84 They were much happier than the antient Kings and Prophets. Sect. 106. others of an inferior Character, and haft graciously Prudent, and haft revealed revealed them to the Weak, the Ignorant, and the Luke X. 21. Poor, who are but as Infants in the Eyes of the World, and in their own Apprehenfion : Be it So, ob Father! I chearfully acquiesce in it, fince fuch is thy fovereign, wife, and holy Pleasure, to humble Human Pride, and to display the Glory of thy Name. 22 23 Then likewise did Jesus repeat the Declaration of his own extensive Authority, and said, (as before, Vol. i. pag. 360.) All Things in the Kingdom of Providence and Grace are delivered to me by my Father; and no one perfectly knows who the Son is, except the Father; nor who the Father is, except the Son, and he to whom the Son will be pleased to reveal [him:] So that from me you must learn the Saving Knowledge of God, and the Way to fecure his Favour. And then turning to his Disciples, be faid [to 24 exceeding happy. For I fay unto you, and very Luke x. 23, 24 A ND them unto Babes: even fo, in thy Sight. Father, for so it seemed good 22 All Things are delivered to me of my Father: and no Man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but and he to whom the Son will reveal him 23 And he turned him unto his Disciples, and said privately, Bleffed are the Eyes which see the Things that ye fee. 24 For I tell you, that ma many Prophets and Kings have defired to see those Things which ye fee, and have not seen them; and to hear those Things which ye hear, and have not heard them. IMPROVEMENT. are not our Obligations in some measure proportionable to theirs, while these glorious Sights are reflected to our Eyes from the Mirror of his Word, and these glad Tidings are ecchoed back to our Ears! Ver. 21. Reflections on the Joy arising from a Title to Heaven. 85 Ears! Have not we also Reason to adore the peculiar Favour of GOD Sect. 106. to us, and to admire the Sovereignty of his Love, that he has been pleased to reveal his Son in us, and has given to such Babes, as we must own ourselves to be, that Spiritual Knowledge of him, which he has fuffered to remain hidden from the Great, the Learned, and the Wife ! Even so, Father, must we also say, for so it seemed good in thy Sight : Thou hast Mercy on whom thou wilt have Mercy, and often exaltest the Riches of thy Grace, by the Meanness and Unworthiness of those on whom it is bestowed. Have we Reason to hope, that our worthless Names are written in Ver. 20. Heaven? let us often think of that glorious Society, amongst whom we are enrolled as Members, and rejoice in the Thought of those Privileges, which result from such a Relation to it: Privileges, in Comparison of which, a Power to heal Diseases, and eject Dæmons with a Word, would hardly deserve our Joy. In a grateful Sense of them, let us adore the Grace which gave us a Place in the Lamb's Book of Life, and be ever folicitous to behave in a Manner worthy of so illustrious a Hope. We have great Encouragement to expect, that he, before whom Satan Ver. 18, 19 fell like Lightning from Heaven, will enable us finally to trample on his Power. Let us not servilely fear that condemned Criminal, already marked with the Scars of the Divine Vengeance; but let us chearfully hope, that the Triumph over him will be renewed by the Preaching of the Gospel. Quickened by that Hope, let us more earnestly pray, that the Ruin of his gloomy Kingdom may be daily more and more apparent, especially among us; that our gracious Redeemer, who reckons the Inte. Ver. 21. rest of Souls his own, may have renewed Reason of Joy and Praise on that Account. Exert, oh Blessed Jefus, thine own Almighty Arm, for that great Purpose; and as thou alone canst do it, reveal thine Heavenly Ver. 22. Father to thofe, who by neglecting thee, shew that they know not him ! SECT. CVII. CHRIST answers the Scribe, who asked what he should do to inherit Eternal Life; and illustrates his Answer by the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Luke X. 25,---37. LUKE X. 25. AND behold, LUKE X. 25. HILE our Lord was discoursing in this Sect. 107. WH Manner with his Seventy Disciples, an tempted Affembly of People gathered round them; and Luke X. 25. behold, among the rest, a certain Man who was a Lawyer, or one of those Scribes, who made it 86 A Lawyer afks, what he must do to inherit Eternal Life. Sect. 107. their Profeffion to study and teach the Law of Moses, and to resolve many curious Questions reLuke X. 25. lating to it, rofe up with a Design to try him (a), and, to judge of the Skill of Jesus in Divine Matters, faid, Oh thou great Master and Teacher in Ifrael, what must I do that I may inherit that Eternal Life, which thou so frequently proposest as the main Object of our Pursuits, and which is indeed most worthy of them? 26 27 And Jesus, as he knew with what Design he had proposed the Question, wisely returned it on himself, and faid to him, What is written in the Law, which thy Profession must engage thee to have made thy Study? how dost thou find the Cafe to be determined there? and what is it, that thou so frequently dost read there (b) ? And he replying, faid, It is there written as the Sum of all the Commandments, (Deut. vi. 5. Lev. xix. 18.) "Thou shalt love the Lord thy GOD “ with all thine Heart, and with all thy Soul, and " with all thy Strength, and with all thine Under" standing; thou shalt unite all the Faculties of thy Soul to render him the most intelligent and "fincere, the most affectionate and resolute Ser"vice (c); and thou shalt also love thy Neigh" bour tempted him, faying, Master, what shall I do to inherit Eternal Life? 26 He faid unto him, What is written in the Law? how