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YALE UNIVEESITY LIBRAEY

0yie ^^^/l/icii^ ^o/leoHon

FORMED BY
James Ahraham HUlhouse, B.A. 1749
James Hillhouse, B.A. 1773
James Ahraham Hillhouse, B.A. 1808
James HiUhotise, B.A. 1875
Remored 194^ from the
Manor Honae in Sachem's IVood
GIFT OF
GEORGE DUDLEY SE13IOUR

THE

GOSPELS:

MORAL REFLECTIONS ON EACH VERSE.
By PASQUIER QUESNEL.
¦WITH
BY THE EEV. DANIEL WILSON, D.D.
TICAR OF ISLINGTON . NOW BISHOP OF CALCUTTA.
REVISED BY THE REV. HENRY A. BOARDMAN, D.D.
m TWO VOLUMES.-YOL. I.

PHILADELPHIA:
PARRY & MCMILLAN,
SUOCESSOES TO A. HAKT litb CAEET & HAET.
1855.

Entered accoiding to Act of Congress, in the year 1855,'by
PARRY & McMillan,
in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the TTnited States for the Eastern
District of PennsylTania.

BTEBEOTTPED BT L. JOHNSON AND CO.
PHILADELPHIA.

Printed by T. K & P. G. CoUins.

v.l

PREFACE TO THE AMERICAN EDITION.

There is only one way of accounting for the remarkable fact, that no
edition of this work should, up to this period, have been issued from
the American press. Quesnel, if known at all, is known simply as
having been a minister of the Roman Catholic Church ; and Protestants
have stood aloof from his commentary without examining it. Had
they looked into its history, and that of its author, they would have
learned that it brought down upon his head the anathemas of the
Vatican ; and that it was against these very "Notes" the famous Bull
" Unigenitus"* was directed. In that Bull, one hundred and one
propositions, for the most part of an eminently scriptural and evan
gelical character, are deduced from this work, and condemned as he
retical. This fact should be sufficient to commend it to the attention
of enlightened Protestants.
Quesnel, it is true, could never throw off entirely the efiects of
his early training. To certain Eomish errors he adhered to the last ;
and these disfigure, more or less, the original editions of his Notes.
A large portion of the obnoxious passages were omitted in the En
glish edition of the work; but a careful revision has brought to light
a considerable number which had been overlooked. These have been
expunged. To this point, indeed, the editor's task has been chiefiy
restricted — the cancelling of Eomish errors — which must have im-
.peded the circulation of the volumes and limited their usefulness.
As regards the merits of the work, eminent authorities have pro-

* See Appendix to 'Voluine II.
1*

6 PKEFACE TO THE AMERICAN EDITION.
nounced it the best practical commentary on the Evangelists extant.
It is not, however, a "Commentary" in the usual signification of that
term. It is neither a critical nor a popular " Exposition," but a col
lection of "Moral Reflections on each verse" of the Gospels. In
this view it is unrivalled — a repository of original, striking, spiritual
meditations, the absence of which could be supplied by no other work
in our language. " We have nothing (says Bishop Wilson) in prac
tical divinity so sweet, so spiritual, so interior as to the real life of
grace — so rich, so copious, so original. We have nothing that extols
the grace of God, and abases and lowers man, so entirely. We lessen
not the value of our various admirable comments on the New Testa
ment ; they have each their particular excellencies. But none of
them supersedes Quesnel ; none can supply that thorough insight
into the world, the evil of sin, the life of faith and prayer, which he

In illustration of these topics the reader is referred to the copious
and discriminating "Introduction" by Dr. Wilson. Meanwhile, the
work is submitted to the public with the confidence, that it will speed
ily become, with very many Christians, of different names and sects,
their favourite Hand-book on the Gospels, and,« through the bless
ing of God, an efficient help to their growth in grace, and their true
spiritual enjoyment.
Henry A. Boardman.
Philadelphia, July S, 1855.

-nr

INTRODUCTORY ESSAY.

The following work is on all accounts deserving of peculiar attention.
The author himself was a remarkable person, the book is of the highest
value in its particular line, and the controversy connected with it is
fruitful of the most important instruction. We propose to notice briefly
the life and sentiments of the author; to review the chief excellencies
and defects of his " Reflections ;" and to give some account of the edition
of them now presented.
I. Our present subject is curious and edifying : a man in the depths
of a corrupt religion asserting the doctrines of the grace of Christ ; con
necting this with a most penetrating view of the spiritual communion
of the soul with the Saviour, by the grace of the Holy Ghost; maintain
ing this religion during a long life ; -writing a hook which excited the
enmity of the church to.which he belonged, which drew upon the author
a long-continued persecution of the bitterest character, whioh yet has
made its way, during one hundred and fifty years, into every part of
Christendom, and which stands at this moment unrivalled in its par
ticular class — a book which has, in ita general strain, all the unction
and interior piety of the purest Protestant writers, though it is mingled
and debased in other parts with many gross theological errors.
Such an author, and suoh a work, warrant, require, demand notice,
in a day like the present.
Pasquier Quesnel was born at Paris, July 14, 1634. His grandfather
was a native of Scotland, but whether a Ronian Catholic or not, does
not appear. His father was most probably of that persuasion ; and
our Pasquier, after being educated at the University of Paris, entered
into the Religious Congregation of the Oratoire, in 1657. He devoted
himself, from his earliest years, to the study of the sacred Scriptures and
of the fathers of the church — a combination most dangerous in a Roman
Catholic student, because he connects them with the notions of tradition
and authoritative comment. He began soon to compose books of piety,
chiefly for the use of the young people intrusted to his care. It was in
this course that he was led to write the first portion of those Reflections

viu introduction.
¦which, thirty years afterward, kindled so ardent a controversy. One
or two persons of distinction, having been much delighted with them,
encouraged him to extend his notes to the whole of the Gospels, for at
first they comprehended only some portions of our Lord's life; and they
thus gradually swelled into a very important work, which gave a cha
racter to the age in which it appeared. It was in 1671 that the first
edition was published, under the sanction of the then Bishop of Chalons-
sur-Marne ; for it was not uncommon for persons of that station, if men
of piety, to authorize and circulate works of devotion, with the sufieranoe
of their superiors, so long as the peculiar tenets of the Roman Catholic
church were intermingled, and no great stir was excited about the evan
gelical truths which they contained.
Quesnel continually added to his Reflections during the rest of his
life. He embraced the Acts of the Apostles, and the Epistles in his
plan, besides enriching, by more than one-half, the original notes. His
last years were dedicated to the preparation of a still more enlarged
edition, with much new matter, which was published in 1727.* Nearly
sixty years were thus employed more or less upon this pleasing and
elevated task; another proof, among a thousand, that nothing really
excellent is the fruit of haste. When you come to understand the real
facts, you discover that the books which last, which form eras in theology,
whioh go out with a large measure of the Di-vine blessing, are the result
of much prayer and meditation, of thoughts often revolved and matured
by degrees. Thus new and important lights irradiate the mind, the
proximate ideas are suggested by time and occasion, errors and excres
cences are detected, topics assume a new face and consistency, prayer
brings down the influences of grace, all the powers of the mind are
brought to bear upon the inquiry, and something is produced for the
honour of God and the permanent welfare of his church.
One great work is commonly as much as one man produces ; and this
the result of unexpected incident, rather than of express intention, in
the first instance. Pascal left his Thoughts — Bacon, his Novum Or-
ganum— Butler, his Analogy— Leighton, his Peter— Scott, his Com
mentary — Cecil, his Remains — Quesnel, his Reflections, — a life having
been, in each case, devoted to the particular inquiry ; and the form, and
magnitude, and importance of each work having been least of all in the
first intentions of the writers. Pride conceives great designs, and ac
complishes little: humility dreads the promise of difficult undertakings,
and accomplishes much.
Quesnel's sentiments on religion were now becoming known, as his
book spread. His talents, his elegant style, his brilliancy of imagina-
* Eight years after his death. None of the earlier editions are complete.

