ON
ON THE MOUNT.

MATTHEW, CHAP. V.

AND Jesus, seeing the multitudes, ascended
Up to a mount, where sitting, and attended
By his disciples, he began to preach;
And on this manner following did them teach:
Blessed are all such as are poor in spirit,
For they the heavenly kingdom do inherit.
Blessed are they that mourn; for in the stead
Thereof shall comfort be administered.
Blessed are they, whose meekness doth excel:
For on the earth their portion is to dwell.
Blessed are they, who after righteousness
Hunger and thirst; for they shall it possess.
Blessed are they, for they shall mercy find,
Who to do mercifully are inclin'd.
Blessed are all such as are pure in heart;
For God his presence shall to them impart.
Blessed are they that do make peace; for why?
They shall be call'd the sons of the Most High.
Blessed are they which suffer for the sake
Of righteousness: for they of heav'n partake.
Blessed are ye, when men shall falsely speak
All kind of ill against you for my sake,
And shall revile, and persecute you sore;
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad therefor:
For your reward in heav'n will be great:
For thus of old they did the prophets treat.
Ye are the salt o' th' earth; but wherewith must
The earth be season'd when the savour's lost?
It is from thenceforth good for nothing, but
To be cast out, and trodd'n under foot.
Ye are the light o' th' world; a city set
Upon a hill cannot be hid; nor yet
Do men a candle with a bushel cover,
But set it where it lights the whole house over.
So shine your light, your good works seen
thereby

Men may your heavenly Father glorify.
Think not that to destroy the law I came,
Or prophets; no, but to fulfil the same.
For till the heav'n and earth shall pass away,
One jot or tittle from the law, I say,
Shall never pass till all shall be complete.
Whoso therefore presumes to violate

One of these least commands, and teacheth so,
Shall in God's kingdom be accounted low.
But he that doth, and teacheth them likewise,
Shall in God's kingdom have great dignities.
For I declare unto you, that unless

You shall exceed the scribe and Pharisees
In righteousness; you shall on no condition,
Into the heavenly kingdom gain admission.
Ye've heard 'twas said of old, "Thou shalt not
kill:"

And he incurs the judgment who shall spill
His brother's blood: but I to you declare,
That he that's wroth without a cause, shall
bear

The judgment. Likewise of the council he
That sayethracha' shall in danger be.
But whosoe'er shall say, Thou fool, the same
Shall be in danger of eternal flame.
When therefore to the altar thou dost bring
Thy gift, and there rememb'rest anything
Thy brother hast against thee: leave it there
Before the altar, and come thou not near
Till thou hast first made reconciliation,
Then may'st thou come and offer thine obla
tion.

Make an agreement with thine adversary
Whilst thou art in the way, and do not tarry:
Lest he at any time deliver thee
Unto the judge, and by the judge thou be
Unto the officer forthwith resign'd,
And in imprisonment thou be confin'd;
I do affirm thou shalt not be enlarg'd,
Till thou the utmost farthing hast discharg'd.
Ye've heard that they of old did testify,
That men should not commit adultery:
But I pronounce him an adulterer,

Who views a woman to lust after her.
And if thy right eye shall offensive be,
Pluck thou it out and cast the same from
thee;

For it is better lose one, than that all
Thy members should into hell torments fall.
And if thy right hand doth offend, cut off it,
And cast it from thee, for it will thee profit

Much rather that one of thy members fell, Than that they should be all condemned to hell.

It hath been said, whoso away shall force
His wife, shall give her a bill of divorce:
But whosoe'er shall put his wife away,
Except for fornication's sake, I say,

Makes her adult'ress, and who marries her
So put away, is an adulterer.

