IV. The prophecies which it records.

V. The effects which it has produced.

VI. The effects which it would produce if it was universally and perfectly obeyed

VII. The testimony of the Holy Ghost: and

VIII. The witness in themselves which those possess who believe and obey it.

20. What is the testimony of the Holy Ghost on this subject?" All Scripture is given by inspiration of God." 21. How should the Bible be read? With attention, humility, prayer, and obedience.

Why are these needful? Without attention, humility, and prayer, a person will not understand the Bible; without faith, he will not believe it; and without obedience, he will not be benefited by it.

With these truths impressed upon your hearts, turn to the first chapter of Matthew.

22. Who was the writer of this book? Matthew.

23. What was his occupation before he became a disciple of Christ? He was a publican; that is, a tax gatherer.

24. What account does he give of his being called by Christ, and where is it found? "As Jesus passed by, he saw a man named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom, and he said unto him, follow me: and he arose, and followed him." Mat. ix. 9.

25. What is meant in this verse by custom and receipt? Custom, means the taxes which were paid; and receipt, the place where Matthew received them.

26. What is the first verse of his gospel? The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

27. Why is he called the son of David, the son of Abraham? Because he descended from them according to the flesh.

28. Who was Christ before he took upon him human nature, according to the account given of him by the Apostle John, at the beginning of his Gospel?" He was God. All things were made by him, and without him was not any thing made that was made."

29. What is the use of the genealogy here given. It proves the fulfilment of those prophecies which foretold that Christ should spring, according to the flesh, from

the seed of Abraham, the tribe of Judah, and family of David.

30. Why does this genealogy differ from that which is given by Luke? Because one is the genealogy of Joseph, and the other of Mary.

81. How many generations is it said, in the 17th verse, there were from Abraham to Christ? Forty two.

32. What trait of character is exhibited in the 19th verse? A sacred regard to duty, and a deep concern for another's welfare.

33. What fact is related in the 20th verse? The appearance of an angel to Joseph in a dream, for the purpose of removing his doubts and fears.

34. What facts are foretold in the 21st verse? The birth of the Messiah, and that his name should be called Jesus.

35. For what reason was this name given him? Because he shall save his people from their sins.

36. Why was the birth of Christ as here related ? That the prophecies might be fulfilled; particularly that in Isaiah vii. 14. "Behold a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel."

87. What is the meaning of Immanuel? God with us.

INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE FIRST CHAPTER.

1. What are we to learn from the fact that the Holy Ghost says by Matthew, that Jesus Christ was the son of David; and by John, that he was God? That he possessed two natures, and was both God and man.

2 Is this truth taught in other parts of the Bible? It is. "Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulders; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace." "A virgin shall conceive and bear a sou, and they shall call his name Immanuel." "Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men." "God was manifest in the flesh." "Of whom,

concerning the flesh, Christ came; who is over all, God blessed for ever."

3. What are we to learn from the fact that the two natures of the Saviour are so clearly revealed at the very beginning of the gospels? That it is a fact of great importance; and one in which sinners are deeply concerned: that the manifestation of God in the flesh, lies at the foundation of the glad tidings contained in the gospels.

4. What are we to learn with regard to sin, from the fact that God was manifest in the flesh, to open a way for its pardon? That it is a great evil.

5. What are we to learn with regard to sinners? That they are lost.

6. What are we to learn with regard to the soul? That it is exceedingly precious.

7. What are we to learn from the fact that his name was called Jesus, and the reason which the Holy Ghost has given for it? That his salvation always implies deliverance from sin.

8. What then are we to conclude concerning those persons who continue to live in the allowed habitual practice of known sin, or in the allowed. and habitual neglect of known duty? That they are not interested in Christ, and not partakers of his salvation: that their hopes, if they have any, will perish, at the giving up of the ghost.

9. What is the seriptural evidence of a good hope? Its purifying the soul, and leading persons to make it their grand object, from love to God, to obey all his

known commands.

My beloved pupils, have you such a hope? Is there no known sin, seeret or open, which you knowingly and habitually practise? Is there no known duty, which you habitually neglect? Examine yourselves: seek for the teaching and guidance of the Holy Ghost, and may the Lord enlighten your understandings, and shed abroad richly of his love into all your hearts, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever, and ever AMEN.

P. S. Upon any of the above answers, the Teacher enlarges and comments at pleasure. Many of the answers will suggest other questions, which may be an

swered, explained, illustrated, or applied; and the exercise is closed with prayer.

PHILOSOPHICAL EXTRACTS.

Is the Ether beyond our Atmosphere a mere Vacuity?

No; by no means: for there is not one minute spot in all the solar system, where the pupil of an eye might not be placed, and see a hemisphere of stars. Suppose the visible stars to be no more in number than the ancients counted them, viz. a thousand and twenty-six, or, for the sake of a round number, one thousand only; yet the other stars visible to the naked eye, together with those which are visible by a telescope, would amount at least to many thousands more Suppose between the least of these telescopical stars, and the visible stars of the first magnitude, the apparent difference be no greater than that of one to a hundred: suppose again, that from the least of these stars but one sigle ray came to one eye, then from the biggest star there must proceed a hundred rays: this would multiply the rays of all the stars in a hemisphere, which came to each eye with sensible notice, by the assistance of a telescope, at least to á hundred thousand, without standing to make a nice computation. What millions of millions of star-beams then must be for ever passing through the ethereal space, to be able to meet every eye placed in any part of this vast sphere of our world, if there be not a spot upon it so big as the pupil of an eye, but must admit of so many thousand beams! What infinite rencounters and decussations, meetings and crossings, through all the parts of our solar system!

Next, let us suppose each of these pupils were turned inward toward the sun: each will meet with a far greater number of beams of light from the sun, in such a proportion as the full blaze of day is superior to the glimmering light of the star-beams. The vast addition of rays from the sun does almost infinitely increase the

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rencounters and decussations: sun-beams and star-beams, ever meeting in innumerable myriads throughout the ether of our solar world: since we have allowed that there is not a spot in it whence a hemisphere of stars might not be seen by night, and whence also we may not see a hemisphere of blazing day-light.

Let it be remembered also, that these motions of the particles of light, both from the sun and stars, are and have been incessant ever since the creation, both by night and day for our night and day are only distinguished by the little globe of our earth turning its different sides toward the sun, which is an inconsiderable thing in the vast solar world, or planetary system. The reason why we do not discern the stars by day, being only the superior quantity and force of the sun-beams striking the eye, whereas the star-beams strike also constantly, but so feebly as not to be noticed: and the reason why we do not see the sun by night, being the interposition of the earth, and the sun-beams that go beside the earth, fly from our eyes, and not toward them: but the same quantity of sun and star-beams are perpetually flowing through the ether in every minute part of it, except only those few places where the planets or their satellites intercept them, and stop their motion.

Now the corollaries that may be drawn from these suppositions are,

1. That since light is a body, which has been sufficiently proved by its reflections and refractions, the ether is not so void a space as perhaps some have been ready to imagine, since there is not a minute spot in it, wherein there are not many thousand bodies always moving with prodigious swiftness all manner of ways. And it may be inquired whether the planets, moving through such a fluid, would not, by degrees, be retarded in their courses; but the next corollary perhaps may answer it.

2. How amazing must be the subtlety and smallness of the rays, which have been shooting from the sun and stars for almost six thousand years, and yet no sensible addition is made to the bulk of our globe, where they seem to be all lost, nor any sensible diminution of the sun or stars whence they all proceed? And if these corpuscles which compose this wondrous thing called light, are so inconceivably small, and the body be so rare,