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THE TRADITION OF MEN AND THE COMMANDMENT OF GOD.

ye. Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth, and honoureth Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me. But in vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And when He had called all the people unto Him, He said unto them, Hearken unto Me every one of you, and understand: There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man. If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. And when He was entered into the house from the people, then came His disciples, and said unto Him, Knowest Thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? But He answered and said, Every plant, which My heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. Then answered Peter and said unto Him, Declare unto us this parable. And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding? Do not ye yet understand that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; because it entereth not into His heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats? And He said, But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, theft, covetousness, wickedness, false witness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil things come from within, and defile the man; but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.

12.-Jesus heals a Syrophenician, and feeds Four Thousand.

ST MATT. 15. 21-38; ST MARK 7. 24-31-8. 9.

Coasts of Tyre and Sidon-Desert of Bethsaida,

Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. And, behold, a woman of Caanan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto Him, saying, Have mercy upon me, O Lord, Thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and besought Him,

A DEVIL CAST OUT AND A DEAF MAN CURED.

saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But He answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel: and entered into an house, and would have no man know it; but He could not be hid. For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of Him, and came and fell at His feet, and worshipped Him, saying, Lord, help me. The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought Him that He would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and cast it unto the dogs. And she answered and said unto Him, Truth. Lord yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs which fall from their masters' table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And He said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour. And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.

And again Jesus departed from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis.

And they bring unto Him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech Him to put His hand upon him. And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers into his ears, and He spit, and touched his tongue; and looking up to heaven, He sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain. And He charged them that they should tell no man but the more He charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it; and were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: He maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.

And Jesus went up into a mountain, and sat down there. And great multitudes came unto Him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus' feet; and He healed them: insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.

In those days the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples unto Him, and saith unto them, I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with Me

WARNING AGAINST THE LEAVEN OF THE PHARISEES.

three days, and have nothing to eat and if I send them away fascing to their own houses, they will faint by the way for divers of them came from far. And His disciples say unto Him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude? And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes. And He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And He took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to His disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people. And they had a few small fishes: and He blessed, and commanded to set them also before them. And they did all eat, and were filled and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full. And they that did

eat were four thousand men, beside women and children; and He sent them away.

13.-Jesus warns against the Pharisees, and heals a Blind Man.

ST MATT. 15. 39-16. 12; ST MARK 8. 10-26.

Magdala and Dalmanutha-Bethsaida.

And He sent away the multitude, and straightway He entered into a ship with His disciples, and came into the parts of Dalmanutha. And the Pharisees, also with the Sadducees, came forth, and began to question with Him, and tempting desired Him that He would shew them a sign from heaven. He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather, for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather to-day for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And He sighed deeply in His spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given to this generation.

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And He left them, and entering into the ship again departed to the other side. And when His disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread; neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf. Then Jesus charged them, saying, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees, and of the leaven of Herod. And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread. Which when Jesus perceived, He said unto them, O

A BLIND MAN AT BETHSAIDA HEALED.

ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? Do ye not yet understand, perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened? Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto Him, Twelve. And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven. And He said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. Then understood they how that He bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

And He cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto Him, and besought Him to touch him. And He took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when He had spit on his eyes, and put His hands upon him, He asked him if he saw ought. And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. After that He put His hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up and he was restored, and saw every man clearly. And He sent him away to his house, saying. Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town.

14. Jesus speaks of His Death and Second Coming.

ST MATT. 16. 13-28; ST MARK 8. 27-9. 1; ST LUKE 9. 18-27.
Casarea Philippi.

And Jesus went out, and His disciples, into the towns of Cæsarea Philippi. And it came to pass, as He was alone praying, His disciples were with Him: and by the way He asked His disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that Thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias: and others, Jeremias, or that one of the old prophets is risen again. He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and And

said unto Him, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon

ANNOUNCEMENT OF HIS DEATH BY JESUS.

this rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Then charged He His disciples that they should tell no man that He was Jesus the Christ.

But

From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto His disciples, how that He the Son of man must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and Scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. And He spake that saying openly. Then Peter took Him, and began to rebuke Him, saying, Be it far from Thee, Lord: this shall not be unto Thee. when He had turned about and looked on His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind Me, Satan: thou art an offence unto Me for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. And when He had called the people unto Him, with His disciples also, He said unto them all, Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for My sake and the Gospel's, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, what is a man advantaged, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul, or be cast away? Or, what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and then He shall reward every man acccrding to his works. Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when He shall come in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels. And He said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.

15. The Transfiguration of Jesus, and Healing of a Demoniac.

ST MATT. 17. 1-21; ST MARK 9. 2-29; ST LUKE 9. 28-42.

Mount Hermon.

And after six days Jesus taketh with Him Peter and James and John,, his brother, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themIves to pray. And as He prayed, the fashion of His countenance was

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