A. It was so very infectious, that not only those who were actually diseased, but also those who were even suspected to be infected with it, were separated from the rest of the people. 2 Kings v. 7. Lev. v. 3.

5. What reason have we for supposing that the leper knew our Saviour to be a person sent by God? A. Not only because he worshipped him, but also because he presumed not to make the direct request. He said, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean, knowing that he was endued with power from Almighty God to do so.

6. What words did our Lord use in healing him? A. I will, be thou clean.—v. 3.

7. What happened when he had said these words? A. Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

8. What directions did our Lord give him? A. He said, See thou tell no man, but go thy way, show thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded for a testimony unto them.v. 4.

A.

9. What is the gift that Moses had commanded? Two birds or sparrows; and if the man were rich, three lambs; or if he were poor, one lamb, and one pair of turtledoves or pigeons. Lev. xiv. 4.

10. What is meant by for a testimony unto them? A. As a proof or testimony that the man was cured, and no longer obliged to keep separate from the rest of the people.

11. Why did our Lord desire the man to go and show himself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses had commanded? A. Because as it was not until after his crucifixion that the Jewish ceremonial law was to be abolished, he did not wish to offend the people, by not conforming to the law of Moses, which commanded it to be done by the person who had been cleansed; besides, it would be a confirmation of the perfect cure of the leper.

12. Why did he say, See thou tell no man, but go and show thyself to the priest? A. Lest the malice and envy of the priests might have induced them not to pronounce him clean, if they knew that it was Jesus who performed the miracle, and they might have asserted that he was still uncured.

13. When Jesus was come to Capernaum, what person came to him? A. A centurion, a Roman officer, commanding 100 men.-v. 5.

14. What did he say to our Lord? A. He told him, his servant was lying at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.-v. 6.

15. What did Jesus answer? A. I will come and heal him.-v. 7.

16. What did the centurion then say ? A. Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof, but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed; for. I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me, and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth, and to another, Come, and he cometh, and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.

17. What did he mean by this? A. That if he, who was under the command of others, and only an inferior officer in the Roman army, could command those who were under him, by merely speaking, how much more reasonable would it be to suppose, that the Lord of all, though at a distance from the object, could execute his wishes by a word.

A.

18. What effect had this answer on our Saviour? When he had heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed him, Verily, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. -v. 10.

19. What is meant by in Israel? A. Among the Jewish nation, of the land of Israel, or descended from Jacob or Israel (Gen. xxxii. 28), who ought to have pos-sessed more faith than other nations, as they had been constantly instructed in the Scriptures, which testified of Christ, and by prophets sent from God; we see how this untaught Roman officer believed in our Lord, while his own countrymen rejected him.

20. Whom does he mean by the people from the East and from the West? A. The Gentile nations from all parts.―v. 11.

21. What shall they do? A. They shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.

22. What is meant by that? A. They will enjoy the society of those holy persons in heaven, alluding to their sitting down with them at meals; a custom which the Jews held in abomination, as they thought they would be polluted by such a practice as associating with heathens. Thus they will be rewarded with eternal happiness for be

lieving in the Messiah; the distinction between Jew and Gentile shall be done away.

23. What shall become of the children of the kingdom? A. They shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. -v. 12.

24. Who are the children of the kingdom? A. The Jews, who would be rejected by God, and eternally punished in the next life, on account of their rejecting his blessed Son, when he came into the world to preach repentance to their nation, and to offer them salvation.

25. Why are they called the children of the kingdom? A. Because they constituted God's favoured nation or kingdom, to whom he had revealed his holy will so often, and whom he had so frequently protected from their enemies.

26. Who were Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? A. Ancestors of our Lord according to the flesh, and founders of the Jewish nation, with the first of whom the covenant of future blessing, by the coming of the Messiah, was sealed and confirmed by the rite of circumcision.

xvii. 10.

Gen. xii. 3.

