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when thou fafteft, anoint thy head, and wash thy 18 face: That thou appear not unto men to faft, but unto thy Father which is in fecret: and thy Father which feeth in fecret, fhall reward thee openly. 19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and ruft doth corrupt, and where thieves 20 break through and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor ruft doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through 21 nor fteal. For where your treafure is, there will 22 your heart be alfo. The light of the body is the eye if therefore thine eye be fingle (g), thy whole 23 body fhall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body fhall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness !

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No man can ferve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or elfe he will hold to the one, and defpife the other (h). Ye cannot serve 25 God and mammon (i). Therefore I fay unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye fhall eat, or what ye fhall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye fhall put on: Is not the life more than meat, and the 26 body than raiment (k)? Behold the fowls of the air: for

(g) By fingle is meant entire, found, free from diforder. If the understanding and will be diftempered, we can no more perceive or relifh our true happiness, than we can fee clearly when our fight is defective.

(h) Or elfe on the contrary, he will hold to the former, and pay no regard to the other.

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() Mammon is put for riches; and the fenfe is, if you anxious to get wealth, you will be a flave to the world, and cannot be a true fervant of God.

(k) It is God that giveth us life, and shall we not truft to his bleffing on our own honeft and reasonable endeavours for the fup port of it? It is God that made our bodies, and fhall we be foolish ly anxious to improve them by fuperfluous ornaments? the decency of nature, and propriety of ftation, ought to be duly attended to; but beyond this, it is unworthy of a Chriftian to be over careful

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for they fow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are 27 ye not much better than they? Which of you by 28 taking thought can add one cubit unto his ftature? And why take ye thought for raiment? confider the lilies of the field how they grow; they toil not, neither do 29 they fpin. And yet I fay unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of thefe. 30 Wherefore if God fo clothe the grafs of the field, which to day is, and to-morrow is caft into the oven (/), fhall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith (m)? 31 Therefore take no thought, faying, What shall we

eat? or what shall we drink? or wherewithal fhall we 32 be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles feek) for your heavenly Father knoweth that 33 have need of all these things. But feek ye firft the

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kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these 34 things fhall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow (n): for the morrow fhall take thought for the things for itfelf: fufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

about drefs, which only ferves the finful purposes of vanity and pride.

(1) Which is one day flourishing, and the very next perhaps is deftroyed. This may be underflood literally; fuel being fo fcarce in many places in the Eaft, that they ufe ftalks of herbs and flowers for firing.

(m) O ye who do not put your truft, as ye ought, in the allpowerful and gracious providence of God.

(n) Let not anxious and unreasonable apprehenfions disturb your peace of mind, or leffen your thankfulness for the bleffings you enjoy. Such is the condition of our life; that evils continually befal us. But let us wifely turn to a religious purpose the common remark, that fufficient unto the day is the evil thereof; for the mind is no lefs carefully to be guarded against the fear of adversity, than against the too eager defire of profperity.

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JUDGE

CHA P. VII.

UDGE not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye fhall be judged: and with what meafure ye mete, it fhall be measured to you again.

And why beholdeft thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but confidereft not the beam that is in thine 4 own eye (a)? Or how wilt thou fay to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and behold, 5 a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first caft out the beam out of thine own eye; and then fhalt thou fee clearly to caft out the mote out of thy brother's eye.

6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs; neither caft ye your pearls before fwine (b); left they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rent you.

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Afk, and it fhall be given you: feek, and ye fhall 8 find: knock, and it fhall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh, receiveth: and he that feeketh, findeth and to him that knocketh, it shall 9 be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his fon afk bread, will he give him a ftone? 10 Or if he ask a fifh, will he give him a ferpent? If II ye then being evil (c), know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more fhall your Father which is in heaven give good things to 12 them that ask him? Therefore all things whatfoever ye would that men fhould do to you, do ye even fo to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

(a) A cenforious perfon is often blind to greater faults in himself than he condemns in others.

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(b) Before you admonifh, confider whether advice is likely to prevail and do good.

(c) If ye then, who are fubject to infirmities, paffions, and the power of evil habits.

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13 Enter ye in at the ftrait gate; for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to deftruction, and many there be which go in thereat. 14 Because ftrait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. 15 Beware of falfe prophets, which come to you in fheep's cloathing, but inwardly they are ravening 16 wolves. Ye fhall know them by their fruits (d): Do

men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thiftles? 17 Even fo every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; 18 but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good

tree cannot bring forth evil fruit ; neither can a cor19 rupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn down, and caft 20 into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye fhall know them.

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Not every one that faith unto me, Lord, Lord, fhall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doth the will of my Father which is in heaven (e). 22 Many will fay to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophefied in thy name? and in thy name have caft out devils and in thy name done 23 many wonderful works (f)? And then will I profefs unto them, I never knew you: depart from me ye that work iniquity (g).

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Therefore, whofoever heareth thefe fayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wife 25 man, which built his houfe upon a rock:

And the rain defcended, and the floods came, and the winds, blew, and beat upon that houfe: and it fell not, for

(d) By their lives and doctrines, as certainly as you diftinguish a tree by the fruit it bears.

(e) No hopes are to be built on profeffion alone. Good praetice is the only foundation that can fupport us. Chap. viii. 12.

(f) By thy commiffion and authority, and to advance thy religion. (g) Then will I declare unto them, Your lives have been a dif grace to my religion, and I difown you. Go to thofe wicked fpirits whole work you have been doing.

26 it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these fayings of mine, and doeth them not, fhall be likened unto a foolish man which built his 27 houfe upofi the fand: And the rain defcended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house: and it fell, and great was the fall of it.

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And it came to pafs when Jefus had ended thefe fayings, the people were astonished at his doc29 trine. For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes (h).

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WHEN he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. And behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, faying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jefus put forth his hand and touched him, faying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprofy 4 was cleanfed. And Jefus faith unto him, See thou tell no man, but go thy way, fhew thyfelf to the priest, and offer the gift that Mofes commanded, for a teftimony unto them (a).

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And when Jefus was entred into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion (b), befeeching 6 him, And faying, Lord, my fervant lieth at home

(h) He taught the neceffity of obedience on the highest and nobleft principles, (See Chap. v. Note (k), and Mark i. 22.) with the authority of a lawgiver, and not with blind deference to the doctrine of the ancients, which the Scribes were governed by.

(a) Say not that you were healed by me, until you are pronounced by the priest to be clean; which was required by the law of Mofes before a leper was allowed to converfe with others, or enjoy the benefits of fociety. Lev. xiv. When you have complied with the law, then you may declare that it was I who healed you, and that will be a a proof to them, that I have power to cure this difeafe, and am the Meffiah. See Chap. xi. 5.

(6) A captain, who had the command of one hundred men.

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