| would judge themſelves as much concerned to come to an ag cement , | with God, as they did ordinarily to come to an agreemert with Men. Now if amongſt Men they had an Adverſary, they did not judge it Prudence to ſtand out with him till the Sentence of the | - Judgewere paſt, and thev were impriſoned, nor tocome out till they ; had .paid every farthing of the Debt, and Charges wherein they were Condemned ; but to agree while they were in the way, before they came to a final judgment in the caſe, that fo having compound: ; ed the caſe, they might avoid the judgment. So in the caſe betwixt i God and their Souls, if they judged right, they would judge that it was not their Wiſdom to ſtand out till the irrevocable Sentence 0
is at liberty to chuſe which { , for [ find no other account given by any. The latter is prejudiced by our Saviour's calling them Galileans, and advantaged by the deiperate hatred which rhe Tews had to the Samaritans, Which might make them more prone to cenſure any paſſages of Divine Providence ſevere towards them. But what the certain crime, or provocation was, we cannot ſay; we are ſure that de fa#a the thing was true ; Pilate did mingle the Blood of ſome Galileans with their Sacrifices, of which a report was broughr to Chriſt. We are at the ſame loſs for thoſe eizhteen upoy whom the Tower of Siloam fell. Silve or Silo was the -Name of 4 ſmall fountain, at the foot of Mount Zim, which, as we are told did not conſtantly,but at certain times ſend out Waters, which run- ning through hollow places of the Earth, and Mines and Quarries of Stone, made a great noiſe. Taiuh mentio:1; it, ch. 8.6. There was alſo a Pool in Feruſalem which had that name, and had 2 Wall built by it, Neh. 3. 15. Chrift ſent the Blind Man to go and waſh there, Foh.g. 7. Turrets are (as we know) very uſual upon Wa'ls. It ſeems one of theſe Towers fell, and ſlew eighteen Perſons, come thi- ther either to waſh themſelyes, or by reaſon of ſome healing 'virtue in thoſe Waters upon what occafion we cannot determine, but there they periſhed. This Story ſeems to have been ſoirething o'der than the other. Our Saviour either had heard, what ſome Pcople had ſaid, or at leaft knew what they would ſay upon thoſe accidents, (for we are mightily prone to paſs uncharitablc Jadgments upon Perſons pcriſhing ſuddenly,eſpecially if they dye "”y aviolent Death), As he therefore took all occaſions to preſs upon them Repen' ance, 10 he doth not think fit to omit one fo fair, and tho he doth not by what he ſaith, torbid us to obſerve ſuch extraordinary Providen- ces, and to whom they happen, but wiilcth us to hear, and tear ; yet he tells them, there were many Galileans as bad as they, who unleſs they repented (that is) beivg ſenſible of heartily turned from the wickedneſs of their ways,would periſh alſo : Thereby teach- ing us, r. That Puniſhments come upon Pcople for their Sins, and
of theſe he thinks moſt probable
; more ſignal Puniſhments for more ſignal Sinnings. 2. That altho ' God ſometimes by his Providence fignally puniſheth ſome for noto-
rious Sinnings, yet he ſpareth more ſuch Sinners than he ſo ſignally puniſheth. 3. That therefore nore can conclude from ſuch tignal Puniſhments,that ſuch Perſons puniſhed, were greater Sinners than they. 4 That the beſt uſe we can make of ſuch reports, and ſpecta- cles of notorious Sinners more than ordinarily puniſhed, is to exa- mine our ſelves, and to repent, leſt we aiſo periſh.
'6 Helſpake alſo this parable, * A certain man had a * Mat.2r:
fig-treeplanted in his vine-yard, and he came and ſought 19- fruit thereon, and found none. |
7 Then ſaid he unto the drefſer of his vine-yard, Be- hold, theſe three years 1 come leekiag fruic on this fig-
Chap. XIII,
'rree, and find none, cut it down, why cumbreth it the ground ?
8 And he anſwering, faid unto him, Lord, ler it . Jone this year alſo, till I ſhall dig about ic and dung
Condemnation was paſſed upon them, but in the way, during the time of this Life, they would make their Peace with God, and re- form their Lives before that great and terrible day came. It is a Sign the Papiſts are at a woful loſs for Arguments to prove Purga- tory, when they make uſe of = Text, becauſe it is ſaid, = _ '1ts not depart thence til/ thou haſt paid the uttermoſt farthing, as if 7 - , ; that this Text ſpake of a Priſon for Souls from which there is an out-let 3 9 - — fruit, well : and if not, chen afcer tha ſuch another Argument will prove. from. Pſal. t10. r. that Chriſt thou! a 8 Cur _ og hereth with th din> diſcourſe. ſhall not fit at the right hand of his Father, b-cauſe God only ſaid to Ttits raiave very fitly cohereth wi e Freced!N; Ties him fit there until I make thine Enemies thy foatſlool. And that Fo- There = _ ap - hearers know, _ - _ _ _ they ; it ic (ai . 1, he ners, and hath a longer patience wit em than others, tho oo Yer hang” > ye) androgen rin oy . Tat be every whit as great cranſereſſors, in expeQation ſtill that they have before ſhewed that that term, tho it be excluſrve of a time paſt, | ſhould bring forth trait, yet if they anſwer not the means which yet doth not determine a future time, God uſeth with them to bring them to repentance, they [hall not be } CHAP. XIII ſpared long,but vengeance ſhall overtake =_ ilſo. = wo pam , : OY . that this Parable concerned not the Jews onlv, but all Mankind, or b) the Example of the Ts, and toe elghivey hee: more eſpecially thoſe who are in the Liv of the Church, judge well, wnrt Ar dre rogr eee ie ae oe ue —y provided that they allow it to have been ſpoken with a primary re- which end, he telleth them the Similitude of the barren Fig-tree, ference to that Nation amongſt whom Chriſt had now been vreach- 6—9, He healeth a omen on the rag "Th — ir A ing and Working Miracles three years, and expeQed the fruits of Re- rit of Infirmity eighteen years, 1013. 7 _ be f, 4 f pentance, and Reformation from them in vain. I do not think it the Ruler of the Synagogue, 14—17, Comparet 2 , NY Nrive any prejudice to this, that the Vine-drefſer begged but for one year Heaven to Muſtard ſeed and Leaven, 18—22, Ex "= 4 . _ longer, whereas after this Chriſt had patience with them forty years, —_ af 108 —_ G 2-20 i > before they were deſtroyed ; for one year may not be intended ſtrid- eauſe of Ferod's deſign : He complaineth of their Cruelty, and fores . ly, (tho the three years be) but to fignifie ſome little rime more, that