introduction. ix
tion, were acknowledged. His deep and penetrating piety was not
immediately understood. His whole life seems to have been dedicated
to the love of his crucified Saviour. The fall and total corruption of
our nature, the distinct necessity of grace for the production of any thing
really good, the grateful adoration of the purposes and will of God toward
his elect, — these formed the foundation of Quesnel's religious principles.
They were not held merely as doctrines ; they were insisted on, felt,
followed out into their consequences. A deep and tender humility
appears in his spirit, a deadness of afection as to the world, a percep
tion of joy and peace in the spiritual life, a faith full of childlike sim
plicity and repose of soul on the grace and power of Christ ; a minute
conscientiousness in the application of his principles to his whole con
duct, a skill in detecting false motives, a bold and uncompromising
courage in speaking truth, — ^these were the fruits of the great scriptural
principles which he had imbibed.
Mixed, however, with these sound and elevated principles and habits
were many great errors and superstitions, flowing from his education in
the bosom of the apostate ohurch. His study of the fathers, instead of
being confined to a fair and scriptural consultation of their writings,
was cramped by his reliance on them as authoritative guides. They
warped his judgment, instead of assisting it. The doctrine of justifica
tion was confounded with that of sanctification ; and though both were
bottomed upon grace in the most decisive manner, yet so wide a de
parture from the statements of Scripture, could not but have an un
favourable influence upon the whole tenor of his religion. Thus, like
Pascal, Nicole, Arnauld, St. Cyran, and the other great names of the
same school, the highest order of excellence on capital points was com
bined with some glaring errors. Deep spirituality of mind, unaffected
humility, holy love to the divine Saviour, a simple repose on the grace
of the Holy Spirit, a life of devoted and courageous obedience, were
associated with much uncommanded prostration of the understanding to
human authority, many dangerous superstitions, aud much uncharitable
condemnation of Protestants.
What an inconsistent creature is man ! and, at the same time, what
a powerful principle is the divine grace which can raise him, notwith
standing many errors, to such an elevated point of holy love ! What
force can one principle, well followed out, acquire over the whole cha
racter ! With what charity should we judge of the persons of individuals,
in the most corrupt churches, while we still contend against those
churches for the faith as once delivered unto the saints! And let
Protestants look to themselves : we may have a beam in our own eye,
which prevents our clear discernment, when we attempt to pluck out
the mote from an eye like that of Quesnel. Probably our pride of

X introduction.
intellect, onr cold, systematic, metaphysical theology, our feeble faith,
our tame and worldly standard of practical piety, our little humiliation
and small measure of real prostration of soul before God, and our negli
gence of fasting and prayer, may often be more offensive to our heavenly
Father than many superstitions of the humble and spiritually-minded
Roman Catholic. Intellectual acuteness is nothing compared to heart
felt love. His is often the fault of the understanding ; ours of the affec
tions. His is an external, incidental effect of the circumstances of a
false education ; ours the daring dictate of curiosity and conceit. His
is connected with submission to God ; ours with rebellion. His is the
error of the head ; ours of the heart.
But we return to our. narrative. It was in 1681 that persecution first
burst out against Quesnel. The new doctrines (for truth, when it re
appears in force, is new to fallen man, especially in a very corrupt
church) began to attract attention. Numbers espoused them. The
Jesuits were the first to take the alarm. Harlai, Archbishop of Paris,
informed of our Pasquier's sentiments, obliged him to quit the capital.
He took refuge at Orleans. Three years afterward, he fled to Brussels,
to avoid the necessity of signing an absurd formulary, in whioh the con
demnation of Jansenism was allied with the renunciation of the natural
philosophy of Descartes. Here he joined the great Arnauld, and received
his last instructions. He devoted himself now to the continuation of
his Reflections ; and, in 1694, published an edition which comprised, for
the first time, the whole of the New Testament. The Jesuits had not
yet prevailed. Louis-Antoinp de Noailles, afterward Archbishop of
Vares, and cardinal, was now Bishop of Chalons-sur-Marue, ahd scrupled
not to recommend the book to his diocese. The Bishops of Limoges,
Agen, Montpelier, and Sonez, afterward did the same.
The celebrated Bossuet likewise joined in defending the book, and the
Cardinal de Noailles also, when the Jesuits publicly attacked them.
Bossuet, in his earlier life, seems to have inclined more to the senti
ments of St. Augustine and Jansenius than to contrary notions of the
Jesuits. The controversy with F6n61on had not yet soured his mind,
nor his elevation at court cooled his piety. An idea may be formed of
the immense circulation of the Reflections, and the prodigious eagerness
with which they were sought for, from what the Bishop of Meaux
observes -. — " This book, which contained at first only the texts of the
Gospels and the notes upon them, was received with an avidity and a
desire of edification which seemed to revive, in our days, the primitive
zeal of Christians for the continual meditation on the word of God night
and day. And when the notes on the rest of the New Testament were
added, the complete work had so great a success, that all the countries
where the French language is known, and the royal city more par-

introduction. xi
ticularly, were filled with it, — the booksellers oould not meet the eager
ness of the faithful — unnumbered editions were published one after
another, and instantly taken off; — so that we may apply to this happy
event what is written in the Acts, that the word of the Lord grew
mightily, and that the number of its zealous readers increased every day."
Such was the effect whioh the persecution and the extraordinary merit
of the work concurred, under the blessing of God, to produce.
But further extremities were resorted to by the Jesuits. The Reflections
had been before the world more than twenty years. Some disturbance
had been made, and the author had been driven from his country. But
the book had a prodigious sale ; influential names were attached to it ;
it was exciting more and more the hatred of the human heart, on the one
hand, and gaining converts and readers almost innumerable, on the
other. Satan would not let this state of things continue. The real
grace of God, thorgh mixed with error, was maintained, and maintained
boldly, in the Reflections ; man was laid low ; the Saviour was exalted ;
the power of fallen nature to recover itself was denied ; the Holy Ghost
was honoured; the world and its pleasures were uncompromisingly
exposed ; a new and holy life was delineated and insisted on ; heaven
and hell were plainly exhibited. This was enough : nothing could
redeem suoh unpardonable faults in the eyes of the Jesuits. They could
not endure the strong light thrown on the nature of man and the one
person of -the Saviour. They saw acutely enough (though perhaps
Quesnel did not) that such principles went to undermine Popery. They
began their schemes anew. They attempted to detach the powerful
-defenders of Pasquier. The Cardinal de Noailles was rudely assailed.
Quesnel, undaunted, prosecuted the improvement of his book, and wrote
a prodigious number of occasional pamphlets. He composed also several
larger treatises, on- the "Priesthood and Sacrifice of Jesus Christ;
Elevations of heart toward Jesus Christ in his passion and death ; The
Blessedness of the Christian's death ; Christian Prayers ; Prayers to our
Saviour Jesus Christ, for young people and those who desire to read the
word of God, and especially the Gospel ; Tradition of the Romish Church
on the Predestination of the Saints, and on Efficacious Grace."
These productions only augmented the rage of his enemies. The im
pression of their excellence, as works of piety, may be judged of from
what the celebrated Father de Toumemine is reported to have said:
" That two pages of the Christian Prayers contained more real unction
than all that had issued from the pen of the Jesuits, not excepting
Bourdaloue." In the mean time, Quesnel kept himself in privacy at Brussels. The
Jesuits, however, contrived to discover his retreat ; and persuaded Philip
V. of Spain (whose conscience they directed) to send an order to the

