Lu. xv. 26. mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, On a tour. yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

27.

28.

29.

30.

And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?

Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,

Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to
finish.

31. Or what king, going to make war against another king,
sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able
with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him
with twenty thousand?

32.

33.

34.

35.

Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.

So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned?

It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

SECTION XXVI.

Luke xv. 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Parables of the lost Sheep, and of the lost Piece of Silver.
LUKE XV. 1-10.

Then drew near to him all the Publicans and sinners for
to hear him.

And the Pharisees and Scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.

And he spake this parable unto them, saying,

What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?

And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

And when he cometh home, he calleth together his
friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with
me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.

7. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over
one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine
just persons, which need no repentance.

8. Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she
lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the
house, and seek diligently till she find it?

9.

And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and

Luke xv.9. her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I On a tour. have found the piece which I had lost.

10.

Luke xv.11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

Likewise, I say unto you, There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.

SECTION XXVII.

Parable of the Prodigal Son.

LUKE XV. 11. to the end.

And he said, A certain man had two sons:

And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me, And he divided unto them his living.

And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.

And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.

And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.

And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat; and no man gave unto him.

And when he came to himself, he said, How many
hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to
spare; and I perish with hunger?

I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him,
Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,

And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make
me as one of thy hired servants..

And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck, and kissed him.

And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned
against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy
to be called thy son.

22. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best
robe and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and
shoes on his feet:

23.

24.

25.

26.

And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry :

For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

Now his elder son was in the field; and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.

27. And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy

Lakexv.27. father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath re- On a tour.

ceived him safe and sound.

28. And he was angry, and would not go in; therefore
came his father out, and intreated him.

29.

30.

31.

32.

Luke xvi. 1.

2.

3.

5.

And he answering, said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment; and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:

But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.

And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.

It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad : for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.

SECTION XXVIII.

Parable of the Unjust Steward.
LUKE xvi. 1-13.

And he said also unto his disciples, There was a cer-
tain rich man which had a steward; and the same was
accused unto him that he had wasted his goods.

And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.

Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do?
for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I
cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed.

4. I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of
the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.
So he called every one of his Lord's debtors unto him,
and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my
lord?

6.

7.

And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty.

Then said he to another, And how much owest thou?
And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he
said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore.

8. And the lord commended the unjust steward, because
he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in
their generation wiser than the children of light.

9. And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of
the mammon of unrighteousness: that, when ye fail, they
may receive you into everlasting habitations.

10.

He that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful also in much and he that is unjust in the least, is unjust also in much.

Lu. xvi. 11.

12.

13.

If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous On a tour. mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?

And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?

No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and

mammon.

Lu. xvi. 14.

15.

16.

17.

And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things, and they derided him.

And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.

And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.

Mat. xix. 3.

And the Pharisees also came unto him, and asked him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?

23 The arguments which induced Pilkington to place this section in its present position, appear to me sufficiently weighty to induce me to reject the authority of the other four, who would insert it elsewhere. Lightfoot places the conversation respecting divorce after Luke xviii. 30. as he will not break in upon the supplementary chapters of St. Luke. Newcome, upon very insufficient grounds, has placed this conversation after the account of the resurrection of Lazarus: separating the passages Matt. xix. 3-12. and Mark x. 2-12. from Luke xvi. 18. Newcome's note. His argument from Matthew xix. 1. and Mark x. 1. proves nothing, as these passages are the connecting links between the former and the latter parts of Christ's life. Doddridge and Michaelis also consider the passages as distinct. I have adopted Pilkington's arrangement, because the order of the other Evangelists is not thereby disturbed; and a reason is given for the conversation itself; which would otherwise, if confined to the account in Luke xvi. 18. appear to be strangely abrupt. In the present order, says Pilkington, the reason is evident why the Pharisees came and tempted Christ with this question. He had just before declared that it was easier for

Mark x. 3. And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses On a tour.

command you?

4. And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of di-
vorcement, and to put her away.

5.

And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this Matt.xix. 4. Have ye not read, that he which made them at the be

ginning

Mark x. 6. of the creation,

Matt. xix.4. made them male and female,

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

Mark x. 10.

11.

12.

Mat. xix.10.

11.

12.

precept,

And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?

Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder.

They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put away?

He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.

And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.

And in the house his disciples asked him again of the

same matter.

And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her. And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.

His disciples say unto him, If the case of a man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry.

But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given.

For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.

heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law
to fail. Upon which they put the case of divorces to him;
concluding that he would resolve it contrary to the then exist-
ing law; or more properly, as Doddridge observes, (note to
sect. 135, Family Expositor,) contrary to the received inter-
pretation of the law by the school of Hillel, who had taught
the people that divorces might be permitted for comparatively
trivial causes.