Gentiles? A. That his grace may appear unto all men ; for as the Jews became acquainted with the birth of the expected Messiah, by the appearance of the angels to the shepherds, (vide Luke ii. 9.) so the Gentiles received the intelligence of it by the sudden appearance of the star; this communication being made to both Jews and Gentiles, showed that the time was come when all distinctions would be removed, and that henceforth they would be united under equal privileges under one shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of all mankind.

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59. What is the first promise in the Old Testament that the Gentiles should partake of the blessings of the Gospel. A. That of God to Abraham, when he declared that in his seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed." Gen. xii. 3.

60. Have we any other festival to commemorate another event mentioned in this chapter? A. Yes, that of the Holy Innocents, in remembrance of the murder of the little children by Herod.

CHAPTER III.

1. This chapter begins with "In those days." What period of our Lord's life is here meant? A. The apostle alludes to the time when our blessed Lord was grown up to manhood, and about to commence his public ministry, which he did at about the age of thirty years: the intervening part of his life is omitted by Matthew. Vide Luke iii. 23.-v. l.

2. Who was John the Baptist? A. He was the son of Zacharias and Elizabeth, first cousin to Mary, the mother of our Lord. Luke i. 36.

3. Where did he preach? A. In the wilderness of Judea. 4. What did he preach? A. Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.-v. 2.

5. What is the meaning of this? A. That the Gospel of Christ, which leads to heaven, was about to be preached he therefore solemnly calls upon the Jews to repent and forsake their evil ways; for although the Gospel would confer eternal life on such as believed, yet still, as

it would draw forth the malice and expose the wickedness of the enemies of God, it would render them doubly inexcusable, and, consequently, more exposed to the wrath of that Being whose merciful endeavours for their salvation they thus so madly and impiously rejected.

6. Why was he called the Baptist? A. From his being sent to baptize. John i. 33.

7. What is a wilderness? A. It does not mean here a place without inhabitants, but a place thinly inhabited. Josh. xv. 61, 62.

8. Whom did John declare himself to be? A. That person foretold in the Scriptures, by the prophet Esaias, or Isaiah, saying, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight." Isaiah xl. 3.

9. What is the meaning of this? A. That John was to go before our blessed Saviour, and prepare men's hearts to receive him, in the same manner that eastern kings sent messengers before them to prepare the roads on which they intended to march with their armies.

10. By what means did John endeavour to do this? A. By calling upon men to repent, and turn from their evil ways; and, by their doing so, they would the more readily receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which required holiness of life.

11. How was John dressed? A. In raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins.

12. What was his food? A. Locusts and wild honey. 13. What are locusts? A. A kind of insect used for food, and permitted by the Jewish law. Lev. xi. 22.

14. What is wild honey? A. Honey found in trees and clefts in rocks, made by bees, without the care or superintendance of man.

15. Who were baptized by him? A. The people of Jerusalem, and of all the remaining parts of Judea, and all the region round about Jordan.—v. 5.

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16. Where were they baptized? A. In, or at the river Jordan.

17. What was necessary for them to do, before they were baptized? 4. To confess their sins.

18. What is meant by their " confessing their sins?" A. Their acknowledging their transgressions against the

law of God, their bewailing and lamenting their wickedness, and feeling that they needed something to cleanse them from impurity, and to reconcile them to God.

19. Who were the Pharisees? A. A certain sect of the Jews, who valued themselves for their outward obedience to the ceremonies of the law, and despised all other persons.

20. Who were the Sadducees? A. Another sect of the Jews, who did not believe in the Resurrection. Sadoc was their founder, who lived about three hundred years before the coming of our Lord.

21. What is the Resurrection? A. A rising again to life after death.

22. What did John say to the Pharisees and Sadducees, when he saw them come to his baptism? A. O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?-v. 7.

23. What are vipers? A. A species of serpents whose bite is poisonous. He compared them to vipers, on account of their malignant dispositions.

24. What is meant by his saying, Who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? A. He asks them how it was possible for persons possessing such a good opinion of themselves to think they were in any danger of future condemnation.

