THE SECOND PART OF THE ORTHODOX CATECHISM.
ON HOPE.
Definition of Christian Hope, its Ground, and the Means thereto.
386. What
is Christian hope?
The resting of the heart on God, with the full trust that he
ever cares for our salvation, and will give us the happiness he has promised.
387. What
is the ground of Christian hope?
The Lord Jesus Christ is our hope, or the ground of our
hope.
1 Tim. i. 1. Hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto
you by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter i. 13.
388. What
are the means for attaining to a saving hope?
The means to this are, first, prayer; secondly, the true doctrine
of blessedness, and its practical application.
On Prayer.
389. Is
there any testimony of God's Word to this, that prayer is a mean for attaining to
a saving hope?
Jesus Christ himself joins the hope of receiving our desire
with prayer: Whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, that will
I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
John xiv. 13.
390. What
is Prayer?
The lifting up of man's mind and heart to God, manifested by
devout words.
391. What
should the Christian do when he lifts up his mind and heart to God?
First, he should glorify him for his divine perfections;
secondly, give thanks to him for his mercies; thirdly, ask him for
what he needs. So there are three chief forms of prayer: Praise, Thanksgiving,
and Petition.
392. Can
a man pray without words?
He can: in mind and heart. An example of this may be seen in
Moses before the passage through the Red Sea. Exod. xiv. 15.
393. Has
not such prayer a name of its own?
It is called spiritual, or prayer of the heart
and mind, in one word, inward prayer; while, on the other hand, prayer
expressed in words, and accompanied by other marks of devotion, is called oral
or outward prayer.
394. Can
there be outward prayer without inward?
There can: if any man utter words of prayer without attention
or earnestness.
395. Does
outward prayer alone suffice to obtain grace?
So far is it from sufficing to obtain grace, that contrariwise
it provokes God to anger.
God has himself declared his displeasure at such prayer:
This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoreth me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me: but in vain do they worship me.
Matt. xv. 8, 9.
396. Does
not inward prayer alone suffice without outward?
This question is as if one should ask whether soul alone might
not suffice for man without body. It is idle to ask this, seeing that God has been
pleased to make man consist of soul and body; likewise idle it is to ask whether
inward prayer alone may not suffice without outward. Since we have both soul and
body, we ought to glorify God in our bodies, and in our souls, which are God's:
this being besides natural, that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth
should speak. Our Lord Jesus Christ was spiritual in the highest degree,
but even he expressed his spiritual prayer both by words and by devout gestures
of body, sometimes, for instance, lifting up
his eyes to heaven, sometimes
kneeling, or falling on his face to the ground.
1 Cor. vi. 20;
Matt. xii. 34;
John xvii. 1;
Luke xxii. 41;
Matt. xxvi. 39.
On the Lord's Prayer.
397. Is
there not a prayer which may be termed the common Christian prayer, and pattern
of all prayers?
Such is the Lord's Prayer.
398. What
is the Lord's Prayer?
A prayer which our Lord Jesus Christ taught the Apostles, and
which they delivered to all believers.
399. Repeat
it.
Our father, who art in heaven?
1. Hallowed be thy Name;
2. Thy kingdom come;
3. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth;
4. Give us this day our bread for subsistence;
5. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors,
6. And lead us not into temptation;
7. But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever
and ever. Amen.
Matt. vi. 9--13.
400. In
order the better to understand the Lord's Prayer, how may we divide it?
Into the invocation, seven petitions, and the
doxology.
On the Invocation.
401. How
dare we call God Father?
By faith in Jesus Christ, and by the grace of regeneration.
As many as received him, to them, gave he power to become
the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of
blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
John i. 12, 13.
402. Must
we say Our Father even when we pray alone?
Certainly we must.
403. Why
so?
Because Christian charity requires us to call upon God, and
ask good things of him, for all our brethren, no less than for ourselves.
404. Why
in the invocation do we say, Who art in heaven?
That, entering upon prayer, we may leave every thing earthly
and corruptible, and raise our minds and hearts to what is heavenly, everlasting,
and divine.
