nisters preach the gospel, the word becomes more or less fruitful, or unfruitful, according to the good or evil hearts of the hearers; Mat. xiii. 1-23.

30. Q. What is the parable of the tares in the field? A, As the enemy had sowed tares where the husbandman had sowed wheat, and they were both suffered to grow together till the harvest, then the wheat was gathered into the barn, and the tares were burned; so the devil mingles his children with the children of God in this world, but at the day of judgment they shall be separated; the children of the devil shall be cast into a furnace of fire, and the children of God shall shine in the kingdom of their Father; Mat. xiii. 24-43.

31. Q. What means the parable of the merciless servant ? A. Though his lord forgave him ten thousand talents, yet he dealt cruelly with his fellow-servant who owed him but a hundred pence, and cast him into prison till he should pay it. When the lord heard of it, he reproved and imprisoned him till the payment of his debt: And thus the great God, who is ready to forgive us our innumerable sins, will deal with us, if we forgive not our brethren their offences against us; Mat. xviii. 21-35,

32. Q. What parable is that which is called the good Samaritan? A. When a Jew was abused and stripped, and wounded by robbers, and left helpless, a priest and a levite passed by and neglected him, a Samaritan took care of him, and carried him to an inn for his recovery. This Jesus spake to shew that the Samaritan treated the Jew as a neighbour ought to do, and that no differences of opinion should hinder us from actions of comn, mon humanity towards other men; Luke x. 30—36.

33. Q. What is the design of the parable of the labourers in the vineyard? A. The labourers who were called at the eleventh hour, through the great goodness of the master, received the same reward as those who were called in at the first hour even so the Gentiles should be called into the church in the latter days, and enjoy equal privileges with the Jews, who had been called many ages before them: Mat. xx. 1—16.

34. Q. What is the parable of the wicked husbandmen ? A. The owner of a vineyard let it out to husbandmen, and going into a far country, first sent his servants, and at lost his son to receive the fruits: but they beat and slew both the servants and the son. Upon which, at the return of the owner, these husbandmen were destroyed, and the vineyard let out to others : By which our Saviour designed to shew, how the Jews brought no fruit to God, notwithstanding all their advantages; that they abused his prophets, and would slay his Son, that God would turn them out of his church, and give his gospel to the Gentiles; Mat. xxi. 33-43.

35. Q. What is the parable of the ten virgins? A. Some of these virgins were wise, and some wore foolish; but they all

slept while the bridegroom tarried, and at midnight when the bridegroom came, even the wise were something unprepared, but the foolish were shut out of the wedding Whence our Saviour draws this advice, "Watch ye, for ye know not the day or hour, when the Son of man cometh;" Mat. xxv. 1—13.

36. Q. What is the parable of the talents? A. Those servants who were intrusted with several talents, and had improved them, were rewarded in proportion to their improvement: But he who laid up his talent in a napkin, and made no improvement of it, was cast into utter darkness, as an unprofitable servant. The plain design of this parable is, to shew the necessity of diligence in the improvement of all our mercies and advantages; Mat. xxv. 14—30. Luke xix. 12—27.

37. What is the parable of the prodigal son? A. The younger son of a family grew prodigal, and wasted his estate in rioting abroad, while the elder son lived at home and served his father; but upon the return of the prodigal, and his repentance, his father received him with much compassion and joy; at which his elder brother was angry. So shall the mercy of God be shewn to the repenting Gentiles, when they shall forsake their sins and return to God, though the Jews will be envious and quarrel with this conduct of providence; Luke xv. 11-32.

38. Q. What was the parable of the rich man and Lazarus ? A. The rich man who spent his days in luxury, and was cruel to the poor, died, and went to hell; but Lazarus a beggar was religious, and went to heaven: The rich man in his torments would fain have Lazarus sent to warn his kindred of their danger; but Abraham tells him, that if they will not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded to leave their sins, though one rose from the dead; Luke xvi. 19-31.

