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3 And Jesus answering spake unto were bidden, when he marked how An. Olymp. the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, saying, they chose out the chief rooms; say- An. Olymp. a Is it lawful to heal on the sabbathing unto them,

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day?

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8 When thou art bidden of any man to a wed 4 And they held their peace. And he took ding, sit not down in the highest room, lest a him, and healed him, and let him go; more honourable man than thou be bidden of him;

5 And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day?

6 And they could not answer him again to these things.

9 And he that bade thee and him, come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room.

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10 But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that

7 ¶ And he put forth a parable to those which bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee,

a Matt. 12. 10.- Exod. 23. 5. Deut. 22. 4. ch. 13. 15.

<Prov. 95. 6, 7.

accuse him, and take away his life. In eating and drinking, people feel generally less restraint than at other times, and are apt to converse more freely. The man who can take such an advantage over one of his own guests, must have a baseness of soul, and a fellness of malice, of which, we would have thought, for the honour of human nature, that devils alone were capable. Among the Turks, if a man only taste salt with another, he holds himself bound in the most solemn manner, never to do that person any injury. I shall make no apology for inserting the following anecdote.

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Verse 2. The dropsy.] 'Twixos, dropsical; from udag, water, and of, the countenance, because in this disorder the face of the patient is often very much bloated. Probably the insidious Pharisee had brought this dropsical man to the place, not doubting that our Lord's eye would affect his heart, and that he would instantly cure him; and then he could most plausibly accuse him for a breach of the sabbath. If this were the case, and it is likely, how deep must have been the perfidy and malice of the Pharisee!

Verse 4. They held their peace.] They could not answer the question but in the affirmative; and as they were determined to accuse him, if he did heal the man, they could not give an answer but such as would condemn themselves, and therefore they were silent.

Verse 5. An ass or an or] See on chap. xiii. 15.

A public robber in Persia, known by the name of Yacoub, ibn Leits Suffer, broke open the treasury of Dirhem, the governor of Sistan. Notwithstanding the obscurity of the place, he observed, in walking forward, something that sparkled a little supposing it to be some precious stones, he put his hand on the place, and taking up something, touched it Verse 7. They chose out the chief rooms] When custom and with his tongue, and found it to be salt. He immediately law have regulated and settled places in public as cmblies, a left the treasury, without taking the smallest article with him! man who is obliged to attend, may take the place which belongs The governor finding in the morning that the treasury had to him, without injury to himself or to others: when nothing been broken open, and that nothing was carried off, ordered of this nature is settled, the law of humility, and the love of it to be published, that "Whoever the robber was, who had order are the only judges of what is proper. To take the broke open the treasury, if he declared himself, he should be highest place when it is not our due, is public vanity: obstifreely pardoned, and that he should not. only receive no in- nately to refuse it when offered, is another instance of the same jury, but should be received into the good graces of the go- vice, though private and concealed. Humility takes as much vernor." Confiding in the promise of Dinhein, Yacoub ap- care to avoid the ostentation of an affected refusal, as the open peared. The governor asked, How it came to pass, that after seeking of a superior place. See Quesnel. In this parable our having broken open the treasury, he took nothing away? Lord only repeats advices which the Rabbins had given to their Yacoub related the affair as it happened, and added, I be- pupils, but were too proud to conform to themselves. Rabbi lieved that I was become your FRIEND in eating of your SALT,|| Akiba said, Go two or three seats lower than the place that and that the Laws of that friendship would not permit me to belongs to thee, and sit there till they say unto thee go up touch any thing that appertained to you." D'Herbelot. Bib.higher; but do not take the uppermost seat, lest they say unto Orient. p. 415. How base must that man be, who professes thee, come down: for it is better that they should say unto Christianity, and yet makes his own table a snare for his thee go up, go up; than that they should say come down, friend! down. See Schoetgen.

come

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Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them CCII. 1. that sit at meat with thee.

11 For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

12 Then. said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.

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17 And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. 18 And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.

19 And another said I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.

20 And another said I have married a wife,

13 But when thou makest a feast, call the and therefore I cannot come. poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:

14 And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.

15¶ And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.

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16 Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many :

21 So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.

22 And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. 23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel

*Job 22. 29. Ps. 18. 27. Prov. 29. 23. Matt. 23. 12. ch. 18. 14. Jam. 4. 6. 1 Pet. 5. 5.

Neh. 8. 10, 12. Tob. 2. 2. & 4. 7.

e Prov. 9. 2, 5.

Rev. 19. 9. Matt. 24. 2.

Verse 11. For whosoever exalteth himself, &c.] This is the unchangeable conduct of God: he is ever abasing the proud, and giving grace, honour, and glory to the humble.

over the whole land in order to find out the poor, that he might conduct them to his house."

