A. It is pro

12. What is meant by, It is written? phesied or written in the Scriptures. Psalm xci. 11, 12. 13. What did our Saviour answer? A. It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.-v. 7.

14. Why did he not cast himself down? A. Because he wished to teach us that it would be highly sinful to expose ourselves to unnecessary danger, upon the vain expectation that God would protect us: this is called tempting God.

15. What is there deceitful in the manner in which the Devil mentioned the passage above cited from the 91st Psalm ? A. Because he left out that part of it, which shewed that the bearing up of the angels spoken of in it, did not refer to our Lord's casting himself down, but solely to that care and protection which God commands his holy angels to assume over the righteous. The clause omitted is, To keep thee in all thy ways.

16. What was the next act of the Tempter1? A. He taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them.

-v. 8.

17. What did he say to our Lord? A. All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.—v. 9. 18. What did our Lord answer? A. Get thee hence, Satan, for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Deut. vi. 13. x. 20.

19. In what part of the Church Catechism is the worship of any other than the one God forbidden? A. In the first

Commandment.

20. What happened after the Devil left him? A. Behold, angels came and ministered unto him, that is, gave him

food.-v. 11.

21. Why was our Blessed Lord tempted? A. 1st. To show us that he was like unto man in every respect, save only as to sin, and therefore liable to temptation. 2d. That he may become a merciful and faithful high priest. "For

in that he suffered, being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted." Heb. ii. 17, 18. 3d. To teach us, that from the Scriptures, which he applied in answering the

1 The Evangelists Matthew and Luke reverse the order of these temptations.

Devil, we may derive, through God's grace, sufficient strength to withstand him, our enemy. 4th. That he may carry on his ministry for the salvation of mankind, by having first gloriously vanquished their great enemy, by resisting his temptations.

22. When did Jesus change his residence in Galilee ? A. When he heard that John the Baptist was cast into prison.-v. 12.

23. Where did he go? A. He went and dwelt at Caper

naum.

24. Why did he leave Nazareth? A. Because he did not think himself safe there from Herod, who had cast John into prison; and also, because of the injurious treatment he had received from the inhabitants of that town. Luke iv. 29.

25. Where is Capernaum? A. Upon the sea coast, on the borders of those lands possessed by the tribes of Zabulon and Nephthalim.

26. What prophecy was fulfilled by this? A. That of Isaiah, where he says, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee, of the Gentiles; the people that sat in darkness saw a great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death, light is sprung up. Isaiah ix. 1, 2. Isaiah xlii. 7.

27. How was this prophecy fulfilled by Jesus dwelling at Capernaum? A. By his coming there, and preaching to the inhabitants, the light of the Gospel was spread around, and dispelled the moral and spiritual darkness of those who received it, who had before been overwhelmed by ignorance and spiritual blindness.

28. What did Jesus first begin to preach? A. Repent ye, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand. v. 17.

29. What is meant by "the kingdom of Heaven being at hand?" A. That Christ's kingdom, which leads to Heaven, was about to be declared by the preaching of the Gospel.

30. Had any other person preached this doctrine before? A. Yes, John the Baptist. Matt. iii. 2.

31. Which of the disciples were first called? A. Two brethren; Simon, called Peter, and Andrew.—v. 18.

32. Where was our Saviour when he met them? A.

C

He was walking by the sea of Galilee, and saw them casting a net into the sea, for they were fishers.

33. What did he say to them? A. Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.—v. 19.

34. What is meant by making them fishers of men? A. That, by preaching the Gospel, they should bring men out of their former element of sin, and cause them to give up their old natures and habits 1.

35. What did they do when he had spoken to them? A. They straightway left their nets, and followed him.v. 20.

36. Whom did Jesus next call? A. James and John, the sons of Zebedee.

37. What were they doing? A. They were in a ship with Zebedee, their father, mending their nets.—v. 21.

38. Did they follow Jesus when he called them? A. Yes, they left their ship and their father (with the hired servants), and followed him. Mark i. 20.

