ficth his Neighbours the Citizens of his city, or his nearer Re!2- tions, thoſe who belonged to the Family of which he was,C fox he had ſome Brethren that did not beliove in him. Joh, 5. « thc went to lay Hands on him ; that is, to take him from the Ma't:. tude, which preſſed upon him by force (for ſo the Word toni es, ) for they Jaid, He us beſide himelf, Yet. Various ſences arc given of this word, but certainly the mGtt ordinar;, Intornreta- tion of it doth beſt agree to this place. They ſiw our Etvione's Warmth of Spirit, and Zcal in the Proſecution of that £27 which he came into the World, and did not fo weil underitand 1:5 = ſon.or Miffion, and receiving the Spirit not by mczfure ; and 6:0 take what he did, to !x: the produt and effe& of 2 natural tnfr- mity, and unperfc& Head, and diſordered Rnafn, Tha youns Prophet ſent by Eliſha was counted a mad Fcl/ >. by Feiu's C ng : = ; / v2.4
rades, 2 King 9. 11. ſo was Paul by Feſtus, A#.25.24. 05 by the Corinthians, or ſome crept in amongſt them, 2 C5. <, 53, We are naturally enclined to enquire the Cauſes of ftrange arid vnuſi©et Effeas, and cannot always diſcern the true Cauſes, and ofein make falfe Guctſes at them. 1 am not ſo prone as 1 (1: ſome to condemn theſe Friends or Neighbours, or Kinſimen of Chritt, tc. lieving that they did verily believe as they ſpake, nut vet £ 1;v underſtanding that the Spirit of the Lord in that mcaſurc w3s zz, on him, but through their Infirmity, fearing that he had 16; 1» under ſome Diſtradtion, and charitably offering their i:clp to him. The next words tells us of a far worſe ſence the Scrives put upon h15'Adtions, |
22 And the ſcribes which came down from Jernſ:- _ lem,ſaid,* He hats Beelzebub, and by the prince of ,/""
the devils caſteth he out devils.
« 2 t-»
23 * And he called them unto him, and faid unto # mar 15
them in parables, How can Saran caſt ont Satan ? 25. - 24 And if a kingdom be divided againſt ir ſelf, that kingdom cannot ſtand.
1:2 179 And James the ſon of ZLebedee, and John the 14 brother of James, (and he {irnamed them Boanerges, 4 which is> The ſons of thunder,)
18 And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the ſon: of Al- pheus, and Thaddeus, and Simon the Canaanitte.
19 And Judas Iſcariot, which alſo betrayed him :
and they went into an || houſe.
Matthew nameth the Apoſtles upon his relating the Hiſtory of their Miſſiin, or ſending out. Mark nameth them upon their :/-#im, or firſt Choice. But theſe Evangel:f{ts agree with Luke in their Names, ſaving that Zube calleth him 7udas, whom Mat- thaw calls Lebbeus ; and Mark, Tnaddens : fo that he had three Names. Chriſt changeth the Names of $719, whom he called Cephas, or Peter, Joh. 1. 42. We have the Reaſon, Mat. 16. 18. He alſo changed the Names of Fames and Fohn, the Sons of Ze- bedee, calling them Boanerges, about the Etymology of which Name Criticks much diſpute. Tne Evangelifts tell us it ſignifies Sons of Thunder ;, thereby mincing them of their Duty, to Cry alzd, and to Preach the Goſpel as on the Houſe-tops, or perhaps declaring what he knew was in the Fervour and Warmth of their Spirits, We muſt not here enquire too narrowly 1nto the ſecret Connſels of God, in fuffering a Son of Perdition to come into the number of his firſt Minifters : Chrift did it not, becauſe he did not know what was in his Heart ; for before that, he ſhewed himſelf a Devil, by Informing againft his Maſter. Chrift told his Liſciples, that he had chofen Twelve, and one of them was a Devil. Nor yet becauſe he had no otliers to ſend 3 he had multitudes of Diſciples 3 and he who of Stones could have raiſed up Chil- Iren *o Abraham. could ealily have fitred out a Perſon tor this &rvice ; Nor yet did he do 1t, to let in any Sots and Scandalous Perſons into the Miniſtry ; for we read of no Scandal in fudas's Life, We ought to believe that God had wiſc Ends in the Per- mitſhon of this, and that Chriit did out of infinite Wiſdom do this, though we pofſibly are not able to give a ſatisfaftory Account inthe caſe. What if we ſhould ſay, that Chriſt, by this, inſtru- ed thoſe that after his Aſcenſion ſhould have the Care of the Church, not to pretend to judge of ſecret Thinzs; but only to judge as Man ought to judge, according to the outward Ap- pearance, leaving the Judgment of the Heart to God alone. ©. God, by this, armeth his People againſt the Scandal of wicked Minis2rs, ſuch in whom Corruption way break out, after their entrance into that Holy Kun@ion, though before no ſuch thing appeared, that they may vot think the Miniſterial Ads performed by them, to have 'becn Nullitics. 2. God by this alſo lets ns know, that the Efficacy of the Ordinance doth not depend upon the Goodnefs of the Spiritual State of the- Miniſter that admini- fters. A Bell may call others to hear the Word, though it ſeif rcerves no Benet by it. in the mean time, here is no warrant etther for People to Chuſe, or the Governors of a Church to Or- gain Leud and viſibly Scandalous Perſons ; Jadas was no ſuch Perſon : nor vet for Pcop'c to own, or rhe Governour of Churches to Continue Leud and Scandalous Yerſons in the Miniſtry, God ordinarily not b'efſing the Labours of ſuch. No ſooner had Judas diſcovered himſelf, but he went out and hanged himſelf. Ut no longer allowed him his Company, nor the Diſciples their Flowthip, There is a great deal of difference, with relation to cur Fellowſhip and Communion, betwixt ſecret Wickedneſfs con- «ed in the Heart, and open and ſcandalous Sianing, though v1 bealike dangerous to the Soul of the Sinner.
20 And the multitude cometh together again, * ſo that they could not ſo much as cat brezd.
21 And whe || his friends heard of zt,they went'ont iv iay hold on him : for they faid,He 5s beſide himſelf.
Thcre is no ſmall Piſpute, who are here called our Saviour's
-
. » —_ .
25 And if a houſe be divided againſt it ſelf, that houſe cannot ſtand.
26 Andif fatan riſe up againſt himſeif, and be di- vided, he cannot ſtand, but hath an end.
27 No man can enter into a itrong man's houſe,and ſpoil his goods, except he will firſt bind the ſtrong man, and then he will ſpoil his houſe.
28 VerilyI ſay unto you, * All fins ſhall be forgiven * 1 54), -. unto the ſons of men, and blaſphemies wherewith 15 ſoever they ſhall blaſpheme :
29 But he that ſhall blaſpheme againſt the holy Ghoſt,hath never forgiveneſs, but is in danger of eter nal damnation -