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Religion must be undertook with serious Confideration.

Sect. 121. univerfal Concern, which require your most attentive Confideration.

Luke XIV. 28.

And it is neceffary to dwell on the Thought; for which of you, if he be a Perfon of common Prudence, and intend to build a Tower (c), or any other Edifice, does not first deliberately fit down and compute the Expence, and compare it with his own Circumstances, that he may judge whether he has a Stock of Wealth [fufficient] to finish it? 29 Left when be bath laid a Foundation, and is not able to compleat [the Work,] for Want of Money to finish it, all who fee it, as they pafs by, fhould 30 begin to deride him, Saying in Contempt, This must be surely a wife Man, who thus began to build, and was not able to finish his Plan ; and here his imperfect Work ftands, a lasting Monument of his great Difcretion.

31

Or what wife King, if he was marching out to encounter another King in War, does not firft fit down and confider, whether he has any fuch Advantage as to Arms, Strength, or Situation, as that with Ten thousand Men he is able to meet and oppofe him that cometh against him with Twenty thouAnd if he find he has not, while he that comes with this fuperior Force against him is yet at a Distance, be fends an Embally and defires Terms of Peace (d), and plainly confeffes his Readinefs to fubmit to fome Things which may be difagreeable, for the Prefervation of his Dominions, and perhaps of his Life.

32 Sand?

33

So then do you confider, whether you think

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33 So likewife, whofoever it worth your while to adhere to me on these he be of you, that forfaketh Terms; for I affure you, I will admit you on no other, and every one of you, that does not stedfastly

refolve

(c) If he intend to build a Tower.] This Phrafe naturally fuggefts to us, the Idea of a more magnificent Edifice, than our Lord's Hearer's might probably think of on this Occafion. It is plain, that Towers were frequently run up, probably of fome flight Materials, to lodge those who had the Care of keeping Vineyards, or Flocks; and they were built pretty high in Proportion to their Bafis, that they might command the larger Profpect. Compare 2 Chron. xxvi. 10. Mic. iv. 8. Ifa. v. 2. Mat. xxi. 33. and Mark xii. 1.

(d) Defires Terms of Peace: epala Ta apos tienny.] This reprefents the feebler Perfon, as begging a Peace: A proper Emblem of the Humility and Refignation, with which Peace is to be fought from an offended GOD, who is poffeffed of a Strength, not (as in the Cafe fuppofed here,) merely double, but infinitely fuperior to ours.

Reflections on a Readiness to fuffer for CHRIST.

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MAY

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refolve to give up all his Poffeffions, whenever he Sect. 121.
is called to it on my Account, he cannot be owned
by me as my Difciple indeed.

35

And if you are not Difciples indeed, your Out- Luke XIV. ward Profeffion will be very infignificant; for tho' 34. Salt in general is a very good Thing, and my Servants, as I formerly intimated, (Mat. v. 13. Vol. i. pag. 223.) are the Salt of the Earth; yet I must again add, if the Salt be grown infipid, with what can it be feafoned? or what can recover those, whom my Gospel will not influence and reclaim? And as infipid Salt is fuch a vile and worthless Thing, that it is neither fit to be used as Manure of itself for the Land, nor even for a Place on the Dunghill, to be there mixed with other Dung; [but] it is thrown out of Doors, and trampled under Foot like Mire in the Streets: You also will be no less useless and contemptible, if under the Advantages and Obligations of a Chriftian Profeffion, you are destitute of a fincere Principle of Integrity and Piety, and will be utterly abandoned and rejected as unprofitable Servants. He therefore that bath Ears to hear, let him hear it attentively; for it is a Point, in which not only the Honour of my Kingdom, but the Salvation of your own Souls is concerned,

IMPROVEMENT.

AY our most serious Attention be fixed on fo important a Truth; Luke xiv. may this plain and candid Declaration of our Lord be duly 35. regarded by us; as ever we defire to find the Advantage of that Relation

to him, in which we are fo ready to glory! If we would not be caft out Ver. 34, 35. with Disdain, and trampled under Foot as worthless and vile, let us be folicitous that there may be the Salt of Divine Grace in our Hearts; and let

us undertake a religious Profeffion with that deliberate Confideration, which Ver. 28,-32. becomes a Matter of fuch great Importance. A hafty Purpose will never bear us thro' the Difficulties we must expect to encounter; and rafh Vows, and thoughtless Adventures in this Cafe, will only expofe us to the Derifion of others, and the keener Remorfe of our own Minds.

Nor is the Nature and Evidence of Religion fuch, as to have any Reason

to fear the feverest Examination. The Demands of Christ are indeed high ; Ver. 26. that the nearest Relatives fhould be abandoned, and even Life itself facri

U 2

ficed

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Ver. 33.

