Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

to encourage even the faintest and most imperfect of their good desires! How willing to assist even the most feeble and faltering steps in the way that leadeth unto life! He "deals very tenderly with those who have true grace, though they be weak in it; Isa. xl. 11; Heb. iv. 15. And, in general, the design of his Gospel is to establish such a method of salvation as encourages sincerity, though there be much infirmity; it does not insist upon a sinless obedience, but accepts an upright, willing mind.”

Until he send forth judgment, i. e. his doctrine, the Gospel, unto victory, i. e. with full effect, triumphing over all opposition.-May the conversion of the world to the faith and obedience of Christ soon give fulfilment to this glorious prophecy!

Or we may understand the whole of this verse and the foregoing, as meaning "He shall not subdue men by tumults, violence, or wars; but as the Prince of peace and grace, he shall deal gently with the weak, and cherish the least degree of goodness, and pardon the faults of the penitent, and not use severity of justice, until he have gathered his church out of the world, and overcome and judged his final enemies.”

And in his name shall the Gentiles trust, or, as in our version of the prophet, The isles shall wait for his law. We must wait for Christ's law,

and be willing to be ruled by it, if we would rightly trust or hope in him. We must consent to be governed by his word, as well as saved by his work. "To trust and hope in his name Jesus, is to expect salva

tion and all things necessary from him,-to despise comparatively all earthly promises,-to esteem, love, and desire heavenly things only,— and to bear with patience and tranquillity all the losses and evils of this life, in prospect of that felicity which he has purchased for us," and which he provides.

HYMN.

(From Isa. xlii.)

Sing to the Lord in joyful strains,
Let earth his praise resound,
Ye who upon the ocean dwell
And fill the isles around.

O city of the Lord, begin

The universal song; And let the scatter'd villages The cheerful notes prolong.

Let Kedar's wilderness afar

Lift up its lonely voice;
And let the tenants of the rock
With accents rude rejoice;

Till midst the streams of distant lands
The islands sound his praise;
And all combin'd, with one accord,
Jehovah's glories raise.

§ XLII.

CHAP. XII. 22-37.

Christ healeth the man possessed that was blind and dumb. Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall never be forgiven.

22 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.

23 And all the people were

amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?

24 'But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellore doth not cast out devils but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.

[ocr errors]

men: *but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.

32 And whosoever "speaketh a word against the Son of man, 'it shall be forgiven him but whosoever speaketh against the

25 And Jesus knew their | Holy Ghost, it shall not be forthoughts, and said unto them, | given him, neither in this world,

Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:

26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?

27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.

28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then "the kingdom of God is come unto

you.

29 - Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.

30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.

31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto

[ocr errors][merged small]

d

e

34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.

36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

34.

r See ch. ix. 32. Mark iii. 11. Luke xi. 14.-s ch. ix. Mark iii. 22. Luke xi. 15. ↑ Gr. Beelzebul; and so ver. 27.-t ch. ix. 4. John ii. 25. Rev. ii. 23.-u Dan. ii. 44; & vii. 14. Luke i. 33; & xi. 20; & xvii. 20, 21. - Is. xlix. 24. Luke xi. 21. 22. 23. - -y Mark iii. 28. Luke xii. 10. Heb. vi. 4, &c.; & x. 26, 29. 1 John v, 16. z Acts vii. 51.-a ch. xi. 19; & xiii. 55. John vit. 12, 52. b 1 Tim. i. 13.-c ch. vii. 17. Luke vi. 43, 44. -dch. iii. 7; & xxiii. 33. e Luke vi. 45.

READER. One possessed with a devil, blind and dumb.-In like manner, "Satan blinds the eye of faith, and seals up the lips of prayer."

But when the Pharisees heard it, they said. The more our Lord was admired by the people, the more virulent were the Pharisees in their attacks. The malice of the wicked is often irritated by the growing reputation of the godly and sincere.— See ch. x. 25, and note.

Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation. How ruinous the effects of jealousy and dissension! How absurd, as well as impious, the blasphemy of the Pharisees, as it is made to appear by our Saviour's reply!

How shall then his kingdom stand? -Satan is too crafty to oppose his own interests; but yet God is able to overrule and defeat his subtilty.

By whom do your children cast them out?-Envious and malicious people are ready to condemn those very actions, done by persons whom they hate, which they are ready to applaud, if performed by their own friends. Such are the inconsistencies of ungodly men, who "do not the truth."

Then the kingdom of God is come unto you. May we have the comfort of being assured that the kingdom of God is set up within our own hearts, by knowing that the love of sin, and evil passions, and all the works of the devil, have been driven out, and made to stand aloof.-See Acts xxvi. 18.

How can one enter into a strong man's house, &c.-"Men, through

sin, become the very house and dwelling-place of Satan, having, of their own accord, surrendered themselves to this unjust possessor; for whoever gives up his soul to sin, gives it up to the devil. It is Jesus, and Jesus alone, who can deliver from the power of this bondage."

