3. Who are meant by the poor in spirit? A. Those who are afflicted in mind, because of their spiritual wants, who are conscious how much they need the riches of God's free grace in Christ.

4. What does he say of them? A. That they are blessed, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

5. What is meant by "for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven?" A. That they would be hereafter rewarded in the Kingdom of Heaven.

6. Who are those who mourn? A. Those who mourn for their sins, who are grieved at having at any time offended their gracious Father in Heaven.—v. 4.

7. What blessing does he promise them? A. He says, They shall be comforted; in part here, by the inward consolation of God's Spirit, but perfectly in Heaven, where their sorrows will end.

8. Who are "the meek?" A. The humble, who patiently sustain injuries, who envy not the prosperity of others, and who bear their own without pride.-v. 5.

9. What blessing does he promise them? A. He says, They shall inherit the earth; they shall be able to enjoy themselves in peace here, as they will quietly bear those numerous vexations which render others unhappy.

10. Who are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness? A. Those who, knowing their own emptiness, long for that living water, and that bread of life, which came down from Heaven-those strengthening refreshments which Christ, that faithful Shepherd, gives to his helpless sheep.v. 6.

11. What blessing does he promise them? A. They shall be filled with that heavenly manna, with which, through the agency of the Sanctifier, the famishing souls of the penitent are satisfied; righteousness and holiness will be their food.

12. Who are the merciful? A. Persons who forgive those who injure them, and who, through love to God, and through compassion to their fellow-creatures, endeavour to relieve their wants, both of soul and body.—v. 7.

13. What reward will they obtain? A. They shall obtain mercy. Their own offences will be forgiven, their own wants will be relieved, and they will in the next life obtain mercy from God, through the merits of Christ,

14. Who are the pure in heart? A. Those that are sincere in their love towards their Heavenly Father; those whose hearts are cleansed by the inspiration of God's Holy Spirit. v. 8.

15. What blessing does our Lord promise such persons? A. That they shall see God. Not only a future reward in heaven awaits them, but even in this world the eye of faith enables them to realise things not seen, and thus, to endure as beholding him who is invisible.

16. Who are the peace-makers? A. Those who endeavour to make up differences and prevent disputes among their fellow-creatures.-V. 9.

A. He says,

17. What reward does he promise them? They shall be called the children of God. They will be imitators of Christ, that Heavenly Prince of Peace, the Son of God, and for that reason will be rewarded as beloved children by a kind father.

18. What reward does he promise to those who are persecuted for righteousness sake? A. He says, Theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.-v. 10.

19. How can a person be persecuted for righteousness sake? A. By being hated and injured by others for no other reason than because he is more righteous than themselves; but such persons need not be disheartened when they reflect on the reward they are promised, “if they continue faithful."

20. What does he mean by saying, Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake? A. He now addresses his disciples more particularly, and tells them not to be dispirited at the persecutions of the world, or at the false reports which their more envious fellowmen would raise against their character, merely to bring religion into disrepute, and their more righteous brethren into disgrace.v. 11.

21. How does our Lord endeavour to prevent their being terrified at those future persecutions they were to suffer, for being his disciples? A. By saying, Rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in Heaven. Thus the pious Christian, when he reflects on these truths, will be able to bear those persecutions with patience and resignation which are raised against him by an ungodly

world, because of his zeal to promote the religion of Jesus.— v. 12.

22. What other reason, besides their being rewarded in Heaven, does our Lord give them, why they should bear their afflictions with patience? A. Because, In like manner they persecuted the prophets that were before you, and therefore his disciples could not expect better treatment; but as they shared the same sufferings here, so they would partake of the same glory hereafter.

23. What does he mean by saying, Ye are the salt of the earth? A. As salt preserves flesh from corruption, so, in like manner, true Christians are that powerful salt, which, by their holy conversation and example, preserves mankind from the corruption and putrefying qualities of sin.-v. 13. 24. What is meant by the savour of the salt? A. Its strength and taste.

25. What does he mean by the salt losing its savour? A. He applies it to Christians losing that simplicity and godly sincerity which separate them from the world, and which, at the same time, enable them to reform by their influence those around them.