On the First Petition.
405. Is
not God's name holy?
Doubtless it is holy in itself. Holy is his name.
Luke i. 49.
406. How,
then, can it yet be hallowed?
It may be hallowed in men; that is, his eternal holiness may
be manifested in them.
407. How?
First, when we, having in our thoughts and heart the name of
God, so live as his holiness requires, and thus glorify God; secondly, when others
also, seeing our good lives, glorify God.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your
good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Matt. v. 16.
On the Second Petition.
408. What
is the kingdom of God spoken of in the second petition of the Lord's Prayer?
The kingdom of grace, which, as St. Paul says, is
righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Rom. xiv. 17.
409. Is
not this kingdom come already?
To some it has not yet come in its full sense; while to others
it has not yet come at all inasmuch as sin still reigns in their mortal bodies,
that they should obey it in the lusts thereof.
Rom. vi. 12.
410. How
does it come?
Secretly, and inwardly. The kingdom of God cometh not with
observation; for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
Luke xvii. 20, 21.
411. May
not the Christian ask for something further under the name of God's kingdom?
He may ask for the kingdom of glory--that is, for the
perfect bliss of the faithful.
Having a desire to depart, and be with Christ.
Phil. i. 23.
On the Third Petition.
412. What
means the petition, Thy will be done?
Hereby we ask of God that all we do, and all that befalls us,
may be ordered not as we will, but as pleases him.
413. Why
need we ask this?
Because we often err in our wishes; but God unerringly, and
incomparably more than we ourselves, wishes for us all that is good, and is ever
ready to bestow it, unless he be prevented by our willfulness and obstinacy.
Unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all
that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory
in the Church.
Eph. iii. 20, 21.
414. Why
do we ask that God's will be done in earth as in heaven?
Because in heaven the holy angels and saints in bliss, all without
exception, always, and in all things, do God's will.
On the Fourth Petition.
415. What
is bread for subsistence?1
The bread which we need in order to subsist or live.
416. With
what thoughts should we ask of God this bread?
Agreeably with the instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ, we
should ask no more than bread for subsistence; that is, necessary food, and
such clothing and shelter as is likewise necessary for life; but whatever is beyond
this, and serves not so much for necessity as for gratification, we should leave
to the will of God; and if it be given, return thanks to him; if it be not given,
we should be content without it.
417. Why
are we directed to ask for bread for subsistence only for this day ?
That we may not be too anxious about the future, but trust for
that to God. Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take
thought for the things of itself: sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Matt. vi. 34. For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of
all these things.
Matt. vi. 32.
418. May
we not ask for something farther under the name of bread for subsistence?
Since man is made of both a bodily and a spiritual substance,
and the substance of the soul far excels that of the body, we may and should seek
for the soul also that bread of subsistence without which the inward man must perish
of hunger.
(See Cyril. Hier. Lect, Myst. iv. 15; Orthod. Confess. Pt. II.
Q. 19.)
419. What
is the bread of subsistence for the soul?
The Word of God, and the Body and Blood of Christ.
Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that
proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Matt. iv. 4. My flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
John vi. 55.
On the Fifth Petition.
420. What
is meant in the Lord's Prayer by our debts?
Our sins.
421. Why
are our sins called debts?
Because we, having received all from God, ought to render all
back to him--that is, subject all to his will and law; which if we do not, we are
left debtors to his justice.
422. But
who are our debtors?
People who have not rendered us that which they owed us by the
law of God; as, for instance, have not shown us love, but malice.
423. If
God is just, how can we be forgiven our debts?
Through the mediation of Jesus Christ.
For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and man,
the man Jesus Christ, who gave himself a ransom for all.
1 Tim. ii. 5, 6.
424. What
will be the consequence, if we ask God to forgive us our sins without ourselves
forgiving others?
In that case neither shall we be forgiven.
For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father
will also forgive you; but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will
your Father forgive you your trespasses.
Matt. vi. 14, 15.
425. Why
will not God forgive us if we do not forgive others?