Again: Ye've heard, Thou shalt not be for

sworn,

Was ancient doctrine, but thou shalt perform
Unto the Lord thine oaths: But I declare,
That thou shalt not at all presume to swear;
Neither by heaven, for it is God's throne;
Nor by the earth, for his foot stands thereon:
Neither swear by Jerusalem, for why?
It is the city of the King Most High:

Nor swear thou by thine head, for thou canst make

No hair thereof to be or white or black:
But let yea, yea; nay, nay, in speech suffice,
For what is more from evil doth arise.
Ye've heard, it hath been said, Eye for an eye,
And tooth for tooth: But I do testify,
That you shall not resist; but let him smite
Thy left cheek also, who assaults thy right.
And if that any by a lawsuit shall

Demand thy coat, let them have cloak and all.

And whosoe'er compelleth thee to go

A mile, refuse not to go with him two.
Give him that asketh, and from him that may
Have need to borrow, turn not thou away.
Ye've heard, 'twas said, That thou shalt love
thy friend

And hate thy foe: But let your love extend
Unto your enemies: thus I declare,

Bless them that curse, do good to them that bear

Ill-will, and for your persecutors pray,

And them that do reproach you; that you

may

Be children of your Father that's in heaven;
For he on good and bad alike hath given
His sun to rise, and in like manner doth
Send rain upon the just and unjust both.
For what is your reward, if you love them
That love you? Do not publicans the same?
And if your brethren only you salute,
What more than they do ye? They also do't.
I will therefore that you be perfect, ev'n
As is your Father perfect that's in heaven.

These lines, and those on the next page, 'The aye's the light o' th' body,' remind one of Bunyan's style in his Apology for the Pilgrim's Progress

CHAP. VI.

Take heed you do not your alms-deeds bestow
Before men, purposely to make a show;
For then there will no recompense be given
Unto you of your Father that's in heaven:
With sound of trumpet do not thou therefore
Proclaim what thou art giving to the poor;
As is the manner of the hypocrites

To do i' th' synagogues, and in the streets;*
That men may give them praises. Verily
They have their recompense, I testify.

But when thou dost alms, let thy left hand know
Not what thy right hand is about to do:
That giving secretly, thy Father may,
Who sees in secret, openly repay.

And when thou pray'st be not as hypocrites;
For they love in the corners of the streets,
And in the synagogues to stand and pray,
There to be seen: they've their reward, I say.
But thou, when thou dost make thy pray'r, go
thee

Into thy closet, shut thy door unto thee,
And there in secret to thy Father cry,
Who seeing thee shall reward thee openly.
But when ye pray use not vain repetitions,
As heathens do, for they think their petitions
Prevail; when they the same do multiply:
Be ye not like to them therefore; for why?
Your Father knows what things you need be
fore

You ask him, on this wise pray ye therefore:

Our Father which art in heav'n, thy name

alone

Be hallowed. Thy glorious kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth as 'tis in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread. And ev'n
As we remit our debtors, grant remission
To us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But from all evil do thou us deliver;
For th' kingdom, power and glory's thire
for ever.
Amen.

For if you do forgive men that offend,
Your heavenly Father will to you extend
Forgiveness; but if not, nor will he spare,
At any time when you offenders are.
Moreover, when you fast beware lest you
Look sad, as hypocrites are wont to do;
For they disguise their faces, that they may
Appear to fast: they've their reward, I say.
But thou, when thou dost fast, anoint thine
head

And wash thy face, that undiscovered

"Dost thou love picking meat? Or would'st thou see A man i' th' clouds, and hear him speak to thee ?"-ED

Thy fasting may be unto men, but rather
That thou be seen in secret of thy Father:
And then thy Father, who in secresy
Beholds thee, shall reward thee openly.

Lay not up treasure for yourselves in store
Upon the earth, where moth and rust devour,

The morrow shall things for itself prepare: Sufficient to the day is each day's care.

CHAP. VII.

reaven.

But lay up treasure for yourselves in heaven, Where neither moth, nor rust, nor thieves can enter:

For where's your treasure there your hearts

will centre.

The eye's the light o' th' body, which if right
Then thy whole body will be full of light:
But if thine eye be evil, then there will
A total darkness thy whole body fill.
If therefore all the light that is in thee

Be darkness, how great must that darkness be?

