three nights in the whale's belly: so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. 42 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.

45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked

[unclean spirit.

than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

46 While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him.

47 Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.

48 But he answered and said unto' him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?

49 And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!

50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother. (A)

a

(A) Ver. 38-50. The Scribes and Pharisees demand a sign from heaven, but are refused and reproved.-In-demanding sign," or miracle, which in another evangelist is called "a sign from heaven," these men had probably in their recollection the sign given to John Baptist on the bank of Jordan, to which he bare witness on a former occasion, (John i. 31 —34), and of which they now seem to require a repetition. Considering that, previously to this, they had witnessed many miracles wrought by Jesus, on the sick, the lame, the blind, and those possessed by demons, this appears a most unreasonable request, and is, therefore, very properly refused; and they are called, in the language of Isaiah (ch. lvii. 3.)," an evil and adulterous generation;" that is, as Doddridge explains it," a spurious brood," grossly" degenerated from the piety of their ancestors;" and from "a chosen generation," become

"a generation (or brood) of vipers," as in ver. 34.

A sign, however, they shall have, analogous to that of the prophet Jonas; for, as he was in the whale's belly three days, or rather part of "three days and nights," which was a phrase used by the Hebrews, as analogous to our day of 24 hours (see Expos. Jonah ch. i.), so should the Son of man remain for the like period in the bowels of the earth; his resurrection from which would be a sign more decisive in its nature, and more influential in its consequences, than any sign which heaven had hitherto displayed.

What follows, relative to unclean spirits, connects immediately with our Lord's preceding discourse, in answer to the charge of his casting out demons by a diabolical power; and it appears to us to relate particularly to the exorcisms of the Jews themselves, in which the unclean spirit might

if it was done on the third or seventh day from that last mentioned. (Comp. 1 Kings xx. 29; 2 Chron. 1.5, 12; and Luke ii. 21.).... So that, to say a thing happened after three days and three nights, was the same as to say, it happened "after three days," or on the third day. (Comp. Esth. iv. 16 with v.1; Gen. vii. 12; Exod. xxiv. 18, and xxxiv. 28.) In the whale's belly.-See Note on Jonah i. 17. Ver. 42 The queen of the south-that is, of Sheba. See 1 Kings x. 1, &c.

Ver. 44. Empty-that is, uninhabited. Swept and garnished-or "adorned," as Doddridge.

Ver. 46. His mother and his brethren.-It is cer

tain that the Jews used the term brethren with great latitude, to include all their relatives; see Levit. x. 4. There is, however, an ancient tradition, that Joseph, the reputed father of Jesus, had four sons and two daughters by a former wife, which may be intended here, and in chap. xiii. 55, 56; or probably his cousins, the sons of Mary the wife of Cleophas (or Alpheus), and sister to the blessed virgin. Stackhouse's Hist. of the Bible, vol. v. p. 417, Note. Ver. 50. My brother, and sister, and mother.-So in Homer, Andromache says to Hector, Thou art my father, my mother, and my brother. Iliad, lib. vi. 429,

See

The sign of]

of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. 39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous genera

[the prophet J tion seeketh after a sign; and shall no sign be given to it, bu sign of the prophet Jonas:

40 For as Jonas was three day

and to pretend that he cast out demons by being himself in league with Beelzebub, the prince of demons.

In reply to this, Jesus appeals to themselves on two points. 1. "Every kingdom divided against itself, cannot stand." Now if 1 (said he) by Beelzebub cast out demons, who are the subjects of Satan, then is Satan (or Beelzebub) divided against himself, and labouring to overthrow his own power: a conduct highly inconsistent with the allowed cunning of the old serpent. 2. Our Lord justifies himself by an appeal to the Pharisees on the conduct of their own children, who frequently pretended to cast out devils. We need not here in quire into the truth of their pretensions, to which we may advert hereafter it is certain that they made such pretensions, and it became them, in this instance, to prove that they acted by a superior power, before they brought this charge against him; but they discovered, in both these respects, the grossest inconsistency.

of aggrandizement and worldly 2. To prevent any serious and di mind from applying this terrible s against themselves, we remark, dent that this dreadful sin could committed by any person alarmed of having once committed it. G awful was the sin of crucifying th God; but the multitude were igno actuated by these blaspheming F Jesus therefore prayed for them, a doubtless, were forgiven on the d tecost, and enrolled among the verts of the Jewish church. the crime of persecuting Stephe other disciples of Jesus; but bitterest of their persecutors, t these sinners, was not only con forgiven, but became himself eq chiefest of the Apostles." (See 2 No man's sins are unpardonab pents and is penitent on their

Te

e

HE same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea

2 And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.

3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;

4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:

5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:

[of the sower,

6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.

7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:

8 But others fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundred-fold, some sixty-fold, some thirty-fold.

9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?

