mitted into the kingdom of heaven, we have only to blame ourselves; God has given us the means, therefore we are without excuse.

97. What may we learn from the parable of the sheep and goats? A. That professions of piety and religion, without works and acts of obedience, will not preserve us from punishment hereafter.

CHAPTER XXVI.

1. WHEN Jesus had finished those parables, what did he say to his disciples? A. Ye know that after two days is the feast of the Passover, and the Son of Man is betrayed to be crucified.-v. 1.

2. Did our Lord ever tell them this before? A. Yes; three times. (Vide chap. xx. Quest. 51.)

3. Is this prophecy of his death more full than the others? A. Yes; for in the first he had merely prophesied his death; in the second he tells it was to be accomplished by treachery; in the third he declares that the Gentiles were to put him to death; and now, fourthly, he tells them the manner of his death, which is by crucifixion; and fifthly, he names the traitor (verse 25).

4. What did the chief priests and scribes and elders of the people do? A. They assembled together unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas.

5. What did they do there? A. They consulted how they might take Jesus by subtilty, that is, by treachery, and kill him.-v. 4.

6. Did they wish to take him on the feast day? A. No; lest there be an uproar among the people, who might have rescued him.-v. 5.

7. Where was Jesus at this time? A. At Bethany, at the house of Simon the Leper.-v. 6.

8. Who was Simon the Leper? A. Probably some person whom our Lord had healed of the leprosy. Some suppose it was at the house of Simon the Canaanite. 9. Did any person come to him there?

A. Yes; a

woman having an alabaster box of precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat—v. 7.

10. Were the disciples pleased at it? A. No; when they saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste?-v. 8.

11. To what purpose did they say it could have been applied? A. It could have been sold for much, and given to the poor.-v. 9.

12. When Jesus understood they were displeased, what did he say? A. Why trouble ye the woman, for she hath wrought a good work upon me?—v. 10.

13. What reason did our blessed Lord give why it was of more consequence to have poured it on him than to have given the price of it to the poor? A. Ye have the always with you, but me ye have not always.—v. 11.

poor

14. For what did our Lord say he was anointed ? A. He said, In that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.—v. 12.

15. Why did Jesus permit her to do so? A. It was the custom of the Jews to embalm their dead with sweet ointment and spices, to preserve them from decay, and our Lord, by permitting this, wished to fix the attention of his disciples to his death, which was about to take place.

16. What prophecy did our Lord make respecting this transaction? A. Verily, I say unto you, wheresoever this Gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this that this woman hath done be told for a memorial of

her. v. 13.

17. What is meant by, for a memorial of her? A. As a testimony or proof that she did this generous act for our Lord.

18. Which of the disciples went to the chief priests for the purpose of betraying our blessed Lord? A. Judas Iscariot.- -v. 14.

19. What did he say to them? A. What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you ?—v. 15.

20. What did they agree to give him? A. They covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver, and from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.

21. To what surn of our money did the thirty pieces of silver amount? A. Some say to about 3/. 10s.

22. What was there remarkable in the price paid to

Judas? A. It was the price of only a common slave. (Exodus xxi. 32.) We thus see of how little value the great Saviour of the world was considered by the Jews.

23. What question was our Lord asked by his disciples on the first day of unleavened bread? A. Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover ?—v. 17.

24. What is meant by the feast of unleavened bread? A. The feast of the passover. For seven days from the evening before the feast, the Jews were not allowed to eat leavened bread, that is, bread made with leaven. From this circumstance it was called the feast of unleavened bread; and to be more strict, they likewise abstained from the use of leaven, during the entire day before the Passover. Exod. xii. 19. Lev. xxiii. 6.

25. Why was it called the Passover? A. Because it was instituted by the command of God, in memory of the Angel of the Lord passing over the Israelites, when the first-born of the Egyptians were slain. 26. What answer did Jesus give to He said, Go into the city to such a man, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I over at thy house, with my disciples.

Exodus xii. 1. his disciples? A. and say unto him, will keep the pass

A. My

27. To what city did he tell them to go? A. To Jerusalem. 28. What is meant by, My time is at hand? death is nigh.

29. What did the disciples do? A. The disciples did as Jesus had appointed them, and they made ready the passover.

v. 19.

