. CHA P. XI. kingdom ftand? because ye fay 19 And if I by Beelzebub caft 20 But if I with the finger of God caft out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upɔn you. 21 When a ftrong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace. 22 But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trufted, and divideth his fpoils. 23 He that is not with me, is against me; and he that gathereth not with me, scattereth. JOHN. Diffenfions and mutual Oppofitions, how should it continue to the end of all things, according to your opinion? But this would be the cafe if, as you pretend, I caft the evil Spirits out of the Bodies of men by the affiftance of the chief among them. If I, whofe Doctrin contains nothing but most holy Rules for the direction of men in the way to Happiness, am accus'd of having expel'd the Demons by magic Arts, what judgment fhall we pafs on your own Countrymen who indeavor to do the fame? Whatever they can plead in their behalf, I may alledg in my own juftification; fo that I need not appeal to any other Judges. But on the contrary, if I caft out thefe Demons by a Power confer'd upon me by God himself, as is evident, you must needs own that I have truly acquainted you with the approach of the Kingdom of God. A ftout man, dextrous, and well arm'd, is provided and fecure against the attempts of the Thief, till a ftronger than himself overpowers him, and difarming him, makes plunder of his Goods. Thus do I drive the Demons out of the Bodies of Men, which they had feiz'd on as fo many dwelling places; and from hence 'tis plainly infer'd, I act by a fuperior, and confequently a divine Power. Jefus then, in answer to thofe that demanded a Miracle, pretending they were not against his Doctrin, fpake to this effect: Whoever believes not in me, I fhall account as an Adverfary; and whoever increases not the number of my Disciples, will be look'd on by me as if he indeavoured to feduce them from me; according to that proverbial faying, He that is not with me, is against me, and he that gathereth not with me, fcattereth. Do not therefore imagin 'tis lawiul for you to be 24 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, fecking reft: and finding none, he faith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. 25 And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. 26 Then goeth he, and taketh to him feven other spirits more wicked than himfelf, and they enter in, and dwell there: and the laft ftate of that man is worfe than the first. 27 And it came to pafs as he fpake these things, a certain woman of the company lift up her voice, and faid unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou haft fucked. 28 But he faid, Yea, rather bleffed are they that hear the word of God and keep it. Јони. neuters in the cafe, or that you will gain my favour by not being Enemies to me. Now observe what the condition of thofe will be on whom my Miracles have made no impreffion. When the evil Spirit has bin banifh'd from fome human Body, he wanders in folitary and dry places, to find out fome place to reft in; but being difappointed, he bethinks himself of returning to that Body from which he was expel'd, to fee if by any means he can get a readmiffion. If it happens that the man who had bin freed, be not induc'd to reform his Life; being by God left to the power of the Damon, his Body becomes like a Houfe cleanfed and fitted for the entertainment of a wifh'd for Friend. The evil Spirit perceiving this, carries with him others worse than himself, and with them takes poffeffion of the man'sBody: and thus this latter condition of the man is made vaftly more miferable than the former. So you who have bin made happy with the certain knowledg of the way to Blifs, and a fight of my Miracles; if instead of a greater purity of Life (the condition to be perform'd on your part) you go on to indulge your felf in your former Vices, and prove ungrateful to your Benefactor, know that God will leave you to your Vices, and that you will be more feverely punish'd than if I had never appeared among you. After he had fpoke thus unto 'em, a certain Woman cried out with a loud Voice: Bleffed is the Woman that bare thee, and brought thee up! But Jefus replied, Bleffed are they that ftudy to conform their Actions to the Rules of my Gofpel, and not thofe that are allied to me by confanguinity, unless they alfo believe my Doctrin. 29 And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to fay, This is an evil generation they feek a fign, and there fhall no fign be given it, but the fign of Jonas the prophet. 30 For as Jonas was a fign to the Ninivites, fo fhall also the Son of man be to this generation. 