LU.KE. CHAP. XVII. 4 And if he trespass against thee feven times in a day, and feven times in a day turn again to thee, faying, I repent; thou Thalt forgive him. 5 And the apostles faid unto the Lord, Increase our faith. 6 And the Lord faid, If ye had faith as a grain of muftardfeed, ye might fay unto this fycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the fea; and it should obey you. 7 But which of you having a fervant plowing, or feeding cattel, will fay unto him by and by when he is come from the field, Go and fit down to meat? 8 And will not rather fay unto him, Make ready wherewith I may fup, and gird thy felf, and ferve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou fhalt eat and drink? 9 Doth he thank that fervant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not. JOHN. you an injury feven times in a day, forgive him, if he testifys his forrow for it by Repentance. The Apoftles not comprehending how it was poffible for human Nature to be affected with fuch tranfcendent Clemency, unless a man expected the Rewards God had promis'd to the Faithful with a fteddy affurance and dependence on him, intreated Jefus to increase their Faith. Jefus faid to them, If you did firmly rely on the divine Promises, tho but for a very little time, you should not only have this temper of mind you fo much admire, but be able to command obedience from inanimate things, infomuch that at a words speaking (pointing to a Sycamore that was there) you might caufe that Tree to be rooted up, and planted in the Sea. None of you having a Servant plowing in the Field, or feeding Cattel, will call him from his work to take his repaft, before you have eaten your felves; but rather command him to wait on you, and after that you think it time enough for him to provide for himself. So in the Service of God, prefer his Commands to all inferior bufinefs of this World. No man reckons himself oblig'd to his Servant for performing the Orders he Aaa injoin'd: CHA P. XVII. 10 So likewife ye, when ye fhall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable Servants: we have done that which was our duty to do. II And it came to pass, as he went to Jerufalem, that he paffed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entred into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which ftood afar off: 13 And they lifted up their voices, and faid, Jefus Mafter, have mercy on us. 14 And when he saw them, he faid unto them, Go fhew your felves to the priests. And it came to pass that as they went, they were cleansed. 15 And one of them when he faw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. JOHN. injoin'd: So likewise, when you have executed whatever God has commanded you, do not challenge to your felves any merit on that fcore, but frankly own that you have done no more than was your indifpenfable duty to perform. Jefus in the mean time, as we faid, purfued his journy to Jerufalem, not in the direct road thro Samaria, but round about by the Confines of Samaria and Galilee. Being arriv'd at a certain Village in that Country, ten Lepers met him, who stop'd fhort at fome distance from him (for they are not permitted to come near thofe that are free from the Distemper) and with a loud voice befeech'd him to have compaffion on their miferable state. Jefus looking on them, faid, Go immediatly, and Thew your felves to the Priest: in doing this you fhall be cur'd. They accord ingly went, and upon the way perceiv'd they were cleanfed from their Leprofy. Nevertheless they all continued their journy, except one, who perceiving himself cur'd, gave thanks aloud to God, and return'd to Jefus, and fell down at his feet in token of his gratitude. Now this man was a Samaritan, and all the other Jews. Jefus CHAP. XVII. 17 And Jefus answering faid, Were there not ten cleanfed? but where are the nine? 18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, fave this ftranger. 19 And he faid unto him, Arife, go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. 20 And when he was demanded of the Pharifees, when the kingdom of God fhould come; he answered them and faid, The kingdom of God cometh not with obfervation. 21 Neither shall they fay, Lo here, or, lo there for behold, the kingdom of God is within you. 22 And he faid unto the difciples, The days will come when ye fhall defire to fee one of the days of the Son of man, and ye fhall not fee it. 23 And they shall say to you, See here, or fee there: go not after them, nor follow them. JOHN. Jefus taking notice of him, faid, there were ten Lepers cleans'd; where are the other nine? There is none come to own the Bleffing they have receiv'd from God by my means fave this one, who is not defcended from the Family of Jacob. Then addreffing himself to the Samaritan; Arife, faid he, and depart with joy, thy Faith was the reafon of thy recovery. Jefus having often faid, That the Kingdom of Heaven was near, as his Difciples also had every where