THE ELEMENTS OF CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE. PART THE FIRST. OF MAN. Q. 1. What is man? A. Man is the noblest creature of God, (a) and the highest order of beings upon earth. (b) (a.) Gen. i. 27. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him: male and female created he them. (b) Gen. i. 28. And God blessed them, and God said unto Q. 2. Of how many parts is man composed? (a) Ecc. xii. 7; Matt. x. 28. Q. 3. How many faculties or senses has the BODY? A. Five; viz. the sight, the hearing, the smell, the taste, and the feeling. B Q. 4. Have other creatures the same bodily senses? A. Yes; and some of these senses are more acute in them than they are in mankind.* Q. 5. You said that man is composed of two parts, a body and a soul; have no other creatures upon earth a soul? A. No; other creatures have a spirit distinct from their bodies; but no soul. Q. 6. What is the grand distinction between the spirits of other living creatures, and the souls of mankind? A. The spirits of other creatures perish with their bodies; (a) but the souls of mankind never die. (b) (a) Ps. xlix. 12, 20. Nevertheless, man being in honour abideth not; he is like the beasts that perish. Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish. (b) John v. 28, 29. Marvel not at this; for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.-Also, Matt. xxv. 46. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment; but the righteous into life eternal. Q. 7. How many, and what are the faculties of the soul? A. They are many, but may be comprehended under three heads or classes; viz. the understanding, the affections, and the will.+ * As the sight of birds, the smell of beasts, &c. Speech; or the power of conveying our thoughts and wishes to each other, by various intelligible sounds of the voice, forms one Q. 8. What do you mean by the understanding? A. I mean the faculty of reason; or, the power of thinking and reflecting. Q. 9. Do any other creatures upon earth possess the faculty of reason? A. No; all others are guided by instinct. Q. 10. What is the highest and noblest exercise of reason? A. To worship and obey the great Creator; and for this grand purpose mankind are endowed with this faculty. Q. 11. What do you mean by the affections? A. I mean those feelings of the mind which are excited by reason and reflection; such as love, hatred, hope, fear, joy, sorrow, shame, and so forth. Q. 12. Do these affections never exist in mankind, but as the result of reason and reflection? A. Yes, they all exist in the very nature of mankind; but they are brought into exercise and operation by reason and reflection; and also by the inspiration of God. Q. 13. Do not some of the affections in the brute grand distinction between mankind and irrational creatures. But whether animals of the same species do or do not convey to one another a degree of knowledge of each other's will, by the sound of their voice, must always be doubtful. That they have this power, to a very limited extent, appears probable from the cries which are peculiar to their respective species. The Catechist can be at no loss to illustrate this by many familiar examples. It should be contrasted with the unlimited powers of speech among the human species. creation, such as fear, jealousy, gratitude, and others, very nearly resemble those of mankind; and if so, do they not partake of the same moral qualities? A. Yes, they frequently resemble the affections of mankind; but as the brute creation are not endowed with reason to regulate them, and as they are excited not by reflection but by instinct, such affections, in them, cannot be said to partake of any moral qualities, either good or evil.* Q. 14. What did you say was the third faculty of the soul? A. The WILL. Q. 15. What do you mean by the will? A. Choice and determination; or the power of selecting and choosing what we desire and approve.t Q. 16. Are not other creatures besides mankind endowed with the faculty of the will? A. Yes, all the creatures of God have the inclination to choose for themselves; but as their choice is directed by instinct and animal affections, and not by reason, their will partakes of no moral qualities; and they are therefore not responsible for their choice. Q. 17. Is the will of mankind free, and at liberty to choose for itself? *The Catechist will do well to explain this more familiarly; and, at the same time, to show from hence the duty of kindness to the brute creation, and the evil of anger towards them. + That power by which we desire and purpose.—Johnson's Dict. Or," that faculty of the soul whereby we freely choose or refuse things."--Cruden's Con. A. Yes; and it is this freedom of choice which makes them accountable to their Creator. Q. 18. Is the will of mankind under no bias or influence? A. Yes; it is subject to the bias of their affections, although it ought to be regulated and governed solely by the dictates of reason, and by the revealed will of God. Q. 19. Why do you exclude the affections altogether from the right of influencing the will of mankind? A. Because the affections themselves ought to be subject to the control of reason and revelation, which they never entirely are. Q. 20. Do then the affections ever mislead the will of mankind? A. Yes; the affections, being strong and corrupt, very frequently overpower all the dictates of reason and revelation, and lead the will to choose what is evil and hurtful. Q. 21. Then the will of mankind is in itself free, and at liberty to select, choose, and determine for itself; it is nevertheless naturally inclined in its choice by corrupt affections: is this what you mean? A. Yes; this appears to be the present condition of mankind. Q. 22. But may not the affections be good and right; and if so, may they not properly bias the will? A. In the present state of imperfection, the affections * The nature of the Will is here considered only in the abstract. (See Q. 22-24.) |