A. By repentance towards God, (Acts iii. 19.) and by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, (Ephes. ii. 8.) produced by the influence of the Spirit of God upon our hearts.

Q. What doctrine lies at the foundation of the Christian religion?

A. The doctrine of the atonement by Jesus Christ the Son of God.

Q. How is the wisdom of God shown in the salvation of man?

A. The wisdom of God is peculiarly shown by this, that while the innocent is punished in place of the guilty, sin is diminished, the kingdom of Satan is overthrown, and an example is set that is sufficient to warn the universe against the consequences of sin. "God spared not

his own Son."

Q. To punish the innocent, and to let the guilty go free, would be to encourage sin and to discourage virtue, and this would naturally increase the number of sinners; how then does the doctrine of the atonement diminish sin ?

A. It diminishes sin, by laying every Christian under the obligation of becoming holy in thought, word, and deed.

Q. What is the meaning of the word atonement?

A. Atone, to be at peace, or good friends. Christ was pleased to make an expiatory sacrifice of himself, that we, through Him, might become partakers of eternal life. We, by sin, have lost the favour of God, and were at enmity with Him. The atonement replaces us in a state of favour with God.

Q. What is the meaning of the word expiate? A. To put out, or make clear. Christ expiated our sins by suffering our punishment. The atonement was made according to the will of God whom we have offended. God willed the salvation of His fallen creatures; He therefore prepared a sacrifice to make atonement for us; or to place us in a state of favour; and we must now be diligent to "work out our own salvation with fear and trembling," having always this encouragement; "It is God that worketh in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure." (Phil. ii. 12, 13.)

1834.]

RELIGIOUS QUESTIONS.

193

Q. What is the meaning of the word repentance? A. Repentance means to be sorry for something past, to think one's self wrong, and to have a change of mind, producing an earnest striving to be right. True repentance will be seen in deep contrition; that is, a continued and severe sorrow for having offended so good a being as God.

Q. What is the meaning of the word faith?

A. Faith means belief; to have faith is to confide, to depend upon as true. The power of persons and the virtue of things are objects of faith. We have faith in the power of Christ, and we have faith in the virtue of his sacrifice to obtain our acceptance with God. We have, therefore, faith in His redeeming grace to save us from our sins. We must not mistake a mere historical belief for saving faith. The devils believe and tremble. True faith operates on the conduct. True faith must be grounded on a right belief, and accompanied with a right practice. Q. Man is by nature under the covenant of workscan he find salvation under this covenant?

A. No; for" by the works of the law shall no man living be justified.'

Q. Under what covenant, then, is salvation to be found?

A. Salvation is to be found under the covenant of

grace; for "by grace ye are saved, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God."

Q. By what rite of the Christian Church are we admitted to the outward benefits of the covenant of grace? A. We are by baptism made members of Christ's visible Church, and are thereby partakers of the means of grace.

Q. What occasion is there for being made a member of Christ?

A. This question is answered by the history of our fall, which shows that we are all born in sin, and under the power of a corrupt nature, as the children of fallen Adam.

Q. What is baptism?

A. An act of dedication to God on our part, and an act of admission on the part of the Church of Christ, by

which we are placed under the Christian covenant, and become entitled to the blessings of the Gospel. By baptism we take on ourselves a solemn vow, and make public profession of the Christian religion.

Q. What is the substance of the vow taken upon ourselves at baptism?

A. To seek to have our character conformed to the image of God. The character of Satan is opposed to that of God. God is good, and all His works are good. Satan is evil, and all his deeds are evil. Satan is the god of this world. Our inclination is to love the world; but when we become members of Christ we renounce "the world, the flesh, and the devil." We believe what God has told us, of ourselves, of the world, and of the way of salvation, and we feel bound to keep His commandments. In short, we vow to devote ourselves to the glory of God, and to make his law the rule of our lives.

Q. What is the meaning of the word conform?

A. To conform means to put into the same form. Conformity is a voluntary act, binding on the conscience, and flowing spontaneously from the will and the understanding. We know that God is good; our natural understanding perceives this; and if the will is under the power of divine grace, we desire to be good, (Matt. v. 10.); that is, we desire to renounce our own wills, and to be guided by the will of God.

Q. What is the meaning of the word desire?
A. To rest or fix upon with the mind.

Q. What is the sole ground of our hope?

A. The work of Christ is the sole ground of our hope, and Christ being the chief object of our thoughts, the impression received from the character of Christ should form the chief feature in that of a true Christian.

Q. How shall we regain the paths of peace and glory? A. By keeping our eye and our thoughts fixed on the Sun of Righteousness.

Q. What is the road to permanent happiness?

A. The path of duty and of happiness are inseparable. Love to God is the golden chain that binds us to peace on earth and joy in heaven.

1834.]

RELIGIOUS QUESTIONS.

195

Q. What is the grand distinction between the pleasures of sin, and those of religion?

A. The pleasures of sin are but for a season, and they leave a sting behind; the pleasures of religion are satisfying; and the more we experience of them the greater is our delight in them; they increase every day, if we live in the true spirit of Christianity, and, moreover, they endure for ever.

Q. What is the best rule to direct our choice in the pursuit of happiness?

A. We should pronounce that to be true happiness which we love and value in proportion as we enjoy more of it?

Q. What is the grand contrast between the effects of the fall and those of salvation by Christ?

A. By the fall it became natural to us to love those things that are opposed to perfection; and consequently, our affections and desires are opposed to the character of God, and all our pursuits tend to corruption and misery; by the principle of divine grace implanted in the hearts of those who partake of salvation through Christ, we learn to love what God loves; our affections and desires are regulated according to His will; we seek to be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect; our pursuits lead to heaven and happiness, and the end is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

And do we hope to be with Him

Who on the cross resign'd His breath?

Who died, a victim, to redeem

His people from eternal death?

Then should the question oft recur,
What do we more than others do?
How do we show that we prefer

The things above to those below?

Where is that holy walk that suits

The name and character we bear?
And where are seen those heav'nly fruits
That show we're not what once we were?

Allied to Him who bore the cross,

And call'd the people of the Lord;

The world to us should seem but loss,

And worthless all it can afford.

April 23, 1834.

As pilgrims on their journey home,

'Tis thus His people should be found; Who seek a city yet to come,

And cannot rest on earthly ground.

'Tis thus His people prove their birth;
'Tis thus they glorify their Lord;
To others they resign the earth,

And hasten to their bright reward.

ON REPENTANCE.

C. W.

(From Miss Taylor's Original Hymns for Sunday Schools.)

IF Jesus Christ was sent

To save us from our sin,
And kindly teach us to repent,
We should at once begin.

He says he loves to see

A broken-hearted one;

He loves that sinners, such as we,

Should mourn for what we've done.

'Tis not enough to say,

"We're sorry, and repent,"

Yet still go on, from day to day,

Just as we always went.

Repentance is, to leave

The sins we lov'd before,

And show that we in earnest grieve,

By doing so no more.

Lord, make us thus sincere,

To watch as well as pray;
However small, however dear,
Take all our sins away.

And since the Saviour came,
To make us turn from sin,

With holy grief and humble shame,
We would at once begin.

Sent by E. M.

METHOD OF BRINGING SEA-SIDE SHINGLE INTO CUL

TIVATION.

IN the second part of "The Transactions of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Sciences, Manufactures, and Commerce," vol. xlix., an interesting account is given of "successful experiments for bringing sea-side shingle into cultivation."