1 and feeing the minstrels and the croud making a noise, 24 Saith to them, Withdraw; for the maid is not dead, 25 but fleepeth: and they derided him. But when the croud were put forth, he went in and took her by the 26 hand; and the maid arofe. And the fame of it went abroad into all that country. 27 And as Jefus paffed thence, two blind men followed him, crying aloud and saying, Thou fon of David, have 28 mercy on us. And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jefus faith to them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They fay unto 29 him, Yea, Lord. Then he touched their eyes, faying, 30 Be it unto you, according to your faith. And their eyes were opened; and Jefus ftrictly charged them, fay31 ing, fee that no man know it. But when they were gone out, they spread his fame abroad in all that country. 32 * As they were going out, behold they brought a 33 dumb demoniac to him. And when the devil was caft out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, faying, it was never feen thus, even in Ifrael. But the 34 Pharifees faid, He cafteth out the devils by the prince of the devils. 388 35 And Jefus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their fynagogues, and preaching the gofpel of the kingdom, and healing every difeafe and every malady. 36 But feeing the multitudes, he was moved with tender compaffion for them, because they were faint and scat footh the melancholy And there were per the Heathens, in their lamentations for the dead, to of furviving friends, by foft and folemn notes. fons who made it their business to perform this, while others fung to their mufic. Flutes were used especially on the death of children; louder inftruments were then used on the death of grown perfons. V. 24. Withdraw-There is no need of you now; for the maid is not dead-Her life is not at an end: but fleepeth-This is only a temporary suspension of sense and motion, which should rather be termed fleep than death. V. 25. The maid arofe-Chrift raised three dead perfons to life: this child, the widow's fon, and Lazarus: one newly departed, another on the bier, the third fmelling in the grave: to fhew us, that no degree of death is fo defperate as to be paft his help. V. 33 Even in Ifrael—Where so many wonders have been seen. V. 36. Because they were faint-In foul rather than in body. As Sheep having no Shepherd-And yet they had many teachers: they had fcribes in every city. But they had none who cared for their fouls and none that were able, if they had been willing, to have wrought any deliverance. They had no pastors after God's own heart. *Luke xi. 14. V. 37. The 37 tered, as fheep to his difciples, 38 bourers are few. harvest, that he X. harvest. having no fhepherd. Then faith he The harveft truly is great, but the laPray ye therefore the Lord of the would thruft forth labourers into his And having called to him his twelve difciples he gave them power over unclean fpirits, to caft them out 2 and to heal every disease and every malady. § Now the names of the twelve apostles are thefe; the first, Simon who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; 3 James the fon of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the publican; James the fon of Alpheus, and Lebbeus, whose 4 furname was Thaddeus; Simon the Canaanite, and 5 Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. These twelve Jefus fent forth, having commanded them, faying. Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into a city of the 6 Samaritans enter not: But go rather to the loft fheep 7 of the house of Ifrael. And as ye go, proclaim, faying, V. 37. The harvest truly is great-When Chrift came into the world, it was properly the time of harveft; 'till then it was the feed-time only. But the labourers are few-Those whom God fends! who are holy and convert finners. Of others there are many. V. 38. The Lord of the harveft-Whofe peculiar work and office it is, and who alone is able to do it; that he would thruft forth-For it is an employ not pleasing to flesh and blood; fo full of reproach, labour, danger, temptation of every kind, that nature may well be averfe to it Those who never felt this, never yet knew what it is, to be labourers in Chrift's harvest. He fends them forth, when he calls them by his fpirit, furnishes them with grace and gifts for the work, and makes a way for them to be employed therein. V. His twelve difciples-Hence it appears that he had already chofen out of his difciples, those whom he afterwards termed Apostles. The number feems to have relation to the twelve patriarchs, and the twelve tribes of Ifrael. V. 2. The firft, Simon-The first who was called to a conftant atten dance on Chrift; although Andrew had feen him, before Simon. V3 Lebbeus-Commonly called Judas, the brother of James. V. 4 Ifcariot So called from Iscarioth (the place of his birth) a town of the tribe of Ephraim, near the city of Samaria. V 5. These twelve Jefus fent forth-Herein exercifing his fupreme authority, as God over all. None but God can give men authority to preach his word, Go not-Their commiffion was thus confined now, because the calling of the Gentiles was deferred 'till after the more plen-tiful effusion of the Holy Ghoft on the day of Pentecof. Enter not-Not to preach; but they might, to buy what they wanted, John iv. 9. + Luke x. 2. V. 8. Caft Mark iii. 14. vi. 7. Luke vi. 13. ix. 1. Ch. x. 8---11. 