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thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

18 He faith unto

19 Thou knowest

LUKE.

CHAP. XVIII.
what fhall I do to in-
herit eternal life?

19 And Jefus faid
unto him, Why calleft
thou me good? none
is good fave one, that
is God.
2

20 Thou knoweft
commandments,
Do not commit adul- Do not commit adul-
tery, Do not kill, Do tery, Do not kill, Do
not fteal, Do not bear not fteal, Do not bear
falfe witness, Defraud falfe witness, Honour
not, Honour thy fa- thy father and thy
ther and mother. mother.

him, Which? Jefus the commandments, the
faid, Thou shalt do no
murder, Thou shalt
not commit adultery,
Thou shalt not steal,
Thou shalt not bear
falfe witness :

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Јонн.

Mafter, faid he, inftruct me what I fhall do to obtain eternal Life. Then faid Jefus, why calleft thou me Good? there is one good, namely God, who is to be believ'd in all things, and for whofe fake thou oughteft to believe me alfo for the Miracles I perform by his Authority, which testify concerning me. But in answer to the queftion; There is one certain way to obtain eternal Life, viz. a univerfal obedience to his Commands. The young man ask'd him, what particular Commands he meant? Jefus replied; Thofe that are contained in the Decalogue, which forbid Murder, Adultery, Theft, bearing falfe-witness, all manner of defrauding; and enjoin Reverence towards ones Parents, all which are comprehended in that general rule of loving our Neighbor as our felf. The young man made anfwer, that he had obferv'd all thefe from his youth, and demanded whether there was any thing elfe wanting. Jefus looking on him, told him that there was ftill

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21 Then Jefus beholding him, loved

he faid unto

21 Jefus faid unto him, and faid unto him, If thou wilt be him, One thing thou him, Yet lackeft thou perfect, go and fell lackeft go thy way, one thing: fell all that that thou haft, and fell whatfoever thou thou haft, and diftrigive to the poor, and haft, and give to the bute unto the poor, thou shalt have trea- poor, and thou fhalt and thou shalt have fure in heaven: and have treasure in hea- treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. ven; and come, take come, follow me. up the cross, and follow-me.

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one thing more, and that if he would compleat his obedience, he ought to go immediately (for fome certain reafons) and fell all his Eftate, that with the mony he might be able to relieve the neceflities of abundance of poor Wretches, and in fo doing he should have an ample reward in the Divine Favor, a Treasure infinitely more valuable than that he should thus part with, and fecure from all danger of being loft; that then, becoming his Difciple, he flould be imploy'd in publishing the good Tidings of the Kingdom of Heaven, having prepar'd himself for fo holy a Calling by a fixt determination to undergo the greatest Calamities for the fake of it. The young man upon this went away melancholy, not being able to digest the thoughts of thus parting with a great Eftate.

Jefus obferving this difpofition, and looking round to fee whether his Difciples had taken any notice of the young mans confternation; How hard a matter is it, faid he, for rich men to become members of the Kingdom of Heaven! This Exclamation prov'd as great a furprize to his Difciples, who imagin'd that Riches got in an honeft way were arguments of the Divine Favor, and that in the Kingdom of the Megah they fhould abound in Wealth, and an affluence of all things. Jefus Ccc then

MATTHEW.

CHA P. XIX.

24 And again I fay unto you, It is eafier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

25 When his dif ciples heard it, they were execedingly amazed, faying, Who then can be faved? 26 But Jefus beheld them, and faid unto them, with men this is impoffible, but with God all things are poffible.

27 Then answered Peter, and faid unto him, Behold, we have forfaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?

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26 And they were 26 And they that
aftonished out of mea- heard it, faid, Who
fure, faying among then can be faved?
themselves, Who then
can be faved?

27 And Jefus look-
ing upon them, faith, 27 And he faid,
with men it is impof- The things which are
fible, but not with impoffible with men,
God: for with God all are poffible with God.
things are poffible.

28 Then Peter be- 28 Then Peter faid,
gan to fay unto him, Lo, we have left all,
Lo, we have left all, and followed thee.
and have followed
thee.

