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not read in the book
of Mofes, how in
the bush God fpake
anto him faying, I
am the God of Abra-
ham, and the God
of Ifaac, and the
God of Jacob?
27 He is not the
God of the dead,
but the God of the
living: ye therefore
do greatly err.

28 And one of the fcribes came, and having heard them reasoning to gether, and perceiving that he had anfwered them well, asked him, Which is the first command

ment of all?

29 And Jefus anfwered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Ifrael, the Lord Our God is one Lord;

which God fpake to Mofes out of the
Bufh faying; I am the God of Abraham,
Ifaac and Jacob.

27. For fince thofe holy Men re-
ceived not a full Performance of
God's Promifes while they were up-
on Earth, and God cannot properly
be called the God of thofe that are
utterly perifhed; 'tis plain there must
be a future State, wherein those Pa-
triarchs fhall be rewarded of God,
and

this.

confequently another Life after * See Note

28. The Sadducees being thus filenced; one of the Pharifees, who was a Scribe or Expounder of the Law, having heard Jefus talk with the Sadducees and confute them, thought that he could put a harder Question to Jefus than They had done; and he asked him, faying; Which is the firft and principal of all God's Commandments? And, Which is the chief and moft neceflary Part of the Law; the Ceremonial, or the Moral?

29 & 30. Jesus faid: The principal and moft neceflary Command30 And thou shalt ments in the whole Law of God, are love the Lord thy thefe Two: First, that we acknowGod with all thy ledge and worship the true God, and heart, and with all him only; and that we ferve and thy foul, and with all thy mind, and with obey him, fincerely and affectionate all thy ftrength: this ly, entirely, and conftantly, with all is the first com- Readinefs, Chearfulnefs and Vigour.

mandment.

31 And the fe cond is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy felf: there is none

31. And Secondly, that we deal with all Men as we defire they should deal with us, with all Juftice, Equity, and Charity. Thefe Moral Precepts, faid fefus, are the principal and most neceffary Part of God's

Law;

on Matt. xxii. 31,

& 32.

* Matt.

xxii. 35.

Law; and there are
no pofitive In-
ftitutions, of equal Obligation with

them.

موع

*

32 & 33. At this Anfwer, the Scribe, who at his firft putting the Question came (as it feems) with a Design to tempt or .enfnare Jefus, being now convinced of Jefus's Wifdom and Integrity, replied: Truly, Mafter, you have given a wife and good Anfwer: For affuredly, to worfhip the one only true God, and to obey him with all Sincerity, Chearfulness and Conftancy; and to obferve in all our Dealings with Men, exact Juftice, Equity, and Charity; is a more indifpenfable Duty, and a more acceptable Service, than all the Offerings

and Sacrifices in the World.

34. Whereupon Jefus, obferving that the Man took his Anfwer rightly, and applied it wifely; faid unto him: You do not want much, of being a true and perfect Christian. Keep and perfift in this Difpofition of Mind; and you are well fitted to receive the Gofpel, to be a true Member of the Church of God on Earth, and of his Kingdom hereafter in Hea

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command.

other
ment greater than

thefe.

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35 And Jefus answered and faid, while he taught in the temple, How say the fcribes that Chrift is the fon of David ?

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what ye read in the Scripture, Pfalm
CX. I?

36. For there David, who was
an infpired Perfon, fpeaketh thus:
The Lord faid unto my Lord, Sit thou
at my Right hand, till I make thine
Enemies thy Foot-ftool: And this ye
all acknowledge to be spoken of the
Meffiah.

37. Now therefore if David thus calleth the Meffiah his Lord, how can the Meffiah be his Son? Can the fame Perfon be both his Superiour and Inferiour? To this Question, the Scribes and Pharifees, not knowing that Chrift was more than a meer Man, and that in his Divine Original he was fuperiour to David, though inferiour according to the Flesh, were not able to make any Answer. But the common People were pleased to see Jefus too hard for their proud Teachers, and they hearkned to his Doctrine with Attention and Gladness.

