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James the fon of Alpheus, and (d) Thaddeus, and 19 Simon the Canaanite (e), And Judas Ifcariot, which

alfo betrayed him: and they went into an house. 20 And the multitude cometh together again, fo that 21 they could not fo much as eat bread. And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they faid, He is befide himself (ƒ). 22 And the fcribes which came down from Jeru

falem faid, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of 23 the devils cafteth he out devils. And he called them

unto him, and faid unto them in parables, How can 24 Satan caft out Satan? And if a kingdom be di 25 vided against itself, that kingdom cannot ftand. And

if a house be divided againft itself, that houfe cannot 26 ftand. And if Satan rife up against himself, and be 27 divided, he cannot ftand, but hath an end. No man

can enter into a strong man's house, and fpoil his goods, except he will first bind the ftrong man, and then 28 he will spoil his houfe. Verily I fay unto you, All fins (g) fhall be forgiven unto the fons of men, and blafphemies wherewith foever they fhall blafpheme: 29 But he that shall blafpheme against the holy Ghoft, hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal 30 damnation: Because they faid, He hath an unclean fpirit.

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There came then his brethren and his mother, and standing without, fent unto him, calling him.

(d) Thaddeus is the fame perfon as St. Jude.

(e) See Matt. x. 4.

(f) St. John tells, vii. 5. that neither did his brethren believe in him: fome of our Lord's nearest relations were amongst the last to acknowledge his divine authority. When therefore on this occafion he was fo intent on the inftruction of the multitudes who followed him, that he had not time to take his ordinary refreshment, and was faint for want of food, they endeavoured to lay hold on him, on pretence that he was befide himself. From their example we may learn, that the best opportunities of knowledge and improvement will be loft upon us, if we want the preparation of a teachable mind.

(g) See Mat. xii. 32.

32 And the multitude fat about him, and they faid unto him, Behold (h), thy mother and thy brethren with33 out feek for thee. And he anfwered them, faying, 34 Who is my mother, or my brethren? And he looked round about on them which fat about him, 35 and faid, Behold my mother and my brethren. For whofoever fhall do the will of God, the fame is my brother, and my fifter, and mother (i).

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CHA P. IV.

AND he began again to teach by the fea-fide: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and fat in the fea, and the whole multitude was by the fea, on the land. 2 And he taught them many things by parables, and 3 faid unto them in his doctrine, Hearken: Behold 4 there went out a fower to sow: And it came to pass

as he fowed, fome fell by the way-fide, and the fowls 5 of the air came and devoured it up. And fome fell on ftony ground, where it had not much earth, and immediately it fprung up, because it had no depth 6 of earth. But when the fun was up, it was fcorched, 7 and because it had no root, it withered away. And

fome fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up, 8 and choaked it, and it yielded no fruit. And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increafed, and brought forth fome thirty, and fome fixty, and fome an hundred. And he faid unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. 10 And when he was (a) alone, they that were about him with the twelve, afked of him the parable.

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(h) See Mat. xii. 46.

(i) The fame fhall be accepted by me with equal affection as my nearest relations.

(a) When the multitude was gone away, and none left with him but his conftant followers.

And he faid unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without (b), all these things are done in pa12 rables: That feeing they may fee (c), and not perceive, and hearing they may hear, and not underftand left at any time they fhould be converted, and their fins fhould be forgiven them. And he faid unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will you know all parables?

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14 The fower foweth the word. And these are they 15 by the way-fide, where the word is fown, but when

they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was fown in their hearts. 16 And these are they likewife which are fown on ftony ground, who when they have heard the word, im 17 mediately receive it with gladness: And have no root in themselves, and fo endure but for a time: afterward when affliction or perfecution arifeth for the 18 word's fake, immediately they are offended (d). And thefe are they which are fown among thorns; fuch 19 as hear the word, And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lufts of other things, entering in, choke the word, and it becometh 20 unfruitful. And these are they which are fown on good ground, fuch as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, fome thirty-fold, fome fixty, and fome an hundred.

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And he faid unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bufhel, or under a bed? and not to be 22 fet on a candlestick (e)? For there is nothing hid which

are.

(b) Them who are not admitted to the familiarity which you

(c) See Mat. xii. 14. Note.

(d) Are difcouraged and fall away. See Mat. xviii. 16.

(e) The word of God, which is intended for a lantern unto our feet, and a light unto our paths, is delivered in parables, not that it may be concealed, but that the attention being employed the more

which fhall not be manifested: neither was any thing 23 kept fecret, but that it should come abroad. If any 24 man have ears to hear, (f) let him hear. And he faid unto them, Take heed what you hear: with what measure you mete, it fhall be meafured to you (g) : 25 and unto you that hear fhall more be given. For he that hath, to him fhall be given: and he that hath not, from him fhall be taken even that which he hath.

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And he faid, So is the kingdom of God (h), as 27 if a man could caft feed into the ground, And fhould fleep, and rife night and day, and the feed fhould fpring and grow up, he knoweth not how (i). 28 For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself, first

the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the 29 ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the fickle, because the harvest is come.

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And he faid, Whereunto fhall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison fhall we 31 compare it? It is like a grain of mustard-feed, which when it is fown in the earth, is lefs than all the feeds that be in the earth. But when it is fown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and fhooteth out great branches, fo that the fowls of

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diligently to obferve the intended application, the fame may be the more clearly underflood, and the more deeply imprinted on the mind.

(f) See Mat. ix. 15. Mark vii. 16.

(g) This feems to be a proverbial expreffion, which is applied in a fpiritual fenfe. If you make a good ufe of religious knowledge, you will, by the grace of God, make a proportionable improve ment: if you be negligent, or inattentive, you will lofe that portion of knowledge you might have fecured to yourfelves.

(4) Small as the ftate of the gofpel was at firft, it was daily increafing in a much greater proportion than could have been expected from its beginning. Mat. xiii. 39. Luke xiii. 18.

() As the feed, after being fown, fprings up and comes to per fection in due season, without any further care of the bufbandman.

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33 the air may lodge under the fhadow of it (k). And with many fuch parables fpake he the word unto 34 them, as they were able to hear it. But without a parable fpake he not unto them (1): and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his difciples. 35 And the fame day when the even was come, he faith unto them, Let us pafs over unto the other fide. 36 And when they had fent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the fhip, and there were 37 alfo with him other little fhips. And there arose a great ftorm of wind, and the waves beat into the 38 fhip, fo that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, afleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and fay unto him, Mafter, carest 39 thou not that we perifh? And he arofe, and rebuked the wind, and faid unto the fea, Peace, be ftill: and the wind ceafed, and there was a great And he faid unto them, Why are ye fo 41 fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and faid to one another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the fea obey him?

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AND they came over unto the other fide of the sea, 2 into the country of the Gadarenes, And when he was come out of the fhip, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean 3 fpirit, Who had his dwelling among the tombs, and no man could bind him, no not with chains: 4 Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked afunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither

(k) See Mat. xiii. 32. Note.

(4) Suiting his difcourfes to their capacity and difpofition. See Mat. xiii. 11.

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