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that sold doves; and would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. And he taught, saying unto them, " Is it not " written, My house shall be called of all na"tions the house of prayer? but ye have " made it a den of thieves." And he taught daily in the temple. But the chief Priests and the Scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him, and could not find what they might do: for all the people were very attentive to hear him. And when even was come, he went out of the city,

113. The disciples observe that the fig-tree was withered away.

Time.

Three days

Jerusalem.

AND in the morning, as Place, A. D. 33. they passed by, they saw Between Bebefore the 4th the fig-tree dried up from thany and Passover. the roots. And Peter calling to remembrance, saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig-tree which thou cursedst is withered away. And Jesus answering saith unto them, "Have faith in God. For verily "I say unto you, That whosoever shall say " unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and "be thou cast into the sea; and shall not " doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those "things which he saith shall come to pass; he

* A manifest prediction of the admission of the Gentiles into covenant with God. Isaiah lvi. 7. Jer. vii. 11. b Persons of the first note among the people.

This is a strong figurative expression applied only to the disciples, who to a lively faith joined the gift of miracles,

" shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I " say unto you, What things soever ye desire "when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, " and ye shall have them. And when ye stand

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praying, forgive, if ye have ought against "any: that your Father also which is in "heaven may forgive you your trespasses, "But if ye do not forgive, neither will your " Father which is in heaven forgive your tres" passes."

114, Jesus' discourse with the chief Priests, the Scribes, and Elders, in the Temple.

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And they come again to Jerusalem: as he taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, there come to him the chief Priests, and the Scribes, and the Elders, and say unto him, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority to do these things? And Jesus answered and said unto them, I will also ask of you one " question, and answer me, and I will tell "you by what authority I do these things. "The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or " of men? answer me." And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven: he will say, Why then did ye not believe him? But if we shall say, Of men; they feared the people: for all men counted John, that he was a prophet indeed. And they answered and said unto Jesus, We cannot tell. And Jesus answering saith unto them, " Neither do I tell you by what authority I do " these things."

And he began to speak unto them by parables. " A certain man had two sons; and he "came to the first, and said, Son, go work to" day in my vineyard. He answered and said, " I will not: but afterward he repented, and "went. And he came to the second, and said "likewise. And he answered and said, I go, "Sir: and went not. Whether of them twain "did the will of his father?" They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, "Verily I say unto you, That the publicans " and the harlots go into the kingdom of God "before you. For John came unto you in the

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way of righteousness, and ye believed him "not: but the publicans and the harlots " believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, " repented not afterward, that ye might believe "him.

"Hear another parable: There was a cer"tain housholder, which planted a vineyard, "and hedged it round about, and digged a " winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it " out to husbandmen, and went into a far

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country. And at the season he sent a servant "to the husbandmen, that they should give "him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the "husbandmen beat him, and sent him away

empty. And again he sent another servant: " and they beat him also, and entreated him "shamefully, and sent him away empty. And "again he sent a third: and they wounded "him also, and cast him out. Then said the

• Even publicans and harlots repent and believe, and lead you the way to salvation by Christ.

"lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I " will send my beloved Son: it may be they " will reverence him when they see him. But "when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned " among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours. So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore " shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them? "he shall come and destroy these husband" men, and shall give the vineyard to others."

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And when they heard it, they said, God "forbid. And he beheld them, and said, "What is this then that is written, 'The stone "which the builders rejected, the same is "become the head of the corner? this is the "Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our

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eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom " of God shall be taken from you, and given " to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. "And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall " be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, "it will grind him to powder." And the chief Priests and the Scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him; and they feared the people: for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them.

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* The owner of the vineyard is God; the husbandmen are the Jews; the servants are the prophets whom they put to death. Thus likewise they did by the beloved Son of God himself.

The gospel shall be preached to other nations. • Psalm cxviii. 22, 23.

Whosoever shall oppose Christ shall do it in vain, but whosoever shall finally reject him, upon that man the yengeance of Christ shall fall, to his utter destruction. • Lest they might rise up in his defence.

!

And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, "The kingdom " of heaven is like unto a certain king, which " made a marriage for his son, and sent forth "his servants to call them that were bidden to "the wedding: and they would not come.

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Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, " Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. But they made "light of it, and went their ways, one to his "farm, another to his merchandise: And the "remnant took his servants, and entreated "them spitefully, and slew them. But when "the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and " he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those " murderers, and burned up their city. Then "saith he to his servants, The wedding is "ready, but they which were bidden were not "worthy, Go ye therefore into the highways, " and as many as ye shall find, bid to the " marriage, So those servants went out into "the highways, and gathered together all as " many as they found, both bad and good : " and the wedding was furnished with guests. "And when the king came in to see the guests,

The primary object of this parable is to represent the rejection of the Gospel by the Jews, and the admission of the Heathens to its privileges in their room.

▸ Marriage feast.

This points out the Roman armies under Vespasian and Titus, which not many years after besieged Jerusalem, and destroyed the city.

At this day an Arab prince will often dine in the street before his door, and invite even beggars to sit down to his table.