readest thou? 27 And he answering, faid, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart, and with all thy Soul, and with all thy Strength, and with all thy Mind; and thy Neighbour as thyself. (a) With a Design to try him.] Dr. Barrow concludes, it was with an Intent to infnare him; the Question being fo determined by the Jewish Doctors, that for a different Answer he might have been accused of Heresy. (See Barrow, Vol. i. pag. 221.) But I see no certain Proof of fo bad an Intention. (b) How dost thou so frequently read there?] Vitringa with great Pertinency observes, that what the Scribe replies, Thou shalt love the Lord thy GOD, &c. was daily read in their Synagogues, which made the Answer more apparently proper. (Vitring. Synag. pag. 1060.) And that this Passage of Scripture is still read by the whole Assembly, both in their Morning and Evening Prayers, and is called, from the first Word of it, the Shemah, may be seen in Pedabzur's Ceremonies of the Modern Jews, pag. 49. and 115. only it is observable, they leave out that Clause, Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thyself. See Wotton's Misc. Vol. i. pag. 171,-194. (c) Thou shalt unite all the Faculties of thy Soul, &c.] I apprehend, with Archbishop Tillotson, we may acquiesce in this general Sense of the Passage, without being folicitous to seek a particular distinct Idea to each of the Words used here. Otherwise I should think καρδια, the Heart, a general Expression, illustrated by the three following Words; even with all thy Soul, (ψυχης,) that is, with the warmest Affection; and with all thy Strength, (ιχνος,) that is, with the most vigorous Resolution of the Will; and with all thine Undertanding, (διανοιας,) that is, taking care to form rational Ideas of him, as a Guide to the Affections, and Resolutions. Accordingly we may observe, that in a parallel Place, (Mark xii. 33.) the Word συνεσις is used instead of διανοια. And this very Word is justly translated Understanding, Eph. i. 18. iv. 18. and 1 John v. 20. (d) Paffing If he loved GOD and his Neighbour, he should live. 87 " bour as fincerely and impartially, as thou lovest Sect. 107. thyself." Jesus readily approved his Answer, but was Luke X. 28. But he, willing to justify himself as to the In- 29 And Jesus replying, fpake the following Parable, 30 many (d) Paffing thro' those wild Defarts and dangerous Roads.] This Circumstance is well chofen; for so many Robberies and Murders were committed on this Road, which lay thro a Kind of Wilderness, that ferom tells us, it was called הדמים, the Bloody Way. Jericho is faid to have been feated in a Valley, and thence is the Phrase of going down to it. 1 (e) Wounded him in a cruel and dangerous Manner.] This is strongly implied in the Expreision, πληγας επιθενίες, having laid on Wounds. : (f) Where .. 1 88 CHRIST delivers the Parable of the good Samaritan; Sect. 107. many of that Profeffion were settled (f); and faw him, he paffed by on the tho' by Virtue of his Sacred Office he ought to Luke X. 31. have been a peculiar Example of Humanity to the Afflicted, yet feeing him lie at some little Distance, and being willing to avoid the Trouble or Expence, which a more particular Enquiry might have occafioned, be croffed [the Road,] and went on, proceeding in his Journey without any farther 32 Notice. And in like Manner too a Levite distressed Creature might have lain and perished, other Side. 32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the Place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other Side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had Compassion on him, 34 And went to him, and 34 And going to him, he bound up his Wounds in the in ing (f) Where so many of that Profeffion were settled.] See Lightfoot's Hor. Hebr. in loc. where he produces a Paffage from a confiderable Jewish Writer, to prove, that Twelve thoufand Priests and Levites dwelt at Jericho; which if it had any Shadow and Degree of Truth, vindicates the Paraphrafe, and shews how naturally the Priest and Levite were here introduced, without any Reflection on their Office. (g) Came and looked on this misferable Object.) This is the Import of ελθων και ιδων, as Raphelius has shewn, in his Notes from Xenophon, pag. 91. (b) A certain Samaritan.] It is admirably well judged, to represent the Distress on the Side of the Jew, and the Mercy on that of the Samaritan; for Self-Interest would make them fee, how amiable such a Conduct was, and lay them open to our Lord's Inference, ver. 37. Had it been put the other Way, Prejudices might more easily have interposed, before the Heart could have been struck with these tender Circumstances. (i) Notwithstanding the Hatred of these two Nations to each other.) See Note (g) on John iv. 9. Vol. i. pag. 172. Some Writers tell us, this Hatred rose so high, that if a Jew and a Samaritan met in a narrow Way, they were exceedingly solicitous that they might pass without touching each other, for fear of Pollution on each Side. If this was Fact, it is a beautiful Illustration of the Humanity of this good Samaritan, who would not only touch this Jew, but took so much Pains to dress his Wounds, and to fet him on his own Beast, supporting him in his Arms as he rode, as well as making such generous Provision for him at the Inn. (k) Bound up his Wounds, &c.] As the Jew was stripped by the Robbers, ver. 30. we may probably suppose, the Samaritan used some of his own Garments for this Purpose; which was a farther Instance of wonderful Goodness, perhaps tearing them to make a more convenient Bandage. Of the Use the Antients made of Wine and Oil in dreffing fresh Wounds, see Bos, Exerc. pag. 24. and Wolfius on this Text. (1) Two |