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36. Q. Who was Nebuchadnezzar? A. The proud king of Babylon, who run mad and was driven among the beasts.

The Scripture Names in the New Testament.

I. QUESTION.

WHO was Jesus Christ? A. The Son of God, and the Saviour of men.

2. Q. Who was the Virgin Mary? A. The mother of Jesus Christ.

3. Q. Who was Joseph the carpenter? A. The supposed father of Christ, because he married his mother.

4. Q. Who were the Jews? A. The family of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and God chose them for his own people.

5. Q. Who were the Gentiles? A. All the nations besides the Jews.

6. Q. Who was Cæsar? A. The emperor of Rome, and the ruler of the world.

7. Q. Who was Herod the great? A. The king of Judea, who killed all the children in a town, in hopes to kill Christ.

8. Q. Who was John the baptist? A. The prophet who told the Jews that Christ was come.

9. Q. Who was the other Herod? A. The king of Galilee, who cut off John the baptist's head.

10. Q. Who were the disciples of Christ? A. Those who learnt of him as their Master.

11. Q. Who was Nathaniel? A. A disciple of Christ, and a man without guile.

12. Q. Who was Nicodemus? A. The fearful disciple who came to Jesus by night.

13. Q. Who was Mary Magdalene? A. A great sinner, who washed Christ's feet with her tears, and wiped them with her hair.

14. Q. Who was Lazarus? A. A friend of Christ, whom he raised to life when he had been dead four days.

15. Q. Who was Martha? A. Lazarus's sister, who was cumbered too much in making a feast for Christ.

16. Q. Who was Mary the sister of Martha? A. The woman that chose the better part, and heard Jesus preach.

17. Q. Who were the Apostles? A. Those twelve disciples whom Christ chose for the chief ministers of his gospel.

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18. Q. Who was Simon Peter? A. The apostle that denied Christ and repented.

19. Q. Who was John? A. The beloved apostle that leaued on the bosom of Christ.

20. Q. Who was Thomas? A. The apostle who was hard to be persuaded that Christ rose from the dead.

21. Q. Who was Judas? A. The wicked disciple who betrayed Christ with a kiss.

22. Q. Who was Caiaphas? A. The high-priest who condemned Christ.

23. Q. Who was Pontius Pilate? A. The governor of Judea, who ordered Christ to be crucified.

24. Q. Who was Joseph of Arimathea? A. A rich man that buried Christ in his own tomb.

25. Q. Who were the four evangelists? A. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, who wrote the history of Christ's life and death.

26. Q. Who were Ananias and Sapphira? A. A man and his wife who were struck dead for telling a lye.

27. Q. Who was Stephen? A. The first man who was put tod eath for Christ's sake.

28. Q. Who was Paul? A. A young man who was first a persecutor and afterwards an apostle of Christ.

29. Q. Who was Dorcas? A. A good woman who made clothes for the poor, and she was raised from the dead.

30. Q. Who was Elymas? A. A wicked man who was struck blind for speaking against the gospel.

31. Q. Who was Apollos? A. A warm and lively preacher of the gospel.

32. Q. Who was Eutychus? A. A-youth who slept at sermon, and falling down was taken up dead.

33. Q. Who was Timothy? A. A young minister, who knew the scriptures from his youth.

34. Q. Who was Agrippa? A. A king who was almost persuaded to be a christian.

PREFACE

TO" THE HISTORICAL CATECHISM."

AFTER the short catechism of scriptural names has been perfectly learned

by heart, the historical cate hism comes next to be proposed for the instruction of the younger parts of a family in the things recorded in the bible. Here I have collected together, in as brief a manner as I could, some of the more important transactions which are related in scripture, and which are most proper to be known by children. I have endeavoured to make some connexion of all the parts of this sacred history from one end of it to the other, that the former answers, as far as possible, might lay some foundation for the following questions. This method of composure, if it could be every where observed, would draw on the enquiries in so natural and entertaining a manner as to invite the native curiosity of young persons to read and remember the answer, and at the same time would give much more ease and delight both to the teacher and learner.

But let it be observed, that though some children may learn this historical catechism by ten or twelve years of age in so easy a manner, yet I do not propose it to be learned by all before they begin the Assembly's Catechism: And therefore I call it a catechism for children and youth, supposing that many may not have fully committed it to memory till they are fourteen years old.

Though I have shortened it several times, and struck out many useful parts of this sacred history with some regret, yet I confess I could still wish it shorter and if any persons think their children will be detained too long, in the affairs of the Old Testament, before they came to the history of Christ in the New, which is of much more importance, I would propose that they might learn the history of the New Testament first: or that they might learn two or three questions every week in each part of the catechism, that is, both of the Old Testament and the New, and so carry both on together. But I hope upon experience that children will find it so entertaining, that they will get through it with ease and pleasure.

But after all the pains taken to render these catechisms of scripturehistory so complete as I could wish, I found it was impossible to contract it into so short a compass as would be fit for all children without the utter omis sion of many useful things and too slight a mention of others. What could not be done here, I have in some measure endeavoured to supply not only by a more complete summary of the history of the bible, which is not yet printed*, but I have drawn up here a larger catalogue of scriptural words and names, which contains many more names in it than both these short catechisms together; and I have placed it at the end of these catechisms for the use of those children, who have better capacities or better memories, or who have greater advantages and opportunities for knowledge than others bave.

