ADDRESS TO CATECHUMENS.

There are two momentous considerations which ought to be impressed upon the minds of those who intend to enter on a course of catechetical instruction. 1. The importance of the duty. 2. The manner in which it must be performed to result in lasting advantage to the soul.

I. The importance of the duty will appear evident, if we consider it as the study of the sacred Scriptures; that revelation of God to man which describes the attributes of the divine character, makes known the will of the Creator, and points out to the soul the path of endless enjoyment. Regarded in this light, the duty on which you are about to enter appears momentous indeed. In the course of your inquiries, you will discover the true character of the Almighty, as well as the relation which you sustain to him and your fellow beings. The soul is what gives value and dignity to human nature, and distinguishes man, in an eminent degree, from the mere animal creation around him. It is this that lives forever; and the future happiness of the soul is inseparably connected with its redemption and purification. With what interest, then, ought we to enter upon the

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contemplation of truths, which bring to light the means of constituting the soul, the habitation of everlasting peace.

The volume that contains these momentous disclosures, is composed of the books of the Old and New Testaments, written at "sundry times, and in divers places," by men divinely appointed for this express purpose. The canon of the Old Testament consists of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, (generally termed the five books of Moses,) Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, The Song of Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. The canon of the New Testament consists of the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, embracing the record of many events in the life of Christ and others, especially his immediate disciples, and containing besides, that system of doctrine which the Saviour taught whilst on earth. Then follows the Acts of the Apostles. These five books are strictly speaking, historical and doctrinal. Next are the Epistles, exclusively doctrinal, viz: The Epistles of Paul to the Romans, Corinthians, (of which there are two,) Galatians, Ephesians, Phillipians, Colossians, Thessalonians, (two) Timothy, (two) Titus, Philemon, and Hebrews. Then comes the Epistle of James, the 1 and 2 of Peter, the 1, 2 and 3 of John, and that of Jude. And last the Revelation of St. John. (prophetical.)

We will not attempt to enter into an elaborate and systematic proof of the divine authority of the Sacred

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Scriptures, as it would be remote from our present object. Though it may be well to state, that the enemies of revealed truth have never been able, with all their sophistry and cunning, to invalidate the testimony which goes to establish the belief in the mind of the candid inquirer, that the Bible is a divine revelation.

a. The writers of the New Testament, could have been influenced by no conceivable motive, to impose upon the credulity of mankind, for their efforts to disseminate their peculiar opinions, exposed them to poverty, persecution, and death. If what they relate is untrue, they must have been deceived themselves; but this could not have been the case, because they were eye witnesses to the mighty works of Christ, the certain evidences of his exalted character; and they were well aware, that a Being so eminently distinguished by every estimable quality, and who possessed every opportunity of knowing the truth, could not deceive them either voluntarily, or without design. But if the records of the Evangelists are true, then all the other writings of the New Testament are equally so, for we learn in the Acts of the Apostles, written by Luke, that the apostles were filled with the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost, and as inspired men, they were of course taught directly from above, in regard to all the doctrines they proclaimed. By this simple process of reasoning we arrive at the conclusion that the Gospel is authentic in its historical details, and of divine origin in reference to its doctrines.

The books of the Old Testament are equally deserving our regard as a divine revelation, for they received the sanction of the Messiah himself. He says: "Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets: I

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am not come to destroy but to fulfil." (Matth. v. 17.) It is worthy of remark here, that the term "the law or the prophets," employed on this occasion, was the popu lar expression, when speaking of the whole canon. And the testimony of the apostle Peter is not less decisive: "The prophecy came not in old time by the will of man; but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." (2 Peter, i. 21.)

b. Indeed, the miracles which many of the sacred writers performed, as well as the prophecies they uttered-the most important of which, have been fulfilled in Christ--establish beyond a doubt the divine authority of the Scriptures.

c. And besides, there is a species of internal evidence which adds materially to the weight of testimony in favor of the Old and New Testament being a divine revelation; we allude to the perfect and uninterrupted consistency of all its parts. Every revealed doctrine of the Bible, in as far as it is comprehensible to the human understanding, will be found but a link in the grand chain of systematic truth, whilst there is a perfect agreement between its historical records, in every essential particular.

d. There is another species of evidence in favor of the Christian religion which we feel bound to notice, as it accumulates every day, and is in itself eminently important. We mean the triumph of its principles over every other, and the care exercised over it by a superintending power. Whilst the foundations of human systems of religious opinion have been undermined, the religion of Christ is extending its influence wider and wider, and promises, by the aid of proper effort, soon to sway the whole moral creation on earth, with its gentle

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purifying power. Even in the dark ages, when its glory seemed to be extinct, the spark that was again to fire the spirit of candid investigation, glowed faintly amid monastic seclusion. And in the sixteenth century, the light of truth, penetrating with its rays the lurid mass of superstition and error that had so long obscured it, again beamed forth in cloudless splendor. Since that period its progress has been onward; laying bare the abuses of the Romish Church; casting pagan idols from their shrines; and threatening at this moment, to expose the delusion of Mohammedan faith, and enlighten the benighted minds of its zealous defenders. In a word, the splendid triumphs of Christianity lead us to believe that "The gates of hell will not prevail against it."

e. The divine origin of the religion of Christ is further evident from its influence on the world. It improves the moral condition of mankind, and purifies that heart which is the home of every degrading and unholy passion. It refines the pleasures of human intercourse, and creates in the mind of every individual who is subdued by its power, and yields to its requirements, an abiding interest in the present and eternal welfare of those around him. In the full and unresisted exercise of its authority, it scatters the blessings of peace, and forbids the tumult of war, and the discord of civil dissension. It gives a delightful character to the laws and customs of nations; elevates woman to her legitimate station in society; converts the fierceness of uncivilized man into the gentleness of the dove; tempers the thousand ills and vicissitudes of life; breathes into the poor man's heart the spirit of resignation; breaks down all those distinctions of human character that are not sustained by virtue; and inspires the soul with the hope of immortality.