xii introduction.
bishop of Malines to arrest him. He was now cast into prison for the
name of Christ; and would probably have lingered there the rest of his
days, if he had not been rescued by a Spanish gentleman, who succeeded
in penetrating the walls of his prison, and in freeing him from his
chains. He fled to Amsterdam, under the protection of the new Pro
testant States, who had so gloriously succeeded in establishing their
liberty. He was soon publicly condemned as a heretic, and a contu
macious and seditious person— names ever ready to be attached to the
followers of the humble Saviour, especially under a superstitious and
despotic government. The court at Rome was next appealed to, and a .
decree of Clement XI., condemnatory of the Reflections, was obtained.
Nothing, however, could stop the sale. The work spread wider and
wider. Editions were multiplied. All the world were eager to read a
work so loudly denounced by the papal chair. Thus does persecution
promote truth. Never would Quesnel's Reflections have been read by
one thousandth part of those who have now, for a century and a half,
been edified by them, unless the Jesuits had pursued the book with so
bitter a hatred.
An arr6t of council was afterward obtained from Louis XIV., in order
to suppress the work. This was in 1711, after it had been forty years
before the world.
At length the Jesuits urged the decrepit and superstitious monarch,
through Madame de Maintenon, to force the court of Rome to enter into
a detailed examination of the book, and thus settle, as they hoped, the
agitated minds of men. Three years were consumed in details. At
last, iu 1714, the bull, kno-wn by its first word, unigenitus, was issued,
in which one hundred and one propositions were extracted from Quesnel,
and specifically condemned as heretical and dangerous ; a step which,
like every other since the fatal Council of Trent, (the band and chain of
popish errors,) tended to separate the church of Rome more and more
widely from the true foundation of the gospel, and to brand upon her
forehead the broadest marks of departure from the faith of Christ. The
spirit of Rome was never more graphically delineated than in her select
ing all the most express points of the gospel, and denouncing them,
coolly and avowedly, as heretical and erroneous.
The impression made at the time on the minds of pious Protestants
is seen in the preface to the excellent Mr. Henry's Comment on the Gos
pels, written just after Europe had been filled with the conversations
which the bull «xcited. He gives the foUovring specimen of the propo
sitions : —
"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is the effectual principle of all
manner of good ; is necessary for every good action ; for, without it,
nothing is done, nay, nothing can. be done. That it is the effect of a

INTRODUCTION. xiii
sovereign^ grace, and the operation of the almighty hand of God. That
when God accompanies his word with the internal power of his grace,
it operates in the soul the obedience it demands. That faith is the first
grace, and the fountain of all others. That it is in vain for us to call
God our Father, if we do not cry to him with a spirit of love. That
there is no God, nor religion, where there is no charity. That the Catho
lic church comprehends the angels, and all the elect and just men of the
earth of all ages. That it has the Word incarnate for its Head, and all
the saints for its members. That it is profitable and necessary at all
times, in all places, and for all sorts of persons, to know the Holy Scrip
tures ; and that the holy obscurity of the word of God is no reason for
the laity not reading it. That the Lord's day ought to be sanctified by
reading books of piety, especially the Holy Scriptures; and that to
forbid Christians from reading the Scriptures, is to prohibit the use of
light to the children of light." Mr. Henry adds, "Many such positions
as these, which the spirit of every good Christian cannot but relish as
true and good, are condemned, by the pope's bull, as impious and blas
phemous. By this it appears, that popery is still the same thing that
ever it was — an enemy to the knowledge of the Scriptures, and to the
honour of divine grace."
A merely secular policy was so openly followed, both by the Christian
King, as he was termed, and the supple court which yielded to his in
terference, that the truth of the doctrines scarcely came into question.
It was the policy of Rome which was consulted. The Abbe Renaudot
relates, that, on entering once the cabinet of the pope, who was fond of
literary men, he found him reading Quesnel's book. — " This is an extra
ordinary performance," said the pontiff; "we have no one at Rome
capable of writing in this manner. I ifvish I could have the author by
me." Yet this very man issued first the decree, and then the bull,
which condemned the work. On the feeble mind of Louis, superstition
and the Jesuits had taken up their seat. The prince who revoked the
Edict of Nantes in the prime of life, was not likely, in the last stage of
decrepitude, to resist the influence which sought to overthrow an indi
vidual foe.
But it is more lamentable to observe that Bossuet and F6nelon seemed
to have joined in the persecution. The former had, some years before,
defended the book ; but he appears to have shrunk from protecting it or
the author, when popularity took another course. And F6n61on — the
amiable, the lovely, the pious FfinSlon — took an active part in hastening
the condemnation at Rome. His correspondence, lately published,
demonstrates the interest he felt, and exhibits the commendations he
bestowed, with his own hand, on the divine who drew up the bull.
Haughty orthodoxy and mystical devotion are thus found to yield to

xiv INTRODUCTION.
the torrent of papal authority, and to lend their aid to support a corrupt
and tyrannical church.
The greatest difficulty was found in obtaining the reception of the
buU. Nine French bishops, assembled under the Cardinal de Noailles,
determined to wait for further information, before it was registered. It
was not till 1718, that it was definitely accepted. In the mean time, all
Christendom rang with the praises of Quesnel's doctrine. Surreptitious
editions were multiphed ; and the attempt to infix upon the peculiarities
of the gospel the character of impiety and heresy, stamped the deepest
mark of reprobation on the church which issued the condemnation.
Quesnel survived the publication of the bull six years. These he
spent in writing works of piety, and in preparing the edition of the Re
flections which, as we have observed, appeared in 1727, vdth all the
new matter which he had noted in the margin of his copy. Admirable
was almost every additional thought ; and, with an undaunted courage,
did the venerable saint persevere in the doctrine of the grace of God.
He employed himself, likewise, in forming Jansenist churches at Am
sterdam, where he died,JDecem]bej.^ 1719, aged eighty-six.
He had a mind above his birth and fortune ; a singular faculty of
writing with ease, with unction, and with elegance. He enjoyed a robust
health, which neither study, nor journeys, nor continual trouble of mind
could affect. His manners were pure and irreproachable, and his whole
soul was inflamed -with the love of God his Saviour. His book was
honoured as the instrument of incalculable good. Like the "Con
fessions of St. Augustine,'' the " Imitation of Thomas k Kempis," and
the "Thoughts of Pascal," "Quesnel's Reflections" have been a light in
a dark church — the means of guiding thousands and thousands of souls
— ^the instrument of consolation to numbers of all churches and con
fessions — a touchstone to detect and bring out the real spirit of Popery 
the unequalled pattern, in its own way, of a profitable and devout study
of the New Testament.
II. But from this notice of the author and his sentiments generaUy,
let us proceed to some considerations upon the great work itself. Let
us remark the characteristic excellencies of these Reflections, and
the CHIEF FAULTS whioh are mingled with them.
(I.) The CHARACTERISTIC EXCELLENCIES of the Reflections are— the
prominence given to the doctrine of grace ; the union of this ¦with the
most interior views of spiritual religion ; the application of every thing
to the practical purposes of the Christian life ; the detection of the cor
ruptions of the world, of the human heart, and of the false professor of
Christianity; a high reverence for the Holy Scriptures; a constant

