But the wicked shall have his portion with hypocrites. make him ruler over all his goods. 253 clxiii. Mat. to you, That he shall formerly did, That he will perfer him as highly SECT. as if a man should make his domestic steward, who had served him faithfully, ruler or director of all his estate, as a reward for his care in the XXIV. due management of his office. (Compare Luke 47 xii. 42-44, Vol. VI. p. 585.) 48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; drunken: 50 The lord of that day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not servant shall come in a aware of; ser 50 But, on the other hand, the faithless wretch 48 that is dishonest in the execution of so high a charge shall be severely punished: and if that wicked servant shall presume to say in his heart, 49 And shall begin My Lord delays his coming: And shall on that 49 to smite his fellow- presumption begin to beat and abuse those of his servants, and to eat and drink with the fellow-servants, who are more faithful than himself, and to eat and drink in a riotous and extravagant manner with the debauched and drunken part of them, or with other dissolute persons; he will do it at his peril: For the lord of that vant shall certainly come in a day when he does not expect [him] and in an hour when he is not at all aware, and cannot have time to put on a face of better order, or to provide and invent artful 51 And shall cut excuses; And, seeing him in the midst of his 51 him asunder, and ap- revels and usurpations, he shall scourge him so point him his portion with the hypocrites: severely, that he shall even cut him asunder %, there shall be weeping and appoint [him] his portion with hypocrites, the ing and gnashing of most odious kind of sinners in the sight of God:h teeth. with these shall this false creature be righteously doomed to dwell for ever in those doleful regions where there shall be nothing but weeping and gnashing of teeth, proportionable to his former indulgence and luxury, and to the importance of that trust which he so wickedly betrayed. (Compare Luke xii. 45, 46. Vol. VI. p. 585.) Let me then caution you, O my apostles and xi. 35 MARK XIII. 35. Gnostics, or, with Dr. Whitby, the apostate Jews, as particularly intended by the wicked servant mentioned afterwards; which seems plainly to refer to a debauched and persecuting clergy, hypocritically pretending to a distinguished zeal for Christian forms and institutions. g Shall cut him asunder.] That tear ing and cutting persons into several pieces, was a cruel punishment used among the ancients, none acquainted with antiquity can doubt; and Wolfius on this text has demonstrated it more copiously than any other critic I have seen. Yet, as the criminal is here represented as surviving this punishment, and consigned over to wailing and gnashing of teeth, after it had been inflicted, I therefore, as before (Luke xii. 46.) must understand it of being ministers, severely scourged, after which idle slaves h His portion with hypocrites.] Maho- Mark XIII. 254 clxiii. Mark Reflections on preparing for the coming of Christ. even the master of the house or at the cock-crowing, or in the morning :) SECT. ministers, never to suffer this important exhor- Watch ye therefore, tation, which I have now been giving you, to be for ye know not when forgot in any circumstance of life; but watch ye cometh (at even, or at XIII.35. therefore continually, for ye know not when the midnight, master of the house cometh, whether in the ing-watch, or at mid-night, or at the cock crow36 ing, or in the morning: Early and late hold yourselves in a prepared posture, lest coming suddenly, he find you sleeping, and negligent of sleeping. 37 your proper duty. And what I say to you in 37 And what I say public characters, I say to all my disciples, in unto you, I say unto every station of life, and in every age, Watch; all, Watch. for in every age and station you will have need to do it, and security may be attended with the consequences. 36 Lest coming sud denly, he find you Luke Mat, IMPROVEMENT. WHAT slothful hearts must we have if these repeated admonixxi. 36, tions do not awaken us; even line upon line, and precept upon Xxiv. precept? The patience of God is waiting upon us, as it did on 42 the old world, while the ark was preparing :) (1 Pet. iii. 20.) May Mark we take the warning, and seek shelter before the door be shut Luke againt us! Let us therefore take heed, lest sensuality and secular xxi. 34. cares overcharge and depress our hearts, and amuse us with vain delusions, till sudden and unavoidable destruction come upon us. (1 Thess. v. 3.) xii. 33. Mark Mat. We are by profession the domestics of Christ. Let us attend to xiii. 34. the offices he has assigned us, though he seem at a distance. Let xxiv. us diligently wait his coming, at whatever season Let his minis45, 46 ters especially wait it; and be solicitous, that they may be found so doing, conducting themselves like wise stewards of the myste47 ries of God, dispensing to every one his portion of food in due season. Then will our account be honourable, and our reward glorious. 48, 49 May God deliver us from the guilt and condemnation of the cruel, and imperious, and the luxurious servant, who began to beat his fellows, and to eat and drink with the drunken; since we are expressly told his dreadful doom! Justly does our Lord declare 51 that to such a one he will appoint a portion with hypocrites, terrible as their portion must be; for no hypocrisy can be baser than to call ourselves the servants and ministers of Christ, while we are the slaves of ambition, avarice, and intemperance. Wherever such are found, under whatever mask and form, may he reform them by his grace, or disarm them of that power and influence which they continually abuse to his dishonour, and to their own aggravated damnation! Let us in the mean The parable of the wise and foolish virgins. 