lepers, who stood afar off:* and they lifted up their voices, saying, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said to them, Go shew yourselves to the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they were on their way, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back with a loud voice glorifying God; and fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, were not the ten cleansed ? but where are the nine ?‡

There are none found returning to give glory to God, except this stranger. And he said to him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

And being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: § Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, Lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. And he said to the disciples, The days will come when ye will desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it. And they will say to you, See here; or, See

* As lepers could have no society but with one another, both Jews and Samaritans who were thus afflicted, conversed together without any regard to national distinctions and antipathies but others took care to avoid them, and therefore they "stood afar off.”

The priests were the appointed judges respecting leprosy. A leprous person was obliged to live apart, and was not permitted to be present at the public worship of God. Jesus therefore directed these lepers, when they were cleansed, to shew themselves to the priests, that they might receive the appointed attestation to the reality of the miracle, and that they might be restored to their privileges.

He asks this question as if in astonishment at the ingratitude of his countrymen, whilst the despised and hated Samaritan humbly and gratefully owned the good work wrought upon him.

§ Or, with outward show.

there:* go not after, nor follow them. For as the lightning, flashing out of the one part under heaven, shines to the other part under heaven; so shall the Son of man be in his day. But first he must suffer many things, and be rejected by this generation.

And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Thus it will be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. In that day, whoever shall be upon the roof, and his goods in the house,+ let him not come down to take them away: and he that is in the field, let him in like manner not return back. Remember Lot's wife. Whosoever will seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever will lose his life shall preserve it. I tell you that there shall be in that night two

* That is, be not induced to follow any pretended Messiah, but be attentive to the tokens which I give you of my coming, which can no more be mistaken than the lightning which illuminates the whole firmament.

+"Let him not come down," &c. but hastily escape.

Our Lord in compassion to such persons as were in danger of slighting his advice from a wish to stop and secure their worldly substance, reminds them of the fate of Lot's wife, who, casting a longing look behind her on sinful Sodom, and perhaps, lingering in its vicinity, was changed into a pillar of salt.

§ Whether we take this passage to relate to the destruction of Jerusalem, or to the dissolution of the world, Christ assures us that in times of distress, God will distinguish between the righteous and the wicked.

men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken and the other left. And they answered and said to him, Where, Lord? But he said to them, Wherever the body shall be, thither shall the eagles be gathered together.*

And he spoke a parable to them to this end, that men ought always to pray and not to faint; saying: There was in a certain city a judge, neither fearing God, nor regarding man: and there was a widow in that city; and she came to him saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterwards he said within himself, Though I fear not God nor regard man; yet, because this widow is troublesome to me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God execute judgment for his elect, who cry day and night unto him, although he delay with them? I tell you that he will execute judgment for them speedily. Yet when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on earth?

And he spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were just, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a Publican. The Pharisee standing by himself prayed thus: God I thank thee that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this Publican: I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the Publican, standing afar off, would not so much as lift up his

*This is a proverb intimating that Jerusalem was the carcase, which the Roman armies, whose ensign was an eagle, would soon find out and prey upon.

eyes toward heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, This man went down to his house justified* rather than the other; for every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

And they brought unto him also infants, that he might lay his hand on them: but the disciples seeing it, rebuked them. But Jesus calling them to him said,+ Suffer little children to come to me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say to you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, shall by no means enter into it.

And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to obtain eternal life? And Jesus said to him, Why callest thou me good? none is good but one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. And he said, All these I have kept from my youth. But Jesus hearing this, said to him, Yet one thing is wanting to thee sell all that thou hast, and distribute to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven and come, follow me. But he hearing this, became very sorrowful: for he was very rich. But Jesus, seeing that he was very sorrowful, said, With what difficulty shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! for it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for

*"Justified," that is, regarded as just or righteous, his sins being pardoned.

This passage very appropriately follows the parable of the Pharisee and Publican, further showing that no one who does not receive the truth, with the teachableness, meekness, and simplicity of a child, shall enjoy its blessings.

a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved? And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God. Then Peter said, Behold, we have left all and followed thee. And he said to them, Verily I say to you, there is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, who shall not receive much more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.

Then taking unto him the twelve, he said to them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and shamefully treated, and spit upon : and they having scourged him will put him to death and the third day he shall rise again. And they understood none of these things:† and this saying was hidden from them, and they knew not the things which were said.

And it came to pass, that, as he drew nigh to Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the wayside begging: and hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what this meant. And they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. And they that went before rebuked him, that he might be silent: but he cried so much

* It is impossible for any one by his own strength, totally to subdue his worldly affections for the sake of the invisible future blessings of heaven, but nothing is impossible with God, whose grace, accompanying his gospel, works effec tually in them that believe, whether high or low, rich or poor.

† Our Saviour had often forewarned his disciples of his sufferings, but their thoughts were so filled with notions of worldly greatness, that they understood not these things.