30 ity I do these things. The baptism of John, was it from heaven, 31 or of men? answer me. And they reasoned with themselves,

saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then did 32 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 in33 deed. 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.

CHAPTER XII.

Parables and Conversations of our Lord.

AND he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set a hedge about it, and digged a place for the wine-fat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, 2 and went into a far country. And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husband3 men of the fruit of the vineyard. And they caught him, and beat 4 him, and sent him away empty. And again, he sent unto them

another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him 5 in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled. And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating 6 some, and killing some. Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will rev7 erence my son. But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours. And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out 9 of the vineyard. What shall, therefore, the lord of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give 10 the vineyard unto others. And have ye not read this scripture;

The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the 11 corner this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our 12 eyes? And they sought to lay hold on him, but feared the people; for they knew that he had spoken the parable against them; and they left him, and went their way.

had he one sonne whom he loved

CHAPTER XII. 1-12. Mat. xxi. 33-46, and tenderly," &c. notes; Luke xx. 9-19.

6. Therefore. An expletive. Tyndale more correctly translates, "yet

12. As has been suggested, this verse contains a parallelism, and would read better were it arranged

And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees, and of the 13 Herodians, to catch him in his words. And when they were 14 come, they say unto him, Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth: Is it lawful to give tribute to Cesar, or not? Shall we give, or shall we not give? But 15 he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see it. And he saith unto them, Whose is this tion? And they said unto him, Cesar's. said unto them, Render to Cesar the things that are Cesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marvelled at him.

And they brought it. 16 image and superscripAnd Jesus answering, 17

Then come unto him the Sadducees, which say there is no 18 resurrection; and they asked him, saying, Master, Moses wrote 19 unto us, If a man's brother die, and leave his wife behind him, and leave no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. Now, there were seven brethren: 20 and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed. And the sec- 21 ond took her, and died, neither left he any seed: and the third likewise. And the seven had her, and left no seed: last of all 22 the woman died also. In the resurrection therefore, when they 23 shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife. And Jesus answering, said unto them, Do ye not 24 therefore err, because ye know not the Scriptures, neither the power of God? For when they shall rise from the dead, they 25 neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven. And as touching the dead, that they rise; 26 have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, 27

differently, thus: "And they sought to lay hold on him, for they knew that he had spoken the parable against them; but they feared the people; and they left him, and went their way."

13-27. See notes on Mat. xxii. 15-33; Luke xx. 20-38.

14. Carest for no man. Rather, with Wakefield, we would read,

"fearest no one," or, with Campbell, "standest in awe of none."

25. But are as the angels which are in heaven. "Not having flesh and blood, and its necessities."

26. In the bush. This phrase is supposed to refer to that section, in the Jewish division of the sacred books, entitled the Bush, which contained the particulars of the scene

28 but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err.

- And

one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, 29 Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered

him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The 30 Lord our God is one Lord: and thou shalt love the Lord thy

God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neigh

bor as thyself: there is none other commandment greater than 32 these. And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast

said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but 33 he and to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more than all whole burnt-offer34 ings and sacrifices. And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question. 35 And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, 36 How say the scribes that Christ is the son of David? For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy 37 footstool. David therefore himself calleth him Lord, and whence

is he then his son? -And the common people heard him glad38 ly. And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in

in Mount Horeb, when Moses was called to be the leader of Israel. 28-34. See comments on Mat. xxii. 34-40.

28. Luke xx. 39.

29. The Lord our God, &c. Or, The Lord, our God, the Lord is one. So Carpenter suggests.

30. With all thy heart, &c. Every faculty should be employed, every energy of the soul aroused, in the feeling and expression of love to him.

34. Mat. xxii. 46; Luke xx. 40. 35-37. See Mat. xxii. 41-45, and notes; also Luke xx. 41-43.

37. And the common people heard him gladly. He was popular with the mass. His words called forth a hearty response from their less perverted natures. Ambition, envy, and hypocrisy, did not darken the shining rays of his gospel to them, as to the scribes and Pharisees. Those who were unwarped by custom and education, drank into comparatively honest hearts his living streams of love, and beauty, and truth.

