• guilty of all." James ii. 10. "And besides this giving all diligence, add to your faith_virtue, and to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge temperance, and to temperance patience, and to patience godliness, and to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness charity.” 2 Pet. i. 5, 6, 7.

The third is perseverance. "To them who by patient continuance in well doing, seek for glory and honour, and immortality, eternal life." Rom. ii. 7.

The fourth is to seek after perfection; to grow in holiness, and in the separation of our affections from the world. The Scriptures exhort us to seek after perfection. "Be ye perfect, as your Father in Heaven is perfect." Mat. v. 48. Finally brethren be perfect." 2 Cor.

xiii. 11.

CHAPTER II.

Of the duties of religion in Particular.

Q. We have noticed the duties of religion generally; What are those that are particularly designated?

A. They are of three classes. The first are those that relate to God; the second those that relate to men; and the third those that relate to ourselves. St. Paul notices these separately, when he says, " For the grace of God, that bringeth salvation, hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously

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(or justly), and godly, in this present world.” Titus ii. 11, 12.

SECT. 1. Of our duties to God.

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Q. What is the first duty we owe to God? A. To know, acknowledge, serve and adore him alone as the true God: this is what the two first commandments teach us.

Q What is the object of these two commandments ?

A. To preserve mankind from idolatry.
Q. What is idolatry?

A. The term properly signifies the worship paid to idols, or images, by which the Pagans represented their divinities; but we may be be said to be guilty of idolatry, when we give to any thing but to God that honor or adoration which is due to him alone.

Q. Which is the first commandment?

A." I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the Land of Egypt, and out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.'

Q. What is forbidden by this command ?

A. God forbids us to acknowledge or adore any other than the true God, who created the world.

Q. What is meant by these words prefixed to the command, "I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage?"

A. That we are bound to keep all the commandments of God, because he is the Lord, and our God and Redeemer.

Q. What is intended by adding, "before me."?

A. It is intended to guard against idolatry from this consideration, that God is ever present with us, and that we cannot adore other gods without committing this sin in his presence, and exposing ourselves to his judgments. Q. Does not this interdiction convey a command?

A. We may consider it as a command to acknowledge, love, and worship God, and to discharge every other duty due to God.

Q. Which is the second commandment?

A. "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images, or any likeness of any thing in Heaven above, or earth beneath, or in the waters under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down

thyself to serve them, for I am a jealous God, visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my command

ments.'

Q. What does God here forbid ?

A. He forbids the worship of images, either, such as represented false Gods, or any material representations of the true God, and any other worship not appointed in his word.

Q. Wherefore is it said "of things in heaven, upon earth, and in the waters?

A. It was to teach us that we are to have no images of any thing whatsoever. But God speaks thus in particular, because idolatrous nations always worship images of things in heaven, as the sun and stars; those on earth, as different plants and animals; and those in the water, as fish.

Q. What is the honour that Pagans pay to their divinities?

A. They worship them in different ways; generally in prostrating themselves before their idols. It is this which God forbids, when he says, "Thou shalt not bow thyself down to them, nor worship them."

Q. What is meant by this threatening"For I the Lord am a jealous God, visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children," &c. ?

A. That God would not suffer us at any time to render to idols the honor due to him, and that he would rigorously punish this offence to a remote posterity.

Q. How can it appear consistent with the. justice of God, that children should be punished for the sins of their parents?

A. In the regular course of Providence, children must necessarily be involved in the temporal sufferings which the sins of their parents induce, and these may even prove salutary to them; but we have reason to believe that children will not suffer eternal punishments on account of any sins but their own, and that it is only temporal punishment that is here denounced.

SECT. 2. Of the love of God.

Q. What is the sum of our duties to God? A. It is comprised in this commandment, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength."

Q. How has Christ noticed the excellence. of this command ?

A. In saying " This is the first and great

commandment." Our Lord spoke thus, because this is our most important duty, and compre

hends all others.

Q. What is it to love God?

A. The love of God is a cordial attachment to the nature and service of the true God, in opposition to idolatry; but in a more general. sense, to love God is to esteem him in the highest degree, to desire his favor supremely, and to seek to please him in all things.

Q. Why must we love God?

A. Because he is the greatest and most perfect Being; because of the love he has displayed to us, the blessings he bestows upon us, both for this life, and in prospect of the life to come. Q. How are we to love God?

A. With all our heart, and above all other objects.

Q. Are we allowed to place our affections on any other object?

A. There are things which we are forbidden to love, and there are others that we are allowed to love, provided our affections be in a lower degree than that which is due to God; all our affections are to be subservient to the love of God.

Q. What is the rule that we must follow on this subject, in all our conduct?

A. We must avoid an excessive attachment to the world, its interests, honors, and pleasures, as contrary to the love of God, even when the objects are innocent and allowed.

Q. What are the evidences of our truly lov ing God?