proclaim'd, certain Pharifees came to him with this question: When fhall this Kingdom come, of which we have fo often heard? Jefus anfwer'd to this effect: The Kingdom of God fhall not come with pomp and pageantry, to dazle the eyes of the beholders, and make it felf be obferv'd by all; nor fhall any one be able to lay he has any where feen fuch figns of its approach. It has already begun to manifeft it felf in Judea, tho fcarce any have taken notice of it. Then turning himself to his Difciples, he faid, 'The time will fhortly come when you fhall earneftly defire to spend one day in my company (tho moft cannot diftinguish me from the common fort of men) and you fhall not be able. Then will many pretend to fhow you the place where the Meffith fojourns; take heed that you be not deluded by their Impostures. The Meffiah fhall demonftrate his Soveraignty when it shall be Aaa 2 CHAP. XVII. 24 For as the lightning that lightneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth to the other part under heaven: so shall also the Son of man be in his day. 25 But first muft he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation. 26 And as it was in the days of Noe, fo fhall it be also in the days of the Son of man. 27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entred into the ark: and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise alfo as it was in the days of Lot, they did eat, they drank, they bought, they fold, they planted, they builded: 29 But the fame day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and deftroyed them all: 30Even thus fhall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. 31 In that day, he which fhall be upon the house-top, and Јони. be the leaft expected; and the brightness of his coming fhall be like the Lightning which darts it felf on the fudden through so great a space of Heaven. Yet he must fuffer many indignities, and be difown'd by the prefent Generation of the Jews. As it happen'd in the days of Noah, fo alfo fhall it be in the days that this Plebeian, as you efteem him, fhall manifeft his Kingdom. The Contemporaries of Noah feafted themfelves, and married, and liv'd altogether fecure, and not aware of any impending danger, till that day in which Noah enter'd into the Ark, and the DeJuge by God's appointment destroyed all the reft of Mankind. So alfo, in the days of Lot, the Inhabitants of that low Country, fituated near the River Jordan, feasted themfelves, they bought and fold Houfes that were fhortly to be destroyed, they built and planted for their Pofterity, as if all had bin fecure, and in no manner of danger: but the very day that Lot went out of Sodom, Lightning from Heaven burnt the very Soil, deftroying the whole Country with its Inhabitants. With as fwift perdition shall the Obftinate be deftroy'd in that day wherein this vulgar perfon, as he is accounted, fhall demonftrat that he reigns by moft undeniable Arguments. Whoever shall be then on the House-top, tho all his Goods be lodg'd in that 34 I tell you, in that night there fhall be two men in one bed; the one fhall be taken, and the other fhall be left. 35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one fhall be taken, and the other left. 36 Two women shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 37 And they answered and faid unto him, Where, Lord? and he faid unto them, Wherefoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together. Јони. that Houfe, let him not amufe himself with removing them to a place of more fafety: Let him make what hafte he can, and be contented if he efcapes with Life. Who ever shall happen to be in the Country, let him retire from his Farm to a more fecure place, and further in the Country, without returning into the City to take care of his Concerns. Remember the death of Lot's Wife, who by hankering after the City from which they were to fly, was fuddenly ftruck dead in a moft exemplary manner. Whoever shall then repair to the City for their fecurity, because tis ftrongly fortified and garifon'd, fhall be very much mistaken, and meet with Deftruction there where they leaft of all expected it. On the contrary, those shall be fafe who betake themselves to open Towns and defenceless Villages. At that time, of two that fhall happen to be in one Bed, one fhall be deftroyed in the general Calamity, and the other efcape. Of two Women that fhall be grinding their Corn together, one fhall be involv'd in that univerfal Ruin, and the other escape. Two men fhall be in the field together, the one fhall perish, and the other efcape, according to the feveral places they fly to. The Pharifees then ask'd fefus in what part of Judea there fhould be the greatest danger, who gave them this Proverb for an answer, Wherefoever the Carcafe is, there will the Eagles be gathered together; fignifying that wherever the rebellious Jews fhould meet, there would the Roman Legions purfue them, and put all they found in arms to the sword. CHAP |