* 6 And he made haſt, and came down, and received w_ Joytully. urtolity carried Zaccheus up, but Love to Chriſt brinzeth bi; down ; he therefore makes haſte to come down, phe be rho _ Joy fully, glad to entertain ſuch a Gueſt. When Chriſt cometh eee Arg he never brings any ſorrow to it, vor any thing but giad _ 7 And when they ſaw #:, they all murmured, fay- ing, That he was gone to be a gueſt with a man that IS a ſinner. | Al! here muſt not be taken for every individual Perſon ; that is not to be preſumed either of all the Inhabitants of Jericho, or much leſs of all that were in Chriſt's Company ; amongſt others Mary Mag- dalen was at this time in his Company, who had no reaſon to mar- mur at that, But of what ſort of people were theſe murmarers 2 The voice 15 the voice of Phariſees who had often Cuarreiled at Chriſt for this, and of their Diſciples ; for there were multitudes of th Jews that had drunk in the ſuperſtitions of that FaRtion and kan more afraid of keeping Company with Sinners, thin themſelves 1. 12g fo; ofhaving fellowſhip with their excommunicates in their hou les, than of having fellowſhip with their or greater works of dartnur. Our Saviour had beforeanſwered this Cavil , he wiil now come to ſhew them they were miſtaken in the Man; that he whom they counted a Sinner, was a better Man than themſelves generaily rag,
8 And Zaccheus ſtood, and ſaid unto the Lord, Be- hold, Lord, the half of my goods 1 give to the poor ;
accuſation, I reſtore h;m four-fold.
Sce here the firſt effe&ts of Chriſts ſaving looks upon anv 5-2! The Soul preſently begins to cry out with the Prophet, 77h 6, Wo us me for T am undone, becauſe T am a Man of unclean Lips, - / 1 dwell in the midſt of a People of unclean Lives, for mine Eyes hats
twenty miles diſtance from Feruſalem, (whither our Saviour was go- ing) and leſs than eight miles diſtance from Jordan. See Numb, 22.1. it was the firſt place which 7ohaa ſent perſons to ſpy out, before he had conducted the Iſraelites over Fordan. Jof. 2. 2. he took it, Ch, 6, and curſed the man that ſhould rebuild it, Cfor he burned it) v, 24+ He propheſicd, that he who ſhould £0 about to rebuild it, ſhould lay the Foundation of it in hs First-born ,, and ſet up the Gates thereof in his Tounger Son, which accordingly fell out in Ahabs time, to one Hiel a Bethelite, 1 Kings 16. 34+ Through this Town or City wich now had been rebui:ded many years, our Saviour pal. {th in his way to Jeruſalem.
2 And behold,tbere was a man named Zaccheus,which was the chief among the publicanes, and he was rich.
We have had fiequent occaſions to hint, that the Publicanes were the gatherers of the Publick, Revenue for the Romans. Amongſt them there was an order of Superiour and Infcriour Officers : Zaccheus was the chief of them that were 1n that Commiſſion. [And he was rich,”] which 15s not to be wondred at, conſidering his Employment, and is particularly mentioned doubtleſs to magnifte the Grace of God towards him, (of which we ſhall by and by hear more.) As well to let us know, that tho it bean hard thing for a rich man to be ſaved, yet with God it 15 poſſible, (as we heard be- fore,) as, that tho Publicans were moſt of them Rapacious and ex- ceeding(y given to Extortion 3 and the love of money commonly in- creaſetn with the increaſe of mens Eſtate, yet Chriſt can change the heart of ſuch a man, and work it into contempt of Riches, and in- toa freedom to part with them at the command of Chriſt, or where | they hinder the embraces of him. |
3 And he ſought to ſee Jeſus who he was, and could not for the preſs, becauſe he was little of ſtature.
4 And he ran before, and climbed up into a ſycamore:
tree to ſee him ; for he was to paſs that way. |
All this was but Curioſity, he ſaw a great Crowd paſſing by, and |
aks what was the matter. The people tell him, That it was eſis | of Nazareth, that famous Prophet, whoſe Fame had filled Fades as | well as Galilee z He hath a great curioſity to ſee him, and runs be- foreto find out a convenient Station, but perceiving the Crowd Was , great and knowing that he was too low of Stature to look over all their heads ſo well as to ſatisfie himſelf, he climbeth up upon a $Sy- camore-tree by the way fide, in which he knew that he muſt paſs.
5 And when Jeſs came to the place, he looked up, and ſaw him, and ſaid unto him, Zaccheus, make hait,
and come down . for to day I muſt abide at thy houſe.
{ ſee n5 ground for their Opinion who think that before this time, Zaccheirs is heart was touched with any love, or affe@ion to Chriſt, The Evangeliſt ſcemeth to repreſent Zaccheus before this, as a meer ſtranger to Chriſt, he ſought to ſee who he was, But Chriſt's /ooks are healing looks, there went virtue along with them to convert Zacche- % thoa Publican, and to recover Peter who had denied his Maſter, but they muſt be ſuch /oobs, as carried with them a defign todo good to Souls : Chritt looked upon thouſands to whom his looks con- veyed no ſpiritual ſaving Grace. He that could heal by the hemm of his Garment touched, could change an heart by his look. How good a thing it is to be near the place where Chriſt 1s, whatever principle brings Men thither ! provided Men come not as the Phart- ices uſed to come, to execute their malice Zacchewus was brought to the bodily view of Chriſt cut of meer cxrjoſity, but being there he receiveth a ſaving look from him : How many have had their hearts changed by Gofpel Sermons, who never went to hear the Preachers wth any ſuch defire or detign ?- Chriſt's deſign may be executed in (ie Converſion of Sinners, tho not ours. He is found of them that e him not, and of thoſe that enquire not after him. Preparatory diſpoſitions in us are not neceffary to the firſt Grace. God can at the {ame tine prepare and change the heart. Zaccheus is the firſt Man