Because we hereby show ourselves evil, and so alienate from
us God's goodness and
426. What
disposition, then, must we have to use aright those words of the Lord's Prayer,
As we forgive our debtors?
These words absolutely require that when we pray we should bear
no malice nor hatred, but be in peace and charity with all men.
Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and, there
rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee, leave there thy gift before
the altar, and go thy way: first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and
offer thy gift.
Matt. v. 23, 24.
427. But
what am I to do if I can not readily find him who hath aught against me, or if he
show himself unwilling to be reconciled?
In such a case it is enough to be reconciled with him in heart,
before the eyes of the all-seeing God.
If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably
with all men.
Rom. xii. 18.
On the Sixth Petition.
428. What
is meant in the Lord's Prayer by temptation ?
Any conjuncture of circumstances in which there is imminent
danger of losing the faith, or falling into great sin.
429. Whence
come such temptations?
From our flesh, from the world, or other people,
and from the devil.
430. What
do we ask in these words of the prayer, Lead us not into temptation?
First, that God suffer us not to be led into temptation; secondly,
that if it be needful for us to be tried and purified through temptation, he give
us not up wholly to temptation, nor suffer us to fall.
On the Seventh Petition.
431. What
do we ask in these words of the prayer, Deliver as from evil?
We ask for deliverance from all evil that can reach us in the world, which
since the fall lieth in wickedness (1
John v. 19): but especially from the evil of sin, and from the evil suggestions
and snares of the spirit of evil, which is the devil.
On the Doxology.
432. Why
after the Lord's Prayer do we subjoin the Doxology?
First, that when we ask mercies for ourselves from our heavenly
Father, we may at the same time render him that honor which is his
due; secondly, that by the
thought of his everlasting kingdom, power, and glory, we may be more
and more established in the hope that he will give us what we ask, because this
is in his power, and makes to his glory.
433. What
means the word Amen T
It means verily, or so be it.
434. Why
is this word added to the Doxology?
To signify that we offer the prayer in faith, and without doubting,
as we are taught to do by the Apostle James.
James
i. 6.
On the Doctrine of Blessedness.
435. What
must we join with prayer in order to be grounded in the hope of salvation and blessedness?
Our own exertions for the attainment of blessedness.
Of this point the Lord himself says: Why call ye me Lord,
Lord, and do not the things which I say?
Luke vi. 46. Not every one that saith unto me Lord, Lord, shall enter
into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in
heaven.
Matt. vii. 21.
436. What
doctrine may we take as our guide in these exertions?
The doctrine of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is briefly set
forth in his Beatitudes, or sentences on blessedness.
437. How
many such sentences are there? The nine following:
1. Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven.
2. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
3. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
4. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness:
for they shall be filed.
5. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
6. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
7. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called
the children of God.
8. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness'
sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
9. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute
you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven. Matt. v. 3-12.
438. What
is to be observed of all these sentences in order to their right understanding?
This: that the Lord proposed in these sentences a doctrine
for the attainment of blessedness, as is expressly said in the Gospel: He
opened his mouth, and taught; but, being meek and lowly of heart, he proposed
his doctrine not in the form of commandment, but of blessing, to those who should
of their own free will receive and fulfill it. Consequently in each sentence or
Beatitude we must consider, first, the doctrine or precept; secondly, the blessing
or promise of reward.
On the First Beatitude.
439. What
is the Lord's first precept of blessedness?
They who would be blessed must be poor in spirit.
440. What
is it to be poor in spirit?
It is to have a spiritual conviction that we have nothing of
our own, nothing but what God bestows upon us, and that we can do nothing good without
God's help and grace, thus counting ourselves as nothing, and in all throwing ourselves
upon the mercy of God; in brief, as St. Chrysostom explains it, spiritual poverty
is humility. (Hom. in Matt. xv.)
441. Can
the rich, too, be poor in spirit?
Doubtless they can: if they consider that visible riches are
corruptible and soon pass away, and can never compensate for the want of spiritual
goods. What is a man profited, if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul
for what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Matt. xvi. 26.
