to be baptized with. and how am I straitened till it 51 be accomplished! + Suppofe ye that I am come to give

peace upon earth? I tell you, Nay, but rather divifion. 52 For from henceforth there fhall be five in one house 53 divided, three against two, and two against three. The father fhall be divided against the fon, and the fon against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother-inlaw against her daughter-in-law, and the daughter-inlaw against her mother-in-law. 54 + And he faid to the people alfo, When ye fee a cloud rifing out of the weft, ftraightway ye fay, there 55 cometh a heavy shower, and so it is. And when ye find the fouth-wind blowing, ye fay, There will be 56 fultry heat; and it is fo. Ye hypocrites, ye know to

difcern the face of the earth and of the sky: how do 57 ye not difcern this feafon? Yea, and why even of your 58 felves judge ye not what is right? When thou art going with thine adverfary to the magiftrate, give diligence in the way to be delivered from him, left he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the 59 officer, and the officer caft thee into prison. I tell before I can fet up my kingdom. And how I long to fight my way through alli

V. 51. Suppofe ye that I am come to fend peace upon earth? That univerfal peace will be the immediate effect of my coming? Not fo, but quite the contrary.

V. 52. There fhall be five in one houfe, three against two, and two against three-There being an irreconcileable enmity between the spirit of Chrift and the spirit of the world.

At this

V. 53. The father against the fon-For thofe who reject me, will be implacable toward their very neareit relations who receive me. day alfo is this fcripture fulfilled. Now likewife there is no concord between Chrift and Belial.

V. 54. And he faid to the people alfa-In the preceding verfes, he fpeaks only to his difciples. From the weft-In Judea, the Weft-wind, blowing from the fea, ufually brought rain: the South-wind, blowing from the deferts of Arabia, occafioned fultry heat.

V. 56. How do ye not difcern this feafon Of the Meffiah's coming, diftinguifhable by fo many furer figns.

・V. 57. Why even of yourfelves, without any external sign, judge ye hot what is right?-Why do ye not difcern and acknowledge the intrinfic excellence of my doctrine?

V. 58. When thou art going--As if he had faid, and ye have not a moment to lofe. For the executioners of God's vengeance are at hand. And when he hath once delivered you over to them, ye are undone for ever.

V. 59. Amite was about the third part of our farthing.

+ Mark x. 34. * Mat. xvi. 2. + Mat. v. 25

V. 1. The

thee, thou shalt in no wise come out thence, till thou haft paid the last mite.

XIII. And there were prefent at that season, some that told him of the Galileans, whofe blood Pilate had 2 mingled with their facrifices. And Jefus answering faid to them, Suppose ye that thefe Galileans were finners above all the Galileans, because they suffered 3 fuch things? I tell you, Nay; but except ye repent, 4 ye fhall all likewife perifh. Or thofe eighteen, on whom the tower in Siloam fell and flew them, fuppofe ye, that they were finners above all men that dwelt at 5 Jerufalem? I tell you, Nay; but except ye repent, ye 6 fhall all likewife perish. He fpake alfo this parable, A man had a fig-tree || planted in his vineyard; and he came feeking fruit thereon, and found none. Then faid he to the keeper of the vineyard, Behold three years I come fecking fruit from this fig-tree, and find none; cut it down: why doth it alio cumber the 8 ground? And he answering faid to him, Lord, let it alone this year alfo, till I fhall dig about it and dung it. 9 Perhaps it may bear fruit: but if not, after that thou fhalt cut it down.

7

10

And he was teaching in one of the fynagogues on 11 the fabbath. And behold, there was a woman who

V. 1. The Galileans, whofe blood Pilate had mingled with their facri fices-Some of the followers of Judas Gaulonites, They abfolutely refu fed to own the Roman authority. Pilate surrounded and flew them, while they were worshipping in the temple, at a public feast.

V. 3. Ye shall all likewife perifh-All ye of Galilee and of Jerufalem fhall perish in the very fame manner. So the Greek word implies. And to they did. There was a remarkable refemblance between the fate of thefe Galileans, and of the main body of the Jewish nation: The flower of which was flain at Jerufalem, by the Roman fword, while they were affembled at one of their great feltivals. And many thousands of them perished in the temple itfclf, and were literally buried under its ruins.

V. 6. A man had a fig-tree-Either we may understand God the father by him that had the vineyard, and Chrift by him that kept it; or Chrift himfelf is he that hath it, and his minifters they that keep it.

V. 7. Three years-Chrift was then in the third year of his ministry. But it may mean only, feveral years; a certain number being put for an uncertain. Why doth it also cumber the ground?—That is, not only bear no fruit itself, but take up the ground of another tree that would.

V. 11. She was bowed together and utterly unable to lift up herselfThe evil spirit which poffeffed her, afflicted her in this manner. To

many

doubtless

Pfalm 1xxx. 8. &c

had had a fpirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and utterly unable to lift up herself. 12 And Jesus seeing her, called her to him, and said to her, 13 Woman thou art loofed from thy infirmity. And he laid his hands on her, and immediately fhe was made 14 ftraight, and glorified God. And the ruler of the fynagogue being much difpleafed, becaufe Jefus had healed on the fabbath day, answered and faid to the multitude, There are fix days, in which men ought to work on these therefore come and be healed, and not 15 on the fabbath. The Lord answered him and faid, Thou hypocrite, doth not each of you loose his ox or afs from the ftall on the fabbath, and lead him away to 16 watering! And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan had bound lo thefe eighteen years, to be loofed from this bond on the fabbath? And when he had faid these things, all his adverfaries were ashamed: and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.

17

18

* Then faid he, To what is the kingdom of God 19 like, and to what shall I resemble it? It is like a grain of muftard-feed which a man took and caft into his garden; and it grew and became a great tree, and the 20 birds of the air lodged in the branches of it. +Again he faid, Whereto fhall I liken the kingdom of God? · 21 It is like leaven, which a woman took and covered up in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

22 And he went through all the cities and villages, 23 teaching and journeying toward Jerufalem. Then laid 24 one to him, Lord, are there few that are faved? And

he faid to him, * Strive to enter in through the strait doubtless it appeared a natural diftemper. Would not a modern Phycian have termed it a nervous cafe?

V. 15. Thou hypocrite-For the real motive of his fpeaking was envy, not (as he pretended) pure zeal for the glory of God.

V. 16. And ought not this woman— -Ought not any human creature, which is fo far better than an ox or an afs: much more, this daughter of Abraham-Probably in a spiritual as well as natural sense, to be loosed? V. 21. Covered up-So that, for a time, nothing of it appeared.

V. 24. Strive to enter in-Agonize. Strive as in an agony. So the word fignifics. Otherwife none fhall enter in. Barely feeking will

mot avail.

疆

V. 25. And

* Mat, xiii. 31. Mark. iv 30, † Mat. xiii. 33. * Mat. vii, 13.

25

all

gate; for many, I say to you, will seek to enter in, and fhall not be able. When once the master of the house is rifen up and hath fhut the door, and ye begin to ftand without, and knock at the door faying, Lord, Lord, open to us: He fhall answer and fay to you, 16 I know you not whence ye are. Then fhall ye say, We have eaten and drank in thy prefence, and thou 27 haft taught in our streets. + But he fhall fay, I tell I know not whence ye are: depart from me, 28 ye workers of iniquity. There fhall be weeping and gnafhing of teeth, when ye fhall fee Abraham, and Ifaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom 29 of God, and yourselves thruft out. And they fhall come from the eaft and the weft, and the north and the south, and shall fit down in the kingdom of God. 30 | But behold, there are last who fhall be firft, and there are firft who shall be last.

31

you

The fame day came certain Pharifees, faying to him, Go out and depart from hence; for Herod is minded 32 10 kill thee. And he said to them, Go and tell that fox, Behold, I cant out devils, and I perform cures today and to-morrow: and the third day I am perfected. V. 25. And even agonizing will not avail, after the door is fhut. Agonize therefore now by faith, prayer, holiness, patience. And ye begin to ftand without-Till then, they had not thought of it! O how new will that fenfe of their mifery be? How late? How lafting? I know not whence ye are-I know not, that is, I approve not of your ways.

V. 29. They fhall fit down in the kingdom of God-Both the kingdom of grace and of glory.

V. 30 But there are laft-Many of the Gentiles who were latest called, fhall be most highly rewarded; and many of the Jews who were firt called, fhall have no reward at all.

V. 3. Herod is minded to kill thee-Poffibly they gave him the cau tion out of good-will.

V. 32. And he faid, Go and tell that fox-With great propriety fo called, for his fubtilty and cowardice. The meaning of our Lord's anfwer is, Notwithstanding all that he can do, 1 fhall, for the fhort time I have left, do the works of Him that fent me. When that time is fulfilled, I fhall be offered up. Yet not here, but in the bloody city. Behold I caft out devils-With what majefty does he fpeak to his enemies! With what tenderness to his friends! The third day I am perfected-On the third day he left Galilee, and fet out for Jerufalem to die there.

But let us carefully diftinguish between those things wherein Chrift is our pattern, and thofe which were peculiar to his office.

His extraor

dinary office juftified him, in using that feverity of language, when fpeaking of wicked Princes and corrupt teachers, to which we have no call and by which we should only bring fcandal on religion, and ruin on ourselves, while we irritated rather than convinced or reformed thofe, whom we fo indecently rebuked. V. 33. It

Mat. vii. 23. ‡ Mat. viii. 21.

Mat. xix. 3c.

33 But I must go on to-day, and to-morrow, and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet perifh out 34 of Jerufalem. O Jerufalem, Jerufalem, that killest the prophets and ftoneft them that are sent to thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together as a bird gathereth her brood under her wings, and 35 ye would not! Behold your houle is left to you defolate and I fay to you, Ye fhall not fee me, till the time come when ye fhall fay, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

XIV.

And as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharifees on the sabbath, to eat bread, they were 2 watching him. And behold there was a certain man 3 before him, who had the dropfy. And Jefus answering spake to the Scribes and Pharifees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the fabbath day? But they held their 4 peace. And he took him and healed him, and let him 5 go, And anfwered them, faying, Which of you fhall have an afs or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not 6 ftraightway pull him out on the fabbath day? And they could not answer him to these things.

7

And he fpake a parable to them that were invited, when he marked how they chose the chief feats, saying

V. 33. It cannot be, that a prophet perish out of Jerufalem-Which claims prescription for murdering the meffengers of God. Such cruelty and malice cannot be found elsewhere.

V. 34. How often would I have gathered thy children together—Three folemn vifits he had made to Jerufalem fince his baptifm for this very purpose.

V. 35. Your houfe is left to you defolate-Is now irrecoverably con figned to defolation and deftruction: And verily I fay to you, after a very fhort space, ye shall not fee me till the time come, when taught by your calamities, ye shall be ready and difpofed to fay, Bleffed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. It does not imply, that they should then fee Jefus at all; but only, that they would earneftly wifh for the Meffiah, and in their extremity be ready to entertain any who should affume that character.

V. 2. There was a certain man before him-It does not appear, that he was coming thither with any infiduous defign. Probably he came, hoping for a cure or perhaps was one of the family.

V. 3. And Jefus answering Spake-Answering the thoughts which he faw rifing in their hearts. V. 7. He Spake a parable-The ensuing difcourfe is fo termed, becaufe feveral parts are not to be understood literally. The general scope of it is, not only at a marriage-feaft, but on every occafion, He that exalteth himself fhall be abafed, and he that abafeth himself fhall be exalted.