\nWhat does this mean?\n\n_In which Church He_ [the Holy Ghost] _daily and richly forgives all\nsins to me and all believers._\n\n1. We confess in our Catechism that the Holy Ghost forgives all sins to\nme and all believers. _We believe that there is a forgiveness of sins.\nGod's Word assures us of this. _\"There is forgiveness with Thee.\"_ Ps.\n130,4. _How sorely do we need forgiveness of sins!_ You know that all\nmen, also believers, commit sin. A child of God indeed earnestly\nstrives against committing any sin, he tries not to transgress the\ncommandments of his heavenly Father; but, alas! also God's children sin\ndaily and much. _\"There is not a just man upon earth that doeth good and\nsinneth not.\"_ Eccl. 7,20. With our sins we deserve nothing but God's\npunishment. _\"The wages of sin is death.\"_ Rom. 6,23. _Without\nforgiveness of sins we are lost.\n\n2. _But there is a forgiveness of sins with God._ He assures us in His\nWord that by grace, for Christ's sake, He will forgive me all my sins.\nHe will do so _daily and richly._ Whenever we have sinned, we should\ncome to Him and pray to Him: Forgive me my trespasses. Even as a child\nwho has grieved his father by his disobedience penitently comes to him\nand asks his forgiveness, so we in true penitence should daily come to\nour heavenly Father, whom we have so sorely grieved, whose punishment we\ndeserve, and ask His forgiveness. _He will not cast us out._ He will\nhear our prayer, and we will praise Him: _\"Bless the Lord, O my soul,\nand forget not all His benefits; who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who\nhealeth all thy diseases.\"_ Ps. 103,2.3. The _publican_ came into the\nTemple and humbly said: _\"God be merciful to me, a sinner!\"_ and God was\nmerciful to him; he went down to his house _justified._ He had received\nforgiveness of his sins. Luke 18,9-14.\n\n3. God forgives us our sins. He is moved to do this _not by our good\nworks or merits._ God does not see anything in us which could induce Him\nto forgive us our trespasses. We deserve nothing but punishment. _His\nfree grace alone moves God to forgive us all our sins._ Our God is a\nmerciful God. He takes pity on us, His sinful children.--By grace God\n_forgives_ us our sins, that is, He does not look upon our sins, does\nnot _impute_ them to us, but declares us sinners _righteous._ In the\nbeautiful parable of our Lord which we find Matt. 18,23 ff., the wicked\nservant asks his Lord to have patience with him, whom he owed so much.\nAnd the kind lord, moved with compassion, loosed the servant from his\nfetters and forgave him all his debts, which he never would have been\nable to pay. _Thus God, moved with compassion, does not punish us as we\nhave deserved, and declares us free from debt, declares us righteous, or\nin other words, God justifies us._\n\n4. How can the just and holy God who has threatened to punish all who\ntransgress His commandments forgive sins and declare sinners righteous?\nHe does so _for Christ's sake. In Christ_ we have the forgiveness of\nsins. _\"In Christ we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness\nof sins, according to the riches of His grace.\"_ Eph. 1,7 Christ\nfulfilled the Law of God in our stead, He suffered the punishment for\nour sins, and so made good for us. _He has earned full forgiveness for\nus; for His sake all our sins are forgiven._\n\n5. Who _receives_ forgiveness of sins? We confess that God forgives all\nsins _to me and all believers._ It is true, Christ has _procured_\nforgiveness _for all men_--Christ died for every sinner. God, in His\ngrace, _offers_ this forgiveness by the Gospel _to all who hear it._ We\nread: _\"God was in Christ, reconciling the world_ [all men] _unto\nHimself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed\nunto us the Word of Reconciliation.\"_ 2 Cor. 5,19. Yet not all receive\nforgiveness, but only those _who believe in Christ and thus accept the\nforgiveness_ which Christ has earned for all men. Without faith in\nChrist there is no forgiveness of sins. _We are justified by faith\nalone._\n\n6. We receive forgiveness of sins, we are justified before God, _without\nthe deeds of the Law, by grace alone, for Christ's sake, through faith\nin our Lord._ This is the _chief article of our Christian faith._ This\ndoctrine is taught only by the Christian Church. _It gives all the glory\nfor our salvation to God and affords true comfort to all sinners._\n\nREMEMBER:--\n\n1. _God has promised in His Word to forgive us all our sins daily and\nrichly. Come to Him every day and with true penitence, with a contrite\nheart, ask His forgiveness for Christ's sake. He will graciously grant\nit._\n\n2. _We are justified in the sight of God without the deeds of the Law,\nby His grace, for Christ's sake, through faith in Him. This is the chief\ndoctrine of the Christian Church and the only one that gives lasting\ncomfort to all sinners._\n\nMEMORIZE:--\n\n_Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits; who\nforgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases._ Ps.\n103,2.3.\n\n_In Christ we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of\nsins, according to the riches of His grace._ Eph. 1,7.\n\n_God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing\ntheir trespasses unto them, and has committed unto us the Word of\nReconciliation._ 2 Cor. 5,19.\n\nQUESTIONS.\n\n1. Why do we so sorely need daily forgiveness of sins? 2. What do we\ndeserve with our sins before God? 3. Of what does God assure us in His\nWord with regard to our sins? 4. What should we therefore do every day?\n5. How did the publican in the Temple ask for forgiveness 6. How did God\nanswer his prayer? Luke 18, 13.14. 7. Why cannot our works and merits\ninduce God to grant us forgiveness? 8. By what is God moved to forgive\nus our sins? 9. God forgives us our sins--what does that mean? 10.\nWhat do we also call this act of God by which He forgives us our sins?\n11. For whose sake does God forgive, or justify, us? 12. Why do we have\nforgiveness of sins for Christ's sake? 13. Who only receives forgiveness\nof sins? 14. Why is faith in Christ necessary if we wish to receive\nforgiveness? 15. How are we justified before God? 16. Why is this\ndoctrine the chief doctrine of our Church?\n\nLESSON 37.\n\nThe Third Article\n\nThe Resurrection Of The Body And Life Everlasting.\n\nWhich is the Third Article?\n\n_I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy Christian Church, the communion\nof saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and\nthe life everlasting._\n\nWhat does this mean?\n\n_He_ [the Holy Ghost] _will at the Last Day raise up me and all the dead\nand give unto me and all believers in Christ eternal life. This is most\ncertainly true._\n\n1. _We believe the resurrection of the body,_ so we confess. We believe\nthat _God will raise up me and all the dead,_ so that our bodies which\nhave died shall again be made alive and come forth from their graves.\nOur bodies _die_ and are buried, and in the grave they decay. _These\nsame bodies_ will live again. It is true, we cannot _understand_ how\nthis is possible. To unbelievers it seems ridiculous, they laugh and\nmock at this doctrine. Still we _believe_ it; we are assured by the Word\nof God that our dead shall live again. And _\"the Word of the Lord is\nright.\"_ Ps. 33,4. Our Lord says: _\"The hour is coming in the which all\nthat are in the graves shall hear His voice and shall come forth.\"_ John\n5,28. Our God is _almighty,_ with Him nothing is impossible. Luke 1,37.\n\n2. God will raise _me and all the dead. All_ that are in the graves\nshall hear His voice and shall come forth from their graves. Christ will\nnot only raise His own, His believers, but all men, those, too, who did\nnot believe in Him, but died in their sins.--_\"The hour is coming,\"_\nour Lord says: it is coming on _the Last Day_ of the world. On that\ngreat day, when our Lord will come again to judge the quick and the\ndead, all the dead shall hear the almighty voice of the Son of God and\nwhether they will or not, shall come forth from their graves to meet\ntheir God and Lord at His judgment-seat.\n\n3. All the dead will be raised from death and the grave; _but there will\nbe a great difference in their resurrection._ Our Lord says: _\"They that\nhave done good_ [shall come forth] _unto the resurrection of life, and\nthey that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation.\"_ John\n5,29. Those who here on earth believed in Christ, and by the power of\nHis grace served Him in His kingdom, and died in the Lord trusting in\nHim, will come forth to life everlasting and go with their Lord to His\neternal glory. _They that have done evil,_ those who rejected their\nSavior and died in their sins, will rise unto _the resurrection of\ndamnation._ They will be thrown into _hell,_ into everlasting fire,\nprepared for the devil and his angels. Matt. 25,41. May our heavenly\nFather keep us steadfast in the true faith and preserve us from hell and\ndamnation!\n\n4. _They that have done good,_ those who believed in Christ and died in\nthe Lord, shall come forth unto _the resurrection of life. At the Last\nDay the risen Lord will raise all that fell asleep in Him, and will give\nthem life everlasting, life without end._ We confess that the Lord will\n\"give _me_ and all believers eternal life.\" The Holy Ghost has called me\nby the Gospel, by His grace I believe in my Savior, by grace He has kept\nme in the faith, and so _I am assured_ that He will give _me_ eternal\nlife. _\"Whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have\neverlasting life.\"_ John 3,16. To me and all believers the Lord will\ngive eternal life, but _to believers only. \"He that believeth on the Son\nhath eternal life, and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life,\nbut the wrath of God abideth on him.\"_ John 3,36.\n\n5. God will give us believers _eternal life._ Christ will lead His own,\nHis believers, soul and body, into His heavenly kingdom, there to live\nand reign with Him in everlasting joy and glory. In heaven there will be\n_no sin;_ in perfect holiness we shall serve our Lord. There will be no\nmore _death,_ nor _sorrow,_ nor _crying,_ nor _pain._ Rev. 21,4. All\nthese things shall have passed away. There will be pure and _true joy\nand happiness forever and ever._ We shall be _with God:_ we shall see\nHim, our heavenly King and Father, and His wondrous ways. _\"We shall see\nHim as He is.\"_ 1 John 3,2. We shall _see our dear Lord and Savior,_\nwhom we love now even without having seen Him. We shall see Him _in His\nglory,_ in the glory which His Father has given Him. What unspeakable\njoy to see God, our Lord and Savior, to be and live with Him! _\"In Thy\npresence is fulness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures\nforevermore.\"_ Ps. 16,11.--Our _bodies_ will share this joy. They will\ncome forth _glorified, freed from all sin, sickness, and infirmity,\nfashioned_ like unto the glorious body of our risen Lord.\n\nREMEMBER:--\n\n1. _It is most certainly true that the Holy Ghost by the Gospel has\ncalled me to Christ, my Lord, and enlightened me with His gifts, with\ntrue faith in my Savior._\n\n2. _It is most certainly true that in Christ I have forgiveness of all\nmy sins, that I am justified before God without the deeds of the Law, by\ngrace alone, for Christ's sake through faith._\n\n3. _It is most certainly true that the Holy Ghost will keep me in the\ntrue faith, and at the day of my Lord raise my glorified body and give\nto me and all believers in Christ eternal life. I am assured of all of\nthis by the Word of God. This is what I firmly believe and hope for in\nlife and death._\n\nMEMORIZE:--\n\n_The hour is coming in the which all that are in the graves shall hear\nHis voice and shall come forth: they that have done good unto the\nresurrection of life, and they that have done evil unto the resurrection\nof damnation._ John 5,28.29.\n\n_We shall see Him as He is._ 1 John 3,2.\n\n_In Thy presence is fulness of joy; at Thy right hand there are\npleasures forevermore._ Ps. 16,11.\n\n_He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life, and He that\nbelieveth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth\non him._ John 3,36.\n\nQUESTIONS.\n\n1. \"We believe the resurrection of the body\"--what does this mean? 2.\nWhat happens to our bodies when we die? 3. Why do we believe that God\nwill raise our bodies? 4. Why do we firmly believe that God can do this\nthough to us it seems impossible? 5. Who will hear the voice of the Son\nof God when His hour has come? 6. When will His hour come? 7. What\ndifference will there be in the resurrection of the dead? 8. Who are\n\"they that have done good\"? 9. Who are \"they that have done evil\"? 10.\nTo what kind of resurrection will these come forth? 