Sidor som bilder
PDF
ePub

22

Then was brought unto him one poffeffed with a devil, blind and dumb: and he healed him, infomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. 23 And all the people were amazed, and faid (g), Is 24 not this the fon of David? But when the Pharifees heard it, they faid, This fellow doth not caft out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. 25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and faid unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself, is brought to defolation and every city or houfe, divided against 26 itself, fhall not ftand. And if Satan caft out Satan,

he is divided against himself: how then fhall his 27 kingdom ftand? And if I by Beelzebub caft out

devils, by whom do your children caft them out? 28 therefore they fhall be your judges (b). But if I caft

out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom 29 of God is come unto you. Or elfe (i), how can one enter into a strong man's houfe, and spoil his goods, except he firit bind the ftrong man, and then he 30 will fpoil his houfe? He that is not with me (k), is against me and he that gathereth not with me, fcattereth abroad.

31

:

Wherefore I fay unto you, All manner of fin and blafphemy fhall be forgiven unto men: but the blafphemy against the holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto (g) Is not this the Chrift whom we are expecting? See Chap:

ix. 27.

(h) Your own difciples take upon them to caft out devils, and in their cafe you willingly afcribe this power to God; why then not in mine? for my works tend evidently to promote the honour of God, and to deftroy the power of Satan.

(i) Take the matter in a familiar and common light.

(k) How can you fo perverfely fuppofe me to be doing the Devil's work, when you fee me overthrowing it? If the cafe were otherwife, if I were not against him, then indeed you might juftly account me his friend; according to your own proverb, He that is not with me, &c. See Mark ix. 40. Luke ix. 50. xi. 23.

32 men.

32 men. And whofoever (1) fpeaketh a word against the Son of man, it fhall be forgiven him: but whofoever speaketh against the holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the 33 world to come. Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. 34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the 35 heart the mouth fpeaketh (m). A good man, out of the good treasure of the heart, bringeth forth good things and an evil man, out of the evil treasure, 36 bringeth forth evil things. But I fay unto you, that every (n) idle word that men fhall speak, they fhall 37 give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy (0) words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou fhalt be condemned.

38

Then certain of the Scribes and of the Pharisees anfwered, faying, Mafter, we would fee a fign from

(1) Contemptuous and reproachful language againft the perfon of Chrift, as in Chap. xi. 19. xiii. 55. might be occafioned by prejudice and mistake, and fhall be forgiven when the error is difcovered and acknowledged: but blafphemy against the holy Spirit of God, which they were guilty of who faw Chrifl's miracles, and afcribed them to the power of the devil, was fuch an obftinate refiflance against conviction, as cut off all hope or means of repentance, and was therefore unpardonable. This, however, is not applicable to Chriflians; for they who believe in Chrift, and own him to be their Lord and Saviour, may always have accefs through him to the mercy of God, and find pardon for all their fins upon their true repentance.

(m) Do not pretend that your hearts can be good, while your language is thus wicked and perverfe. As the tree is known by it's fruits, fo is the heart of a man by his words.

(n) By Idle is to be understood, not infignificant, or trifling; but wicked, malicious, profane, words: for, fuch was the language of the Pharifees, which our Lord is here condemning.

(0) Words and fpeeches proceed from the heart no less than actions, and we are therefore no lefs accountable for them.

39 thee.

39 thee (p). But he answered and faid to them, Anevil and adulterous generation feeketh after a fign, and there fhall no fign be given to it, but the fign of the 40 prophet Jonas. For as Jonas was (9) three days and three nights in the whale's belly; fo fhall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the 41 heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh fhall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it; because they repented at the preaching of Jonas, 42 and behold, a greater than Jonas is here. The queen of the south fhall rife up in the judgment with. this generation, and fhall condemn it: for the came from the uttermoft parts of the earth to hear the wifdom of Solomon, and behold, a greater than Solomon. 43 is here. When the unclean fpirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, feeking 44 reft, but findeth none. Then he faith, I will return into my houfe from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, fwept, and gar45 nifhed. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself feven other spirits more wicked than himself, and. they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first (r). Even fo fhall it be alfo unto this wicked generation.

