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of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; left at any time they should fee with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and fhould understand with their heart, and fhould be converted, and I fhould heal 16 them. But bleffed are your eyes, for they fee; and 17 your cars, for they hear. For verily I fay unto you, that many prophets and righteous men have defired to fee thofe things which ye fee, and have not feen them and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

18 Hear ye therefore the parable of the fower. 19 When any heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was fown in his heart: this is he which received feed by the 20 way-fide. But he that received the feed into ftony

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places, the fame is he that heareth the word, and 21 anon with joy receiveth it: Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or perfecution arifeth because of the 22 word, by and by he is (e) offended. He also that received feed among the thorns, is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. But he that received feed into the good ground, is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it: which alfo beareth fruit, and bringeth forth fome an hundred-fold, fome fixty, fome thirty.

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Another parable put he forth unto them, faying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man, 25 which fowed good feed in his field: But while men flept, his enemy came, and fowed tares among 26 the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade

was fprung up, and brought forth fruit, then ap27 peared the tares alfo. So the fervants of the houf

(e) He is difcouraged and falls away. Luke viii. 18.

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holder came and faid unto him, Sir, didft not thou fow good feed in thy field? from whence then hath 28 it tares? He faid unto them, An enemy hath done

this. The fervants faid unto him, Wilt thou then 29 that we go and gather them up? But he faid,

Nay; left while ye gather up the tares, ye root up 30 alfo the wheat with them. Let both grow toge

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ther until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will fay to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

Another parable put he forth unto them, faying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of muftardfeed, which a man took and fowed in his field. 32 Which indeed is the leaft of all (f) feeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree: fo that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof (g). .

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Another parable fpake he unto them, The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

34 All these things fpake Jefus unto the multitude

in parables, and without a parable fpake he not 35 unto them: That it might be fulfilled which was fpoken by the prophet, faying, I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things which have been kept fecret from the foundation of the world.

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Then Jefus fent the multitude away, and went into the house and his difciples came unto him, faying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.

(ƒ) Many plants, of which mustard is one, in Judea, and other warm climates, grow to a fize far beyond what we have any experience of.

(g) As the feed is very fmall, and yet produceth a large plant, fo the ftate of the Gospel, fmall as it was at first, was daily increafing in a greater proportion than could have been expected from its beginning. See Als ¡¡. 41.

37 He answered and faid unto them, He that foweth the 38 good feed, is the Son of man: The field is the

world: the good feed, are the children of the kingdom but the tares are the children of the wicked 39 one: The enemy that fowed them, is the devil: the harveft, is the end of the world: and the reapers 40 are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered

and burnt in the fire; fo fhall it be in the end of this 41 world. The Son of man fhall fend forth his angels, and they fhall gather out of his kingdom all things 42 that offend (b), and them which do iniquity; And fhall caft them into a furnace of fire: there fhall be 43 wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then fhall the righteous fhine forth as the fun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

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Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and felleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a mer46 chantman, feeking goodly pearls: Who when he had found one pearl of great price, he went and fold all that he had, and bought it.

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Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net that was caft into the fea, and gathered of every kind. 48 Which when it was full, they drew to fhore, and fat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but caft the bad away. So fhall it be at the end of the world: the angels fhall come forth, and fever the wicked 50 from among the juft; And fhall caft them into the furnace of fire: there fhall be wailing and gnashing 51 of teeth. Jefus faith unto them, Have ye understood

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all these things? They fay unto him, Yea, Lord. 52 Then faid he unto them, Therefore every fcribe which is inftructed unto the kingdom of heaven,

(k) All that obstruct the progress of the Gofpel. See Chap. v. 29. Note.

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is like unto a man that is an (i) housholder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.

53 And it came to pafs, that when Jefus had finished 54.thefe parables, he departed thence. And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their fynagogue, infomuch that they were aftonished, and faid (k), Whence hath this man this wif dom, and thefe mighty works? Is not this the carpenter's fon? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren (1), James, and Jofes, and Simon, and 56 Judas? And his fifters, are they not all with us? 57 whence then hath this man all these things? And they were offended in him. But Jefus faid unto them, A prophet is not without honour, fave in his 58 own country, and in his own houfe (m). And he did not many mighty works there, because of their unbelief (n).

(i) It is a known cuflom in the Eaft for the rich to make collections of coftly garments and furniture, continually adding things new to the old. In allufion to this custom our Lord here observes, that every teacher fully infructed by him in the truths of the gospel, may be compared to an houfholder, who has great flore of valuable articles, ready to be produced on any occafion.

(k) Inftead of acknowledging the divine authority of Jefus Chrift, which was thus manifefted by the wifdom and excellency of his doctrine, and the amazing power of his miracles, the Jews took of fence at the meannefs of his parentage and education. And this, with their objections againf his manner of life, and gracious condefcenfion in converfing with finners, Chap. xi. 19. is the blafphemy against the Son of man, mentioned Chap. xii. 32.

(1) By brethren and fifters it is not neceffary to understand chil dren of the Virgin Mary: they may have been Jofeph's children by a former wife. Or, the word may be taken in a larger fenfe (as was common among the Jews) for coufins and relations.

(m) His own family.

(n) See Mark vi. 5.

CHAP.

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T that time Herod the tetrarch (a) heard of the fame of Jefus. And faid unto his fervants, This is John the baptift: he is rifen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do fhew forth themfelves in him.

For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prifon for Herodias' fake, his 4 brother Philip's wife. For John faid unto him, It 5 is not lawful for thee to have her. And when he

would have put him to death, he feared the multi6 tude, because they counted him as a prophet. But when Herod's birth-day was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleafed Herod. Whereupon he promifed with an oath, to give her 8 whatsoever she would afk.. And fhe, being before inftructed of her mother, faid, Give me here John 9 Baptift's head in a charger. And the king was for ry: nevertheless for the oath's fake (b), and them which fat with him at meat, he commanded it to 10 be given her. And he fent and beheaded John in II the prifon. And his head was brought in a charger,

and given to the damfel: and the brought it to her 12 mother. And his difciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus.

(a) A Tetrarch is the governor of a fourth part of a country. On the death of Herod the Great, his dominions were divided into four parts. Galilee, being one of the four parts, was given to his fen Herod, furnamed Antipas, Luke iii. 1. and Judea, which was another fourth part, was given to Archelaus, brother of Antipas, Matt. ii. 22. Philip and Lyfanias had the reft, Luke iii. 1.

(b) Let no man pretend, that reverence of an oath obligeth him to break any of the laws of God. An oath cannot be binding where the fubject of it is unlawful. Nor let refpe&t to the opinion of others tempt him by a falfe fhame to venture upon fin. For, what is that, but to prefer a point of honour and reputation before the favour of God, which is better than all the world can beflow?

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