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44 Wo unto you, fcribes and Pharifees, hypocrites: for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them, are not aware of them.

45 Then anfwered one of the lawyers, and faid unto him, Mafter, thus faying,thou reproachest us alfo.

46 And he faid, Wo unto you also ye lawyers; for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be born, and ye your felves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers.

47 Wo unto you: for ye build the fepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.

48 Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their fepulchres.

49 Therefore also faid the wifdom of God, I will fend them prophets and apostles, and some of 'em they shall flay and persecute :

JOHN.

Oye Lawyers and Pharifees; in thus playing the Hypocrites you make God your Enemy, and are truly like thofe Sepulchres under ground, which are fill'd with Bones and Rottennefs, tho the men that walk over them cannot difcern it. This is in short your condition, while all your aim is to feem good men, tho your heart be fill'd with all manner of finful Lufts and Vices.

A certain Lawyer there prefent told him that in this general Reproof he reflected on the whole Order. But Jefus not mov'd by this admonition, and very well perceiving their ill intentions which were not to be remov'd by gentle means, began to inveigh against them with greater vehemency. O pretended Interpreters of the Law, you draw down a fevere Punishment upon your felves by impofing a heavy Burden of Rites and Ceremonies upon other men, which you will not in the leaft undergo your felves. Great fhall be your Punishment for the Cruelty you have fhown towards thofe whom God has fent to you, tho you take care to repair the Monuments of thofe whom your Ancestors have put to death. Imprudent men; in that very action you betray your approbation of thofe Crimes by perpetuating the memory of them, which it fo much concerns you to have quite abolish'd. Notwithstanding all this obftinacy, the divine Wifdom has determin'd to fend his Meffengers and Prophets to you, tho he knows they will be perfecuted and murder'd by

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50 That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;

51 From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I fay unco you, it fhall be required of this generation.

52 Wo unto you lawyers: for ye have taken away the key of knowledg: ye entred not in your felves, and them that were entring in, ye hindred.

53 And as he faid these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharifees began to urge him vehemently, and to provoke him to fpeak of many things:

54 Laying wait for him, and feeking to catch fomething out of his mouth, that they might accufe him.

JOHN.

you. Thus it will come to pafs, that fince you are not to be deter'd by repeated inftances of God's juft Judgment, and the many threats in the holy Scriptures, from this cruel temper, you will not undefervedly be reckoned to have confented to those impious Actions of your Ancestors: So that all the Punishments fhall be repeated upon this Age for the Cruelty exercis'd to God's Meffengers by your Predeceffors, from the Slaughter of Abel the Son of Adam, to the Murder of Zacharias the Son of Barachias, who was flain between the Temple and the Altar. I tell you, a moft fevere and juft Judgment fhall pass upon you, who by your Actions plainly give your approbation of all the Inhumanities practis'd by your Ancestors. You fhall be feverely punish'd, O ye Interpreters of the Law, who have as it were the key of Knowledg, and yet make no ufe of it for the explaining the Myfteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, which you neither enter your felves, nor fuffer others to do.

Thefe words greatly provok'd the Lawyers and the Pharifees, who made use of all their Artifices to catch at fomething that they might accufe him of before the Sanhedrim, or the Roman Governour.

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СНАР

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IN

LUKE.

CHA P. XII.

N the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, infomuch that they trod one upon another, he began to fay to his difciples first of all, Beware ye of the leven of the Pharifees, which is hypocrify.

2 For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that fhall not be known.

3 Therefore whatsoever ye have fpoken in darkness, shall be heard in the light and that which ye have spoken in the ear in clofets, fhall be preclaimed upon the house-tops.

4 And I fay unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.

CHA P. XLII.

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JOHN.

Divers Precepts of Chrift concerning the Leven of the Pharifees, of preaching the Gospel boldly and with plainness, of the unpardonable Sin against the Holy Ghoft, Avarice, Anxiety for things future, Liberality to the Poor, Watchfulness, the Diffenfions that shall arise from the preaching of the Gospel thro the pravity of Mankind; of the signs of the coming of the Meffiah, and reconciling our felves to our Enemies.