11. What will the\nLord at the Last Day give unto me and all believers? 12. Why am I\nassured that He will give eternal life also to me? 13. What does our\nLord say John 3,36? 14. What will there no longer be in eternal life?\n15. What will give us everlasting joy and happiness in eternal life? 16.\nHow will the bodies of the believers rise at that day? 17. Like unto\nwhose body will they be fashioned? 18. Why do we believe that all we\nhave confessed in the Third Article is most certainly true?\n\nLESSON 38\n\nThe Third Article.\n\nReview Lesson.\n\n1. God the Holy Ghost has called me to Christ, sanctified and kept me in\nthe true faith. Besides me He has called and calls others. What does the\nHoly Ghost also do in regard to all that He has brought to Christ? What\ndoes it mean that He gathers them? What does Scripture call the whole\nnumber of all true believers?--What is the Christian Church also\ncalled in the Third Article? Why are the believers called saints? What\ndoes the word _communion_ signify? Who only, therefore, belongs to the\none true Christian Church?--Why is this Church invisible? The true\nChurch is invisible; still we know and are convinced that it is always\nhere on earth. Why are we certain about this? What does our Lord say\nconcerning His Church Matt. 16,18? We call the Church the _holy_ Church;\nwhy do we do this? Why is the Church called the _Christian_ Church?\nChrist is the Foundation of the Church, what else?--We cannot see\nthe Church, still we know where we can find it. Where is it to be found?\nWhy can we be certain that the Church is where the Word of God, the\nGospel, is preached and used?--There is one true Church of Christ, the\ncongregation of all believers on earth. But Scripture also speaks of\nvisible churches, visible congregations. What do we mean when we speak\nof visible churches? To these churches not only true believers belong,\nbut who also? Of these visible churches, or denominations, there is\nquite a number. What difference exists among these churches? Which is\nthe true visible Church? What is it called? To which Church should we\nbelong?\n\n2. In the Third Article we also confess the forgiveness of sins. Why do\nwe so sorely need forgiveness of sins? What have we deserved with our\nsins? What will be our fate if we do not receive forgiveness of sins?--\nOf what does God assure us in His Word concerning our sins? We daily sin\nmuch and deserve nothing but punishment; what should we therefore do\nevery day? How did the publican in the Temple pray to God for\nforgiveness? How do you know that God answered his prayer?--God\nforgives the sins of all who come to Him in true penitence. What does\nnot move God to forgive us our sins? Why cannot anything He sees in us\ninduce Him to grant us forgiveness? What moves God to forgive us our\nsins? What do we mean when we say that God forgives sin? For whose sake\ndoes the just and holy God grant us forgiveness? In whom have we\nredemption, the forgiveness of sins? What has Christ done to earn this\nforgiveness?--For whom has Christ procured forgiveness? How does God\noffer this forgiveness? What, however, is necessary if we wish to\nreceive this precious gift of God? How, therefore, are we justified in\nthe sight of God? Why is this doctrine of justification so important? We\nshould by all means hold fast to this doctrine: We are justified without\nthe deeds of the Law, by God's grace alone, for Christ's sake, through\nfaith in Him, our Savior.\n\n3. In the Third Article we furthermore confess the resurrection of the\nbody. How does our Catechism explain these words? How is the doctrine of\nthe resurrection of the body regarded by the unbelievers? Why do we\nnevertheless believe it?--God will raise the dead. How many of them\nwill He bring to life again? All shall hear the voice of the Son of God\nand come forth. When will Christ raise all the dead? What is this \"Last\nDay\"? All the dead will rise again at the Last Day; but there will be a\ndifference among them. What will this difference be? Who will come forth\nunto the resurrection of damnation? Who are they that have done evil?\nWhat will be their punishment on that day? May our heavenly Father\npreserve us from hell and damnation!--Who will come forth unto the\nresurrection of life? Who are they that have done good? What will God\ngive to me and all believers on that day? From what shall we be free in\neternal life? With whom shall we be? Not only shall we be with Him,\nunited with Him by faith, what, too, has He promised us? 1 John 3,2.\nWhom also shall we see in the heavenly kingdom? What do we read Ps.\n16,11? How will our bodies be after the resurrection? Like whose body\nwill they be fashioned? What do we mean by adding: \"This is most\ncertainly true\"?\n\nAnd we confess the Holy Ghost,\nWho from both fore'er proceeds,\nWho upholds and comforts us\nIn the midst of fears and needs.\nBlest and holy Trinity,\nPraise forever be to Thee!\n\nLESSON 39.\n\nThe Lord's Prayer.\n\nThe Introduction.\n\nWhich is the Introduction?\n\n_Our Father who art in heaven._\n\nWhat does this mean?\n\n_God would by these Words tenderly invite us to believe that He is our\ntrue Father, and that we are His true children, so that we may with all\nboldness and confidence ask Him as dear children ask their dear father._\n\n1. We have thus far considered the _Ten Commandments,_ the holy _Law_ of\nthe Lord, in which our heavenly Father tells us what we should do and\nnot do, how we, as His children, should live according to His will. We\nhave considered the Law, which teaches us that we have not kept it, that\nwe have sinned against God and therefore deserved His punishment,\neternal death and damnation.--We have considered the _Three Articles\nof the Christian Faith,_ which teach us the _Gospel,_ the glad tidings\nof what the Triune God, our Redeemer, has done and will do for us to\nsave us from sin and death, that we may live in His kingdom in\neverlasting innocence, righteousness, and blessedness. In its Third Part\nour Catechism explains to us the _Lord's Prayer,_ that is, the prayer\nthat our Lord once taught His apostles.\n\n2. We read (Luke 11,1) that, at a certain time, the disciples saw and,\nprobably heard their Master praying, speaking with His Father in heaven.\nThis made so deep an impression upon them that one of them asked the\nLord: _\"Lord, teach us to pray.\"_ The Lord gladly complied with this\nrequest and said: _\"When ye pray, say: Our Father who art in heaven,\"_\netc. The Lord Himself gave His disciples this prayer, and therefore we\ncall it the Lord's Prayer. We say this beautiful prayer _very often,\ndaily,_ and we should do so. Our Lord gave it to us. When we use this\nprayer, we know that we pray according to our Master's will. But\nreciting this prayer is not enough, we must also understand what we\nare praying. We should ever better learn _what the words of this prayer\nmean._ Let us see how our Catechism explains them.\n\n3. _\"Our Father who art in heaven,\"_ thus our Lord teaches us to address\n_the true God, the Triune God._ What love God has bestowed upon us that\nwe are called His children, and that we are permitted to call Him\n_Father!_ 1 John 3,1. Christ might have chosen different names to\naddress God; but He teaches us to call God our _Father._ Why does He do\nso? _\"God would by these words tenderly invite us to believe that He is\nour true Father and we are His true children.\"_ When we come to God to\nspeak to Him in our prayers, we should always believe and remember that\nGod is our true Father, and that we are His true children. _You know\nthat God is indeed your Father and you are His child._ It is true, we\nare all sinners, and the holy God hates sin, but our dear Lord has\nredeemed us from all sins and has earned for us forgiveness of sins and\nrighteousness in the sight of God. _Through Christ, my Brother,_ I have\nbecome God's true child, and God has become my true Father. _In Christ's\nname_ I come to God and call Him Father, believing that for Christ's\nsake God really is my Father and I am His child. _\"For this cause\"_\n(because Christ is my Brother) _\"I bow my knees unto the Father of our\nLord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is\nnamed.\"_ Eph. 3,14.15. Remember that only those who believe in Jesus\nChrist may call God their Father. _Only children of God, through faith\nin Christ, can really pray to God._\n\n4. We pray to God, our Father. How _tenderly_ does this name _invite_ us\nto come to Him in our need! How this name does give us courage, _\"so\nthat we may with all boldness and confidence ask Him as dear children\nask their dear father\"!_ A child is not afraid to come to his beloved\nfather, to tell him with confidence all that he wants and needs. He\nknows that hie dear father will gladly listen to him and help him. So it\nis with the children of God. They do not fear to come to their Father,\nfor He loves them. They do not doubt, but confidently believe that their\ndear Father _will hear their prayer and help them._ Our Father promised\nto do that. By the endearing name Father, God reminds us: I am your\nFather, you are my dear child. Come without fear and doubt; pray with\nail confidence. I will hear your prayer.\n\n5. _\"Our Father who art in heaven.\"_ This Father of ours to whom we pray\nis not a weak, not an earthly father. God is the _heavenly Father;_ He\nis the almighty God, the Lord of heaven and earth. He can do whatsoever\nHe wills. With all confidence we come to Him and believe that He not\nonly will hear our prayers, but _is also able to help us in every need\nand trouble._\n\n6. Our Lord teaches us to say: _\"Our_ Father who art in heaven.\" He\nreminds us of the fact that _all true believers are children of God, and\nthat all children of God pray for and with each other._ \"One God and\nFather of all, who is above all and through all and in you all.\" Eph.\n4,6. I am not the only one praying to God, but a great host of\nfellow-men, all my brethren in Christ, are praying with me and for me.\nIn Christ's name I pray to my Father in heaven for and with all my\nbrethren; should I not therefore with all confidence ask my dear Father,\nas dear children ask their dear father?\n\nREMEMBER:--\n\n1. _Always pray in the name of Jesus Christ, your Savior. Through Him\nalone God is your true Father, and you are His true child. In His name\nyou may and should ask your Father in heaven as dear children ask their\ndear father._\n\n2. _As God's child through Christ pray to your Father without fear and\ndoubt, with the firm, confidence that He will hear and accept your\nprayer._\n\n3. _The Father to whom you pray is the heavenly Father, the almighty\nGod. To Him we pray with all confidence that He not only will, but also\ncan answer our prayers and help us in all our troubles._\n\nMEMORIZE:--\n\n_Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we\nshould be called the sons of God._ 1 John 3,1.\n\n_For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,\nof whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named._ Eph. 3,14.15.\n\n_One God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in you\nall._ Eph. 4,6.\n\nQUESTIONS.\n\n1. Of what does the Third Part of our Catechism treat? 2. Why do we call\nthis prayer the Lord's Prayer? 3. On what occasion did the Lord teach\nHis disciples this prayer? 4. Why do we Christians use this prayer so\noften? 5. But it is not enough to recite this prayer if we would use it\ncorrectly; what else is needed? 6. Whom do we address when we say \"Our\n_\"Father\"?_ [tr. note: punctuation is correct] 7. Why did Jesus teach us\nto use the name Father in this prayer? 8. How does God become our\nFather, and how do we become His children? 9. In whose name should we\ntherefore always pray? 10. Who only can really pray to God? 11. Of what\nis a child certain when he asks his father for something? 12. What may\nwe confidently expect when we pray to our dear Father? 13. Of what do\nthe words \"who art in heaven\" remind us in our prayer? 14. Our Father to\nwhom we pray is the almighty God; what can He therefore do regarding our\nprayers? 15. Why does our Lord teach us to say, _\"Our_ Father\"?\n\nLESSON 40.\n\nThe Lord's Prayer.\n\nThe First Petition.\n\nWhich is the First Petition?\n\n_Our Father who art in heaven. Hallowed be Thy name._\n\nWhat does this mean?\n\n_God's name is indeed holy in itself; but we pray in this petition that\nit may be holy among us also._\n\nHow is this done?\n\n_When the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity, and we, as the\nchildren of God, also lead a holy life according to it. This grant us,\ndear Father in heaven. But he that teaches and lives otherwise than\nGod's Word teaches, profanes the name of God among us. From this\npreserve us, Heavenly Father!