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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.t 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

By conforming to the principles and requirements of the gospel, we shall provide a permanent treasure; nothing can 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, C 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 cvil 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?

5*

CHAP. VII.

1 JUDGE not, that ye be not judged. For 2 with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall 3 be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam* that is in thine 4 own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull the mote out of thine eye; and behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 5 Thou hypocrite, first cast the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast the mote out of thy brother's eye. 6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and tear you.

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Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened &unto you: For every one that asketh, receiv

eth; and he that seeketh findeth, and to him 9 that knocketh it shall be opened. For what man is there of you, whom if his son ask 10 bread, will give him a stone? Or if he 11 ask a fish, will give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father, who is in heaven, give good 12 things to them that ask him? Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should

* Thorn or splinter would better comport with the original.

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do to you, do ye even so to them for this is the law and the prophets.

Enter ye in at the strait gate; for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be who go in 14 thereat; because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.*

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Beware of false prophets† who come to you in sheeps clothing, but inwardly are ravening 16 wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits.

Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of this17 tles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth 18 evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth 19 good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire. 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

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Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who 22 is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never

* Some men think just the contrary, that the way to life is broad, and that all will find it. Who shall determine? They or Christ?

† Or teachers.

This is very reasonable; and yet how often we deceive ourselves! For their professions merely, some men think they will be saved.

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knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, who built his house upon a rock : 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house 27 upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell, and great was the 28 fall of it. And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were aston29 ished at his doctrine; for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

⚫ or approved.

No wonder such doctrines were new to them-the world had never heard such a preacher before. He spake both to the heart and the understanding. His maxims are comprehensive, penetrating, and calculated to regulate all the affections and dispositions, whence proceed the good or evil actions of man. In this justly celebrated discourse of Christ, we find no stress laid upon ceremonies, rites, or speculative opinions. All is plain and rational. He would repress pride, revenge, impurity, and worldly mindedness, and make us humble, devout, benevolent, pure, and heav-. enly minded. This, then, is Christianity. And he is not a true disciple of Christ, whatever may be his belief or his pretensions, who possesses not in some good measure the moral qualities here required.

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