255 clxiii. time be exhorting each other daily, while it is called to-day, lest SECT. any by insensible degrees be hardened through the deceitfulness of. sin, (Heb. iii. 13); and let us always remember that every exhortation which we give to others returns with redoubled weight upon ourselves. SECT. CLXIV. Christ enforces his exhortation to watchfulness by the parable of the ten virgins. Mat. XXV. 1—13. MAT. XXV. 1. THEN shall the king dom of heaven be likened unto ten vir gins, which took their lamp, and went forth to meet the bridegrooin. 2 And five of them were foolish. MAT. XXV. 1. the SECT. Mat. OUR Lord, in order to impress upon the And it appeared by their conduct that five of 2 foolish took their with them. a Ten virgins.] This whole parable contains a plain reference to the custom which prevailed among the Jews then, and still prevails among many eastern nations: (see The Customs of the Jeres and Indians compared, p. 41, & seq.) The bridegroom used to conduct his bride home in the evening by the light of lamps, which were used (as Elsner shews, Observ. Vol. I. p. 114, 115) by the Jews and Romans on the like occasion: they were carried by that bride-maids, who used afterwards to sup 256 The wise, who were ready, go in with the bridegroom. clxiv. 4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with SECT. that which was at first poured in: Whereas the prudent maidens, considering that they might their lamps. Mat. perhaps be obliged to wait some hours, took a XXIV.4 reserve of oil with them in their vessels, which they carried with their lamps, to feed the flame when the former stock should be wasted. Mat. 5 5 While the bride slumbered and slept. 6 And at midnight But while the bridegroom for a long time delayed his coming, as they were sitting near the groom tarried, they all place from whence they expected him to come, they all of them slumbered, and at length fell fast 6 asleep. And in the very middle of the night there was a loud cry made in the street, Behold, the bridegroom is coming, go ye out immediately to meet him, and arise to attend the procession according to order. there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet him. 7 Then all those vir gins arose, and trim 8 And the foolish said unto the wise, 9 But the wise an 7 Then all those virgins presently arose, and, to 10 XXV.11 And while they went to buy it at that inconve nient time of night, the bridegroom and his retinue came; and those maidens that were ready to receive him joined the company; and when they came to the bridal-house, they went in with him to the marriage-feast; and, to prevent disturbance, the door was shut and fastened. And some time after the other virgins also came, and, knocking at the door, called with great b In the middle of the night.] Perhaps the tradition, which Jerom mentions, that asserted Christ would come to judgment at midnight, might be borrowed from hence; though to be sure it is a very absurd one, since that can be the case only under one meridian at a time.-A celebrated commentator has clouded this parable exceedingly, by attempting to explain it of the different effects Christ's admonition concerning the destruction of Jerusalem would have on different persons. im 10 And while they went to buy, the bride groom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut. 11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, c Buy for yourselves.] This seems merely an ornamental circumstance; and it is strange that any Popish writers should consider it as favouring their doctrine of a stock of merits in the church, founded on works of supererogation; since, if it referred to them at all (which there is no reason to imagine), it would rather expose than encourage any dependance upon them. open to us.. Reflections on the parable of the ten virgins. 257 clxiv. saying, Lord, Lord, importunity, saying, Sir, Sir, we desire you SECT. would open to us, who are also some of your guests, though by an unfortunate accident we Mat. are come a little too late. But he, being unwil- XXV.12 ling to be disturbed in the feast, and to open the door again, answered them, saying, Truly, I say 12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. 13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour man cometh. unto you, See to it, therefore, that you majutain a con-13 Stant watch, not presuming on preparations to wherein the Son of be made hereafter; for your removal may be much more sudden then you are aware, and ye know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of man cometh to receive his prepared people to himself, and for ever to exclude the hypocrite and the sinner from the entertainments of his heavenly kingdom. IMPROVEMENT. LET us apply our hearts to the obvious instructions which this Mat. well known parable so naturally suggests. We are under a reli. xxv. 1. gious profession: our lamps are in our hands; and we go forth as those that expect to meet Christ; as those that desire and hope to be admitted to the marriage-supper of the Lamb. But, alas, how few are there that are truly prepared for such a blessedness! Would to God there were reason to hope that the Christian church 2, 3, were so equally divided, that five of ten in it had the oil of Divine grace in their hearts, to render them burning and shining lights! Let even such as have it be upon their guard; for our Lord 5 intimates that the wise as well as the foolish virgins are too apt to slumber and sleep, and carelessly to intermit that watch which they ought constantly to maintain. There may be, at an unex-6 pected d I know you not.] This circumstance in the parable is not absurd; for nothing intimated a personal acquaintance with them, and guests asking admittance with such a pretence might have been multi- 4 |