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9 ftones to raife up children unto Abraham, And now also the ax is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit, Io is hewn down, and caft into the fire. And the people asked him, faying, What fhall we do then? He anfwereth and faith unto them, He that hath two coats (e), let him impart to him that hath none; 12 and he that hath meat, let him do likewife. Then came alfo publicans to be baptized, and faid unto 13 him, Master, what fhall we do? And he faid unto them, Exact no more than that which is (f) ap14 pointed you. And the foldiers likewife demanded of him faying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accufe any falfely, and be content with your wages (g). 15 And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were 16 the Chrift or not; John anfwered, faying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whofe fhoes I am not worthy to unloofe (b): he fhall baptize 17 you with the holy Ghost, and with fire. Whofe fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the 18 chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable. And

many other things in his exhortation preached he 19 unto the people. But Herod the tetrarch, being

(e) Be merciful, kind, and charitable to the needy and diftreffed. (f) Be not unjust, or vexatious, in the exercife of your office. Take no more tribute or cuftom than is due by law.

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(g) From this advice we learn the crimes moft ufually committed by the Roman foldiery and if we compare our own condition with that of the Jews who were liable to their violence and wickedness, we fhall know how to value the free conflitution we live under, in which the military power is subject to the law of the land, and employed not for oppreffion, but for protection and fecurity.

(h) The fhoes then worn had no upper leather, but were tied across the top of the foot. St. John's meaning was, that he was not worthy to do the loweft office about the perfon of Christ.

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reproved by him for Herodias his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, 20 Added yet this above all, that he fhut up John in prifon.

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Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jefus alío being baptized, and 22 praying, the heaven was opened; And the holy Ghoft defcended in a bodily fhape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from (i) heaven, which faid, Thou art my beloved Son, in thee I am well pleafed.

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And Jefus himself began to be about thirty years of age (k), being (as was fuppofed) the fon of 24 Jofeph (), which was the Son of Heli, Which was the fon of Matthat, which was the fon of Levi, which was the fan of Melchi, which was the fan of 25 Janna, which was the fan of Jofeph, Which was the fon of Mattathias, which was the fon of Amos, which was the fan of Naum, which was the son of 26 Eli, which was the fon of Nagge, Which was the fon of Maah, which was the Son of Mattathias, which was the fan of Semei, which was the fan of 27 Jofeph, which was the fon of Juda. Which was the fon of Joanna, which was the fon of Rhefa, which was the fon of Zorobabel, which was the fon 28 of Salathiel, which was the fon of Neri, Which

(i) See Mat. iii. 16.

(k) Was entered in his thirtieth year.

(The antient Jewifh doctors, in their commentary on the Old Teflament, exprefsly call the Virgin Mary the daughter of Heli; whence it is probable St. Luke is here giving her genealogy. It may alfo be fuppofed, that Mary being an only child, her husband Jofeph was by the Jewish law accounted the son of Heli, though he was really the fon of Jacob, Mat. i. 16. By tracing her family through David and Abraham up to Adam and God, St. Luke fhews Jefus, the actual fon of Mary, and the fuppofed fon of Jofeph, to have been not only the Chrift, or Meffiah of the Jews, but the feed of the woman promifed at the fall, who was to be the Saviour of mankind.

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was the fan of Melchi, which was the fon of Addi, which was the fan of Cofam, which was the fon of 29 Elmodam, which was the fon of Er, Which was the fon of Jofe, which was the fon of Eliezer, which was the fon of Jorim, which was the fon of Matthat, 30 which was the fon of Levi, Which was the fon of Simeon, which was the fan of Juda, which was the fon of Jofeph, which was the son of Jonan, 31 which was the fon of Eliakim, Which was the fon of Melea, which was the fan of Menan, which was the fon of Mattatha, which was the fon of Nathan, 32 which was the fon of David, Which was the fon of Jeffe, which was the fon of Obed, which was the fan of Booz, which was the fan of Salmon, 33 which was the fan of Naaffon, Which was the fon of Aminadab, which was the fon of Aram, which was the fan of Efrom, which was the fan of Phares, 34 which was the fon of Juda, Which was the fon of Jacob, which was the fon of Ifaac, which was the fon of Abraham, which was the fan of Thara, 35 which was the fon of Nachor, Which was the fan of Saruch, which was the fon of Ragau, which was the fon of Phalec, which was the fon of Heber, 36 which was the fon of Sala, Which was the fon of Cainan, which was the fon of Arphaxad, which was the fon of Sem, which was the fon of Noah, 37 which was the fon of Lamech, Which was the fon of Mathufala, which was the fon of Enoch, which was the fon of Jared, which was the fon 38 of Maleleel, which was the fon of Cainan, Which was the fon of Enos, which was the fon of Seth, which was the fon of Adam, which was the fon of God.

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I AND Jefus being full of the holy Ghoft, returned from Jordan, and was led by the (a) Spirit 2 into the wilderness, Being forty days tempted of the devil; and in thofe days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. 3. And the devil faid unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this ftone that it be made bread. 4 And Jefus anfwered him, faying, It is written, that man fhall not live by bread alone, but by 5 every word of God. And the devil taking him up into an high mountain, fhewed unto him all the 6 kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

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the devil faid unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them; for that is delivered 7 unto me, and to whomfoever I will, I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all fhall be thine. 8 And Jefus anfwered and faid unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only fhalt 9 thou ferve. And he brought him to Jerufalem, and fet him on a pinnacle of the temple, and faid unto him, If thou be the Son of God, caft thyself 10 down from hence. For it is written, He fhall give II his angels charge over thee to keep thee; And in

their hands they fhall bear thee up, left at any time 12 thou dafh thy foot against a ftone. And Jefus anfwering faid unto him, It is faid, Thou shalt not 13 tempt the Lord thy God. And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a feason (b).

(a) By the holy Spirit. See Mat. iv. 1.

(6) Satan finding himself baffled in his perfonal attacks, refolved to employ the malicious Jews as his inftruments to perfecute our Lord.

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And Jefus returned in the power of the fpirit (c) into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him 15 through all the region round about. And he

taught in their fynagogues, being glorified of all. 16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his cuftom was, he went into the fynagogue on the fabbath-day, and ftood up for 17 to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the (d) prophet Efaias; "and when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was 18 written, The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, he hath fent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of fight to the blind, to fet at liberty them that 19 are bruifed, To preach the acceptable year of the 20 Lord (e). And he clofed the book, and he gave it

again to the minifter, and fat down and the eyes of all them that were in the fynagogue were faftened 21 on him. And he began to (f) fay unto them, 22 This day is this fcripture fulfilled in your ears. And

all bare him witnefs, and wondered at the gracious 23 words (g) which proceeded out of his mouth.

And they faid, Is not this Jofeph's fon? And he faid unto them, Ye will furely fay unto me this proverb, Phyfician, heal thyfelf: whatfoever we have heard

(c) Under the direction of the holy Spirit.

(d) Ifaiah Ixi. 1. It was cuftomary when any grave person went into the fynagogue, to invite him to read a portion of fcripture and expound it. See Acts xiii. 15.

(e) The acceptable year of the Lord, alludes to the joyful year of jubilee, for the release from fervitude; which, in a higher and fi ritual fenfe, fignifies deliverance from the flavery of fin.

(f) That is, he began by faying; this being but the preface to the gracious words by which he explained and applied that paffage of the prophet.

(g) See Mat. xiii. 54. Note.

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