How doth the gospel of Saint Mark begin ?

A. With an account of John's preaching in the wilderness, and prophesying of our Saviour CHRIST as is fignified by Ezekiel's lion, Ezekiel 1. 10.

Q. What was Mark?

A. A difciple of Saint Peter's, of whom he had learned the acts of CHRIST.

Q. What are the branches to be handled in this gospel ?

A. The tempting of CHRIST, his fafting, prayer, and miracles.

Q. When was CHRIST tempted?

A. As foon as he had received baptifm; whereby we learn that the spirit of God begins no fooner to work, but is foon croffed and thwarted by the fpirit of the devil, chap. 1. 12.

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Q. What is the difference between these two spirits ?

A. The fpirit of God is loving, gentle, meek; not forcing nor threatening: the spirit of the devil is fubtie, cruel, false, and full of terror. Between thefe two fpirits, the fpirit of man is eternally taffed, the one working to our falvation, the other to our damnation.

Q. Who tempted CHRIST ?
A. The devil and the jews.

Q. From whence fetched the devil his ar guments, wherewith he tempted him?

A. From three things; either from the wit and reason of man, the custom of the world, or from the corrupting and wrefting of the fcriptures, as in this place it appears.

Q. What doth the devil tempt unto?

A. Sin; and the nature of fin is to destroy.
Q. What follows fin?

A. A two-fold judgment; the one inward, as torment of conscience and decay of gifts, the other outward, as contempt and reproach of the world.

Q. How many kinds of temptation are there? A. Two, bad, which proceeds from the devil and his inftruments; and good, which proceeds from Gop.

Q. How doth God ufe to tempt ?.

A. Two manner of ways, by trials on the right hand, and by trials on the left.

How doth he tempt us by trials on the right hand?

A. By offering us temporal bleffings, as wealth, promotion, and fuch like, to fee if we will lay hold on them justly, or after an indirect or finful manner, or by beftowing upon us temporal bleffings, to try if we will difpofe of them according as he hath commanded, and as his upright almoners,

Q. How doth he tempt us by trials on the left? A. By fuffering herefies to rife up amongst us, to fee if they can feduce us; or, by common corruption of manners, when any flanders, or scandals and injuries are offered, to prove our conftancy. patience, and love.

Q. How did the jews tempt CHRIST?

A: By frivolous queftions to entrap his life; as whether it were lawful to give. tribute to Cæfar, or not? chap. xii. 16, 17...

Q. What is comfort in temptation?.

A. That if we abide faithful and conftant, Gon at the laft will fend his angels to deliver us, as he did our Saviour, chap. 1. 13. ..

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Q. Why doth God fuffer us to be tempted?

A. For five efpecial reafons: first, to try if we be faithful fecondly, to make us feek unto him for help Thirdly, the better to manifeft his power and love in delivering us: fourthly, to create in our hearts, a thankfulness for our deliverance and fifthly, that we may be made like unto our Saviour CHRIST.

Q. What doth this infer?

A. That we ought always to pray, that we be not led into temptation.

Q. Doth God fuffer us at any time to fall under the force of temptation ?

A. He doth; that he might fhew us our natural weaknefs, and make us more heedy in walking.

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Q. After CHRIST was delivered from the temptations of the devil, what did he?

A. As we ought to do in the like cafe, most chearfully endeavoured to perform the will of his father.

Q. What, therefore, may we liken the temptation of the devil unto ?

A. A blow or wound, which difmays not the good christian, but rather ftirs him up more forcibly, to withstand the affault of his enemy.

Q. What opportunity did the devil watch to tempt CHRIST?

and A. When he was alone in the wilderness, oppreft with long fafting.

Q. How long had he fafted?

A. Forty days, and forty nights.

Q. What company had he?

A. None but the wild beasts.

Q. What may we understand by the wilderness?
A. The world.

Q. What by the wild beasts?

A. The inward and outward dangers thereof.

Q. Inward dangers, of what? ed A. Of one's rude and untamed affections, Q. Outward dangers, of what?

A. Of the vanities, whereby we continually fall.

Q. What is a good remedy against these dangers? A. Fafting, and not as fome faft, forty days only, as a cuftom, (at times and feafons) but fo long as we live in the wilderness of this wicked world.

Q. What is fasting?

A. Abftinence from things that gratify the body, that we may the more readily apply to the spirit.

Q. How many kinds of fafting are there?

A. Two: Corporal, which is refraining from meat; and fpiritual, which is abstaining from fin..

Q. When are we faid truly to faft?

A. When we keep our eyes from looking after vanities; our tongue, from curfing, fwearing, and evil speaking; our hearts from meditating on mifchief; our hands from practifing unlawful actions; our feet from treading the way of fcorners.

Q. What is the property of true fasting?

A. It must not be done for vain glory, but to mortify the body, that it may be in fubjection to the spirit and to the intent we may have the more provifion for the relieving of the poor.

Q. What are the effects that follow fafting?.