For 36" But of that day"-the day of final judgment—even I, in my human nature, and prophetical office, “know not." 37 As in the days of Noah the flood overtook men engaged in the ordinary occupations of life, even so will these calamities overtake Jerusalem. shall not pass away. 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his houshold, to give them meat in due season? 46 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. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, 51 and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 46 Blessing shadows him, who lives ever watchful-prepared to meet his God. 51 Our Lord condemns all sin and wickedness: but he condemns hypocrisy, as the lowest depth of sin before a heart-searching God. CHAPTER XXV. JAN. 28, MAY 27, SEPT. 24. THEN shall the kingdom of 1 The Church is the bride of Christ. heaven be likened unto ten and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were fool virgins, which took their lamps, 2 There is no greater fall than sin. It sacrifices the sure and glorious blessings of eternity, for the vain and often bitter fancies of time. ish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. And 5 Being all equally liable to human infirmity, they all sleep-all sometimes relax the more immediate outward services of religion. But five had prepared to meet their Lord; other five had thought not of Him. 6 So death often comes when least at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins And the foolish said unto the our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door expected. arose, and trimmed their lamps. wise, Give us of your oil; for was 11 shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 9 No man can redeem himself; much less others *. 11 Men may delay, till death comes suddenly, and leaves no time for repentance. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. "For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. Then he that received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money. After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful 14 Our Lord expects every man to make a good use of whatever talents he may have learning, power, wealth, influence. Time, too, is a talent, for a right use of which we must all give account. *No man hath superabundance of merit, or works of supererogation. That is an idle and fatal fancy. All he can do is too little, of itself, to satisfy his Lord. His cry must still be, " Mercy to me, a sinner; not for my merits' sake, but for the sole merits of the righteous Saviour." over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: 22 How encouraging and comforting! If we have done our best, God will, for Christ's sake, accept us; even though others may have exceeded us in the exercise of Christian graces. enter thou into the joy of thy lord." He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: and I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. : 26 Slothfulness is sin. 29 This is in the natural course of things. The diligent man adds to his store, and "hath abundance." The slothful wastes all. So it is in the use of spiritual gifts. away even that which he hath. servant into outer darkness: there 31 How sublime the scene here dis 26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. 29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance but from him that hath not shall be taken And cast ye the unprofitable shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory and before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous played to us! the veil of futurity withdrawn! heaven itself opened! the God of heaven revealed in judg ment! Prepare, my soul, to meet Him. 40 Blessed encouragement to the exercise of Christian benevolence, which will, for Jesus' sake, be thus gloriously recompensed. Surely, more blessed is he that giveth, than he that receiveth. answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? " And the king shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. CHAPTER XXVI. JAN. 29, MAY 28, SEPT. 25. SIXTH SUNDAY IN LENT, morning. AND it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples, 2 Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, 2 Though about to suffer as man, Jesus foresees events by his divine knowledge. and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified. Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and con 4 Bad men are ashamed of their sulted that they might take own acts. Virtue acts openly. Jesus by subtilty, and kill him. But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people. Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, there came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat. But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste? for this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor. When Jesus understood it, he 13 13 How strikingly are pious offices towards the dead here sanctified. that this woman hath done, be Then one of the twelve, called 15 How surely the love of money hardens the heart! We find the disciple betray his Lord, the servant his master, the friend his benefactor for money! silver. said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me. For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always. For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial. 13 Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, told for a memorial of her. Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, and said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him. Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover? And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples. And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the passover. Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve. And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I? And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born. 25 Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? said. 26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to 25 It is strange that this detection of his design did not deter Judas from his purpose. He said unto him, Thou hast 26 As by bread the life of the body is sustained, so this broken bread well represents my crucified, or broken, body; faith in which supports the life of the soul. |