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and the more a man is entrusted with, the more will be exacted from him.

I came to throw fire upon the earth; and what would I, but 50 that it were kindled? I have an immersion to undergo; and 51 how am 1 pained till it be accomplished? Do ye imagine that I am come to give peace to the earth? I tell you, No, but Matt. 10. 34. 52 division. For hereafter five in one family will be divided; three 53 against two, and two against three; father against son, and son against father; mother against daughter, and daughter against mother; mother-in-law against daughter-in-law, and daughterin-law against mother-in-law.

Matt. 16.2. 54

He said also to the people: When ye see a cloud rising in the west, ye say, 'It will rain immediately,' and so it happen55 eth; and when the south wind bloweth, ye say, 'It will be hot,' 56 and it happeneth accordingly. Hypocrites, ye can judge of what appeareth in the sky, and on the earth; how is it that ye 57 cannot judge of the present time? and why do ye not even of yourselves discern what is just ?

Matt. 5. 25. 58

When thou goest with thy creditor to the magistrate, endeavor on the road to satisfy him, lest he drag thee before the judge, and the judge consign thee to the serjeant, and the serjeant commit thee to prison: I assure thee, thou wilt not be released, until thou hast paid the last mite.

SECTION IX. THE NATURE OF THE KINGDOM.

XIII. THERE were then present some who informed Jesus of the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with that of 2 their sacrifices. Jesus answering, said unto them: think ye that these Galileans were the greatest sinners in all Galilee, be3 cause they suffered such usage? I tell you, 'No; but unless 4 ye reform, ye shall all likewise perish:' Or those eighteen whom the tower of Siloam fell upon, and slew; think ye that 5 they were the greatest profligates in all Jerusalem? I tell you, 'No; but unless ye reform, ye also shall all perish.'

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He also spake this parable. A man had a fig-tree planted in his vineyard, and came seeking fruit on it, but found none. 7 Then said he to the vine-dresser, This is the third year that I have come seeking fruit on this fig-tree, without finding any. 8 Cut it down; why should it cumber the ground?' He answered, 'Sir, let it alone one year longer, until I dig about it and dung it; perhaps it will bear fruit: if not, thou mayest afterwards cut it down.'

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ONE Sabbath, as he was teaching in a synagoge, a woman 11 was present who had for eighteen years had a spirit of infir

mity, whereby she was so bowed down that she could not so 12. much as look up. Jesus, perceiving her, called her to him, and laying his hands on her, said: Woman, thou art delivered from thine infirmity. Immediately she stood upright, and glo14 rified God. But the director of the synagogue, moved with indignation because Jesus had performed a cure on the Sabbath, said to the people: there are six days for working; come, therefore, on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath15 day. To which the Lord replied: Hypocrites, who is there amongst you that doth not on the Sabbath loose his ox or his 16 ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? And must not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath kept bound, lo, these eighteen years, be released from this bond on 17 the Sabbath-day? On his saying this, all his opposers were ashamed; but the whole multitude was delighted with all the glorious actions performed by him.

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He said, moreover: What doth the kingdom of God resem- Matt. 13. 31. 19 ble? Whereunto shall I compare it? It resembleth a grain of Mar. 4. 31. mustard seed, which a man threw into his garden; and it grew

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and became a great tree, and the birds of the air took shelter in

its branches.

Again he said: Whereunto shall I compare the kingdom of Matt. 13. 33. 21 God? It resembleth leaven which a woman mingled in three measures of meal, until the whole was leavened.

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AND he took a journey to Jerusalem, teaching as he pass- Matt. 9. 35. 23 ed through cities and villages; and one asked, him, Master:

24 Are there but few who shall be saved? He answered: Force Matt. 7. 13. your entrance through the strait gate; for many, I assure you, will 25 request to be admitted, who shall not prevail. If once the Matt. 25. 10. master of the house shall have risen and locked the door, and ye, standing without and knocking, say, 'Master, master, open 26 unto us,' he will answer, I know not whence ye are.' Then

and 25. 41.

ye will say, 'We have eaten and drunk with thee, and thou 27 hast taught in our streets.' But he will answer, 'I tell you, I Matt. 7, 23 know not whence ye are remove hence, all ye workers of un28 righteousness.' Then will ensue weeping and gnashing of teeth,

when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, received into the kingdom of God, and yourselves ex29 cluded: nay, people will come from the east, from the west, from the north, and from the south, and will place themselves 30 at table in the kingdom of God. And behold they are last who shall be first, and they are first who shall be last.

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The same day certain Pharisees came to him, and said: Get 32 away; depart hence, for Herod intendeth to kill thee.

He answered: Go tell that fox, To-day and to-morrow I expel demons and perform cures, and the third day my course will be

33 completed. Nevertheless I must walk about to-day and tomorrow, and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet Matt. 33. 37. 34 should be cut off any-where but at Jerusalem. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them whom God sendeth to thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen gathereth her brood under her 35 wings, but ye would not. Quickly shall your habitation be transformed into a desert; for verily I say unto you, ye shall not again see me, until the time when ye shall say, 'Blessed be he who cometh in the name of the Lord."

Prov. 25.7.

ch. 18. 14. Matt. 23. 12.

*

XIV. It happened on a Sabbath, when he was gone to eat at the house of one of the rulers who was a Pharisee, that while the 2 Pharisees were observing him, a man who had a dropsy stood 3 before him. Then Jesus, addressing himself to the lawyers 4 and Pharisees, said: Is it lawful to cure on the Sabbath? They being silent, he took hold of the man, healed and dismissed 5 him. Then resuming his discourse, he said to them: Who amongst you, if his ass or his ox fall into a pit on the Sabbath6 day, will not immediately pull him out? And to this they were not able to make him a reply.

