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But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay for whatsoever is more than these, cometh of evil.*

38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An 39 eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth; but I say unto you, that ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn 40 to him the other also. And if any man will

sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, 41 let him have thy cloak also.† And whosoever

shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him 42 twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee, turn not thou away.

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Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine ene44 my But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them who curse you, do good to them who hate you, and pray for them who des45 pitefully use you, and persecute_you; that ye may be the children of your Father, who is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on 46 the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them who love you, what reward have ye? 47 do not even the publicans the same? And if

* In your conversation, let your yea be yea, and your

nay, nay. Whatever is more than these, is or tends to evil.

These verses are not to be understood literally, but as designed to discourage and prevent a spirit of retaliation and revenge, to which the Jews were greatly prone; and to make them condescending, pacific and forgiving.

Verses 44-47. How superior these maxims to those of the wisest heathens! This is true benevolence.

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ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father who is in heaven is perfect.

CHAP. VI.

TAKE heed that ye do not give your alms before men, merely to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father 2 who is in heaven.* But, when thou givest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do, in the synagogues, and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, they 3 have their reward. But when thou givest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy 4 right hand doeth : That thine alms may be in secret and thy father who seeth in secret, himself shall reward thee openly.

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And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be like the hypocrites: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues, and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their 6 reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter

* This direction is supposed to have reference to religious duties, which Christ would have us perform without ostentation.

They gain the esteem of men, and this was all they wished.

That is, the reputation of piety with the common people.

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into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret, and thy Father who seeth in secret shall reward thee 7 openly. And when ye pray, use not idle expressions, as the heathen do for they think that they shall be heard for their much speak8 ing. Be not ye therefore like unto them : for your Father knoweth what things ye need, 9 before ye ask him. After this manner therefore pray: Our Father, who art in the heav10 ens; hallowed be thy name.† Thy kingdom

come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in 11 heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our 13 debtors. And lead us not into temptation,

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but deliver us from evil. For thine is the king. dom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. 14 Amen. For, if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive 15 you But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

16 Moreover, when ye fast, be not as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, they have

* But many people desire long prayers. They judge of a man's piety by the number of his words.

May thy name be hallowed; that is, venerated and sanctified. May thy kingdom come, and thy will be done. That is, suffer us not to fall into temptation.

This doxology is not in some old copies.

But with many who call themselves good and pions, a long face, and distorted countenance is necessary.

17 their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, 18 anoint thine head, and wash thy face: That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father who is invisible: and thy Father who seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

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Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust corrupt, and where 20 thieves break through and steal:* But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust corrupt, and where thieves 21 do not break through nor steal:† For where

your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore

thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be 23 full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great must be that darkness!

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No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.‡ 25 Therefore I say unto you, Be not anxiously concerned for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more

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* By conforming to the principles and requirements of the gospel, we shall provide a permanent treasure; nothing ean deprive us of it, and it will last forever.

†This superiority to worldly things, this spirituality of mind, is absolutely necessary in the true Christian.

Our chief concern and endeavour must be either to serve God and be religious; or to gain worldly honors and plea

sures.

26 than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air; for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them.* Are 27 ye not much better than they? Which of you, by being anxious, can add one cubit unto his 28 stature? And why take ye thought for raiment?† Consider the lilies of the field how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of 30 these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass

of the field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more 31 clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore be not anxiously concerned, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Where32 withal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these 33 things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things 34 shall be added unto you. Take therefore no anxious thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

*How forcibly are we here taught the kind providence of God, and the importance of faith and trust in him. † And why are ye anxiously concerned?

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