SECT, VIII. CH. 11, SECTION VIII. THE CHARACTER OF THE PHARISEES. ye XI. IT happened that Jesus was praying in a certain place; and when he had done, one of his disciples said to him, Master, teach us to pray, as John al2 so taught his disciples. He answered, When pray, say, Our Father, who art in heaven,1 thy name be hallowed; thy reign come; thy ' will be done upon the earth, as it is in heaven;7 3' give us each day our daily bread; and forgive us 4' our sins, for even we forgive all who offend us; ' and abandon us not to temptation, but preserve us from evil.'7 5 Moreover, he said unto them, Should one of you have a friend, and go to him at midnight, and 6 say, Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend ' of mine is come off his road to see me, and I 7have nothing to set before him;' and he from within should answer, Do not disturb me; the 'door is now locked; I and my children are in 8 bed; I cannot rise to give thee:' I tell you, if the other continue knocking, 1 though he will not rise and supply him, because he is his friend; he Mat. 6; 9. Mat. 7; 7. Mat. 9; 32 & 12; 22. Mar. 3; 22. сн. 11. SECT. VIII. will, because of his importunity, get up, and give 9 him as many as he wanteth. I likewise tell you, Ask, and ye shall obtain; seek, and ye shall find; 10 knock, and the door shall be opened to you: for whosoever asketh, obtaineth; whosoever seeketh, findeth; and to every one who knocketh, the door 11 is opened. What father amongst you would give his son a stone, when he asketh bread; or when he asketh a fish, would, instead of a fish, give 12 him a serpent; or when he asketh an egg, would 13 give him a scorpion? If ye, therefore, bad as ye are, can give good things to your children; how much more will your Father give from heaven the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? 14 ONE time he was expelling a demon which caused dumbness, and when the demon was gone out, 15 the dumb spake, and the people wondered. Some however said, He expelleth demons by Beelzebub 16 prince of the demons. (Others to try him, ask17 ed of him a sign in the sky.) But he knowing their thoughts, said to them, By intestine broils any kingdom may be desolated, one family falling af 18 ter another. Now, if there be intestine broils in the kingdom of Satan, how can that kingdom subsist? for ye say that I expel demons by Beelzebub. 19 Moreover, if I by Beelzebub expel demons, by whom do your sons expel them? Wherefore they 20 shall be your judges. But if I by the finger of God expel demons, the reign of God hath overtaken 21 you. When the strong one armed guardeth his SECT. VIII. CH. 11. 22 palace, his effects are secure. But, if he who is stronger, shall attack and overcome him, he will strip him of his armour on which he relied, and 23 dispose of his spoils. He who is not for me, is against me; and he who gathereth not with me, scattereth. 24 The unclean spirit, when he is gone out of a Mat. 12; 43. man, wandereth over parched deserts, in search of a resting-place. But not finding any, he saith, 25 I will return to my house whence I came.' Being come, he findeth it swept and furnished. 26 Whereupon he goeth, and bringeth seven other 27 spirits more wicked than himself; and having en- Heb. 6; 4 & 10; 26. While he was saying these things, a woman raising her voice, cried to him from amid the crowd, Happy the womb which bore thee, and the breasts 28 which suckled thee. Say, rather, replied he, Happy they who hear the word of God and obey it. When the people crowded together, he said, This Mat. 12; 38: is an evil generation. They demand a sign; but no sign shall be given them, save the sign of the 30 Prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was a sign to the 29 & 16; 4. 2 Chro. 9; 1. Ninevites, so shall the Son of Man be to this ge31 neration. The queen of the South" country will 1 Ki. 10; 1; arise in the judgment against the men of this generation, and cause them to be condemned; because she came from the extremities of the earth to hear 44 In the Old Testament Sheba. Jon. 3; 5. сн. 11. SECT. VIII. the wise discourses of Solomon; and behold, here 32 is something greater than Solomon. The men of Nineveh will stand up in the judgment against this generation, and cause it to be condemned; because they repented when warned by Jonah; and behold here is something greater than Jonah. Mat, 5; 15. 33 Mar 4; 21. Mat. 23; 25. A lamp is lighted, not to be concealed, or put under a corn-measure, but on a stand, that they 34 who enter may have light. The lamp of the body is the eye when, therefore, thine eye is sound, thy whole body is enlightened; but when thine 35 eye is distempered, thy body is in darkness. Take heed, then, lest the light which is in thee be dark36 ness. If thy whole body, therefore, be enlighten 37 ed, having no part dark, the whole will be so enlightened, as when a lamp lighteth thee by its flame. While he was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him. And he went and placed himself at 38 table. But the Pharisee was surprised to observe, 39 that he used no washing before dinner. Then the Lord said to him, As for you Pharisees, ye cleanse the outside of your cups and dishes, while ye yourselves are inwardly full of rapacity and ma40 levolence. Unthinking men! did not he who made 41 the outside, make the inside also? Only give in alms what ye have, and all things shall be clean unto you. Mat. 23; 23. 42 Woe unto you, Pharisees, because ye pay the tithe of mint and rue, and every kind of herb, and neglect justice and the love of God. These SECT. VIII. 43 44 45 CH. 11. things ye ought to have practised, and not to have omitted those. Woe unto you, pharisees, because ye love the Mat. 23; 6. most conspicuous seat in synagogues, and salutations in public places. Woe unto you, scribes and pharisees, hypocrites, because ye are like concealed graves, over which people walk without knowing it. Here one of the lawyers interposing, said, By speaking thus, Rabbi, thou reproachest us also. 46 He answered, Woe unto you, lawyers, also, be- Mat. 23; 4. cause ye lade men with intolerable burdens, bur 4.7 dens which ye yourselves will not so much as touch with one of your fingers. Woe unto you, because ye build the monu- Mat. 23; 9ments of the Prophets, whom your fathers killed. 48 Surely ye are both vouchers and accessories to 49 the deeds of your fathers; for they killed them, and ye build their monuments. Wherefore, thus saith the wisdom of God, I Mat. 23; 34' will send them Prophets and Apostles; some of 50' them they will kill, others they will banish; in ́ somuch that the blood of all the Prophets which 'hath been shed since the formation of the world, 51'shall be required of this generation, from the Gen. 4; 8. 'blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who 20. 'fell between the altar and the house of God.' Yes, I assure you, all shall be required of this generation. 52 2 Chr. 24; Woe unto you, lawyers, because ye have car- Mat. 23; 15. ried off the key of knowledge; ye have not enter |