INTRODUCTION. xv
regard, in all the observations, to the duties, temptations, and success
of the minister of religion ; and a holy love and dependence of heart on
the blessed Saviour and the influences of the Holy Spirit.
1. The DOCTRINE OF GRACE IS the basis of Quesnel's theology. Every
part of his work is penetrated with it. He refers every thing to its
operations. He lays man low, as a fallen, ignorant, impotent creature.
He traces back to the gracious will of God, in election, all the streams
which flow from it as the source of salvation. He seems to have a de
light in illustrating the freedom of this grace, and the difference between
its effects and the works of mere nature, and reason, and philosophy.
His own soul appears to have felt more of a sense of obligation to the
mercy and pity of God, from his own experience and his observation
upon the state of man generally, than almost any writer we know.
Take the first example that falls under our eye : Matt. xi. 25-27. " The
full sight of God's mercies toward his elect, of their preference, distinc
tion, and separation from the corrupt mass, deserves the praise and ac
knowledgment of Christ's heart." — " Simplicity and humility are their
distinguishing character. My God and my Saviour, imprint on my
heart this amiable character, which is the mark of thine elect!" — "God
is master of his own gifts ; but he divides them by a will full of wisdom,
and upon motives which are in himself, and not iu us." — "How lovely
is this dependence ! 0 Jesus, I accept it with joy. I desire to depend
on thee,'' etc. ,
This is a capital point. It honours God without reserve. And if it
be not unscripturally stated, it promotes humility, love, and spirituality
of mind in the highest degree.
2. And in Quesnel it is ever united with the most interior views of a
PRACTICAL, SPIRITUAL, AND ELEVATED PIETY. We Scarcely know any
writer so thoroughly practical as he, in the true sense of the term. Not
in the sense of enforcing practice without motive and doctrine, but in
the sense of making doctrine the constant and unvaried motive and
spring of obedience. The grace of God is not stated as an abstract
dogma, or defended and cleared in an argumentative and speculative
manner ; but is uniformly stated as the first spring of that communion
with God, that delight in him as a Father, that inward life of love and
repose and gratitude whioh constitutes the essential difference between
the living and the nominal Christian. The author has an interior view
of religion as seated in the breast, nourished by the grace from which it
sprung, and rising up toward God as the Fountain of felicity. Yet there
is nothing of mysticism in this. It is the genuine, scriptural, sound
view of that union with God through Jesus Christ which reunites what
the fall had dissevered, and replaces man in a commerce with the Father
of spirits.

xvi INTRODUCTION.
Let this be a specimen: John xv. 7-10. "Observe here three sorts of
union, or three conditions, in order to obtain from God that which we
desire: — 1. We must be united to Christ by a lively faith, and by charity.
2. We must be united to him by a love of his truth, and a frequent
meditation upon his word. 3. The third is prayer. It is by this that
the branch draws the juice and sap of the vine, and receives fi-om thence
more plentiful nourishment. God chooses us to be Christ's members,
and on purpose to work in and by us all the good we do. Thou God
of my heart, who didst first love me, cause me to continue with perse
verance in thy love, that thy love may continue eternally in me ! The
fidelity of my love toward God, and the adherence of my heart to his
law, can be nothing but the effect of thy almighty grace, 0 Jesus,
vouchsafe, I beseech thee, to produce this effeot in me, in honour of that
which thy Father produced in thee !"
3. But the application of every thing to the practical purposes of the
Christian obedience is a further excellent point in our author. The
interior joys and peace of grace he causes to appear in their fruits, he
carries out naturally and spontaneously into their appropriate effects.
Love, faith, hope, the promises, the influences of the Spirit, prayer, the
whole inward testimony of religion to the soul, are most tenderly and
sweetly conducted to their due consequences, in the righteousness of the
life and the discharge of the relative duties.
Hear how he speaks : Matt. v. 14. " Of what advantage is it to a
Christian to be a light, in respect of his faith and calling, if he be
nothing but darkness as to his life and actions ? If an infidel, instead
of seeing the light of the gospel and the purity of faith shine in our con
versation, discovers nothing there but the darkness of sin, we certainly
blind instead of enlightening him."
The reader will observe in these quotations, much of that originality
and force of observation which we noticed as distinguishing the cast of
his mind. There is a clear and striking manner of putting things,
which has, no doubt, much contributed to the great circulation and use
fulness of the work.
Perhaps this ingenuity appears nowhere more clearly than in his
remarks upon our Lord's miracles and parables. Every thing is turned
to one purpose, the illustration of the grace of God, the promotion of the
interior life of grace, and the fruitful obedience to be produced by it.
How beautiful is the following reflection 1 Matt. xiii. 8. "The good
ground is the good heart ; none is such, but through the mercy of God
and the grace of Jesus Christ. It was a mercy peculiar to thee, 0 Lord,
to purchase at so dear a rate such barren and accursed ground, full of
thorns and briers, and fit only to be burned, that thou mightest make it
a rich and blessed soil, fertile in every kind of good fruit, piind and

INTRODUCTION. xvii
miserable is that man who attributes this work to himself, and gives
not thee the glory of it, 0 my Saviour."
The ejaculations in these and similar sentences are also observable:
the pious mind is thus led up to Christ iu brief prayers ; the heart is
touched at once ; controversy and dispute give way to devotion ; and the
deepest practical ends of Christianity are promoted. We know of few
writers who attain this in the degree which Quesnel does : he lives by
prayer. 4. The detection of the corruptions of the world, of the human
HEART, and of the false professor of Christianity, is what you would
expect from a writer so qualified by natural talent for acute observation,
and so sanctified by divine mercy to make the best use of it. He is
truly, what most Roman Catholics are only in profession, devoted to God,
and abstracted from earthly things. His mind is dead to the world.
He detects its snares, condemns its vanities, exposes its deceits, shuns
its maxims. Hear what he says on the occasion of the daughter of
Herodias : Matt. xiv. 6. " The diversions of the world, feasting and
dancing, are but too commonly the occasions of sin. After so fatal an
example as this, can we in the least doubt whether balls are not snares
for souls, destructive of chastity and* modesty, and a pernicious inven
tion to awaken and excite the passions."
This is excellent in the highest degree ; but mark with what point he
turns and addresses mothers: "Unhappy mother, who exposes her
daughter to the ship-wreck which herself has suffered, and makes her the
instrument of her passion and revenge, and the murderer of a saint !"
And then notice the solemnity of the caution he subjoins : " God grant
that many mothers may take warning by this example, and have it before
their eyes, when they are about to introduce their daughters at court!"
Thus he pursues the world in other passages which we need not cite.
Nor will we quote places which prove his skill in exposing the human
heart. He shows it to be nothing, by nature, but falsehood and sin.
He declares that whatever good it has, must proceed from another
source. He breaks out continually into prayer, for the cleansing virtues
of Jesus Christ.
The false professor of Christianity is dealt with in a manner equally
faithful. Could any Protestant write better than he does on Matt.
xxiii. 23. "To be exact in little things, and to omit such as are essential
to religion and piety, what is this but to deceive ourselves ? Unhappy
is that man who rests secure in a vain and conceited exactness about
the niceties of devotion, instead of applying himself to his proper duties,
to the reformation of his heart, and to the faithful observation of justice
and charity toward his neighbour : this is a kind of delusion more
dangerous to some souls than an open temptation to sin."
2» B

