and be presented as the first-fruits of Christ unto God, having faith, and obtained a good hope of glory in him before he manifesteth himself in the flesh.

4. And now, beloved, marvel not that I tell you these things; for why not speak of the atonement of Christ, and attain to a perfect knowledge of him, as to attain to the knowledge of a resurrection and the world to come? Behold, my brethren, he that prophesieth, let him prophesy to the understanding of men; for the Spirit speaketh the truth and lieth not. Wherefore, it speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be; wherefore, these things are manifested unto us plainly, for the salvation of our souls. But behold, we are not witnesses alone in these things; for God also spake them unto prophets of old.

5. But behold, the Jews were a stiffnecked people; and they despised the words of plainness, and killed the prophets, and sought for things that they could not understand. Wherefore, because of their blindness, which blindness came by looking beyond the mark, they must needs fall: for God hath taken away his plainness from them, and delivered unto them many things which they cannot understand, because they desired it. And because they desired it, God hath done it, that they may stumble.

6. And now I, Jacob, am led on by the Spirit unto prophesying: for I perceive by the workings of the Spirit which is in me, that by the stumbling of the Jews, they will reject the stone upon which they might build, and have safe foundation. But behold, according to the scriptures, this stone shall become the great, and the last, and the only sure foundation, upon which the Jews can build. And now, my beloved, how is it possible that these, after having rejected the sure foundation, can ever build upon it, that it may become the head of their corner? Behold, my beloved brethren, I will unfold this mystery unto you; if I do not, by any means, get shaken from my firmness in the Spirit, and stumble because of my over anxiety for you.

7. Behold, my brethren, do ye not remember to have read the words of the prophet Zenos, which spake unto the house of Israel, saying; hearken, O ye house of Israel, and hear the words of me, a prophet of the Lord; for behold, thus saith the Lord, I will liken thee, O house of Israel, like unto a tame olive tree, which a man took and nourished in his vineyard; and it grew, and waxed old, and began to decay. And it came pass that the master of the vineyard went forth, and he saw that his olive tree began to decay; and he said, I will prune

to

it, and dig about it, and nourish it, that perhaps it may shoot forth young and tender branches, and it perish'not. And it came to pass that he pruned it, and digged about it, and nourished it according to his word. And it came to pass that after many days, it began to put forth somewhat a little, young and tender branches; but behold, the main top thereof began to perish. And it came to pass that the master of the vineyard saw it, and he said unto his servant, it grieveth me that I should lose this tree; wherefore, go and pluck the branches from a wild olive tree, and bring them hither unto me; and we will pluck off those main branches which are beginning to wither away, and we will cast them into the fire, that they may be burned. And behold, saith the Lord of the vineyard, I take away many of these young and tender branches, and ĺ will graft them whithersoever I will; and it mattereth not that if it so be, that the root of this tree will perish, I may preserve the fruit thereof unto myself; wherefore, I will take these young and tender branches, and I will graft them whithersoever I will. Take thou the branches of the wild olive tree, and graft them in, in the stead thereof; and these which I have plucked off, I will cast into the fire, and burn them, that they may not cumber the ground of my vineyard.

8. And it came to pass that the servant of the Lord of the vineyard, did according to the word of the Lord of the vineyard, and grafted in the branches of the wild olive tree. And the Lord of the vineyard caused that it should be digged about, and pruned, and nourished, saying unto his servant, it grieveth me that I should lose this tree; wherefore, that perhaps I might preserve the roots thereof that they perish not, that I might preserve them unto myself, I have done this thing. Wherefore, go thy way; watch the tree, and nourish it, according to my words. And these will I place in the nethermost part of my vineyard, whithersoever I will, it mattereth not unto thee; and I do it that I might preserve unto myself the natural branches of the tree; and also, that I may lay up fruit thereof, against the season, unto myself: for it grieveth me that I should lose this tree and the fruit thereof.

9. And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard went his way, and hid the natural branches of the tame olive tree in the nethermost parts of the vineyard; some in one, and some in another, according to his will and pleasure. And it came to pass that a long time passed away, and the Lord of the vineyard said unto his servant, come, let us go down into the vineyard, that we may labor in the vineyard.

10. And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard, and

also the servant, went down into the vineyard to labor. And it came to pass that the servant said unto his master, behold, look here; behold the tree. And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard looked and beheld the tree, in the which the wild olive branches had been grafted; and it had sprang forth and began to bear fruit. And he beheld that it was good; and the fruit thereof was like unto the natural fruit. And he said unto the servant, behold, the branches of the wild tree hath taken hold of the moisture of the root thereof, that the root thereof hath brought forth much strength; and because of the much strength of the root thereof, the wild branches have brought forth tame fruit: now, if we had not grafted in these branches, the tree thereof would have perished. And now, behold, I shall lay up much fruit, which the tree thereof hath brought forth; and the fruit thereof I shall lay up, against the season, unto mine own self.

