ing that another parable, which he supposed to be of similar import, had allusion to the future life.

The unquenchable fire Dr. Lightfoot does not here explain; but the following remark, on another passage, indicates, with sufficient plainness, what were his views. On the text, The day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire, he says,

'Two things shall discover every man's work, the day and the fire. Both which you may not understand amiss of the word of God manifesting and proving all things. For the light of the gospel is very frequently called the day, and the law of God called fire. (Deut. xxxiii. 2.)

'But I had rather in this place understand by the day, the day of the Lord, that was shortly coming, and by fire, the fire of divine indignation to be poured out upon the Jewish nation. And I am the more inclined to this interpretation because there is so frequent remembrance of that day and fire in the Holy Scriptures.' Heb. et Talm. Exerc. in 1 Cor. iii. 13.

6

CAPPE. Thus, to the prediction of the appearing and the manifestation of the Messiah, this part of the Baptist's testimony adds also the prediction of a discrimination to be made among the people of the Jews; to those who should receive him, a promise of the Holy Spirit, with security amidst the calamities which were impending over Judea; to those who should reject him, the denunciation of a fatal share in the general desolation of that coming of the Son of man.' Crit. Rem. vol. ii.

p. 142.

CLARKE. 'Whose fan is in his hand: The Romans are here termed God's fan, as, in ver. 10, they were termed his axe; and, in chap. xxii. 7, they are termed his troops, or armies. His floor.- Does not this mean the land of Judea, which has been long, as it were, the threshing-floor of the Lord? God says he will now, by the winnowing fan, [viz. the Romans,] thoroughly cleanse this floor: the wheat, those who believe in the Lord Jesus, he will gather into his garner, either take to

-

heaven from the evil to come, or put in a place of safety, as he did the Christians, by sending them to Pella, in Cœlosyria, previously to the destruction of Jerusalem. But he will burn up the chaff - the disobedient and rebellious Jews, who would not come unto Christ that they might have life. Unquenchable fire:- that cannot be extinguished by man.' Com. in loc.

KENRICK. In this whole verse, the destruction of Jerusalem is expressed in the terms of husbandmen. The worthless part of the nation, disliking that excellent system of religion which he (Jesus) introduced, would reject him; but the virtuous part of the people would believe in him. The former are to be visited with the most terrible judgments, which are expressed in prophetic language by inextinguishable fire; (see Isa. xli. 16;) which prophecy was fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans: but the Christians were preserved in safety; having, in conformity with the warning and directions of Christ, retired from the city when it was besieged.' Expos. in loc.

SECTION V.

'From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'" MATT. iv. 17.

THIS passage is almost precisely the same as Matt. iii. 2. See Hammond's note, section 1, in which he refers to this passage. The Continuators of Poole's Annotations, and divers other commentators, allow this text to be of the same import as the other. The translators of the New Testament, which was published in 1729, (Greek and English,) show what they understood by the kingdom of heaven, in this case, by translating thus:'Repent, for the kingdom of the Messiah draws nigh.'

I have before said, that, in order to make a phrase of this kind imply or appear to imply endless misery, it has been assumed that the kingdom of heaven signifies the kingdom of glory after the resurrection. (See remarks on Matt. iii. 2.) In addition to the authority there quoted, on the import of this phrase, I offer the following; in which, it will be perceived, although three distinct significations are named, that which is often assumed is not of the number :

BROWNELL. The gospel dispensation. The first qualification which our Saviour requires in his disciples, is repentance.' Expos. in loc.

LIGHTFOOT.

'Nor doth this manner of arguing, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand," suit only with the Jews' own maxim and opinion, and so might convince and win them the sooner; but it also agrees, most properly, with the nature of the "kingdom of heaven " itself. For, 1. If by the term, be understood the coming and appearing of the Messiah, (as that, indeed, is the first sense of it,) what fitter entertainment of his appearing than repentance? For men, when he came to save them from their sins, (Matt. i. 21,) to repent of their sins, and when he came as the true light, to forsake their dark ways, and when the Lord, by the appearance of Christ for man's redemption, did show, as it were, that he repented of evil against man; - how fit was it for man to meet this great mercy, by repenting of his own evil! And, 2. If the term " kingdom of heaven " be taken for the state of the church and religion, under the appearance of Christ and the gospel, in comparison. of what it was under the ceremonious administrations in the law, - there could be no fitter entertainment of it than by repentance; namely, by washing, purifying or sacrificing, the heart, when there was no other washing, purifying or sacrificing, in religion to be had, and such external ceremonies should be gone out of date. 3. And, lastly, if, by this phrase, be meant the "kingdom of Christ among the Gentiles, and their calling by the gos

pel,' (as it also reacheth that sense,) it was a proper kind of arguing used to the Jews, to move them to repentance, -by minding them of the calling of the Gentiles, whose calling in they knew, would be their own casting off, if they repented not.' Harm. Evan. part iii. sect. xix.

SECTION VI.

'Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost its savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out and to be trodden under foot of men.' MATT. v. 13.

THE parallel places are Mark ix. 49, 50. Luke xiv. 34, 35. As the passage in Mark contains a clause not found in the other Evangelists, I quote that also:

'For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. Salt is good: but if the salt have lost its saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.'

In these words, Jesus assures his disciples that the doctrine, which he had delivered to them, and which they were to communicate to the world, is of a cleansing, purifying nature. It will preserve mankind from the corruption of sin. But in order that men should embrace this doctrine, and experience its beneficial effects, it was necessary that the apostles should have salt in themselves; that is, that they should manifest, by the purity of their lives, the wholesome nature of the doctrine they preached. If they failed in this, their labors would be useless, and they, like unsavoury salt, would justly merit the neglect and contempt of mankind. In this exposition, the following commentators substantially agree.

TOMSON'S Beza. 'Salt of the earth; Your doctrine must be very sound and good, for if it be not so, it shall be nought set by, and cast away as a thing unsavoury and

vain.

'Wherewith shall it be salted? What shall you have to salt withal ? And so are fools, in the Latin tongue, called saltless, as you would say, men that have no salt, or savour, and taste in them.' Note in loc.

GILPIN. 'Salt is good; but if what ought to be preserved by it, is indisposed to receive its seasoning, no effect can be produced. Attend carefully to what I say, and let it have its due influence on your minds.' Expos. in Luke xiv. 34, 35.

DODDRIDGE. 'Let it be, in the mean time, your care to imitate their piety and zeal, as remembering that you, my disciples, are to be as it were the salt of the earth, the means of preventing or curing the growth of that corruption which prevails in it, and of seasoning men's minds with wisdom and grace; but it would be most unhappy for yourselves, as well as for them, if you should be destitute of those blessed principles; for if the salt be grown insipid, with what can it possibly be seasoned? It is no further of any avail, or significancy at all; but, as a useless thing, is left to be thrown out of doors, and to be trampled on by men, as the common dirt of the streets thus worthless and contemptible will you, my disciples, be, even in the most eminent stations, if you lose your character for real and vital religion.' Par. in loc.

Salt of the earth; I

ASSEMBLY'S ANNOTATIONS. have chosen you to season and preserve those who are corruptible by sin; as salt suffereth not flesh to corrupt, so wholesome doctrine worketh with the mind; reprove them therefore, that they may be saved; though you displease some thereby, and suffer persecution for the same; yet be you so savoury in yourselves, and by good exhortations help to season others, with the salt of grace, that they may be pleasing to God. (Col. iv. 6. Eph. iv. 29.)

But if the salt: It may be understood of ministers, or of private Christians, who are spoken of before, and in the following words.