Christ warns his disciples against giving offence. 53 SECT. saw signs and wonders they would believe. The heart of man may be hardened against the most sensible and immediate miracle; but if that evidence were irresistible, it would ill become us to Ver dictate to God when and to whom it should be given. Let us 29 examine and acquiesce in such as he has seen fit to afford; and pass through our various scenes of life as those that have eternity in view, and are persuaded we must each of us, in a few years at farthest, be with Lazarus in Abraham's bosom, or with the rich man in that tormenting Aame. SECT. CXXVI. Christ repeats his exhortations to an inoffensive conduct and a forgiving temper; and warns his disciples not to arrogate any merit to themselves, Luke XVII. 1-11. LUKE XVII. 1, THEN said he unto the disciples, It is LUKE XVII. 1. SECT. OUR Lord also about this time repeated to the impossible but that of- numerous attendants who were then around cxxvi. fences will come: but him several things which he had formerly said woe unto him through in a more private way to the disciples; and parti- xvil.. whom they come. 9 It were better for cularly addressed them in terms like these: Con- him that a mill-stone these little ones. Take heed to your selves: shocking execution; yea, that a huge mill-stone Take heed to yourselves therefore, that you 3 a Take heed to yourselves.] This contains a strong and important intimation, how much sin, and scandal is occasioned, by a severe quarrelsome temper in the disciples of Christ; as it not only stirs up the cor may ruptions of those with whom they contend, G2 b Increase Luke 54 SECT. We should be ready to forgive a repenting brother. him; and if he may govern all your passions aright, and par- selves: If thy brother cxxvi. ticularly your resentments by which otherwise trespass against thee, Luke much sin may be occasioned, both to yourselves repent, forgive him. XVII. 3. and others. And if thy brother trespass against thee, do not lay up a secret grudge against him for it, but plainly and faithfully rebuke him, endeavouring to convince him of the evil he has committed; and if he appear to repent of his fault, forgive him immediately, without insist4 ing on any rigorous satisfaction. And if he trespass against thee again and again, even though he should repeat his fault, seven times in a day, (compare Psal. cxix. 161.) and seven day return to thee, seriously, saying, I repent of my folly, and am heartily sorry for the injury I have done thee; thou shalt forgive him even these repeated offences. (Compare Mat. xviii. 21, 22. Vol VI. p. 498.) times in a 5 Then the apostles said unto the Lord, Lord, 6 And the Lord said, If you had ever so little faith, though it were but as a grain of mustard. seed, yet (as I formerly told you,) it would conquer the greatest difficulties; so that you might, it were, be able to say to this sycamore tree, Be thou rooted up, and planted in the sea, and it should presently obey you. as 4 And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him. 5 And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith. 6 And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard-seed, sycamore-tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea, and it should ye might say unto this obey you. 7 Endeavour therefore to live in the exercise of 7 But which of you having a servant plowing, or feeding cattle, will b Increase our faith.] Woltzogenius himself acknowledges, that their applying to Christ to strengthen their faith, shews that they believed he had a Divine influence over the spirits of men. See Whitby in loc. c You might say to this sycamore-tree, &c.] I do not apprehend this tert to be entirely parallel to Mat. xvii. 20. Vol. VI. p. 480. In this connection the expression seems No merit must be arrogated to ourselves. 55 will say unto him by ground, or feeding his flock, will say unto him, SECT. and by, when he is as soon as he comes in from the field, Come ind, d, cxxvi. Go and sit down to and sit down at the table with me? Or will he Luke come from the field, meat? not rather say to him, if it was a part of that XVII. 8. 8 And will not rather servant's business to do it, Make ready somewhat say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may for my supper, and when it is prepared gird up sup, and gird thyself, thy garments close about thee, and wait upon have eaten and drunk me, while I am eating and drinking; and afteren; and afterward thou wards thou shalt sit down to eat and drink shalt eat and drink? thyself? And suppose he should observe his 9 serve till I 9 Doth he thank orders with the greatest diligence, does he think that servant because himself obliged to thank that servant, because he he did the things that were commanded him? hath done what was commanded him? I appre I trow not. when ye shall have hend he does not, because he has an authority over the servant, and may justly claim his obe10 So likewise ye, dience as matter of debt. Now to apply this to 10 done all those things your own services; so likewise ye, when you have which are commanded faithfully done all that was commanded you in you, say, We are un- the exactest manner, yet should still say, Surely profitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do. we are worthless and unprofitable servants, who These discourses, and those above mentioned, 11 11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. d Come