He that is not with me is against me.-There is no neutral ground in the spiritual warfare. We are either Christ's friends, or his enemies. And the Lord Jesus clearly distinguishes between those who are his and those who are not. "Who is on the Lord's side, who?" Choose ye this day whom ye will serve." "Let a man

66

examine himself."

The blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. -The impious speech which gave occasion to this solemn declaration of our Lord, was that in which the Pharisees attributed his miracles to the agency of evil spirits; which plainly appears from Mark iii. 30, and even from the connection in which the words occur. -A man who obstinately resists the highest and strongest evidence which can be given, opposes the best means for his conversion, and resolutely quenches the influence of the Holy Spirit within his soul. One who refuses to repent so long, and under such circumstances, as to provoke God to abandon him to his own evil heart and ways, incurs a punishment such as that to which our Saviour here refers. Still it is a certain and unalterable truth that mercy is extended to every sinner who repents; and any man who feels the reproofs and

checks of conscience, and who earnestly desires that he may not have thus grievously and fatally sinned, may take to himself the comfort of knowing that he has not yet fallen into the condemnation which he dreads. It has been well said that "they who fear they have committed this sin give a good sign that they have not."-See 1 John ii. 1, 2; 1 Tim. i. 12-15.

Either make the tree good, &c.—A corrupt and sinful life is the necessary result of a depraved and evil heart. Man cannot do good works pleasing and acceptable to God, until his heart has been renewed, and made pure and holy, by the power of This grace all may

divine grace. receive through faith in Christ.See 1 Sam. xxiv. 13; Isa. xxxii. 6; Jer. vi. 7.

The good-the evil-treasure (i. e. treasury).-The good treasury is a good heart,a heart purified by faith, by the power of the Holy Spirit, and brought under the dominion of love to God and man. The evil treasury is a corrupt and wicked heart, or a carnal mind, influenced by love of self, and by real (though probably disguised) enmity to God, and want of charity towards mankind. "As the heart of man by nature is the fountain from whence all sin springs, so the heart renewed by grace is the source and spring from whence all good actions do proceed and flow."

Every idle word that men shall speak, &c.-Vain and unprofitable discourse is to be avoided, as involving sin and loss.In this passage,

our Lord appears to allude especially to deceitful, false, or lying speech; or to that of an injurious, slanderous, or malicious kind, such as had given rise to his remarks.

By thy words thou shalt be justified condemned. Just as a witness in a court of law is said to acquit or condemn a party accused.-Our words and works are taken as proofs of the state of our hearts, and of our relation towards God. And therefore our common discourse, as well as the whole course of our conduct, will witness for or against us at the day of judgment.-See Ps. xxxix. 1; cxxxix. 4; cxli. 3; Job xv. 3; Eph. v. 4.

PSALM XXXII.

O blessed souls are they

Whose sins are cover'd o'er; Divinely blest, to whom their Lord

Imputes their guilt no more.

They mourn their follies past,

And keep their hearts with care; Their lips and lives without deceit Shall prove their faith sincere. While I conceal'd my guilt

I felt the fest'ring wound,
Till I confess'd my sins to Thee

And ready pardon found.
Let sinners learn to pray,

Let saints keep near the throne; Our help, in times of deep distress, Is found in God alone.

§ XLIII.

WATTS.

CHAP. XII. 38-50.

Christ rebuketh the unfaithful; and sheweth who are his.

38 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees an

swered, saying, Master, we would | eth with himself seven other

see a sign from thee.

39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:

40 *For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

41 'The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: 'because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.

spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

46 While he yet talked to the people, 'behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him.

47 Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.

48 But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?

49 And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!

42 "The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than So-ther, and sister, and mother. lomon is here.

43 "When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.

44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.

45 Then goeth he, and tak

50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my bro

f ch. xvi. 1. Mark viii. 11. Luke xi. 16, 29. John ii. 18. 1 Cor. i. 22.-g Is. lvii. 3. ch. xvi. 4. Mark viii. 38. John iv. 48.-h Jonah i. 17.-i Luke xi. 32. k See Jer. iii. 11. Ezek. xvi. 51, 52. Rom. ii. 27. Jonah iii. 5.-m 1 Kin. x. 1. 2 Chr. ix. 1. Luke xi. 31.n Luke xi. 24. o Job i. 7. 1 Pet. v. 8.-p Heb. vi. 4; & x. 26. 2 Pet. ii. 20, 21, 22.-q Mark iii. 31. Luke viii. 19, 20, 21. rch. xiii. 55. Mark vi. 3. John iì. 12; & vii. 3, 5. Acts i. 14. 1 Cor. ix. 5. Gal. i. 19.-s See John xv. 14. Gal. v. 6; & vi. 15. Col. iii. 11. Heb. ii. 11.

READER.

Master! So said the Scribes and Pharisees to our blessed Lord. And do not many thus call him Master, who yet re

« AnteriorContinuar »