you with water unto repentance; but he that cometh after me is mightier than I; whose shoes I am not worthy to bear; he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost 12 and with fire: Whofe fan is in his hand, and he will throughly cleanse his floor, and gather the wheat into his garner, but will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. 13 *Then cometh Jefus from Galilee to Jordan unto 14 John, to be baptized by him. But John forbad him, faying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest 15 thou to me? And Jefus anfwering faid to him, Suffer it now; for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteous16 nefs. Then he fuffered him. And Jefus being bap tized, went up ftraightway from the water, and lo the heavens were opened to him, and he faw the Spirit of God defcending like a dove, and coming upon him. 17 And lo a voice out of the heavens, faying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I delight. fill you with the Holy Ghost, inflaming your hearts with that fire of love, which many waters cannot quench And this was done, even with a vifible appearance as of fire, on the day of Pentecoft. V. 12. Whofe fan-That is, the word of the Gofpel. His floorThat is, his Church, which is now covered with a mixture of wheat and chaff. He will gather the wheat into his garner-Will lay up those who are truly good, in heaven. V. 15. It becometh us to fulfil all righteousness-It becometh every meffenger of God, to observe all his righteous ordinances. But the par ticular meaning of our Lord feems to be, Thus it becometh us to do (ine to receive baptifm, and you to administer it) in order to fulfil, that is, that I may fully perform every part of the righteous Law of God, and the commiffion He hath given me. V. 16. And Jefus being baptized-Let our Lord's fubmitting to bap tifm, teach us an holy exactnefs, in the obfervance of thofe inftitutions which owe their obligation merely to a divine command. Surely thus. it becometh all his followers to fulfil all righteousness. Jefus had no fin to wash away. And yet He was baptized. And God owned his ordinance, fo as to make it the feason of pouring forth the Holy Spirit upon Him. And where can we expect this facred effufion, but in an humble attendance on divine appointments? Lo the heavens were opened, and he faw the Spirit of God-St. Luke adds, in a bodily form-Probably in a glorious appearance of fire, perhaps in the hape of a dove, defcending with a hovering motion, till it refted upon, him. This was a vifible token of thofe fecret operations of the bleffed Spirit, by which he was anointed in a peculiar manner; and abundantly fitted for his public work. V. 17. And lo a voice-We have here a glorious manifeftation of the ever bleffed Trinity: the Father fpeaking from heaven, the Son spoken to, the Holy Ghost descending upon Him. In whom I delight-What an encomium is this! How poor to this are all other kinds of praife! Mark i, 9. Luke iii. 219 To * IV. Then was Jefus led up by the Spirit into the wilder2 nefs to be tempted by the devil. And having fafted forty 3 days and forty nights, he was afterwards hungry. And the tempter coming to him faid, If thou be the Son of 4 God, command that these stones be made bread. he answering faid, It is written, + Man fhall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out 5 of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him But with him into the holy city, and fetteth him on the 6 battlement of the temple, And faith to him, If thou be the Son of God, caft thyfelf down; for it is written, He fhall charge his angels concerning thee, and in their hands they fhall bear thee up, left at any time thou dafh thy foot against a stone. Jefus faid to him, it is written again, *Thou fhalt not tempt the Lord 8 thy God. Again, the devil taketh him with him to an exceeding high mountain, and fheweth him all the 9 kingdoms of the world and the glory of them, And faith to him, All these things will I give thee, if thou To be the pleafure, the delight of God, this is praise indeed: this is true glory: this is the highest, the brighteft light, that virtue can appear in. V. 1. Then-After this glorious evidence of his Father's love, He was compleatly armed for the combat. Thus after the clearest light and the ftrongest confolation, let us expect the sharpelt temptations. By the Spirit-Probably through a strong inward impulfe. V. 2. Having fafted-Whereby doubtlefs He received more abundant fpiritual ftrength from God. Forty days and forty nights-As did Mofes, the giver of the Law, and Elijah, the great restorer of it. He was afterwards hungry-And so prepared for the firit temptation. V. 3. Coming to him-In a visible form; probably in a human shape, as one that defired to enquire farther into the evidences of his being the Meffiah. V. 4. It is written-Thus Chrift anfwered, and thus we may anfwer all the fuggeftions of the devil. By every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God-That is, by whatever God commands to fuftain him. Therefore it is not needful I should work a miracle to procure bread, without any intimation of my Father's will. V. 5. The holy city-So Jerufalem was commonly called, being the place God had peculiarly chofen for Himself. On the battlement of the temple-Probably over the King's gallery, which was of fuch a prodigious height, that no one could look down from the top of it, with out making himself giddy. V. 6. In their hands-That is, with great care. V. 7. Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God-By requiring farther evidence, of what he hath already made fufficiently plain. V. 8. Sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world-In a kind of visionary representation. V. 9 If thou wilt fall down and worship me-Here Satan clearly shews who * Mark i. 12. Luke iv. 1. † Deut. viii 3. Pfalm xci. 11, 12. * Deut. vi, 16. 10 wilt fall down and worship me. Then Jefus faith to him, Get thee hence, Satan; for it is written, + Thou fhalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only fhalt 11 thou ferve. Then the devil leaveth him, and behold angels came and waited upon him. 12 But when he heard, that John was caft into pri13 fon, he retired into Galilee. And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt at Capernaum, which is on the fea 14 coast, in the borders of Zebulon and Napthali: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Ifaiah the pro15 phet saying, § The land of Zebulon and the land of Napthali, by the way of the fea, beyond Jordan, Gali16 lee of the Gentiles, The people who walked in darkness saw a great light, and to them who fat in the region of the shadow of death, light is fprung up. 17 From that time Jefus began to preach and to fay, 18 Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And who he was. Accordingly Chrift answering this fuggeftion, calls him by his own name, which he had not done before. V. 10. Get thee hence, Satan-Not, get thee behind me, that is, into thy proper place; as He said on a quite different occasion to Peter, speaking what was not expedient. V. 11. Angels came and waited upon him-Both to fupply him with food, and to congratulate his victory. V. 12. He retired into Galilee-This journey was not immediately after his temptation. He firft went from Judea into Galilee, John i. 43. ch. ii. 1. Then into Judea again, and celebrated the paffover at Jeru falem, John ii. 13. He baptized in Judea, while John was baptizing at Enon, John iii. 22, 23. All this time John was at liberty, ver. 25. But the Pharifees being offended, ch. iv. ver. 1. and John put in prifon, He then took this journey into Galilee. V. 13. Leaving Nazareth-Namely, when they had wholly rejected his word, and even attempted to kill him, Luke iv. 29. V. 15. Galilee of the Gentiles-That part of Galilee which lay beyond Jordan was fo called, because it was in a great measure inhabited by Gentiles, that is, Heathens. V. 16. Here is a beautiful gradation, firft, they walked, then they fat in darkness, and laftly, in the region of the shadow of death. V. 17. From that time Jefus began to preach-He had preached before both to Jews and Samaritans, John iv. 41, 45. But from this time began his folemn, ftated preaching. Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand-Although it is the peculiar business of Christ, to establish the kingdom of heaven in the hearts of men, yet it is obfervable, he begins his preaching in the fame words with John the Baptift: because the repen tance which John taught, ftill was, and ever will be the neceffary pre paration for that inward kingdom. But that phrafe is not only ufed with regard to individuals, in whom it is to be established, but also with regard to the Chriftian Church, the whole body of believers. In the former fense it is opposed to repentance; in the latter, to the Mofaic dif penfation. V. 23. The † Deut. vi. 13. ‡ Mark i, 14. § Isaiah ix. 1, 2. ‡ Mark i, 16. Lukev.12 walking by the fea of Galilee, he faw two brethren, Simon called Peter and Andrew his brother cafting a 19 net into the fea, for they were fifhers. And he faith to them, Come after me, and I will make you fishers 20 of men. And straightway leaving the nets they fol21 lowed him. And going on from thence, he faw two other brethren, James the fon of Zebedee and John his brother, in the veffel with Zebedee their father mend22 ing their nets; and he called them. And leaving the veffel and their father, they immediately followed him. 23 And Jefus went about all Galilee, teaching in their fynagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of disease and all manner of 24 malady among the people. And his fame went through all Syria and they brought to him all fick people, that were feized with divers difeafes and tormenting pains; and demoniacs, and lunatics, and paralytics; 25 and he healed them. And there followed him, great multitudes from Galilce; and Decapolis, and Jerufalem, and Judea, and from beyond Jordan. V. : And fecing the multitudes, he went