not diſcourage nor blame it, but highly commended it ; fo neither d1d he pleaſe to ſtrengthen it, to as to put them out of ail doubt 4- bout it, and often charged them not to publiſh it abroad, and tends himſelf to prepare them againſt this great Obſtacle, which he ſaiv would be in their way, to wit, hs ſufferinzs. This is the ſecond time now that in this Chapter we find him incuicatin» ir, ard there was need of it, for the Evangelift telleth us, that they underſtood it mt, 1t was hidden from them. They couid ealily underttand bow ant ordinary Prophet might be delivered into the hands of men; : but 5:2 the Meſflas, the Chrit, that Prophet, he, of whom ſome of them te. lieved that he was more than a meer Man, how he thould be this delivered, thus ſuffer, they could not underſtand z and they ſaw Chriſt as to this point fo reſerved and private, and forviddins the publication of it, that they feared to be too particular with hin about it,
45 Then there aroſe a reaſoning among them, which of them ſhould be greateſt.
47 And Jeſus perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child, and fer him by him.
43 And faid unto them, Whoſoever ſhall receive this child in my name, receiveth me, and whoſoever ſhall ce- celve me, recetveth him that ſent me, for he that is leaſt among you all, the ſame ſhall be grear.
Sce the Notes on Matth. 18. 1. Mark g. 33. - This Paragraph ſhew- eth what need there was of the preceding Diſcourſe, that our Savi- our ſhould prepare them with a preinforming them about his Suffer- ng; that when they ſaw it, their Faith in him, as the Meffiat:. might not fail ; for they were polleſſed with the common Notion of their Country, that the Meſſias ſhould deliver them from the Tem- poral Preffures which they were under, and exerciſe a Civil or Mili- tary {ccalar Power ; this made them think of places of Priority and Greatnels, about which we often find them diſputing. Our Lore. to bring them off that falſe Notion of him and his Kingdom, he ta- keth a Child, and f-iteth him before them, and C:ith, Whoever ſhut recetve t:)s Child, &c. What Lake ſaith, mutt be interpreted by what we had before in Matthew and Marb. This Child, that is, one tht 1s as humble 25 this Chiid, &Fc. Sce the Notes before men- tioned,
49 * And John anſwered and faid, Maſter, we ſaw one * Se? Num: caſting out devils in thy name, and we forbad him, becauſe £!- 25. he followeth not with us. |
5o And Jeſus ſaid unto him, Forbid him not, for * he * Chap. 13. that is not againſt us is for us, 23-
Mark taith farther, that Chriſt added, For there is n9 man which ſhall ds a miracle in my name, that can lightly ſpeak evil of me. Sce the Notes on Mark g. 38, 39.
51 And it came to paſs, # when the time was come * yark 16. char he ſhould be received up, he ſtedfaſtly {er his face to 19. | g0 to Jerutalem, ACS I. 2 From this to ver. 57. we have a piece of Hi$h5ry recorded by no other Evangeliſt but Luke; but is of great uſe to us, both to let us know, that our Saviour /aid down hy tife, n» man took it from him ; ard to let us ſee to what heighth Differences about Religion ordinart- ly ariſe, and what Intemperateneſs 1s often found, as to them, in the Spirits of the beſt of people, as alſo what the Will of our Grand Mattcr is, as to the Government <f our Spirits in ſuch cafes. The going up of our Saviour to Feruſal:m art this time, was his Jaſt Jour ney thither. When the time was come that he ſluld be taken up, & Ty ojanANpER mes nuipes f dyaniinles dvrs. That is, when the time was drawing nigh, when Chriit thould atcend up 1nto Hea- ven; ſo the Word is uſed Mark 16. ig. AGs 1. 11. 1 Tim. 3. 15. But why doth the Evangeliſt expreſsit thus? Why doth he nct lay. her he was to ſuffer, but sk:ppcth over his Death, and only racat: oneth his Aſcenſion, 1. That 1s included, Chriſt was firft to liifier, and then to enter into his Glory. 2. Chriſt's Death is called a {if ting up from the Earth, John 12. 32. 3. What if we. ſhould ſay that Chiſt's Death is thus expreſt;to let vs know that the Death of Chriſk was to him a thing that his Eye was not ſo much upon, as the Glory which hc 1ummediately was to enter into after ; ſo as he calls his very Death a taking up, as that which immediately preceded jt, thereby tzaching us to over-look Sufferings and Death, as not worthy to be named or inentioned, and to look only to that taking up into our Father's Glory, which is the portion of all Believers. When they dye, they are but tahen up from the Earth, and though our Bodics ſtill ſtay behind a while, Death having a power over us, yet of them alſo there ſhall be a taking up. Upon both which takings up our Eyes ſhould be ſo fixed, as to over-look all the Sufferings of this Lite as not worthy to be named. | He ſtedfaſtly ſet his Face fo go to jeru- ſalem.] Some think this was not our Saviour's laſt motion thither before his Paffion ; but then it would nor have been ſaid ggzowms EceuZa, be ſet his Face, or he confirmed his Face. He was now 1 Galilee, Jeruſalem (that killed the Prophets_) was the place defigned for his Suffering 3 betwixt Galilee and Feruſalem lay Samaria, throug: which he was to paſs. ;
52 And ſent meſſengers before his face, and they went, andentred into 2 village of che Samaritans to make ready
for him. SS = | 53 And they did not receive him, becaule his face was
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Chap. IX.
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