CHRIST cautions them against giving Offence. 179 Ver. 31. It is enough to obferve, how, and upon what Principles, it was denied. Sect. 125. If they hear not Mofes and the Prophets, neither will they be perfuaded, tho' one rofe from the Dead. Let none vainly excuse themselves, from believing the Evidence of the Revelation GOD has given, on a Pretence that if they faw Signs and Wonders, they would believe. The Heart of Man may be Ver. 30. hardened against the most fenfible and immediate Miracles; but if that Evidence were irresistible, it would ill become us to dictate to Go D, when, and to whom, it should be given. Let us examine, and acquiefce in Ver. 29. fuch, as he has feen fit to afford; and pass thro' our various Scenes of Life, as thofe that have Eternity in View, and are perfuaded we must each of us, in a few Years at fartheft, be with Lazarus in Abraham's Bofom, or with the Rich Man in that tormenting Flame. CHRIST repeats his Exhortations to an inoffenfive Conduct, and a forgiving Temper; and warns his Difciples not to arrogate any Merit to themselves. Luke XVII. 1,—-11. LUKE XVII. 1. Luke XVII. I. UR Lord alfo about this Time repeated to Sect. 126. the numerous Attendants who were then around him, feveral Things which he had formerly said in a more private Way to the Difciples; and particularly addreffed them in Terms like thefe, Confidering the general Corruption of Human Nature, the Snares of the World, and the Temptations of Satan, it is impoffible but one Way or other Offences fhould come; many profeffing my Religion will, no doubt, act unworthy of themfelves, and difgrace the holy Name they bear : Nevertheless, Woe [be to him] by whom they come; and let me warn you therefore, as you love your own Souls, to guard against the Guilt and Danger of being a Stumbling-block to others. For I 2 affure you, it were better for fuch a one, even for him that by an immoral Life proves a Reproach to my Caufe, that he should die by the Hand of Violence, and fuffer the moft fhocking Execution; yea, that a huge Mill-ftone should be hanged about his Neck, and he fhould be thrown Z 2 into 180 Luke XVII. They fhould be ready to forgive their Brethren: Sect. 126. into the Sea, than that he should offend and infnare one of thefe Little ones that believe in me, fo as to draw the meaneft of them into Sin and Ruin. (See Mat. xviii. 6, 7. and the Notes there, Sect. 93. pag. 20, 21.) 2. 3 ; Take beed to yourselves therefore (a), that you 5 6 Then the Apostles faid unto the Lord, Lord, we are fenfible, that in this Inftance, as well as in several others, we have Need to pray, thou wouldst increase our Faith (b): Oh quicken our Apprehenfion of the Reality and Importance of the Motives by which all thy Commands are inforced, and of the Authority by which they are dictated; that we may not fcruple to submit even to fuch Precepts as these, how hard foever they may bear upon Flesh and Blood, into the Sea, than that he fhould offend one of these Little ones. 3 Take heed to yourfelves: If thy Brother trefpass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, for give him. 4 And if he trespass against thee feven Times in Day, and seven Times in a Day turn again to thee, faying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him. ye 6 And the Lord faid; IF had Faith as a Grain of And the Lord faid, If you had ever so little Faith, tho' it were but as a Grain of Mustard- Muftard-feed, ye might fay feed, yet (as I formerly told you,) it would con quer unta (a) Take heed to your felves. ]. This contains a strong and important Intimation, how much Sin, and Scandal is occafioned, by a fevere quarrelfome Temper in the Difciples of Chrift; as it not only ftirs up the Corruptions of thofe with whom they contend, but leads others to think meanly of a Profeffion, which has fo little Efficacy, to foften, and sweeten the Tempers, of those who maintain it. (b) Increase our Faith.] Wolzogenius himself acknowledges, that their applying to Chrift to ftrengthen their Faith, fhews that they believed he had a Divine Influence over the Spirits of Men. See Whitby, in loc. (c) You And fhould not arrogate any Merit to themselves. and be thou planted in the 181 unto this Sycamine-tree, Be quer the greatest Difficulties; fo that you might, Sect. 126. thou plucked up by the Root, as it were, be able to fay to this Sycamore-tree, Be Sea; and it should obey you. thou rooted up, and planted in the Sea; and it should 6. prefently obey you (c). 