34 ADDRESS TO CATECHUMENS. f. Another evidence of the divine origin of the gospel, is the constant fulfillment of its prophetic declarations, Hence you perceive, my young friends, the necessity of becoming acquainted with principles so eminently advantageous in their practical influence, and enjoying the sanction of heaven. The diligent and faithful study of that blessed volume, in which these principles are set forth, will lead you to the fountain of truth, wisdom, and happiness. You will there discover the chief good of the soul, as well as the certain means of its attainment. You will be brought to feel your own guilt as moral beings, and to admire that plan of redeeming grace, where "mercy and truth have met together." The catechism you hold in your hand, arranged by the great and pious Luther, contains all the knowledge essential to guide man to heaven, and is used as a text book by the ministers of our church, in explaining to the young the sublime doctrines of revelation. It consists of five parts. I. The ten commandments. II. The apostolic creed, or articles of the Christian faith. III. The Lord's prayer. IV. The sacrament of Baptism. V. The sacrament of the Lord's supper. And then follows a brief, systematic analysis of the principles of the Christian religion. The study of this volume is not to supercede the diligent reading of the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament; for as you become interested in the great truths here laid down, you will necessarily have recourse to the writings whence they are derived, for proof of their correctness, and illustration of their meaning; and especially to peruse the interesting history of those eminent characters who proclaimed them- the Prophets — - Christ, and his Apostles. Human creeds and expositions may be wrong; but the oracles of God are a sufficient and the only rule of faith and practice, and on this foundation our hopes must rest to be firm and steadfast. It is the object of catechetical instruction to excite such an interest in the disclosures of revealed truth, as will lead you to the source of correct spiritual knowledgethe Bible itself. If this object is not gained, it fails to accomplish its only legitimate end. II. The next point of consideration is the manner in which this duty of searching the Scriptures must be performed, to promote and secure the lasting welfare of the soul. 1. It is essential that you enter upon the discharge of this duty with a teachable disposition. This disposition must be formed immediately by the spirit of God, and mediately, by a sense of the utter impossibility of our obtaining the knowledge most essential to the peace and purity of the soul, without a divine revelation. The history of the human mind illustrates the very limited range of its capacities. The most renowned of the heathen philosophers, who were rapt in the contemplation of spiritual things, acknowledged the necessity of a revelation from heaven, and left the world without the certain hope of immortality. We may infer from the works of nature that the Creator is distinguished by wisdom and power; but the light of nature does not reveal the infinite love of God, as displayed in the gift of his own Son. The glorious doctrine of Atonement is peculiar to the gospel, as well as all those interesting disclosures, on which the hopes of man, as an immortal being, are based. The depraved condition of the soul; the fall 36 ADDRESS TO CATECHUMENS. of man from a state of innocence; the necessity of an offering for sin; the tri-unity of God; the efficacy of prayer; and many other truths equally important, were never dreamt of, in the sublimest reveries of the human mind, until the light of divine revelation shed its beams upon the intellectual world. These considerations should make us willing to be taught from above. With a childlike confidence we should open the volume of inspiration, and drink in those rich streams of spiritual knowledge, which it abundantly supplies. For it is the only guide to happiness. Without it, we are like the mariner who floats upon the trackless ocean, without a compass or a star to direct him in his course; and even with it we may be lost, if we suffer the pride, or prejudice of our nature, to reject its humiliating truths. But you ask: Is not this filial disposition to be formed by the spirit of God? I answer, yes-for without its influence the enmity of the natural heart cannot be overcome. We dare not speculate on the mysteriousness of its gracious operations; but it is certain, that every hearer and reader of the word may be savingly benefited by the knowledge he acquires. There is therefore nothing to discourage the hope, if indulged, that such a state of mind, as is essential to just impressions of duty, may be attained. You may yield to the perverseness of your own hearts, or the pleasures of sin, even after your religious obligations have been plainly stated, and as plainly understood; but this is an evidence that you have resisted the Holy Ghost, rather than a proof that you have never felt its power. If the seed that is sown brings forth no fruit, it is not because the rain refuses to descend, and the sun to shine upon it; it is choked by ADDRESS TO CATECHUMENS. 37 them, or there is no depth of soil, and hence it withers and dies. When the seed of instruction is scattered in the human heart, the genial influence of the spirit is there to quicken and bring it into life, and if the young twig withers before the lovely fruits of piety appear, either the soil is barren, or the tender plant is choked by the cares and pleasures of the world. Do you wish to approach the sacred oracles with a child-like confidence, only yield to that influence which the spirit of God is waiting to exert. There is a time, it is true, when the power of the spirit is no longer felt, but this only in cases which have been rendered hopeless by a long resistance to its divine energy. If you sincerely desire to enter upon the study of the word of God, to seek your own salvation, you have every reason to look for aid from above, in the cultivation of such a state of mind as will materially contribute to render the truths of the gospel "a savour of life unto life" to your souls. 2. But you are likewise to engage in this important duty in a spirit of prayer. The blessings of Providence, it is true, are scattered indiscriminately, and the operation of the laws of nature, established by the Creator, is calculated to affect the happiness of all alike; for "he sends his rain on the just and on the unjust." But you are not to expect the enlightening influences of the holy spirit without asking them. The necessity of the spirit's aid in the profitable investigation of divine truth will appear, if you take into consideration the fact, that you have often perused the gospel without feeling the least interest in its details, and that millions of our race have enjoyed its light, whilst their moral characters have remained unchanged. You must ever bear in mind, 38 ADDRESS TO CATECHUMENS. that your desires and inclinations are opposed to the will of heaven; that the natural man, or the unregenerate heart is at enmity with God; that it is not subject to his law, and that consequently, if you are to be benefited by the study of the divine will, this unfortunate bias of the mind, which we all inherit as the sons and daughters of Adam, must be overcome by some powerful influence. This influence, so effectual in subduing the prejudices of the human heart against the doctrines of revealed truth, we are taught to believe, is the Holy Ghost. The plain declarations of Scripture also lead us to infer that unless our understandings are enlightened from above, the mere perusal of the word of life will avail us nothing. The Bible is called "the Sword of the Spirit." To be effectual, therefore, it must be wielded by that spirit whose instrument it is. Without this accompanying influence, you may be induced to admire the morality of the gospel, the forgiveness and benevolence it inculcates, but you can never be brought to feel your depraved condition as moral beings, and the necessity of a change of moral character, before you can dwell in the presence of a holy God. Without this accompanying influence you will never be willing to devote your best services to him who has said, "My son, give me thy heart." That the enlightening influences of the spirit are granted in answer to prayer, is a truth which we have every reason to believe. It is established, not only by the experience of every Christian, but also by the authority of divine revelation. "If any of you lack wisdom," says St. James, "let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be |