and asked Jesus bids him keep the commandments. 103 cxxxvii. and kneeled to him, him, but, kneeling down to him with the hum- SECT. him, blest respect, he asked him with great reverence [LUKE, saying,] Good Master, what [good and earnestness, saying, Good Master, I am Mark thing] shall I do, that come to thee as a most wise and gracious Teach- X. 17. I may inherit eternal life? [MAT. XIX. 16. er, and beseech thee to answer me a question LUKE XVIII. 18.] 18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? 19.] of the highest importance: What good thing And Jesus, upon this, said to him, Why dost 18 thou call me good, whom thou regardest only there is none good but as a prophet sent from God, and dost not look one, that is God: [but upon to be any more than a mere man? Thou if thou wilt enter into shouldest remember upon all occasions, that life, keep the commandments.] [MAT. none is perfectly good, but one glorious and imXIX. 17. LUKE XVIII. mutable Being, [even] the ever blessed and eternal God; nor can any man or angel deserve the title of good in any degree of comparison with him, from whom originally stream forth all those rays of goodness which are but imperfectly reflected from them. But as to the question thou hast asked, If thou art resolutely determined to enter into life, it is absolutely necessary thou shouldst keep the Divine commandments; the perfect observance of which alone can give thee a legal claim to it, and in the wilful neglect of which thou must never on any terms expect it. said,] Thou knowest the commit adultery; Thou 19 [He saith unto Then the young ruler, that he might fully 19 him, Which? Jesus understand the mind of Jesus, eagerly says to commandments, him, Which are those commandments on the ob[Thou shalt do no mur- servation of which my eternal life depends? der; Thou shalt not Jesus said, Thou undoubtedly knowest the comshalt not steal; Thou mandments which God gave to Moses, written shalt not bear false wit- on the tables of stone at Mount Sinai, among ness;] Defraud not; which those of the second table, however neglected by the Pharisees, are by no means to be forgotten; such as, "Thou shalt not kill; Thou shalt not commit adultery; Thou shalt not steal; Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour; Thou shalt not covet any part of his property, or take any methods to defraud him;" Honour b Good Master.] Wolfius observes that this was a title which the Jewish rabbies affected; which, if it were indeed so, might be an additional reason for our Lord's remark upon it. Why dost thou call me good?] It is certain that some very ancient manuscripts read this clause, Tμ gulas Top TH d Thou 104 He says he has done it; but is told that one thing was wanting. Mark SECT. him," and that which indeed stands in the Honour thy father and cxxxvii. front of all these, "Honour thy father and thy and, Thou shalt love [LUKE, thy] mother; mother." These are the six last commandments, thy neighbour as thyX. 19. which I now recommend to thy consideration; self.] [MAT. XIX. 18, and they may all be summed 19. LUKE XVIII. 20.] up in that one comprehensive precept, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." (See Exod. xx. 12—17. and Lev. xix. 18.) 20 21 said unto him, Master, And the young man, not apprehending the 20 And [the young large extent and spiritual meaning of these pre- man] answered and cepts, replied, with great cheerfulness and con- a these [things] have fidence, and said to him, Master, I have been I observed from my early taught these precepts, and may venture to youth: [What lack I say that I have conscientiously observed all these yet?] [MAT. XIX. 20. even from my infancy, and have abstained from each of the vices and immoralities condemned in them: what then do I farther need, in order to secure the glorious prize after which I am seeking? LUKE XVIII. 21.] 21 Then Jesus beholding him, loved [LUKE And Jesus, looking stedfastly upon him, loved him, and felt the emotions of complacency him, and [LUKE, when mingled with tender compassion, in regard to so he heard these things, young a person, who had maintained so honour- he] said unto him, able a character in such an elevated station of life, and was under such concern about another world; yet at the same time, amidst all these hopeful circumstances, was governed still by a secret fondness for the possessions he enjoyed in this: and as our Lord thought fit to manifest this fondness to himself and others, when he had heard these things which have been mentioned above, he was pleased to call him forth to a peculiar trial; and therefore said unto him, Thus b Thou shalt not defraud.] As Mark seems to put this for the tenth commandment, Dr. Hammond, (in loc.) and Archbishop Tillotson (see his Works, Vol. II. p. 257) suppose it a key to the sense of those words, Thou shalt not covet; the meaning of which, they argue, is as if it had been said, "Thou shalt not be so desirous of thy neighbour's possessions as to be willing to injure the owner by depriving him of them, that thou mayest secure them to thyself." But the