134

Luke XIII.

12.

Offence is taken at his healing on the Sabbath-Day.

Sect. 117. called her to him, and said to her, Woman, thou 'art oofed from that Affliction which thou hast long been under by reason of thy Weakness and 13 Malady. And as he was speaking these Words, be laid his Hands upon her, and immediately she was strengthened, and made streight; so that the stood before them all in an erect Posture, and moved with as much Eafe and Freedom, as if the had never been disabled: And, as was most reafonable, she in a very affectionate Manner glorified GOD before the whole Afssembly; praising him for so signal and unexpected a Favour, and declaring how long her Illness had continued, and how defperate and incurable it had been thought.

14

15

But a Ruler of the Synagogue (c), instead of joining in Acknowledgments of the Divine Power and Goodness, displayed in that gracious Action of our Lord, was moved with Indignation, which he endeavoured to disguise under the Form of Piety and Zeal; and as if he only had been angry because Jefus had healed her on the Sabbath-Day, he answered and said unto the People, There are Six Days on which the common Work of human Life must be done; on some of these therefore you may furely find Time to come and be healed, and should not make these Applications on the Sabbath-Day, which you know is appropriated to the sacred Purposes of religious Rest and Worship.

and faid unto her, Woman,

thou art loofed from thine Infirmity.

13 And he laid his Hands on her and immediately she was made straight, and glorified GOD.

14 And the Ruler of the

Synagogue answered with Indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath-day, and faid unto the People, There are fix Days in which Men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the Sabbath-day.

15 The Lord then an

Then the Lord answered him with a just Scve-
rity, and faid, Thou Hypocrite, that thus makest swered him, and faid, Thou
Hypocrite, doth not each

thy pretended Zeal for the Honour of Divine In-
stitutions, a specious Cloak for thy Malice against
me, art thou not felf-condemned? Does not every
one of you, even the Pharifees and Rulers of Syna-

one

But Jesus vindicates himself by what they did for their Beasts.

one of you on the Sabbath

loofe his Ox or his Ass from the Stall, and lead him away to watering?

16 And ought not this Woman being a Daughter hath bound, lo these eigh teen Years, be loofed from this Bond on the Sabbathday

of Abraham, whom Satan

17 And when he had faid these Things, all his Adverfaries were ashamed: and all the People rejoiced for all the glorious Things that were done by him.

18 Then faid he, Unto

GOD like? and whereunto shall I resemble it?

on

the

135

Luke XIII.

Sabbath-Day, 15.

16

gogues among the rest (d), without any Scruple Sect. 117.
or Blame, loofe his Ox or his Afs from the Manger,
and lead him away to drink
as well as on any other; tho' the Work be more
fervile than what I have done, and the Occafion
far less important?
Now if you have such a
Regard to the Thirst of one of your Cattle, was
it not much more apparently fit, that this good
Woman, who is a believing Daughter of Abra-
ham, whom Satan by the Divine Permission has
bound in this cruel Manner, lb, for these Eighteen
Years together, should be loofed from this Bond,
even on the Sabbath-Day, especially when it might
be effected in so easy a Manner, by a Word, and
a Touch?

And when he had said these Things, all his Op- 17
posers were ashamed, and perfectly confounded by
the Strength of such obvious and conclusive Rea-
foning: And all the Multitude who were present,
rejoiced in his Triumph; for they were greatly
delighted with all those wonderful and glorious
Things that were done by him, in which there was fo
amiable a Display of his Goodness, as well as his
Power.

Now on this Occafion, for the farther Encou- 18
what is the Kingdom of ragement of his Friends, and Confufion of his
Enemies, our Lord thought proper to intimate the
great Increase of his Kingdom, notwithstanding
the malignant Opposition it should meet with,
which he illustrated by two Parables formerly
delivered elfewhere: And he said, To what is the
Kingdom of GOD like, or what shall I compare
it to? or how is it that I shall represent the Pro-
pagation

(d) Even the Pharisees and Rulers of Synagogues among the rest.] Had not this been generally the Cafe, the Answer would not have been fufficient for Conviction, in the present Circumstance. Perhaps this Ruler might that very Day have been performing such an Office for one of his Cattle, with his own Hands: I say, with his own Hands; for it was by no means essential to his being a Ruler of the Synagogue, that he should be a Perfon of Wealth or Dignity in common Life: Tho probably, in large and splendid Cities, (fuch, for Inftance, as Capernaum was,) such Persons might generally be chosen. - Criticks have collected Passages from Rabbinical Writers, in which they allow it to be lawful, to feed or water a Bealt on the Sabbath-Day. See Lightfoot's Hor. Hebr. on this Text; where he shews they were exprefsly allowed, even to draw Water for their Beasts; a much more laborious Work, than leading them to it. See also Wotton's Miscell. Tracts, Vol. ii. pag. 41,-46.

136 The Parables of the Grain of Mustard-feed, and of the Leaven. Sect. 117. pagation of the Gospel in the World ?

19.

20

It is

like a Grain of Mustard-feed, which a Man took Luke XIII. and forwed in his Garden; and from fo minute a Seed it grew to a prodigious Bulk, and became fuch a great Tree, that the Birds of the Air came and built their Nests in its Branches. So thall my Kingdom, which in its first Beginning seems to be contemptible, diffuse itself in Time over the whole World, and the Inhabitants of distant Nations mall feek their Shelter in it. (Compare Mat. xiii. 31, 32. and Mark iv. 30, -32. Vol. i. pag. 412.) And again he said, To what else shall I liken the Kingdom of GOD, of which I have now been speaking? or how shall I describe the Efficacy of its Doctrine ? It is like a little Quantity of Leaven, which a Woman took, and covered up in a Mass of Dough, consisting of no less than three Measures of Meal; and yet it infinuated and diffused itself throughout, till the whole Lump was leavened. So shall the Gospel make its Way, and by a fecret Influence shall spread its Efficacy thro' the Hearts of Men, till it has changed them into a Likeness to itself. (Compare Mat. xiii. 33. Vol. i. pag. 413.)