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Observing how eager the guests were to possess the higher 8 places at table, he gave them this injunction: When thou art invited to a wedding, do not occupy the highest place at table, 9 lest one more considerable than thou be bidden, and he who invited ye both, come and say to thee, Give place to this man, and thou shouldst then rise with confusion to take the lowest 10 place. But, when thou art invited, go to the lowest place, that when he who bade thee cometh, he may say to thee, Friend, go up higher:' for that will do thee honor before the 11 company. For whoever exalteth himself, shall be humbled; and whoever humbleth himself, shall be exalted.

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He said also to him who had invited him: When thon givest a dinner or a supper, do not invite thy rich friends, brothers, cousins, or neighbors, lest they also invite thee in their turn, 13 and thou be recompensed. But when thou givest an entertainment, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind; 14 and thou shalt be happy for as they have not wherewith to requite thee, thou shalt be requited at the resurrection of the righteous.

Matt. 22.2. 15

Rev. 19. 9.

One of the guests hearing this said to him: Happy he who 16 shall feast in the reign of God. Jesus said to him: A certain 17 man made a great supper and invited many. And at supper

time he sent his servants to tell those who had been bidden to 18 come presently; for that all was ready. But they all, without exception, made excuses. One said, I have purchased a

* Jehovah.

field, which I must go and see; I pray thee have me excused.' 19 Another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, which I am 20 going to prove; I pray thee have me excused.' A third said, 21 I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot go.' The servant being returned, related all to his master. Then the master of the house was angry, and said to his servants, 'Go forthwith into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither 22 the poor, the maimed, the lame and the blind.' Afterwards the servant said, Sir, thy orders are executed, and 23 still there is room.' The master answered, 'Go out into the highways, and along the hedges, and compel people to come, 24 that my house may be fiiled: for I declare to you, that none of those who were invited shall taste of my supper.'

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Matt. 10. 37. & 16. 24.

25 AS great multitudes travelled along with him, he turned to Mar. 8. 34. 26 them and said: If any man come to me, and hate not his father and mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sis27 ters, nay, and himself too, he cannot be my disciple. And

whosoever doth not follow me carrying his cross, cannot be my 28 disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, doth not first by himself compute the expense, to know whether he 29 have wherewith to complete it; lest, having laid the foundation,

and being unable to finish, he become the derision of all who 30 see it, who will say, 'This man began to build, but was not 31 able to finish? Or what king going to engage another king with

whom he is at war, doth not first consult by himself, whether he can with ten thousand men encounter him who cometh

42 against him with twenty thousand; that, if he cannot, he may,

Mar. 9. 50.

while the other is at a distance, send an embassy to sue for peace? So, then, whosoever he be of you who doth not re- Matt. 5. 13. 34 nounce all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. Salt is good; but if the salt become insipid, wherewith shall it be sea35 soned? It is fit, neither for the land, nor for the dung-hill, but is thrown away. Whoso hath ears to hear, let him hear.

XV.

SECT. X.-PARABLES.

NOW all the publicans and the sinners resorted to Jesus 2 to hear him. But the Pharisees and the Scribes murmured,

saying: This man admitteth sinners, and eateth with them.

3 Then he addressed this similitude to them: What man Matt. 18. 12. 4 amongst you that hath a hundred sheep, if he lose one of them,

doth not leave the ninety-nine in the desert, to go after that 5 which is lost, until he find it? And having found it, doth he 6 not joyfully lay it on his shoulders, and, when he is come home, convene his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice 7 with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost? Thus, I

assure you, there is greater joy in heaven for one sinner who reformeth, than for ninety-nine righteous persons who need no reformation.

8 Or what woman, who hath ten drachmas,* if she lose one, doth not light a lamp, and sweep the house, and search care9 fully until she find it? And having found it, doth she not assemble her female friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice 10 with me, for I have found the drachma which I had lost.' Such joy, I assure you, have the angels of God, when any one sinner reformeth. He said also: A certain man had two sons. And the youn12 ger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me my portion of 13 the estate.' And he allotted to them their shares. Soon after,

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the younger son gathered all together, and travelled into a dis14 tant country, and there wasted his substance in riot. When all was spent, a great famine came upon that land, and he began 15 to be in want. Then he applied to one of the inhabitants of. 16 that country, who sent him into the fields to keep swine. And

he was fain to fill his belly with the husks on which the swine 17 were feeding; for nobody gave him aught. At length coming to himself, he said, ' How many hirelings hath my father, who have all more bread than sufficeth them, while I perish with 18 hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and thee, and am no 19 longer worthy to be called thy son; make me as one of thy 20 hirelings.' And he arose and went to his father. When he

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was yet afar off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran 21 and threw himself upon his neck, and kissed him. And the son said, Father, I have sinned against heaven and thee, and am 22 no longer worthy to be called thy son.' But the father said to his servants, Bring hither the principal robe and put it on him, 23 and put a ring on his finger, and shoes on his feet: bring also 24 the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and be merry for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to be merry.

25 Now his elder son was in the field walking home. And as 26 he drew near the house, he heard music and dancing. He, therefore called one of the servants, and asked the reason of 27 this. He answered, ' Thy brother is returned, and thy father

hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him in 28 health. And he was angry, and would not go in; therefore 29 his father came out and entreated him. He answering, said to

his father, 'These many years I have served thee, without disobeying thy command in any thing; yet thou never gavest me

* About one dollar and thirty-nine cents.

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