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HE REPROVES THE PHARISEES.

75

healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the Son of David*? But when the Pharisees and the scribes which came down from Jerusalem heard it, they said, He hath Beelzebub, and, This fellow doth not cast out devils but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. And Jesus knew their thoughts, and he called them unto him, and said unto them, in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan? Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; that kingdom cannot stand. And every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: And if Satan rise up against himself, and cast out Satan, he is divided against himself: how, then, shall his kingdom stand? he cannot stand, but hath an end. And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges. But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. No man can enter into a spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man, and then he will spoil his house.

strong man's house, and

He that is not with me, is against me:
And he that gathereth not with me,

scattereth abroad.

Wherefore, Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be

* That is the Messiah; for the Son of David was a prophetical name of Christ, or the Messiah, familiar to the people.

forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come: but he is in danger of eternal damnation. (Because they said, he hath an unclean spirit.*) Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you,

That every idle word that men shall speak,
They shall give account thereof

in the day of judgment.

For by thy words thou shalt be justified,

and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

PRAYER.

Almighty God, unto whom all hearts be open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid, cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love Thee, and worthily magnify thy holy name, that the words of our mouths and the meditation of our hearts may ever be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord our Judge, our Sanctifier, and Redeemer. Amen.

* And in so saying blasphemed against the Holy Spirit.

THE LIFE OF CHRIST.

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Questions on Section VII.

How did the Centurion show his faith in Christ?
What was the miracle our Lord wrought at Nain?
How did our Lord answer the messengers whom John
Baptist sent to ask whether He were the promised.
Messiah or not?

Why were those acts a sufficient and convincing answer? What did our Lord say to the people concerning John the Baptist?

How did he contrast John's mode of living with his own, and show thereby the perverseness of the men of that generation?

What is Christ's invitation to the afflicted?

Recount the parable of the creditor who had two debtors. On what occasion did our Lord employ this parable? How were the Pharisees and scribes guilty of blasphemy in what they said concerning the power by which Jesus cast out devils?

Of what does our Lord inform us that men shall have to give account in the dreadful day of judgment?

SECTION VIII.

From the Sign of the Prophet Jonas to the Second Declaration respecting the final Judgment.

PRAYER.

Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom, who knowest our necessities before we ask, and our ignorance in asking; we beseech thee to have compassion upon our infirmities; and those things which for our unworthiness we dare not, and for our blindness we cannot ask, vouchsafe to give us for the worthiness of thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

THEN certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees asked him, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said to them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: for as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights int he heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas ;

and, Behold, a greater than Jonas is here.

The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon ;

and, Behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

DECLARES WHO ARE HIS TRUE KINDRED. 79

When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

And it came to pass as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him,

Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked.

But He said,

Yea, rather, blessed are they which hear the word of God, and keep it.

While he yet talked to the people, behold his mother and his brethren came to him and could not come at him for the press. And standing without, they sent unto him, calling him, desiring to speak with him. And the multitude sat about him, and one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. And he answered, and said to him that told him, Who is my mother, and who are my brethren? And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! for whosoever shall hear the word of God, and do it,whosoever shall do the will of my Father, which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.

The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat

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