xviii INTRODUCTION.
5. But we proceed to notice another characteristic, his high reverence
FOR THE Holt Scriptures. Our author's mind is penetrated with a
sense of the Holy Scriptures, of their divine inspiration, of their authority
over the conscience, of the pecuUar virtue they possess for nourishing
the Christian heart. He conceives that what God has spoken by his
Spirit is exactly adapted for that divine life which the same God, by
the same Spirit, creates in the human breast. He looks on the Bible as
the waters of life, flowing to assuage the thirst which the new creature
experiences. "We must be united to God," (says our author on John
XV. 7,) "by a love of his truth, and a frequent meditation upon his word,
which is the rule of onr desires, as being the book of God's designs, to
which all our prayers and desires ought to be conformable. It is not
sufficient to have faith and charity, we must continually nourish them
with the word of God. To read it carelessly, and for fashion's sake, is
directly contrary to that reverence which is due to it, and to our own
spiritual advantage. It must be imprinted strongly on our minds, or,
as it were, engraved deep on our hearts, that it may abide therein. No
thing but love can perform this, as nothing but love can cause us to
practise it."
Such remarks are of the first oFder, drawn from the very unction of
the Holy Spirit — golden observations, the fruit of deep meditation, on the
blessed Scriptures.
6. But there is a peculiarity in our Quesnel's Reflections still more
important to ministers — he has especial regard in his book to the
DUTIES, THE TEMPTATIONS, AND THE SUCCESS OF MINISTERS. He VCry fre
quently frames a series of six, eight, or ten qualifications of the faithful
pastor. At some times he delineates his spirit and labours ; at others,
he contrasts these -with the indolence and unfaithfulness of the worldly-
minded teacher. Now he insists on the humility, spirituality, tender
ness of heart, prayerfuluess of the true shepherd ; and then he exposes
the pride, secularity, love of applause, selfishness of the false one. He
especially dwells on the larger unction of the Holy Spirit, which rests
on the diligent and spiritually-minded pastor, the brighter knowledge
of the Scriptures, the more copious blessings of grace, the wider success.
This is an excellency quite his own. Quesnel's reflections are the
minister's manual. Look at most of our commentators ; they are occu
pied in expounding, clearing, reconciling the divine word ; but they do
not seem to study it under a deep and penetrating sense of ministerial
responsibility. The labours, temptations, aims, success of the minister,
do not appear to have been present with the commentator's mind. Ques
nel studied the New Testament as a minister for ministers.
"A true minister of Christ, after his example," (Matt. ix. 35, et seq.,)
"is neither detained in one place by the sweetness of the applause of

INTRODUCTION. xix
some, nor discouraged from his ministry by the jealousy and calumny
of others. There is an extreme want of labourers in the church. There
are abundance who bear this character, but few who really work ; and
a great many who work in the Lord's name, but very few whom he will
own for his ministers. Jesus Christ requires for labourers, not such as
by intrigues and human solicitations assume the office, but such as are
the fruit of the church's prayers: not such as enter into the harvest, to
make themselves the lords of it, but those who labour only for the profit
of the Lord of it ; not such as in the repose of an idle life enjoy the
honour and temporal advantages of the ministry, but suoh as work hard,
like daily labourers. We do not sufficiently comprehend how much it
is our duty and interest to pray for the obtaining good bishops, good
curates, holy preachers, full of zeal, knowledge, and disinterestedness.'.'
"The mysterious fishing," (Luke v. 5,) "represents that of souls. In
vain the preacher labours to convert them, if God gives not his blessing.
It is upon his grace that he must rely, and not upon his own eloquence
and strength. The fishing of the night is an unsuccessful and unfor
tunate fishing, without light, without mission, without Christ's assist
ance, in a bark where he is not, and without his direction. The fishing
of the day is a blessed fishing, which is carried on by the light of faith,
in the sight of the Sun of Righteousness, with confidence in the promise
of his assistance to the end of the world, and in the midday of truth."
7. But we hasten to notice — what scarcely requires distinct' notice —
Quesnel's holt love and dependence of heart on the blessed Saviour,
AND the influences OF THE HoLT SpiRiT. This is the inspiring theme
which dwells on his tongue ; this is the secret charm which elevates his
Reflections ; this is the master-key which unlocks the treasures of his
divinity. All our preceding points derive their virtue from this. The
whole soul of Quesnel is filled with love to Christ, and holy dependence
on his grace and Holy Spirit.
In this he stands far superior to almost all the writers of his church.
Not only does he far surpass Massillon, Bourdaloue, Bossuet, De la Rue,
Soanen, Neuville, aud the other great French preachers, but also Pascal,
Nicole, and the other ornaments of the Jansenist school. Even Thomas
a Kempis himself, sweet and sacred as he is, must yield the palm to
Quesnel, as to distinct views of the grace and power of Christ, and the
operations of his Spirit. Nothing is high, nothing pure, nothing efficar
cious, nothing permanent, nothing salutary for souls, according to Ques
nel, but the name and grace of the incarnate God.
(II.) What, then, it may be asked, can be the material faults in a
¦work of such varied Excellence ?
They are many, and of very considerable importance ; and it is the

XX INTRODUCTION.
more necessary to state them in an Introductory Essay to a republica
tion of the Reflections, for two reasons : —
The one, that the grace of God mat be magnified in bringing light
out of such darkness. We cannot feel a real scriptural interest and
delight in contemplating the character of Quesnel, unless we clearly see
the thick darkness which, on some questions, oppressed his mind. We
must state his errors fully and unreservedly, not from a spirit of envy
or false triumph, but in order to glorify the operations of grace, and to
magnify the virtue and power of that truth which dwelt in him.
A second reason is, that we may caution young students against any
attempts to lessen the evil of religious errors because they happen
to be associated, in such a case as that before us, with very extraordinary
excellencies. In a day like the present, it is most necessary to be on
our guard. Corruptions in doctrine are gradual. Declines in the faith
almost always begin with pious and eminent persons, whose high attain
ments throw a veil over their faults, and hand them down with a species
of authority. The direct tendency of the false doctrines, the supersti
tions, the tyranny over the conscience, the prohibition of the Scriptures,
maintained by the church of Rome, is to ignorance, self-righteousness,
irreligion, unholiness. Quesnel and such men are the exception, and
the rare exception — not the rule. The church of Rome never admitted
and espoused, as a body, such men as Quesnel, Pascal, Nicole ; but con
demned, persecuted, and cast them out. If our author be quoted as a
proof of the excellent graces which may be found in a Roman Catholic,
let it be remembered, that he was a Roman Catholic persecuted, exiled,
condemned ; let it be remembered, that the very truths which he asserted
with so much zeal, were culled out from his book, were arranged in one
hundred and one propositions, and branded as heretical.
With these cautions upon our mind, the reading of Quesnel's book
may be most beneficial. We are delighted to see in his case the fact,
that a very high measure of light, holiness, love, joy, deadness to the
world, interior union and communion with God, real spiritual religion,
may consist with many defects, many errors, many grievous false doc
trines. There are few studies more profitable than the calm and un
prejudiced contemplation of such a character as Quesnel. Few things
more tend to exalt the grace and mercy of Christ ; few things more tend
to wean us from following too implicitly any human teacher ; few things
more warn us against adopting all the opinions of any human writer.
But let us classify the defects in our excellent author. They are either
derived from a want of clearness in the parcelling out and dividing the
truths which he held, or they spring from the actual insertion of un-
scriptural doctrines and tenets, or they arise from an erroneous system
of interpreting the language of Holy Scripture.