_\n\n1. _\"Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name,\"_ this is our\nfirst petition. It is a matter of utmost importance that God's name be\nhallowed among us; for this reason our Lord teaches us to pray for it in\nthe first place. _\"God's name is indeed holy in itself.\"_ God has a name\nabove every other name. In heaven and earth there is no name higher or\nmore sacred than the name of our heavenly Father; no name can be\ncompared with it. It is holy in itself. We cannot and we need not _make\nit holy._ What, then, do we ask for in this petition? Since the name of\nour Father in heaven is so holy and so exalted, we pray _that it may be\nholy among us also,_ that we, His children, may hold it sacred and use\nit rightly both in words and deeds.\n\n2. _How is this done?_ We shall place God's name above every other name\nin heaven and on earth and hold it holy, sacred, only when we rightly\n_know God as He is, and what He has done and will do for us His\nchildren._ God has revealed Himself and His great name _only in His\nWord._ There alone we learn to know our heavenly Father and the great\nthings He has done for our temporal and eternal welfare. We shall hold\nHis name holy and sacred \"when the Word of God is taught in its truth\nand purity.\" God's Word must be preached among us without the admixture\nof any human thoughts and errors, just as God has given it to us, just\nas it reads. In God's Word we learn how great God, our Father, is, the\nperfectly holy and just God, and yet gracious, ever ready to forgive all\nour sins and heal all our transgressions, when we come to Him in the\nname of Christ; the almighty Ruler of heaven and earth and yet our dear\nFather in Christ, who pities those that fear Him, as a father pities his\nchildren Ps. 103,13. The more we learn from His Word how great our God\nis, the more we shall hold His name sacred, the more we shall exalt and\npraise it.\n\n3. It is not enough that God's Word is taught and preached among us in\nits truth and purity, that we only hear it; we must also, as God's\nchildren, _lead a holy life according to it. By a holy life we honor the\nname of our Father._ If a child disobeys his father, if he leads a bad\nlife, committing sins and crimes, he will not only bring dishonor upon\nhimself, but he will also disgrace his father's name. Remember how the\nsons of Eli, the high priest, brought dishonor upon their father's fair\nname. 1 Sam. 2,12. When, on the other hand, a child is obedient to his\nfather, doing the will of his good father, leading an upright and honest\nlife, his father will be honored by the good deeds of his son. We are\nchildren of God. We confess that He is our true Father. If we were to\nlead an ungodly life, how would His name be dishonored among men! But\nwhen we live according to our Father's Word and will, if we live in\naccordance with the Word of God, our friends and neighbors will see our\ngood works. By our godly life we shall help others, too, to know and\nhonor the great name of God. Our Savior says: _\"Let your light so shine\nbefore men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father\nwhich is in heaven.\"_ Matt. 5,16.--By our own strength we cannot\npreach the Word of God in its truth and purity among us, nor can we by\nour own strength lead a holy life according to it; therefore we pray:\n_Grant us, O Heavenly Father, the pure doctrine of Thy Word and a Holy\nlife according to it._\n\n4. As the name of our Father is glorified here on earth by the preaching\nof His pure Word and by our holy life, so it is dishonored by _false\ndoctrine and an ungodly life._ In our sinful hearts we are always\ninclined _to teach and live otherwise than God's Word teaches,_ and thus\nto profane the name of God. _\"Thou that makest thy boast of the Law,\nthrough breaking the Law dishonorest thou God. For the name of God is\nblasphemed among the Gentiles through you.\"_ Rom. 2,23.24. Therefore we\npray: _Preserve us, O Heavenly Father, for Christ's sake, from false\ndoctrine and an ungodly life!_\n\nREMEMBER:--\n\n_We pray in this petition:_--\n\n1. _Dear Heavenly Father, grant that we may always teach Thy Word in its\ntruth and purity, and that we may always live in accordance with it, so\nthat Thy name may be hallowed among us!_\n\n2. _Dear Heavenly Father, preserve us from ever teaching and living\notherwise than Thy Word teaches!_\n\nMEMORIZE:--\n\n_Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works\nand glorify your Father which is in heaven._ Matt. 5,16.\n\n_Thou that makest thy boast of the Law, through breaking the Law\ndishonorest thou God. For the name of God is blasphemed among the\nGentiles through you._ Rom. 2,23.24.\n\nQUESTIONS.\n\n1. Why does Christ teach us to pray in the first place that God's name\nmay be hallowed, held sacred, among us? 2. How is God's name in itself?\n3. Why do we nevertheless pray that His name be hallowed? 4. What must\nwe know before we shall hold God's name sacred as we should? 5. Where\nhas God revealed Himself? 6. How, therefore, is God's name hallowed\namong us? 7. How must God's Word be taught among us? 8. What does it\nmean to teach God's Word in its truth and purity? 9. What, furthermore,\nis necessary if we wish to glorify our Father's name? 10. In what way is\nGod's name honored by a godly life? 11. What does our Lord say Matt.\n5,16? 12. Who profanes God's name among us? 13. From what do we ask God\nto preserve us? 14. What are the two things for which we pray in the\nFirst Petition?\n\nLESSON 41.\n\nThe Lord's Prayer.\n\nThe Second Petition.\n\nWhich is the Second Petition?\n\n_Our Father who art in heaven. Thy kingdom come._\n\nWhat does this mean?\n\n_The kingdom of God comes indeed without our prayer, of itself; but we\npray in this petition that it may come unto us also._\n\nHow is this done?\n\n_When our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace\nwe believe His holy Word and lead a godly life, here in time and\nhereafter in eternity._\n\n1. _\"Thy kingdom come,\"_ that is the Second Petition. We pray for the\nkingdom of our heavenly Father. In the Second Article of our faith we\nalready heard of a kingdom, the _kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ._\nThere we learned that our Lord has redeemed us from all sins, from\ndeath, and from the power of the devil, in order that we may be His\nown, and in His _kingdom_ live under Him in everlasting innocence,\nrighteousness, and blessedness. _Christ's kingdom and our Father's\nkingdom is the same thing._ Christ established this kingdom by His\nsufferings and death. All that believe in Christ belong to this kingdom.\nChrist is their Lord and King; He governs them, bestowing upon them in\nHis kingdom all His gifts: forgiveness of sins, the grace of God, true\nrighteousness, peace with God, etc. He protects them against all their\nenemies, against sin, Satan, and death. We also call this kingdom of our\nFather the _Kingdom of Grace,_ or the _true Christian Church._ It has\nits beginning here on earth; but when our Lord and King will come again\nat the Last Day, He will lead it to His glory in heaven. Then we shall\ncall this kingdom the _Kingdom of Glory._\n\n2. Our Lord teaches us to pray for the _coming_ of this kingdom. True,\n_\"the kingdom of God comes indeed without our prayer, of itself.\"_\nChrist lives and reigns, and He gathers His congregation through the\nGospel from all nations, and He will lead it to its heavenly glory even\nif we do not pray for it. But still the Lord teaches us to pray for the\ncoming of His kingdom. We pray _\"that it may come to us also.\"_ It is\nGod's will to give _us_ His kingdom. Our Lord says: _\"Fear not, little\nflock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.\"_\nLuke 12,32. But God wants us to _pray_ for His good gifts. We pray in\nthis petition that our Father's kingdom may come to us also, that we,\ntoo, may belong to His kingdom and remain in it, _\"here in time and\nhereafter in eternity.\"_\n\n3. _\"How is this done?\"_ How does the kingdom of God come to us? The\nkingdom of God comes to us only through faith in Christ. Only those who\nbelieve in Him can enter the kingdom. But _\"I cannot by my own reason or\nstrength believe in Christ, or come to Him.\"_ (In what part of your\nCatechism did you learn this?) To bring us to Christ is _the work of the\nHoly Ghost._ He has called me to Christ and His grace by the Gospel.\n_\"Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into\nthe kingdom of God.\"_ John 3,5. The kingdom of God, therefore, comes to\nus _\"when our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His\ngrace we believe His holy Word and lead a godly life.\"_ The Holy Ghost\ncan and will graciously, by the Gospel, work within our hearts, so that\nwe believe God's holy Word, believe in Jesus Christ, our Savior; and in\nthis way the kingdom of God will come to us.\n\n4. The Holy Spirit does not only bring us to Christ, so that we, through\nfaith, enter the kingdom of God, but He also _preserves us in the true\nfaith;_ by means of the Gospel He gives us strength to prove our faith\n_by a godly life_ and thus remain in the kingdom to the end. He will\nlead us to the glory of our Lord, to the kingdom of glory in heaven.\n_\"The Lord shall deliver me from every evil work and will preserve me\nunto His heavenly kingdom.\"_ 2 Tim. 4,18. By the Holy Spirit the kingdom\nof God comes to me _\"here in time\"_ (the Kingdom of Grace) _\"and\nhereafter in eternity\"_ (the Kingdom of Glory). In this petition we\nespecially pray our heavenly Father to grant us _the most precious gift\n--His Holy Ghost._\n\n5. But we do not only pray that the kingdom of God would come to _us_\nand remain with us, we also pray that it may come to _all men_ who as\nyet are not members of this kingdom. We pray that all men may become\ntrue believers in Christ through the preaching of the Gospel. This work,\npreaching the Gospel to all nations, we call _mission-work. The Second\nPetition is the great mission-prayer of the Church._ The Lord admonishes\nus: _\"Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that He will send forth\nlaborers into His harvest.\"_ Matt. 9,38.\n\nREMEMBER:--\n\n1. _In this petition we pray: Dear heavenly Father, grant me Thy Holy\nSpirit that by His grace I may believe in Jesus Christ, my King, and by\nfaith in Him lead a godly life, so that I may be with my Savior in His\nkingdom, here in time and hereafter in eternity._\n\n2. _Do not forget to pray for our missions when you say this petition.\nMission is the work our Lord has entrusted to all Christians, saying:\n\"Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.\"_\nMark 16,15.\n\nMEMORIZE:--\n\n_Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give\nyou the kingdom._ Luke 12,32.\n\n_Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that He will send forth\nlaborers into His harvest._ Matt. 9,38.\n\n_The Lord shall deliver me from every evil work and will preserve me\nunto His heavenly kingdom._ 2 Tim. 4,18.\n\nQUESTIONS.\n\n1. How did Christ establish His kingdom on earth? 2. Who belongs to it?\n3. Who is Lord and King of this kingdom? 4. What does Christ bestow upon\nHis own in His kingdom? 5. From whom does He protect and against whom\ndoes He defend us? 6. What do we also call the kingdom of Christ? 7.\nWhat will Christ do with His kingdom when He shall come in His glory at\nthe Last Day? 8. What shall we then call this kingdom? 9. What does our\nLord teach us to pray in behalf of His kingdom? 10. What, indeed, is\ntrue concerning the coming of His kingdom? 11. Why do we nevertheless\npray for His kingdom? 12. How does the kingdom of God come to us? 13.\nWhy do we need the Holy Ghost for this purpose? 14. The Holy Spirit does\nnot only bring us to Christ and into His kingdom, what does He also\nperform in us? 15. What do we call the work for which we are especially\npraying in this petition?\n\nLESSON 42.\n\nThe Lord's Prayer.\n\nThe Third Petition.\n\nWhat is the Third Petition?\n\n_Our Father who art in heaven, Thy will be done on earth as it is in\nheaven._\n\nWhat does this mean?\n\n_The good and gracious will of God is done indeed without our prayer;\nbut we pray in this petition that it may be done among us also._\n\nHow is this done?\n\n_When God breaks and hinders every evil counsel and will which would not\nlet us hallow God's name nor let His kingdom come, such as the will of\nthe devil, the world, and our flesh; but strengthens and preserves us\nsteadfast in His Word and faith unto our end. This is His gracious and\ngood will._\n\n1. We pray in this petition that the will of our Father in heaven may be\ndone. _His will is a good and gracious one._ Being the will of our\nheavenly Father, how could it be otherwise than good and gracious? He\nwills, or desires, that His name be hallowed among us, that His kingdom\nmay come to us and all men, or, in other words, _that all men be saved.