The Publicans and Sinners flock to hear him.

Sect. 121. ficed for his Sake; that we be at leaft Martyrs in Refolution, and have fo much of a reciprocal Affection for him, as fhall, like his Love to us, be ftronger than Death. Yet how reafonable is the Demand! Did he leave his Father's Bofom for us, and fhall we fcruple to abandon our Houfes, and our Kindred for him? Did he expire on the Crofs for us, and shall not we be ready to take up our Croffes, and follow him? Shall it not be delightful to us, to trace his most painful Steps, and by the most coftly Sacrifices to approve our Gratitude, and our Duty?

Ver. 27.

Bleffed Jefus, lead us! and by thy Grace we will follow thee, whatever be the Path, whatever be the Burthen, whatever the Terror of the Way; knowing that if we partake with thee in thy Sufferings, we fhall at length share with thee in thy Confolation, and thy Glory! (2 Tim. ii. 12.)

Sect. 122.

SECT. CXXII.

Publicans and Sinners flock round our LORD, and he vindicates his Readiness to receive them by the Parable of the loft Sheep, and Piece of Money. Luke XV. 1,---10.

TH

LUKE XV. 1.

HUS our Lord addreffed himself to the Multitude, and especially to his Difciples, Luke XV.I. on the Sabbath-Day, as he came out from the House of the noble Pharifee with whom he had dined And it happened, as it was then a Season of Leifure, and he appeared in publick teaching the People, that all the Publicans in that Place, and fome other notorious Sinners, who might not eafily have been admitted into the Pharifee's House, drew near to hear him preach (a), being charmed

with

LUKE XV. 1.

THEN drew near unto and Sinners for to hear him.

him all the Publicans

(a) All the Publicans and Sinners drew near to hear him.] Some fuppofe, they came by a particular Appointment from all the neighbouring Parts. As Luke goes on in the Story, without any Intimation of a Change, either in the Time, or the Scene of it, I am inclined to think, these Difcourfes might be delivered the fame Day, that Chrift dined with the Pharifee, (Sect. 119.) which being the Sabbath-Day, would give the Publicans, on other Days employed in their Office, a more convenient Opportunity of attending. Some have concluded, (I could never conjecture for what Reafon,) that this happened in Galilee of the Gentiles beyond Jordan, from whence, they fay, Chrift went up to Jerusalem. (Luke xvii. 11.) But that the chief Part of this Affembly were Gentile Idolaters, can never be proved; and if it could, it would be no fufficient Proof of Chriff's being now on the other Side of Jordan. Yet I acknowledge it highly probable, that fome Idolatrous Gentiles might join with the Multitude, who, if they understood thefe Parables, might juftly draw great Encouragement

from them.

CHRIST delivers the Parable of the loft Sheep.

2 And the Pharifees and

Scribes murmured, faying,
This Man receiveth Sinners,

and eateth with them.

3 And he fpake this Parable unto them, faying,

4 What Man of you having an hundred Sheep, if he lofe one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the Wilderness and go after that which is loft, until he

find it?

5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his Shoulders, rejoicing.

6 And when he cometh

Home, he calleth together faying unto them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my Sheep which was loft.

bis Friends and Neighbours,

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with the Condefcenfion which allowed of their Sect. 122. Accefs.

And Jefus, moved with Compaffion for them, Luke XV.
uttered fome remarkable Difcourfes, admirably 2.
calculated for their Encouragement, and that of
others, who had lain under the most aggravated'
Guilt. But the proud Pharifees and Scribes, who
were prefent, murmured when they faw fuch a
Croud around him, and faid, This Man, while
he fets up for a religious Teacher, unaccountably
gives Access to the most profligate Sinners, and
fometimes cats with them, and makes no Scruple
to accept of Invitations to their Houses. (Compare
Mark ii. 16. Vol. i. pag. 434.)

But [Jefus] for the Encouragement of thefe 3
poor Penitents, as well as to rebuke the cenforious
and uncharitable Pharifees, pake to them this Pa-
rable, and faid, What Man is there of you, 4
that has a Flock of an Hundred Sheep, who will
not, upon lofing one of them, immediately leave the
Ninety-nine that were feeding in the Pastures of
the Defart (b), and go from Place to Place after
that which was loft, till he find it? And having 5
at length found it, he lays it on his Shoulders, re-
joicing, as a Man in fuch a Circumftance naturally
would ; And coming Home, calls together bis 6
Friends and Neighbours, and fays unto them, My
Friends, you may now rejoice with me; for my

Labour and Search have not been in vain; but

I have found my loft Sheep. And as he thus is 7 7 I fay unto you, that likewife Joy fhall be in Heamore delighted with the Recovery of the Sheep, ven, over one Sinner that that he had loft, than with the Safety of the rest, repent that had not wandered; fo, I say to you, that greater and more fenfible Joy will be in Heaven, among the bleffed and benevolent Spirits that dwell there (c), over one penitent Sinner, than over Ninety

(b) In the Paftures of the Defart.] Uncultivated Ground, ufed merely as Common of Pafture, was called Wilderness, or Defart, by the Jews, in Diftinction from arable or inclofed Land. Compare Joh. xv. 61: 1 Kings ii. 34. 2 Kings iii. 8. Mat. iii. 1. and. Mark vi. 31. (Compare allo Note (c) on Mat. xviii. 12. pag. 26.)