Verse 15. That shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.] This Verse 12. Call not thy friends, &c.] Our Lord certainly is spoken in conformity to the general expectation of the Jews, does not mean that a man should not entertain, at particular who imagined that the kingdom of the Messiah should be times, his friends, &c. but what he inculcates here, is charity wholly of a secular nature. Instead of арто, bread, EKMS-V. to the poor; and what he condemns, is those entertainments more than one hundred others, with some Versions and Fathers, which are given to the rich, either to flatter them, or to pro-read agsev, a dinner. This is probably the best reading, as it cure a similar return; because the money that is thus crimi-is likely it was a dinner at which they now sat; and it would be nally laid out, properly belongs to the poor.

natural for the person to say happy is he who shall dine in the Verse 14. For they cannot recompense thee] Because you kingdom of God. It does not appear that there was any but have done it for God's sake only, and they cannot make you a this person present, who was capable of relishing the conver recompence, therefore God will consider himself your debtor;sation of our Lord, or entering at all into its spiritual reand will recompense you in the resurrection of the righteous. ference.

There are many very excellent sayings among the Rabbins on Verse 16-24. A certain man made a great supper, &c.] See the excellence of charity. They produce both Job and Abra-a similar parable to this, though not spoken on the same occaham as examples of a very merciful disposition. "Job, say sion, explained, Matt. xxii. 1-14. they, had an open door on each of the four quarters of his house, that the poor, from whatever direction they might come, might find the door of hospitality open to receive them. But Abraham was more charitable than Job, for he travelled

Verse 23. Compel them to come in] Avayasov, prevail on them by the most earnest intreaties. The word is used by Matthew, chap. xiv. 22. and by Mark, chap. vi. 45. in both which places, when Christ is said, avayzaur, to constrain his

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24 For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden, shall taste of my supper. 25 And there went great multitudes with him and he turned, and said unto them,

26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, "yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

31 Or what king going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?

32 Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.

33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

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34 ¶ Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned? 35 It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghil; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Matt. 21. 45. & 22. 8. Acts 13. 46.-
Rom. 9. 13.

- Deut. 13. 6. & 33. 9. Matt. 10.57.
d Rev. 12. 11.

e Matt. 16. 24. Mark 8. 34 ch. 9. 23. 2 Tim. 3. 12.—— Prov. 24. 27. Matt. 5. 13. Mark 9.50.

disciples to get into the vessel, nothing but his commanding or persuading them to do it, can be reasonably understood. The Latins use cogo, and compello, in exactly the same sense, i. e. to prevail on by prayers, counsels, entreaties, &c. See several examples in Bishop PEARCE, and in KYPKE. No other kind of constraint is ever recommended in the gospel of Christ; every other kind of compulsion is antichristian, can only be submitted to by cowards and knaves, and can produce nothing but hypocrites. See at the end of the chapter.

Verse 26. And hate not] Matthew, chap. x. 37. expresses the true meaning of this word, when he says, he who loveth his father and mother MORE than me. In chap. vi. 24. he uses the word hate in the same sense. When we read Rom. ix. 13. Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated, the meaning is simply, I have loved Jacob-the Israelites; more than Esauthe Edomites: and that this is no arbitrary interpretation of the word hate, but one agreeable to the Hebrew idiom, appears from what is said on Gen. xxix. 30, 31. where Leah's being hated is explained by Rachel's being loved more than Leah. See also Deut. xxi. 15-17. and Bishop Pearce on this place. See also the notes on Matt. x. 37.

24.

air on, and to serve for refuge from, and defence against an enemy. It was also used for prayer and meditation.

This parable represents the absurdity of those who undertook to be disciples of Christ, without considering what difficulties they were to meet with, and what strength they had to enable them to go through with the undertaking. He that will be a true disciple of Jesus Christ, shall require no less than the mighty power of God to support him; as both hell and earth will unite to destroy him.

Verse 33. Whosoever he be of you] This seems to be addressed particularly to those who were then, and who were to be preachers of his gospel; and who were to travel over all countries, publishing salvation to a lost world.

Verse 34. Salt is good] See on Matt. v. 13. and Mark ix. 51.

On the subject referred to this place from ver. 23. Compel them to come in, which has been adduced to favour religious persecution; I find the following sensible and just observations in Dr. Dodd's notes.

"Ist. Persecution for conscience sake, that is, inflicting penalty upon men merely for their religious principles or worVerse 27, Doth not bear his cross] See on Matt. x. 38. xvi. ship, is plainly founded on a supposition that one man has a

Verse 28. To build a tower] Probably this means no more than a dwelling house, on the top of which, according to the Asiatic manner, battlements were built both to take the fresh

right to judge for another in matters of religion, which is manifestly absurd, and has been fully proved to be so by many. excellent writers of our church.

"2nd. Persecution is most evidently inconsistent with that

The absurdity and wickedness

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of religious persecution, proved.

it must often be by upright and conscientious men, who have the greater claim upon the protection and favour of government) the mischievous consequences of its fury will be more flagrant and shocking. Nay, perhaps where there is no truc || religion, a native sense of honour in a generous mind may stimulate it to endure some hardships for the cause of truth. Obstinacy,' as one well observes, may rise as the understanding is oppressed, and continue its opposition for a while, merely to avenge the cause of its injured liberty.'