11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

retire for a time (perhaps from a Satanic policy), and afterwards return with sevenfold power and malignity. The language is, however, highly figurative, and evidently alludes to the satyrs of the heathen, which were a sort of demons, or demigods, in the form of apes, or goats, who were supposed to range the woods and deserts. (See Note on Isa. xiii. 21.) These restless spirits were supposed to return with fresh ardour to their former residence, from which, for a time, they had been expelled. But there is no instance, either expressed or implied, of any relapse occurring to persons who had been the subjects of our Saviour's miraculous cures.

Yet our Lord's words should be here, probably, chiefly considered as emblematical of the state of the Jewish nation, which had been partially, and for a time, reformed under the ministry of John the Baptist, but was now, through the agency of the Scribes and Pharisees, become more hardened in their infidelity, which led, in the first instance, to their rejection of the Messiah, and subsequently, to their destruction by the Romans. "Even so shall it be to this wicked generation." In the next place, which is the more interesting to us, it presents us with a striking picture

of those moral reforms which sometimes take place among ourselves; but which, not being founded on sound evangelical principles, but either on Pharisaical selfrighteousness, or human policy, are often of short duration, and terminate in a worse state than they began. Such persons the writer has often observed proceed rapidly from sect to sect, with remarkable strictness, or from notion to notion with ardent zeal, until at last, wearied with these changes, they sink into downright scepticism aud profaneness. "Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines, for it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace." (Heb. xiii. 9.)

The concluding verses of this chapter inform us that, while Jesus was teaching the people on this (or perhaps some former) occasion, his mother and his brethren were standing without the crowd, desiring to speak with him, on which occasion he delivered this most important truth, that those who receive and obey the will of his heavenly Father, are dear to our Saviour, as could be his own brother, his sister, or even his mother. "So may it be our care to do the will of God, that we may be thus dear to our Redeemer!"

CHAP. XIII. Ver. 1. The same day -- namely, on which Jesus had held his preceding discourse with the Pharisees.

Ver. 2. A parable-the Hebrew term Mashal, to which this corresponds, includes every kind of poetical composition; but is especially applied to fables, allegories, proverbs, &c. See Lowth on Hebrew Poetry, vol 1. Lect. 4.

Ver. 4. The fowls (i. e. birds) came and devoured them.-Thevenot (the traveller) says," There are so many sparrows in Persia, that they destroy all things;

and scare-crows are so far from frightening them, that they will perch upon them." He adds, that when they see flocks of birds coming, the peasants run, and shout, and smack their whips, to drive them

farther. Orient. Cust. No. 1188.

Ver. 8. Some an hundred fold-Rosenmuller sup poses this may refer to different kinds of seed; but this will not answer to the allegory. The sower was one, and the seed the same; but even in good ground some spots will be far more productive than

others.

12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:

15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see and your cars, for they

hear.

17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things

CHAP. XIII.

[by our Lord.

which ye hear, and have not heard them.

18 Hear ye therefore the parabl of the sower.

19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. 20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;

21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.

22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.

23 But he that received seed into

the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth fort, some an hundred-fold, some sixty, some thirty. (B)

(B) Ver. 1-23. The parable of the sower, and its explanation. On the same day on which he had held his preceding discourse, "went Jesus out of the house," into which he had probably retired at noon, as is common in hot countries; and in the afternoon sat by the sea side, until the multitude came crowding round him, when he found it convenient to go into a small ship, or fishing vessel, which pro

bably lay in a creek of the lake of Galilee, and sitting on its edge, the people might nearly surround him, in a semicircle, and hear to great advantage. He then began the parable of the sower," intending thereby himself, in the first place (ver. 37), and in the next, his apostles and their successors. The seed is his doctrine, "the word of the kingdom," which was differently received, according to the soil on which it fell. First, That which fell by

Ver. 12. But whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath-To those who cavil at this seeming contradiction, we recommend the following lines from Juvenal:

"Tis true, poor Codras nothing had to boast; And yet poor Codrus all that nothing lost." See Orient. Lit. No. 1193. Ver. 14. Is fulfilled.-Dr. Campbell remarks, that the Greek word is here emphatic, implying that this was the proper fulfilment of the prediction, which (he adds) is oftener quoted in the New Testament than suy other.

Ver. 19. Understandeth it not-Camp. "Mindeth (it) not." He adds, "that the word frequently means, both in the Septuagint and New Testament, to mind, to regard, to attend to, is unquestionable."

The same word is used in the close of ver. 13, "Neither do they mind."

Ibid. The wicked (or evil) one that is. Satan; sce ver. 38.——— And catcheth-Camp." Snatcheth ;" a more happy rendering, the original word implying violence. Hamin.

Ver. 20. Stony places.-See Note on ver. 5. Ver. 21. Dureth-that is, endureth.He is offended-or stumbleth." See N. on ch. xi. 6. Ver. 22. The deceitfulness -- Doddr. and Camp. "Delusion."Choke-Camp. “Stifle." Plants may properly be said to be choked (or stifled) by thorns, which do not leave them room to grow; and the word of God is represented as choked, when thus pressed with secular cares, prevailing in the mind.

Ver. 23. Understandeth-or mindet!' it, as ver. 19.