27. What did Jesus then say to the centurion? A. Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto

thee.-
-v. 13.

28. What is meant by his believing? A. His having confidence in the power of our blessed Lord.

29. What was there remarkable as to the time of his cure? A. His servant was healed at the very hour our blessed Saviour had spoken, though our Lord did not go to see him.

30. What is the next miracle recorded by St. Matthew? A. The cure of Peter's wife's mother, who was ill of a fever'.-v. 14.

31. How did he perform the cure? A. He touched her hand, and the fever left her.-v. 15.

32. What action of hers showed that she was perfectly cured? She arose and ministered unto them; that is, prepared and waited on them at their meal.

1 We learn from this, that Peter, froin whom the Church of Rome pretends to derive universal supremacy, was married: Matt. xvi. Ques. 37. 74. So much for the necessity of the celibacy of the clergy. Vide 1 Tim. iii. 2; iv. 3.

33. What miracles did our Lord work after this?

A.

They brought many that were possessed with devils, and he cast out the spirits with his word, and he healed all that were sick.-v. 16.

34. What is meant by his casting out the evil spirits with his word? A. His commanding them to go out of the persons who were afflicted.

35. What prophecy was fulfilled by this? A. That of Esaias, which says, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses. Isaiah liii. 4. 1 Peter ii. 24. v. 17.

36. What is meant by taking away our infirmities from us? A. By his assuming the nature of man, and by his suffering on the cross, he obtained a right, not only to remove the temporal effects of sin in this life, by the cure of diseases, but also in the life to come, by the salvation of the souls of true believers.

37. At what time of the day did he perform these things? A. In the evening.

38. After this, where did Jesus command his disciples to go? A. To the other side of the lake of Gennesareth.v. 18.

39. What was his reason for commanding them to do so? A. Because he was inconvenienced by the great multitudes thronging round him, and he could not converse or teach them as he wished.

40. Before he went did any person speak to him? A. Yes: a certain Scribe came and said, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.—v. 19.

41. What did Jesus answer? A. The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.-v. 20.

42. What did he mean by saying this? A. He wished to undeceive the Scribe, respecting any hopes he might have had of his kingdom being of this world; and he here declares to him, that he must not expect any temporal rewards by following him, for he had not even a house to lodge in; but in his journey for the benefit of mankind, he depended on the hospitality of those who might receive him.

A.

43. What effect had this declaration on the Scribe? It checked his desire of following our Lord, as we do not hear of his doing so afterwards; and it proved our Lord's

wisdom, in being able to discover the real motives which swayed men's hearts.

44. Did any other person speak to him? A. Yes; another of his disciples said to him, on being asked to follow him, Suffer me first to go and bury my father.-v. 21.

45. What did Jesus answer? A. Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead.—v. 22.

46. What did he mean by this? A. Let those who still continue dead in trespasses and sin perform that office, as it is not fit that such persons as are commissioned by me to preach the Gospel, or to be my disciples, should spend their time in those occupations which others can do well: : my business is to take precedence of all other duties, however important.

as

47. Where did he go after this conversation? A. On board the ship that was to take him across the lake, with his disciples.-v. 23.

48. What happened during the voyage? A. There arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with waves.-v. 24.

49. How was our Lord occupied at this time? A. He was asleep.

50. What did the disciples do? A. They came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us, we perish.-v. 25. 51. What did Jesus say to them? A. Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?—v. 26.

52. Why were they of little faith? A. Because they feared that our Lord would suffer them to perish; they had no confidence in Him, notwithstanding all the proofs they had witnessed of his Almighty power.

53. What did Jesus then do? A. He arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.

54. What is meant by rebuked? A. He said, Be still, be calm.

55. What effect had these things on the men who were present? A. They marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him1?—v. 27. 56. Where did they go when they landed? A. Into the country of the Gergesenes.-v. 28.

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1 Ποταπος εστιν ουτος ; "How great is this person!" The word man is not in the original.