7 But which of you having a Servant plowing, or feeding Cattle, will fay unto him by and by, when he is come from the Field, Go and fit down to Meat? Luke XVII. Endeavour therefore to live in the Exercise of 7 ; you have what (c) You might fay to this Sycamore-tree, &c.] I do not apprehend this Text to be entirely parallel to Mat. xvii. 20. pag. 12. In this Connection the Expreffion feems Proverbial, and to be as if he had faid, As the leaft Degree of miraculous Faith will (as I faid before,) produce the greatest Effects, to the leaft Degree of true fincere Piety will finally bear a Mair above all Oppofition, and enable him to conquer the World. (d) Come in.] Raphelius proves, that wapen has often this Senfe. Compare Luke xii. 37. and Acts xxiv. 7. See Raphel. Annot. ex Herod. pag. 263, and especially Annot, ex Xen. pag. 108. (e) Gird up thy Garments clofe about thee.] Compare Luke xii. 37. pag. 120. That Servants ufed to be girded while waiting on their Mafters, is well fhewn by Elfner. Obferv.. Vol. i. pag. 258, 259. See Note (b) on Luke xii. 35. pag. 119. (f) Unprofitable Servants.] The Word axpera fometimes fignifies wicked; (Rom. iii. 12. Mat. xxv. 30.) but in this Connection it cannot have that Senfe. I entirely agree with Heinfius, that here, and 2 Sam. vi. 22. Septuag. it fignifies mean, or inconfiderable, as the best of Men certainly are. (8), As 182 Reflections on an inoffenfive and forgiving Spirit. Sect. 126. what we were by Virtue of our Relation to GOD, done that which was our and Dependance upon him, indifpenfably obliged Duty to do. to do, as much as any purchased Slave is obliged to serve his Mafter. And affure yourselves, that no Services will be fo pleafing to Go D, as those that are performed with fuch an humble Spirit. Luke XVII. 10. I I Luke xvii. Ver. 3, 4. Ver. 5. Thefe Difcourfes, and those above-mentioned, happened in our Lord's Journey to the Feaft of the Dedication; and as he went to Jerufalem to attend it (g), he passed thro' the Midst of Samaria and Galilee, taking thofe Parts of Samaria in his Way, that lay next to Galilee. L 11 And it came to pafs, as he went to Jerufalem, Midft of Samaria and Galithat he paffed thro' the lee. IMPROVEMENT. ET us renew our Guard against every Thing in our Conduct, which might give Offence to the Meanest and Weakest; and against every Thing, which might by a bad Example mislead others, or furnish the Enemies of Religion with Matter of Reproach and Accufation against it. Let us imbibe the forgiving Spirit of the Gofpel, and bearing in Mind the numberless Inftances in which GOD has forgiven us, tho' we have finned against him not only feven Times, but feventy Times feven; let us arm ourselves in fome Degree with the fame Mind, and endeavour to forbear, and forgive one another, even as GOD for Chrift's Sake has freely forgiven us. Eph. iv. 32. and Col. iii. 13. In a Senfe of the Weakness of our Faith, let us pray to Chrift to increase it; and then thofe Duties will be difcharged with Eafe and Delight, which appeared moft difficult in a diftant Profpect. Yet when Ver. 7,--10. Faith and Patience have had their most perfect Work, when our Master's Will has been borne with the most entire Submiffion, and done with the moft zealous Dispatch, let us not pretend to place any Merit in our own Actions or Sufferings; but let us think of ourfelves as the Servants of GOD, yea, as unprofitable Servants, whofe Goodness extendeth not to our Great Mafter And to the Riches of his Grace let us afcribe it, that our feeble Powers are strengthened to the Performance of our Duty; and that our worthless Services are accepted, and the numberless Deficiencies of them mercifully excufed. (8) As he went to Jerufalem.] As