apostle Paul strongly intimates that the sense of that command is much more extensive (Rom. vii. 7.) and as the preceding commandments had forbid to invade the life, the hed, the property, or reputation of another, so this requires a guard on those irregular abpetites and passions which might by insensible degrees lead men to murder, adultery, theft, or false witness. far e I have observed all these, even from my infancy.] The phrase ano viollos may indeed be very exactly rendered from my youth: but as he was yet but a young man, it is probably here put for infancy or childhood. It is plain he did not understand the spiritual meaning and extent of the law according to our Lord's explication of it in his sermon on the mount, or he would not have pleaded his exact obedience to it. But the Jews in general seem to have thought that, if they abstained from gross crimes, sacrifices might atone for smalier neglects or offences. And this compound seems to have been that righteousness of their own in which, to their final ruin, they trusted for justification before God, in the neglect of the righteousness which is of God by faith.Compare Rom. x. 3. and Phil. iii. 9. f One Being called to sell all he had, he goes away sorrowful. 105 Mark ILURE, yet] one thing far it is well; but yet, alas, One thing thou still SECT. thou lackest: [if thou wilt be perfect.] go thy wantest, in order to prove that integrity of soul xxxvii. way, sell whatsoever and that prevailing love to God, without which thou hast, and give to none can be entitled to future blessedness: by X. 21. the poor; and thou me he now commands thee, if thou wilt be pershalt have treasure in heaven; and come, fect, and determine to submit to all that he retake up the cross, and quires, to go thy way immediately, and sell all follow me. [MAT. thy possessions, valuable as they are, and to disXIX. 21. LUXE XVIIL 22.] tribute the money which arises from the sale of them to the poor; do this, and thou shalt have an infinitely more excellent treasure in heaven: and, in the assured hope of this, I call thee to come and take up the cross, and with courage and resolution to follow me as my constant attendant, though it should be even at the expence of thy life as well as thine estate. 22 [But when the But when the young man heard that saying, 22 young man heard that and saw that all his gay and delightful prospects saying,] he was sad, and went away [LUKE, for life must be given up in a moment, he was very sorrowful;] for exceedingly concerned and troubled at it: and he [LUKE, was very he went away in great sorrow; for he was very rich, and] had great rich, [and] had great possessions, which were XIX. 22. LUXE XVIII. lately fallen into his hands; and how desirous 23.] possessions. [MAT. soever he was of eternal life, he could not re- And when Jesus saw that, though he was very 23 One thing thou wantest.] Our Lord does not say he wanted but one thing; so that nothing can be concluded from hence against the necessity of an acquaintance with some truths, of which this youth, hopeful and amiable as he was, appears to have been ignorant. But it was to be charged on that want of sincere piety which his conduct presently discovered, that he did not come to the knowledge of them by a continued and submissive attendance on the teaching of Christ. See John vii. 17. sect. xcix. & Sell all thy possessions.] It is strange that the learned and accurate Dr. Clarke should suppose that Christ did not demand this, in order to his being in a state of acceptance with God, but in order to his giving a testimony of exalted picty; or, at least, as necessary at that time to his being a preacher of the gospel. Our Lord's manner of proposing the trial, and his reflec possess tion on the young man's going away, plain- h Easier 106 The rich shall hardly enter into the kingdom of God. riches enter into the kingdom of God! [Ve kingdom of heaven.] SECT. possess the riches of this world enter into the king- shall they that have exxxvii. dom of God! Dwell upon the thought, and re- kin Mark peat it, in order, if possible, to wean your hearts rily I say unto you, X. 23. from these delusive vanities which often prove that a rich man shall so fatal to the soul: for verily I say unto you, So hardly enter into the many snares attend such circumstances, that [MAT. XIX. 23.a rich man will hardly enter into the kingdom of Lu«¤ XVIII. 24.J heaven, or be brought to such a relish for the gospel, and its future blessings, as either to resign, or improve his worldly possessions, in such a manner as the laws of that kingdom require. 24 And the disciples were quite astonished at his words; for they were ready to imagine that, ere long, all the rich and great people of the country would appear for their Lord, and fix him on the throne of Israel. 