442. May
not bodily poverty serve to the perfection of spiritual?
It may, if the Christian choose it voluntarily, for God's sake.
Of this, Jesus Christ himself said to the rich man: If thou wilt be perfect,
go, sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven;
and come and follow me.
Matt. xix. 21.
443. What
does our Lord promise to the poor in spirit?
The kingdom of heaven.
444. How
is the kingdom of heaven theirs?
In the present life inwardly, and inchoately,2
by faith and hope; but
in the life to come perfectly,
by their being made partakers of everlasting blessedness.
On the Second Beatitude.
445. What
is the Lord's second precept for blessedness?
They who would be blessed must mourn.
446. What
is meant in this precept by the word mourn?
Sorrow and contrition of heart, with unfeigned tears, for that
we so imperfectly and unworthily serve the Lord, or even rather deserve big anger
by our sins, for godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation not to be repented
of; but the sorrow of this world worketh death.
2 Cor. vii. 10.
447. What
special promise does the Lord make to mourners?
That they shall be comforted.
448. What
comfort is here to be understood?
That of grace, consisting in the pardon of sin, and in peace
of conscience.
449. Why
is this promise added to the precept for mourning?
In order that sorrow for sin may not reach to despair.
On the Third Beatitude.
450. What
is the Lord's third precept for blessedness?
They who would be blessed must be meek.
451. What
is meekness?
A quiet disposition of spirit, joined with care neither to offend
any man, nor be offended at any thing one's self.
452. What
are the special effects of Christian meekness?
These: that we never murmur against God, nor even against men,
when any thing falls out against our wishes, nor give way to anger, nor set ourselves
up.
453. What
is promised by the Lord to the meek?
That they shall inherit the earth.
454. How
are we to understand this promise?
As regards Christ's followers generally it is a prediction which
has been literally fulfilled; for the ever-meek Christians, instead of being destroyed
by the fury of the heathen, have inherited the universe which the heathen formerly
possessed. But the further sense of this promise, as regards Christians both generally
and individually, is
this, that they shall receive
an inheritance, as the Psalmist says, in the land of the living; that is,
where men live and never die; in other words, that they shall receive everlasting
blessedness. See
Psalm xxvii. 13.
On the Fourth Beatitude.
455. What
is the Lord's fourth precept for blessedness?
They who would be blessed must hunger and thirst after righteousness.
456. What
is meant here by the word righteousness ?
Though this word may well stand for every virtue which the Christian
ought to desire even as his meat and drink, yet should we here specially understand
that righteousness of which, in the book of Daniel, it is said, An everlasting
righteousness shall be brought in; that is, the justification of guilty man
through grace and faith in Jesus Christ.
Dan. ix. 24.
The Apostle Paul speaks thus: The righteousness of God which
is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all, and upon all them that believe; for there
is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God/
being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus, whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood,
to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past.
Rom. iii. 22-25.
457. Who
are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness?
They who, while they love to do good, yet count not themselves
righteous, nor rest on their own good works, but acknowledge themselves sinners,
and guilty before God; and who, by the wish and prayer of faith, hunger and thirst
after the justification of grace through Jesus Christ, as after spiritual meat and
drink.
458. What
does the Lord promise to them who hunger and thirst after righteousness?
That they shall be filled.
459. What
is meant here by being filled?
As the filling or satisfying of the body produces, first, the
cessation of the sense of hunger and thirst; secondly, the strengthening the body
by food, so the filling of the soul means, first, the inward peace of the pardoned
sinner; secondly, the acquisition of strength to do good, given by justifying grace.
The perfect filling, however, of the soul created for the enjoyment of endless good
is to follow in the life eternal,
according to the words of
the Psalmist: When I awake up after thy likeness, I shall be satisfied with it.
Psalm xvii. 15.
On the Fifth Beatitude.
460. What
is the Lord's fifth precept for blessedness?
They who would be blessed must be merciful.
461. How
are we to fulfill this precept?
By works of mercy, corporal and spiritual; for, as St. Chrysostom
says, the forms of mercy are manifold, and this commandment is broad. (Hom.
in Matt. xv.)