IN

the mean time there was fo great a Concourfe of People to hear him, that they trod one upon the other, while he preach'd to his Difciples, and caution'd 'em particularly against the Leven of the Pharifees, by which, faid he, I mean their Hypocrify; and take care that all the Actions of your Life be not corrupted by it. As for thefe men, the Mask will fall off fooner or later; for as it is in the Proverb, Nothing is hid that shall not be reveal'd, nothing fecret that ball not be difcover'd. Wherefore take notice, that whatever you fay in privat, and do as it were whisper in the most retir'd part of your Houfes, fhall one day be divulg❜d and proclaim'd from the House-top: For which reafon be careful not to do any thing in privat which you will be afham'd to own in publick. But as for you, whom I have made choice of for my Apoftles, go on boldly in your holy Miniftry, and be not difcourag'd by thofe whole Power extends no further than to the deftruction of a

mortal

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CHAP. XII.

s But I will forewarn you whom you fhall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed, hath power to caft into hell; yea, I fay unto you, Fear him.

6 Are not five fparrows fold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?

7 But even the very hairs of your head are all numbred. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many iparrows.

8 Alfo I fay unto you, Whofoever shall confefs me before men, him fhall the Son of man alfo confefs before the angels of God.

9 But he that denieth me before men, fhall be denied before the angels of God.

10 And whofoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it fhall be forgiven him: but to him that blafphemeth against the holy Ghoft, it fhall not be forgiven.

JOHN.

mortal Body. I will tell you whom you ought to fear; namely, that Almighty Being who cannot only deftroy the Body, but thruft the Soul into the place of Torment. Stand in awe of him, who is able to punish your Souls to all Eternity. Affure your felves nothing can happen without God's knowledg and permiftion: The very Sparrows, which are of fo fmall value, do not efcape his all-feeing Eye. His Providence then ought to be your confolation, and be not afraid of his not obferving the dangers you will encounter. He knows the very number of your Hairs, nor can the leaft alteration be made in your condition without his taking notice of it.

Whoever shall undauntedly own his being my Difciple before any perfons whatever, I alfo will own him in the prefence of God's holy Angels. On the other hand, whoever fhall be afraid of profeffing himself my Difciple before Men, fhall likewife he difclaim'd by me before the Angels of God. If any one who is unacquainted with the Miracles I have wrought, thall detract from me, fuch a one acknowledging his Error fhall obtain Forgivenefs for it but wo to thofe that attribute the Miracles which I perform by the affiftance of the Holy Spirit for a confirmation of my Doctrin, to the power of the Damons! Thefe men are irreclaimable, and confequently fhall never obtain forgiveness of that Blafphemy.

V v

MATTHEW.

MARK.

LUKE.

С НА Р. XII.

11 And when they bring you to the fynagogues, and to magiftrates and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye fhall anfwer, or what ye fhall Lay:

12 For the holy Ghost shall teach you in the fame hour what ye ought to fay.

13 And one of the.company faid unto him, Master, speak to my brother that he divide the inheritance with me.

14 And he faid unto him, Man, who made me a judg, or a divider over you?

15 And he faid unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetoufnefs: for a mans life confifteth not in the abundance of the things which he poffeffeth.

16 And he spake a parable to them, faying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully.

17 And he thought within. himfelf, faying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to beflow my fruits?

JOHN.

O my Disciples, you will be hurried before the Magiftrats, and forc'd to plead in your defence at their Tribunals: Be not at that time afraid of not defending the Caufe of the Gofpel as you ought, neither meditate beforehand what you fhall fay in answer to their Objections: For the holy Spirit, which fhall be given you, fhall at that time fuggest whatever is proper for you to reply to the Calumnies of your Adverfaries.

One of his Followers.interrupted him, faying; Mafter, command my Brother to make an equal divifion of our Patrimony. But Jefus told him he was not come upon the Earth to act as a Judg in Affairs relating to this Life, or to compel any to make a divifion of their Goods. Then laying hold of this opportunity to inveigh against Avarice, Do not imagin, faid he, that the Happiness even of this Life confilts in an affluence of good things, a few only are neceffary to fupport it: which he illuftrated in the following Parable. The Ground of a certain rich man yielded an extraordinary Crop, which made him think with himfelf what he fhould do with all that plenty, which was fo much greater than his Barns could hold. His

refo

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