verſccutions, or Wars,or any kind of troubled ſtate of things is often expreſſed in Holy Writ under the notion of Fire and Water, « Fload . for though Fire and Water are oppoſite in their qualities &t they both agree in the common effc& of conſumption, waſting and deſolation, <hriſt ſaith, he came to ſend it, becauſe he foretaw this woula be a ccrt.in conſequent, tho not a proper and natural eff: of the Preaching of the Goſpel. Chrift may be ſaid to come to ſen a Fire in the ſame ſenſe, as hc that is imployed in the removy4] of 1 filthy Danghil, may be ſad r9 come to ſend a ſtench; his deſign is ty carry the muck away, and in due time. he will have done it, but in the mean time it ſends out a much greater ſtench than before it wi ſtirred. | And what will I, if it be ciread; hindled ?T Not to tals notice of what crirical Author: ſay, about the figr:ification cf the Particles, or the Phraſe here uſed, I take the true ſenſe to be, 17: fire nothing more than that it were already |iailed; nor was this any more inconſiſtent with the goodneſs and holineſs of Chri?, th for a Goldſmith to wiſh the Fire was kindled that ſhou'd ſeparate the droſs from the pure metal, or than for Chriſt to defire thit }; floor were throughly purged. Chriſt doth not defire the fire for the fires ſake, but for the ſake of that effe&t it would have, in ſroaratiy; in kis Church the good from tac bad ; it was a thing he ſaw would be, through the oppoſition the world would give to the Preaching of the Goſpel, before his Goſpel would obtain in the -world; j would, faith he, that what they do, they wou!d do quickly, that they would ſpit their Venome, that my Father might make ther wrath to praiſe him. Whereas ſome interpret it indicatively, 3 if the fire were already begun, & d-&y1p2y can hardly. be f [t- terpreted.
50 But I have a baptiſm to be baptiſed with, and
how am I || ſtraitned till it be accompliſhed ?
This Baptiſm ſpoken af here by our Saviour 15s the ſame mentioned Matth. 20. 22,23. and can be underſtood of nothing but his Pafſion, the accompliſhment of which he hinteth us was to be, ere the fire (before mentioned) would blaze up on the Earth. Concerning this he ſaith he was ſtraitned till it was accompliſhed ; not that he willed the influencing the heart of Fudas to betray him, the heart of Pi late to condemn him, or the hearts of the wicked Jews, to Accuſe, Condemn and Crucific him ; but he willed theſe events for the mani- feſtation of the Glory of his Father, in the Redemption of the World by him. As the Woman big with Child heartily wiſheth that the hour of her Travel were come and over, nor for the pains Jake, which ſhe muſt endure, but for her own eaſe ſake, and the joy ine ſhould have of a Child born into the World.
51 Suppoſe ye that I am come to give peace on earth ? I tell you, Nay, * but rather diviſion.
52 For from henceforth there ſhall be five in one houſe divided, three againſt two, and two againſt three.
53 The father ſhall be divided againſt the ſon, and the ſon againſt the father : the mother againſt the daughter, and the daughter againſt the mothcr : the mother in law, againſt hec daughter in law, and ths daughter in law, againft her mother in law.
See the Notes on Matth. 10. 34, 35. Our Savicur in theſe words doth but purſue the ſame Argument, which began v. 49- f9 ſhew what would be the conſequents of the Doftrine of the Goſpel, And hereby they might have underſtood a deſign in our Saviour fo Cote vince them, that the buſineſs of the Meſſiah whom they cxpettec,i\4? not to exerciſe a temporal, but a ſpiritual Kingdom and Power 3 notto reſtore to their Nation a civil Peace, but to purchaſe th.ir r<9c* with God, and to bring them to that Joy and Peace which 35 4 Col- ſequent to believing. For as to the external ſtate of things 1: would be much more troubled than it was before ; our Lord forciaw how fenacious both the Jews and Pagans, and in ſucceeding 2zes as" ans alſo would be of their Idolatries and Superftittous rights and ul ges, with whom their believing Relations not comp! yiog, there would greater feuds and animoſities ariſe than ever weic befores the Father would hate the Son, the Son the Father, &c. a the Eoſpel came among the Heathens, they were entirely the A but when by Chr
. 13 be. ſeparated thoſe who belonged to the eleftion of Grace ſhou'c be _—
Chap, X11
Wars, (5c. which are theeffedts of it. A Prediftion, or threatning of
+ My
(0t.10
Mark
XIII
through the Devils rage, and Mens lufls, there would be continual feuds, and diviſions.
4 And he ſaid alſo to the people, When ye ſee a cloud riſe out of the weſt, firaighrway ye ſay, There cometh a ſhower ; and fo 1t 1s. -
5 +nd when ye ſee the fouth-wind blow, ye ſay, There will be heat 3 and it cometh to paſs,
56 Ye hypocrites, ye can diſcern the face of the skie, and ofthe earth : but how is ir, chat ye do nor diſcern this time ?
we met with a Diſcourſe of the ſame Nature, Matth. 15. 2. Sec the Notes there. Theſenſe of our Saviour is, that God by his Pro- phets had given them more certain Signs and Revelations of the coming of the Meſſiah, and of the Nature of his Ringdom, and the effects, and conſcquents of it, than were written in Nature of any na- tural effedts, and upbraids their ſtupid ignorance, and unbelief, that they could give credit to, and diſcern the latter, and not the former, whereas the former were much more certain.
g7 Yea, and why even of your ſelves judge ye not what isright ? EE
Z * When thou goeſt with thine adverſary to the ma-
ſtrate, 44 tho art in the way, pive diligence that thou mayeſt be delivered from him ; leſt he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer caſt thee into priſon,
x9 I tellthee, thou ſhalt not depart thence till thou haſt
aid the very laſt mite *.
Our Saviour made uſe of this expreſſion, Matth. g. 25. to per- ſwade Peace betwixt Brethren ; here he uſeth it to perſwade Men to dcquaint themſelves with God, and be at Peace. ; ing of the laſt Judgment,there was no fitter foundation, upon which he could build an exhortation to Repentance, and making our Peace with God. In not doing of it, he telleth his hearers that they did not of themſelves judge what was right, for if they did, they
S. LUKE
ho their Faftjon was fuch. The Reader
He had been treat- '