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xxi.

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Chapter Verfe ny; and the next morning returning from thence, He hungered: and when he faw a fig tree in the way, he came to it and found nothing thereon but leaves only, and faid unto it, Let " no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever.

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And presently the fig-tree withered away, and when his difciples faw it they marvelled, fay20 ing, How foon is the fig-tree withered away?' Neither Luke or John give any account of this fig-tree bufiness. Mark records it in a more explicit manner, but with fome variation, ch. xi. v. 12, 13. And on the morrow when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry. And feeing a fig-tree afar off, having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon and when he came to it, he found nothing

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but leaves and adds-for the time of the figs

was not yet.

And Jefus faid unto it, No man

eat fruit of thee

hereafter for ever; and his

And

⚫ difciples heard it.' After this, Mark fays, Je-
fus went to Jerufalem, cleansed the temple, and
' when even was come he went out of the city.
And in the morning when they paffed by, they
faw the fig-tree dried up from the roots.
Peter calling to remembrance, faith unto him,
Mafter, behold the fig-tree which thou curfedft,
is withered away. And Jefus answering faith
unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I
fay unto you that whofoever fhall fay unto this
mountain, be thou removed, and be thou caft

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• into

into the fea, and fhall not doubt in his heart, ' but shall believe that those things which he 'faith fhall come to pafs, he fhall have whatso· ever he faith.' In Matthew's account, the dif ciples faw the fig-tree wither immediately, or prefently as it is called. In Mark's account, it was the next day. This difference as to time, and the words spoken by Jefus on the occafion, may not indeed be very material; but the manner, mo tive, and end, of this miracle (if it may be fo called) are, to me, unfatisfactory. First, as to the manner Jefus feeing at a distance, a fig-tree with leaves, went to it, hoping to find fruit thereon to fatisfy his hunger. Being difappointed, he said to it, according to St. Matthew, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ' ever. Or, according to St. Mark, no man

eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever:' which St.

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Peter, upon feeing the withered state of the tree, called curfing it. And what motive can we affign for this malediction? Could it be refentment because it did not, at an unusual time, furnish fruit to affuage his hunger? How happened he to be ignorant that the time of figs was not yet? And why in future should not another hungry man eat fruit thereof, who reforted to it in proper feafon? We find in his history few inftances of refentment, even in cafes of real injury and all his other miracles fave one, were beneficial to individuals. As to the end of this miracle; the

only

Chapter Verfe only one adduced, is, to fhew what power may be derived from faith. The power, or utility of kil ling a fig-tree, is indeed but little. To remove a mountain, and caft it into the fea, is great indeed: greater ftill are the advantages or benefit obtainable by faith; and all things whatsoever

xxi.

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ye shall afk in prayer, believing, ye shall re'ceive.' But this pure and undoubting faith, I am of opinion was never poffeffed by any of the difciples St. Peter certainly wanted it, when he attempted to walk upon the fea; as did the nine who could not caft out a devil in his abfence. The day after cleanfing the temple, according to Matthew (John fays, and with more 23 probability, upon the fame day) The chief priests and elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching (in the temple) and faid unto him, By what authority doft thou do these things? And who gave thee this authority?' 24 Jefus replied-I alfo will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in likewife will tell you by what authority I do thefe things. The baptifm of John, whence was it? From Heaven, or of men? They, knowing the people revered John as a prophet, feared to fay of men. And if they fhould fay from Heaven: the reply would be, Why then did ye not believe him? In this di27 lemma, they anfwered-We cannot tell. Upon

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which Jefus faid to them-Neither tell I you by Chapter Verío what authority I do these things. He then addreffed to them feveral parables, all tending to their condemnation. The firft, is certainly fine, plain, and pointed; the fecond, a fimile, not fo eafily understood by them in its whole extent; but fufficient to obtain, as in the firft, their fuffrage to the juftness of their own condemnation. As foon as they perceived this, they fought to lay hands on him, but feared the people, (the multitude, I apprehend, collected by his entry) who took him for a prophet, and in courfe would have protected him. To this protection, it is more than probable, he owed his perfonal fafety in the violent expulfion of perfons and property from the temple. Neither Mark, Luke, or John, notice the first parable. The fecond is not mentioned by John, and the conclufion of it is differently related by Mark, and Luke; they do not fay the condemnation was affented to by the priests and elders: on the contrary, according to Luke, they faid-God forbid. The next parable, is recorded by Matthew only. A king pre- xxii. pares a feast for the marriage of his fon: the people first invited, refufing to come; he fent his fervants into the highways faying-As many as ye fhall find, bid to the marriage. They executed these orders, bringing in all they found both bad and good. Among them was a man. without a wedding garment, the king asking him how

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9

Chapter Verfe, xxii.

12 how he came there without one, and receiving no
13 answer, the man being dumb; ordered his fer-
vants to bind him hand and foot, and caft him
into outer darkness: where shall be weeping and
14 gnashing of teeth. The comment added-For
many are called, but few are chofen, is a repe-
tion of what we find in the 16th verfe of the 20th
chapter, and juftifies the conclufion I have drawn
from thence in that place. St. Luke, ch. xiv.
records a parable fomething like this, which he
calls a fupper. The intended guests who had
received invitations, inftead of attending fent ex-
cuses; the mafter enraged thereat, fends his fer-
vants into the streets and lanes of the city, to
bring from thence the poor, the maimed, the
halt, and the blind. This they executed, and
telling the mafter there was yet room, he said to
them-Go out into the highways and hedges,
and compel them to come in, that my houfe may
be filled. It is not improbable, that the Popes and
their adherents thought themselves fufficiently
authorized, by these two parables, to use violence
for the converfion of finners: add to this what is
faid by Jefus to the multitude, v. 26, If any
man come to me, and hate not his father, and
6 mother, and wife, and children, and brethren,
and fifters; yea and his own life also he cannot
be my difciple.' We will now return to St.
* Vide Page 77, 78, 89.

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Matthew:

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