They should contentedly eat what was fet before them. 39 rest upon it: if not, it shall in the House, your Prayer for Peace and Profpe- Sect. 97. turn to you again. 7 And in the fame House remain, eating and drinking fuch Things as they give; for the Labourer is worthy of his Hire. Go not from House to House. 8 And into whatsoever City ye enter, and they re ceive you, eat fuch Things 9 And heal the Sick that are therein, and say unto them, The Kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. as are before you : to But into whatsoever City ye enter, and they receive you not, go your Ways out into the Streets of the fame, and say, 11 Even the very Duft of your City, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you; notwithstanding, be ye fure rity shall be answered, and shall rest upon it; but Luke X. 6. And when you are entered into any Lodgings, 7 And I repeat it again, Into whatever Town or 8 But into whatsoever City you come, and they do 10 never (e) Wipe off the very Duft of your City, &c.] For the Import of this folemn Action, see Sect. 74. Note (o), pag. 460. from whence it will appear, that Dr. Edwards's fingular In terpre 40 The dreadful Case of those who would not receive them. sure of this, that the King dom of GOD is come nigh unto you. Sect. 97. nevertheless, know this affuredly, that the Kingdom 12 13 Now while our Lord was thus mentioning to 14 But tho Vengeance has long fince been executed 15 and Sidon, than for you. And thou, oh most 12 But I fay unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom, 13 Wo unto thee, Cho razin, Wo unto thee, Bethfaida; for if the mighty Works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, fitting in Sackcloth and Athes. 14 But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the Judgment, than for you. 15 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to Reflections on the Conduct that becomes Ministers. most Heaven, shalt be thrust down to Hell. terpretation, (Edw. on Script. Vol. ii. pag. 189, 193.) is not only foreign, but contrary to our Lord's Purpose. He strangely supposes it an Allufion to those Courts, where, as in what we call Pie-Powder (or Pieds poudres) Courts, Controverfies were immediately decided, as it were before People could wipe the Dust off their Shoes. (f) He repeated the pathetick Lamentation, &c.] Confidering the affectionate Temper of our Lord, it is no Wonder, that he should renew his Lamentations over those unhappy Places, where he had fo intimately conversed; and that he should do it in such Words as these, so well calculated to alarm, and impress, all that should hear, or read them. Oh that they might now have their due Weight with those, who might pass them over too flightly, when they occurred before, from Mat. xi. 20,-24. (See Sect. 59. pag. 357,-359-) Oh that every impenitent Creature who reads them, might know that the Sentence of his own Condemnation is now before his Eyes! 16 He that heareth you, heareth me: and he that despiseth you, despiseth me: and he that despiseth me, despiseth him that fent me. S 41 most irrecoverable Ruin, since thou hast heard Sect. 97. my Gospel only to despise it. And then turning to the Seventy Disciples, Luke X. 16. who still stood around him, he concluded his Instructions to them in these important Words, (to the fame Purpose as he before had faid to the Apostles, Mat. x. 40. pag. 471.) He that heareth you, in the Discharge of this your Embassy, heareth me, and on the other Hand, he that rejetteth you, in like Manner rejecteth me; and he that rejetteth me, rejecteth him that fent me, even the Father himself, whose Credentials I bear, and who will punish the Despisers of the Gospel, as impious Rebels, who prefume to contemn his Infinite Majesty, and provoke his Almighty Power. IMPROVEMENT. O unwilling was the Blessed Jefus, to give over his kind Attempts for Luke x. 1. Men's Salvation! He projected another Circuit thro' the Country, and sends forth other Messengers, more numerous than the former Company. He renews his Invitations to perishing Sinners, and his Lamentations over Ver. 13,-15. those, who had hitherto rejected the Counsel of GOD against themselves. (Luke vii. 30.) Thus let us love the Souls of Men; thus let us use repeated Endeavours to deliver them; Endeavours, which would probably be much more fuccessful than they are, if these wife and gracious Directions of Christ to his Ministers were more attentively observed, by those who are honoured with that important Office. Let all such caft their Care upon GOD; let them go forth chearfully, Ver. 3, 4. in a Dependance on his Protection and Favour; let them carry about with them Hearts full of Affection for the whole Human Race, seeking and praying for the Peace of all around them; chearfully contenting them- Ver. 5. felves with fuch Things as they have; (Heb. xiii. 5.) and neither pursuing Ver. 7, 8. the Grandeurs, nor the Delicacies of Life, with any eager Attachment. Send forth, Oh Lord, such Labourers into thine Harvest; and animate Ver. 2. them to a becoming Zeal in their Work, by a deep Sense of that dreadful Condemnation, which those will incur, who defpifing them, pour Contempt on their Divine Master, and his Heavenly Father, in whose Name he was Ver. 16. fent! May God preserve our Country from that Guilt and Ruin! The Kingdom of GOD is come nigh unto us, and we are lifted up to Heaven by Ver. 11. our Privileges: May we not, after all, be caft down to Hell for the Abuse Ver. 15. of them! but may Divine Grace make such a Way for the Gospel into our Hearts, that we may cordially receive all that faithfully proclaim it, and bid them welcome in the Name of the Lord! VOL. II. F SECT. : 42 John VII. VII. 1. 