(c) Greater Foy will be in Heaven, &c.] Alluding, fays Monf. L'Enfant, (a little too coldly,) to the Style of the Jews, who reprefent the Angels, weeping for the Corruption of Men, and rejoicing at their Converfion. But it feems very unwarrantable, to fuppofe Chrift thus afferting a Thing, merely because the Jews ufed thus to reprefent and conceive of it.

We

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The Parable of the loft Piece of Money.

Sect. 122. Ninety-nine righteous Perfons, who do not need fuch deep Repentance (d), or fuch an univerfal Change

Luke XV.

8.

of Mind and Character.

9 it?

Or, to illuftrate the Matter by another obvious Similitude, that it may ftrike your Minds yet more powerfully, what poor Woman having Ten Pieces of Silver Money, tho' they were but each of them the Value of a Drachma, if fhe lofe one of them out of her Purfe, will not presently light a Lamp, and take the Pains to fweep out the House, and fearch carefully in all the Corners, till he find And when he has found it, he joyfully calls her Female Friends and Neighbours together (e), to acquaint them with her good Succefs; and concluding it will be agreeable News to them, The fays, Rejoice with me; for I have found the 10 Piece of Money which I had loft. And fo I fay unto you, that there is in like manner a peculiar foy in Heaven, among the Angels of GOD, over one repenting Sinner. Do not therefore wonder, if I labour to promote their Joy on this Ac

count,

repenteth, more than over ninety and nine juft Perfons, which need no Repentance.

8 Either what Woman having ten Pieces of Silver,

if the lofe one Piece, doth

not light a Candle, and sweep the Houfe, and feek diligently till the find it?

9 And when he hath found it, fhe calleth her

Friends and her Neighbours together, faying, Rejoice with me, for I have found the Piece which I had lost.

10 Likewise I say unto you, There is Joy in the GOD, over one Sinner that Prefence of the Angels of repenteth.

rather conclude from ver. 10. that, at least in fome extraordinary Cafes, the Angels are, either by immediate Revelation, or otherwife, informed of the Converfion of Sinners, which must to those benevolent Spirits be an Occafion of Joy; nor could any thing have been fuggested more proper, to encourage the humble Penitent, to expofe the repining Pharifee, or to animate all to Zeal in fo good a Work, as endeavouring to promote the Repentance of others.

(d) Than over Ninety-nine righteous Perfons, &c.] It cannot be our Lord's Meaning here, that GOD efteems One penitent Sinner, more than Ninety-nine confirmed and established Saints; (who are, undoubtedly, the Perfons fpoken of, as needing no Repentance, i. e. no univerfal Change of Heart and Life, in which Senfe the Word elavad is commonly ufed ;) for it would be inconfiftent with the Divine Wisdom, Goodness, and Holiness to fuppofe this. But it is plainly as if he had faid, “As a Father peculiarly rejoices, when an extravagant "Child is reduced to a Senfe of his Duty, and one whom he had confidered as utterly ruined "by his Follies, and perhaps as dead, returns with Remorfe and Submiffion; or as any other "Perfon, who has recovered what he had given up for gone, has a more fenfible Satisfaction "in it, than in feveral other Things equally valuable, but not in fuch Danger: So do the "holy Inhabitants of Heaven rejoice in the Converfion of the most abandoned Sinners, and "the great Father of All fo readily forgives and receives them, that he may be reprefented "as having Part in the Joy."-Tho' by the Way, when Human Paffions are afcribed to GOD, it is certain they are to be taken in a figurative Senfe, entirely exclufive of thofe Senfations, which refult from the Commotions of Animal Nature in ourselves.

(e) She calls her Female Friends, [Tas qiras,] and Neighbours together.] It might feem hardly worth while to afk the Congratulation of her Friends, on fo fmall an Occafion, as finding a Drachma; (for that is the Piece of Coin here mentioned, in Value not above Nine-pence ;) but it is reprefented as the Tenth Part of her little Stock, and the impreffible and focial Temper of the Sex may be perhaps thought of, as adding fome Propriety to the Reprefentation.

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