\n\"God will have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the\ntruth.\"_ 1 Tim. 2,4. He earnestly desires that His saving Gospel be\npreached to all men, that all men, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, may\nbelieve in Christ and through Him have eternal life. This is most\nassuredly the good and gracious will of our heavenly Father.\n\n2. We pray that this will of our Father _may be done on earth, that it\nmay prevail. \"The goo and gracious will of God is done indeed without\nour prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may be done among us\nalso,\"_ that His gracious will may prevail against all such as try to\nhinder our salvation.\n\n3. _How is the will of our heavenly Father done?_ Our Catechism answers:\n_\"When God breaks and hinders every evil counsel and will which would\nnot lat us hallow God's name nor let His kingdom come, such as the will\nof the devil, the world, and our flesh.\"_ There is an evil counsel and\nwill here on earth. It is the will of the _devil,_ the _world,_ that is,\nall godless men, who are in the service of Satan, and of the _flesh,_\nour own sinful heart, which is always in accord with Satan and the\nworld. These our enemies do not want us to hallow God's name, to come\ninto Christ's kingdom or to remain therein, to remain steadfast in\nfaith, to remain true to Christ, our Savior. Theirs is an evil will,\nwhich desires to _lead us astray from God, our Father, into sin, into\nthe power and the kingdom of the devil._ If their evil will and counsel\nprevails, we are lost. Against these mighty enemies we are powerless; we\nourselves have no strength whatever to resist them and their\ntemptations. Therefore we daily pray our Father in heaven to break and\nhinder their evil will and counsel, in order that they may not be able\nto fulfil their evil desires.\n\n4. God sincerely desires us to be saved, to obtain eternal life. But our\nLord says: _\"He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be\nsaved.\"_ Matt. 24,13. We cannot endure by our own strength. _\"Ye are\nkept by the power of God, through faith, unto salvation.\"_ 1 Pet. 1,5.\nTherefore we pray our dear Father to _\"strengthen and preserve us\nsteadfast in His Word and faith unto our end.\"_ We ask Him for Christ's\nsake to grant us strength to remain steadfast in His _Word,_ to continue\nto hear, read, and use it. By means of the Gospel the Holy Spirit will\n_preserve our faith_ in our Lord and Savior; through faith He will give\nus strength gladly to do His will and to live according to His\ncommandments. In this way God will preserve us _unto our end,_ to our\ndying hour, and thus His gracious and good will is done.\n\n5. God, our dear Father, _directs and guides our whole life_ according\nto this will of His to lead us to salvation. For this purpose our Father\nsometimes will permit _sufferings and troubles_ to come over us. In such\ntimes especially we should pray: _\"Thy will be done,\"_ my Father! Give\nme strength to remain steadfast and faithful in all sufferings and\ncheerfully to submit to your gracious will. Even our Lord Jesus Christ\nprayed in the hour of His deep agony: _\"Not as I will, but as Thou\nwilt.\"_ Matt. 26,39.\n\n6. The _first three petitions_ belong together. They are connected by\nthe words _\"on earth as it is in heaven.\"_ We pray that our Father's\nname may be hallowed on earth as it is hallowed in heaven, that His\nkingdom may come to us on earth as it is in heaven, and that His\ngracious will may be done among us on earth as it is done in heaven. _We\nask our heavenly Father for His heavenly gifts._ These gifts we most\nurgently need, and therefore our Lord teaches us to pray for them first\nof all.\n\nREMEMBER:--\n\n1. _We pray in this petition: My dear heavenly Father, break and hinder\nevery evil will of my enemies, the devil, the world, and my own flesh,\nthat I may hallow Thy name and Thy kingdom may come to me._\n\n2. _My dear heavenly Father, strengthen and preserve me in Thy Word and\nin true faith unto my end, to my dying hour, that Thy gracious and good\nwill may be done._\n\nMEMORIZE:--\n\n_God will have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the\ntruth._ 1 Tim. 2,4.\n\n_Ye are kept by the power of God, through faith, unto salvation._ 1 Pet.\n1,5.\n\n_He which has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of\nJesus Christ._ Phil. 1,6.\n\nQUESTIONS.\n\n1. We pray that God's will may be done among us. What is God's will\ntoward us? 2. What is this will, therefore, called in our Catechism? 3.\nThis good and gracious will of God is indeed done without our prayer;\nwhy do we nevertheless pray that it may be done? 4. There is an evil\nwill and counsel against us, the children of God. Whose will is this? 5.\nWhat is their evil will and desire against us? 6. Why must we ask God to\nbreak and hinder their evil will? 7. God earnestly desires us to be\nsaved, to obtain eternal life. Who only will be saved and obtain eternal\nlife? Matt. 24,13. 8. By whose power are we kept unto salvation? 1 Pet.\n1,5. 9. How do we, therefore, pray? 10. Why is it necessary for us to\nremain steadfast in the Word of God? 11. Unto what time will God\npreserve our faith through the Gospel? 12. Why does God sometimes permit\nsuffering and trouble to come over His children? 13. How should we pray\nespecially in such times? 14. What gifts do we pray for in the first\nthree petitions? 15. Why does Christ teach us to pray first of all for\nHis heavenly gifts?\n\nLESSON 43.\n\nThe Lord's Prayer.\n\nThe Fourth Petition.\n\nWhich is the Fourth Petition?\n\n_Our Father who art in heaven, Give us this day our daily bread._\n\nWhat does this mean?\n\n_God gives daily bread indeed without our prayer, also to all the\nwicked; but we pray in this petition that He would lead us to know it\nand to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving._\n\nWhat, then, is meant by \"daily bread\"?\n\n_Everything that belongs to the support and wants of the body, such as\nfood, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, field, cattle, money, goods,\na pious spouse, pious children, pious servants, pious and faithful\nrulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, discipline, honor,\ngood friends, faithful neighbors, and the like._\n\n1. For _our daily bread_ our Lord bids us pray in this petition. By\ndaily bread everything is meant that _belongs to the support and wants\nof our body,_ everything we need to support our life. Our Catechism\nenumerates quite a number of such things. For all these things we pray\nas far as we need them for our daily bread. We do not pray for _riches,_\nfor many comforts or luxuries, but for that which we need. We pray:\n_\"Give me neither poverty nor riches, feed me with food convenient for\nme, lest I be full, and deny Thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I\nbe poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.\"_ Prov. 30,8.9.\nThe apostle says: _\"Having food and raiment, let us be therewith\ncontent.\"_ 1 Tim. 6,8.\n\n2. We pray for our daily bread. _\"God gives daily bread indeed without\nour prayer\";_ He gives it _\"also to all the wicked,\"_ who cannot and\nwill not pray for it. _\"He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the\ngood and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.\"_ Matt. 5,45. If\nGod gives daily bread without our prayer, why, then, do we pray for it?\n_\"We pray in this petition that He would lead us to know it,\"_ that is,\nwe pray that God may lead us to know that our daily bread, all we have\nand receive in this life, is _His gracious gift._ Wicked, unbelieving\nmen do not acknowledge this. They believe that they are earning their\ndaily bread by means of their labor or receiving it by other natural\nmeans. Christians also often forget that all their earthly goods are\nthe gift of their Father in heaven. Therefore we pray that God would\ngrant us to know that every good gift comes from above, from Him, our\nFather. _\"The eyes of all wait upon Thee, and Thou givest them their\nmeat in due season. Thou openest Thine hand and satisfiest the desire of\nevery living thing.\"_ Ps. 145,15.16. When we acknowledge this, _we shall\nreceive our daily bread with thanksgiving._ Then our daily bread, all\nour earthly goods, _will be a blessing to us,_ a blessing for both our\nbody and our soul. Knowing that our daily bread is God's gift, we\nreceive it with thanksgiving; therefore we pray before each meal and,\nhaving finished it, say grace.\n\n3. Our Lord tells us to pray for _our_ daily bread. It is true, our\ndaily bread is the gift of our Father in heaven, but He will generally\nbestow this gift upon us _by means of our labor._ God wants us to work,\nand He will provide what we need for this life. The bread that we eat\nshould be the bread _that is honestly coming to us. \"If any would not\nwork, neither should he eat.\"_ 2 Thess. 3,10.--We do not say _my,_\nbut _our_ bread, because we _include our neighbor_ in our prayer, asking\nGod to give also him his daily bread. This reminds us of our duty\nwillingly to help our neighbor whenever he is in need and want. Our\nFather in heaven very often gives us more than we need for our own\nsupport and the support of our family; He does this for the purpose that\n_we may have to give to those that are in need._ God, then, desires to\ngive our neighbor his daily bread through us. _\"Deal thy bread to the\nhungry.\"_ Is. 58,7.\n\n4. We pray God to give us our daily bread _this day._ Our Lord reminds\nus _that we should not be anxiously concerned for the morrow._ We have a\nrich and kind Father in heaven, who cares for us, for our life and\nwelfare. We pray to Him for our bread to-day and every day, and we know\nthat He will not forsake us. Our Lord admonishes us: _\"Take therefore no\nthought for the morrow; for the morrow shall take thought for the things\nof itself.\"_ Matt. 6,34.\n\n5. In the Fourth Petition we pray for our _daily bread,_ for all that is\nnecessary for our life and bodily welfare here on earth. In the first\nthree petitions we pray for _heavenly gifts,_ for the gifts which we\nneed for our soul, for our eternal welfare. Our Lord in this way teaches\nus that the heavenly gifts are much more important, that we should pray\nfor them first of all. _\"Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His\nrighteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.\"_ Matt.\n6,33.\n\nREMEMBER:--\n\n1. _We pray in this petition: My dear heavenly Father, give me this day\nmy daily bread. Grant me grace to know and acknowledge that my daily\nbread is Thy gracious gift in order that I may receive it from Thy hand\nwith thanksgiving._\n\n2. _Do not forget to say your prayers at meals. Thereby you confess that\nyour daily bread is the gift of your Father in heaven, and you show your\nthankfulness to Him._\n\n3. _Pray also for your neighbor and give from your abundance whenever he\nis in need._\n\nMEMORIZE:--\n\n_He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good and sendeth rain\non the just and on the unjust._ Matt. 5,45.\n\n_Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for\nme._ Prov. 30,8.\n\n_Having food and raiment, let us be therewith content._ 1 Tim. 6,8.\n\n_Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these\nthings shall be added unto you._ Matt. 6,33.\n\nQUESTIONS.\n\n1. What is meant in this petition by \"daily bread\"? 2. Why does the Lord\nteach us to pray for our daily bread? 3. Wherewith should we be content?\n4. Does not God give us our daily bread without our Prayer? 5. On whom\neven does He bestow this gift? 6. Why, then, do we pray for our daily\nbread? 7. Why do we pray God to lead us to know that our daily bread\ncomes from Him? 8. How will we receive our daily bread when we know that\nit is He who gives it to us? 9. Why does our Lord teach us to pray for\nour daily bread? 10. Why do we not say _my,_ but _our_ bread? 11. Of\nwhat should this remind us? 12. Why do we add the words _this day?_ 13.\nWhy do we not need to be anxious for the morrow? 14. What does our Lord\nteach us by putting the petition for our daily bread after the petitions\nfor His heavenly gifts?\n\nLESSON 44.\n\nThe Lord's Prayer.\n\nThe Fifth Petition.\n\nWhich is the Fifth Petition?\n\n_Our Father who art in heaven, forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive\nthose who trespass against us._\n\nWhat does this mean?\n\n_We pray in this petition that our Father in heaven would not look upon\nour sins, nor on their account deny our prayer; for we are worthy of\nnone of the things for which we pray, neither have we deserved them; but\nthat He would grant them all to us by grace; for use daily sin much and\nindeed deserve nothing but punishment. So will we also heartily forgive\nand readily do good to those who sin against us._\n\n1. _\"And forgive us our trespasses,\"_ thus the Lord teaches us to pray\nin the Fifth Petition. That means, as our Catechism explains these\nwords: _\"We pray in this petition that our Father would not look upon\nour sins.