462. Which
are the corporal works of mercy t
1. To feed the hungry.
2. To give drink to the thirsty.
3. To clothe the naked, or such as have not necessary and decent
clothing.
4. To visit them that are in prison.
5. To visit the sick, minister to them, and forward their recovery,
or aid them to a Christian preparation for death.
6. To show hospitality to strangers.
7. To bury them that have died in poverty.
463. Which
are the spiritual works of mercy?
1. By exhortation to convert the sinner from the error of
his way.
James
v. 20.
2. To instruct the ignorant in truth and virtue.
3. To give our neighbor good and seasonable advice in difficulty,
or in any danger of which he is unaware.
4. To pray for others to God.
5. To comfort the afflicted.
6. Not to return the evil which others may have done us.
7. To forgive injuries from our heart.
464. Is
it not contrary to the precept of mercy for civil justice to punish criminals?
Not in the least; if this be done as of duty, and with a good
intent, that is, in order to correct them, or to preserve the innocent from their
crimes.
465. What
does the Lord promise to the merciful?
That they shall obtain mercy.
466. What
mercy is here to be understood?
That of being delivered from everlasting condemnation for sin
at God's Judgment
On the Sixth Beatitude.
467. What
is the Lord's sixth precept for blessedness?
They who would be blessed must be pure in heart.
468. Is
not purity of heart the same thing as sincerity?
Sincerity which feigns not any good dispositions foreign to
the heart, but shows the really good dispositions of the heart by good deeds, is
only the lowest degree of purity of heart. This last a man attains by constant and
strict watchfulness over himself, driving away from his heart every unlawful wish
and thought, and every affection for earthly things, and ever keeping there the
remembrance of God and our Lord Jesus Christ with faith and charity.
469. What
does the Lord promise to the pure in heart? That they shall see God.
470. How
are we to understand this promise?
The Word of God compares the heart of man to the eye, and ascribes
to perfect Christians enlightened, eyes of the heart.
Eph. i. 18. As the eye that is clear can see the light, so the heart
that is pure can behold God. But since the sight of God's countenance is the very
source of everlasting blessedness, the promise of seeing God is the promise of the
highest degree of everlasting blessedness.
On the Seventh Beatitude.
471. What
is the Lord's seventh precept for blessedness?
They who would be blessed must be peace-makers.
472. How
are we to fulfill this commandment?
We must live friendly with all men, and give no occasion for
disagreement: if any arise, we must try all possible ways to put a stop to it, even
by yielding our own right, unless this be against duty, or hurtful to any other:
if others are at enmity, we must do all we can to reconcile them; and if we fail,
we must pray to God for their reconciliation.
473. What
does the Lord promise to peace-makers?
That they shall be called the Sons of God.
474. What
is signified by this promise?
The sublimity both of their office and of their reward. Since
in what they do they imitate the only-begotten Son of God, who came upon earth to
reconcile fallen man with God's justice, they are for this
promised the gracious name
of Sons of God, and without doubt a degree of blessedness answering thereto.
On the Eighth Beatitude.
475. What
is the Lord's eighth precept for blessedness?
They who would be blessed must be ready to endure persecution
for righteousness' sake, without betraying it.
476. What
qualities are required by this precept?
Love of righteousness, constancy and firmness in virtue, fortitude
and patience, when one is subjected to calamity or danger for refusing to betray
truth and virtue.
477. What
does the Lord promise to those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake?
The kingdom of heaven, as if in recompense for what they
lose through persecution; in like manner as the same is promised to the poor in
spirit, to make up for the feeling of want and privation.
On the Ninth Beatitude.
478. What
is the Lord's ninth precept for blessedness?
They who would be blessed must be ready to take with joy
reproach, persecution, suffering, and death itself, for the name of Christ, and
for the true orthodox faith.
479. What
is the name for the course required by this precept?
The course of martyrdom.
480. What
does the Lord promise for this course?
A great reward in heaven; that is, a special and high
degree of blessedness.