in.] Raphelius proves, that the word παρέλθων has often this sense. Compare Luke xii. 37. and Acts xxiv. 7. See Raphel. Annot. ex. Herod. p. 263, and especially Annot. ex. Xen. p. 108. • Gird up thy garments close about thee.] Compare Luke xii. 37. Vol. VI. p. 581.That servants used to be girded while waiting on their masters, is well shown by Elsner, Observ. Vol. I. p. 258, 259. See note b on Luke xii. 35, Vol. VI. p. 581. f Unprofitable servants.] The word αχρείοι sometimes signifies wicked; (Rom. iii. 12. Mat. xxv. 30.) but in this connection it cannot have that sense. I entirely agree with Heinsius, that here, and 2 Sam. vi. 22. Septuag. it signifies mean, or inconsiderable, as the best of men certainly arc. IMPROVE g In our Lord's journey to the feast of the dedication.] See note a on Luke xiii. 23, sect. cxviii. and note a on Luke xiv. 1, sect. exix. h As he went to Jerusalem.] As Lake has related the two little histories contained in the next section at some distance from each other, it is very difficult (as the attentive reader will observe) to place them together without some tautology. I have therefore inserted the introduction to one of them at the end of this section; leaving out the word εγένελο, it came to pass, which is a mere expletive; or at most does only imply that what is mentioned in the context happened in this journey, or may refer to the discourses Christ had before delivered, as we have observed in the paraphrase. a Near 56 The time when Jesus should be received up, draws near. SECT. exxvi. IMPROVEMENT. LET us renew our guard against every thing in our conduct, which might give offence to the meanest and weakest; and against Ver. every thing, which might by a bad example mislead others, or fur1, 2 nish the enemies of religion with matter of reproach and accusa3, 4 tion against it. Let us imbibe the forgiving Spirit of the gospel, and bearing in mind the numberless instances in which God has forgiven us, though we have sinned against him not only seven times, but seventy times seven ; let us arm ourselves in some degree with the same mind, and endeavour to forbear, and forgive one another, even as God for Christ's sake has freely forgiven us. (Eph. iv. 32 and Col. iii. 13.) 5 In a sense of the weakness of our faith, let us pray to Christ to increase it; and then those duties will be discharged with ease and 7-10 delight, which appeared most difficult in a distant prospect. Yet when faith and patience have had their most perfect work, when our Master's will has been borne with the most entire submission, and done with the most zealous dispatch, let us not pretend to place any merit in our own actions or sufferings; but let us think of ourselves as the servants of God, yea, as unprofitable servants, whose goodness extendeth not to our Great Master; And to the riches of his grace let us ascribe 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 excused. SECT. SECT. CXXVII. Christ travelling through Samaria rebukes the intemperate zeal of James and John, against those who refused to grant him entertainment; and heals ten lepers. Luke IX. 51-56. XVII, 12-19. when the time come C. IT was observed in the close of the former Aeneas section, that our Lord was now on his jourLuke ney from Galilee, near the feast of the dedicaIX. 51. tion : and it came to pass, that as the days were now a Near the feast of the dedication.) Taking it for granted that the following word, αναληψεως, refers to Christ's ascension (the reasons for which I shall give below), I think this the only place where this little story can properly come in. Most harmonizers place it just before the feast of tabernacles (of which we had an account in the seventh and eighth chapters of John, from sect. xcviii. to cv); and chiefly on their authority, without a critical examination, I had mentioned it in that connec He knows his sheep, and will gather them into the fold. 12 But he that is an shepherd, whose own 85 cxxxiii. scripture under that character, (Isa. xl. 11. SECT. The hireling indeed, who is not the true shep-12 fleeth: and the wolf scattereth the sheep. 13 The hireling A-eth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. 14 I am the good Shepherd, and know my sheep, and ain known of mine. knoweth me, even so to secure himself, and leaves the sheep and flees But I am the good Shepherd, who have a true 14 affection for my sheep, and am above the influence of all such mean and selfish views: and such is the relation that there is between us, and such the love we have to one another, that I know and acknowledge my [sheep], and take the kindest and most tender care of them; and I am also known, acknowledged and confided in, by 15 As the Father mine: So that we mutually are dear unto each 15 know I the father: other; and even as the Father knoweth me, and and I lay down my owns his affection and regard to me, by the sure tokens of his presence and approbation; and I also know, or acknowledge and honour, the Father, in the delight with which I do his will; so the affection is reciprocal between me and my sheep and as it is in love to them, as well as with an ultimate view to his appointment and his glory, that I lay down my life for the sheep he has given me, so also do my sheep acknowledge and confide in me, and so do I protect and patronize them. Life for the sheep. And I would farther observe to you, as a point 16 of great importance, that I have other sheep which L 2 are |