39. Q. How could the hearers of Christ understand these parables? A. There were many of them which they did not understand: But when they were retired from the multitude, Christ expounded the parables to his disciples; Mark iv. 9— 12, 34.

40. Q. Besides these public sermons and parables, had not Jesus Christ some conversation and disputes with several sorts of persons? A. Yes, he had some discourses with the multitude and with his own disciples, which would be too long to repeat: And besides these, he had also some debates with Nicodemus, with the woman of Samaria, with the Herodians, with the Sadducees, with the Pharisees and Doctors of the law, with the ruler of the synagogue, and the chief priests and elders of the people.

41. Q. What was his discourse with Nicodemus? A. He taught Nicodemus, who came to him by night, that a man must be born again, that is, he must have his old sinful nature renewed into boliness, if he would see the kingdom of God; and

that God sent his only begotten Son to save as many as would believe on him; John iii. 1-21.

42. Q. What was our Lord's discourse with the woman of Samaria? A. He told her of her living in the sin of fornication, and assured her the time was just at hand, when God would not regard persons ever the more on account of the places in which they worshipped him, whether it were at the temple of Jerusalem or Samaria, but on the account of spiritual worship, which they paid him from their hearts; and he let her know plainly that he was the Messiah; John iv. 7—26.

43. Q. What discourse had Christ with the Herodians? A. They enquired of him whether it was lawful to give tribute to. Cæsar, that if he denied it, they might accuse him to the Romaus ; if he asserted it, they might render him odious to the Jews, and particularly the Pharisees: But Jesus gave them a very wise answer, and avoided their snares, by bidding them, "Render to Cæsar the things that are Cæsar's, and unto God the things that are God's." Mat. xxii. 15-22.

44. Q. What dispute had Christ with the Sadducees? The Sadducees thought to ridicule him about the doctrine of the resurrection, by enquiring, to which of her seven husbands a wife would belong in that day? But, as he proved the resurrection to them from the law of Moses, so he assured them that there was no such relation as marriage in that state; Mat. xxii. 23—33.

45. Q. What disputes did our Saviour hold with the Pharisees, and the Scribes, and the teachers of the law? A. He had many disputes with them about their excessive fondness of ceremonies and traditions, wherein he shewed that they made void the law of God by their own invented traditions; and that the duties of morality, righteousness and goodness, were more valuable even than the ceremonies of God's own appointment, and are to be preferred where they may happen to interfere : For "God will have mercy, and not sacrifice;" Mat. xv. 120. and xxiii. and xii. 1-7

46. Q. What was his debate with the ruler of the synagogue and other Jews? A. About his healing diseased persons on the sabbath-day, at which they cavilled; but he proved to them that it was a very lawful thing, even from the care that God took of cattle on the sabbath-day in the law of Moses; Luke xiii. 14-17.

47. Q. What controversy had Christ with the chief priests and elders of the people? A. About his own authority for preaching, wherein he silenced them, by enquiring of them what authority had John the baptist, whom all the people esteemed as a prophet; Mat. xxi. 23-57.

SECT. III.-The Miracles of Christ.

48. Q. Thus we have finished the two first designs of the public life and ministry of Christ, viz. his appearing with the

character of the Messiah upon him, and his teaching the people. What is the third considerable design of his public life and ininistry? A. To work miracles for the confirmation of his doctrice, and for the proof of his being sent from God to be the Saviour of the world.

49. Q. What were some of the chief of the miracles which our Saviour wrought for this purpose? A. These that follow: 1. He turned six vessels full of water into excellent wine; John ii. 7-11.

2. He fed five thousand persons once with five loaves and two small fishes; and again he fed four thousand with seven loaves, and at both times there were several baskets of fragments; Mat. xiv. and xv.

3. He gave sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, speech to the dumb, strength and vigour to lame and withered limbs ; Mark viii. John ix. Mark vii. Mat. xx. John v.