\"_ A child that has disobeyed his father approaches him\nsorrowfully, asks his forgiveness, and promises to be more obedient in\nfuture. We, the children of God, do the very same thing. Every day we\ncome to our heavenly Father with a contrite heart and ask His\n_forgiveness._ Daily we confess that we have sinned again. We are deeply\nsorry that again we have been disobedient to His good will, that we have\ndeserved His punishment. But we also know that God is _our gracious,\nloving Father,_ always willing to forgive us our many sins. We know that\nChrist has paid the _ransom for our transgressions_ and earned God's\nforgiveness for us. In our Savior's name, trusting in Him, we come to\nGod every day and pray with deep shame, but also with firm confidence:\nMy dear Father in heaven, I, a poor sinner, come to Thee and humbly\nconfess that again I have trespassed and sinned against Thee. Do not\nlook upon my sins, do not punish me as I have deserved, but regard Thy\nSon's righteousness and for His sake forgive me all my sins. We pray as\ndid the prodigal son: _\"Father, I have sinned against heaven and in Thy\nsight, and I am no more worthy to be called Thy son.\"_ Luke 15,21.\nHowever, accept me again for Christ's sake.\n\n2. We have a _special reason_ for asking God's forgiveness in our\nprayers. We pray to God for many blessings, for many precious gifts,\nboth heavenly and earthly. But we are sinners; _\"we are worthy of none\nof the things for which we pray, neither have we deserved them.\"_ If God\nwould look upon our unworthiness and sin, how could He grant us our\npetitions? _\"For we daily sin much and deserve nothing but punishment.\"_\nAs long as our sins separate us from God, we are certain that God will\nnot hear us. Our prayers would indeed be in vain. Therefore we pray to\nour Father that He would not look upon our sins, _\"nor on their account\ndeny our prayer,\"_ as we have so well deserved. We pray that He would\ngrant us His forgiveness and give us all His rich blessings _by grace,\nfor Christ's sake._ In Christ's name we come to our Father and\nconfidently pray with the _publican_ in the Temple: _\"God be merciful to\nme, a sinner.\"_ Luke 18,13.\n\n3. Our Lord adds something to this petition. He says: _\"As we forgive\nthose who trespass against us.\"_ These words contain a _promise_ on our\npart. Because God so graciously and willingly forgives us our many and\ngreat sins, we promise that _we also will forgive those who sin against\nus._ There are such as sin against us, wrong and grieve us with word or\ndeed. But how small are their faults over against the great and grievous\nsins we have committed against our Father in heaven! Having received the\ngracious forgiveness of our Father, how could we do otherwise than\nforgive also those who trespass against us? Willingly we promise to\nforgive them, and to do so _heartily, from our hearts,_ as our Father\nhas forgiven us, and not only to forgive them, but _readily_ to _do good\nto them._ Does not our Father do the same thing to us? We sin against\nHim and grieve Him daily, and nevertheless He not only forgives us, but\nHe also blesses us every day with all His gifts for body and soul. If,\non the other hand, we refuse to forgive our brother, we shall not obtain\nforgiveness from our Father. _\"When we stand praying, forgive if ye have\naught against any, that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive\nyou your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father\nwhich is in heaven forgive your trespasses.\"_ Mark 11,25.26. (Read\ncarefully the beautiful parable of our Lord about the _wicked servant,_\nMatt. 18,23-35.)\n\nREMEMBER:--\n\n1. _We pray in this petition: My dear Father in heaven, do not look upon\nmy sins and do not on their account deny my prayer. I am not worthy of\nany of the things for which I pray, but on account of Thy grace hear my\nprayer and forgive me all my sins for Christ's sake._\n\n2. _We promise in this petition: My dear Father in heaven, as Thou hast\nforgiven me the multitude of my sins and hast granted me daily all Thy\nprecious blessings, so will I show Thee my gratitude by heartily\nforgiving those who sin against me and readily doing good to them. Grant\nme grace to do this, dear heavenly Father._\n\nMEMORIZE:--\n\n_Father, I have sinned against heaven and in Thy sight and am no more\nworthy to be called Thy son._ Luke 15,21.\n\n_God be merciful to me, a sinner._ Luke 18,13.\n\n_When ye stand praying, forgive if ye have aught against any, that your\nFather also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if\nye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive\nyour trespasses._ Mark 11,25.26.\n\nQUESTIONS.\n\n1. What is meant by the word \"trespasses\" in this petition? 2. What do\nwe ask our heavenly Father to do in this prayer? 3. How do we know that\nGod will forgive us our sins? 4. How has Christ earned forgiveness of\nsins for us? 5. For whose sake, therefore, do we ask forgiveness? 6.\nWhat special reason have we to include this petition in our prayers? 7.\nWhy are we unworthy of the things for which we pray? 8. What, on the\ncontrary, have we deserved? 9. What moves God to hear our prayers? 10.\nWhat words does our Lord add to this petition? 11. What promise do we\ngive God when we add these words? 12. How are the sins our neighbor\ncommits against us to be regarded as compared with our sins against God?\n13. What should we therefore willingly do? 14. What will happen to us if\nwe do not heartily forgive our neighbor? 15. What must we be willing to\ndo in addition to forgiving our neighbor? 16. What should induce us to\nforgive our neighbor when he trespasses against us?\n\nLESSON 45.\n\nThe Lord's Prayer.\n\nThe Sixth Petition.\n\nWhich is the Sixth Petition?\n\n_Our Father who art in heaven, lead us not into temptation._\n\nWhat does this mean?\n\n_God indeed tempts no one; but we pray in this petition that God would\nguard and keep us, so that the devil, the world, and our flesh may not\ndeceive us, nor seduce us into misbelief, despair, and other great shame\nand vice; and though we be assailed by them, that still we may finally\novercome and obtain the victory._\n\n1. _\"And lead us not into temptation,\"_ this is the Sixth Petition. Our\nCatechism explains it in the first place by saying: _\"God indeed tempts\nno one,\"_ that is, He tempts no one _for evil._ That is most certainly\ntrue. Our heavenly Father is the holy God. He hates sin and all those\nwho willingly commit it. How could He tempt us to sin, try to lead us\ninto evil ways which He hates? Scripture tells us: _\"Let no man say when\nhe is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil,\nneither tempteth He any man; but every man is tempted when he is drawn\naway of his own lusts and enticed.\"_ Jas. 1,13.14.\n\n2. As God does not tempt us for evil, why, then do we pray our Father\nnot to lead us into temptation? We pray _\"that God would guard and keep\nus\" that our enemies may not lead us into sin and shame._ There are such\nas always try to lead us, the children of God, into sin, those _enemies_\nof whom we heard in the Third Petition--the _devil,_ the _world,_ and\nour _own flesh._ Our most dangerous foe is the _devil. \"Be sober, be\nvigilant, because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh\nabout, seeking whom he may devour; whom resist steadfast in the faith.\"_\n1 Pet 5,8.9. Remember how he tempted _Adam and Eve_ in Paradise and\nseduced them to fall into sin. Our next enemy is the _world,_ that is,\nall the wicked men around us. How often do our friends or schoolmates\nentice us to do wrong! _\"My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou\nnot.\"_ Prov. 1,10. The third enemy is _our own flesh,_ our old sinful\nheart, which is full of evil lust. Our own lust draws us away from God\nand entices us to sin.\n\n3. These our enemies have an _evil will_ against us. They want to lead\nus away from God and our salvation, to lead us again into the kingdom of\nSatan and sin. They try with all their power and cunning to _deceive_\nus; they try to give us the impression that it would be good for us to\nfollow their temptations. By such enticements they try to seduce us to\nlead us astray from God and His Word, into _misbelief,_ into a wrong\nfaith, or into _despair,_ so that we abandon all hope for our salvation.\n(Remember _Cain,_ Gen. 4,15, and _Judas,_ Matt. 27,4.5.) Or they try to\nlead us into _other great shame and vice,_ into sins that will bring\nshame upon us, to yield to evil passions, which will destroy our faith.\n\n4. Against these mighty enemies we are _powerless._ We could not\nseriously think of taking up the fight against them by our own power. If\nwe did, we would soon learn to our sorrow that we cannot successfully\nresist their temptations. Our enemies would gain the victory over us. In\nthis our pitiful condition we come to _our Father in heaven,_ who has\npromised us His help, and who is always with us. We pray to Him in the\nname of our Savior not to lead us into temptation, that is, we pray that\nGod would _guard_ or watch over us that such temptations may not come\nnear us, that He would graciously defend us against them.--_If is\ntrue, temptations will come._ We live in this sinful world, which is\nfull of temptations. The devil \"walketh about\" to devour the children of\nGod, and our flesh tempts us with evil lust. These enemies will again\nand again _assail_ us to gain their evil ends and desires. _And it is\nfor our good that God permits them to do so._ But we pray God to keep us\nsteadfast in all these temptations, to _strengthen_ us in order that we\nmay fight the good fight of faith against them. We pray to our Father\nthat He may _preserve_ us in the true faith, so that we shall _finally,_\nin the end, _overcome all temptations and obtain the victory._ Our\nheavenly Father will hear our prayer. _\"God is faithful, who will not\nsuffer you to be tempted above that ye are able.\"_ 1 Cor. 10,13.\nAccording to His good and gracious will He wants us to be faithful to\nthe end and to be saved.\n\nREMEMBER:--\n\n1. _We pray in this petition: My dear heavenly Father, guard and keep me\nagainst my powerful enemies, the devil, the world, and my flesh; hinder\ntheir evil will that their temptations may not approach me._\n\n2. _We pray in this petition: My dear heavenly Father, be with me in all\ntemptations, whenever my enemies assail me, and grant me grace to fight\nthe good fight of faith. Keep me in the true faith in Christ, my Lord,\nthat I may finally overcome all temptations and obtain the victory._\n\nMEMORIZE:--\n\n_Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring\nlion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour; whom resist steadfast\nin the faith._ 1 Pet. 5,8.9.\n\n_My son, if sinners entice thee consent thou not._ Prov. 1,10.\n\n_God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye\nare able._ 1 Cor. 10,13.\n\nQUESTIONS.\n\n1. Which is the Sixth Petition? 2. What does God indeed not do? 3. Why\nare we certain that God will not lead any one into temptation? 4. Why,\nthen, do we pray God not to lead us into temptation? 5. Who are our\nenemies that lead us into temptation? 6. Why is the devil compared to a\nroaring lion? 7. Who is our second enemy? 8. What do we understand by\nour own flesh? 9. What is the evil will of these our enemies against us?\n10. Into what do they try to lead us? 11. Who alone can help us against\nour powerful enemies? 12. What does it mean when we pray that God would\nguard us against our enemies? 13. When their temptations do assail us,\nwhat do we pray our Father in heaven to do? 14. What makes us certain\nthat God will hear our prayer?\n\nLESSON 46.\n\nThe Lord's Prayer.\n\nThe Seventh Petition And The Conclusion.\n\nWhich is the Seventh Petition?\n\n_Our Father who art in heaven, deliver us from evil._\n\nWhat does this mean?\n\n_We pray in this petition, as the sum, of all that our Father in heaven\nwould deliver us from every evil of body and soul, property and honor,\nand finally, when our last hour has come, grant us a blessed end, and\ngraciously take us from this vale of tears to Himself in heaven._\n\nWhich is the Conclusion of the Lord's Prayer?\n\n_For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever.\nAmen._\n\nWhat is meant by the word \"Amen\"?\n\n_That I should be certain that these petitions are acceptable to our\nFather in heaven, and heard; for He Himself has commanded us so to pray,\nand has promised to hear us. Amen, Amen, that is, yea, yea, it shall be\nso._\n\n1. _\"But deliver us from evil.