bable, is, that no more is meant than a Liberal Reward : For luch ſhall be the Reward of choſe who curn many to Ajghteouſneſs, Dan. 12. 3. Thoſe words | In the Name of a Prophet | are both excluſive of thoſe from che Benefit of this Promiſe, wi recerve and entertain the Miniſters of the Grſp2! upon any orher account than this, Thar they are the Lord's Prophets; and allo encoura- ging to thoſe who may diſcern they have been miſtaken in their ARts of Charity of this Nature ; it they have been fincere 1n their Deſzzns and Adions, they ſhall nct loſe their Reward, tho” the pretended Prophet, fo entercained, prove but an DImpoftor. | And whſnever ſhall give to one of theſe little ones a Cup of cold Water only, in the Name of a Diſciple, he ſhall not loſe his Reward, | Chriſt will not only reward thoſe who ſhew love co his Prophets, bur thoſe who ſhew kindneſs to his Members, whom the World counts Concemprible, and calleth /irtle mes + Ner fhall thoſe only be rewarded , who give them great Entertainments, and make them
Ccc great
Chap. XI.
Lu, 14.27
Lu, 17. 22+
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orear Preſents; but (if it be proportionable to what they are able todo) cho” it be a kindnefs of the moſt minute Confiderarion,bur a Cup of cold Water, they ſhall be rewarded. God rewards the Love we ſhew to him, and rhe good Affions that flow from 1t. Here are three Pertons mentioned ; for whoſe Entertainment and Rec2dtim , God hath provided in this Promiſe , A Prophet ;, 4 Rico Han; a Litile One » And a threefold Reward pro- mittd ; The Reware of. a Prophet; The Reward of a Righteous Man, and by Reward. How to diſtinguiſh che Righteous Man, and the Little One, 1 cannot tell; unleſs we underſtand by the Righteous An, one more perfet, more eminent in Holineſs; and by the Little One, one thar is ſincere, tho? we cannot judge him ſo grown in Grace, and the Knowledge of Chriſt. I ſhould underſtand no more by the threefold Rewards , than God's more particular Value for his Miniſters, and for ſuch as are more perfett in Holineſs, While, in the mean time, he will not break the bruiſed Keed, nor quench the ſimaking Flax; and that every one ſhall be rewarded according to his Works ; which ſhall not be meaſured
by rhe quantiry of the Gitt, bur by the Obedience, and Afettion, |
and Ability of the Giver Zuk. 21. 2, 3. Heb. 6. IC»
CHAP.
Zbn in Priſon ſendeth two Diſciples to Chris « HK Anſwer to them,
" proving himſelf the Meſſi.th, 1—6. His glorious Teſtimony of Fohn, 7—15. #: uphraideth the Jews of Unbelief : ToreatnetÞ Chira- zin, Bethſcaid.: aud Capernaum with intolerable Fudgments for their Unfruitf:Ineſt, 16—24. Praiſeth his Father, that it was his gvd pleaſure t» reveal hidden things to Babes, 25—27- He in- witeth wearied and heavy-laden Sinners to him, for eaſe and refreſh- ment, 28—30.
J A N D it came to paſs, when Jeſus had made an end of commanding histwelve diſciples,he
departed thence to teachand to preach in ther cities.
We never find our Saviour idle , bur continually going up and down doing good ; and we find him moſt intent upon Preaching and Teaching ; which doubtleſs is the great Work of the Miniſters of the Goſpel - Of whar Quality ſoever they be, rhey can prerend to no higher chan Chriſt's : Nor did our Sa- viour think ir enough to ſend others in his ſtead, as his Curates, he went himſelf, Lube norerh, chap. 10. 1. that he ſent the Seventy, po by two into every City, whither himſelf was to follow; ſo, as
it ſeems , hedid nor judge ir enough thar one Proclamarion of
the Goſpel ſhould be made to them. For thoſe that think chere is a Dittin&tion to be made berwixt Preaching and Teaching , xn- py arecy and Jsouey, they may learn from this Text, that they are both the Works of Chriſt's Miniſters, if chey be bound to rake Example trom their Maſter, and nor think rhe Servant 1s above his Lord. Tkoſe thac undervalue Preaching, as the leaſt part of the Miniſterial Work, do both forger this Text, and what Paul ſaid, Thar Chriſt ſent him not to Baptize, but to Preach the Goſpel ; rhar is, not ſo much to Baptize, as to Preach. If an think that People are now fo inſtrutted , thar there 1s no uch need of Preaching, they ſhould do well to queſtion their People a little, and rhey may diſcover their own great Miſtakes. Beſides , that Expzricnce reacheth us, that choſe who are beſt inſtrufted, are moſt defirous of that which deſerverh the Name of Preaching : Which lets us know, that there is yer ſomething further to be known ; or thar we had need have our Remembrance ſtirred up, cr at leaft our Afffettions quickned.
2 Now when John had heard in the priſon the
works of Chrift, he ſent two of his diſciples, 2 And faid unto him , Art thou he that ſhould
come? or do we look for another ?
The inſtance -of this Text alone, is enough ro convince the obſerving Reader of Holy Writ, that the Evangelifts do not fer dovn all things in that Order as they were done. We have heard nothing before of Fohn's being caſt into Priſon in this G1jp:1; nor do we hear any thing here of rhe Story of it, till Matth. 14.6. when our Evangeliſt occaftonally relaterh it ſome- thiaz largely. He here tells us of ſomething done during his Impriſonment, viz. his ſending two of his Diſciples to Chri$, to be {arisfied, whether he was the promiſed Meſſias, or they muſt look for another. Zuke reports the ſame thing, chap. 7. ver. 19, Could he that was ſent bekore Chriſt to prepare his way, and that had Bartized him, and ſeen the Spirit deſcending on him, and heard the Voice from Keaven, ſaying , This is my beloved Son, in whom 7 am wel pleaſed , and who had ſhewed Chriſt to his Diſciples,
Foh. 1.29, 30, ZI. Cc. doubt whether he was the Meſſtah 2 Un- }