Luke has related the two little Hiftories contained in the next Section at fome Distance from each other, it is very difficult, (as the attentive Reader will obferve,) to place them together without fome Tautology. I have therefore inferted the Introduction to one of them, at the End of this Section; leaving out the Word eyevelo, it came to pass, which is a mere Expletive; or if it fignify any thing, only implies, that what is mentioned in the Context happened in this Journey; or it may refer to the Difcourfes Christ had before delivered, as we have obferved in the Paraphrase. SECT. The Time when JESUS should be received up, draws near. SECT. CXXVII. CHRIST travelling thro' Samaria rebukes the intemperate AN LUKE IX. 51. ND it came to pass, when the Time was come that he fhould be re LUKE IX. 51. 183 Luke IX. 51. T was obferved in the Clofe of the former Sect. 127. Section, that our Lord was now on his Jourceived ney from Galilee, near the Feaft of the Dedication (a): And it came to pass, that as the Days were now almoft fulfilled, in which he knew he fhould be received up to Heaven again (b), having dispatched (a) Near the Feast of the Dedication.J Taking it for granted, that the following Word avanews, refers to Chrift's Afcenfion, (the Reasons for which I fhall give below,) I think this the only Place, where this little Story can properly come in. Moft Harmonizers place it juft before the Feast of Tabernacles; (of which we had an Account in the Seventh and Eighth Chapters of John, from Sect. 98. to 105.) and chiefly on their Authority, without a critical Examination, I had mentioned it in that Connection in my Sermon against Perfecution, pag. 3. But I am now convinced, that could not be the Time; not only as it would increase the Difficulty, by fuppofing Luke then to fay, that the Time of his being received up was fulfilled, tho' it must have been above Half a Year before his Death; but chiefly, because that was not the last Journey he made from Galilee to Jerufalem, and because, (as we observed. on John vii. 10. Note (b), pag. 44.) he made that Journey with all poffible Secrecy; whereas here he had a Train of Attendants.No Commentators (on our Interpretation of avaλn fews). have, for the obvious Reason hinted above, thought of placing it higher; and lower I think it cannot be brought: For tho' I was once ftrongly inclined to take the Words in their moft literal Senfe, and to conclude this happened when Christ was going from Galilee to Jerufalem juft before his Afcenfion, after having manifefted his Refurrection by his Appearance to the Five hundred Brethren, 1 Cor. xv. 6. (compare Mat. xxviii. 7, 16,-18.) I have been obliged to give up that Hypothefis, confidering that he never after his Refurrection appeared fo publickly as in this Story, (compare Acts i. 3. x. 40, 41.) and that he had then no Difficulties to expect at Jerufalem, againft which he should stedfaftly fet his Face. And as for his Journey to Jerufalem juft before the Paffover at which he fuffered, he went from Ephraim near the Wilderness, (John xi. 54.) and paffed thro' Jericho: (Luke xix. 1.) So that Samaria did not lie in his Way. Nor is there, that I can find, any Proof that he ever went back to Galilee, between the Feaft of Dedication, and his Death; which I think fufficiently accounts for the Ufe of the Phrafe, of the Days or Time being fulfilled, &t. (b) As the Days were fulfilled, in which he should be received up: v Tw ouμTANEDAI TAS nuspes ins avaλn Jews aul.] In all the Reafonings of the former Note, I have taken it for granted, that avanes here fignifies Chrift's being taken up to Heaven: And this is fo generally the Signification of the Word, that I wonder any learned Men fhould have interpreted it in a different Manner. Sir Ifaac Newton, merely to fuit with his Hypothefts of preferving the Order of Matthew unvaried, ftrangely fuppofes, that this Occurrence happened in the first Year of Chrift's Preaching; (Newt. on the Prophecies, pag. 153.) and interprets the Paffage before us, as if avans were the fame with avafoxn, a renewed Entertainment; |