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Pharisees, hypocrites; ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel'. Wo unto you lawyers; for ye have taken away the key of knowledge; ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in, ye hindered. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouths, and honour me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky, and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time'? Yea, and why even of yourselves, judge ye not what is right*?

The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea-side, and great multitudes were gathered together unto him. And he spake many things unto them in parables'. And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given". Therefore speak I to them in parables; because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive. For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed, lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear". Let them alone; they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at

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least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes'. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light; because their deeds were evil. But wisdom is justified of her children'.

SECT. 12. His Apostles were enjoined to communicate this divine light to all nations.

And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he commanded them, saying, Behold I send you forth, as sheep in the midst of wolves; be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. But beware of men; for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues. But when they deliver you up, take no thought how, or what ye shall speak; for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and lo I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world'. Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven, is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his Lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due. season? blessed is that servant, whom his Lord, when he cometh, shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, that he shall make him ruler over all his goods". And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following'. And Jesus said, I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister, and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; delivering

P Luke, xix. 41, 42. §12. Matt. x. 1.

d Matt. x. 19.
Matt. xiii. 52.

a John, iii. 19.

b Matt. x. 5.

* Luke, xxi. 15..

Matt. xi. 19.

e Matt. x. 16, 17. Matt. xxviii. 19, 20.

Matt. xxiv. 45, 46, 47. Mark, xvi. 20.

thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and an inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith. that is in me*.

SECT. 13. This sacred commission they executed with zeal, diligence, and fidelity.

The life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us. His grace is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel; whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, a teacher of the Gentiles'. Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. As it is written, To whom he was not spoken of, they shall see; and they that have not heard shall understand". For after that in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified; unto the Jews a stumbling block, and to the Greeks foolishness; but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God"; who of God is made unto us, wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption. And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge", wherein he hath abounded to us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure', whom we preach, warning every man, and

Acts, xxvi. 15-18. § 13. 1 John, i. 2. Rom. xv. 21.

■ Eph. ii. 17.

2 Tim. i. 10, 11. • 1 Cor. i. 21-24. h Col. ii. S.

f

c 1 Tim. ii. 4.

1 Cor. i. 30. I Eph. i. 8, 9.

teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.

And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with the excellency of speech, or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God'. And my speech, and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit, and of power; that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect; yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought. But we speak the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world unto our glory; which none of the princes of this world knew"; but God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit". Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God; which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But our gospel came not to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance. And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost'. Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth. Yea I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up, by putting you in remembrance. Moreover I will endeavour, that you may be able, after my decease, to have these things always in remembrance'; that ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy Prophets, and of the commandments of us the Apostles of the Lord and

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Saviour'. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss, for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord'; for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ; that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death", For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ*.

SECT. 14. True knowledge and heavenly wisdom will have an abiding influence, producing purity and holiness of heart and life.

The grace of God, that bringeth salvation, hath appeared to all men; teaching us, that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ. This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye walk not henceforth as other Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their hearts". But ye have not so learned Christ; if so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus. Ye have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge, after the image of him that created him". For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord; walk as children of light: and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light; for whatever doth make manifest, is light. See then that ye walk circumspectly,

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