Judea, toward the end of his ministry, should have contained many of the sentiments and expressions he had formerly made use of. See Prel. Obser. IV. According to this view of things, our Lord did not confine his ministry to Galilee, and the countries round the lake. He was much in those countries indeed, for the space of three years. But he exercised his mi nistry a considerable time in Judea and Perea also, by which means all the Israelites, as it is reasonable to believe, enjoyed the benefit of his doctrine and example. And that Luke should have been the only evangelist who has given the history of the mission of the seventy disciples, and of Christ's ministry in consequence of that mission, need not be thought strange, if he published his gospel before the other evangelists wrote theirs, as I have attempted to shew, Prelim. Observ. VII. ch. 1.

§ LXXXI. The seventy disciples return, and give Jesus an account of their success in working miracles. Luke x. 17,-24.

THE seventy disciples having gone through the several parts of the country appointed them, returned and told their Master with great joy what they had done, particularly that they had cast out many devils. Luke x. 17. And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject to us through thy name. From the manner in which they spake of this latter exertion of their power, it would appear to have been what they did not expect when they set out. For though Jesus had given them power to heal diseases, ver. 9. he had said nothing concerning devils. 18. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning * fall from heaven: Ye need not wonder that the devils are subject unto you through my name, for Satan their prince is not able to stand before me. This was shewed me at my first appearance in the human nature to destroy him and his works, when I saw him fall from heaven with great violence; I saw him fall from the great power and eminence to which he had exalted himself in the world. Withal, to prove that he had thrown down Satan from his exaltation, and to increase their joy, and to render them more fit for their work, he enlarged their powers. 19. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions: their treading on serpents is a proverbial expression, which signifies victory over enemies (see Bos. Observ. Crit. 108.); accordingly it is added, and over all the power of

the

Ver. 18. Fall from heaven.] To be exalted into heaven, signifies to be raised unto great powers and privileges, and particniarly to sovereign dominion. To fall from heaven, therefore, may signify to lose one's dominion and pre-eminency. The devils, by the idolatry of the Gentiles and the wickedness of the Jews, had been exalted into heaven, had ruled man. kind in opposition to the dominion of God; but by the preaching of the gospel, their power was to be destroyed in every country. But Erasmus gives the words another turn; he thinks they were designed as a caution to the disciples against pride: as if our Lord had said, Ye have great powers hestowed upon you, and ye have been very successful in the exercise of them; be not too much elated on this account, but remember that pride was the sin by which Lucifer fell from his seat in heaven.

At the

your

the enemy; and nothing shall by any means hurt you. same time he told them, that the gift of miracles was not so just a matter of joy, as that their names were written in the book of life, because it was but a temporary pre-eminence, was sometimes granted to wicked men, and no wise qualified them for heaven. Luke x. 20. Notwithstanding in this rejcice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because * names are written in heaven. On this occasion Jesus, meditating upon the unspeakable wisdom and goodness of the divine dispensations to mankind, felt extraordinary emotions of joy. 21. in that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, i. e. † rejoiced greatly, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father, for so it seemeth good in thy sight. 22. All things are delivered to me of the Father; and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father: and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him. (See on Matt. xi. 25. § 42.) 23. And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, (see the beginning of next section) Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see. 24. For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. See on Matt. xiii. 16. § 49.

It would appear that when the seventy disciples returned, Jesus was surrounded with a great multitude of people. I gather this from ver. 23. where, after having spoken publicly to the seventy, we are told that "he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see, for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them," &c. The happiness here praised was enjoyed by the seventy as well as by the twelve, and consequently it was as fit that they should be made sensible of its greatness, as that the twelve should understand it. Besides, this declaration, as well as what was spoken more publicly, was designed to moderate the joy which the seventy had conceived, on finding the devils subject to them. The subjection of the devils to their command, was not so great a happiness as their being allowed to hear Christ's sermons, and to see his miracles. These things shew, that what our Lord said privately to

his

Ver. 20. Names are written in heaven.] Many are of opinion that this is an allusion to the enrolment of citizens names in a register, by which their right to the privileges of citizenship was acknowledged by the community; and to confirm their opinion, they observe that, Rev. iii. 5. God promises the members of the church of Sardis, that he would not blot their names out of the book of life.

+ Ver. 21. Rejoiced greatly. So the expression in spirit signifies, Mark viii. 12. Jolm xi. 33. xiii. 21. Acts xviii. 5. See on Luke i. 47. § 4.

his disciples, was said to the seventy as well as to the twelve; if so, he was now attended by the multitude. I have been at pains to prove this, because it accounts for the behaviour of the lawyer to be mentioned in the next section.

§ LXXXII. In Simaria Jesus declares the means of obtaining eternal life. See § 105, 119. maritan who took care of the lying upon the road to Jericho.

The parable of the good Swounded Jew, whom he found Luke x. 25,-37.

If the connexion with which Luke introduces the transaction we are going to explain, implies that it happened immediately after what goes before in the history, it took its rise in the fol lowing manner. A doctor of the law, who, it seems, made one of the multitude which attended Jesus when the seventy returned, having listened to what he said to his disciples in private, concerning their enjoying a happiness which many prophets and kings had desired in vain to obtain, namely, the happiness of seeing his miracles and of hearing his sermons, thought that he would make trial of that great wisdom which he said he possessed, by proposing to him one of the most important questions which it is possible for the human mind to examine, namely, What a man must do to inherit eternal life. For that this learned doctor asked the question, not from a sincere desire to know his duty, but merely to try our Lord's knowledge, is evident from the text, which informs us that he did it tempting him, expecting perhaps that on this head he would teach differently from Moses, Luke x. 25. And behold a certain lawyer stood up and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? Je sus alluding to his profession, made answer by inquiring of him what the law taught on that point. 26. He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? 26. And he answering, (out of Deut. vi. 5.) said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God · with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. (See on Mark xii. 30. 119.) 28. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right; this do, and thou shalt live. Jesus approved of: his answer; and allowed that to love God as the law enjoined, is the means of obtaining eternal life, because it never fails to produce obedience to all the divine revelations and commands, consequently obedience even to the gospel which he was then preaching. But the lawyer, willing to justify himself, or shew that he was blameless in respect of the duties which are least liable to be counterfeited, the social and relative duties, asked him what was the meaning and extent of the word neighbour in the law. 29. But he willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour? It seems, being strongly tinctured with the prejudices of his nation, he reckoned none brethren but