1. His Brethren urge him to go up to the Feast of Tabernacles. SECT. XCVIII. CHRIST discourses with his Brethren about his going up to the Feast of Tabernacles, and stays Some Time after them. John VII. 1,--13. JOHN VII. I. Sect. 98. AFTER these Things, that is, after he had miraculously fed the Five thousand, walked on the Sea to his Disciples, and discoursed with the Multitude concerning the Bread of Life (a), Jefus for fome Time walked, or travelled, as we before observed, in Galilee, and there instructed his Disciples; (see pag. 14.) for he would not then walk, or converse familiarly in Judea (b), because the Jews, and especially their Rulers, incenfed by the growiug Fame of his Miracles, and the Freedom of his Discourses, fought an Opportunity to flay him, either by private Assaffination, tumultuous Affault, or legal Process. 2 3 And a very noted Feast of the Jews was then near, which is [called] the Feast of Tabernacles; instituted in Commemoration of their dwelling in Tents in the Wilderness, and celebrated in Booths erected for that Purpose, with great Solemnity and Joy. (See Lev. xxiii. 34, & feq.) Therefore his Brethren, or near Kinsmen in Galilee, faid unto him, We would advise thee to remove from bence, and go into Judea, that thy Disciples also who are there, may, for the Confirmation of their Faith in thee, behold thy Miracles, and fee the mighty Works which thou performest here : JOHN VII. I. AFTER these Things Jesus walked in Galilee; for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews fought to kill him. 2 Now the Jews Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. 7 i 3 His Brethren therefore faid unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judea, that thy Difciples alfo may fee the Works that thou doest : (a) After these Things, &c.] Those that I have mentioned here, are the laft, which had been recorded by John. See a more particular Account of them, Sett. 78,-82. (b) He would not walk in Judea.] This may be an Intimation, either that he was not at Jerufalem the preceding Pafssover, or at least made no publick Appearance, or long Abode there. I am inclined to think, the former was the Cafe. Undoubtedly his Omission of a Journey thither, at some of the great Feasts, might be vindicated by his extraordinary Character, and those Intimations, he might have from his Heavenly Father, of being dispensed with, for Reasons not particularly known to us, who have no Concern with them. See Note (b), Sect. 83. Vol. i. pag. 516. (c) That i He at first refuses, as his Time was not yet come : 43 4 For there is no Man here: For this Retirement seems not at all Sect. 98. that doth any Thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly: If thou do these Things, thew thyself to the World. Brethren believe in him. 01 to fuit the great Pretensions thou art making to a 5 For neither did his Countries. This they said, not out of any 5 6 Then Jesus said unto come: but your Time alway ready. Then Jefus faid unto them, My Time, either 6 them, My Time is not yet to manifeft myself, or to go up to Jerufalem, is not yet come; but your Time is always ready, and such a Circumstance in your Cafe is comparatively of very little Importance. You 7 7 The World cannot hate have no Reason to fear any Injury, or Assault, as the (c) That is himself defirous to be publickly known and talked of.) This seems to be a very invidious and groundless Infinuation, as if he was acted by oftentatious Views; the contrary to which appeared so evidently in the whole of his Conduct, that nothing but base Envy could suggest such a Charge. (d) Neither did his Brethren believe in him, &c.] It is astonishing, that these near Relations of Chrift, who must have had so many Opportunities of seeing the Glories, both of his Character, and Miracles, (which last they here expressly acknowledge,) should continue in Unbelief. But they unhappily laid it down as a first Principle, that the Meffiah must be a Temporal Prince; and finding this Mark of his Mission wanting, and seeing (more strongly than others, not so intimately conversant with him, could do,) his Aversion to any fuch Scheme, they would yield to no other Proofs; and are, I fear, on the fatal Lift of those, who perished, as Thousands now do, by opposing Hypothesis to Faft. See Dr. Sykes on the Truth of Chriftianity, pag. 128. F2 (e) The |