In the historical catechism I have mentioned the chapter and verse where these scriptural stories are recorded; and when the children have learned the names and order of the books of the bible, and know how to find any text in it by the number of the chapter and verse, they should be employed to search

* This hath been published, entitled, a Short View of the whole Scrip tare History.

out those places in the scripture to which the catechism refers, and thus they should acquaint themselves more particularly with the character and history of the persons named in the catechism by reading it in the bible themselves. This would be a very delightful way of leading them to a more complete acquaintance with the holy scriptures, which contain in them all necessary truths and duties, to furnish them richly for every good word and work, and which are able to make them wise to salvation.

THE HISTORICAL CATECHISM,

FOR

CHILDREN AND YOUTH.

WHO was the Maker of the world? Answer. The Almighty God made the heavens and the earth, and all things that are in them; Gen. i. 1. and ii. 1.

2. Q. How long was God in making the world? A. He made it by his word in the space of six days, and he rested on the seventh, and called that day holy; Gen. i. 31. Heb. xi. 3. Gen. ii. 2, 3. Ex. xxxi. 15, 17.

3. Q. Who were the first man and woman that God made? A. Adam and Eve; Gen. i. 27. and iii. 20.

4. Q. In what state did God make them? A. God made them in his own likeness, in a holy and happy state; Gen. i. 26. and v. 1.

5. Q. How did they behave themselves? Did they continue in this state? A. No: They sinned against God, by eating of the fruit of a certain tree, which God had forbid them upon pain of death; Gen. ii. 17. and iii. 6.

6. Q. How came they to eat of this fruit? A. The evil spirit that lay hid in the serpent persuaded Eve to eat of it, and she persuaded Adam; Gen. iii. 1, 2, 12. 2 Cor. xi. 3.

7. Q. What mischief followed from hence? A. Sin and death were brought into this world by Adam's disobedience, and spread among all his children; Rom. v. 12, 19.

8. Q. Were Adam's children all sinners? A. All of them were born in sin, but there were some in those early times who learned to know and worship the Lord, and were called the sons of God; Ps. li. 5. Rom. v、 19. Rom. iii. 12. Gen. iv. 26. and vi. 2.

9. Q. Did the knowledge and worship of God abide long in their families? A. In following ages all mankind grew so bad, that God drowned the world by a flood of water; Gen. vi. 5, 17.

10. Q. Who was saved when the world was drowned? A.

Noah the righteous man was saved with all his family, and a few living creatures of every kind; Gen. vi. 9, 18, 19, and vii. 1.

11. Q. How was Noah saved? A. In an ark or great vessel of wood which God taught him to build; Gen. vi. 14. and vii. 7.

12. Q. Who were the sons of Noah? A. Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and by them the world was peopled after the flood; Gen. x. 1, 31.

13. Q. What crime was IIam guilty of? A. He made sport with his father, and he was cursed; Gen. ix. 21, 24, 25. 14. Q. What did Shem and Japheth do? A. They concealed their father's shame, and they were blessed; Verses 23, 26, 27.

15. Q. Who was God's special favourite in the family of Shem? A. Abraham, who was called the father of believers and the friend of God; Rom. iv. 11. 2 Chron. xx. 7.

16. Q. Why was he called the father, that is, the pattern of believers? A. Because he believed some strange promises of God, contrary to the present appearances of things; Rom. iv. 11, 18.

17. Q. What were those promises? A. 1. That he should have a son when he was an hundred years old. 2. That his children should possess the land of Canaan wherein he had not a foot of ground. And, 3. That all nations should be blessed by his offspring, that is Christ; Gen. xvii. 8, 16, 17. and xii. 3. and xxii. 18. Acts vii. 5.

18. Q. Why was Abraham called the friend of God? A. Because God made many visits to him, and he was very obedient to God; Gen. xii. 7. and xv. 1. and xvii. 1. and xviii. 1. James . 21-23. John xv. 14.

19. Q. What was the first great instance of Abraham's obedience? A. He left his own country at God's command, not knowing whither he was to go; Gen. xii. 1-4. Heb. xi. 8.

20. Q. What was another great instance of Abraham's obedience? A. He was ready to offer up in sacrifice his beloved son Isaac at the command of God; Gen. xxxii. 12.

21. Q. Was Isaac a good man? A. Yes he feared the God of his father Abraham, and he went out to pray or meditate in the fields; Gen. xxiv. 63. and xxvi. 2, 24, 25.

22. Q. Who were Isaac's two sons ? A. Esau the eldest and Jacob the youngest? Gen. xxv. 25, 26.

23. Q. What is remarkable concerning Esau? A. He despised the privilege of being the first born, and sold it to Jacob for a mess of pottage; Gen. xxv. 31, 33, 34.

24. Q. What is written concerning Jacob? A. He obtained his father's blessing by deceit, as well as his brother's birthright by craft; Gen. xxvii. 36.

25. Q. Why was his name called Israel? A. Because'

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