II. The Structure of the Lord's Prayer III.-The Invocation or Address.. IV. The First Petition for God's Glory V.-The Second Petition for God's Glory VI. The Third Petition for God's Glory VII. The First Petition for Man's Wants.. VIII.-The Second Petition for Man's Wants I.-On the Sacraments in general... i. The Number of the Sacraments. iii. The Outward Sign in Baptism iv. The Inward and Spiritual Grace v. The Requirements of Baptism THE CATECHISM OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND. INTRODUCTION. I.-Meaning of Catechism. The word "Catechism" is derived from the Greek, and means literally "to sound down." It is a form of instruction by question and answer. The questioner is called the Catechist; the persons so instructed are called Catechumens; and the form of instruction is termed Catechetical. The Catechism of the Church of England is a course of instruction by question and answer, in the first principles of Christianity; and it is to be learned by every person before he is brought to be confirmed by the Bishop. II.-The Divisions of the Catechism. It may be divided into five parts : 1. The Baptismal or Christian Covenant. 2. The Creed, or Christian's Belief. 3. The Ten Commandments, or Christian's Duty. 5. The Two Sacraments, or the Christian's Ordinances. III.-History of the Church Catechism. In Anglo-Saxon times provision was made for the instruc- In 1549, when the First Prayer Book of Edward VI. was At the Savoy Conference, A.D. 1662, the Catechism was separated from the Order of Confirmation, and placed before it in the position it now occupies. PART I. THE CHRISTIAN COVENANT. Question. What is your Name? Answer. N. or M. Question. Who gave you this Name? Answer. My Godfathers and Godmothers in my Baptism; wherein I was made a member of Christ, the child of God, and an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven. Question. What did your Godfathers and Godmothers then for you? Answer. They did promise and vow three things in my name. First, that I should renounce the devil and all his works, the pomps and vanity of this wicked world, and all the sinful lusts of the flesh. Secondly, that I should believe all the Articles of the Christian Faith. And thirdly, that I should keep God's holy will and commandments, and walk in the same all the days of my life. CHAPTER I. THE CHRISTIAN NAME. (.—Explanation of Terms. A name is that by which a person is known, and by which Most names in the Bible have definite meanings-e.g.: Isaac means "laughter." Jacob means "heeler " or "supplanter." Moses means "saved from the water," and so on. Persons now have two names-a Christian name and a surname. The surname, from the French sur, or Latin super, and nomen, a name, is the family or father's name, and is so called because it is given over or above, or in addition to, the Christian name. The Christian name is a person's first name, which especially distinguishes him from his brothers, and family, and everybody. It is so called because it was given him when he was made a Christian. II.-By whom the Christian name was given. By my godfathers and godmothers (two godfathers and one godmother for a male child, and one godfather and two godmothers for a female child), that is, by persons who were witnesses of my entrance in the Church, and who may be called my spiritual parents, because they assisted at what, figuratively speaking, is frequently called my new birth." Godship, now corrupted to gossip, was, in time past, an appellation applied to godfathers and godmothers. The word is very appropriate, sib meaning relation, and godship a god relation. Godparents are sometimes called sponsors, or sureties, because they have made for the child certain promises which, when he comes to age, he himself is bound to perform. III.-The time of giving the name. At my baptism, or admission into the Christian Church. The Christian Church, in giving a name to its members on admission-i.e., on their entrance into a new life and new relations-only follows the practice of Patriarchal and Jewish dispensations: e.g., the Jews gave the name on the eighth day after birth, when the child was circumcised; and the giving of the name is generally regarded by civilised nations as a solemn matter, and is frequently accompanied with some religious service. This name "is afterwards used in the most solemn moments of life, in the marriage-vow, in all oaths and engagements, and on all occasions when the person is dealt with in his individual capacity." CHAPTER II. THE PRIVILEGES AND OBLIGATIONS OF THE CHRISTIAN COVENANT. L-Meaning of Christian Covenant. The term "Covenant" (from con and venio) means strictly the coming together of two parties in the way of agreement or bargain. The Christian Covenant refers to the agreement entered into by God with man. The earliest covenant mentioned in the Bible is that between God and Noah. (Gen. vi., 18; ix., 8-17.) Of this the rainbow was the sign. The next covenant of importance was between God and The Christian Covenant is one between God and all II.—The Privileges of the Covenant. 1. CHURCH MEMBERSHIP. 2. SONSHIP. 3. HEIRSHIP. 1. Church Membership.-A member of Christ. The word "Member" means a part, portion, or division of a thing-e.g., the arm, hand, or leg, are members or parts of the body; the branch is part of a tree; individuals are members of a family or society. The Church of Christ is a family or society, and those who belong to it are its members. St. Paul calls the Church the body of Christ, and Christians members of Christ's body-e.g.: "And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the Church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all."-Ephes. i., 22-23. "For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ."-1 Cor. xii., 12. "Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.” 1 Cor. xii., 27; Ephes. v., 30; St. John xv., 1-6. To be a member of Christ is, therefore, to belong to the The body can live without any particular member, and |