Question X

When the Pastors of Souls are here taken in hand to be instructed, what must form their First Consideration, that they may rightly fulfil the Functions of their Duty

That, therefore, seems to be first of all, that they always recollect that in this consists all the knowledge of a Christian man, or rather, as saith the Saviour, this is life eternal, that they may know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.w The work of a teacher in the Church will therefore chiefly be directed to this end, that the faithful earnestly desire to know Jesus Christ and him crucified,x that they be firmly convinced within themselves, and with the innermost piety and devotion of heart, believe, that there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved,y for he is the propitiation for our sins. But as hereby do we know that we have known him, if we keep his commandments, the next consideration, and one intimately connected with the preceding, is to show also that the lives of the faithful are not to be wasted in ease and sloth, but that we ought to walk even as [Christ] himself walked,z and with all zeal follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, charity, meekness;a for he gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a people acceptable, following after good works.b These things the apostle commands pastors to speak and exhort.c

And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous; and he is the propitiation for our sins.m There is, indeed, nothing from whence the faithful ought to derive greater joy and delight than from the fact, that Jesus Christ is constituted the advocate of our cause and the intercessor for our salvation with the eternal Father, with whom his favour and influence are supreme. Finally [by his ascension], he prepared for us a place,n as he had promised, and entered, as our head, in the name of us all, into the possession of heavenly glory. For ascending into heaven, he threw open its gates, which had been closed against us by the sin of Adam, and, as he had foretold to his disciples at his last supper, secured for us a way, by which we might arrive at the happiness of heaven. To demonstrate this by the event, he introduced with himself, into the mansions of eternal bliss, the souls of the just, which he had liberated from prison.

Question IV

Motives to inspire us with Confidence in Prayer of obtaining those things which we ask therein

In this duty of prayer, there is much to inspire us with confidence. We have the well-known benevolence and benignity of God towards us, when he commands us to call him Father, to give us to understand that we are his children: we have the almost countless number of those whose prayers to God have been successful:c we have that Supreme Intercessor Christ the Lord, who is ever ready to assist us, of whom we road in St. John: If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the propitiation for our sins;d and the Apostle Paul saith: It is Christ that died, yea, rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us;e and to Timothy: For there is one God, and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus;f and also to the Hebrews:g Wherefore, in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God. Unworthy, then, though we be, to obtain what we ask, yet through the dignity of our most excellent mediator and intercessor, Jesus Christ, we should hope and confidently trust, that God will grant us all that we duly ask through him in prayer.