Christ warns his disciples against giving offence.

SECT.

53

CXXV.

saw signs and wonders they would believe. The heart of man may be hardened against the most sensible and immediate miracle; but if that evidence were irresistible, it would ill become us to Ver dictate to God when and to whom it should be given. Let us 29 examine and acquiesce in such as he has seen fit to afford; and pass through our various scenes of life as those that have eternity in view, and are persuaded we must each of us, in a few years at farthest, be with Lazarus in Abraham's bosom, or with the rich man in that tormenting flame.

SECT. CXXVI.

Christ repeats his exhortations to an inoffensive conduct and a forgiving temper; and warns his disciples not to arrogate any merit to themselves, Luke XVII. 1—11.

LUKE XVII, 1. THEN said he unto

the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him through

whom they come.

LUKE XVII. 1.

Luke

OUR UR Lord also about this time repeated to the SECT. numerous attendants who were then around cxxvi. him several things which he had formerly said in a more private way to the disciples; and parti- XVII. 1. cularly addressed them in terms like these: Considering the general corruption of human nature, the snares of the world, and the temptations of Satan, it is impossible but one way or other offences should come; many professing my religion will, no doubt, act unworthy of themselves, and disgrace the holy name they bear: Nevertheless, woe [be to him] by whom they come; and let me warn you therefore, as you love your own souls, to guard against the guilt and danger of being a stumbling-block to others. For I 2 assure you, it were better for such a one, even for him that by an immoral life proves a rethe sea, than that he proach and scandal to my cause, that he should should offend one of die by the hand of violence, and suffer the most shocking execution; yea, that a huge mill-stone should be hanged about his neck, and he should be thrown into the sea, than that he should offend and insnare one of these little ones that believe in me, so as to draw the meanest of them into sin and ruin. (See Mat. xviii. 6,7. and the notes there, sect. xciii. Vol. VI. p. 488, 489.) Take heed to yourselves therefore, that you 3

2 It were better for

him that a mill--stone were hanged about his

neck, and he cast into

these little ones,

8 Take heed to your.

a

selves :

Take heed to yourselves.] This contains a strong and important intimation, how much sin, and scandal is occasioned, by a severe quarrelsome temper in the disciples of Christ; as it not only stirs up the cor

54

We should be ready to forgive a repenting brother.

SECT. may govern all

cxxvi.

rebuke him; and if he

your passions aright, and par- selves: If thy brother ticularly your resentments by which otherwise trespass against thee, much sin may be occasioned, both to yourselves repent, forgive him. XVII. 3. and others. And if thy brother trespass against

Luke

4 And if he trespass

against

thee seven

thee, do not lay up a secret grudge against him for it, but plainly and faithfully rebuke him, endeavouring to convince him of the evil he has committed; and if he appear to repent of his fault, forgive him immediately, without insist4 ing on any rigorous satisfaction. And if he trespass against thee again and again, even though he should repeat his fault, seven times in a day, (compare Psal. cxix. 164.) and seven turn again to thee, times in a day return to thee, seriously, saying, saying, I repent; thou I repent of my folly, and am heartily sorry for the injury I have done thee; thou shalt forgive him even these repeated offences. (Compare Mat. xviii. 21, 22. Vol VI. p. 498.)

5

6

7

Then the apostles said unto the Lord, Lord, we are sensible, that in this instance, as well as in several others, we have need to pray, thou wouldst increase our faith: Oh quicken our apprehension of the reality and importance of the motives by which all thy commands are enforced, and of the authority by which they are dictated; that we may not scruple to submit even to such precepts as these, how hard soever they may bear upon flesh and blood.

times in a day, and seven times in a day

shalt forgive him.

5 And the apostles said unto the Lord,

Increase our faith.

ye might say unto this

And the Lord said, If you had ever so little 6 And the Lord said, faith, though it were but as a grain of mustard- If ye had faith as a seed, yet (as I formerly told you,) it would grain of mustard-seed, conquer the greatest difficulties; so that you might, as it were, be able to say to this sycamore tree, Be thou rooted up, and planted in the sea, and it should presently obey you.

sycamore-tree, Bethou and be thou planted in plucked up by the root, the sca, and it should

obey you.

will

Endeavour therefore to live in the exercise of 7 But which of you this noble grace, and in a series of such services having a servant plowas are the proper fruits of it: But in the midst ing, or feeding cattle, of all, be careful to maintain the deepest humility, as in the presence of God your heavenly Master, on whom, as you are his servants, you can have no claim of merit: For who is there of you, that if he has a servant ploughing his

b Increase our faith.] Woltzogenius himself acknowledges, that their applying to Christ to strengthen their faith, shews that they believed he had a Divine influence over the spirits of men. See Whitby in loc. You might say to this sycamore-tree, &c.] I do not apprehend this text to be entirely parallel to Mat. xyii. 20. Vol. VI. p. 480.

No merit must be arrogated to ourselves.