\" \"We pray in this petition, as the sum\nof all\";_ in this petition we sum up all the others. We include in the\nword _\"evil\"_ our misfortunes and troubles of every kind, all our wants\nand needs: all the ailments of our _body,_ such as sickness and the\nlike; everything that is hurtful to our _soul,_ sin with all its fearful\nconsequences; anything that injures or destroys our _property,_ such as\nis done by fire, water, or bad, evil-minded men; whatever harms our\n_honor,_ loss of our good name through lies and calumnies, etc. All\nthese things we sum up in the word _evil._\n\n2. We pray that our Father would _deliver_ us from all these evils. We\nbeseech Him to _spare_ us from as many evils as He sees fit. We know\nthat days of sorrow and afflictions will indeed come to us. It is our\nFather's good will that _\"we must through much tribulation enter into\nthe kingdom of God.\"_ Acts 14,22. God sends us afflictions because He\n_loves_ us, His children, because in His wisdom He knows that it is good\nand salutary for us. _\"Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth\nevery son whom He receiveth.\"_ Heb. 12,6. We willingly submit to His\nwill. But whenever the Lord has afflicted us, in every need and\ndistress, we lift our hearts to Him, the Father of mercies, and _pray\nHim to be with us in our affliction,_ to help _bear the cross_ He has\nlaid upon us. We ask Him that He would turn every affliction _to our\nbenefit_ and in His own good time take it from us. It is our earnest\nprayer that through everything that seems evil to us He would keep us\nsteadfast in faith to everlasting life.\n\n3. True, as long as we live here on earth, we shall not be entirely free\nfrom evil. On earth we are living in a _\"vale of tears.\"_ But the time\nwill come when _\"the Lord shall deliver me from every evil and will\npreserve me unto His heavenly kingdom.\"_ 2 Tim. 4,18. And when this time\nhas come, _our last hour,_ the hour of our departure from this world, we\npray _that our Father would grant us a blessed end, and graciously take\nus from this vale of tears to Himself in heaven,_ and thus wholly\ndeliver us from all evil. In that hour we shall say: _\"Lord, now lettest\nThou Thy servant depart in peace according to Thy word; for mine eyes\nhave seen Thy salvation.\"_ Luke 2,29.30. When our dear Father takes us\nto Himself in heaven, all our prayers will have been granted, all\nearthly sorrow and affliction will be at an end; we shall have and enjoy\nwith our Father and our Lord all His heavenly gifts.\n\n4. In the Conclusion of the Lord's Prayer we say: _\"Thine is the\nkingdom.\"_ We mean to say: Thou alone art my Lord and King, from whom I\nam to seek help, and who certainly will hear my prayer. _\"Thine is the\npower\":_ that is, Thou alone art the almighty God, Thou alone hast the\npower to grant my petitions. And so _\"Thine is the glory\";_ that is, all\nglory, all honor, all praise, shall be given to Thee alone _forever and\never._\n\n5. The word _\"Amen\"_ with which we conclude our prayer means, as our\nCatechism explains it: _\"Yea, yea, it shall be so.\"_ We express in this\nword our assurance that our prayers are _acceptable to our Father in\nheaven,_ and that _He will hear them._ May we really be certain that our\npetitions are acceptable to God? Most assuredly. _Our Lord Himself has\ngiven us this prayer,_ He has taught us these petitions, and _\"has\ncommanded us so to pray.\"_ When in true devotion, in the name of our\nRedeemer, we come to our Father and pray these petitions, how could it\nbe otherwise than that our Father is well pleased! And He Himself, our\nFather, has so often _promised that He will hear us,_ that He will grant\nour prayer. Our Lord has promised us: _\"Verily, verily, I say unto you,\nWhatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My name, He will give it you.\"_\nJohn 16,23. How could we doubt that God will hear us when we pray in\nChrist's name, according to His will?--Indeed, it sometimes seems to\nus as if God _did not hear_ our prayers. But it only seems so; God hears\nevery true prayer. But we must not forget that God grants us our\npetitions _in His own manner,_ which we often do not understand. He does\nnot always grant our petitions at once, but _at His appointed time,_ at\nthe time He has appointed for His help, which, indeed, is the best time\nfor us. Confidently we always want to conclude our prayers with, _\"Amen;\nyea, yea, it shall be so.\"_\n\nREMEMBER:--\n\n1. _We pray in this petition: My dear Father in heaven, lead me through\nall my afflictions according to Thy gracious will and pleasure, and when\nmy last hour has come, grant me a blessed end and take me up to Thee in\nheaven, and so deliver me from all evil._\n\n2. _We are certain that this, our Lord's Prayer, as well as all the\nprayers we are bringing before God in accordance with it, are acceptable\nto God, and heard; for He Himself has commanded us so to pray and\npromised to hear us._\n\nMEMORIZE:--\n\n_We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God._ Acts\n14,22.\n\n_The Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me\nunto His heavenly kingdom._ 2 Tim. 4,18.\n\n_Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace according to Thy\nword; for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation._ Luke 2,29.30.\n\nQUESTIONS.\n\n1. What do we mean when we say: \"We pray in this petition,_as the sum of\nall\"?_ 2. What is meant in this petition by the word \"evil\"? 3. Why does\nGod sometimes send us afflictions? 4. What do we ask our Father in\nheaven to do when He has afflicted us? 5. To what should He turn all our\nafflictions, all that seems evil to us? 6. What should God preserve in\nus at such times? 7. Why do we call this life a \"vale of tears\"? 8.\nWhen, finally, will God deliver us from all evil? 9. What kind of end do\nwe ask our heavenly Father to grant us? 10. Why will all our sorrows\nthen be at an end. 11. What do the words of the Conclusion mean? 12.\nWhat the word \"Amen\"? 13. What do we mean to express by adding this\nword? 14. Why may we be certain that all our petitions are acceptable to\nGod? 15. Why are we certain that God will always hear our prayers? 16.\nHow will God hear our prayers and grant us His help?\n\nLESSON 47.\n\nHow We Should Pray.\n\nReview Lesson.\n\n1. When we pray we frequently use the prayer which the Lord has given\nus. It really does contain everything we need, everything we may pray\nfor. But we also use other prayers; we bring our petitions before God in\nour own words, or offer praise and thanks to Him. This is well-pleasing\nto our Father in heaven. But we must not forget _that all our prayers\nshould be in accordance with the Lord's Prayer._ He has given us His\nprayer also for this purpose, that we should learn from it _how to\npray._ The Lord's Prayer should be _the model for all our prayers._ If\nthat is our model, we are certain that we are praying according to God's\nwill. Let us see what the Lord's Prayer teaches us in this respect. _Let\nus learn how we should pray._\n\n2. Whom do we address in the Lord's Prayer? Who is \"our Father in\nheaven\"? Our Father in heaven is _the only true, the Triune God, God the\nFather, Son, and Holy Ghost._ To Him we pray, and to Him alone. Such is\nHis will. _\"Thou shalt worship the Lord, thy God, and Him only shalt\nthou serve.\"_ Matt. 4,10. Against which commandment do we sin when we\npray to any one but the true God? We pray only to the true God because\nHe alone is _able_ and _willing_ to hear and answer our prayer.\n\n3. The Lord teaches us to call the Triune God _\"our Father.\"_ Why does\nChrist teach us to use this dear name? Through whom is God our true\nFather and we His true children? In whose name should we pray? Our\nSavior says: _\"Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask\nthe Father in My name, He will give it you.\"_ John 16,23. In the Fifth\nPetition we learn why it is so necessary to pray in Jesus' name,\ntrusting in His merits. We daily sin much. We deserve nothing but\npunishment. We pray that God would not look upon our sins, but\ngraciously answer our prayers for Christ's sake, who has earned\nforgiveness of sins for us. Only _in Christ_ is God well pleased with\nus; _only for His sake will our prayers be heard and answered._\n\n4. Christ teaches us to address God as our Father, to believe that in\nChrist He is indeed our true Father. By this endearing name our Lord\nwould _encourage_ and _tenderly invite us_ to come to Him as His\nchildren and ask Him with all confidence. We should always pray with\nconfidence, never doubting that God for Chris's sake _will hear us and\ngrant our prayers. \"All things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer,\nbelieving, ye shall receive.\"_ Matt. 21,22. We are praying to the\n_almighty God,_ who is able to give all good things; we pray to Him who\nis our _Father,_ who has promised to hear our prayers.\n\n5. For what do we pray in the first three petitions? For what in the\nFourth Petition? We learn from this that we may pray for _everything\nthat is needful for our welfare, both spiritual and temporal things.\n\"What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive\nthem, and ye shall have them.\"_ Mark 11,24. In how many petitions do we\nask for the heavenly or spiritual things, which we need for our souls?\nIn one petition the Lord teaches us to pray for our daily bread, for our\nwants here on earth. Whenever we pray, we should first of all pray for\nthose gifts which we need for our salvation. _\"Seek ye first the kingdom\nof God and His righteousness,\"_ our Lord tells us. Matt. 6,33. Above all\nwe should pray for the gift of God's pure Word, for the Holy Ghost, in\norder that by His grace we may believe His holy Word and lead a godly\nlife, that His will may be done among us, and that we may remain\nfaithful to our Lord and obtain eternal life.\n\n6. The Fourth Petition follows the one in which our Lord teaches us to\npray that God's good and gracious will may be done. When we are praying\nfor our daily bread, asking God for the things we need for our body and\nour temporal welfare, _we should submit everything to God's will,_ that\nis, we should pray that God would grant us these gifts, _if it is His\nwill, if they tend to His glory and to our welfare. \"This is the\nconfidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to\nHis will, He heareth us.\"_ 1 John 5,14.\n\n7. Our Lord teaches us to say not _my,_ but _our_ Father; indeed,\nthroughout the whole prayer we always include our neighbor in our\npetitions. He wants us to _pray for our neighbors,_ not only for our\nfriends and relatives, but for _all men,_ even for our _enemies. \"Pray\nfor them that despitefully use you and persecute you.\"_ Matt. 5,44.\n\n8. In the last three petitions the Lord tells us to bring our cares and\ntroubles, our afflictions and sorrows of every kind, before the Lord.\nIndeed, we ought to pray _at all times. \"Pray without ceasing.\"_\n1 Thess. 5,17. Especially, however, we should pray in times of _trouble\nand need. \"Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee, and\nthou shalt glorify Me.\"_ Ps. 50,15.\n\nREMEMBER:--\n\n1. _Always pray to the true God, the Father of your Lord Jesus Christ,\nwho through Him is also your Father. Come to Him in Christ's name. That\nis His will, and He alone can and will hear such prayers._\n\n2. _Pray in Christ's name, with full confidence that your prayer is\nacceptable to God and heard. Pray in the same manner as a dear child\nasks his dear father._\n\n3. _Ask Him for all you need for the welfare of your body and soul; in\nthe first place, however, for the welfare of your soul, for your\nsalvation. In asking for temporal blessings submit your will to God's\nwill. Not my, but Thy will be done, my heavenly Father._\n\n4. _Do not forget to include in your prayer your neighbor, all men, even\nyour enemies. Finish your prayer with a confident \"Amen; yea, yea, it\nshall be so.\"_\n\nMEMORIZE:--\n\n_Thou shalt worship the Lord, thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve._\nMatt. 4,10.\n\n_This is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything\naccording to His will, He heareth us._ 1 John 5,14.\n\n_All things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall\nreceive._ Matt. 21,22.\n\n_Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt\nglorify Me._ Ps. 50,15.\n\nLESSON 48.\n\nHoly Baptism.\n\nWhat Baptism Is.\n\nWhat is Baptism?\n\n_Baptism is not simple water only, but it is the water comprehended in\nGod's command and connected with God's word._\n\nWhich is that word of God?