The Calling Of Andrew And Peter
1. NOW Herod (the tetrarch) being reproved by John (the Baptist) for Herodias (his brother Philip’s wife) and for all the evils which he had done, added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison.
2. And Iesus began to preach, and to say,
Penitence; for the Kingdom (of Heaven) is at hand.
And as he was walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon (called Peter) and Andrew (his brother) casting a net in the sea; for they were fishers. And he saith unto them,
Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
And they straightway forsook their nets, and followed him.
3. And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James (the son of Zebedee) and John (his brother) in a ship with Zebedee (their father) mending their nets; and he called them. And they immediately left their nets, and the ship, and their father, and followed him.
4. And Iesus went about all Galilee, teaching in, their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the Kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. And the fame (of his miracles) went throughout all Syria, and they brought unto him many sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy, and he healed them.
5. And there followed him great multitudes (of people) from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judea, and from beyond Jordan.
The Teaching of Cruelty in Animals
6. AND as Iesus was going with some of his disciples he met with a certain man who trained dogs to hunt other creatures. And he said to the man,
Why doest thou thus?
and the man said,
By this I live and what profit is there to any in these creatures? These creatures are weak, but the dogs they are strong.
And Iesus said,
Thou lackest wisdom and love. Lo, every creature which God hath made hath its end, and purpose, and who can say what good is there in it? Or what profit to thyself, or mankind?
7. And, for thy living, behold the fields yielding their increase, and the fruit-bearing trees and the herbs; what needest thou more than these which honest work (of thy hands) will not give to thee? Woe to the strong who misuse their strength, Woe to the hunters for they shall be hunted.
8. And the man marvelled, and left off training the dogs to hunt, and taught them to save life rather than destroy, And he learned (of the doctrines) of Iesus and became his disciple.
The Two Rich Men
9 AND behold there came to him two rich men, and one said,
Good Master.
But he said,
Call me not good, for One alone is the All good, and that is God.
10. And the other said to him,
Master, what good thing shall I do and live?
Iesus said,
Perform the Law and the prophets.
He answered,
I have performed them.
Iesus answered,
Go, sell all thou hast and divide with the poor, and follow me.
But this saying pleased him not.
11. And the Lord said unto him,
How sayest thou that thou hast performed the Law and the prophets? Behold many of thy brethren are clad with filthy rags, dying from hunger and thy house is full of much goods, and there goeth from it nought unto them.
12. And he said unto Simon,
It is hard for the rich to enter the Kingdom (of Heaven), for the rich care for themselves, and despise them that have not.
LECTION 14. 4. -Miracles are not violations of the laws of nature, but rather suspensions of lower by higher laws- wonders wrought by using wisely the subtle forces of nature, (whether by seen or unseen agencies) unknown to the science of the day, and in advance of the knowledge of the people. Many are the spiritual agencies, the knowledge of which we are now recovering, but which have existed and acted all through the ages. Occult phenomena also appear to have been used by religious teachers in all ages in the East, to attract the attention of the listless and thoughtless, and having roused and secured their interest, to teach them spiritual truths or give them higher revelations; just as in the West. in modern times, they Bound a bell, or sing an " invitatory" or a hymn to "call the people."