26. What becomes of the salt in case of losing its savour? A. It is good for nothing but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. In like manner inactive ministers of the Gospel, and unholy Christians, will, if they do not exert themselves in the performance of their duty here, be not only despised on account of their inconsistency, by even their ungodly brethren in this life, but also be cast out of the Kingdom of Heaven hereafter.

27. What does he next call his disciples? A. The light of the world.- -v. 14.

28. How were they the light of the world? A. Inasmuch as by the Gospel, which they were to receive from him, they would be the means of rescuing men from that spiritual darkness into which they were sunk, and of spreading on every side the beams of that glorious sun of righteousness, Jesus Christ, by preaching to the world the divine truths he had taught them.

29. What does he mean by a city that is set on a hill cannot be hid? A. That a city situated on a hill can easily be seen by every person, even so they, in consequence of being rendered conspicuous, by their coming forth to preach

repentance to the world, must take care, since the eyes of every person would be upon them, to act in such a manner as could give no real cause of complaint.—v. 15.

30. What does he mean by men's lighting a candle, and putting it under a bushel? A. A person not endeavouring to make the spiritual gifts which he has received from God of use to others, as well as to himself.

31. What does he mean by putting a candle in a candlestick? A. That as a master of a house lights a candle for the use of his family, so should men endeavour to extend the benefits of those graces, with which they have been blessed, for the good of all the members of the Church of Christ.

32. How are we to let our light shine before men? A. That they may see our good works, and glorify our Father which is in Heaven.-v. 16.

33. Why are we to do so? A. That they may see the good effects of the Gospel upon our hearts, in influencing our actions to the benefit of our fellow-creatures.

34. What is meant by glorifying our Heavenly Father ? A. Our object and end, in the performance of our good works, must be to promote God's honour, not our own: though we can add nothing to the infinite glory of God, yet we must ourselves confess that it is to him we owe every thing, and give others reason for praising him for his mercy toward us, in influencing our hearts to the practice of that holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.

35. What constitutes a good work in the sight of God? A. That it be done from faith, to promote his glory, and

not our own.

36. With respect to the Law, for what end did our Saviour say he came into the world? A. Not to destroy, but to fulfil it.

37. What is meant by the Law? A. The Law is the sum and substance of all those moral commands, and of those rites and ceremonies, by which the Jewish nation was governed.

38. Into how many parts is the Law divided? A. Into two, the "moral" and "ceremonial."

39. What is the Moral Law? A. That by which our actions are governed, and to which being referred, they

are called good or bad: the Ten Commandments contain the Moral Law.

40. What is the Ceremonial Law? A. The ordinances given, to perform those numerous rites and ceremonies, both of sacrifices and cleansings, which were typical of the one great sacrifice of Jesus Christ, by whose blood alone man is cleansed from sin.

41. How did our blessed Lord fulfil the Ceremonial Law? A. He fulfilled the great design of those outward rites and sacrifices of the Ceremonial Law, "the shadow of good things to come," and rendered the whole complete by the sacrifice of himself.

A. He made it

42. How did he fulfil the Moral Law? more extensive; he established and confirmed it by giving mankind a purer motive of obedience, love to God and man, and by giving them a more abundant supply of divine grace to enable them to perform their moral duties.

43. What change has taken place respecting the conduct to be pursued by those who, having offended against the Moral Law or Ten Commandments, wish to be reconciled to God? A. They cannot offer a sacrifice to atone for their crime, as was the custom before our Lord's coming; but now they are pardoned upon their sincere repentance, by trusting in the merits of that sacrifice, which our blessed Lord himself offered for the sins of mankind.

44. What does our Lord mean by saying, that he did not come to destroy the prophets? A. That he did not come to do away, or change the morality which they taught in their writings, nor did he come to destroy those prophetic enunciations of himself, and of the kingdom of the Messiah, which the prophets had foretold; but he came to fulfil all the types and predictions contained in the law.

45. What is the meaning of the term "Verily ?" A. “Truly," "indeed."

46. What declaration does he make respecting the certainty of the law being fulfilled! A. Verily, I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled.-v. 18.

47. What does he mean by this? A. That no change is to take place in the moral law; as long as the world continues, no alteration will be permitted.

48. What shall that person be called who breaks one of