Q. Why do you call this abridgment the Apos-. tles' Creed?

A. Because this profession of Faith is attributed to the Apostles, and it is an abridgment of the truths they taught.

* Q. Who were the Apostles?

A. They were men whom Jesus Christ instructed, and whom he commanded to teach his doctrines throughout the world.

Q. Were the principal truths of the Creed known before the coming of Jesus Christ?

A. The principal truths contained in the Creed, were known before the coming of Jesus Christ, but only by a small number of men, who had, however, no more than an imperfect, and confined knowledge of them.

Q. How did Jesus Christ convince the Apostles of these truths?

A. Jesus Christ convinced the Apostles of these truths, by proving to them that he was the Son of God.

* Q. How did Jesus Christ prove that he was the Son of God?

A. Jesus Christ proved that he was the Son of God, by performing miracles such as no man could have performed, and also by showing that, from the commencement of the world, his com~ ing had been announced and expected.

Q. By whom had the coming of Jesus Christ been announced?

A. The coming of Jesus Christ had been announced by the Prophets, that is to say, by men to whom God gave a knowledge of futurity. * Q. By whom was Jesus Christ expected?

A. Jesus Christ was expected by all the Jewish people, especially by the most pious amongst them.

LESSON III.

ON GOD AND THE CREATION.

Q. What is God?

A. God is a pure Spirit; eternal, infinitely perfect, the Creator and Sovereign Master of all things.

Q. Did God create heaven and earth?

A. Yes, God created heaven and earth, and all that they contain.

Q. Have not the heavens and the earth always existed?

A. No; the heavens and the earth have not always existed. God alone has had no beginning, and will have no end.

Q. Of what did God make the heavens and the earth?

A. God made the heavens and the earth out of nothing, and this it is which we call creating, or producing something out of nothing.

Q. Then God is not limited in his operations, like a workman who cannot make anything unless he has wood, or stone, or marble, or some other material of which to make it?

A. No, God has not acted thus, as a workman; he said, and all was made; he commanded, and all was created.

Q. Could not the universe, or in other words, all that we do see, or can see, make itself?

A. No, the universe could not make itself; it would be far more possible for stones to unite together and form a house.

Q. Is God made manifest to the world?

A. God is made manifest to the world, as a workman is made manifest by his work.

Q. Why did God create the earth, the sun, and animals?

A. God created the earth, the sun, and animals, for the service of man.

Q. Has man been created?

A. Yes, God created Adam, the first father, and Eve, the first mother of all men.

Q. Why has God created us?

A. God has created us to know him, to love him, and to serve him, in order that we may obtain eternal life.

Q. Why is it said that God created man for his glory?

A. Because men procure the glory of God by loving him as children love their father, by obeying him as children obey their father, and in loving each other as brothers.

LESSON IV.

ON THE PERFECTIONS OF GOD.

Q. Is God more perfect than the heavens, than the earth, or than all mankind?

A. Yes, God is more perfect than all these, he is infinitely perfect.

Q. What do you mean when you say that God is infinitely perfect?

A. I mean that God has all the perfections which we can possibly conceive, and infinitely

more.

Q. Is God eternal?

A. Yes, God is eternal; he had no beginning, and will have no end.

Q. Is God all powerful?

A. Yes, God is all powerful, for by his word alone, he made the world from nothing.

Q. Is God independent?

A. Yes, God is independent; he receives noth

ing, he cannot receive anything which he does not already possess, and his creatures have received all that, which they possess, from him. Q. Is God immutable or unchangeable?

A. Yes, God is immutable, that is to say, he is always perfect and can never change. Q. Is God immense?

A. Yes, God is immense; he is everywhere, in heaven, on earth, and in all places.

Q. Is God in us?

A. Yes, God is in us, and in all men; he gave us existence, and preserves us constantly in life. Q. Does God see us when we are alone?

A. Yes, God sees us when we are alone; and nothing in the world can be hidden from him. Q. Does God see all that passes in our Souls? A. Yes, God sees all that passes in our Souls, he knows our most secret thoughts.

Q. If God is everywhere, why do we not see him?

A. We do not see God, because he is a Spirit, without any body or form.

Q. What then do we mean by the hands of God, by the eyes of God, &c.?

A. By the eyes of God, we understand that he sees everything; by his hands, we signify that he has made all things; by his arms, we understand his great power; and to give some idea of his grandeur, we place all creatures under his feet.

Q. What is meant when it is said that Almighty God rested on the seventh day; had God any need of repose?

A. No, it is not said that God rested like a man wearied with labour, but only that he ceased from making new creatures.

Q. Can you know God without seeing him?

A. Yes, I can know God without seeing him; I cannot see my soul, and yet I have a knowledge of it.

Q. Whence do you derive this knowledge?

A. I derive this knowledge from perceiving that my soul is sensible of pleasure, and of grief; that it has memory and understanding, that it wills and loves certain things.

* Q. How do you know God?

A. I know God by the beauty and order of the world, as I know a workman by seeing his work. Q. Do you know God in any other way?

A. Yes, I know God also, because his image is impressed upon me, and because my reason tells me that without him I could not exist.

Q. Why do you say in the first article of the Creed, "I believe in God," &c.

A. I say that I believe in God, because I am certain that there is one God, and that there cannot be more than one God.

Q. Why do you say I believe in God, instead of saying I believe that there is one God?

A. I say that I believe in God, to show that I not only believe there is a God, but that I firmly believe all that he has taught us, and that I place in him all my confidence.

Q. Why have you confidence in God?

A. Because God is the Sovereign Good, he governs all things, and nothing happens in the world without his command or permission.

LESSON V.

ON THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD.

Q. What do you call the government of God? A. Divine Providence.

Q. How do you know that there is a Divine Providence?

A. I know that there is a Divine Providence, because I see in the world many things which