How encouraging such a title ! "friends" of God! Who would think much to endure all things for such a friend? We now find that there is indeed "a friend that sticketh closer than a brother." (Prov. xviii. 24.) fear: Fear him, which after he into hell; yea, I say unto you, The disciples are guarded against fear of coming calamities by the assurance of a particular Providence. The same Power which set the sun in the firmament, and ordereth his going, hath created and preserves the very blade of grass we tread upon. He careth alike for the lowest and the highest. Nothing can happen to us without his knowledge. shall be proclaimed upon the housetops. And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall hath killed hath power to cast Fear him. 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows. Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God: but he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God. And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven. And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: 12 for the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say. And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance 14 Jesus thus at once did away the with me. 14 And he said un- notion of his being a temporal prince. to him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetous 10 8 This truth may well sustain our faith. This promise that the Lord of all will finally acknowledge us as his redeemed, and claim us as his own, for whom Himself did pay the ransom-O cherish it: it is thy life! 10 They blasphemed against the Holy Ghost, by attributing to the power of the Spirit of evil those very miracles which were evidently worked for God's honour and man's benefit by the Spirit of good. 12 The Apostles being chiefly unlearned men, it was necessary that, in establishing a new religion, new and special assistance should be given to them *. * Christianity being established, miracles have ceased with their necessity. The Holy Ghost the Comforter now abideth, ever the guardian and counsellor of God's Church-giving "strength according to its day." ness for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully and he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? 21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. And 21 This applies equally, whether we have much or little. A worldly spirit-THAT it is which destroys the soul. 24 We are to labour, with a trust in God, and without over anxiety *. he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment. 24 Consider the ravens for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls? And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest? Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and tomorrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith? And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. 31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth, : 31 If to gain the love of God be our first care, every other care will soon find in our heart its proper place. * God feedeth the fowls of the air: yet from morning till evening does their activity teach us diligence. "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Let loins be girded your about, and your lights burning; and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken 40 Death is at hand! Watch! 34 Where is thy treasure? on earth or in heaven with man or with God? 40 through. Be ye therefore But ready also for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not. Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all? And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath. and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; the lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. "And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. 49 I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled? But I have a baptism to be baptized with; 47 The heathen will be judged by a far gentler judgment than we professing Christians. (Rom. ii. 14. v. 13.) 49" My Gospel will cause conten tions and division in families. But I so sympathize with my faithful sufferers, that I am already in pain for them till they gain their rest with me in heaven. I am straitened, till the trials into which they have been baptized as my followers, shall be accomplished." and how am I straitened till it be accomplished! Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: for from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is. And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass. 56 Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time? Yea, and why even of is right? When thou goest with thine adversary to the magistrate, as thou art in the way, give diligence that thou mayest be delivered from him; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison. I tell thee, thou shalt not depart thence till thou hast paid the very last mite. 58 56 They blindly disregarded the signs of the times, which every page of their prophets so vividly displayed to them. yourselves judge ye not what 58 Repent, whilst time is spared thee. If death hurry thee to judg ment with sins unforgiven-debts unpaid-thy portion must be misery for ever! CHAPTER XIII. 1 THERE were present at that 1 Pilate had slain these Galileans season some that told him of when they were engaged in sacrifice. the Galilæans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilæans were sinners above all the Galilæans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the 3 They erroneously thought that especial calamities denoted God's especial anger for heinous sin. We know that "whom the Lord loreth he chasteneth *." * How different the Christian's view of suffering! It but leads him nearer to his God in repentance, faith, and holiness. 10 tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. 'Then said he 7 A very instructive and encouunto the dresser of his vine- raging view of the forbearance and yard, Behold, these three longsuffering of our God! Let us, years I come seeking fruit however, heed the warning, that if on this fig tree, and find no fruit appear, the tree is cut down. none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: and if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that 10 Jesus never neglected to keep thou shalt cut it down. 1o And the Sabbath day holy. he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. And the ruler of synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day. 15 The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to water the 15 Our Saviour showed that they themselves "did good on the Sabbath day" in their acts of humanity to the inferior creatures. How strangely inconsistent were they, to hold similar acts wrong, when applied to man! ing? And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day? And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him. Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I resemble it? 19 It is like a grain of mustard-seed, which a man took and cast into his garden; tree, and the fowls of the air And again he said, Where 20 19 This indicates the future increase of the Gospel. and it grew, and waxed a great lodged in the branches of it. 20 As a little leaven gradually per |