11 And he faid unto them, What man ſhall there be amongft you, that ſhall have one ſheep
Im,
not lay hold on it, and lift zz out?
12 How much then is a man better than a ſheep? Wheretore it is lawful to do well on the ſabbath. days.
Mark faith, chap. 3. 3, 4, $5» And he ſaid unto the man that h,4 the withered hand, Stand forth. And he ſaith unto them, Is it law- ful to da good on the Sabbath-days, or to do evil ;, to ſave life, yr t5 kill * But they held their peace. Luke reports it thus, chap, 5,8, But he knew their thoughts, and ſaid to the man which had the wi. thered hand, Riſe up, and jtand forth in the mid$st; and he aroſe, cn 89d forth. Then ſaid Feſus unto them, IT will ask you one thing, 1, it lawful on the Sabbath-days t2 do good, or to do evil ;, to ſave lije, to deſtroy it ? . Chriſt knew their Thoughts: He necded nc: that any Map . ſhould tell him what was in the Heart of Men , he knew their Deſign in coming, and propounding this Queſtion, He calls this Man with the withered Hand to fiand torth, char alt Men might ſee, and take notice of hjm.Then he argueth the Ca with the Phariſees, telling chem, that they themtelves wou!d grant, that it a Man had a Sheep tallen into a Pit on the Sabbath. day, chey might labour ſo far as ro take it our, (10 it feemerh thar in Chriſt's time they did expound the Law.) They alfo knew tha the Lite, or Good of a Man, was to be preterred betore the Lf: of a Beat ; 1n their reproving him theretore they condemned themſelves in a thing which they allowed. Then he propounds a Queſtion to them , which Matthew hath nor ; bur ic is men- rroned both by Mark and Lube. He asketh them, Whether it wa Iiwful on the Sabbatheday to do Good ,, or to do Evil © To ſave Life, or to deſtroy it 2 The Argument is this : Whatſoever is £ood to fave the Life of Man, may be done on the Sabbath-day ; bur this 15 4 good Ation. If I ſhould nor lend him my Help, when it in my Power, I ſhould, in the Senſe of God's Lav, kill him.
13 Then faith he to the man, Stretch torth thine hand : and he ſtretched zr forth, and zz was reſtored
whole, like as the other.
Mark ſaith, They held their peace ; they made him no Anfier to his Queſtion ; upon which , Ae looking round about him wi: Anger, being grieved for the hardneſs of their Hearts, he ſpake un the Man, — Stretch forth thine Hand. Luke faith , Looking atcut them all, he ſaid , &c. Our Saviour looked about him, to fee # any of cthem'would adventure to anſwer him , bur he faw their Mouths were ſhut. He was angry, that theſe grear Doors of the Law ſhould underſtand the Law of God no better, and ſhould yr be to hardy as to take upon them to inſtru him. Ae wa 3/5 grieved ( faith Mark_) at the Hardneſs of their Hearts : That which we call Hardneſs, 1s a quality m a thing which refifterh the Truth, a non-imprefliveneſs, when a thing will receive ns impreſſion from things apt to make impreſſions. The Hardnet: of the Phariſees Hearts lay in this, That whereas Chriſt's Words and Works might reaſonably, and ought to have made an impreſſion upon them of Faith, chat they ſhould have owned and received him as the Meſtah , yer they had no ſuch Effe&, nor made any ſuch Impreſſions upon them. He faid tothe Man, | Stretch firth thine Hand,and he ſtretched it forth, &c. | Chriſt fomerimes uſed the Ceremony of Taying on his Hand ; here he doth nor, to ler us know, that that was but a Sign of what was done by his Poe”, What little things malicious Men will Carp at ? What was here of ſervile Labour on the Sabbath-day * They did far more them- ſelves, as often as they lifred a Beaſt our of a Pit. Our Savi9ur compounds, or prepareth no Medicaments ; he only ſpeaks :lt Word, and he 1s Healed, But Matthew tells that,
lame Man was miraculouſly healed. They certainly were Mad to ſee themſelves confured, who would nor acknowledge him to &x che Meſſiah, or to hear themſelves Non-plu$, or to find themic]vc5 Contradifed, (a thing proud Men cannor bear.) They take Coun cel with the Herodians, ( of whom we ſhall have occaſion to 14)
Phariſees, to have been ſteady Enemies one to anorher ; br Herod and Pilate can agree when Chriſt is to be Crucifed.
15 But when Jeſus knew zz, * he withdrew hin: * ſelt from thence : and preat multitudes followed him, and he healed them all,
16 And * charged them, that they ſhould oo! make him known.
Hcre 1s nothing in theſe two Verſes, but whar we have betore met with : The Mulritudes have followed Chriſt in all his
tions, from his firſt beginning to Preach, avd co Werk his m:racu-
s Jous
Chap. X]
hand withered ; and they asked him, ſaying , * 1; _ it lawful to heal on the ſabbath-days ? that they br
and * it it fall into a pit on the ſabbath-day, will be *;.s.
14 Then * the Phariſees went out, and || held 2 */ councel againft him, how they might deſtroy him. Luke faith, They were filled with madneſs, and communed one with 7. another, what they might do to Jeſus. Mark ſaith, They ſtraight took councel with the Herodians again him, how they might defi”) © (,. him. Whart cauſe of their Madneſs was here offered? A pot ....
more when we come to Chap. 22.) All agree them, and ite |
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19
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