up into the mountain; and when he was fat down his difciples 2 came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught V. 23. The gospel of the kingdom-The gofpel, that is, the joyous meffage, which is the proper name of our religion: as will be amply verified in all, who earnestly and perfeveringly embrace it. V. 24. Through all Syria-The whole province, of which the Jewish country was only a fmall part. And demoniacs-Men poffeft with devils and lunatics and paralytics-Men ill of the palfy, whofe cafes were, of all others, moft deplorable and moft helpless. V. 25 Decapolis-A tract of land on the Eaft-fide of the fea of Gali lee, in which were ten cities near each other. V. 1. And feeing the multitudes-At fome diftance, as they were coming to him from every quarter. He went up into the mountainWhich was near where there was room for them all. His difciplesNot only his twelve difciples, but all who defired to learn of him. V. 2. And he opened his mouth—A phrafe which always denotes a fset and folemn difcourfe; and taught them-To blefs men, to make men happy, was the great business, for which our Lord came into the world. And accordingly he here pronounces eight bleffings together, annexing them to so many step: Chriftianity. Knowing that happiness is our common aim, and that an innate inftinct continually urges us to the purfuit of it, he in the kindeft manner applies to that inftinet, and directs it to its proper object Though all men defire, yet few attain happiness, because they seek it where it is not to be found. Our Lord therefore begins his Divine inftitution, which is the compleat art of happiness, by laying down before all that have cars to hear, the true, and only true method of ac❤ quiring it. Obferve * 3 them, faying, Happy are the poor in fpirit; for theirs 4 is the kingdom of heaven. Happy are they that mourn; 5 for they fhall be comforted. Happy are the meek; for 6 they fhall inherit the earth. Happy are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they fhall be fatisfied. 7 Happy are the merciful; for they fhall obtain mercy. 8 Happy are the pure in heart; for they fhall fee God. 9 Happy are the peace-makers; for they fhall be called Obferve the benevolent condefcenfion of our Lord. He feems, as it were, to lay afide his fupreme authority as our legiflator, that he may the better act the part of our friend and Saviour. Inftead of using the lofty tile, in positive commands, he in a more gentle and engaging way, infinuates his will and our duty, by pronouncing those happy who com ply with it. V. 3. Happy are the poor-In the following difcourfe there is, 1. A fweet invitation to true holiness and happiness, ver. 3-12: 2. A perfuafive to impart it to others, ver. 13-16: 3. A defcription of true, Christian Holinefs, ver. 17-ch. vii. 12: (in which it is easy to observe, the latter part exactly anfwers the former :) 4. The conclufion : giving a fure mark of the true way, warning against falfe prophets, exhorting to follow after holiness. The poor in fpirit-They who are unfeignedly penitent, they who are truly convinced of fin; who fee and feel the ftate they are in by nature, being deeply fenfible of their finfulness, guiltinefs, helplessness. For theirs is the kingdom of heaven -The prefent, inward kingdom: righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghoft, as well as the eternal kingdom, if they endure to the end. V. 4. They that mourn-Either for their own fins, or for other men's, and are fteadily and habitually ferious. They fhall be comforted--More folidly and deeply even in this world, and eternally, in heaven. V. 5. Happy are the meek-They that hold all their paffions and affec tions evenly balanced. They shall inherit the earth~~They fhall have all things really neceffary for life and godliness. They fhall enjoy whatever portion God hath given them here, and fhall hereafter poffefs the new carth, wherein dwelleth righteoufnels. V. 6. They that hunger and thirst after righteousnefs-After the holi nefs here defcribed. They fhall be fatisfied with it. V. 7. The merciful-The tender-hearted: they who love all men as themselves: They fhall obtain mercy-Whatever mercy therefore we de fire from God, the fame let us fhew to our brethren. He will repay as a thoufand fold, the love we bear to any for his fake. V. 8. The pure in heart-The fanctified: they who love God with all their hearts. They fhall fee God-In all things here; hereafter in glory. V. 9. The peace-makers-They that out of love to God and man do all poflible good to all men. Peace in the Scripture fenfe implies all blefings, temporal and eternal. They fhall be called the children of God Shall be acknowledged fuch by God and men. One would imagine a perfon of this amiable temper and behaviour would be the darling of mankind. But our Lord well knew it would not be fo, as long as Satan was the prince of this world. He therefore warns them before of the treatment all were to expect, who were determined thus to tread * Luke vi. 20. in |