30. At what time did Jesus sit down with them? A. At even he sat down with the twelve disciples.—v. 20.

31. What did he say to them? A. He said, Verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.-v. 21.

32. What effect had this upon his disciples? A. They were exceeding sorrowful.-v. 22.

33. What did they say to him. A. They began every one of them to say, Lord, is it I?

34. What did Jesus answer? A. He answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me.-v. 23.

35 What is meant by, the Son of Man, goeth as it is written of him? A. That the Son of Man, our blessed Lord, is about to suffer death, as it is written of him in the prophecies.-v. 24.

36. What did Jesus say respecting the betrayer? A. Woe unto that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed; it had been good for that man if he had not been born.

37. What is the meaning of this? A. That although God, by his foreknowledge, knew that our blessed Lord would be put to death, and thus redeem his faithful servants; yet as it was the man's own wicked heart which prompted him to betray our Lord, and not any intention of carrying the decrees of God into effect, he would be exposed to all the wrath of Almighty vengeance for betraying innocent blood; thus it would be better for him never to have existed, than to be condemned to eternal punishment.

38. By whom was our Lord then addressed? Judas, who said to him, Master, is it I'?—v. 25.

A. By

39. What did Jesus say? A. Thou hast said; as much as to say, "it is." He now names the betrayer. chap. xxvi. Quest. 3.

Vide 40. Why did Judas ask the question? A. Because he was struck by a consciousness of his guilt, and he wished to discover whether Jesus knew him to be the betrayer. 41. While they were eating, what did Jesus do? A. He took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to his disciples-v. 26.

42. What did he say to them? A. He said, Take, eat, this is my body.

43. What is meant by, this is my body? A. This bread represents my body.

44. What is meant by, representing his body?? A. Its refreshing the bodies of his disciples, as the spiritual body of Christ refreshes the souls of those who feed on him by faith and prayer.

45. What did he do after he had said this? A. He took the сир, and gave thanks, and it to them.- -V. gave 27. 46. What did he say to them? A. Drink ye all of it, for this is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

47. What may we infer from our Lord's saying, Drink

1 The word "it" is not in the original. Many commentators say it ought to be" blessed God," that is, gave him thanks for the bread. 2 For similar modes of expression, vide John xv. 1. Gen xli. 26, &c. 1 Cor. x. 4.

ye all of it? A. That no persons who are permitted to eat of the bread should be prevented from drinking of the wine of the cup, as our blessed Lord here invites all to do so.

48. What is meant by, this is my blood of the New Testament? A. This wine signifies my blood, by which the New Testament, or covenant, which supersedes the old, is established. Vide chap. i. 48 and 49 Quest.

49. What did he say respecting his drinking again of this wine? A. But 1 say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.-v. 29.

50. What may we infer from his calling it the fruit of the vine, after he had said, "This is my blood," &c. &c.? A. That the wine still remained the same, and was not converted into real blood.

51. What is meant by his drinking of it no more until he drank it new with them in his Father's kingdom? A. That this was the last time that he would drink of the fruit of the vine with them, as his death would so shortly happen, but that he would enjoy heavenly banquets with them in his Father's kingdom, those spiritual feasts which were purchased for them by a Saviour's blood.

52. Where did they go after this? A. To the Mount of Olives.-v. 30.

53. What did they do before they went out? A. They sung an hymn, or a collection of psalms, consisting of the 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, Psalms which it was usual to sing at the Passover.

54. What did Jesus say to them? A. All ye shall be offended because of me this night.-v. 31.

55. What prophecy was fulfilled by this? A. That of the prophet Zechariah, who says, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. Chap. xiii. 7.

56. What is meant by all ye shall be offended because of me this night? A. He means that they would all desert him, when he was laid hold on by the messengers of the chief priests. For although he had often prophesied his death, yet the disciples would not believe that the Messiah was thus to suffer; and when they saw him seized on, their faith was so much shaken, that they all left him, and fled.