ſaw it, they marvelled, ſaying, How ſoon is the Fig-Tree witherea
T H E W.
The wonderful rhings here mentioned, are his Healing the z;; and Lame, of which we read ver, 14. The Cry of the Child int doubtleſs more £..ptcafed them, ir was of the fame nature = char of the Mulcicude in the Way, and in the Streets wh Lord came inro Jeruſalem , they owned Chriſt as the M "4 and gave him Praiſe, and wiſhed all manner of Felicity ow The Phariſees ſhewing a Diſpleaſure ar the Acclamation Ge reterreth chem ro what was written, Pſal. 8. 2, There it js 9 haſt founded, or ordained Strength, that is, a ſolid and firm Pr ny A PrediQion that from the Teſtimony of ſuch weak Perſons tt | glorious Power of Chriſt ſhould be proclaimed., and irom l mean and deſpicable beginnings, great and glorious things ſhoulg come to pals.
17 And he left them, and went out of the into Bethany, and he lodged there.
18 Now in the morning as he returned int, the city, he hungred.
19 And when he ſaw Fa fig-tree in the w came to it, and found nothing thereon , bur only, and faid unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee hence forward for ever. And preſently the fis treg withered away.
20 And when the diſciples ſaw 77,they marvelleg faying, How ſoon is the fig-tree withered away > *
21 Jeſus anſwered and faid unto them, Verily | ſay unto you , If ye have faith and * doubt not, ye , [hall not only do this whzch 7s done to the fig-tres * but alſo if ye ſhall ſay unto this mountain , R: thou removed , and be thou caſt into the fa; i; {hall be done.
22 And * all things whatſoever ye ſhall 2 # +: prayer, believing, ye {hall receive. Ver
Like hath norhing of this Paſſage, but Mark relateth ir with * ſome Variatim , and Additions: The Variation is only a; t $, Time, No co which the Evangeliſts were not curious : ) Mtthay relates this Miracle , as done in the Morning of the ſecond Day as Chriſt and his Diſciples returned from Bethany, fo duth 1}, chap. 11. 12. but Matthew ſpeaks, as it the Diſciples diſcerned it preſently withered. Mark mentions it, as not diſcerned to he withered till the next Morning, ver.20. Mark faith, wer, 13, &; the time of Figs was mot yet; which breeds a Dithculry, why our $; viour ſhould curſe the Fig-Tree for having no Fruit, when the cime for its Fruit was not come, (of which more by and by.) Mar kaith, V. 21, 22, that Peter calling to remembrance his Maſter's curſing the the Fig-Tree, ſaith unto him, Maſter, behold, the Fig-tree which thy curſeds is withered away : And Feſus anſwering _ unto them, Hrs Faith in God : Then repeats the ſubſtance of whar Matthew hath mn v, 21,22, To which Mark addeth, v.25,26, And when )." |\ird praying, forgive, if ye have ought again$ any ; that your ith all which # in Heaven, may forgive you your treſpaſſes. But if you a) wi forgive neither will your Father which 3s in Heaven, forgive yu yur tie paſſes. When our Lord had been in the Temple, and driven our che Bnyers and Sellers there, he went our of the City to li: at Bethany, either to avoid the Noiſes of che Ciry, ( now very ful of People, the Paſſer being ſo nigh) or to ger a more private pice tor Prayer.He returns the next Morning;and being an hunzr\,and ſeeing a Fig-Tree inhis way, he goes to it, finds it full of Leaics, bur no Fruit on it: He faith unto ir, Never Fruit grow m the more. Mark faith , For the time of Figs was not yet : Why then doth our Saviour curſe this Tree * Some think thar by Time, 1s here meant Seaſon, ( as indeed the Greek Word often fignifieth) theſe would have the meaning to be, For it was not a Seaſmutl? Tear for Figs.But this rather augmenteth, than abates the Difhculry; tor why ſhould our Saviour Curſe ir, for having no Figs, when the Year was ſuch, 4s was not Seaſonable ? Others therefore think, that ov ſhould be 80, rhen the Engliſh would be , |{tzr: ewas, was a time of Figs. For this itis ſaid, 1, That the 62%, Spirits and Accents were ordinarily left out in Ancient Copies which 1f they be taken away, the Words are the ſame, 2. That this was according to Truth, for it was a time of Green Figs at leaſt ir being near Feryſalem, and bur three or four days before the Paſſover, abour which time they reaped their Corn, as ap- pears from Lev. 23. 16. Deut. 16.9. and it is plain from Cart. 2.13. that in the beginning of their Spring,their Fig-Trees put fit Green Figs. - But when I conſider, that none of the Anctent Tranſlations are according to this Cririeiſm , bur as our Tranfla- tions; I conclude, that the Antients underſtood it cy, not , alt itſeemerh too bold to interpret the Words contrary to their Una- nimous Senſe. Others therefore tell us, that Fig-Tiees, or at lealt ſome kind of them ( like 0range-Trees) had Leaves and Fruit upon them always, ſome Green, fome half Ripe, ſome tull Ripe, and that theſe kept on their Leaves all the Winter ; So thar our Saviour ſeeing Leaves, might be led to it with an Expeftation of ſome Fruir put forth the former Year , for the time for the Ripening of Fruit, of chat kind that Year, was not come, 4 finding none, he Curſed ir. Thereby in a Type, fhewing what ſhould be done to barren Souls, who have only Leaves, 10 tie - Fruic of Righteouſneſs. Or, what if we ſhould ſay, that he did nor Curſe ir with any reſpe& to its want of Fruit, but only h ſhew his Divine Power, working a Miracle ? [And preſently 7: Fig-Tree withered away. As ſoon as our Saviour had Curſed It !t- began to Wither. Mark tells us this was the next Morning, w_ 11.20, which made Peter ſay, Maſter, behold the Fig-Thee wil a thou curſed is withered away. Matthew faith, When the Dici['c?
City
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away! Upon this, our Saviour telleth Peter and che reſt, | _— if they had Faith, and doubted not , they ſhould not on!) ,
y . . «A + tas that which he had done to the Fig-Tree, but if they _ Ss Mountain, Br removed , and cat into the Sea, it ſhouts #0 tet
Chap. X
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L ha. XA
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