39. Where did Jesus preach at this time? Galilee.--v. 23.

A. All over

40. Where did he teach? A. In their synagogues. 41. What is a synagogue? A. A Jewish place of wor

ship.

42. By what means did our Lord prove that he was sent by God? A. By his healing all manner of sickness and disease among the people.

43. How far was his fame spread? A. Throughout all Syria.-v. 24.

44. What shewed the confidence of the people in his power? A. They brought unto him all sick people, that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatic, and those that were sick of the palsy.

45. What are lunatics? A. Unhappy persons deprived of reason, whose insanity is more or less violent at the different changes of the moon.

46. What is meant by persons being possessed with

1 The net represents the Gospel; the sea is the world; the fish represent men in their natural state, and the fishermen are the preachers of the Gospel. Vide Matt. xiii. 47.

devils? A. That the devil had taken possession of their understandings, in some manner unknown to us, and miserably tormented them by the convulsions they were thrown into by him.

47. What did our Lord do for all these persons ? A. He healed them.

48. What shewed the admiration of the people? A. There followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judea, and from beyond Jordan.-v. 25.

GENERAL QUESTIONS.

A. By

49. Why did the Devil tempt our Saviour? causing him to offend, he wished him to become a transgressor of the law, and thus unable to accomplish the great design for which he came into the world (vide Chap. 1. Quest. 20.) and he hoped to succeed in consequence of the union of the human nature with the divine in Christ, by means of the frailty of the former in every other human being.

50. What is there remarkable in the three temptations with which our Lord was assailed, when compared to those to which our first parents yielded? A. They may be re-. duced to the same denominations, viz. the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life.-To the first, we may reduce the temptation of turning the stones into bread for food, and the advice of Satan, to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.-To the second, we may reduce the temptation of the glory of the kingdoms of the world, and the beauty of the fruit, its being pleasant to the eye and to the third, we may reduce the temptation of casting himself down from the pinnacle of the temple, in order to work upon his vanity and pride; and the promises of the Devil, that "they should be as Gods, knowing good and evil."-Man fell by Adam giving way to these; he was restored by Christ's suffering in his stead and by his never having yielded to the snares of the Devil. He was

without sin, and he alone.

51. Who is the Devil? A. Satan, the leader of the rebellious angels, who, driven from heaven for their pride, and condemned to eternal punishment, now envy mankind

the prospect of happiness they enjoy through the merits of a crucified Redeemer, and continually endeavour to induce them to forsake their God, and thus become equally miserable with themselves.

53. What other reason might the Devil have had for wishing our Lord to cast himself down from the temple? A. He might have wanted him to give a sign or proof that he was the Messiah, for such a sudden coming of the Messiah was expected by the Jews. Dan. vii. 13. Matt. xxiv. 30. But our Lord would give no other sign than that of the prophet Jonas. Vide Matt. xii. 39.

54. What other persons mentioned in the Scriptures had fasted forty days? A. Moses had done so twice. Exod. xxxiv. 28. Deut. x. 10. Moses was the giver of the law. Elijah also fasted forty days. 1 Kings xix. 8. He was the restorer of the Law; and our blessed Lord, the glorious finisher of the Law, also fasted forty days. Vide Matt. xvii. Quest. 9.

66

55. What is a disciple ?" A. A person who receives instruction from another.

56. What is an "apostle?" A. One sent. The apostles were sent to preach the Gospel throughout the world.

57. Why was "twelve" the number of the apostles? A. From the number of the twelve tribes of Israel, whom they were to endeavour to convert, and bring to the knowledge of the Gospel. Matt. xix. 28. Luke ix. 1. 22. 30. Rev. xxi. 12. 14. Acts 1. Ques. 53.

CHAPTER V.

1. When Jesus saw the multitudes, what did he do? A. He went up into a mountain, and when he was set1, his disciples came unto him, and he opened his mouth and taught them. -v. 1, 2.

2. Why did he go up to the mountain? A. That he might be the better heard by his disciples, and by the multitude.

1 Sitting was the posture used by the Jewish teachers.