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A. I desire that he would justify or forgive us freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

157 Q. But is there not some disposition of heart requisite, in order to render this petition for pardon acceptable to God, and effectual? A. Yes:-A disposition to forgive my debtors; i. e. those who may have injured me by thought, word, or deed.

158 Q. And is this disposition indispensably necessary to your obtaining pardon from God? A. Yes:-For Jesus saith, "If ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.".

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159 Q. What then is the substance of this petition? A. It is expressed in the two following lines: "That mercy I to others shew,

160 Q.

A.

That mercy shew to me."

What is the sixth petition?

"Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

161 Q. Does God tempt men to sin?

A. No: In that sense God tempteth no man. 162 Q. What do you mean then by the word temptation, when you pray that God would not lead you into it?

A. I mean some state of trial which might be too hard for me to bear.

163 Q.

Do you remember any passage of Scripture in which the word tempt signifies to try? A. Yes: When it is said, that "God did

tempt Abraham," it means, he tried him whether he would believe and obey his word.

164 Q. What other signification has the word tempt?

A. It also signifies to seduce.

165 Q. Who is he that tempts or seduces men to sin?

A. The Devil, or the Evil-one, who is therefore called "the tempter."

166 Q.

A.

What do you desire when you ask God to deliver you from evil?

That he would save me from sin, and all its consequences, and give me a clean heart and a right spirit; that so, the Prince of this world having nothing in me, I may not fall into the snare of the Devil.

167 Q. Do these six petitions comprehend the sum and substance of every true Christian's desires?

A.

Yes: For the glory of God, (which is the object of the three first petitions;) the support of animal and spiritual life-the pardon of past offences, and deliverance from the power of sin, and of the devil, (which are the objects of the three last,) are all that a Christian can wish for on earth.

168 Q. What is the conclusion of the Lord's Prayer?

A. "Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and

the glory, for ever.

Amen."

169 Q. What do you acknowledge when you as

sert that the kingdom is God's?

A. I acknowledge his sovereignty over all things in heaven and earth; and that he alone

hath the disposal of every blessing in providence, in grace, and in glory.

170 Q. What do you acknowledge in ascribing power to God?

A. I acknowledge that he is able to do for us abundantly above all that we can ask or think, and that with him nothing is impossible.

171 Q. And what do you acknowledge in ascribing glory to God?

A. That all praise and honour is due to him from me and all mankind, since he is the author of all good in time and eternity. 172 Q. What does the word Amen signify? A. Sometimes it signifies, Truly-so it is: but here, and wherever it occurs at the end of a prayer, it means, May it be so-or, I trust it shall be so.

173 Q. A.

174 Q.

What is fasting?

Abstinence from food.

What is the proper occasion and design of fasting?

A. It is an act of humiliation proper to accompany penitential exercises of soul, and designed to keep under the body, and bring its appetites into subjection to the Spirit of God.

175 Q. Did the Scribes and Pharisees fast for this purpose?

A. No:-But that they might have glory of

men.

176 Q. What expedient did they use in order the more effectually to secure this object?

A. They assumed a sad countenance, and disfigured their faces by the dust and ashes which they put upon their heads.

177 Q. What directions does our Lord give to his disciples respecting the circumstances with which they are to observe their fasts?

A.

He tells them to "anoint their head, and wash their face."

178 Q. What is the meaning of this direction? A.

That on such occasions we must not seek to attract the observation of others by any thing particularly austere in our outward appearance; but that we should rather endeavour to avoid men's notice, by appearing with our ordinary deportment, and in our usual mode of dress.

179 Q. Why does our Lord prohibit these external austerities so generally used at seasons of fasting by the Jews?

A. Lest we should employ them as they did, merely as the means of obtaining glory of men, and so fall short of a reward from our Father which is in heaven.

180 Q. What is the reward attendant on fasting, when it proceeds from a right intention, and is observed in a proper manner?

A. The attainment of the end for which it is designed, viz. bodily mortification, and the consequent increase of spiritual life?

181 Q.

W

SECTION V.

HERE does our Lord exhort his disciples to lay up treasures for

themselves?

A. "In heaven."

182 Q. By what means does a man lay up treasures in heaven ?

A. By being rich towards God in faith, love, and good works.

183 Q. What consideration does our Lord suggest in order to dissuade us from laying up for ourselves treasures on the earth?

A. The consideration that there" the moth and rust do corrupt, and thieves break through and steal."

184 Q. What do these words imply?

A. That every earthly thing is perishable and transient.

185 Q. Is this the case with heavenly treasures? A. No:-They fail not, but remain for ever. 186 Q. When may any thing be called our treasure?

A. When our affections are supremely fixed upon it.

187 Q. What is the proper object of our affections? A. God; who hath said, "My son, give me thine heart."

188 Q. Can we comply with this command, if we lay up treasures on earth?

A. No:-For "where our treasure is, there will our heart be also."

189 Q. What is that in the soul, which answers eye in the body?

to the

A. The intention.

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