Page images
PDF
EPUB
[blocks in formation]

and his fruit corrupt; for the tree is known by his fruit.

34 O generation of vipers! how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

35 A good man, out of the good treasure of the heart, bringeth forth good things: and an evil man, out of the evil treasure, bringeth forth evil things.

36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account in the day of judgment.

37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

38 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign i from thee. 39 But he answered, and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas.

40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly, so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it; because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.

i Sign. A miracle.

rebuked.

42 The queen of the southj shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall conde condemn it; for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

43 When the unclean spiritk is gone out of a man he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.

44 Then he saith I will return into my house from whence I came out; and, when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.

45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation. 46 While he he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood

j Queen of the south, in the Old Testament, queen of Sheba.

k Unclean spirit, &c. The wicked disposition of a man is here represented by an unclean spirit, that could leave and return to the man at pleasure: The 43, 44, and 45th verses are designed to describe a person, who, under conviction of sin, makes good resolutions, and partially reforms, but on account of persecution, or the cares of life, soon becomes remiss, and again relapses into sin and forgetfulness of God, then the return to a holy life is more difficult, and the state of this man is more hopeless and desperate, than at first.

Why Christ

Chap. xiii.

without, desiring to speak with him.

47 Then one said unto him, Behold thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.

48 But he answered, and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren ?

49 And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!

50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.

[blocks in formation]

spake in parables.

earth; and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth.

6 And when the sun was up they were scorched; and, because they had no root, they withered away.

7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up and choked them.

8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundred-fold, some sixty-fold, some thirtyfold.

9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables ?

11 He answered, and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance; but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

13 Therefore speak I to them in parables; because they seeing, see not; and hearing, they hear not; neither do they understand.

14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive. 15 For this people's heart is

[blocks in formation]

waxed gross a and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear.

17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. 18 Hear ye, therefore, the parable b of the sower.

19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, cand understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way-side. 20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anond with joy receiveth it:

21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while;

[blocks in formation]

b Parable, a similitude or comparison, which in a fabulous or figurative manner conveys moral and spi• The word of the kingdom, the Gosd Anon, Immediately.

sower and the seed.

for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offend

ed.e

22 He also that received seed among the thorns, is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.

23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundred-fold, some sixty, some thirty.

24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field;

25 But, while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.

26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.

27 So the servants of the householder came, and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?

28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?

e Is offended, relapseth, or falleth

ritual truth.

pel.

into sin.

Parables of the

Chap. xiii.

29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.

30 Let both grow together until the harvest; and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.

31 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard-seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:

32 Which indeed is the least of all seeds; but when it is grown it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree;

so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.

33 Another parable spake he unto them, The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, f which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

34 All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them: 35 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.

f Leaven, yeast or ferment.

36

hidden treasure, &c.

Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house; and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.

37 He answered, and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;

38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.

40 As, therefore, the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.

41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity,

42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found he hideth, and, for joy thereof, goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

45 Again, the kingdom of Parable of the net.

S. Matthew.

heaven is like unto a merchantman seeking goodly pearls :

46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

471 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind :

48 Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.

49 So shall it be at the end of the world; the angels shall come forth, and severg the wicked from among the just,

Christ contemned.

ed, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?

55 Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?

56 And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?

57 And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save h in his own country, and in his own house.

58 And he did not many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.

CHAP. XIV.

50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and gnashing of 1 Herod's opinion of Christ.

teeth.

[blocks in formation]

3 John Baptist beheaded. 15 Five thousand fed.

AT that time Herod the tetrarch a heard of the fame of Jesus,

4

2 And said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works b do shew forth themselves in him.

31 For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife.

b Save, except.

a Tetrarch, governor of a fourth part of a kingdom or country. b Mighty works, &c. miracles are performed by him.

« PreviousContinue »