4. He healed the leprosy, the fever, the palsy, the dropsy, and other distempers by a word of command; Mat viii. and ix. Mark i. Luke xiv.

5. He walked on the water, and suppressed a storm at sea by a reproof given to the seas and winds; Mat. xiv. 25. and viii. 29.

6. He delivered several persons from the possession of the devil, by rebuking the evil spirits and commanding them to depart; Luke iv. Mat. viii. Mark i.

7. He raised a few persons from the dead, viz. the ruler's daughter in the chamber, the widow's son in the street, as he was carried to his burial, and Lazarus was called out of his grave when he had been dead four days; Mark ix. Luke vii. John xi.

50. Q. What is there remarkable in these miracles of our Saviour? A. These four things:

1. That almost every wondrous work Christ performed was a work of love and goodness, whereas many of the wonders of Moses were works of destruction.

2. His miracles were very numerous, so that mankind could not be mistaken in all of them, though they should object against

some.

3. They were wrought in many places of the Jewish nation, and several of them before the eyes of the multitude, who could attest them.

4. They were such miracles, as were foretold should be wrought in the days of the Messiah, and therefore be continually appeals to his miraculous works for a testimony of his commission from God; John x. 37, 38. and xv. 24. and xiv. 11.

SECT. IV. The Example of Christ.

51. Q. Let us proceed now and enquire, What was the

fourth thing designed in the public life and ministry of Christ? A. To give an example to the world of universal holiness and goodness; John xiii. 15.-1 Cor. xi. 1. Rom. xv. 5.

52. Q. What are some of the more remarkable virtues, graces, or duties, wherein Christ appears to be our example?

A. 1. He sought the public glory of God with the warmest zeal, and vindicated the honour of his Father's appointments against the corruptions of men; John viii. 50. and xvii. 4. and ii. 16, 17. Mat. xxiii.

2. He was strictly observant of all the commands of God, even the ceremonial as well as the moral: He observed the sabbath, he came up to the feast at Jerusalem, he desired to be baptized, he came to fulfil the law of God, and made it his meat and his drink; Mat. iii. 15. and v. 17. John xiv. 31. and iv. 34. and vii. 10.

3. He was frequent and fervent in religious exercises, prayer and praise; Luke vi. 12. and xi. 1, 2. Mat. xiv. 23. and

xi. 25.

4. He was eminent for heavenly-mindedness, self-denial as to the comforts of this life, and trust in God for his daily bread: He was so poor, that the good women ministered to him out of their substance, and he had not where to lay his head; Luke ix. 58. and viii. 3.

5. He bore sorrows from the hand of God with the highest submission, and the vilest injuries from men with perfect patience and meekness, not returning railing for railing, but blessing those that persecuted him; 1 Pet. ii. 21-23. Mat xi. 29, Luke xxii. 42. and xxiii. 34.

6. He gave the most glorious instances of good-will to men, compassion to the miserable, and love to friends, to strangers and to enemies. He often had pity on the multitude that followed him, he travelled about and took all occasions to do good to the bodies and the souls of men; to their bodies by his healing and feeding them, and to their souls by his preaching and conversation, and at last he laid down his life for sinners; Acts x. 38. Mat. ix. 36. and xiv. 14. John xv. 13. Rom. v. 6, 8, 10. 7. He was obedient to his parents, paying them honour, and obedient to magistrates, paying tax and tribute; Luke ii. 51. Mat. xvii. 24.

8. He was humble and familiar with the poor, and even with publicans and sinners for their good; Mat. xi. 29. and ix. 11. He washed the feet of his own disciples; John xiii. 14.

9. He was stedfast in resisting the temptations of the devil, and opposing the iniquities of men; Mat. iv. 1-11. Heb. ii, 18. and xii. 1, 2. Mat. xxiii. John ii. 13-17.

10. He was.prudent and watchful against the snares of his enemies, and careful to give them no just occasions against him: