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a wine-bibber, a friend of publicans and sinners *.' And yet wisdom is justified by her children."

Then he began to reprove the cities in which most of his mighty works had been done, because they repented not. 21 "Alas for thee, O Chorazin! alas for thee, O Bethsaida! for if the mighty works which have been done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented 22 long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in a day' of 23 judgement, than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be brought down to the grave: for if the mighty works which have been done in thee, had been 24 done in Sodom, it might have remained until this day. But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in a day' of judgement, than for thee."

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At that time Jesus spake and said, "I praise thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that having hidden these things from the wise and understanding, thou hast revealed 26 them to babes. Be it so3, Father; for so it hath seemed 27 good in thy sight. All things have been delivered unto me

by my Father+: and no one knoweth the Son‡, but the Father; neither knoweth any one the Father, but the Son, 28 and he to whomsoever the Son chooseth to reveal him. Come unto me, all ye that are wearied and heavily laden; and I

1 the day, N. 2 though thou hast hidden, yet &c., N.
Yes, N.

* i. e. of tax-gatherers, and heathen.

3 Be it so, Doddridge.

i.e. all things relating to my Father's will have been communicated to me. John viii. 28; xii. 49. Bp. Pearce.

can acknowledge, W. The meaning is, that no one but the Father can fully comprehend the object and extent of the Son's commission, and no one but the Son comprehends the counsels and designs of the Father with respect to the instruction and reformation of mankind. It is impossible that Jesus can be speaking here of the person and nature of the Father; for this he did not and could not reveal, being essentially incomprehensible. Neither, therefore, does he mean the nature and person of the Son. What Christ knew and revealed" was the Father's will." Corresponding to this, that which the Father, and the Father only knew, was the nature and extent of the Son's commission,

29 will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am meek and humble in heart: and ye shall find 30 rest to your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burthen is light."

CH. XII. AT that time Jesus went on the sabbath through the

corn-fields: and his disciples hungered, and began to pluck 2 the ears of corn and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, "Behold, thy disciples do that which 3 it is not lawful to do on the sabbath." But he said unto them, "Have ye not read what David did, when both he 4 hungered and those that were with him? how he entered into the house of God, and ate the shew-bread, which it was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those that were with him; 5 but for the priests alone? Or have ye not read in the law, that on the sabbaths the priests in the temple profane the 6 sabbath, and yet are blameless? But I say unto you, that 7 one greater than the temple is here. But if ye had known what this meaneth, I desire pity, and not sacrifice,' ye 8 would not have condemned the blameless. For the Son of man is Lord of the sabbath."

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And he passed on thence, and went into their synagogue. 10 And behold, there was a man that had a withered hand. And they asked Jesus, saying, "Is it lawful to work a cure 11 on the sabbath?" that they might accuse him. And he said unto them, "What man of you will there be, who shall have one sheep; and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath, will 12 he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How much then is a man better than a sheep! Wherefore it is lawful to do good3 13 on the sabbath." Then saith he to the man, "Stretch forth thine hand." And he stretched it forth; and it was restored 14 sound, as the other. Then the Pharisees went out, and took 15 counsel against Jesus, how they might destroy him. But Jesus knew it, and withdrew thence: and great multitudes 1 Or, something greater. See Mss. N. note. 3 well, N.

2 even of the sabbath. R. T.

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16 followed him, and he cured them all; and strictly charged

17 them that they should not make him known; so that it was

fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet Isaiah, saying, 18 "Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved*, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon 19 him, and he shall publish his law to the gentiles. He will

not strive, nor cry out; nor will any one hear his voice in 20 the streets. The bruised reed he will not break, and the smoking taper1 he will not quench, until he send forth his 21 cause to victory. And in his name the gentiles shall hope." THEN was brought to him one who had a demon, blind and dumb: and Jesus cured him, so that the blind and dumb 23 both spake and saw. And all the people were astonished, 24 and said, " Is this the son of David?" But when the Pha

