Reflections on the conduct that becomes ministers. 41 IMPROVEMENT. ver. 1 So unwilling was the blessed Jesus to give over his kind at- SECT tempts for men's salvation! He projected another circuit through XCVII, the country, and sends forth other messengers, more numerous than the former company. He renews his invitations to perishing sinners, and his lamentations over those who had hitherto 13, 15 rejected the counsel of God against themselves; (Luke vii. 30.) Thus let us love the souls of men; thus let us use repeated endeavours to deliver them; endeavours which would probably be much more successful than they are, if these wise and gracious directions of Christ to his ministers were more attentively observed by those who are honoured with that important office. 5 7,8 Let all such cast their care upon God; let them go forth cheer- 3, 4 fully in a dependence on his protection and favour; let them carry about with them hearts full of affection for the whole human race, seeking and praying for the peace of all around them; cheerfully contenting themselves with such things as they have (Heb. xiii. 5); and neither pursuing the grandeurs nor the delicacies of life with any eager attachment. Send forth, O Lord, such labourers into thine harvest, and ani- 2 mate them to a becoming zeal in their work, by a deep sense of that dreadful condemnation which those will incur who, despising them, pour contempt on their Divine Master, and his heavenly 16 Father, in whose name he was sent! May God preserve our country from that guilt and ruin! The kingdom of God is come 11 nigh unto us, and we are lifted up to heaven by our privileges: may we not, after all, be cast down to hell for the abuse of them! 15 but may Divine grace make such a way for the gospel into our hearts, that we may cordially receive all who faithfully proclaim it, and bid them welcome in the name of the Lord! SECT. XCVIII. Christ discourses with his brethren about his going up to the feast of tabernacles, and stays some time after them. John VII. 1—13. JOHN VII. 1. AFTER these things Jesus walked in Galilee ; a JOHN VII. 1. AFTER these things, that is, after he had mi- SECT. raculously fed the five thousand, walked on xcVI21. John the sea to his disciples, and discoursed with After these things, &c.] Those that I been recorded by John. See a more parti. have mentioned here are the last which had cular account of them, sect. lxxviii-lxxxii. 42 His brethren urge his going to the feast of tabernacles. XCVIII. cause the Jews SECT. We before observed, in Galilee, and there in- for he would not structed his disciples (see p. 14); for he would walk in Jewry, benot then walk or converse familiarly in Judea, sought to kill him. vii. 1 because the Jews, and more especially their John 2 3 rulers, incensed by the growing fame of his And a very noted feast of the Jews was then 2 Now the Jews" feast of tabernacles was at hand. thou he himself seeketh Therefore his brethren, or near kinsmen in 3 His brethren Galilee, said unto him, We would advise thee therefore said unto to remove from hence, and go into Judea, that and go into Judea, him, Depart hence, thy disciples also who are there may, for the that thy disciples confirmation of their faith in thee, behold thy also may see the miracles, and see the mighty works which thou works that doest : 4 performest here: For this retirement seems 4 For there is no not at all to suit the great pretensions thou art man that doeth any making to a public and extraordinary character; thing in secret, and as it is well known that no man will choose to to be known openly : act any remarkable thing in secret, that is him- if thou do these self desirous, like thee, to be publicly known and things, shew thyself talked of if, therefore, thou art really the to the world. promised Messiah, and performest these things, which we so often see at home, by a Divine commission, go up to Jerusalem, and there manifest thyself to the great men of the world, and appear in places of the most public concourse and thou canst not have a better opportunity of doing it, than at this celebrated feast, which brings together so many, not only from the land of Israel, but from neighbouring 5 countries. This they said, not out of any real friendship and respect, but to make farther b He would not walk in Judea.] This may be an intimation either that he was not at Jerusalem the preceding passover, or at least made no public appearance, or long abode there. I am inclined to think the former was the case. Undoubtedly, his omission of a journey thither, at some of the great feasts, might be vindicated by his extraordinary character, and those intimations he might have from his heavenly Father, of being dispensed with, for reasons 5 Nor neither did not particularly known to us who have no concern with them. See noteb, sect. lxxxiii. Vol. I. p. 459. That is himself desirous to be publicly known and talked of.] This seems to be a very invidious and groundless insinuation, as if he was actuated by ostentatious views the contrary to which appeared so evidently in the whole of his conduct, that nothing but base envy could suggest such a charge. He at first refuses, as his time was not yet come. his brethren believe trial of him, and in some measure to upbraid in him. ready. 43 SECT. John him with those precautions which he thought XCVIIL. 6 Then Jesus said Then Jesus said unto them, My time, either 6 me it hateth, be thereof are evil. have nothing in your conduct that may draw upon you any particular opposition; but me it hates, not on account of any ill action which I have committed, but because, from a zeal for truth, and a desire of its reformation, I bear my testimony concerning it, that its deeds are 8 Go ye up unto evil. Do you therefore go up to this feast, 8 this feast: Igo not whenever you please, without waiting for me; and acquiesce in what I now tell you, that I do not as [yet] go up to this feast; for that up yet unto this & Neither did his brethren believe in him, &c.] It is astonishing that these near relations of Christ, who must have had so many opportunities of seeing the glories both of his character and miracles (which last they here expressly acknowledge) should continue in unbelief. But they unhappily laid it down as a first principle that the Messiah must be a temporal Prince; and finding this mark of his mission wanting, and seeing (more strongly than others, pot so intimately conversant with him, could do) his aversion to any such scheme, they would yield to no other proofs; and are, I fear, on the fatal list of those who perished, as thousands now do, by opposing hypothesis to fact. See Dr. Sykes on the Truth of Christianity, p. 128. e The world cannot hate you.] These words, gentle