21

22

Luke xili. 12.

Ver. 16.

Ver. 11.

And thus he went thro' all the principal Cities and Villages of Galilee, teaching them wherefoever he came, and travelling on toward Jerufalem; to which he had now begun to steer his Course, as he intended to be there at the approaching Feast of the Dedication, (John x. 22. Sect. 134.) and to spend the little Remainder of his Time during his Continuance upon Earth, in that City, or the neighbouring Parts; no more returning to these Northern Regions, till he appeared here after his Refurrection.

A

19 It is like a Grain of

Mustard-feed, which a Man den, and it grew, and waxed a great Tree: and the Fowls of the Air lodged in the Branches of it.

took, into his Gar

20 And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the Kingdom of GOD?

21 It is like Leaven,

which a Woman took and Meal, till the whole was leavened.

hid in three Measures of

22 And he went through

the Cities and Villages, teaching and journeying towards Jerufalem.

IMPROVEMENT.

GAIN do we fee, in a very instructive Instance, the Power and Goodness of Christ. It wrought on a poor despised Creature ; but our Lord confidered her as a Daughter of Abraham, and honoured, even in her, whatever Traces of her Father Abraham's Faith and Piety, his penetrating Eye might discern. Her Zeal for publick Worship brought her out, tho' she could not stand upright, and had probably in thar Respect a much

Reflections on the Cure of the Crooked Woman.

137

a much better Excuse for staying at Home, than many could make, who Sect. 117. now often absent themselves from the much nobler Services of the Christian

Sanctuary.

She met with Christ in the Synagogue, and returned with a Cure. And Ver. 10, 13. oh, how many, as the Effect of such a pious Zeal, tho' they have not been loofed from their Infirmities, have at least been greatly strengthened to bear them!

Our Lord says, that Satan had bound her. That malignant Enemy to Ver. 16. our Bodies and Souls, rejoices in any Opportunity of hurting either. But it is pleasing to think, that his Power is always under the Controul of Chrift; and therefore shall never be exercised on his People any farther, than their gracious Redeemer fees it consistent with their Good, and will take care to render it subservient to it.

How gravely does this Ruler of the Synagogue instruct the People in a Ver. 14. Point of Ceremony, while his Heart was full of Enmity to Chrift, and hardened against every Sentiment of Human Compassion! Justly was his Ver. 15. Hypocrify confounded and exposed.

We should with Pleasure see this Sun of Righteousness, thus victorioufly breaking thro' those Clouds, which Envy and Malice had raised to obfcure him, and diffusing his sacred Light from one End of the Heavens to the other. With Pleasure should we view the Accomplishment of these Para- Ver. 18,-21 bles, which represent the Success of his Gospel as fo great; and we should daily pray, with increasing Earneftness, that all the remaining Nations and Kingdoms of this World may at length become the Kingdoms of the Lord and of bis Chrift; and fincere Converts flock to him from every Side, even as Doves to their Windows. (Rev. xi. 15. and Isa. lx. 8.)

SECT. CXVIII.

CHRIST warns his Hearers of the Difficulty and Importance of entering into the Kingdom of Heaven; and is not intimidated by the Fear of Herod from pursuing his Work. Luke XIII. 23, to the End.

LUKE XIII. 23.

him, Lord, are there

LUKE XIII. 23.

THEN faid one unto AND as Jefus was proceeding in his Journey Sect. 118. towards Jerufalem, where he designed to be present at the Feast of the Dedication (a), being 23.

few

attended

(a) Where he defigned to be present at the Feast of the Dedication.] Mr. Whiston, and fome others, place the following Paffages in a different Order, and introduce them after this VOL. II. Feast:

S

Luke XIII.

138

Heaven should be fought with great and early Care. Sect. 118. attended by several of his Disciples, in a pretty few that be saved ? And he large Compass which he took by the Way, one of faid unto them,

23.

Luke XIII. them faid to him, Lord, are there [but] few that Shall be faved? Surely if thy Kingdom be so extensive, as these Parables intimate, (see ver. 19, 21.) the Number must be very confiderable.

But he said to them, Instead of amusing your-
selves with fuch curious Enquiries with relation
to others, attend to what more nearly concerns
you, and be folicitous to secure your own Safety:

24 And let me urge it upon you, that you exert your
utmost Strength to enter in at the strait Gate (b),
which I formerly mentioned as leading to Eternal
Life, (Mat. vii. 14. Vol. i. pag. 263.) and strain,
as it were, every Nerve, to break your Way thro
those Enemies, who are always ready to oppose
your Passage: For I seriously tell you, the Time
is coming, when many will importunately feek to
enter in (c), and shall not be able to do it.

25

And howsoever they may now despise and trifle with the Means of Grace, this will hereafter be the Cafe, even with the most stupid and negligent of Mankind, as foon as ever the great Lord and Master of the Family shall, as it were, have rifen up from his Seat, and with his own authoritative Hand shall have shut, and barred the Door (d); and you, among the rest, shall begin to Stand without, and to knock at the Door, faying with

24 Strive to enter in at

the strait Gate: for many, I fay unto you, will feek to enter in, and shall not be able.

25 When once the Master of the House is risen up, and hath shut to the Door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the Door,