11. And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard said unto the servant, come, let us go to the nethermost part of the vineyard, and behold if the natural branches of the tree hath not brought forth much fruit also, that I may lay up of the fruit thereof, against the season, unto mine own self. And it came to pass that they went forth whither the master had hid the natural branches of the tree, and he said unto the servant, behold these: and he beheld the first, that it had brought forth much fruit; and he beheld also, that it was good. And he said unto the servant, take of the fruit thereof, and lay it up, against the season, that I may preserve it unto mine own self; for behold, said he, this long time have I nourished it, and it hath brought forth much fruit.

12. And it came to pass that the servant said unto his master, how comest thou hither to plant this tree, or this branch of the tree? for behold, it was the poorest spot in all the land of thy vineyard. And the Lord of the vineyard said unto him, counsel me not: I knew that it was a poor spot of ground; wherefore, I said unto thee, I have nourished it this long time, and thou beholdest that it hath brought forth much fruit.

13. And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard said unto his servant, look hither; behold I have planted another branch of the tree also; and thou knowest that this spot of ground was poorer than the first. But, behold the tree: I have nourished it this long time, and it hath brought forth much fruit; therefore, gather it, and lay it up, against the season, that I may preserve it unto mine own self.

14. And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard said again unto his servant, look hither, and behold another branch also,

which I have planted: behold that I have nourished it also, and it hath brought forth fruit. And he said unto the servant, look hither and behold the last: behold, this have I planted in a good spot of ground; and I have nourished it this long time, and only a part of the tree hath brought forth tame fruit; and the other part of the tree hath brought forth wild fruit; behold, I have nourished this tree like unto the others.

15. And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard said unto the servant, pluck off the branches that have not brought forth good fruit, and cast them into the fire. But behold, the servant said unto him, let us prune it, and dig about it, and nourish it a little longer, that perhaps it may bring forth good fruit unto thee, that thou canst lay it up against the season. And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard, and the servant of the Lord of the vineyard, did nourish all the fruit of the vineyard.

16. And it came to pass that a long time had passed away, and the Lord of the vineyard said unto his servant, come, let us go down into the vineyard, that we may labor again in the vineyard. For behold, the time draweth near, and the end soon cometh; wherefore, I must lay up fruit, against the season, unto mine own self.

17. And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard, and the servant, went down into the vineyard: and they came to the tree whose natural branches had been broken off, and the wild branches had been grafted in: and behold all sorts of fruit did cumber the tree.

18. And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard did taste of the fruit, every sort according to its number. And the Lord of the vineyard said, behold this long time have we nourished this tree, and I have laid up unto myself against the season, much fruit. But behold, this time it hath brought forth much fruit, and there is none of it which is good. And behold there are all kinds of bad fruit; and it profiteth me nothing, notwithstanding all our labor: and now it grieveth me that I should lose this tree. And the Lord of the vineyard said unto the servant, what shall we do unto the tree, that I may preserve again good fruit thereof unto mine own self? And the servant said unto his master, behold, because thou didst graft in the branches of the wild olive tree, they have nourished the roots that they are alive, and they have not perished; wherefore thou beholdest that they are yet good.

19. And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard said unto his servant, the tree profiteth me nothing; and the roots

thereof profiteth me nothing, so long as it shall bring forth evil fruit. Nevertheless I know that the roots are good; and for mine own purpose I have preserved them; and because of their much strength, they have hitherto brought forth from the wild branches, good fruit. But behold, the wild branches have grown, and have overran the roots thereof; and because that the wild branches have overcome the roots thereof, it hath brought forth much evil fruit; and because that it hath brought forth so much evil fruit, thou beholdest that it beginneth to perish: and it will soon become ripened, that it may be cast into the fire, except we should do something for it to preserve it.

20. And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard said unto his servant, let us go down into the nethermost parts of the vineyard, and behold if the natural branches have also brought forth evil fruit. And it came to pass that they went down into the nethermost parts of the vineyard. And it came to pass that they beheld that the fruit of the natural branches had become corrupt also; yea, the first, and the second, and also the last; and they had all become corrupt. And the wild fruit of the last had overcome that part of the tree which brought forth good fruit, even that the branch had withered away and died.

21. And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard wept, and said unto the servant, what could I have done more for my vineyard? Behold, I knew that all the fruit of the vineyard, save it were these, had become corrupted. And now these which have once brought forth good fruit, have also become corrupted; and now all the trees of my vineyard are good for nothing, save it be to be hewn down and cast into the fire. And behold this last, whose branch hath withered away, I did plant in a good spot of ground; yea even that which was choice unto me, above all other parts of the land of my vineyard. And thou beheldest that I also cut down that which cumbered this spot of ground, that I might plant this tree in the stead thereof; and thou beheldest that a part thereof brought forth good fruit, and a part thereof brought forth wild fruit; and because that I plucked not the branches thereof, and cast them into the fire, behold they have overcome the good branch that it hath withered away. And now, behold, notwithstanding all the care which we have taken of my vineyard, the trees thereof hath become corrupted, that they bring forth no good fruit; and these I had hoped to preserve, to have laid up fruit thereof against the season, unto mine own self. But, behold, they have become like unto