INTRODUCTION. xxi
1. There is a want of clearness in the parcelling out and dividing
THE CAPITAL TRUTHS WHICH HE EEALLT HELD. He believed most Cordially
and fully all fundamental truths, as we have repeatedly shown, but he
had not the blessing of a pure education in scriptural divinity ; and
therefore truth lay in his mind undivided, unarranged, — or rather divided
and arranged falsely and dangerously.
The doctrine of justification by faith only, without the deeds of the
law, Quesnel did not explicitly, though he most certainly did implicitly,
believe. Sometimes he states the justification of man clearly and fully;
but in general, obscurely and confusedly.
This is from the different truths of the gospel not being parcelled out
and divided by a free and independent study of the Holy Scriptures.
The church of Rome confounds justification and sanctification. The
church of Rome holds merits, and satisfactions, and works of superero
gation. Quesnel is hampered, cramped, by these decisions. His noble
spirit, taught of God and raised upward by his grace, is fettered by the
bonds of educational prepossession, and church decrees, and writings of
fathers. This is the chief defect in Quesnel, as it is in most of the Roman
Catholic writers. I know not one that holds clearly and consistently
the doctrine of a free justification as taught by St. Paul, and defended
by Luther and the Reformers.
But this defect, being qualified by an unreserved belief in the doctrine
bf grace, in the merciful election of God, the utter inefficiency of man to
any thing good, and the reward of mercy, was, in Quesnel's case, as in
St. Augustine's, not a fundamental error, but a want of order and clear
ness in his theological creed.
Another confusion in our author's mind respects the sacrament of bap
tism, to which he seems uniformly to attribute the actual communica
tion of the divine life, and the positive infusion of the new principle of
grace ; though no writer can more strongly insist on the necessity of a
'spiritual change in every human being, in order to salvation. To attri
bute too much to baptism as an opus operatum, is not, however, a defect
peculiar to Roman Catholics. It is blind human nature, fond of substi
tuting the sign for the thing signified.
Another point where the want of a right division of the word of
truth is apparent, relates to heretics and schismatics, and what he
considers the unity of the church. His mind is so possessed with
the Roman Catholic exposition of the doctrine of the church, the keys,
the power of absolution, the primacy of Peter, the limits of grace, and
non-salvation out of the church, that much confusion appears. That
he held the freedom and efficacy of divine grace, the spiritual union of
all the elect, the invisible body of Christ, consisting of believers of all
ages and all parts of the world, is perfectly certain. Yet at times

xxu INTRODUCTION.
he speaks confusedly, and, if strictly interpreted, in a contradictory
manner. 2. There are faults arising from the actual insertion op unsokip-
TUEAL doctrines AND TENETS. Thesc peep out, as it were, from under
the large and heavenly furniture of divine knowledge and grace with
which he is blessed.
On some points his mind appears to be filled with gross darkness ; and
if the grievous errors to which he clung occupied any considerable space
in the whole body of the Reflections, they would totally destroy its vital
excellency, and alter its whole character. But these traits of his corrupt
church appear but rarely ; are qualified by important concessions ; seem
the mere effects of education and habit, contrary to the prevailing tenor
of his sentiments ; are the fragments and remaining links of that chain
of darkness in which the grace of God found him, and from which it
released his soul.
The false doctrines here referred to are gross, and some of them idola
trous ; but there are other slighter, though not unimportant errors,
whioh spring from the confusion of truth in his mind to which we have
already adverted, and whioh are less fundamental in their nature. They
may be chiefly traced to the sources we have pointed out : the defects
on justification, baptism, and the church.
We state these things that the darkness may be seen and felt. We
hide nothing. We apologize for nothing. The full exhibition of the
real case is essential to our whole purpose. Let the extraordinary
phenomena be considered. Here is a man full of the Holy Ghost, full
of the deepest humility of soul, full of tlie purest and most spiritual love
to the Saviour; born of God, and following God in a new and holy
obedience — a man who drew upon himself the persecution of the corrupt
church of which he is a member, by his bold avowal of the doctrines of
grace — a man whose -writings have been a blessing to thousands upon
thousands ; and yet this same man believes, in a certain way, these gross
errors, is infected with these extraordinary superstitions, remains a
member of this apostate church.
What shall we say to such a commixture of light and darkness, but
that it forms an additional confirmation of that doctrine of the corrup
tion of man whioh laid the foundation, in this very Quesnel's mind, of
all the humility which adorned him? What shall we say, but that
where the heart is right, the head may be, in many important respects,
wrong ? What shall we say, but that where the capital points of con
trition and penitence for sin, an humble faith in the merits and sacri
fice of Christ, and an entire dependence on the operations of the Spirit,
possess the soul, much defect in knowledge and theological furniture
of mind may exist ?

INTRODUCTION. xxiii
If these are the real facts of the case — and I apprehend they are so —
then it is no use arguing against them ; the point is to draw the proper
instruction from such phenomena.
And when we see the eminent, the almost unparalleled attainments
in the spiritual life of such men as Pascal, Nicole, Quesnel, — when we
see their love to God, their separation from the vanities of the world,
their holy communion of prayer, their sense of the unutterable evil of
sin, their apprehension of the divine grace, as the source of all good,
their simple, fervent, self-denying love to Christ, their compassion and
zeal for the souls of their fellow-creatures, — we must acknowledge, that
intellectual errors are less valid to overthrow, than moral and affec
tionate emotions of the soul are powerful to sustain, the spiritual life.
The Christian lives by love, not by doctrine. If there be light enough
in the understanding to lead to an acquaintance with ourselves and
with Jesus Christ, our attainments will go on in proportion to our holy
affections, our fervent prayers, our measure of the Holy Spirit, our self-
abasement, and our union with Christ, the Head of all influence and grace.
3. But we shall be reminded of a third source of the defects in Ques
nel's Reflections — a defective system op interpretation of the Holy
ScEiPTUEES ; we mean not a totally false system, but one materially
erroneous, defective in its principles, necessarily leaving the interpreter
in uncertainty and darkness continually. The false principle in the
system is, the interpreting according to human authorities and tradition,
and not according to the real meaning of the Holy Spirit in the word,
gathered by a sound judgment and a careful examination of the Scrip
tures themselves. To interpret by the fathers, is to make the New
Testament a nose of wax. To impose a certain meaning upon Scripture,
instead of drawing all our opinions from that sacred book, is funda
mentally erroneous. Language is the mere instrument of communicat
ing ideas. In using human language, the inspiring Spirit employs
ideas which already form part of the stock of human knowledge. This
is the point from which we must set out. Human language must be
interpreted by the ordinary laws of human language: otherwise, we
have no revelation of God's will intelligible to man.
All Quesnel's errors spring from the trammels and bonds which the
church of Rome imposes on her members. He interprets as he is bidden,
not as the truth of things demand. An enlightened understanding as
to the main truths of Christianity, and a holy heart, led him, indeed,
into substantial truth ; but his fathers, and councils, and decrees, and
bulls, perverted the operations of his fine powers on many important
occasions. This appears in two principal respects. He applies, without authority,
every expression and incident he can, to establish the doctrines or tenets

