1 "Either deem the tree good, if its fruit is good; 1 or deem the tree corrupt, if its fruit is corrupt: for the tree is known by the fruit. "Ye broods of vipers, how can ye, being yourselves evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh. The good man, out of his good treasure, bringeth forth good things: and the evil man, out of his evil treasure, bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, For every baneful1 word that men shall speak, they shall give account in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be acquitted, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." §. 2. On the Demand of a Sign from Heaven. Now when the multitudes were crowding upon him, certain of the Scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Rabbi, we desire to see a sign from thee." But he answered and said unto them, "An evil and faithless generation seeketh after a sign; yet no sign shall be given to it, except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was a sign unto the Ninevites, so will the Son of man also be to this generation : for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the fish, so shall the son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation, and will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah: and, behold, a greater than Jonah is here. The queen of the south will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and will condemn them: because she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. 1 v. H. n. "Now no one when he hath lighted a lamp, putteth it into a secret place, nor under the measure, but on the stand, that they who enter in may see its brightness. The lamp of the body is the eye: when therefore thine eye is clear, thy whole body also is enlightened; but when it is disordered, thy body also is darkened. Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. If therefore thy body be wholly enlightened, having no part darkened, it shall be wholly enlightened, as when the lamp enlighteneth thee with its lustre.8 "Now when the unclean spirit hath gone forth from the man, it goeth through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then it saith, 'I will return unto my house from whence I came forth:' and when it is come, it findeth it empty, swept, and set in order. Then it goeth, and taketh with itself seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they enter in and dwell there and the last state of that man becometh worse than the first. Even so shall it be unto this wicked generation." : Now it came to pass, while he was saying these things, that a certain woman lifted up her voice from the multitude, and said unto him, "Blessed the womb that bare thee! and the breasts which thou hast sucked!" But he said, "Yea, but rather, Blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it." §. 3. On the Application of his Mother and Brethren. 4 Now while he was yet speaking to the multitudes, his mother and his brethren come therefore, and they could not get at him on account of the multitude that were sitting around him; and, standing without, they sent unto him, 1 M. v. 15, p. 56. a M. vi. 22, 23, p. 61. 3 v. H. n. [Comp. Mk. iii. 21, and v. H. n.] calling him-seeking to speak to him. And some one 1 said unto him, "Behold, thy mother and thy brethren and thy sisters stand without, seeking thee, desiring to see thee, and to speak to thee." But he answered and said unto him 2 that told him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brethren ?" And he looked round about on them that were sitting around him, and he stretched forth his hand towards his disciples, and said, "Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother." 4 SECT. XI. Christ at the House of a Pharisee. : LUKE xi. 37-54. But Now as he spake, a certain Pharisee entreated him to dine with him and having entered into his house, he placed himself at table. But when the Pharisee saw it, he wondered, because he had not first washed before dinner. the Lord said unto him, "Now ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and of the dish; but what is within yourselves, is full of rapine and wickedness. Foolish men! did not he that made that which is without, make that also which is within? But rather give for alms those things which belong to you; 5 and, behold, all things are clean unto you. "But woe for you, Pharisees! for ye pay tithe of mint and rue and every herb, and pass by justice and the love of God these ought ye to have done, and not to leave those undone. Woe for you, Pharisees! for ye love the chief 1 M.: they, Mk., 80 L. 2 M.: them, Mk., L. 3 M.: God, Mk. M., 80 Mk. : "My mother and my brethren are these who hear and do the word of God," L. 5 Or, give alms according to your ability. seat in the synagogues, and salutations in the market-places. Woe for you! for ye are as tombs which appear not; and the men that are walking over them, know it not.” And one of the Lawyers1 answered and said unto him, "Rabbi, in saying these things thou reproachest us also." But he said, "Woe for you also, ye Lawyers! because ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers. Woe for you! because ye build the tombs of the prophets; but your fathers killed them. Truly ye bear testimony and give approbation to the deeds of your fathers: because they indeed killed them, and ye build their tombs." (Wherefore also the wisdom of God hath said, "I will send to them prophets and apostles, and of them they will kill some and persecute others: so that the blood of all the prophets, which hath been shed from the foundation of the world, will be required from this generation; from the blood of Abel, even to the blood of Zachariah who perished between the altar and the temple: yea I say unto you, It will be required from this generation.") "Woe for you, Lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye have not yourselves entered in, and them that were entering in ye have hindered." And as he was saying these things unto them, the Scribes and the Pharisees began to urge him vehemently, and to incite him to speak without fore-thought of many things; laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something from his mouth, that they might accuse him.1 1 v. H. n. 2 M. xxiii. 34-36: v. H. n. L SECT. XII. The Day of Parables.-Parable of the Sower: Explanation of it: Parable of the Tares: Springing and Growth of Corn: Mustard-seed: Leaven: Explanation of the Parable of the Tares: Hidden Treasure: Merchant seeking Pearls: Fish taken in a Net. MATT. xiii. 1-52. MARK iv. 1-34. LUKE viii. 4-18, xiii. 18-21. Now on that day Jesus went forth from the house, and sat by the sea side: and he began again to teach: and great multitudes were gathered together unto him, from every city, so that he entered into the vessel, and sat on the sea, and the whole multitude stood on the shore. And he taught them many things in parables, and said unto them in his teaching, "Hearken! Behold, the sower went forth to sow his seed and it came to pass, as he was sowing, that some seed fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the birds of heaven came and devoured it. And other seed fell on rocky ground, where it had not much earth; and forthwith it sprung up, because it had no depth of earth: but when the sun arose, it was scorched, because it had not moisture; and because it had no root, it withered away. And other fell in the midst of thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. And other fell on good ground, and yielded fruit that came up and increased; and it brought forth, one thirty, and one sixty, and one a hundred." And when he had said these things, he cried, "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." But when he was alone, his disciples, they that were about him with the twelve, came near, and said unto him, "What may this parable be?" and "Why speakest thou |