parts, to be revenged on the Fews, for turning his Son-in-law Ma- naſſe trom the Prictthood at Feruſalem z which if it be true, the Sa- maritans had been fixed now in their falſe Worſhip more than five hundred years. Nor were theſe that we read of, any of the Heads and Rulers, but probably ordinary Country People, rooted fo long ?n this corrupt way, and doing this in Zeal to their own Temple on Mount Gerazz7n, and fo inclined to ſhew no favour to thoſe who in any Devotion were going to the oppoſite Temple. Chriſt pitieth thcm under theſe Prejudices; and tho' he doth not approve of their Worlh:p, yet he did not think- that the way to change their minds, was to call for Fire from Heaven againſt them, nor would he be fo levere agatnft them. It 15 not the Will of God, that we ſhould ap- prove of any corrupt Worſhip, and joyn with thoſe that uſe it, but neither 15 1t his Will, that we ſhould by Fire and Sword go about to luppreſs it, and bring Men off from it. Antiquity, or the Prad#ice of or Forefathers, 1s no ſufficient Plea to juſtific any Worſhip. (It was the Samaritans Plea, Fohn 4. 29.) but yet where any ſuch pre- zudice againſt the Truth 1s, 1t calleth to us for mild and gentle Beha- viour towards ſuch*as are under thoſe diſadvantages for the receiving of the Truth. 2. But Secondly, there was a difference in the Call 9 Eltas. He was an extraordinary Prophet, who did nothing of this nature but by an immediate Impulſe and Dire&ion ; ſo as what he did was in Zeal for God, guided by a Knowledge of the Will of God. the Diſciples had no ſuch Call. 3. The Times differed ; Elias aR-
<q under the Legal Diſpenſation, which was more ſevere 53 They
L'LTUVULIE.
” Chan were under the more mild and gentle Difpenſation of the cr... And in this Queſtion they did but indulge their Paitions _ = deſire of Revenge : therefore (ſaith our Saviour } 7,y ——_ what manner of Spirit you are of, Our Saviour Jets then, 70 of that they were under a more mild and gent:c Ditpentation by ” - pounding his own Example. | The fon of man (ſaith he) "0 j . , deſtroy mens lives, but to ſave. | The term trantiated 1 j4, "a og alſo Souls ; but if we conſider the Apoſlle's Queſtion, which "ig whether they ſhould call for fire from heaven, to detiroy he $6” but to deftroy them as to their Lives here, it will well nov) WP, fie our Tranllator's rendering it in this place Lives. Yau (7. ra our Saviour, by my mealing the fick, raiſing the dead, toc. tr; Sowa bufinels is not to make my Miailtry ungrateful to Men *, my ways prejudicing them in their outward Concerns, 1f jr Aa trantlated Souls, 1t 15 yet a great Truth. Chriſt came not tg "Vn Mens Souls, but to bring the means of Salvation and Etern, = pinels ; if they rezed theſe, and perith, their Deſtruttivn ofthe. {clves, ; Et 57 And it came to pals, that as they went in the wy a certain man ſaid unto him, Lord, I will follow this whitherſoever thou goelt. 58 And Jeſus ſaid unto him, Foxes have holes, gig birds of the air have nelts, but the Son of man hath ng;
where to lay ht: head.
Matthew ſauth, this man was 4 Scribe. See the Notes on Matt. 8. 19. Let thoſe who have ſtately houſes, and think them worth 51g. rying in, or that they are things fit for Men to value themlclves uy. on, dcſpiſing their poor Brethren that want ſuch Accommodation: of this Lite, digeſt this Text.
59 And he ſaid unto another, Follow me : But he lad, Lord {uffer me firſt to go and bury my father.
60 Jelus ſaid unto him, Let the dead bury their dead, but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.
See the Notes on Matth. 8. 21. How free 1s Divine Grace ? Th; Scribe offers to follow Chriſt. Chriſt encourageth him uct, 7 another that made no ſuch offer, he firſt ſpeaketh, ſaying, Fol n; and will admit of no Excuſe.
61 And another allo faid, Lord, I will follow thee, buc let me firſt go bid them farewel, which are at hong
at my houle.
62 And Jeſus faid unto him, No man having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the king- dom of God,
Matthew (who mentioned the other two) mentioneth not this thicd perſon. Some doubt whether we well Tranſlate theſe Words SmorelZacn mais 6:5 F oixoy pas, bid them at my houſe farewel. 0r whether it were not better Tranſlated, to order the things or priſms relating to my houſe. Let it be 'Trantlated either way, it {i;-ihe a too much Worldlineſs of mind in this Diſciple, which our Swwwur checketh in the next Words, ſaying, No man having put his hand to the plough, and looking back. eig 7x «mow to the things behind, s {# for the Kingdom of God, Some think it 1s an alluſion to the Story of Eliſha's Call, 1 Kings 19. 19. Elijah paſſing by him ploughing vit) twelve Yoke of Oxen before him, i. he with the twelfth, Cat is mantle upon him. And he left the Ox and ran after Elijah, and ſaid, Let me, I pray thee, kijs my father and mother, and then TI will jillw thee. Be that as it wall, here is a plain alluſion to the work & 4 plough-man, and a comparing of a Miniſter of the Goſpel in [vs Duty, with the plough-man in his Work. The Plough» man 15 001- ged to look forward to his Work, or he will nevergraw his Furrows either ſtrait enough, or of a juſt depth 3 {© muſt a Miniſter of the Goſpel,if he be once called out of ſecular Employments to the ſervice of God in the Miniſtry, he is bound to mind and attend that ; that!
enough to take up the whole Man, Wo whole Strength and T:me;
he had need of no other things to nitAdjor look after 3 the things 0t the World are things behind hum : not that God debarrcth his Mint- ſters (in caſe of Exigence) to work for their Ercad with their hands, as Paul did ; but they ought not , without apparent neceſſity, to intangle theniſelyes with the things of this Life, ſo as to mus
them their butigeſs,
CHAP. X.
Chriſt ſending his Diſciples to preach, inſtrueth them concerping thet Fourney, 1—12, Threatneth certain Cities with heavy Judg1.0ns for their Impenitency, 13—16. + The Seventy return Tejojcing - what they through Chriſt's name had done, 179—20. He retuinen® thanks to bis Father, 21— 24. Anſgereth the Lawyer 5 Quejiion 3 teacheth him what he muſt do to inherit life eternal, 2 5— 28. leth him who is his Neighbour, by a ſumilitude of @ man falling M's Thieves, and relieved by 4 Samaritan, 29—37- and being entertalle by Mary and Martha, preferreth Mary's Piety before Martha 5 ae fulneſs, 38—g2. |
I Frer theſe things, the Lord appointed other ie