was a great way off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee; I am not now worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth quickly the first robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his finger, and shoes on his feet, and bring hither the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and be merry: for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and drew nigh to the house he heard music and dancing; and he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant; and he said to him, Thy brother is come, and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe. And he was angry, and would not go in. His father therefore came out and began to entreat him; and he answering said to his father, Behold, for so many years do I serve thee, and I have never transgressed thy commandment; and yet thou hast never given me a kid to make merry with my friends; but as soon as this thy son is come, who hath devoured his substance with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. But he said to him, Son, thou art always with me, and all I have is thine. But it was fit that we should make merry and be glad; for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.

SECT. LXXXVI. JESUS ADDS THE PARABLES OF THE UNJUST STEWARD AND OF THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS, AND SPEAKS TO HIS DISCIPLES ON SCANDALS.

And he said also to his disciples, There was a certain rich man who had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods.

And he called him, and said to him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for now thou canst be steward no longer. And the steward said within himself, What shall I do, because my lord taketh away from me the stewardship? To dig I am not able; to beg I am ashamed. I know what I will do, that when I shall be removed from the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.

Therefore calling together everyone of his lord's debtors, he said to the first, How much dost thou owe my lord? but he said, An hundred barrels of oil. And he said to him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty. Then he said to another, And how much dost thou owe? and he said, An hundred quarters of wheat. He said to him, Take thy bill, and write eighty. And the lord commended the unjust steward, inasmuch as he had done wisely; for the children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light.

And I say to you, Make unto you friends of the mammon of iniquity; that when ye shall fail, they may receive you into everlasting dwellings. He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in that which is greater, and he that is unjust in that which is little is unjust also in that which is greater. If then ye have not been faithful in the unjust mammon, who will intrust you with the true riches? and ye have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to the one and despise the other: ye cannot serve God and

if

mammon.

Now the Pharisees, who were covetous, heard all these things; and they derided him. And he said to them, Ye are they who justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is an abomination before God.

There was a certain rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen, and feasted sumptuously every day. And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, who lay at his gate, full of sores, desiring to be filled with the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table, and no one did give him; moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. And the rich man also died, and he was buried in hell; and lifting up his eyes when he was in torments, he saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water to cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. And Abraham said to him, Son, remember that thou didst receive good things in thy lifetime, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And besides all this, between us and you there is fixed a great gulf; so that they who would pass from hence to you cannot, nor from thence come hither.

And

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And he said, Then, father, I beseech thee that thou wouldst send him to my father's house; for I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torments. Abraham said to him, They have Moses and the phets; let them hear them. But he said, Nay, father Abraham, but if one went to them from the dead they will do penance. And he said to him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they believe if one rise again from the dead.

And he said to his disciples, It is impossible that scandals should not come; but woe to him through whom they come. It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he be cast into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble. Take heed to yourselves. If thy bro ther sin against thee, reprove him; and if he repent,

forgive him. And if he sin against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day, be converted unto thee, saying, I repent, forgive him.

And the Apostles said to the Lord, Increase our faith. And the Lord said, If ye had faith like to a grain of mustard-seed, ye might say to this mulberrytree, Be thou rooted up, and be thou transplanted into the sea; and it would obey you.

But which of you having a servant ploughing or feeding cattle will say to him, when he is come from the field, Go at once and sit down to meat; and will not rather say to him, Make ready my supper, and gird thyself, and serve me whilst I eat and drink, and afterwards thou shalt eat and drink? Doth he thank that servant for doing the things which he commanded him? I think not. So ye also, when ye shall have done all these things that are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants; we have done that which it was our duty to do.

SECT. LXXXVII. JESUS LEAVES PEREA TO GO AGAIN TO BETHANY, WHERE HE RAISES LAZARUS.

Now there was a certain man sick named Lazarus, of Bethania, of the town of Mary and of Martha her sister. (And Mary was she that anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) His sisters therefore sent to him, saying, Lord, behold he whom thou lovest is sick. And Jesus hearing it said to them, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified by it. Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister Mary, and Lazarus. When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he still remained in the same place two days. Then after that, he said to his disciples, Let us go into Judea again.

The disciples say to him, Rabbi, the Jews of late sought to stone thee, and goest thou thither again?

Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If a man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world; but if he walk in the night, he stumbleth, because the light is not in him.

These things he said; and after that he said to them, Lazarus our friend sleepeth; but I go that I may awake him out of sleep.

His disciples therefore said, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. But Jesus spake of his death, and they thought he spake of the repose of sleep.

Then therefore Jesus said to them plainly, Lazarus is dead; and I am glad for your sake that I was not there, that ye may believe. But let us go to him. Then Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow-disciples, Let us go also, that we may die with

him.

So Jesus came, and found that he had been four days already in the grave.

Now Bethania was near Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off. And many of the Jews were come to Martha and Mary to comfort them concerning their brother. Martha therefore, as soon as she heard that Jesus was come, went to meet him; but Mary sat at home.

And Martha said to Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died; but now also I know that whatever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.

Bethany.

Jesus saith to her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith to him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.

Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in me, although he be dead, shall live; and everyone that liveth, and believeth in me, shall never die. Believest thou this?