as they may appear, contain a most awful insinuation that these his kinsmen were persons governed entirely by carnal views, and therefore des titute of the love of God, and all wellgrounded hope from him. f I do not yet go up to this feast.] The reader may observe that I enclose the word [yet,] which answers to ∞ in the original, in crotchets and the reason is because i do indeed doubt whether it was in the oldest copies. And this doubt arises, not merely from Porphyry's objecting against. this as a falsehood (for frequent experience has taught us how little the enemies of Christianity are to be trusted in their representations of scripture), but from observing that Jerom, and the other most ancient fathers, who reply to that objection, do not found their answer on his citing the passage wrong, but as they justly might, on the inti mation our Lord gave of his intending short ly to go to the feast, in that expression, My time is not yet fully come. It is a glorious testimony to the unblemished integrity of our Lord's character, that so cunning and inveterate an enemy was forced to 44 He afterwards goes, and the Jews are divided about him. SECT. which I judge my most convenient time of feast, for my time is XCVIII. doing it, is not yet fully come, nor do I need to not yet full come. be directed by you in my conduct on such occasions as these. John vii. 8 9 Now when he had said these things unto them, he left them to go up alone, while he continued [still] in Galilee for a few days longer: 9 When he had said these words unto them, he abode still in Galilee. 10 But when his brethren or kindred were gone up, 10 But when his then he also himself went up to the feast, not publicly with a train of attendants, as he had often done, but as it were in secret, with as much privacy as he could. 11 12 The Jews therefore, not seeing him appear as usual, sought for him at the beginning of the feast, and said, What is become of Jesus, and where is he? or what can have prevented his coming up to the feast?i brethren were gone up, then went he alnot openly, but as it so up unto the feast, were in secret. 11 Then the Jews sought him at the feast, and said, Where is he? 12 And there was ple. And there was, in the mean time, a great murmuring among the people concerning him; much murmuring for some said (as they had, from the whole among the people tenor of his life, the utmost reason to con- some said, He is a concerning him: for elude), Surely he is an eminently pious and good man: others a good man: but others, under the force of said, Nay, but he deceiveth the peostrong prejudices, suspected the worst, and said, Nay, that cannot be, but he certainly seduces the ignorant populace, however he comes by this power of doing it; and the wisest part of mankind must see that he will undoubtedly at last draw his followers into ruin, as some other impostors have lately 13 done. (See Acts v. 36, 37.) Thus they privately debated the matter; howbeit, no one, have recourse to such mean and ridiculous methods of aspersing it. See Dr. Mill on this text, and Cleric. de Arte Critica, part ii. p. 232. & He also went up to the feast.] Our Lord might know of some circumstance of particular danger, which might have rendered his going up at the usual time, and in company with his brethren, unsafe, and therefore improper. h Not publicly with a train of attendants, &c.] look on this as a most certain argument that the story in Luke ix. 51-56, cannot (as most commentators suppose) relate to this journey; since it is so evident he was then attended with a numerous train of followers. Compare note, sect. xcvii. p. 36. Where is he? or what can have pre 13 Howbeit, ne vented his coming up to the feast!] If our Lord had absented himself from the two preceding feasts (which perhaps the expostulations of his brethren, ver. 3, 4, may imply) there was yet an obvious reason for the surprise which this question expresses ; or undoubtedly our Lord used generally to attend on these occasions. See Vol. I. p. 459, sect. lxxxiii. noteb. k Surely.] It is possible, as our translators have supposed, that the word or here may be only an expletive; but to me it seems probable that it may not improperly be rendered surely, or truly, which is accordingly the sense that I have sometimes given it. We should not, I think, unnecessarily conclude a word to be quite in significant in any writer of credit and char acter, especially in the sacred penmen. Reflections on the unbelief of the brethren of Jesus. 45 man spake openly of that thought favourably of him, spoke his mind SECT. him, for fear of the with freedom concerning him, for fear of the xcviii: rulers among the Jews, who were jealous of Jews. John his growing fame, and looked with a very v.18 malignant eye on all who took any peculiar notice of Jesus. IMPROVEMENT. WE see how little the greatest external advantages can do ver. 5 without the Divine blessing, when some of the nearest relations of Christ himself, by whom he had been most intimately known, were not prevailed upon to believe in him. Who then can wonder if some remain incorrigible in the most regular and pious families? How much more valuable is the union to him, which is founded on a cordial and obedient faith, than that which arose from the bands of nature? and how cautiously should we watch against those carnal prejudices by which even the brethren of Christ were alienated from him? Our Lord, we see, used a prudent care to avoid persecution 1, and danger till his time was fully come; and it is our duty to endeavour, by all wise and upright precautions, to secure and preserve ourselves, that we may have opportunities for farther service. In the course of such service we must expect, especially if 12 we appear under a public character, to meet with a variety of censures; but let us remember that Jesus himself went through evil report and good report; by some applauded as a good man, but by others, and those the greater part of his countrymen, condemned as deceiving the people. Let us learn of Christ patiently to endure such injurious treatment; and endeavour to behave ourselves so, that we may have a testimony in the consciences of men, and in the presence of God, that, after the example of our great Master, in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have our conversation in the world (2 Cor. i. 12). Then will our names be had in remembrance, and the honour and reward of our faithful obedience continue when the memories of those that reviled us are perished with them. No one, that thought favourably of essary. Those that thought contemptibl him, &c.] The reason afterwards given of Christ might have spoken their minds renders such a restriction absolutely nec- as freely as they pleased. |