\n\n_Christ, our Lord, says in the last chapter of Matthew: Go ye and teach\nall nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and\nof the Holy Ghost._\n\n1. After having explained the Lord's Prayer, our Catechism tells us\nabout _Holy Baptism._ You all, most probably, have seen children\nbaptized, and some of you, perhaps, also adults. You yourselves were\nbaptized in your infancy in the name of the Father and of the Son and of\nthe Holy Ghost. You, therefore, should learn what Baptism is, and what\nit gives and profits. Let us hear what our Catechism has to say about\nthis sacred act. In the first place, it explains _what Baptism is._\n\n2. _\"Baptism is not simple water only.\"_ In baptism there is indeed\n_water._ The person to be baptized is sprinkled with water, with simple,\ncommon, natural water. We must use water in baptism and nothing else.\n_Water is the external means_ which God Himself has instituted for\nbaptism. But Baptism is not only water, it is more; _\"it is the water\ncomprehended in God's command and connected with God's word.\"_ In\nbaptism there is both God's command and God's word.\n\n3. Baptism is the water comprehended in God's command, that is, _we use\nthe water in baptism because God has commanded it._ Without this command\nof God Baptism would be water only. Before our Lord ascended into\nheaven, He gave His disciples this command: _\"Go ye and teach all\nnations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of\nthe Holy Ghost.\"_ Holy Baptism, therefore, is an act instituted and\nordained by God. For that reason we call it a _sacred act._ Christ gave\nthis command to His _disciples, to His Church, to all Christians._ The\ncalled ministers of Christ, our pastors, ordinarily administer baptism;\nbut in cases of necessity every Christian can and should perform it.\nChrist commands us to _baptize;_ that means He commands us to _apply_\nthe water _by washing or sprinkling the person to be baptized with\nwater, or by immersing him into the water._\n\n4. _Baptism is the water connected with God's word._ The word which\nChrist has commanded us to use in baptism is this: _\"In the name of the\nFather and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.\"_ This word must always be\nconnected with the water to make it a Baptism. _\"Without the word of God\nthe water is simple water, and no baptism. But with the word it is a\nbaptism, that is, a gracious water of life.\"--We are baptized in the\nname of the Triune God._ What does this mean? God's name is God Himself,\nas we have learned in the Second Commandment. We are baptized in God the\nFather and the Son and the Holy Ghost. By baptism we are _received into\ncommunion with the Triune God._ He gives Himself to us _as our Father_\nand accepts us _as His children,_ He bestows upon us all His blessings,\nall that He has done for us to save us. _With_ the word of God baptism\nis indeed a gracious water of life.\n\n5. Our Lord commands us to baptize _all nations,_ that is, _all human\nbeings,_ old and young, men and women. _\"Preach the Gospel to every\ncreature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.\"_ Mark\n16,15.16. Baptism is necessary to salvation; consequently God wants all\nwho believe in Him to be baptized. But a _certain distinction_ should be\nmade. Those who are old enough to be instructed we baptize after they\nhave been _previously_ taught the main doctrine of the Word of God,\n_confess their faith_ in Jesus Christ, and _desire to be baptized_ and\nthus become Christians.\n\n6. _Little children_ are baptized by us soon after their birth, before\nthey are able to learn the Word of God. We teach them after their\nbaptism in our homes and schools and churches. We baptize our little\nchildren because in the word _nations_ the children, too, are included.\nWe baptize them because our Lord says: _\"Suffer the little children to\ncome unto Me and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of God.\"_\nMark 10,14. Christ bids us bring our little children to Him that He may\nbless them. We can do this only by means of Holy Baptism. Without\nbaptism they are under God's wrath, and their sins are not forgiven. By\nbaptism the Holy Ghost Himself brings them to Christ and kindles in them\nthe true faith in Him. God becomes their Father, and they are made His\nchildren.\n\nREMEMBER:--\n\n1. _Holy Baptism is a sacred act instituted by God. God Himself has\ncommanded us to baptize, that is, to apply water in the name of the\nFather and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. It is the water\ncomprehended in God's command._\n\n2. _Baptism is the water connected with God's word. In baptism the water\nmust be applied with these words: \"In the name of the Father and of the\nSon and of the Holy Ghost.\" By baptism we are received into communion\nwith the Triune God. He becomes our Father, and we are made His\nchildren._\n\nMEMORIZE:--\n\n_Go ye and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father\nand of the Son and of the Holy Ghost._ Matt. 28,19.\n\n_Preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized\nshall be saved._ Mark 16,15.16.\n\n_Suffer the little children to come unto Me and forbid them not; for of\nsuch is the kingdom of God._ Mark 10,14.\n\nQUESTIONS.\n\n1. What is the external means which God has instituted for Holy Baptism?\n2. What kind of water is to be used when we baptize a person? 3. In what\nis the water of Baptism comprehended? 4. What is meant when we say: \"The\nwater is comprehended in God's command\"? 5. Recite the words of God's\ncommand. Matt. 28,19. 6. To whom did Christ give this command? 7. Who\ndoes now ordinarily administer Holy Baptism? 8. Who may and should do it\nin cases of necessity? 9. What does the word _baptize_ mean? 10. What is\nthe word of God with which the water in baptism is connected? 11. What\ndoes it mean to be baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and\nof the Holy Ghost? 12. What does God become to us in baptism? 13. Whom\ndid Christ command us to baptize? 14. Whom do we generally baptize? 15.\nHow can you prove that it is right to baptize little children? 16. What\ndoes Christ say about the little children Mark 10,14?\n\nLESSON 49.\n\nHoly Baptism\n\nWhat Baptism Gives, Or Profits.\n\nWhat does Baptism give, or profit?\n\n_It works forgiveness of sins, delivers from death and the devil, and\ngives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and\npromises of God declare._\n\nWhich are such words and promises of God?\n\n_Christ, our Lord, says in the last chapter of Mark: He that believeth,\nand is baptized shall be saved, but He that believeth not shall be\ndamned._\n\n1. In our last lesson we learned what Baptism is. _\"Baptism is not\nsimple water only, but it is the water comprehended in God's command and\nconnected with God's word.\"_ Now the question arises, What good does it\ndo one to be baptized? _What does Baptism give, or profit?_ Baptism must\nindeed be a great and wonderful thing. God Himself instituted it. He put\nHis name, His word, into it. Where His name and His word are, there,\nindeed, must be great, eternal blessings.\n\n2. Our Catechism answers the question: _\"What does Baptism give, or\nprofit?\"_ by saying: _\"It works forgiveness of sins, delivers from death\nand the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as\nthe words and promises of God declare.\"_ Three great blessings of\nBaptism are mentioned: 1. It works forgiveness of sins; 2. it delivers\nfrom death and the devil; 3. it gives eternal salvation. It does this\nbecause of the words and promises of God: _\"He that believeth and is\nbaptized shall be saved.\"_ Mark 16,16. How can we prove by these words\nthat Holy Baptism also works forgiveness of sins and delivers from death\nand the devil? Christ merely says that he who believes and is baptized\nshall be _saved._ Remember, however, that there is no salvation where\nthere is not forgiveness of sins and deliverance from death and the\ndevil. _Salvation consists in forgiveness of sins and deliverance from\ndeath and the devil._ If Baptism gives us salvation, it must also work\nforgiveness of sins and deliver us from death and the devil.\n\n3. _Baptism works forgiveness of sins. \"Repent and be baptized, every\none of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.\"_\nActs 2,38. How are we to understand this statement: Baptism works\nforgiveness of sins? Has not Christ Himself merited this heavenly gift?\nChrist, our Savior, has indeed, by His sufferings and death, atoned for\nour sins; _He has redeemed us from all our sins and so indeed earned for\nus, for all men, forgiveness of sins._ But Holy Baptism is the _means_\nby which the Holy Ghost _makes the forgiveness_ which Christ has earned\nfor us _our own._ In baptism He presents to us and gives us this great\nblessing. The apostle says: _\"Ye are all the children of God, by faith\nin Christ Jesus; for as many of you as have been baptized into Christ\nhave put on Christ.\"_ Gal. 3,26.27. We are baptized _into Christ._ In\nbaptism _we put on Christ_ with all His merits. As in a beautiful,\nwhite, spotless garment we are clothed in baptism in the perfect\nrighteousness Christ has merited for us. _Baptism works forgiveness by\nmaking Christ's righteousness our own._\n\n4. _Baptism delivers us from death and the devil._ By sin death came\ninto the world; death is the wages of sin. In baptism our sins are\nwashed away for Christ's sake, and in this way we are delivered from\ndeath. In our dying hour we do not really see death, but have eternal\nlife. In death we rejoice: _\"O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where\nis thy victory? ... But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory\nthrough our Lord Jesus Christ.\"_ 1 Cor. 15,55-57.--Baptism works\nforgiveness of sin and therefore _delivers us from the devil._ When our\nsins have been washed away, the devil no longer has any power over us;\nwe are free from hell and damnation. If Satan still tempts us to sin, we\nmay, in the power of our baptism, resist him and gain the victory.--By\nworking forgiveness of sin, by delivering us from death and the devil,\n_Baptism gives us eternal salvation. \"He that believeth and is baptized\nshall be saved.\"_ Mark 16,16.\n\n5. To whom does Baptism give all this? It gives these things _\"to all\nwho believe this.\"_ Our Savior says: _\"He that believeth and is baptized\nshall be saved.\"_ Mark 16,16. All those who believe, trusting in the\npromises God has given in His Word concerning Baptism, receive these\nheavenly gifts. It is true, Baptism _contains_ all these precious gifts\nand blessings, _whether we believe or not._ They are _offered to all who\n_are baptized._ But we must take them and _make them our own._ This is\ndone _by faith in Christ._ Baptism is _God's hand,_ by means of which He\nhands down His gifts, forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation.\nFaith is our _hand, with which we take God's gifts and make them our\nown.--_During our whole life_ we should remember our baptism and the\ngrace God therein has bestowed upon us. Whenever we have sinned, we\nshould in true repentance take refuge to our baptism, to the grace of\nGod which He has promised us there. _\"The covenant of my peace shall not\nbe removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.\"_ Is. 54,10.\n\nREMEMBER:--\n\n1. _Do not forget to thank your Father in heaven for your baptism. It\nmakes you certain that His heavenly gifts, forgiveness of sins, life,\nand salvation, are indeed yours. It makes you certain that God is your\nFather and will remain your Father and you His child._\n\n2. _If you have sinned and grieved your heavenly Father, take refuge to\nyour baptism. Trust to His unfaltering grace which He has promised you\nthere. Believe in Christ, who is yours through Baptism, and you will be\nsaved._\n\nMEMORIZE:--\n\n_Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ\nfor the remission of sins._ Acts 2,38.\n\n_Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus; for as many of\nyou as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ._ Gal. 3,26.27.\n\n_O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? Thanks be\nto God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ._\n1 Cor. 15,55-57.\n\nQUESTIONS.\n\n1. What three great benefits does Baptism give us? 2. Where did Christ\nHimself promise this? Mark 16,16. 3. Prove that in these words of Christ\nforgiveness of sins and deliverance from death and the devil are\nincluded. 4. Which is the first benefit Holy Baptism gives us? 5. Who,\nindeed, has redeemed us from all sins? 6. How, then, can we say that\nBaptism works forgiveness of sins? 7. Whom do we put on in baptism? 8.\nWhat does that mean? 9. How, therefore, does Baptism work forgiveness of\nsins? 10. Which is the second benefit of Baptism? 11. How does Baptism\ndeliver us from death and the devil? 12. How does it give us eternal\nsalvation? 13. To whom does Baptism give all these blessings? 14.\nBaptism is God's hand, by means of which He gives us all His gifts.\nWhich is our hand with which we receive them? 15. How long should we\nremember our baptism? 16. When, especially, should it be our refuge?