Let us pray that this awful sin may never be ours. Whatever we are ourselves in religion, let us dread dis- couraging others, if they have the least serious concern about their souls. Let us never check any of those around us in their religion, and specially in the matter of reading the Bible, hearing the Gospel, and private prayer. Let us rather cheer them, encourage them, help them, and thank God if they are better than our- selves. "Deliver me from blood-guiltiness," was a prayer of David's. (Psalm li. 14.) It may be feared that the blood of relatives wiU be heavy on the heads of some at the last day. They saw them about to " enter " the kingdom of God, and they " hindered " them.
Notes. Luke XI. 46 — 54.
45. — [One of the lawyers.] The lawyers, be it remembered, were a class of men among the Jews who devoted themselves to the study of the law of God. We generally find them in league with the Scribes and Pharisees in the Gospel history.
46. — IWoe unto you also, ye la/wyers,] These words are a striking instance of our Lord's boldness in rebuking sinners. He is appealed to in an angry tone, and He tells those who appeal to Him their sins and wickedness to their face.
[Ye lade men with burdens.] These burdens mean the many vexatious and trifling rules laid down by the Jewish expounders of the law, as requiring men's attention, if they would be saved. Chemnitius remarks the close resemblance between these Jewish teax^hers and the Eoman Catholic priests, who hedged up the way to heaven with a long list of things to be observed, — yen- ances, pilgrimages, fastings, flagellations, contritions, attritions, confessions, and the like.
47. — [Ye build the sepulchres of the prophets.] Let it be remembered that in every age of the Chmch, true Christians have been more admired and praised when they were dead than when they were alive. Chemnitius observes that the conduct of these lawyers related in this verse is that of the Boman Catholic Church. No people can be more zealous than the Romish priests in honouring the tombs and relics of saints and martyrs, and building costly churches in honour of them. And yet the
56 EXFosrroBY thoughts.
doctrines of these saints are not believed, and their lives are not imitated !
48. — [Ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers.] The meaning of these words can only be that the lives of the Jewish teachers w6re clear evidence that they agreed with those who murdered the prophets more than with the prophets. A man's life is the best proof of a man's opinions. It is absurd and hypocritical to pretend admiration of dead saints, if we do not at the same time endeavour to walk in their steps. Poole remarks, " It is gross hypocrisy for men to magnify the servants of God in former ages, and in the mean time to malign and persecute the servants of the same God in a present age, owning the same truth, and living by the same rule."
49. — [Said the wisdom of Ood.] It is a disputed question what these words mean. Alford thinks that they simply refer to the description of the death of Zechariah, in the book of Chronicles, (2 Chron. xxiv. 18 — 22.) and that our Lord gives a paraphrase and summary of the lessons contained in that passage. The more common opinion is that our Lord speaks of Himself under the name of *' Wisdom," and that comparing the passage with Matt xxiii. 34, it means, " I, the eternal wisdom of God, have said."
60. — [Of this generation.'] Both here and in the following verse, it seems probable that the word generation means nation or people, as in Matt. xxiv. 34. It is a certain fact that the greater part of the men who were alive when our Lord said these things, must have been dead forty years after, when the great inquisition for blood took place, at the destruction of Jerusalem.
61. — [Zacharias.] There can be little doubt that this Zacharias was the son of Jehoiada, who was murdered in the days of Joash. (2 Chron. xxiv. 20.) Lightfoot gives some remarkable quotations ffom Rabbinical writers, proving how very great a crime this murder was regarded by the Jews themselves.
[The temple.] Let it be noted, that the Greek word so trans- lated, is commonly rendered, " The house."
[It shall he required.] This is one of those fearful passages of Scripture which teach us that sins are not forgotten by God because not punished at the time of commission. There are evidently many sins recorded in the book of God's remembrance which will all be brought to light and reckoned for one day.
52. — [Ye have taken away the hey of knowledge.] It is a doubtful question whether these words should not have been rendered " Ye have borne, or taken up, and carried the key of knowledge." Let the expression be compared with John L 29, and the marginal reading in that place ; and with such phrases as that translated, " Take up his cross," in Luke xi. 28. The meaning would then be, " Ye have been by profession the instructors of the Jews in
JjVKE, chap. XII. VBB. 1 — ^7.
57
?>iritual knowledge. Ye have, so to speak, carried tbe keys, et ye made no use of them yourselves, and allowed nobody else to use them.** According to Watson, the Jewish teachers of the law had a key formally given to them, when they were ordained or set apart for the office of teaching.
Baxter remarks on this verse, " This is just the description of a wicked clergy.*' — It certainly describes the Church of Kome.
53. — [TV) provoke Mm to speak of many things.'] The Greek verb in this expression is remarkable, and is only foimd here in the New Testament. Parkburst says that it means " To draw or force words from the mouth of another, to question magisterially, as a master does his scholars.*' Hammond says on this text, " They did ask questions to hear what Christ would say, as an angry schoolmaster that seeks occasion against a scholar." Hesychius says it is "to require another to recite from memory." The meaning is obvious. Our Lord's enemies knew that ** In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin," and they hoped to find occasion against Him.
64. — [To catchJ] The original idea of the Greek word so translated is "to hunt," or to lay hold of and catch in hunting.
We should remember the words of St. James, "He that offendeth not in word, the same is a perfect man." The perfect meekness of our Lord is strikingly shewn in His never losing His temper under abounding provocations, and His perfect wisdom in never saying a word on which His deadliest enemies could justly lay hold.
LUKE Xn. 1—7.
1 In the mean time, when there were gstiiered together an innmner- ■ble multitude of people, insomuch tbat they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all. Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, wnich is hypocrisy.
2 For mere is nothing covered, that ■hall not be revealed ; neither hid, tiiat shall not be known.
3 Therefore whatsoever ye have ■M>ken in darkness diall be heard in tae lic^t; and that which ye have gpcken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.
4 And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.
6 But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear : Fear him, which after ne hath killed hath power to cast into hell ; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.
6 Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is for- gotten before God ?
7 But even the very hairs <^ your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore : ye are of more value than many sparrows.
The words whicli begin this chapter axe very striking when we consider its contents. We are told that ''an
58 BrPOSITORY THOUGHTS.
innnmerable multitude of people were gathered together, insomuch that they trode one upon another." And what does our Lord do P In the hearing of this multitude He delivers warnings against false teachers, and denounces the sins of the times in which he lived unsparingly, un- jSinchingly, and without partiality. This was true charity. This was doing the work of a physician. This was the pattern which all His ministers were intended to follow. Well would it have been for the church and the world if the ministers of Christ had always spoken out as plainly and faithfully as their Master used to do ! Their own lives might have been made more uncomfortable by such a course of action. But they would have saved far more souls.
The first thing that demands our attention in these verses is Chrisfa warning against hypocrisy. He says to "His disciples, "Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy."