41 Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all?

42 And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his houshold, to give them their portion of meat in due season?

43 Blessed is that servant whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

44 Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath.

45 But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delaycth his coming: and shall begin to beat the men-servants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken;

46 The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

47 And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.

shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the

more.

Eph. vi. 14. Mat. xxiv. 46.-a Mat. xxiv. 43. 1 Thes. v. ii. 2 Pet.

1 Pet. 1. 13.-y Mat. xxv. I. &c.

iii. 10. Rev. ill. 3; & xvi. 15.

Mat. xxiv. 44; xxv. 13.

Mark xiii. 33. ch. xxi. 34, 36. 1 Thes. v. 6. 2 Peter iii. 12.-e Mat. xxiv. 45; & xxv. 21. 1 Cor. iv. 2.-d Mat.

xxiv. 47-e Mat. xxiv. 48.- Or, cut him off. Mat. xxiv.

51.- Num. xv. 30. Deut. xxv. 2. John ix. 4); & xv. 22. Acts xvii. 30, James iv. 17.-g Lev. v. 17. 1 Tim. 1. 13.

See §§ LXXVIII. LXXIX.

Matthew XXIV. 34—51.

and XXV. 1—13.

§ CXCVIII.

CHAP XII. 49-59.

Christ's ministers are to look for persecution. The people must take this time of grace, because it is a fearful thing to die without reconciliation.

49 I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I if it be already kindled? 50 But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!

51 Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on the earth? I tell you, Nay; 'but rather division:

52 For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.

53 The father shall be divided against the son, and the

son against the father the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

54

And he said also to

the people, "When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is.

55 And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass.

56 Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time?

57 Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right?

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58 When thou goest with thine adversary to the magistrate, as thou art in the way, give diligence that thou mayest be delivered from him; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison.

59 I tell thee, thou shalt not depart thence till thou hast paid the very last "mite.

h ver. 51.- Mat. xx. 22. Mark x. 38.- Or, pained. - Mat. x. 34. ver. 49.- Mic. vii. 6. John vii. 43; & ix. 16; & x. 19-m Mat. x. 35.-n Mat. xvi. 2.-o Prov. xxv. 8. Mat. v. 25.-p See Ps. xxxii. 6. Is. lv. 6.- See Mark xil. 42.

Christ preacheth repentance upon the punishment of the Galileans, and others. The fruitless fig tree may not stand.

THERE were present at that season some that told him of the Galilæans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.

2 And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that

these Galilæans were sinners above all the Galilæans, because they suffered such things? 3 I tell you, Nay: but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

4 Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were #sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?

5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

6 He spake also this parable; "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.

7 Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?

8 And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:

9 And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.

Or, debtors. Mat. xviil. 24. ch. xi. 4.-a Is. v. 2. Mat. xxi. 19.

READER. Suppose ye that these Galilæans were sinners above all the Galilæans because they suffered such

things.-Though it were an error to think that all temporal evils are intended of God as punishments of some particular guiltiness, and so to be taken as infallibly concluding against either persons or causes as evil; yet certainly the hand of God upon ourselves or others is wisely to be considered, and it will very often be found a punishment pointing to the sin; and it is certainly an argument of very great stiffness and pride of heart, not to observe and acknowledge it, and a sure presage either of

utter ruin, or at least, of a heavier stroke. Any that is set against the Lord, and will not be humbled, whether by what he sees on others, or what he feels on himself, Isa. xxvi. 11, shall find he hath an overmatch to deal with, that will either bow or break him. Tremble before the Lord, and search your own hearts, and let us think, though we may not be guilty of such public scandalous evils, as others fall into, and are punished for, yet how full are we of secret malice, pride and lust, and wonder at the patience of God to ourselves, while multitudes have been swept away round about us. Think you that they who have died by "sword or pestilence" of late " were greater sinners" than we that are behind? Oh no! "but except we repent, we shall all likewise perish." Enough of these arrows are still in God's arsenal; and though he use not these to us, yet remember death, and judgment, and eternity are before us, and they call for wise and speedy consideration and repentance.-LEIGHTON.

I tell you, nay: but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.-Poor hard hearted sinner! dost thou ever consider upon what terms thou standest all this while with him who calleth on thee to turn? Thou art his own, and owest him thyself and all thou hast; and may he not command his own? Thou art his absolute servant, and shouldst serve no other master. Thou standest at his mercy, and thy life is in his hand; and he is resolved to save thee upon no other terms. Thou hast many malicious spiritual enemies, that would be glad if God would

but forsake thee, and let them alone with thee, and leave thee to their will: how quickly would they deal with thee in another manner! and thou canst not be delivered from them but by turning unto God. Thou art fallen under his wrath by thy sin already: and thou knowest not how long his patience will yet wait. Perhaps this is the last year, perhaps the last day. His sword is even at thy heart, while the word is in thine ear; and if thou turn not, thou art a dead and undone man. Were thine eyes but open to see where thou standest, even upon the brink of hell, and to see how many thousands are there already who did not turn, thou wouldst see that it is time to look about thee.

Well, sirs, look inwards now and tell me, how are your hearts affected with these offers of the Lord? You hear what is his mind; he delighteth not in your death: he calls to you, Turn, turn it is a fearful sign, if all this move thee not, or if it do but half move thee; and much more if it make thee more careless in thy misery, because thou hearest of the mercifulness of God. The working of the medicine will partly tell us whether there be any hope of the cure. Oh, what glad tidings would it be to those who are now in hell, if they had but such a message from God! What a joyful word would it be to hear this, Turn and live: yea, what a welcome word would it be to thyself, when thou hast felt that wrath of God but an hour! or, if after a thousand, or ten thousand years' torment, thou couldst but

hear such a word from God, Turn and live. And yet wilt thou now neglect it, and suffer us to return without our errand!

Behold, sinners, we are sent here as the messengers of the Lord, to set before you life and death. What say you? Which of them will you choose? Christ standeth as it were by thee, with heaven in one hand, and hell in the other, and offereth thee thy choice: which wilt thou choose? "The voice of the Lord maketh the rocks to tremble," Psal. xxix; and is it nothing, to hear him threaten thee, if thou wilt not turn? Dost thou not understand and feel this voice, "Turn ye, turn ye, why will ye die?" Why, it is the voice of love, of infinite love, of thy best and kindest friend, as thou mightest easily perceive by the motion; and yet canst thou neglect it? It is the voice of pity and compassion. The Lord seeth whither thou art going better than thou dost, which makes him call after thee, Turn, turn. He seeth what will become of thee, if thou turn not. He thinketh with himself, “Ah, this poor sinner will cast himself into endless torments, if he do not turn; I must in justice deal with him according to my righteous law;" and therefore he calleth after thee, Turn, turn, O sinner! If you did but know the thousandth part, as well as God doth, the danger that is near you, and the misery that you are running into, we should have no more need to call after you to turn.-BAXTER.

A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, &c.-The great Lord

is himself the planter of the vineyard; his own hand sets each tree, and the soil is fruitful; there is sap and moisture. This is to be understood of his visible church and ordinances, for the planting here is that. Christians are much compared to things living, growing, and fruitful, to the vine and fig tree; there is such high engagement to be so, Isaiah v, and real Christians are truly so. (And he sought fruit thereon.) Good reason had he so to do, having so planted it; those trees that are left wild in the barren wilderness, no fruit is to be expected on them, at least no garden fruit, such as grows in the garden of God; some natures have some kinds of fruits, and some sweeter than others, but they are but wild figs. God's delight is to "come into his garden, and there eat his pleasant fruits." Natural men may, after their fashion, be temperate, and patient, and charitable; but to believe on God, and to love him above themselves, and from such principles to do all they do, this is not to be expected. Now all that are planted in the Church of God, are, in name, such trees as should have their sap in them, that is faith and love, and bear answerable fruits: they are called "trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified;" Isaiah xli. He himself knows who are indeed such, and knows that the rest can bear no such fruit; yet in regard of outward dispensations, and their own profession, he speaks after the manner of men : "he comes and seeks fruit." Men think that they may