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risees heard it, they said, "This man doth not cast out 25 demons, but by Beelzebub prince of the demons." And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and 26 every city or house divided against itself cannot stand. And

if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself: how 27 then can his kingdom stand? And if I by Beelzebub cast

out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out +? where28 fore they shall be your judges. But if I by the spirit of God

cast out demons, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. 29 How can any one enter into a strong man's house, and plunder his goods, unless he first bind the strong man? and then 30 he may plunder his house. He that is not with me, is against 31 me; and he that gathereth not with me, scattereth. Wherefore I say unto you, All sin and blasphemy will be forgiven

'Or, dimly burning flax, N.m.

* beloved, i. e. chosen to peculiar privileges. See Rom. ix. 13.

+ Beelzebub, a heathen god, worshipped at Ekron, 2 Kings i. 2, the chief of possessing demons, or human ghosts: probably the same as Pluto, and a supposed human spirit. He is never called a devil, or represented as a fallen angel. Farmer on Deinon, p. 30. Christ reasons with the Pharisees upon their own principles, without saying any thing about the truth or falsity of them. Sn.

unto men: but the blasphemy against the spirit will not 32 be forgiven unto men: and whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it will be forgiven him; but whosoever speaketh against the holy spirit, it will not be forgiven him, neither in this age, nor in the age to comet. 33 Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by 34 the fruit. Ye brood' of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth 35 speaketh. A good man out of his good treasure bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of his evil treasure 36 bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, that every idles word which men shall speak, they shall give account 37 of in a day of judgement. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." Then some of the Scribes and of the Pharisees spake, saying, "Master, we request to see a sign from thee." 39 But he answered, and said unto them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and a sign shall not 40 be given it, except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the fish, so will the Son of man be three days and three nights 41 in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgement together with this generation, and will

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O generation, N. 2 of his heart, R. T. 3 idle, i. e. mischievous, Hesych. 4 the day, N. 5 desire, N.

Sn.

* In attributing my miracles to the power of Satan, Mark iii. 30. N.-They who ascribed the miracles of Jesus and his apostles to demoniacal agency, resisted the strongest possible evidence of the truth of the christian religion, and were therefore incapable of being converted to the belief of it.

+ Or, may be forgiven-cannot be forgiven, N. m. A Hebrew form of speech, not affirming any thing absolutely, but expressing the greater difficulty of effecting the latter than the former. Compare Matt. v. 18, with Luke xvi. 17; also 1 John iii. 9, with v. 18. See also Acts v. 4; Heb. vi. 4-8; x. 26—29. If, however, the offence will not be pardoned, the offender will be punished in the future age, and undergo the second death before he can be admitted to happiness; which applies to all the obstinately wicked. Sn. See Simpson's Ess, i. p. 70.

condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jo42 nah; and, behold, a greater than Jonah is here. The queen of the south will rise in the judgement together with this generation, and will condemn it: for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater1 than Solomon is here.

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"Now when the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he passeth through dry places, seeking rest; and findeth none. 44 Then he saith, I will return into mine house whence I

came out :' and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, 45 and set in order. Then he goeth, and taketh with him seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man becometh worse than the first. Thus will it be also to this evil generation."

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Now while he yet spake to the people, behold his mother and his brethren stood without, seeking to speak with him. 47 Then one said unto him, "Behold, thy mother and thy bre48 thren stand without, seeking to speak with thee." But he answered and said to him that told him, "Who is my mo49 ther? and who are my brethren?" And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, "Behold my mother 50 and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father that is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother."

CH. XIII. Now on that day Jesus went out of the house, and 2 sat by the side of the lake. And great multitudes were ga

thered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and 3 sat: and the whole multitude stood on the shore. And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, “Behold, 4 a sower went out to sow: and as he sowed, some seeds fell by the way-side, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 And some fell on rocky places, where they had not much

Gr. somewhat greater, N. m.

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