\n\nLESSON 50.\n\nThe Lord's Supper.\n\nWhat Is The Sacrament Of The Altar?\n\n_It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread\nand wine, for us Christians to eat and to drink, instituted by Christ\nHimself._\n\nWhat is the benefit of such eating and drinking?\n\n_That is shown us by these words, \"Given and shed for you for the\nremission of sins\"; namely, that in the Sacrament forgiveness of sins,\nlife, and salvation are given us through these words. For where there is\nforgiveness of sins there is also life and salvation._\n\n1. You have often seen how on certain Sundays confirmed members of our\nchurch went up to the altar to receive bread and wine to eat and drink,\nwhile the minister said to them: \"Take and eat; this is the true body of\nyour Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Take and drink; this is the true\nblood of your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.\" We call this sacred act the\n_Lord's Supper,_ or the _Sacrament of the Altar. What does this sacred\nact mean?_\n\n2. The holy evangelists, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and St. Paul the\nApostle write about the Lord's Supper thus: _\"Our Lord Jesus Christ,\"\netc. The Lords Supper was not instituted by men, by the Church, _but by\nChrist Himself._ Therefore it is _a sacred act._ The Lord instituted His\nSupper _\"the same night in which He was betrayed,\"_ in the night before\nHis sufferings and death. After He had given His disciples the bread and\nthe cup, He added: _\"This do in remembrance of Me.\" The Lord _commanded_\nHis disciples that after His ascension _they should do as He had done,_\nthat they should take bread and wine, give thanks over them, and eat\nand drink in remembrance of Him. _He commanded His Church to celebrate\nHis Supper to the end of days._ \"As often as ye eat this bread and drink\nthis cup, ye do show the Lord's death _till He come.\"_ 1 Cor. 11,26.\n\n3. In the night in which Jesus was betrayed by His disciple Judas, our\nLord _took bread, and when He had given thanks, He brake it into small\npieces, and gave it to His disciples, and said, Take and eat. After the\nsame manner also He took the cup, filled it with wine, gave thanks, and\ngave it to His disciples, saying, Take, drink ye all of it._ The Lord\ntook _bread and wine_ and gave them to His disciples to eat and drink.\nWe should do likewise in celebrating the Lord's Supper. We should take\nbread and wine, eat and drink both in remembrance of the Lord. As in\nBaptism the water, so in the Lord's Supper bread and wine are the\nexternal, visible means. The Lord's Supper is the bread and wine\n_comprehended in God's command._\n\n4. In the Lord's Supper bread and wine are also _connected with God's\nword._ While the disciples ate the bread and drank the wine, the Lord\nsaid to them, _\"This is my body, which is given for you. This cup is the\nNew Testament in My blood, which is shed for you for the remission of\nsins.\"_ These words of Christ we must also have in His Supper, together\nwith the bread and wine.--In His Supper, under the bread and wine, our\nLord gives us, according to His promise, _His body, which was given for\nus,_ which was crucified, _and His true blood, which was shed for us on\nthe cross for the remission of our sins._ Under and with the bread and\nwine we eat and drink the body and the blood of our Lord. We cannot\nunderstand how this is possible, but we _believe_ it because our Lord\nhas promised it. _\"The Word of the Lord is right, and all His works are\ndone in truth.\"_ Ps. 33,4. Our Lord is the _almighty God,_ who is able\nto do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think and can\nunderstand. Eph. 3,20. The Lord's Supper, or the Sacrament of the Altar,\n_\"is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, under the bread\nand wine, for us Christians to eat and to drink, instituted by Christ\nHimself.\"_\n\n5. _What is the benefit of such eating and drinking?_ Our Catechism\nanswers: _\"That is shown us by these words, 'Given and shed for you for\nthe remission of sins.'\"_ In the Sacrament forgiveness of sins, life,\nand salvation are given us through these words. Our Lord, it is true,\nspeaks only of remission, or forgiveness, of sins; but _\"where there is\nforgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.\"_--In His\nSupper my Lord gives me, and I eat, His body, given for me, and He gives\nme, and I drink, His blood, shed for the remission of my sins. He gives\nme His body and blood, by the giving and shedding of which upon the\ncross He purchased and earned and procured for me the forgiveness of my\nsins. So the Lord's Supper _strengthens our faith in Christ,_ our\nRedeemer. When we believe these words in the Sacrament, we have in it\n_forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation._ How we ought to thank our\nLord for making us so certain of our salvation in His Supper!\n\nREMEMBER:--\n\n1. _We have two Sacraments, two sacred acts, wherein our Lord, through\nvisible, external means, connected with the word of God, offers and\ngives us His grace which Christ has merited._\n\n2. _Very many of those who call themselves Christians, and who are\nChristians, deny that in the Sacrament there is really Christ's true\nbody and blood, because they cannot understand how this is possible. We\nfirmly believe the plain and clear words of our true and almighty\nSavior._\n\n3. _Let us give thanks to the Lord, who has prepared for us such a\nwonderful means of grace to strengthen our faith in the forgiveness of\nsins, life, and salvation._\n\nMEMORIZE: --\n\n_The Word of the Lord is right, and all His works are done in truth._\nPs. 33,4.\n\n_As often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's\ndeath till He come._ 1 Cor. 11,26.\n\nQUESTIONS.\n\n1. What do we call the second Sacrament of the Christian Church? 2. Who\ninstituted this Sacrament? 3. When did Christ institute it? 4. Which\nwords of Christ show that we also should do as He has done, and\ncelebrate His Supper? 5. What are the external visible means in this\nSacrament? 6. What word of God is it with which bread and wine are\nconnected? 7. What does Christ give us to eat and to drink under and\nwith the bread and wine? 8. Why do we believe this to be true though we\ncan not understand it? 9. Why do we believe that Christ is able to do\nwhat He has promised in His Supper? 10. Which words of Christ show us\nthe benefit of such eating and drinking? 11. What is given us, according\nto these words, in the Sacrament? 12. How do we prove that also life and\nsalvation are given us in the Sacrament, although Christ speaks only of\nforgiveness of sins? 13. How does the Sacrament make us certain of\nforgiveness of sins, life, and salvation? 14. What is a Sacrament?\n\nLESSON 51.\n\nBaptism And the Lord's Supper.\n\nReview Lesson.\n\n1. We have two Sacraments in our Church. What do we mean by a sacrament?\nBy whom have the Sacraments been instituted? What has God ordained in\nthe Sacraments to offer His grace? With what are these visible, external\nmeans connected? What does God offer and give through the external means\nconnected with His word? What are the two Sacraments called?\n\n2. Our first Sacrament is Baptism. How does our Catechism answer the\nquestion, \"What is Baptism\"? What is the external means in Baptism? What\nkind of water must we use when we baptize a person? If we have no water,\nwe cannot baptize. But the water in Baptism is not simple, common water;\nwhat, then, is it?--Baptism is the water comprehended in God's\ncommand. What command did Christ give His disciples before He ascended\ninto heaven? Matt. 28,19. Who, therefore, has instituted Baptism? Who,\nat the present time, ordinarily performs this sacred act? In which case\ncan and should every Christian do it? Christ has commanded us to\nbaptize? What does the word baptize mean?--Which is the word of God\nconnected with the water in Baptism? We are baptized in the name of the\nFather and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, in the name of the Triune\nGod. God's name is God Himself. We are baptized in God Himself, in the\nFather, Son, and Holy Ghost. What does God bestow upon us in Baptism?\nGod there gives us Himself as our true Father and accepts us as His dear\nchildren. Since the water of Baptism is connected with God's word and\nname, it is indeed not common water, but a gracious water of life.--\nWhom are we to baptize according to God's command? What is meant by the\nword _nations_? We make a distinction in baptizing adults and children.\nWhen do we baptize adults? We baptize our children in their infancy,\nwhen they are still babies, not able to be instructed in the Word of\nGod. We instruct them in the doctrines of God's Word after they have\nbeen baptized, when they are able to understand and to learn the Word of\nGod. What kind of schools do we Christians therefore establish? Which\nword of Christ induces us to baptize our little children? Mark 10,14.\nTo whom are our children brought in Baptism? What does the Holy Ghost\nkindle in them by Baptism? In Holy Baptism our children become God's\nchildren. Christ takes them up in His arms and blesses them.\n\n3. Baptism is the water comprehended in God's command and connected with\nGod's word. Baptism is indeed a great and wonderful institution. Why?\nWhat three great blessings of Baptism are mentioned in our Catechism?\nWhere has Christ promised these three blessings? Mark 16,16. Christ here\nonly says that he that believeth and is baptized _shall be saved._ He\nmentions only salvation; how, then, can we prove that Baptism also works\nforgiveness of sins and delivers from death and the devil?--Baptism\nworks forgiveness of sins. Christ by His innocent sufferings and death\nhas earned us this great gift, and yet we say that baptism works\nforgiveness of sins. What do we mean to say by this? By what means does\nthe Holy Ghost make forgiveness of sins our own? What does the Apostle\nwrite Gal. 3,26.27? Whom do we put on in Baptism? What does this mean?\nBy Baptism all the merits of Christ are imputed to us, His spotless\nrighteousness is made our own. The second great blessing of Baptism is\nthis, that it delivers us from death and from the devil. How did death\ncome into this world? If Baptism works forgiveness of sins, from what\nmust it deliver us? Baptism delivers us from the devil. How does Baptism\ndeliver us from the devil? How does it give us salvation? To whom does\nBaptism give all these great things? What does our Lord say Mark 16,16?\nIt is true, Baptism offers all these heavenly gifts to us, whether we\nbelieve or not. But we must take and receive them by faith. As God\noffers all these things in Baptism, with what may we compare Holy\nBaptism as far as God is concerned? What is the hand with which we take\nall God's blessings which are offered in Baptism? We should remember our\nbaptism during our whole life. When especially should we think of it?\nHow long will God keep His promises?\n\n4. Our second Sacrament is the Lord's Supper. What is it also called? By\nwhom was it instituted? What does our Lord mean to say when He adds:\n\"This do in remembrance of Me\"? Christ wants His Sacrament to be\ncelebrated in His Church till He again comes visibly on the Last Day.--\nWhat are the visible means in this Sacrament? What are we to do with the\nbread and wine? In the Lord's Supper as in baptism the visible means,\nbread and wine, are comprehended in God's command.--What is the word\nof God connected with the bread and wine? What does Christ give us in\nthe Sacrament under bread and wine? We, indeed, cannot understand this,\ncannot see how it is possible. Why do we nevertheless believe it to be\ntrue? Can Christ fulfil what He has promised us? Why? In which of His\nwords of institution is the benefit of such eating and drinking shown?\nWhat is given us in the Sacrament through these words? We are given\nforgiveness of sins; what must be there also, where there is forgiveness\nof sins? What is especially strengthened in us when we partake of the\nLord's Supper?\n\nLord, grant that we e'er pure retain\nThe catechismal doctrine plain\nAs Luther taught the heavenly truth\nIn simple words to tender youth.\n\nThat we Thy holy Law may know\nAnd mourn our sin and all its woe,\nAnd yet believe in Father, Son,\nAnd Holy Spirit, Three in One.\n\nThat we on Thee, our Father, call,\nWho canst and wilt give help to all;\nThat as Thy children we may live,\nWhom Thou in Baptism didst receive.\n\nThat, if we fall, we rise again,\nRepentingly confess our sin,\nAnd take the Sacrament in faith;--\nAmen. God grant a happy death!","title":"Lessons in the Small Catechism of Dr. Martin Luther: For the Senior Department of Lutheran Sunday-Schools and for General Use","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":63570}