To hurt nobody by word nor deed; to bear no malice nor hatred in my heart (Sixth Commandment).

To keep my tongue from evil-speaking, lying, and slandering (Ninth Commandment).

To keep my body in temperance, soberness, and chastity (Seventh Commandment).

Not to covet nor desire other men's goods (Tenth Commandment); but to learn and labour truly to get my own living, and to do my duty in that state of life unto which it shall please God to call me.

To

The only part of this about which I need say anything more, is that which refers to the Fifth Commandment. honour and obey the Queen, &c.

The Queen is the chief magistrate of the realm, the head of the State, the representative of the law. In her name justice is administered, and the government of the country carried on. Those put in authority under her are the judges, and magistrates, and in humbler office, tax-gatherers, and police

men.

By Spiritual Pastors are meant the Bishops, Priests and Deacons of the Church. Pastor is the Latin word for shepherd. The clergy are SO called because they are the shepherds of men's souls.

Your Chief Pastor is the Bishop of your diocese, and under him your pastor is your parish clergyman. A bishop's parish is called his diocese. An archbishop's parish is called his province.

We belong to the Province of Canterbury (or York), and to the diocese of

No clergyman can be appointed to a church to preach and administer the sacraments without being licensed by the bishop. The Queen appoints a bishop; but she cannot make one, or unmake one.

My good child, know this that thou art not able to do these things of thyself, nor to walk in the Commandments of God, and serve Him, without His special grace; which thou must learn at all times to call for by diligent prayer.

E have now come to a new division of the Catechism.

WE

In the Catechism the Church has already instructed you in detail in what you are required to renounce, in what you are required to believe, and in what you are required to do.

Now we shall see that all these three lines of duty converge, open out, upon one point, and that is THE NECESSITY

OF PRAYER.

To renounce what is evil, to give up things that we should like to do to do things which we don't like to do, is very hard, so hard that we cannot possibly do it without help, without the help of God's Holy Spirit; and this help we must learn to seek by diligent prayer.

To believe in God-the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost to realize the Father's love to us, the Son's work for us, the Holy Spirit's work in us: to realize the presence of the Holy Ghost in the Church: to realize His work in the forgiveness of sin, and to look forward to the completion of His work in the resurrection of the body, and the life of the world to come-to do all this, to live this life of faith, is far beyond our own powers; we need God's help, and this help we must learn to seek by diligent prayer.

We have to keep God's holy will and commandments: we have to love God with all our hearts, and our neighbour as ourselves, and to do this we need God's help, and this help we must learn to seek for by diligent prayer.

So you see by all these roads we are led to the same point, the absolute necessity for prayer.

We cannot live as God's children, unless the channels of communication between the soul and God are kept open.

We cannot serve Him truly unless we are at one with Him whom we serve, unless we can understand something of His purposes, and see that His service is perfect freedom. But to do this we must form the habit of prayer: only prayer

will keep open the communication between our souls and God, and enable us to know and do His will.

Now in the words which the Catechist is told to say to you, it is said that you must learn to call for God's help by diligent prayer.

We must learn to pray. It is not a thing which comes naturally to us. We must be taught it. The disciples of Jesus made this request to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray" (S. Luke xi. 1). And we must do the same. We must say, Lord, teach us to pray."

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But we must not expect to learn to pray all at once, or without trouble. We cannot learn anything without time, and without trouble. We cannot learn anything that is worth learning without taking pains, without diligence. And so we must learn to call for God's help by diligent prayer.

But you may be very sure of this, that you will never regret any pains and trouble that you take to learn this lesson. It will make all the difference in the world to you, whether you learn it, and how you learn it. It will make all the difference to your success in your spiritual life; it will make all the difference to your usefulness to others; it will make all the difference to your own happiness. Therefore let us say again, "Lord, teach us to pray."

My good Child, know this, that thou art not able to do these things of thyself, nor to walk in the Commandments of God, and to serve Him, without His special grace; which thou must learn at all times to call for by diligent prayer. Let me hear, therefore, if thou canst say the Lord's Prayer.

Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, As it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; But deliver us from evil. Amen.

AS

S the Creed is given us as the standard of faith, and the Ten Commandments as the standard of duty, so the "Our Father" is given us as the standard and model of prayer.

The Lord's Prayer may be thus divided :-
:-

The Invocation.

Our Father which art in heaven.

Six petitions divided into two equal groups of three :-
First group. Petitions for God's glory.

(1) Hallowed be Thy Name.

(2) Thy kingdom come.

(3) Thy will be done.

Second group. Petitions for human needs.

(1) Give us this day our daily bread.

(2) Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us.

(3) Lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

The Ascription.

For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

Before I say anything in explanation of this Prayer, I should like to be sure that you know why it is called the Lord's Prayer. It is called the Lord's Prayer, because our Lord Jesus Christ taught it to us.

And is it not just the prayer that we might expect Him to teach us?

He came to reveal the Father: He came to show what sort of Father he is.

He came not to save us from the Father, but to lead us to the Father.

So you see, in teaching us to pray, He leads us straight to

F

the Father. He teaches us when we pray to say, FATHER, which art in heaven."

"Our

These all

Let us now take the first group of petitions. relate to God, to His honour and glory. Perhaps even the three petitions may be taken as corresponding with the three Persons in the Holy Trinity. That the "Name is the name of the Father; the "Kingdom," the kingdom of the Son; and the "Will," the living, active Will of the Holy Spirit.

The first petition is, Hallowed be Thy Name. In speaking of the Creed and of the Third Commandment, I have said something about what is meant by God's Name.

It is, first of all, the Name into which we have been baptized. The Name of God, is God as He has revealed Himself to us, especially as He has revealed Himself to us in His Son.

When we say, "Hallowed be Thy Name," we pray that God may be to all His children all that He is capable of being; that in His Name all men may find their refuge; that all men may believe in and trust in God as their Father.

Now, for convenience' sake, we will take the third petition. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

God's Name will then be truly hallowed when earth becomes like heaven; when God's will is done on earth as it is done in heaven; that is, when it is done perfectly, willingly, joyfully.

To do God's will is to hallow His Name. But how is this to be brought about? What instrument is powerful enough to bring about a state so blessed?

Here it is that the second petition comes in. Thy kingdom come.

The instrument by which this moral miracle is to be brought about is the Kingdom of Christ, that is, His Church. Christ's Church is the instrument which the Holy Spirit uses to bring about that state of things when God's Will will be done in earth as it is in heaven.

So we pray that this Kingdom may come in power; that it may do the work which God has appointed for it to do; that Christ may reign supreme in our hearts; and that the kingdoms of the world may become the kingdoms of God and of His Christ.