JOHN.

then repeating it, but more clearly; O my Sons, faid he, 'tis difficult indeed for those who place their Happiness in this worlds Goods, and fet their hearts upon them, to make themfelves capable of enjoying the felicity of the Kingdom of Heaven. 'Tis easier for a Camel to pafs thro the eye of a Needle, than for these men to taste the Happiness of that Kingdom, while they are prefs'd down by these degenerate bafe defires. The Difciples admir'd ftill more and more at a Doctrin fo contrary to their preconceiv'd Opinions, and faid to one another, Who then can be fav'd, fince almost all men at leaft defire to be rich?

Then faid Jefus, Tho men are not able by mere human means to lay afide thefe narrow Affections, yet by God's afliftance, and thofe effectual motives of eternal Rewards and Punishments they may be enabled to raise themselves above these earthly confiderations, and make the love of God and Virtue the great objects of their endeavors. Peter then replied, We who are thy Apoftles have left all, that we might constantly attend thee, for what Rewards may we hope? Jesus answer'd,

As

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Verily I fay unto

29 And every one that hath forfaken to you, There is no you, There is no man houses, or brethren, or man that hath left that hath left house, fifters, or father, or houfe, or brethren, or or parents, or brethren, mother, or wife, or fifters, or father, or or wife, or children children, or lands for mother, or wife, or for the kingdom of my names fake, fhall children, or lands for Gods fake, receive an hundred- my fake and the goffold, and fhall inherit pels, everlafting life.

30 But many that are

firft, fhall be laft; and the laft fhall be first.

30 But he fhall receive an hundred fold now in this time, hou fes, and brethren, and fifters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with perfecuti

30 Who fhall not receive manifold more in this present time,

ons; and in the world and in the world to
to come eternal life.

31 But many that are firft, fhall be laft: and the laft, firft.

come life everlasting.

As for you who have left all for my fake, when the face of Nature fhall be chang'd, and this defpis'd Man fhall appear in his Glory to judg Mankind, you shall be plac'd upon twelve Seats next his Throne, to judg together with him the twelve Tribes of Ifrael, from whofe Sentence there shall be no appeal. And as for all thofe befides, who have forfaken their Eftates and nearest Relations, rather than violate my Laws; if in this Life, after the times of Perfecution are over, they do not receive a Retribution, and much more than they have loft, they fhall moft certainly in the next Life be rewarded with eternal Happiness.

At that time, many to whom the Gospel was first propos'd fhall be poftpon'd to others, who tho they embrac'd it later, yet did it with a fincere and hearty

Ccc 2

applica

MATTHEW.

CHAP. XX..

OR the kingdom of hea-

FOR

ven is like unto a man that is an houfholder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.

2 And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he fent them into his vineyard.

3 And he went out about the third hour, and faw others ftand- ing idle in the market-place,

4 And faid unto them, Go ye alfo into the vineyard, and whatfoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.

5 Again he went out about. the fixth and ninth hour, and did likewife.

6 And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others Standing idle, and faith unto them, Why ftand ye here all the day idle?

7 They fay unto him, Because: no man hath hired us. He faith unto them, Go ye alfo into the vineyard, and whatfoever is right, that fhall ye receive.

8 So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard faith

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application to it, for which reafon they fhall be defervedly prefer'd. That you' may more eafily understand this, you have a refemblance of it in a Mafter of a Family, who went out early into the Market-place, where Day-laborers are wont to stand expecting Imployment, to hire fome for his Vineyard; and fome he agreed with for a fet determinat wages of feven pence half penny. Afterwards about the third hour, he faw fome others ftanding idle, whom he alfo fent into the Vineyard, promifing to pay what their Labor fhould júftly deferve. Thefe alfo went into the Vineyard, while the Mafter of the Family returning again at the fixth and ninth hour,hir'd others on the like terms. He went alfo a fifth time about the eleventh hour, when there was but one hour of the day remaining, and feeing fome ftanding idle, he ask'd them the reafon of it, who told him they had not as yet bin hir'd: The Mafter therefore taking pity on them, order'd them into his Vineyard, promising to fatisfy them for their Labor.. Night being come, and the Workmen ftaying to

receive

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