8 The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the fick, cleanfe the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely 9 ye have received, freely give. Provide neither gold, 10 nor filver, nor brass in your purses: * Nor fcrip for your journey, nor two coats, nor fhoes, nor yet a staff: 11 for the workman is worthy of his maintenance. § And 'into whatsoever city or town ye fhall enter, enquire who in it is worthy, and there abide 'till ye go thence. V. 8. Caft out devils-It is a great relief to the spirits of an infidel, finking under a dread, that poffibly the gospel may be true, to find it obferved by a learned brother, that the diseases therein afcribed to the operation of the devil, have the very fame fymtoms, with the natural diseases of lunacy, epilepfy, or convulfions: whence he very readily and willingly concludes, that the devil had no hand in them. But it were well to ftop and confider a little. Suppose God fhould fuffer an evil spirit to ufurp the fame power over a man's body, as the man himself has naturally; and fuppofe him actually to exercife that power; could we conclude the devil had no hand therein, because his body was bent in the very fame manner, wherein the man himself might have bent it naturally? And fuppofe God gives an evil spirit a greater power, to affect immediately the origin of the nerves in the brain, by irritating them to produce violent motions, or fo relaxing them that they can produce little or no motion; ftill the fymtoms will be thofe of our tenfe nerves, as in madnefs, epilepfies, convulfions; or of relaxed nerves, as in paralytic cafes. But could we conclude thence, that the devil had no hand in them? Will any man affirm, that God cannot or will not, on any occafion whatever, give fuch a power to an evil fpirit? Or that effects, the like of which may be produced by natural caufes, cannot poflibly be produced by preternatural ? If this be poffible, then he who affirms it was fo, in any particular cafe, cannot be justly charged with falfhood merely for affirming the reality of a poffible thing. Yet in this manner, are the Evangelifts treated by thofe unhappy men, who above all things dread the truth of the gospel, because, if it is true, they are of all men · the most miferable. Freely ye have received-All things; in particular, the power of working miracles; freely give Exert that power wherever you come. V. 9. Provide not-The ftrefs feems to lie on this word: they might ufe what they had ready; but they might not flay a moment, to provide any thing more, neither take any thought about it. Nor indeed were they to take any thing with them, more than was ftrictly neceffary 1. Left it fhould retard them. 2. Because they were to learn hereby to truft God in all future exigences. V. 10. Neither fcrip-That is, a wallet, or bag to hold provifions: Nor yet a ftaff-We read Mark vi. 8. Take nothing, fave a staff only. He that had one might take it; they that had none, might not provide any. For the workman is worthy of his maintenance-The word includes all that is mentioned in the 9th and 10th verses; all that they were forbidden to provide for themselves, fo far as it was needful for them. V. 11. Enquire who is worthy-That you should abide with him: who is difpofed to receive the gospel. There abide-In that house, 'till ye leave the town. V. 12. Salute * Mark vi. 8. Luke ix. 2. Luke vi. 10. §Mark vi. 10. Luke ix. 4. 47 12 And when ye come into an houfe falute it. And if 13 the house be worthy, your peace fhall come upon it : but if it be not worthy, your peace fhall return to you. 14 And whosoever will not receive you, nor hear your 16 17 as doves. 