No man can serve two masters, either he
Will hate one, and love t'other, or will be
Faithful to one, and t'other will forego.
Ye cannot serve both God and mammon too.
Take no thought therefore for your life, I say,
What you shall eat or drink; or how you may
Your bodies clothe. Is not the life much more
Than meat; Is not the body far before
The clothes thereof? Behold the fowls o' th'
air,

Nor sow nor reap, nor take they any care
How they provision into barns may gather;
Yet they are nourish'd by your heavenly
Father:

By taking thought add to his height one span?
And why for raiment are ye taking thought?
See how the lilies grow; they labour not,
Nor do they spin; yet Solomon, I say,
In all his pomp, had no such gay array.
If in the field God so doth clothe the grass,
Which is to-day, and doth to-morrow pass
Into the oven, shall he not therefore,

O ye of little faith, clothe you much more? Take no thought therefore, saying, What shall we eat,

Or drink, or where shall we our raiment get: (For thus the heathen people used to do;) For that you need them doth your Father know.

But seek God's kingdom, and his righteousness First, and then all these things you shall pos

sess.

Be not then exercis'd with care and sorrow, In making preparation for the morrow;

even

As you pass judgment, judgment shall be giv'n:

And with such measure as you mete to men,
It shall be measured unto you again.
And why dost thou take notice of the mote
That's in thy brother's eye; but dost not note
The beam that's in thine own? How wilt thou
say

Unto thy brother, Let me take away

The mote that's in thine eye, when yet 'tis plain

The beam that's in thine own doth still remain?

First cast away the beam, thou hypocrite,
From thine own eye, so shall thy clearer sight
The better be enabled to descry,
And pluck the mote out of thy brother's eye.
Give not to dogs the things that are divine,
Neither cast ye your pearls before the swine
Lest that they should their feet them trample
under,

And turn upon you, and rend you asunder. Ask, and obtain; seek, and ye shall find, do ye

Knock, and it shall be opened unto ye:
For he that seeks, shall find; that asks, ob-
tain,

And he that knocks, shall an admittance gain.
Or what man is there of you, if his son
Shall ask him bread, will he give him a stone?
Or if he ask a fish, will he bestow
A serpent? If then ye being evil know
To give your children good gifts, how much
rather

To them that ask him shall your heav'nly
Father!

Then what you would men should to you, so do

To them for that's the law and prophets too.
Enter in at the strait gate, for the road
That doth unto destruction lead, is broad;
And wide the gate; and many there be that
Enter therein because strait is the gate,
And narrow is the way that is inclin'd
To life, and which there are but few that fir.d.
False prophets shun, who in sheep's clothes

appear,

But inwardly devouring wolves they are:

Ye by their fruits shall know them. Do men either

Pluck grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles gather?

Even so each good tree good fruit will produce;

But a corrupt tree fruit unfit for use:

A good tree cannot bring forth evil food,
Nor can an evil tree bear fruit that's good:
Each tree that bears not good fruit's hewn
down

And burnt, thus by their fruits they shall be known.

Not every one that saith, Lord, Lord, but he
That doth my heav'nly Father's will shall be
An heir of heaven: many in that day
Will call, Lord, Lord, and thus to me will say:
Have we not prophesied in thy name?
Cast devils out, done wonders in the same?
And then will I profess I know you not;
Depart from me, ye that have evil wrought.

Whoso therefore these sayings of mine doth hear,

And doth them, to a wise man I'll compare,
The which upon a rock his building founded,
The rain descended and the floods surrounded,
The winds arose, and gave it many a shock,
And it fell not, being founded on a rock.
And ev'ry one that hears these sayings of
mine,

And not to do them doth his heart incline,
Unto a foolish man shall be compar'd;
Who his foundation on the sand prepar'd:
The rain descended and the floods were great.
The winds did blow, and vehemently beat
Against that house; and down the building

came,

And mighty was the downfall of the same.
And now when Jesus thus had finished
His sayings, the people were astonished
Thereat for not as do the scribes taught he
Them, but as one that had authority.