"Nay, 5th. The cause of truth itself must, humanly speaking,

fundamental principle of morality; that we should do to others as we could reasonably wish they should do to us; a rule which carries its own demonstration with it, and was intended to take off that bias of self-love, which would divert us from the straight line of equity, and render us partial judges betwixt our neighbours and ourselves. I would ask the advocate of wholesome severities, how he would relish his own arguments if turned upon himself? What if he were to go abroad into the world among papists, if he be a protestant; among Mahometans if he be a Christian? Supposing he was to behave like an honest man, a good neighbour, a peaceable subject, avoid-be not only obstructed, but destroyed, should persecuting prining every injury, and taking all opportunities to serve and oblige those about him; would he think that merely because he refused to follow his neighbours to their altars or their mosques, he should be seized and imprisoned, his goods confiscated, his person condemned to tortures or death? Undoubtedly he would complain of this as a very great hardship, and soon see the absurdity and injustice of such a treatment when it fell upon him, and when such measure as he would mete to others, was measured to him again.

ciples universally prevail. For, even upon the supposition, that in some countries it might tend to promote and establish the purity of the gospel, yet it must surely be a great impediment to its progress. What wise Heathen or Mahometan prince would ever admit Christian preachers into his dominions, if he knew it was a principle of their religion, that as soon as the majority of the people were converted by arguments, the rest, and himself with them, if he continued obstinate, must be proselyted or extirpated by fire and sword? If it be as the "3d. Persecution is absurd, as being by no means calculated advocates for persecution have generally supposed, a dictate of to answer the end which its patrons profess to intend by it; the law of nature to propagate the true religion by the sword; namely, the glory of God, and the salvation of men. Now if then certainly a Mahometan or an idolater, with the samne noit does any good to men at all, it must be by making them tions, supposing him to have truth on his side, must think truly religious; but religion is not a mere name or a cere- himself obliged in conscience to arm his powers for the exmony. True religion imports an entire change of the heart, tirpation of Christianity; and thus a holy war must cover the and it must be founded in the inward conviction of the mind; || face of the whole earth, in which nothing but a miracle could or it is impossible it should be what yet it must be, a reason- render Christians successful against so vast a disproportion in able service. Let it only be considered; what violence and per-numbers. Now it seems hard to believe that to be a truth secution can do towards producing such an inward conviction. A man might as reasonably expect to bind an immaterial spirit with a cord, or to beat down a wall with an argument, as to convince the understanding by threats and tortures. Persccution is much more likely to make men hypocrites, than sin-truth itself; and persecution is so far from being encouraged cere converts. They may perhaps, if they have not a firm and heroic courage, change their profession while they retain their sentiments; and supposing them before to be unwarily in the wrong, they may learn to add falsehood and villainy to error. How glorious is a prize! especially when one considers at what an expence it is gained. But,

“4th. Persecution tends to produce much mischief and confusion in the world. It is mischievous to those on whom it falls; and in its consequences so mischievous to others, that one would wonder any wise princes should ever have admitted it into their dominions, or that they should not have immediately banished it thence, for even where it succeeds so far as to produce a change in men's forms of worship, it generally makes them no more than hypocritical professors of what they do not believe, which must undoubtedly debauch their characters; so that having been villains in one respect, it is very probable || that they will be so in another; and having brought deceit and falsehood into their religion, that they will easily bring it into their conversation and commerce. This will be the effect of persecution where it is yielded to, and where it is opposed (as

which would naturally lead to the extirpation of truth in the world; or that a divine religion should carry in its own bowels the principle of its own destruction.

"But, 6th. This point is clearly determined by the lip of

by the gospel, that it is most directly contrary to many of its precepts, and indeed to the whole genius of it. It is condemued by the example of Christ, who went about doing good; who came not to destroy men's lives, but to save them; who waved the exercise of his miraculous power against his enemies, even when they most unjustly and cruelly assaulted him, and never exerted it to the corporal punishment, even of those who had most justly deserved it. And his doctrine also, as well as his examples, has taught us to be harmless as doves; to love our enemies; to do good to them that hate us; and pray for them that despitefully use and persecute us.”

From all this we may learn, that the church which tolerates, encourages and practises persecution, under the pretence of con cern for the purity of the faith, and zeal for God's glory; is not the church of Christ : and that no man can be of such a church, without endangering his salvation. Let it ever be the glory of the protestant church, and especially of the church of England, that it discountenances and abhors all persecution on a religious account; and that it has diffused the same benign tempʊ through that STATE, with which it is associated.

CHAP. XV.

CHAPTER XV.

Publicans and sinners draw near to hear our Lord, at which the Pharisees are offended, 1, 2. Christ vindicates his conduct in receiving them by the parable of the lost sheep, 3-7. The parable of the lost piece of money, 8—10. and the affecting parable of the prodigal son, 11-32. HEN drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.

saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eat-gether his friends and neighbours, saying unto eth with them.

And he spake this parable unto them, sheep which was lost.