34 Reflections on an unforgiving and revengeful Spirit. Ver. 26. Sect. 95. fore might he caft us into the Prison of Hell, till we paid the uttermoft Farthing. And were we to fall at his Feet, with a Promise of paying him all on his patient Forbearance, it must be the Language of gross Ignorance, or of presumptuous Folly; when addressed to a Being, who knows our Poverty, and knows that, in Consequence of it, we are utterly incapable of making him any Amends. But he magnifies his Grace in the kind Offers of a free Forgiveness: And shall we who receive it, and hold our Lives, and all our Hope by it, take our Brethren by the Throat, because they owe us a few Pence? or shall we carry along with us deep continued Resentment, glowing like a hidden Fire in our Bosoms? GOD forbid! For furely if we do so, out of our own Mouth fhall we be condemned, while we acknowledge the Justice of the Sentence here passed against this cruel Servant. Ver. 27. Ver. 28. Ver. 34. Ver. 35.. Chrift himself has made the Application : So shall my Heavenly Father deal with you, if you do not forgive your Brethren: And he has instructed us elfewhere, to ask Forgiveness only as we grant it. (Mat. vi. 14, 15.) Let us then from this Moment discharge our Hearts of every Sentiment of Rancour and Revenge, nor ever allow a Word, or even a Wish, that savours of it. And as ever we hope our Addresses to the Throne of Divine Mercy should meet with a favourable Audience, let us lift up holy Hands, without Wrath, as well as without Doubting. (1 Tim. ii. 8.) Sect. 96. Mark IX. 38. SECT. XCVI. CHRIST reproves John, for prohibiting one, who cast out Dæmons in his Name, because he was not of their Gompany. Mark IX. 38,---41. Luke IX. 49, 50. I MARK IX. 38. N the Midst of the preceding Difcourse, relating to Humility, and Self-Denial, the Apostle John, (whether defirous of diverting him from a Subject, which he could not hear pursued without fome Confciousness of having deferved Blame, or thinking it might receive some farther Illustration by his Remarks upon the Case that he should mention,) interrupted our Lord (a), and anfwered MARK IX. 38. AND John answered him, faying, Master, we faw one (a) Interrupted our Lord.] I have inserted this Story apart here, that the Thread of the preceding Discourse might not be broken; that the 93d Section might not be lengthened beyond due Bounds; and that I might have Room to illustrate and improve this Paffage, which, tho' short, has both its Difficulty, and its Use. (b) Casting A Stranger afting in the Name of CHRIST, is not to be forbid. one cafting out Devils in thy Name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, [be cause he followeth not with US.] [LUKE IX. 49.] 39 But Jefus faid [unto him,] Forbid him not: for there is no Man which shall do a Miracle in my Name, that can lightly speak Evil of me. [LUKE IX. 50.-] 40 For he that is not against us, is on our Part. [LUKE IX. -50.] 41 For whosoever shall give you a Cup of Water to drink, 35 answered him, when he had just been urging a Sect. 96. Readiness to receive one of the least of his Ser Mark IX. vants in his Name, (Mark ix. 37. pag. 20.) by 38. But Jefus faid unto him, Do not forbid him at 39 (b) Cafting out Demons in thy Name.] Probably this was a Cafe, something resembling that of the Sons of Sceva: (Acts xix. 13,-16.) And GoD might fee Reason now, to grant that Efficacy to their Adjurations, which he afterwards denied, when the Evidences of the Gofpel were proposed so much more distinctly and fully, after the Defcent of the Spirit.Dr. Clarke supposes, that he was one of John the Baptist's Disciples. (c) Whosoever is not against us, is for us.] Our Lord had formerly faid, (Mat. xii. 30.) He that is not with me, is against me; thereby giving his Hearers a just and necessary Admonition, that on the whole, the War between him and Satan admitted of no Neutrality, and that those who were indifferent to him, would finally be treated as his Enemies. (See Sect. 61. Vol. i. pag. 375.) But here, in another View, he very consistently uses a different and feemingly opposite Proverb, the Counterpart of the former, directing his Followers to judge of Men's Characters in the most candid Manner, and charitably to hope, that they who did not oppose his Cause, wished well to it; a Conduct peculiarly reasonable, when his Caufe lay under so many Discouragements. Probably many who now concealed their Regard to him, were afterwards animated couragiously to profess it, tho' at the greatest Hazard. I cannot, with Mr. Baxter, think an express Declaration in his Favour, to have been more necessary in the former Cafe, than now; but it is most obvious, that Christ requires us, to be more rigorous in judging ourselves, than he allows us to be in judging each other. E2 ! 36 Mark IX. 41. Reflections on an envious and cenforious Temper. as Sect. 96. Token of Esteem and Affection to me, be it ever Markix. 38. Ver. 39, 40. I drink, in my Name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, He shall not lofe his Reward. IMPROVEMENT. T is sad, that the Spirit which remains in so many Christians, and in this Instance appeared even in the beloved Saint John, should (as the Apostle James expresses it,) luft unto Envy: (Jam. iv. 5.) How ill does that Spirit become a Disciple, and much more a Minister, of the benevolent Jefus! The Apostle Paul had learnt, and taught a better Temper,, when he rejoiced that Christ was preached, even by those who were his personal Enemies. (Phil. i. 18.) To seek our own Glory, is not Glory ; (Prov. xxv. 27.) and to confine Religion to them that follow us, is a Narrowness of Spirit which we should avoid and abhor. Chrift here gives us a lovely Example of Candor and Moderation: He was willing to put the best Construction on dubious Cafes, and to treat those as Friends, who were not avowed and