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S. Matthew.

Pharisees reproved.
Of blasphemy against the
Holy Ghost.

AT that time Jesus went on the sabbath-day a through the corn; and his disciples were an hungered, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.

2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disiples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath-day.

3 But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did when he was an hungered, and they that were with him;

4 How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shew-bread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?

5 Or, Have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbathdays the priests in the temple profane the sabbath b and are blameless?

6 But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.

7 But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have merey, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.

a The Jews' Sabbath-day was our Saturday. It continued from Friday at sunset, to Saturday at sunset.

b Profane the Sabbath, &c. The priests in the temple violate the rest, enjoined to be observed on the Sabbath, or perform such works, as would not be considered lawful for others.

Of Sabbath-breakers.

8 For the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath-day. 9 And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue. с

10 And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered; and they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath-days? that they might accuse him.

11 And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath-day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?

12 How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath-days.

13 Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other.

14 Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.

15 But when Jesus knew it he withdrew himself from thence; and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all;

16 And charged them, that they should not make him known:

17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias d the prophet, saying,

c Synagogue, a meeting house, or house for public worship among the Jews.

d Esaias, Isaiah.

Dumb man healed.

Chap. xii.

18 Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my be loved, in whom my soul is well pleased; I will put my Spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.e

19 He shall not strive ƒ nor ery; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets.

20 A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. 21 And in his name shall the Gentiles g trust. 22 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind and dumb; and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.

23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?

24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not east out devils but by Beelzebub, the prince of the devils.

25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Everykingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation;

e Shew judgment to the Gentiles, carry my religion and its blessings to other nations.

f Shall not strive, &c. The 19 and 20th verses figuratively describe a person of a most gentle and benevo

lent character.

& Gentiles. The Jews called all

nations, but their own, Gentiles. The word signifies nations.

Of blasphemy, &c.

and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:

26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?

27 And if I by Beelzebub h cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges.

28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto

you.

29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man ? and then he will spoil his house.

30 He that is not with me, is against me; and he that gathereth not with me, scattereth abroad.

31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men; but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.

32 And whosoever, speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt,

b Beelzebub, the prince of evil spi

rits.

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and his fruit corrupt; for the tree is known by his fruit.

34 O generation of vipers! how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

35 A good man, out of the good treasure of the heart, bringeth forth good things: and an evil man, out of the evil treasure, bringeth forth evil things.

36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account in the day of judgment.

37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

38 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign i from thee.

39 But he answered, and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas.

40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly, so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it; because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.

i Sign. A miracle.

rebuked.

42 The queen of the southj shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it; for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

43 When the unclean spirit k is gone out of a man he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.

44 Then he saith I will return into my house from whence I came out; and, when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.

45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

46 While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood

j Queen of the south, in the Old Testament, queen of Sheba.

k Unclean spirit, &c. The wicked disposition of a man is here represented by an unclean spirit, that could leave and return to the man at pleasure. The 43, 44, and 45th verses are designed to describe a person, who, under conviction of sin, makes good resolutions, and partially reforms, but on account of persecution, or the cares of life, soon becomes reforgetfulness of God; then the return miss, and again relapses into sin and to a holy life is more difficult, and the state of this man is more hopeless and desperate, than at first.

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without, desiring to speak with him.

47 Then one said unto him, Behold thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.

48 But he answered, and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren ?

49 And he stretched forth

his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!

50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.

CHAP. XIII.

3 Of the sower and the seed. 24 Several other parables. 34 Why Christ spake in parables. 53 Christ contemned by his own countrymen. THE same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea-side.

2 And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.

3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to

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spake in parables.

earth; and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth.

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6 And when the sun was up they were scorched; and, because they had no root, they withered away.

7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up and choked them.

8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundred-fold, some sixty-fold, some thirtyfold.

3

9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

10 ¶ And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables ?

11 He answered, and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance; but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

13 Therefore speak I to them in parables; because they seeing, see not; and hearing, they hear not; neither do they understand.

14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive.

15 For this people's heart is

Parable of the

S. Matthew.

waxed gross a and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear.

17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. 18 Hear ye, therefore, the parable b of the sower.

19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, c and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way-side. 20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anond with joy receiveth it:

21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while;

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sower and the seed.

for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.e

22 He also that received seed among the thorns, is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.

23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundred-fold, some sixty, some thirty.

24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field;

25 But, while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.

26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.

27 So the servants of the householder came, and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares ?

28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?

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