31 The queen of the south fhall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for the came from the utmost parts of the earth, to hear the wifdom of Solomon, and behold a greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Niniveh shall rife up in the judgment with this generation, and fhall condemn it for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and behold, a greater than Jonas is here. JOHN. Doctrin. There being at that time a great concourfe of People round about him in expectation of feeing fome Miracle perform'd by him, as if he had not wrought enough among them, he cried out; O degenerat Age, which after the many Miracles I have perform'd in the midst of them, ftill require more! But they shall not have their expectation answer'd, and hereafter they hall fee none equal to that which will befal me, and in fome fort resembles what happen'd of old to the Prophet Jonas: For as he was a fign to the Ninivites, fo fhall I be to the Jews of this age, tho they do not diftinguish me from any of the Vulgar. However, this will make no impreffion on them; for which reafon the Queen of the Sabaeans at the laft day fhall be compar'd with these men, who will be condemn'd on that comparifon for fhe, tho a foveraign Princefs in the remoteft part of Arabia, fcrupld no to take a long journy to Jerufalem, that the might hear the wife Difcourfe, of Solomon, whofe Fame was at that time celebrated over all the Eaft, and having heard him, return'd fully fatisfied, and in admiration of his Wifdom. The Jews have now with them one vaftly preferable to Solomon, and a Preacher of far weightier things, and yet they will fcarce give ear to him, or, if they hear him, they defpife him. The Ninivites who repented at the preaching of Jonas fhall be compar'd with them, and condemn them, who have no regard to the Doctrin of a Prophet of far greatter autho Tt 2 MATTHEW. MARK. LUKE. СНА Р. XI. 33 No man when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a fecret place,neither under a bufhel; but on a candlestick, that they which come in may fee the light. 34 The light of the body is the eye therefore when thine eye is fingle, thy whole body alfo is full of light: but when thine eye is evil, thy body alfo is full of darkness. 35 Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. 36 If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole fhall be full of light, as when the bright fhining of a candle doth give. thee light. 37 And as he fpake, a certain Pharifee befought him to dine with him: and he went in and fat down to meat. 38 And when the Pharifee faw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner. JOHN. authority than Jonas. I am not however to leave off preaching the Gospel, nor my Difciples: it being the very end for which I chofe them, and am my felf come into the world, the Gofpel being like a Lamp which is not lighted to be hid, or put under a Bufhel, but being plac'd on high, to give light to all that enter. The Eyes, like a Lamp, inlighten the whole Body: If they therefore have no ill afpect or envious glance, there will be no mark of bafenefs in the other parts; but all will shine with a promifing sweetness and generofity. But if they betray a fordid Temper, if you look repiningly upon other mens Happiness, the whole Body will feem clouded with thefe Vices. Take heed therefore, that that which ought to be clear and bright with the rays of Virtue, be at no time thus obfcur'd. Thus it is in your power to fine out like a Light plac'd on high, if you are all of a piece, and your Virtues not fhaded with Vice. After Jefus had thus recommended his Doctrin, a certain Pharifee came and invited him to dinner. Jefus accordingly went, and fat down with him. The Pharifee was furpriz'd to fee him fit down without the ufual Ceremony of washing before: meal; meal, which Jefus obferving, took that occafion to rebuke thofe fort of men for their Hypocrify. The generality of you Pharifees, faid he, take great care about an external Cleanliness, while at the fame time you neglect the inward Purity of the Mind, fo that very often a rapacious fordid difpofition is cover'd with a demure and ftarch'd appearance to the World; tho this be altogether as abfurd as to make clean the outfide of your Veffels, without taking care to wash away the filth within. O unthoughtful men! does not the Author of your being, whom you think to please by thefe ceremonial Washings, take as much notice of your Mind, which he would have in like manner pure from all vitious defilements, as being the Creator of both Soul and Body? Wherefore, without this great concern for an external Cleanlinefs, purge your Minds firft from Avarice, and every other Vice. In fo doing, however you may appear to the eyes of Men, you will be truly clean, that is, acceptable in the fight of God. In the mean time, confider how great Punishments you contract by indeavoring to appear religious in the obfervance of those leffer Duties, fuch as the paying tithe of Mint and Rue and other Herbs, if at the fame time you are void of Juftice and fincere Devotion. First therefore, as I faid, you are to love God, and exercife Jultice towards Men, and then thefe external Rites need not be neglected. But as the cafe now ftands, you highly provoke the Juftice of God, by feigning your felves men of moderation, while you are unmeafurably ambitious of honourable Pofts, and Salutations from the People; and real Virtue is fet afide as an indirect means for obtaining the Applaufe you court. |