3839. At that time Jefus faid to his Difciples, and to all the People, Beware of the Hypocrify of the Scribes and Pharifees; who affect to walk in long Garments, as wife and grave Teachers of the People; and love to be faluted with great Refpect in the Streets, as Rabbies, or Heads of Sects; and ftrive to have the uppermoft Seats both in Religious Affemblies and at all publick Entertainments, as Men of the greatest Worth and Dignity.

40 Beware, I fay, of the Hypocrify of thefe Men. For under all their Pretences of extraordinary Piety, they are fecretly guilty of Fraud, Oppreffion, Extortion and Rapine; and 'tis only to cover thefe vile Prac

4

tices the better, that they make fuch a great outward Show of Devotion. Wherefore they fhall receive double Punifhment at the Hands of God.

41. After this, Jefus fitting in the Court of the Temple, over-against the Treafury, look'd upon the People as they caft in their Free-will-offerings into the Cheft for pious and charitable Ufes. And many rich Men gave very large Sums.

a poor

42. And among the reft there came Widow-woman, and put in Two fmall Pieces of Money, making the Value of a Farthing.

43. Which when Jefus obferved ; he called his Difciples to him, and said : Affuredly I tell you, this poor Woman has done a greater Act of Piety and Charity, than any of the rich Men whom you faw caft in such a great deal of Money.

44. For they gave only a small Proportion out of their great Eftates: But the in the Zeal of her Heart has put in her whole Stock. And God judges of Mens Actions, not by the Measure of the outward Work, but by the inward Difpofition and Affection of the

Heart.

41 And Jefus fat over against the treafury, and beheld how the people caft money into the treafury and many that were rich caft in

much.

42 And there came a certain poor widow, and the threw in two mites, which make a farthing.

43 And he called unto him his difciples, and faith unto them, Verily I fay unto you, that this poor widow hath caft more in, then all they which have caft into the treasury.

caft in of their abun44For all they did dance: but the of her want did caft in all that he had, even all her living.

CHAP.

CHA P. XIII.

Jefus foretels the Deftruction of Jerufalem; and warns all Men to watch, that they may not be furprized with Judgment Temporal or Eternal.

AND as he went

out of the tem

ple, one of his difciples faith unto him, Master, see what manner of ftones, and what buildings are here.

2 And Jefus anfwering faid unto him,Seeft thou these great buildings? there

fhall not be left one ftone upon another that fhall not be thrown down.

3 And as he fat upon the mount of Olives, over against the temple, Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, asked him privately,

4 Tell us, when fhall these things be? and what shall be the fign when all these things fhall be fulfil

led?

5 And Jefus anfwering them, began to fay, Take heed left any man deceive you.

I.

After this, as Jefus was going out of the Temple, his Difciples defired him to obferve the Materials and the Workmanship of it, thinking that he would admire the Magnificence and Strength of the Building.

2. But Jefus faid: Do ye wonder at the Beauty and Statelinefs of this Structure, as if it were to last for ever? I tell you, it fhall fhortly be overthrown with fuch a terrible and utter Defolation, that there fhall not be left fo much as the Ruins of a Wall, or any Footsteps of fo great a Fabrick.

3. Then they went to the Mount of Olives; and as Jefus fat there upon the Hill, in a Place where he had a full View of the City and Temple, fome of his Difciples came to him privately, and asked him, saying:

4. When fhall all thofe ftrange Revolutions, that you have fo often told us of, come to pafs? When fhall the Jewish Government and Polity be diffolved, and the Kingdom of the Meffiah be eftablished? And by what Signs fhall we be able to difcern, when all these Things shall be ready to be accomplifhed?

5. Jefus answered: Beware that See Pano one impofe upon you with falfe raphr. on Notions concerning the Kingdom of Mat.xxiv.

the 4.

4

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