SECT. V. CH. 10. & 9; 26. the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not then, ye are much more valuable than 32 sparrows. Whosoever, therefore, shall acknow- Lu. 12; 8 ledge me before men, him will I also acknowledge Mar. 8; 38. 33 before my Father who is in heaven. But whoso- 2 Tim. 2; ever shall disown me before men, him will I also disown before my Father who is in heaven. 34 12. Mic. 7; 5. Think not that I am come to bring peace to Lu. 12; 51 the earth. I came, not to bring peace, but a 35 sword. For I am come to make dissension be. twixt father and son, betwixt mother and daugh36 ter, betwixt mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, Jo. 12; 25. so that a man's enemies will be found in his own 37 family. He who loveth father or mother more Lu. 14; 26 than me, is not worthy of me. He who loveth ch.16; 24. son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of Mar. 8; 54 38 me. He who will not take his cross and follow 39 me, is not worthy of me. He who preserveth his life, shall lose it: but he who loseth his life, on my account, shall preserve it. 40 Lu. 9; 23. & 17; 33. He that receiveth you, receiveth me; and he Lu. 10; 16. that receiveth me, receiveth him who sent me. Jo. 13; 20. 41 He that receiveth a prophet, because he is a pro phet, shall obtain a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man, because he is a righteous man, shall obtain a righteous man's reward: 42 and whosoever shall give any of these little ones, Mar. 9; 1. because he is my disciple, were it but a cup of cold water, to drink; verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward. сн. 11. SECT. VI., WHEN Jesus had made an end of instructing his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and give warning in the cities. SECTION VI. Lu, 7; 18. Isa. 35; 5. Isa. 61; 1. Lu. 7; 24. Mal. 3; 1. Mar. 1; 2. THE CHARACTER OF THE TIMES. 2 NOW John having heard in prison of the works of the Messiah, sent two of his disciples, who ask3 ed him, Art thou he that cometh, or must we ex4 pect another? Jesus answering, said unto them, Go and relate to John what ye have heard and 5 seen. The blind are made to see, the lame to walk, the deaf to hear; lepers are cleansed; the dead are raised, and good news is brought to 6 the poor and happy is he, to whom I shall not prove a stumbling block. 7 When they were departed, Jesus said to the people concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to behold? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 But what went ye to see? A man effeminately dressed? It is kings palaces [not deserts] that such fre9 quent. What then went ye to see? A prophet? Yea, I tell you, and something superior to a pro10 phet: For this is he concerning whom it is written, "Behold I send mine angel before thee, who 11 "shall prepare thy way." Verily I say unto you, among those that are born of women, there hath not SECT. VI. arisen a greater than John the Baptist. CH. 11. Yet the least in the reign of heaven shall be greater than he. Lu. 16; 16. 12 From the first appearing of John the Baptist until 1 now, the kingdom of heaven is invaded, and in13 vaders take possession by force. For till John ap. peared, all the Prophets and the law were your in14 structers; and if ye will bear to be told it, this is 15 the Elijah that was to come. Whoever hath ears Mal. 4; 5. to hear, let him hear. 16 But to what shall I liken this generation? It is Lu. 7; 31like boys in the market-place, to whom their play 17 fellows complain, saying, 'We have played to you upon the pipe, but ye have not danced; we have sung mournful songs to you, to you, but ye have not la18mented.' For John came abstaining from meat and drink, and they say, 'He hath a demon;' 19 the Son of Man came using meat and drink, and they say, 'He is a lover of banquets and wine, a 'companion of publicans and sinners.' But wisdom is justified by her children. 20 Then he began to reproach the cities wherein Lu. 10; 13most of his miracles had been performed, because 21 they repented not. Wo unto thee Chorazin, wo unto thee Bethsaida; for if the miracles which have been performed in you, had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they had repented long ago in 22 sackcloth and ashes. Know, therefore, that the condition of Tyre and Sidon, on the day of judg23 ment, shall be more tolerable than yours. And thou Capernaum, which hast been exalted to heaven, shalt be brought down to hades; for if the CH. 12. SECT. VI, miracles which have been performed in thee, had been performed in Sodom, it had remained until 24 now. Know, therefore, that the condition of Sodom, on the day of judgment, shall be more tolerable than thine. Lu. 10; 21 25 Jo. 3; 35. ch. 6; 46. & 10; 15. Jer. 6; 16. 1 Jo. 5; 3. Mar. 2; 23 On that occasion Jesus said, I adore thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth; because, having hidden these things from sages and the learned, thou 26 hast revealed them to babes: Yes, Father, because 27 such is thy pleasure. My Father hath imparted every thing to me; and none knoweth the Son, except the Father; neither knoweth any one the Father, except the Son, and he to whom the Son will 28 reveal him. Come unto me all ye who toil and are 29 burdened; and I will relieve you. Take my yoke upon you, and be taught by me, for I am meek and condescending and your souls shall find relief. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. XII. AT that time, as Jesus was walking through the corn on 16 the Sabbath, his disciples, being hungry, began to pluck the ears of corn, and eat 2 them. The Pharisees observing this, said to him, Lo! thy disciples are doing what it is not lawful 1 Sam. 21; 1 3 to do on the Sabbath. He answered, Have ye not read what David did, and his attendants, when 4 they were hungry; how he entered the tabernacle of God, and ate the loaves of the presence, which it 16 With us Saturday, or rather from Friday at sun-set, to Saturday at sun-set, for so the Jews reckoned. SECT. VI. cu. 12. was not lawful for him, or his attendants, to eat, Num. 28; 9. 5 but solely for the priests? Or have' ye not learnt Lev. 24; 5. from the law that the priests in the temple violate the rest to be observed on Sabbaths, and are ne6 vertheless blameless? Now I affirm that some7 thing greater than the temple is here. But had ye known what this meaneth, "I require huma- Hos, 6; 6. "nity and not sacrifice," ye would not have 8 condemned the guiltless: For the Son of Man is master of the Sabbath. ch. 9; 13. Lu. 6; 6 9. Leaving that place, he went into their syna- Mar. 3; 1 gogue, and found a man there whose hand was blasted. They asked Jesus with a design to accuse 11 him, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath? He an swered, What man is there amongst you, who having one sheep, if it fall into a pit on the Sab12 bath, will not lay hold on it, and lift it out? And doth not a man greatly excel a sheep? It is law13 ful, therefore, to do good on the Sabbath. Then 14 he said to the man, Stretch out thy hand. And 15 as he stretched it out, it became sound like the other. But the Pharisees went out and concerted against Jesus to destroy him. Jesus knowing this, departed, and being followed by a vast multitude, healed all their sick, enjoining 16. them not to discover him. Thus the word of the 18 Prophet Isaiah was verified, "Behold my servant Is. 42; 1: "whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom my "soul delighteth; I will cause my Spirit to abide upon him, and he shall give laws to the nations; 19" he will not contend, nor clamour, nor make his |