Imatges de pàgina
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if thou canst téll ?* 5 Every word of God is pure he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. 6 Add thou

not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar. 7 Two things have I required of thee: deny me them not before I die: 8 Remove far from me vanity and lies give me neither póverty nor rìches; feed me with food convenient for me: 9 Lest I be fùll, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lòrd? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.

EXHORTATION TO FEAR GOD.

ECCLESIASTES XII.- -1 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them : 2 While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stárs, be not dárkened, nor the clouds return after the rain: 3 In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are fèw, and those that look out of the windows be darkened, 4 And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of ùsic shall be brought low; 5 Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the wày, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets : 6 Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the foùntain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. 7 (°) Then shall dust return to the earth as it was and the spirit shall return unto God who gàve it.†

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* See Rhetorical Reader, Rule 4 of Inflection.

The extracts from the Old Testament close here, for reasons assigned in the preface. The author's notation to the Psalms and Prophets, and to some of our standard poets, part of which he had prepared for publication, may be given to the public hereafter, should this work prove to be acceptable and useful.

THE BAPTISM OF CHRIST.

MATTHEW III.-13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. 14 But John forbade him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to mé? 15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. 16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water and lo, () the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: 17 And lo, a vòice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleas

ed.

Matthew iv.—1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterwards a hungered. 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down, for it is written, He shall give his àngels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee ùp, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them. 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, (°) Get thee hence, Satan for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy Gòd, and him only shalt thou serve. 11 Then the devil leaveth him, and behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

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*The Emphasis upon "all" may he paraphrased even the smallest requisition of the law," I wish to be baptized, even if the rite is unimportant in my case.

CHRIST FORBIDS SWEARING.

MATTHEW V.-33 Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shall perform unto the Lòrd thine oaths: 34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all: neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: 35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King: 36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. 37 But let your communication be, Yéa, yéa, ; Náy, này: for whatsoever is more

than these cometh of evil.

CHRIST SPEAKS OF ALMSGIVING AND PRAYER.

MATTHEW VI.—1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. 2 Therefore, when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trùmpet 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 have their reward. 3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth : 4 That thine alms may be in sècret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, himself shall reward thee openly.

5 And when thou pràyest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: 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 reward. 6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy father which is in secret; and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. 7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask him. 9 After this manner therefore pray ye: (...) Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom còme. Thy will be done in earth as it is

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

12 And

13 And

For

in heaven. forgive us our débts, as we forgive our debtors. led us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. thine is the kingdom, () and the power, (II) and the glóry (II) for ever. Amen. 14 For, if ye forgive men théir trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But, if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

MATTHEW VI.-19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and stéal : 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. 21 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 full of light. 23 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

is that darkness!

A re

24 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, Take no thought 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 than méat, and the body than raíment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into bàrns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stàture? 28 And why take ye thought for raìment? Consider the lilies of the field how they grow; they toil nót, neither do they spìn; 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to-day is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, Ō ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eàt? or, what shall we drink? or, wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33* But seek

* Antithetic or relative stress.-See Rhet. Reader, page 42.

ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

CHRIST'S MIRACLES.

MATTHEW VIII.-1 When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. 2 And behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, (9) Lòrd,* if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 3 And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

5 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, 6 And saying, Lórd, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. 7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. 8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. 9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Gó, and he goeth; and to another, Cóme, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. 10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven: 12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy wày; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the self-same hour,

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* "Lòrd," rather than "Lord," as it is commonly read. It is the language of distress. See Rhet. Reader Chap. 11. Rule 8.

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