55

cxxvi.

will say unto him by ground, or feeding his flock, will say unto him, SECT. and by, when he is as soon as he comes in from the field, Come in, come from the field, Go and sit down to and sit down at the table with me?

meat?

say unto him, Make

and serve me, till I

shalt eat and drink?

he did the things that

I trow not.

when ye shall have

Or will he Luke

not rather say to him, if it was a part of that XVII. 8, 8 And will not rather servant's business to do it, Make ready somewhat ready wherewith I may for my supper, and when it is prepared gird up sup, and gird thyself, thy garments close about thee, and wait upon have eaten and drunk- me, while I am eating and drinking; and afteren; and afterward thou wards thou shalt sit down to eat and drink thyself? And suppose he should observe his 9 9 Doth he thank orders with the greatest diligence, does he think that servant because himself obliged to thank that servant, because he were commanded him? hath done what was commanded him? I apprehend he does not, because he has an authority over the servant, and may justly claim his obe10 So likewise ye, dience as matter of debt. Now to apply this to 10 done all those things your own services; so likewise ye, when you have which are commanded faithfully done all that was commanded you in you, say, We are un- the exactest manner, yet should still say, Surely have done that which we are worthless and unprofitable servants, who was our duty to do. cannot pretend to have merited any thing from the hand of our Master; for we have done no more than what we were by virtue of our relation to God, and dependance upon him, indispensa bly obliged to do, as much as any purchased slave is obliged to serve his master. And assure yourselves, that no services will be so pleasing to God, as those performed with such an humble spirit.

profitable servants: we

11 And it came to pass, as he went to Je

rusalem, that he passed through the midst of

Samaria and Galilee,

These discourses, and those above mentioned, 11 happened in our Lord's journey to the feast of the dedication; and as he went to Jerusalem to attend it, he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee, taking those parts of Samaria in his way, which lay next to Galilee,

d Come in.] Raphelius proves, that the word wagaw has often this sense. Compare Luke xii. 37. and Acts xxiv. 7. See Raphel. Annot. ex. Herod. p. 263, and especially Annot. ex. Xen. p. 108.

e Gird up thy garments close about thee.] Compare Luke xii. 37. Vol. VI. p. 581.That servants used to be girded while waiting on their masters, is well shewn by Elsner, Observ. Vol. I. p. 258, 259. See note b on Luke xii. 35, Vol. VI. p, 581.

Unprofitable servants.] The word axeos sometimes signifies wicked; (Rom. iii. 12. Mat. xxv. 30.) but in this connection it cannot have that sense. I entirely agree with Heinsius, that here, and 2 Sam. vi. 22. Septuag. it signifies mean, or inconsiderable, as the best of men certainly are,

IMPROVE

In our Lord's journey to the feast of the dedication.] See note a on Luke xiii. 23, sect. cxviii, and note a on Luke xiv. 1, sect. cxix.

h As he went to Jerusalem.] As Luke has related the two little histories contained in the next section at some distance from each other, it is very difficult (as the attentive reader will observe) to place them together without some tautology. I have therefore inserted the introduction to one of them at the end of this section; leaving out the word sysvslo, it came to pass, which is a mere expletive; or at most does only imply that what is mentioned in the context happened in this journey, or may refer to the discourses Christ had before delivered, as we have observed in the paraphrase.

a Near

56

The time when Jesus should be received up, draws near.

SECT.

cxxvi.

3,

IMPROVEMENT.

LET us renew our guard against every thing in our conduct, which might give offence to the meanest and weakest; and against Ver. every thing, which might by a bad example mislead others, or fur1, 2 nish the enemies of religion with matter of reproach and accusa4 tion against it. Let us imbibe the forgiving Spirit of the gospel, and bearing in mind the numberless instances in which God has forgiven us, though we have sinned against him not only seven times, but seventy times seven ; let us arm ourselves in some degree with the same mind, and endeavour to forbear, and forgive one another, even as God for Christ's sake has freely forgiven us. (Eph. iv. 32. and Col. iii. 13.)

5 In a sense of the weakness of our faith, let us pray to Christ to increase it; and then those duties will be discharged with ease and 7-10 delight, which appeared most difficult in a distant prospect. Yet when faith and patience have had their most perfect work, when our Master's will has been borne with the most entire submission, and done with the most zealous dispatch, let us not pretend to place any merit in our own actions or sufferings; but let us think of ourselves as the servants of God, yea, as unprofitable servants, whose goodness extendeth not to our Great Master: And to the riches of his grace let us ascribe it, that our feeble powers are strengthened to the performance of our duty; and that our worthless services are accepted, and the numberless deficiencies of them mercifully excused.

SECT. cxxvii.

SECT. CXXVII.

Christ travelling through Samaria rebukes the intemperate zeal of James and John, against those who refused to grant him entertainment; and heals ten lepers. Luke IX. 51–56. XVII,

12-19.

LUKE IX. 51.

LUKE IX. 51.

when the time was

come

T was observed in the close of the former AND it came to pass, section, that our Lord was now on his journey from Galilee, near the feast of the dedicaIX. 51. tion: and it came to pass, that as the days were

Luke

a Near the feast of the dedication.] Taking it for granted that the following word, avanews, refers to Christ's ascension (the reasons for which I shall give below), I think this the only place where this little story can properly come in. Most

now

harmonizers place it just before the feast of tabernacles (of which we had an account in the seventh and eighth chapters of John, from sect. xcviii. to cv); and chiefly on their authority, without a critical examination, I had mentioned it in that connec

57

Luke

As he went to Jerusalem the Samaritans would not receive him. now almost fulfilled in which he knew he should SECT. be received up to heaven again, having dispatch- cxxvii. ed the ministry which he was to discharge on earth; notwithstanding all the painful scenes IX. 51. through which he was yet to pass, his heart was so animated with a regard to his Father's honour and the salvation of men, and so cheered with the views of his own approaching exaltation and glory, that, in defiance of all his most inveterate enemies,