hundred fold so many several favours and blessings here, and, at last, everlasting glory and happiness.

XIX. 30. But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.

But let none of you, my disciples, presume of his forwardness and precedency of time; as if, therefore, he should outstrip all others in the favour of his remuneration: for many of those, which are now, as in the first hour, called to the profession of my Gospel, shall yet be cast behind divers others, which shall be later in time; and even those, which shall come latest in time, may be the first in dignity and glory.

XX. 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 13, 14. For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the market place, And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst thou not agree with me for a penny? Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.

As some great and careful householder, that hath hired labourers at a set rate into his vineyard; calling in other workmen at several hours, at the latter end of the day, is pleased to give an equal retribution to those that came latest into the vineyard, with those that came in first, making good his promise and agreement with the first, while he is bountiful unto the latter; cannot be challenged to have done any wrong to the first, in his liberality to the last: even so, God, the Great Master of this Earthly Family, having called some more early to the service and profession of his Name, some later, if he shall please to give a like gracious remuneration to all, cannot justly be excepted against; since, if some have cause to magnify his bounty, yet no man hath cause to complain.

XX. 21. Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left in thy kingdom.

Lord, thou knowest I am thy kinswoman, and therefore worthy to be respected of thee before a stranger: two of my sons have attended thee thus long: we are persuaded that thou, being the Messiah, shalt restore a glorious temporal kingdom to Israel grant me this favour, that these two sons

of mine may be chief Peers under thee, and may be next of honour to thy own person.

XX. 22. But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.

I know there are more hands in this suit, than thine own: thy sons have set thee on to move this. But ye know not what it is, that ye sue for: ye think of reigning, and jollity, and magnificence, but I must call back your thoughts to sadness and suffering: much sorrow must be endured by me, ere I can reign and triumph; neither is my sovereignty such as ye fondly imagine, outward and earthly. Tell me then, have ye fully digested the expectation and resolution of those crosses and afflictions which ye must undergo? can ye drink of that bitter cup, wherein I shall begin to you? can ye endure to be baptized in blood, as ye shall see me to be? They say to him; We are resolved, both that we are able, and to be willing to take part with thee, in whatsoever measure shall be offered unto thee.

XX. 23. And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to gire, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.

And he saith unto them, As ye are my disciples and followers, ye shall indeed take part with me in my sufferings: make account of smarting and bleeding for me, and with me; but as for that glory which ye sue for, know that it is mistaken: my kingdom is spiritual, and my glory is and shall be heavenly: there are indeed degrees of honour and happiness above; but I came not now to dispose of them: my Father in Heaven hath ordained and predetermined, before the foundations of the world, upon whom he will confer these celestial honours and precedency, and eminence of glory; the end and purpose of my coming is, to purchase heaven for you and the rest of my Church: as for the principal rooms and ranks of glory, there is a bold ambition and curiosity in you to move for them, and it is no part of my commission to give you satisfaction

therein.

XX. 24. And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren.

When the other ten apostles heard of this high and ambitious motion, which was made for their two fellows, the sons of Zebedee, they swelled with envy and secret indignation, to think that these two should make such earnest suit, to outstrip all the rest of their society; and every one began to compare himself with others, and to put himself forward into a competition of the like honour.

XX. 25. But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.

But Jesus called them aside and rebuked them, saying, Ye do utterly mistake the matter: ye think, belike, that it is and shall be in the governing of the Spiritual Kingdom of my Church, as it is in the temporal regiments and courts of earthly princes: ye dream of secular sovereignty and rule, each over other; but the case is quite otherwise here: here is no dominion to be exercised by any of you over the rest; as if ye were great sovereigns, and your brethren base subjects: thus it is indeed in the government of earthly princes.

XX. 26. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister.

But it shall not be so among you, my apostles and disciples: there must needs indeed be distinct orders in my Church ; neither is it possible, that there should be a mere parity without confusion: but this necessary inequality must be without a proud overliness, and insolent domineering over your brethren: all the ambition that I do allow amongst you, is, who shall be most serviceable to my Church, and most obsequious to the rest of his fellows.