46 While

(p) Notwithstanding the many miracles Chrift had wrought, they most unreasonably afk for a fign from heaven; as if he were obliged to fatisfy them in any way they fhould choofe: but inftead of grati fying them in their perverfenefs, he refers them for conviction to a future time, to his death and refurrection.

(g) By three days and three nights the Jews did not always mean three entire days and nights; but reckoned any part of a day for the whole. If a child was born the laft hour of a day, it was taken for a whole day in reckoning the time of his circumcifion: in like manner, in computing the time of Chrift's refurrection, a very fmall part of Sunday is very properly taken for a day.

(r) The Jews were fo entirely under the power of fuperftition and perverfenefs, that they might well be faid to be, as it were, poffeffed by thofe evil difpofitions: from this lamentable state the gracious

offers

46 While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren (s) ftood without, defiring 47 to speak with him. Then one faid unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren ftand without, 48 defiring to fpeak with thee. But he answered and faid unto him that told him, Who is my mother? 49 and who are my brethren? And he ftretched forth his hand towards his difciples, and faid, Behold my 50 mother, and my brethren. For whofoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the fame is my brother, and fifter, and mother.

2

CHA P. XIII.

I THE fame day went Jefus out of the house, and fat by the fea-fide. And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, fo that he went into a fhip, and fat, and the whole multitude stood on the 3 fhore. And he fpake many things unto them in parables, faying, Behold, a fower went forth to fow. 4 And when he fowed, fome feeds fell by the way-fide,

offers of the gofpel, had they not been rejected, would have reliev ed them; whereas they did but ferve them for a pretence to continue. in their obftinacy, and to perfecute the Redeemer of the world, with all the cruelty that their own difappointed pride, and the craft and malice of Satan, could fuggeft; and thus the last state of those men was worse than the firft.

Taking this parable in a more general fenfe, and bringing it home to ourselves, it may be confidered as an awakening admonition, never to flacken our diligence and care in the performance of our duty never to imagine that we have already attained, or are already perfect. Whenever we prefumptuously flatter ourselves that our house is fwept and garnished, and needs no further preparation for the holy Spirit, the wicked one will enter in and dwell there. And thus by falfe fecurity and spiritual pride, our laft ftate becomes worfe than the firft.

(s) Obferve on one hand, how our Saviour guards against the religious worship fince paid to his mother. Obferve on the other hand, that every one is fecure of his favour, in proportion as he doth the will of God, and leads a good life. See Luke xi. 27.

5 and the fowls came and devoured them up, Some fell upon ftony places, where they had not much earth and forthwith they fprung up, because they 6 had no deepness of earth: And when the fun was up, they were fcorched, and becaufe they had not 7 root, they withered away. And fome fell among thorns and the thorns fprung up, and choked them. 8 But others fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, fome an hundred-fold, fome fixty-fold, fome thirty-fold. Who (a) hath ears to hear, let him 10 hear. And the difciples came and faid unto him, 11 Why fpeakeft thou unto them in parables? He anfwered and faid unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the myfteries of the kingdom of 12 heaven, but to them it is not given. For (b) whofoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whofoever hath not, from 13 him fhall be taken away, even that he hath. Therefore fpeak I to them in parables: because they feeing, fee not: and hearing, they hear not, neither 14 do they underftand (c). And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Efaias, which faith (d), By hearing ye fhall hear, and fhall not underftand: and feeing, 15 ye fhall fee, and fhall not perceive. For this people's heart is waxed grofs, and their ears are dull

(a) See Chap. xi. 15.

(b) See Luke xiii. 16.

(c) The multitude, who came to me only to gratify their curiofity, and neglect to make proper reflections on what they hear, would receive no benefit by the plaineft difcourfes: however, if there be any well difpofed perfons among them, fuch eafy comparisons as thefe are most apt to engage their attention.

Their not

(d) Though they hear, yet they will not understand. improving by what they heard was not owing to any decree of God, but to their own inattention and perverfenefs. They closed their eyes, that they might not fee, and be converted, and fet right. It is through men's own obftinacy, that they continue in error and fin: for God is ever ready to extend his compaffion and gracious affiftance to the pious and humble.

of.

« FöregåendeFortsätt »