xxiv INTRODUCTION.
of his church, instead of bringing these doctrines and tenets to the
standard of the Bible itself.
The other mischief is, he gives scope to a firuitful imagination ; and,
instead of interpreting the meaning of the Scriptures soberly, he files off
upon glosses, accommodations, pretty thoughts, secondary uses of tho
passages before him. The attentive reader ¦will perceive this imme
diately ; and these remarks have extended to suoh a length, that we
cannot stop to make citations.
To occasional playfulness of fancy, we have no objection; to the
strong and hyperbolical language of the emotions, we have no objection;
to the flights of devotional poetry, we have no objection ; to parable,
allegory, metaphor, we have no objection; to the accommodation of his
torical incidents to the illustration of spiritual things, we have no ob
jection. All these methods we find used in the Sacred Scriptures. The
established laws of interpretation apply to them, as they do to the plainest
parts of the Bible. Men know how to interpret an act of parliament,
when that is before them, as they know how to interpret a heroic poem
or an ode. If there be true faith in the heart, which seeks honestly to
learn and to do the will of God, this faith will set to work all that com
mon sense, all that integrity, all that spirit of prayer, all that applicar
tion of the powers of the mind to the language of the Scriptures, all that
entire submission of the understanding to the matter of revelation, on
which a true interpretation depends.
What we object to in Quesnel is the dangerous system, the defective
and erroneous principles, or rather want of principles, in his interpreta
tion, whereby his mind, at sea without a rudder or pilot, is toSsed hither
and thither. Fancy is the staple commodity, not the ornament and
appendage. He proceeds continually as the church directs, as the
fathers happen to dictate, as his imagination suggests; and not as the
real import of the passage before him requires.
The consequence is, the errors in doctrine- which we have been point
ing out. Against this whole system we enter our solemn protest. In
the case of Quesnel, the evils were neutralized by the high guidance of
spiritual affections, and the blessed infiuences of the Holy Spirit. But
the evils are not the less real in themselves. If a sound system of in
terpretation be once relinquished, all is thrown into uncertainty, the
Scriptures may be made to prove any thing, and the very first end of a
Divine Revelation may be defeated. But we propose to notice very briefly —
III. The plan on which this translated edition has been con
ducted. And here we hasten to relieve the reader from a great source
of anxiety. He would naturally ask how he could safely intrust a work
debased with such gross and dangerous errors to the hands of minis-

INTRODUCTION. xxv
ters, or, in fact, how he could venture to read such a book himself? We
inform him, then, that these errors are all omitted in the present
edition. Every one of the passages alluded to above is lefl out in this
translation. We referred to them in order to give the true view of our
author's character, and to show what errors may possibly exist ¦with
a very high measure of the divine grace.
The edition we now republish is from the pen of a Protestant English
clergyman, the Rev. Richard Russell, who carefully left out the passages
of a Roman Catholic character, and printed, in an appendix to the last
volume, the omitted words and sentences.* These do not fill more than
twenty, out of seventeen hundred pages (for such is about the propor
tion) of which the work consists, and which of course are uninfected
¦with these gross and lamentable corruptions.
The translation was made about a century since ; but we have not
been able to learn any thing important concerning the author of it. He
prefixes to his'work the one hundred and one propositions which the
court of Rome condemned ; he intimates, that in his day there were
many among Protestants more in the dark, as to the doctrines of the
' grace of God in salvation, than Quesnel and other divines of the Roman
Catholic church ; and, alas ! the case is, we fear, the same now.
And this is one principal motive for the republication. We have no
work of the same kind; we have nothing in practical divinity so sweet,
so spiritual, so interior as to the real life of grace, so rich, so copious,
so ortginal. We have nothing that treats the whole New Testament as
the manual of the minister of religion. We have nothing that extols
the grace of God, and abases and lowers man so entirely. We lessen
not the value of our various admirable comments on the New Testa
ment: they have each their particular excellencies. But none of them
supersedes Quesnel; none can supply that thorough insight into the
world, the evil of sin, the life of faith and prayer, which he possesses.
And this is what we want in the present day. We have learned com
ments enough; we have light, and doctrine, and systems of divinity
enough. But devotional feelings, communion with God, the life of grace,
the separation of heart from the vanities of the world, — this is what we
need. And we doubt whether all the gross errors and defects of Quesnel are
so injurious to the mind of a young Protestant student, as those plausi
ble comments whioh sap the foundations of grace and truth; which
elevate the natural power of man ; which place justificatioil on the foot
ing of human works, conjointly with the obedience and death of Christ ;

* Many other erroneous or amhiguoua expressions have been omitted in this
edition, which Mr. RusseU had overlooked. 3

xxvi INTRODUCTION.
which explain away most of the passages concerning the new and divine
birth of the soul ; which weaken or deny the experience of religion in
the heart ; which teach conformity to the world, and insist not on the
life of faith and grace.
Here, however, we may be mistaken. But we conceive we are in
danger of no mistake in warmly recommending Quesnel for the par
ticular purposes for which his work is designed. We would place him
with Calvin, and Hall, and Henry, and Doddridge, and Guyse, and Scott.
We would place him far above another series of commentators, whom it
would be invidious to name. At the same time, more caution is ne
cessary in reading Quesnel than in reading many other authors. We
would not put him into the hands of young and inexperienced Chris
tians, whose principles are not fixed, and who want the first " sincere
milk of the word." After all the , omissions made in our edition, the
defective theology of our author could not, of course, be changed ; the
confusion in his own mind could not be wholly cleared up ; the integrity
of the work could not be violated ; the occasional tinge of error could
not be obliterated.
The doctrine of justification by faith only, if thoroughly knovra, -will
be a barrier against most of these evils. The operations of grace, not
only by the sacraments, but in all the other means of instruction, and
especially by the meditation of the Holy Scriptures, if duly apprehended,
will protect the heart against many remaining errors of this work.
The defective system of interpretation will require more care, because
it is seductive to an ardent imagination: it pleases, it opens new and
attractive views of refiection. Let the young minister be on his guard.
Let him admire, -without imitating, the fancies and ingenious turns of
our author. Let him use them for devotion and prayer, not for a model
of composition or a rule of interpretation. Let him advise with them,
select from them, exercise a choice and discretion in his handling of
them ; not indiscriminately folWw their guidance.
We have only to add, that this translation is made from the last and
more complete edition of the original work. A translation of the "Re
flections on the Gospels" was published at Bath, in 1791, which is
materially defective. It leaves out, under the pretence of avoiding the
Roman Catholic errors, almost all the spirituality and beauty of the
work ; and gives no just apprehension of the real sentiments of Quesnel.
Not so our edition, which, passing over only the decidedly erroneous
passages, leaves the whole spirit of the work unimpaired, and allows
the reader to judge of tho doctrinal, and practical, and experimental
views of the pious author.
D.W.
Islington, June, 1830.

AUTHOR^S PREFACE.