§

Israelites,

Israelites, or neighbours but proselytes, (see on Matt. v. 22. § 26.) and expected that Jesus would confirm his opinion by approving of it. For, according to this interpretation, he thought himself innocent, although enemies and heathens had no share of his love, since the precept enjoined the love of neighbours only. But our Lord, who well knew how to convince and persuade, answered him in such a manner as to make the feelings of his heart overcome the prejudices of his understanding. He convinced him of his mistake by a parable; an ancient, agreeable, and inoffensive method of conveying instruction, very fit to be used in teaching persons who are greatly prejudiced against the truth.

The parable which our Lord now spake was that of the Samaritan, who shewed extraordinary kindness to a distressed Jew, his bitter enemy on account of religion. This Jew, in travelling from Jerusalem to Jericho, fell among robbers, who, not satisfied with taking all the money that he had, stripped him of his raiment, beat him unmercifully, and left him for dead. Luke x. 30. And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, (ansas robbers) which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. While he was lying in this miserable condition, utterly incapable of helping himself, a certain priest happening to come that way, saw him in great distress, but took no pity on him. In like manner a Levite espying him, would not come near him, having no mind to be at any trouble or expence with him. Luke x. 31. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side: both of them barbarously passed by, without so much as speaking to the poor man. Thus hard-hearted were these ministers of religion, the priest and the Levite, notwithstanding their sacred characters and eminent knowledge in the law, obliged them to be remarkable for compassion and all the tender offices of charity, especially when it was the distress of a brother which called for their help. In other cases, indeed, these hypocrites might have invented reasons to palliate their inhumanity; but here it was not in their power to do it. They could not excuse themselves by saying this was a Samaritan, or a heathen who deserved no pity; they could not even excuse themselves by saying they did not know who he was; for though they took care to keep at a distance, they had looked on their brother lying stripped, wounded, and half dead, without being in the least moved with his distress. Soon after this, a Samaritan happened to come that way, and seeing a fellow-creature lying on the road naked and wounded, went up to him; and though he found it was one of a different nation, who professed a religion opposite to his own, the vioVOL. II..

Ff

lent

lent hatred of all such persons that had been instilled into his mind from his earliest years, and every objection whatever remained immediately silenced, by the feelings of pity awakened at the sight of the man's distress; his bowels yearned towards the Jew; he hasted with great tenderness to give him assistance. It seems this humane traveller, according to the custom of those times, carried his provisions along with him *; for he was able, though in the fields, to give the wounded man some wine to recruit his spirits; moreover, he carefully bound up his wounds, soaking the bandages with a mixture of wine and oil, which he poured on them, and which is of a medicinal quality; then setting him on his own beast, he walked by him on foot and supported him. In this manner did the good Samaritan carry the Jew his enemy to the first inn he could find, where he carefully attended him all that night; and on the morrow when he was go ing away, he delivered him over to the care of the host, with a particular recommendation to be very kind to him. And that nothing

In ancient times travellers used to carry their provisions along with them, because there were then no inns for the entertainment of strangers, but only houses for lodging them, such as the khanes or karavanserais in the eastern countries are at this day. These, as travellers tell us, consist of a capacious square, on all sides of which are a number of rooms, on a ground floor, used occasionally for chambers, warehouses, or stables. Above stairs there is a colonade or gallery, on every side of which are the doors of a number of small rooms, wherein the merchants, as well strangers as natives, transact most of their business. In these caravanserais, travellers can sometimes purchase straw and provender for their horses, mules, or other beasts, though generally speaking they supply them with nothing but rooms to lodge in. The wavdoyerov, or inn, mentioned afterwards in the parable, was of this kind; for the Samaritan, while he was there, fur nished the wounded Jew with all things necessary out of his own stores, and only committed him to the innkeeper when he went away, with a sum of money, which he desired him to lay out in providing whatever was proper for the man, till his cure was completed, ver. 34, 35. We have two examples in Scripture of the custom just now mentioned: one Matt. xv. 32. where it is said that the multitude spent all their provision, having continued with Jesus in the desert mountain three days; another, Judges xix. 19. where the Levite who travelled home with his concubine, says to the old man that came to him, as he stood in the street of Gibeah, "There is no man that receiveth me to house; yet there is both straw and provender for our asses, and there is bread and wine also for me, and for thy handmaid, and for the young man which is with thy servant; there is no want of any thing."

Dr Shaw, Preface to his Travels, p. 14. mentions another sort of inn, called connack. This, he says, denotes the place itself, whether covered or not, where the travellers or caravans halt, or break off their journey for a time, in order to refresh themselves and their beasts. Thus the Malon or inn, Gen. xlii. 27. and xliii. 21. where the sons of Jacob opened their sacks to give their asses provender, was ho other than one of the like sta tions, viz. the place where they themselves rested, and unloaded their asses. In the parable of the Samaritan, it is the oler sort of inn that is mentioned, as is plain from its Laving an innkeeper, which the connack in the deserts of Arabia has not.