469. What does the Lord promise to the pure in heart? That they shall see God.
470. How are we to understand this promise?
The Word of God compares the heart of man to the eye, and ascribes to perfect Christians enlightened, eyes of the heart. Eph. i. 18. As the eye that is clear can see the light, so the heart that is pure can behold God. But since the sight of God's countenance is the very source of everlasting blessedness, the promise of seeing God is the promise of the highest degree of everlasting blessedness.
On the Seventh Beatitude.
471. What is the Lord's seventh precept for blessedness?
They who would be blessed must be peace-makers.
472. How are we to fulfill this commandment?
We must live friendly with all men, and give no occasion for disagreement: if any arise, we must try all possible ways to put a stop to it, even by yielding our own right, unless this be against duty, or hurtful to any other: if others are at enmity, we must do all we can to reconcile them; and if we fail, we must pray to God for their reconciliation.
473. What does the Lord promise to peace-makers?
That they shall be called the Sons of God.
474. What is signified by this promise?
The sublimity both of their office and of their reward. Since in what they do they imitate the only-begotten Son of God, who came upon earth to reconcile fallen man with God's justice, they are for this promised the gracious name of Sons of God, and without doubt a degree of blessedness answering thereto.
On the Eighth Beatitude.
475. What is the Lord's eighth precept for blessedness?
They who would be blessed must be ready to endure persecution for righteousness' sake, without betraying it.
476. What qualities are required by this precept?
Love of righteousness, constancy and firmness in virtue, fortitude and patience, when one is subjected to calamity or danger for refusing to betray truth and virtue.
477. What does the Lord promise to those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake?
The kingdom of heaven, as if in recompense for what they lose through persecution; in like manner as the same is promised to the poor in spirit, to make up for the feeling of want and privation.
On the Ninth Beatitude.
478. What is the Lord's ninth precept for blessedness?
They who would be blessed must be ready to take with joy reproach, persecution, suffering, and death itself, for the name of Christ, and for the true orthodox faith.
479. What is the name for the course required by this precept?
The course of martyrdom.
480. What does the Lord promise for this course?
A great reward in heaven; that is, a special and high degree of blessedness.
[313] [The German edition reads: Tägliches Brot, daily bread; the Greek, ho artos ho epiousios . On the different derivations and interpretations of epiousios , see a very learned and able essay by Prof. J. B. Lightfoot, D.D., in an appendix to his work on a Fresh Revision of the English New Testament, 1872, Harper's ed. pp. 163-184.--ED.]
[314] [In an incipient degree, in germ. The Greek ed. reads, esoterikos kai prokatarktikos ; the German, innerlich und anfänglich .--Ed.]
THE THIRD PART OF THE ORTHODOX CATECHISM.
ON LOVE. [315]
On the Union between Faith and Love.
481. What should be the effect and fruit of true faith in the Christian?
Love, and good works conformable thereto.
In Jesus Christ, says the Apostle Paul, neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but faith which worketh by love. Gal. v. 6.
482. Is not faith alone enough for a Christian, without love and good works ?
No; for faith without love and good works is inactive and dead, and so can not lead to eternal life.
He that loveth not his brother, abideth in death. 1 John iii. 14. What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. James ii. 14, 26.
483. May not a man, on the other hand, be saved by love and good works, without faith?
It is impossible that a man who has not faith in God should really love him; besides, man, being ruined by sin, can not do really good works, unless he receive through faith in Jesus Christ spiritual strength, or grace from God.
Without faith it is impossible to please God: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him, Heb. xi. 6.
For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. Gal. iii. 10. For we through the spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. Gal. v. 5.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. Eph. ii. 8, 9.
484. What is to be thought of such love as is not accompanied by good works?
Such love is not real: for true love naturally shows itself by good works. Jesus Christ says: He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: if a man love me, he will keep my word. John xiv. 21, 23.
The Apostle John writes: For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. 1 John v. 3. Let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth. 1 John iii. 18.