24 And the disciples were astonished at his words. -But Jesus answer eth again, and saith unhard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of to them, Children, how God! But Jesus, answering again to that surprise which he saw in their countenances, says to them in the most condescending manner, My dear children, when you consider what I said more attentively, you will not so much wonder at it: for it is manifest that the generality of rich men place their chief confidence and delight in the things of this present world; and you know that true religion requires a heart abstracted from them, and placed on nobler objects: judge then for yourselves, how hard is it for them that thus trust in their riches, to enter into the king25 dom of God! And therefore I say to you again, in yet stronger terms, that your common proverb for a camel unto you,] It is easier may have its place here, That it is easier for the through the eye of a huge cable of a ship, or even for a camel to go needle, than for a rich through the eye of a needle, than it is for a rich man to enter into the man to conquer the snares of his estate and the [MAT. XIX. 24. LUKE corruptions of his heart so far as to enter into the XVIII. 25.] kingdom of God, and become the faithful, obedient subject of his Son. 26 And when his disciples heard [this] repetition and illustration of what was before said, they were struck into exceeding great and inexpressible h Easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.] Theophylact, and after him some other critics, for enhov read neer, which they explain of a cable rope, which might appear more fitly to be mentioned as what could not pass through a needle's eye. Others verv precariously assert that there was near Jerusalem a low gate called the needle's eye, through which a camel could no' pass unless his load were taken off. amazement 25 [And again I say to go kingdom of God. 26 And when his they were [exceeding[disciples heard it,] ly amazed, and] asto nished But I see no reason for departing from the received reading and interpretation; nor is there any thing in this proverbial expression, as it here stands, but what is very agreeable to the eastern taste, and may be paralleled in other Jewish writers. See Dr. Lightfoot's Hor, Hebr. on Mat, xix. 24. where it is shewn there was a Jewish proverb to the same purpose of the elephant, What is impossible with men is possible with God. 107 cxxxvii. nished out of measure, amazement at it, saying one to another, And who SECT. saying among them- then can be saved? Who that are rich can ever selves, Who then can be saved? [MAT. get to heaven? And what a discouragement Mark XIX. 25. LUKEXVIII. will it be to others to see the rich and the great X. 26. neglecting salvation, and turning the means of their happiness and usefulness into the instruments of their destruction? 26.] 27 And Jesus look- But Jesus, looking stedfastly upon them, saith 27 ing upon them, saith unto them, With men it is indeed impossible, and [unto them], With men [this is] impos- the strength of corrupt nature alone will not be sible, but not with sufficient to encounter such difficulties as these; God: for with God all but it is not impossible with God to animate their things are possible, [Luke, even the things hearts against them: for his grace has an alwhich are impossible mighty energy, and with God all things are poswith men.] [MAT sible [even] the things which are most impossible with men, and seem so insurmountable to human strength as to be reckoned utterly impracticable; to him therefore let the rich and poor unite their supplications, that each may be rendered superior to the snares which attend their respective cir XIX. 26. LUKE XVIII. 27.] 28 Then Peter [answered, and] beLo, we have left all, gan to say unto him, cumstances. Then Peter replied, and with some warmth 28 and confidence began to say unto him, Well, Master, behold, we have done, what this youth, and have followed hopeful as he seemed, had not the resolution to thee! [What shall do; for though indeed we had not much, we we have therefore?] [MAT. XIX. 27. LUKE have left all the little that we had in the world, and have at all adventures followed thee with the sincerest zeal and affection: What reward shall we therefore have? For we persuade ourselves, thou wilt not permit us finally to be losers in thy cause. XVIII. 28.] ed me in the regenera XIX. 28. MAT. XIX. 28. And And Jesus answering said to them, You Mat. Jeses [answered and] shall not, you said unto them, Verily may depend upon it, that I say unto you, that but will be found, upon the whole, to have ye which have follow acted the wisest part; for verily I say unto you who tion, when the Son of you, and assure you of it, that have followed me in my humiliation, shall at length be distinguished by proportionable honours: And in the great renovation of all things, when all the children of God shall, as man In the great renovation of all things.] I have given what appears to me the most natural sense of this difficult passage. Mr. Fleming agrees with our translators in connecting the words TH TJCKLY SEVECI with the preceding clause; and paraphrases the verse thus, "As for you, my apostles, who have followed me in this new state of the church, which is to be brought to the birth, when I am to ascend to heaven, that VOL. VII. it |