18 words; when ye go out of that houfe or city, fhake off 15 the duft from your feet. Verily I fay unto you, it fhall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city. * Behold I fend you forth as fheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wife as ferpents, and harmleis + But beware of men; for they will deliver you to the councils, and fcourge you in their fynagogues. And ye fhall be brought before governors and kings for my fake, for a teftimony to them and to the 19 heathens. But when they deliver you, take no thought, how or what ye shall speak; for it shall be 20 given you in that very hour what ye fhall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the fpirit of your Father 21 who speaketh in you. But the brother fhall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child; and children shall rise up against their parents, and kill them. 22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's fake: but he that endureth to the end the fame fhall be faved. 23 But when they perfecute you in this city, flee to anoV. 12. Salute it-In the ufual Jewish form, "Peace, (that is, all bleffings) be to this house." V. 13. If the house be worthy-Of it, God fhall give them the peace you with them. If not, he fhall give you what they refufe. The fame will be the cafe, when we pray for them that are not worthy. V. 14. Shake off the dust from your feet-The Jews thought the land of Ifrael fo peculiarly holy, that when they came home from any heathen country, they stopped at the borders and fhook or wiped off the duft of from their feet, that the holy land might not be polluted with it. Therefore the action here enjoined was a lively intimation, that those Jews who had rejected the gospel, were holy no longer, but were on a level with heathens and idolaters, V. 17. But think not that all your innocence and all your wisdom will screen you from perfecution. They will fcourge you in their fynagogues-In thefe the Jews held their courts of judicature, about both civil and ecclefiaftical affairs. V.19 Take no thought-Neither at this time, nor on any fudden call, we be careful, how or what to answer. V. 22. Of all men-That know not God. V. 23 Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Ifrael-Make what hafte ye will; till the fon of man be come-To deftroy their temple and nation. Luke x. 3. Matt. xxiv. g. Luke xii, 11. V. 25. How § Luke xxi. 16. ther; for verily I fay unto you, Ye fhall not have gone over the cities of Ifrael, 'till the fon of man be 24 come. *The difciple is not above his teacher, nor the 25 fervant above his lord. It is enough for the difciple that he be as his teacher, and the fervant as his lord. ** If they have called the mafter of the house Beelze26 bub, how much more them of his houfhold? || Therefore fear them not; for there is nothing covered, which fhall not be made manifeft; nor hid that shall not be 27 known. What I tell you in the dark, fpeak ye in the light; and what ye hear in the ear, proclaim on 28 the house-tops. And be not afraid of them who kill the body, but are not able to kill the foul; but rather be afraid of him who is able to destroy both foul and 29 body in hell. Are not two fparrows fold for a farthing? And one of them shall not fall to the ground, without 30 your Father. **Yea, even the hairs of your head are 31 all numbered. Fear ye not therefore; ye are of more 32 value than many fparrows. *Whofoever therefore fhall confefs me before men, him will I confefs before V. 25. How much more--This cannot refer to the quantity of reproach and perfecution: (for in this the fervant cannot be above his Lord: but only to the certainty of it. V. 26. Therefore fear them not; For ye have only the fame usage with your Lord. There is nothing covered-So that however they may flander you now, your innocence will at length appear. V. 27. Even what I now tell you secretly, is not to be kept secret long, but declared publickly. Therefore what ye hear in the ear, publish on the houfe top-Two cuftoms of the Jews feem to be alluded to here. Their doctors used to whisper in the ear of their difciples, what they were to pronounce aloud to others. And as their houses were low and flat roofed, they fometimes preached to the people from thence. V. 28. And be not afraid of any thing which ye may suffer for proclaiming it. Be afraid of him who is able to deftroy both body and foul in hell-It is remarkable, that our Lord commands those who love God, ftill to fear him, even on this account, under this notion. V. 29, 30. The particular providence of God is another reason for your not fearing man. For this extends to the very smallest things. And if he has fuch care over the most inconfiderable creatures, how much more will he take care of you, (provided you confefs him before men, betore powerful enemies of the truth) and that not only in this life, but in the other alfo? V. 32. Whofoever shall confefs me-Publickly acknowledge me for the promifed Melliah. But this confeffion implies the receiving his whole doctrine, (Mark viii. 38.) and obeying all his commandments. V. 33, 34. Whosoever *Luke vi. 40. John xv. 20. ** Ch. xii. 24. Luke viii. 17. xii. 2. ‡ Luke xii, 3. ** Luke xii. 7. 38 Luke ix, 26. Mark iv. 22. *Mark viii. |