XXI. 5. Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold thy king cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and the colt the foal of an ass. See Zech. ix. verse 9.

XXI. 7. And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon.

And they brought both the ass and her colt, and put their clothes upon them, and they set him upon the ass's colt thus clad, which had never been used to the yoke or carriage; and he rode thereon, in great humility and homely state, from Bethphage to Jerusalem.

XXI. 9. Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.

O Lord, do thou save, and maintain, and prosper the kingdom of this true Son of David: blessed is this true and only Messiah, which cometh unto us, in the power and authority of the God of Heaven. O God, do thou, in the highest heaven, bless and save him, and give happy success to his rule over us. XXI. 10. And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?

And when he was come into Jerusalem with this joyful acclamation of the people, all the city was full of noise and stirring; and, as he passed the street with this attendance, the multitude, seeing the train, asked, Who is this, that is followed with such confluence of people, and such loud gratulations? XXI. 12. And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast

out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold dores.

And Jesus went up, in this equipage, to the Temple of God; and did now, the second time, cast out all them that bought and sold cattle and doves, and other things useful for their sacrifices, from the courts of the holy Temple; and overthrew the tables of those moneychangers which were employed in these bargains, and the seats of them that sold turtles and pigeons for their oblations.

XXI. 13. And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieres.

And said unto them, It is written by the prophet Isaiah, My house is consecrated to holy devotion, to the use of prayer, and all other the sacred services of God; but now, well may the complaint of Jeremy be taken up: ye have made it a den of thieves, in misemploying it to your fraudulent bargains and griping transactions.

XXI. 19. And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. presently the fig tree withered away.

And

And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came purposely to seek that fruit, which he knew he should not find ripe and seasonable; that he might hence take occasion to work that exemplary miracle upon it, which ensued: for, when he found only store of leaves upon it, and no fruit, that he might in this tree shew how much he hates and will punish a formal profession, such as the Jews made, of religion, without an answerable fruitfulness, he cursed the fig tree, and said; Let that, which is thy fault, be thy punishment: thou bearest no fruit at all; whereas the nature of thy kind is ever to have one fruit under another, always some, though not ever in a full maturity: since therefore thou bearest no fruit at all, never mayest thou more bear any fruit: and, presently, the fig tree, as blasted with that word of judgment, withered.

XXI. 21. Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.

Verily I say unto you, That, which ye have seen me to do, by my Divine Power, the same shall ye do by the power of your miraculous faith: if ye can stedfastly believe, without wavering and doubts, ye shall not only be able, by your command, to remove the sap from a tree; but ye shall be able to remove the greatest mountain, by your word, out of the place wherein it is, and to cast it into the sea.

XXI. 24, 25. And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him?

The question you ask me can proceed out of nothing but a wilful cavillation: ye well see such divine power shining forth in my miracles, as may well convince you of the certainty of my mission and authority from God himself. But, since ye will needs move this doubt, I shall give you a full resolution, out of your own answer: if ye shall but tell me whence John, my forerunner, had his warrant and authority, both for his preaching and baptism; herein may ye give yourselves full satisfaction: for, if he were a holy Prophet, as ye all account of him, and served only to make way for me as his Lord and Saviour, and pointed to me as that Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world; how can ye make any scruple of receiving me, as sent from God, for the work of man's redemption?

XXI. 31. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.

Ye Priests and Elders of the people, and ye Scribes and Pharisees, are as the undertaking son, that promised well, but did nothing: Publicans and Sinners are as the refusing son, which denied to work, and yet performed it in their conversion: therefore even Publicans and Sinners shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, however now by you despised, when ye shall be excluded.

XXI. 33. There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it &c. See Isaiah v. 1.

XXI. 37. But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.

And, after that he had seen all the indignities that they had offered unto his servants the prophets, he resolved to send his Only Son Jesus unto them, whose divine miracles he well knew might justly convince them of their duty to him.

XXI. 38. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.

But when these wicked Jews saw that the Son of God was come personally amongst them, they said, Come, let us kill him, and then there shall be none to challenge the inheritance and command of us: we may then live lawlessly, without any controul.

XXI. 42. Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the