38-40. Mat. xxiii. 1-14, and comments thereon; Luke xx. 45-47.

38. In his doctrine, i. e. in his teaching, or giving of instruction.

the market-places, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and 39 the uppermost rooms at feasts; which devour widows' houses, 40 and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation.

And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the 41 people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she 42 threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto 43 him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily, I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury. For all they did cast in of their abun- 44 dance: but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.

41-44. See Luke xxi. 1-4. 41. Treasury. This was a place in the temple for the deposit of the sacred treasures. Such a receptacle is spoken of first in 2 Kings xii. 9. Mention is made by Josephus of this treasury within the limits of the temple, Antiq. Book xix. chap. 6, sec. 1; Neh. x. 37, 38, xiii. 4-8. The Talmudists locate it in the court of the women, where were placed 13 chests called trumpets, from their shape. People of every class and each sex were admitted to make their offerings. Jesus, on one occasion, taught in the same apartment. John viii. 20.—Money, i. e. in the original, brass or copper coin. - Rich cast in much. Literally, many such pieces.

42. Two mites. The lepton, here called mites, was the name of the smallest Jewish coin. Its value was about two mills in our currency. Two mites, therefore, were equal to four mills. According to the Mishnah, any one might cast into the chests how little soever he would, according to his pleasure.

43, 44. Jesus had just rebuked, with awful directness and force, the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees; but he was quick to notice the smallest glimmer of pure and unalloyed

goodness in the humblest individual. Rank, riches, pomp, and power, could not dazzle his eye, nor the garb of poverty hide from it a noble heart. We wonder not, as we read, that "the common people heard him gladly." They must have felt, in the depth of their souls, that here was a true and holy Teacher.

1. We learn, from this little history, that benevolence consists not in the amount given, but in the disposition and degree of self-sacrifice, with which an offering is made. He is the most generous donor, who gives the most in proportion to his means.

2. The poorest are encouraged to do what lies in their power, for the cause of humanity and the treasury of the Lord. Their mite will weigh as much in the scales of heaven, as others' millions.

3. The wonders of power and art have been wrapped in oblivion, kings and kingdoms have lost their local habitation and name on earth, but the incense of that lowly, widowed heart has been wafted on the breath of ages, and diffused through the world -speaking emblem of the fruitful energies of the humblest deed of goodness, and of its unfading record on the book of heaven.

4. Benevolence is common; but

CHAPTER XIII.

Instructions of Jesus respecting his Religion.

AND as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what manner of stones, and what buildings 2 are here! And Jesus answering, said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, 3 that shall not be thrown down. And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, over against the temple, Peter, and James, and 4 John, and Andrew, asked him privately, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall 5 be fulfilled? And Jesus answering them, began to say, Take 6 heed lest any man deceive you: for many shall come in my name, 7 saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And when ye

shall hear of wars, and rumors of wars, be ye not troubled: for 8 such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines, and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows. 9 But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony 10 against them. And the gospel must first be published among all 11 nations. But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take

no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak 12 ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost. Now, the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son : and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause 13 them to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my

that benevolence that rejoices in giving up some comfort, or the sacrifice of some favorite scheme, or the endurance of some pain, or disadvantage, or unpopularity, for the good of others and the glory of God, is the rarest, as it is one of the holiest, of virtues. Let us not lose the benefit of this divine lesson of our Lord, by a listless ear or a cold heart.

CHAPTER XIII.

1-37. See notes on Mat. xxiv. 3-51; Luke xxi. 7-36.

1. What manner of stones. Josephus speaks, particularly in his description of the temple, of the immense stones with which it was built.

10. Among all nations. It will not do to construe such expres