25. Why is pride unsuited to the present fallen nature of man? A. Mankind have no cause of pride within themselves, not only because of the imperfection of even their very best actions, through the infirmity of human nature, but also because they should reflect, that they are indebted for their salvation, not to themselves, but to the merits of Christ alone.

26. What should be our conduct through life? A. We should humbly endeavour to work out our salvation with fear and trembling; and, after all our exertions to please our great Benefactor, still confess that we are but unprofitable

servants.

27. What is meant by their bringing forth fruit meet for repentance? A. Shewing by their actions, which he calls their fruits, not merely by the profession of their lips, that they have sincerely repented, and forsaken their former

sins.

28. What did they mean by saying, they had Abraham

for their father? A. They thought themselves under the immediate favour and protection of God, because they were descended from Abraham, with whom the covenant was made that his posterity should be God's chosen people. Gen. xxi. 18, &c. v. 9.

29. What reason did John give them why they should not pride themselves on this? A. Because God was able to fulfil his promise to Abraham, although he should destroy the Jews, who were the peculiar heirs of the promise according to the flesh, on account of their wickedness: for he is able to animate even the stones, and to raise up a people out of the ignorant Gentiles, as children unto Abraham.

30. What does he mean in this passage by children unto Abraham? A. That is, spiritual children, who should imitate the piety of their holy forefather: because Abraham was constituted father, not only of the Jewish nation, but also father of all the faithful and righteous of every nation under heaven. Gen. xvii. 6 and 16. Gen. xxii. 18. John viii. 39. Rom. ix. 8.

31. What is meant by, And now also the axe is laid to the root of the trees? A. That if they would not repent, and turn from their wickedness, destruction would come upon their nation, not only from the hands of the Romans in this world, when Jerusalem and all their country would be destroyed, but that also eternal destruction would come upon them in the next.

32. What is meant by, Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire? A. Every person who does not repent of his sins, and turn to God, through his Son, will be punished, by being quickly cut off by death, and cast into the fire of hell.

33. With what did John baptize? A. With water unto repentance. v. 11.

34. What is meant by being "baptized with water unto repentance?" A. That John's baptism consisted merely in the washing with water, and that there was then a public profession made of sorrow for sin. Vide Ques. 52. Mark i. Ques. 9. Acts ii. 53. Ques. 33. and 55.

35. Did John speak of any other person mightier than himself, who, coming after him, would also administer the

rite of baptism? A. Yes; he alluded to our Lord Jesus Christ.

36. How does he describe his own inferiority with respect to Christ? A. He declares that he is unworthy of performing the lowest offices for him, even such as unloosing the latchets of his shoes.

37. How did John describe the nature of our blessed Lord's baptism? A. He says, that Jesus was to baptize with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.

38. What is a "fan?"

winnowing corn.

A. An instrument used for

39. What is meant by, whose fan is in his hand? A. That he is ready to make use of it: that he is about to do so. v. 12.

40. What use will he make of it? A. He will throughly purge his floor, and gather the wheat into the garner; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.

41. What is the meaning of this? A. That, when the Gospel of Jesus Christ should be preached, then the separation of the wicked, who are represented by the chaff, from the righteous, who are represented by the wheat, would commence for as the Gospel condemned and censured the vices and wickedness of mankind, many, who were mere outward professors of religion, when they discovered that inward holiness of heart was required by the Gospel of Jesus, would separate from that faith which was so opposite to their practice, and, through envy, even dare to persecute true believers: the final separation will take place at the day of judgment, when the wheat will be gathered into heaven, which is the Lord's garner, but the chaff will be burned in hell with unquenchable fire.

42. What remarkable person came to John to be baptized by him? A. Jesus Christ.

43. Where did he come from? A. From Nazareth of Galilee, where he dwelt. Mark i. 9.

44. What did John say to him? A. I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?

45. What did Jesus answer? A. Suffer it to be so now, for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.

A.

46. What is meant by fulfilling all righteousness? That as he took upon him the nature of man, it was neces