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umphant appeal to their own common sense for a decision ; yet he did not compromise himself *.

shall we not give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see it. And they brought it. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Cesar's. And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Cesar the things that are Cesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marvelled at him. Then come unto him the Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection; and they asked him, saying, Master, Moses wrote unto us, If a man's brother die, and leave his wife behind him, and leave no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. Now there were seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed. ther left he any seed: had her, and left no 23 "In the resurrection there23 Their question was marked with fore, when they shall rise, all man's cunning; his answer, with whose wife shall she be of all the fulness of divine wisdom t. them? for the seven had her to wife. And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God? For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven. And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living ye therefore do greatly err. And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first command

And the second took her, and died, neiand the third likewise. And the seven seed: last of all the woman died also.

*If he had at once declared for the tribute, his countrymen would have held him a traitor; if against it, they would have accused him to the Romans as a rebel.

+ Our Lord's answer teaches us, that when this present world shall have passed away, God will have accomplished the number of his elect. Therefore the institution of marriage will cease with its object. Yet shall all the sweet charities of which the soul is capable, be preserved ; for we shall live for ever in our identity, though glorified.

31 He states the equal and like authority of the second commandment, because of its importance to the well-being of mankind.

ment. 31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God and there is none other but he and to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of

36

34

34 Ask thine own heart! Is there any reservation there which places thee only "not far" from the Gospel kingdom?

36 Thus the Psalms, as Jesus testifies, are inspired writings. David spake "by the Holy Ghost."

38 All pretence is despicable. Religious pretence is worse-it is to

mock the divine omniscience.

God. And no man after that durst ask him any question. And Jesus answered and said while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the Son of David? For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool. David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly. 38 And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the market-places, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts: Which devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation. And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. 43 And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That

43 The humblest offerings for the good of others are graciously accepted of God, according to our power and will.

this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: for all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.

CHAPTER XIII.

FEB. 13, JUNE 13, OCT. 10.

AND as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here! 2 And Jesus

answering said unto him,

2 He foretels the fall of Jerusalem.

Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. And as he sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, 'Tell us, when shall these By "these things," they meant the things be and what shall be destruction of the Temple. the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled? And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows. But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils and in the synagogues shall be brought before rulers a testimony against them. And the gospel must first be published among all nations. "But when they shall lead and deliver you up, you, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost. 12 Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death. shall be hated of

These things came to pass, as they had been foretold; but the Apostles bore their persecutions the more patiently, having been forewarned.

13

And

all men

ye

for name's sake:
my

ye shall be beaten and ye and kings for my sake, for

10 That is, to all the people of the Roman empire.

11 Being chiefly unlearned men, they could not of themselves have coped with the wisdom of the world.

12 Such family dissensions were then frequent, even to the dreadful extent here stated. The Gospel now binds every social and domestic tie the firmer. God grant it continue so to do!

13 The wicked always hate the good; but when God loves us, man's bitterest hate cannot really harm us.

but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

14 The Romans desolated the city, and abominably defiled the Temple. (Dan. ix. 27.)

"But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth. understand,) then let them that be in Judea flee to the mountains : and let him that is 15 The Christians, thus warned, fled on the housetop not go down and escaped.

15

into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house and let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment. But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter. For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created

20 God did "shorten the days" of that siege; for the overthrow of the city was hastened by internal dissensions among the besieged.

unto this time, neither shall be. 20 And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days. And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there: believe him not: for false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall show signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things. 24 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven. 28 As we look not for summer till 28 Now learn a parable of the fig-tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near so ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, That this generation shall not pass away, till all these things be done. Heaven and earth shall pass away:

24 "The end of all things is a separate event, and will not take place till after the end of that tribulation which shall fall upon Jerusalem. Then indeed the powers of the earth, represented by the sun, moon, and stars, shall be confounded."

spring tide be passed, so these things respecting Jerusalem shall first be accomplished. Then shall come that day-the great day of the Lord.

but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray for ye know not when the time is. 34 For the Son

of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house,

34 Jesus Christ has ascended up to heaven, and has "left us our work," even the working out our own salvation.

and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.

35 Watch ye there

fore: for ye know not when

35 Watch thou until he return, that when he shall come, he may find thee ready.

the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cock-crowing, or in the morning: lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.

CHAPTER XIV.

FEB. 14, JUNE 14, OCT. 11.

'AFTER two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread: and the

1 Conscious guilt works its work secretly and craftily, and is ever at

tended with fear *.

chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death. But they said, Not on the feast-day, lest there be an uproar of the people. And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard, very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head. And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made? For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her. And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me. For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good:

7 There must, from the nature of things, be always poor as well as rich, sick as well as healthful. Thus the benevolence of the rich and prosperous has ever its due exercise.

*The great feast of the Passover was in the Jewish church what the Holy Communion is in ours. The Passover was so called to commemorate the miraculous deliverance of the first-born of the Israelites from death, when the destroying angel slew the firstborn of the Egyptians. The angel passed over the houses of the Israelites, which were sprinkled with the blood of the Paschal lamb-a type of the blessed Redeemer, the Lamb of God.

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