On the Law of God and the Commandments.
485. What means have we to know good works from bad?
The inward law of God, or the witness of our conscience, and the outward law of God, or God's commandments.
486. Does holy Scripture speak of the inward law of God?
The Apostle Paul says of the heathen: Which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another. Rom. ii. 15.
487. If there is in man's heart an inward law, why was the outward given?
It was given because men obeyed not the inward law, but led carnal and sinful lives, and stifled within themselves the voice of the spiritual law, so that it was necessary to put them in mind of it outwardly through the Commandments. Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions.. Gal. iii. 19.
488. When and how was God's outward law given to men?
When the Hebrew people, descended from Abraham, had been miraculously delivered from bondage in Egypt, on their way to the promised land, in the desert, on Mount Sinai, God manifested his presence in fire and clouds, and gave them the law, by the hand of Moses, their leader.
489. Which are the chief and general commandments of this law?
The following ten, which were written on two tables of stone:
1. I am the Lord thy God: thou shalt have none other gods beside me.
2. Thou shalt not make unto thyself any graven image, nor the likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters under the earth: thou shalt not bow down to them, nor serve them.
3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy: six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath to the Lord thy God.
5. Honor thy father and thy mother, that it may be well with thee, and that thy days may be long upon the earth.
6. Thou shalt not kill.
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
8. Thou shalt not steal.
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, nor his land, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any of his cattle, nor any thing that is thy neighbor's. Exod. xx. 1-17; Deut. v. 6-21.
490. You said that these Commandments were given to the people of Israel: must we, then, also walk by them?
We must: for they are in substance the same law which, in the words of St. Paul, has been written in the hearts of all men, that all should walk by it.
491. Did Jesus Christ teach men to walk by the Ten Commandments?
He bade men, if they would attain to everlasting life, to keep the Commandments and taught us to understand and fulfill them more perfectly than had been done before he came. Matt xix. 17, and v.
On the Division of the Commandments into Two Tables.
492. What means the division of the Ten Commandments into two tables?
This: that they contain two kinds of love--love to God, and love to our neighbor; and prescribe two corresponding kinds of duties.
493. Has not Jesus Christ said something of this?
When asked, Which is the great commandment in the law? he replied: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Matt. xxii. 36-40.
494. Are all men our neighbors?
Yes, all; because all are the creation of one God, and have come from one man: but our neighbors in faith are doubly neighbors to us, as being children of one heavenly Father by faith in Jesus Christ.
495. But why is there no commandment of love to ourselves?
Because we love ourselves naturally, and without any commandment. No man ever yet hated his own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it. Eph. v. 29.
496. What relative order should there be in our love to God, our neighbor, and ourselves?
We should love ourselves not for our own, but for God's sake, and partly also for the sake of our neighbors; we should love our neighbor for the sake of God; but we should love God for himself, and above all. Love of self should be sacrificed to the love of our neighbor; but both should be sacrificed to the love of God.
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John xv. 13.
He that loveth father or mother more than me, saith Jesus Christ, is not worthy of me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me. Matt. x. 37.
497. If the whole law is contained in two commandments, why are they divided into ten?
In order the more clearly to set forth our duties towards God, and towards our neighbor.
498. In which of the Ten Commandments are we taught our duties towards God?
In the first four.
499. What are these duties?
In the first commandment we are taught to know and worship the true God.
In the second, to abstain from false worship.
In the third, not to sin against God's worship even by word.
In the fourth, to keep a certain order in the time and acts of God's worship.
500. In which of the Ten Commandments are we taught our duties towards our neighbor?
In the last six.
501. What are these duties?
In the fifth commandment we are taught to love and honor those of our neighbors who are nearest to us, beginning with our parents. In the sixth, not to hurt the life of our neighbor. In the seventh, not to hurt the purity of his morals. In the eighth, not to hurt his property. In the ninth, not to hurt him by word. In the tenth, not to wish to hurt him.