declared Enemies. Perhaps in this Instance, it might be a Means of overcoming a Remainder of Prejudice, and perfecting what was wanting in the Faith and Obedience of the Persons in Question; at least it suited the present State of Things, in which Men are to be judged of by their Professions and Actions, as their Hearts cannot immediately and certainly be known. But let us judge ourselves with greater Severity, remembering there is an approaching Day, in which the Secrets of all Hearts will be made manifest; in which those, who have indeed been Neuters in the War between Chrift and Satan, will be treated as Enemies; and those other Words will be fulfilled, He that is not with me, is against me; and be that gathereth not with me, Scattereth abroad. (Mat. xii. 30. and Luke xi. 23.) Ver. 41. In that Day, may the Sincerity of our Hearts be discovered; and then we may rejoice in this repeated Assurance, that the least of our Services shall be kindly remembered, and abundantly rewarded according to the Riches of Divine Bounty and Grace. SECT. Our LORD Sends out the Seventy Disciples with large Inftructions, like those he had before given to the Twelve Apostles. Luke X. 1,---16. LUKE X. I. AFTER these Things, the Lord appointed other Seventy also, and sent them Two and Two before his Face, into every City and Place, whither he himself would come.. 2 Therefore said he unto them, The Harvest truly is great, LUKE X. 1. 1 37 AFTER these Things the Lord Jesus, intending Sect. 97. the Luke X. was over (a), to make one And he gave them many important Instructions, 2 37» (a) When the approaching Feast of Tabernacles was over.] It seems to me much more. reasonable to suppose, that Chrift fent out the Seventy before the Feast of Tabernacles, than after it; confidering how little Time he had, between that, and the Feast of Dedication, in which Interval he dispatched his last Circuit in Galilee. To take from those three Months,. all the Period to be allowed for their Journey and Return, seems inconvenient. But it is aftonishing, that Mr. Le Clerc, and some others, should suppose, that these Instructions were given to them in Christ's Journey to the above-mentioned Feast: For, not to mention the Impoffibility, of holding a Difcourse with fucha Number of People on the Road, about an Affair of fuch Importance; it is expressly faid, John vii. 10. that he went up to the Feast of Tabernacles privately, which is utterly inconfiftent with his being attended with such a Train as Seventy, or (according to that Author,) Eighty-two Persons.; for Le Clerc sup-poses, the Twelve were also with him. - I shall elsewhere give my Reasons, why I fuppose the Story of the Samaritans refusing bim Entertainment, (tho' recorded Luke ix. 51, -56.) to have happened later than this. At present I would only observe, that the. Expreffion, after these Things, in the Beginning of this Chapter, may either refer to the. Stories immediately preceding, in the Close of the former, from ver. 57, to the End, or to the general Series of Events recorded above, tho' (as I think the Evangelist himself strongly intimates,) one little History be transposed. See Sect. 127. Note (d). (b) He said therefore to them.] Luke is the only Evangelist, who has given us this Account: of Chrift's fending out the Seventy; and it is the less to be wondered at, that he should do it: fo particularly, if the antient Tradition be true, which Origen and Epiphanius have mentioned, that he was himself one of the Number. See Dr. Whitby's Preface to Luke, where he I.. 38 Luke X. 2. And fends them out with large Instructions. Sect. 97. 37, 38. Vol. i. pag. 453.) The Harvest is indeed great, and many Souls are to be gathered in, but the faithful Labourers are as yet very few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the Harvest, that he would, by his immediate Access to the Spirits of Men, urge more Labourers to come forth to the Work of his Harvest, tho' it may prove so fatiguing and hazardous, that they are naturally averse to it (c). 3 And as for you, go your Ways with all the Refolution and Zeal you can employ in your Ministry, as indeed you will need it all; for behold, I fend you forth as so many defenceless Lambs, in 4 the Midst of ravenous and cruel Wolves. 5 Yet as you go under the fingular Care of Divine Provi- And in all the Stages of your Journey, carry in great, but the Labourers are few: Pray ye therefore the Lord of the Harvest, that he would fend forth Labourers into his Harvest. 3 Go your Ways: behold, I fend you forth Lambs among Wolves. as he has shewn this to be highly probable, and no Way inconsistent with what Luke has faid at the Beginning of his Gospel. (c) That he would urge more Labourers, &c.] As both Luke here, and Matthew in a parallel Paffage, (Mat. ix. 38. pag. 453.) use the Word εκβαλλη, which literally fignifies to thrust out, I was willing to exprefs the Force of it, in the Version, as well as the Paraphrafe. - So many of the Expressions used in this Discourse, are to be found in that to the Twelve, Sect. 74, 75. that it is generally sufficient to refer to the Paraphrafe and Notes there, for the Explication of them here. (d) Nor stay to falute any Man, as you pass by him on the Way.] Our Lord did not intend by this, to forbid his Disciples in general, nor even any of his Ministers, a decent Ufe of the customary Tokens of civil Respect to others, any more than he forbids the Ufe of Shoes and Purses: Only while they were employed on this particular Message, he required the Forbearance of them, that every one who faw them pass by, might perceive that their Minds were full of the most important Business, and that they were earnestly intent on the immediate Dispatch of it. (Compare 2 Kings iv. 29.) This was the more necessary, as they were so much straitened for Time. See Note (a). (e) Wipe |