It is not necessary to detain the reader long at theentrance
of this ¦work, in order to inform him ¦wherein it consists. The
title alone is sufficient to show the design and nature of it.
It is now twenty years ago since the first part of it ¦was pub
lished ; and the end proposed in doing it, was to invite those
to the frequent reading of the gospel, who, to excuse them
selves from reading and meditating upon it, complain of tbeir
incapacity to make useful reflections upon the wonders of our
blessed Saviour's life, and of the barrenness they find in them
selves, when they apply their minds to meditate upon this
divine book. It was thought that some at least might be cured
of that disrelish which is so dishonourable to the word of Grod,
if they were but a little assisted to enter into the spirit of his
Son's mysteries, and a way were opened to the great truths
which are contained in the words and actions of our divine
master. The specimen which was then published met with greater
success than we could have presumed to hope ; and that hav
ing raised a desire after those Reflections which we published
four years ago, upon the other parts of the New Testament,
even these have since occasioned many still to wish that our
Reflections on the Gospels might be enlarged, which they are
in this last edition.
This is sufficient as to what concerns these Reflections them
selves. But without doubt there are many who would not be
fully satisfied, if nothing were said by way of preface concern
ing the book itself, which is the subject of these Reflections.
And though the preface which we have put before the Acts,
and the other writings of the apostles, do not absolutely oblige
us to put one likewise before the Gospels, yet those who, per
haps, never had an opportunity of informing themselves con
ceming the excellency of this sacred- book, would have some
cause to complain, if we did not here say something which

xxvui AUTHOR'S PREFACE.
might show the nature and value thereof; that so the respect
and esteem which they will conceive for it by this means, may
excite in them a desire of instruction from it by their own
endeavours, and cause them to make the reading of the Gos
pels one of their most common and ordinary - employments.
To such persons, therefore, that which follows is addressed:
One could not but have a very great idea of this book, were
it only to be said of it, that it is the history of the life, actions,
and sufferings of the Saviour of the world, and the foundation
of the Christian religion, which he came to establish upon
earth. But it may justly be added, that the book of the Gos
pels is properly the book of Christians, the book of th€ chil
dren of God ; that it is by means thereof that they know their
divine adoption, and their new birth in Jesus Christ ; that
therein they discover the rights and prerogatives of this
heavenly birth, and learn the holiness and the duties of it ;
and that therein they ought to study those laws and maxims
by which they are obliged to frame their manners and to
regulate their lives, that' they may not be altogether unworthy
of that august dignity, to which nothing on earth can be
compared. One may proceed yet farther, and say, that it is the original
title, which contains the promise and gift of the inheritance
in heaven ; that it is the contract of the new covenant between
God and man, the divine code, as it were, in which the funda
mental laws of the kingdom of God are recorded ; or otherwise
that it is, as St. Paul expresses it, "The gospel of salvation,"
which informs us how God predestinated us in Jesus Christ to
an immortal life, how he gave us his Son in the incarnation,
and how his Son wrought out our salvation upon earth by the
inysteries of his life and death ; and lastly, how he has anointed,
inarked, and sealed us with his Holy Spirit, whom he has put
into our hearts, in order to imprint his law upon them, by
causing us to love and to fulfil it, and that he may continue
in them as an earnest and sacred pledge of the glory which is
reserved for us in the heavens.
Hence it is easy to infer, that one of the most just and
reasonable inclinations of a Christian, who is a child of God
and a member of Christ,' is that which makes him desirous to
read the gospel. One may venture to say, that this is an in
stinct which is impressed upon him by the Spirit of God, and
which would certainly cause him to place his chief delighf in
this divine book, did not the love of worldly things, and the

AUTHOR'S PREFACE. xxix
violence of his passions, extinguish it in his heart, by fixing it
upon sensible objects, which give him a disgust and aversion
for those good things which are declared to him in the gospel.
Thus we see, that in proportion as the love of the latter is
renewed in the heart, our relish for the gospel is proportion
ably renewed ; and that, on the contrary, it is lost more and
more the farther we depart from the holiness of Christianity,
and the less we live according to the spirit of the divine adop
tion. Insomuch that we may very justly apply to the children
of this world, that which Christ said to the Jews, who boasted
that they were the children of God: "He that is of God,
heareth God's words : ye therefore hear them not, because ye
are not of God."
And it is not only the inclination of children to be desirous
to hear their father, and to be instructed from his mouth ; but
the instructing of them is a right which God has always con
served to himself in respect of his children, and of which he
has shown himself jealous in every age and state of religion ;
a right this, which devolved, as it were, upon Jesus Christ, aa
the Son of God by the incarnation, and as the founder and
universal priest of the Christian church. "God," says St.
Paul, at the beginning of the Epistle to the Hebrews, " who at
sundry times, and in divers manners, spake in time past unto
the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken
unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things,
by whom also he made the worlds."
The apostle, having here a design to enhance the greatness
and excellency of the Christian religion by a magnificent en
comium, thought he could not begin it by any thing more lofty
than this: "That God hath spoken unto us by his Son," and
that salvation has been preached to us by the Lord himself.
Which is as much as to say, That it was neither by a prophet,
nor by Moses, nor by an angel, that God was pleased to treat
with us, and to inform us concerning his will ; but by his own
Son. It is he who is the great prophet of the Christian
church, the legislator of the new law, the angel of the eternal
covenant, and the teacher of righteousness, who came in per
son to teach the ways thereof to his church; and that not
by speaking to her by private inspirations, confused voices,
obscure signs, enigmatical figures, or mysterious dreams, but
speaking himself with his own mouth, as a friend speaks to his
friend, a brother to a brother, a father to his children, and a
master to his disciples.
3*

xxxii AUTHOR'S PREFACE.
to exercise over our souls, by delivering them from the death
of sin, and from the tyranny of the devil.
Whoever, therefore, in reading the gospel, is desirous to
consider and know what it is we call the old man, man cor
rupted, a child of Adam, a sinner fallen from that happy state
in which he was created; or in other words, whoever is desirous
to know himself, he will find his own character in the differ
ently diseased persons mentioned in the gospel. He will
behold in the man born blind, and in all those other blind per
sons there recorded, the blindness and ignorance, with respect
to God and our duties, in which we, are born ; in the paralytic,
that inability as to all good into which sin has cast us ; in the
burning fever of St. Peter's wife's mother, the heat of concu
piscence which inflames our hearts; in the woman with the
bloody issue, the habit of carnal vices ; in the deaf and dumb
person, the deafness of the heart toward God, and its utter in
capacity to confess its own miseries, and to praise its Creator;
in the dropsical person, avarice and the eager desire of false
riches, the abundance of which does but increase the thirst
after them, and cause that swelling of the heart which is the
vice of the rich ; and so of the rest.
But the second portraiture of the old man, namely, of the
vices and corrupt inclinations, which, unless the grace of
Christ prevent us very powerfully, do continually reign in our
heart, is that which we see in the conduct of the Scribes and
Pharisees, in whom the corruption of man's heart appears in
its proper nature and in all its violence. We cannot avoid
being filled with indignation against them, when we behold
their pride, envy, jealousy, avarice, hypocrisy, and vanity;
their implacable hatred against him who showed their vices to
the world ; their blindness and hardness of heart at the sight
of our blessed Sa-riour's miracles; their fondness for super^
stition ; their attempts to make the law of God of none effect ;
their inhumanity and rage against all those who opposed their
designs; and, in a word, all the other vices, and all the cor
ruption which those whited sepulchres concealed under an
external show of religion, and an affected exactness in observ
ing some certain customs of the law, and all the false tradi
tions they had superadded to it. But while we abhor the
manners of the Pharisees, let us take great care that we do
not unreasonably flatter ourselves, as if we did not at all re
semble them, at least in some respect. We have all within
us the principle from which all these vices proceed. And if

AUTHOR'S PREFACE. xxxiii
they do not appear in our outward actions, it is perhaps because
we have other vices, from which the Pharisees were altogether
free. In short, if we have not their inclinations in the very
same degree of malice and corruption, we have at least enough
of them to endanger our salvation ; and perhaps there is scarce
any person in the world who is not a Pharisee in some respect,
and who has not reason to apprehend that some degree of the
leaven of those hypocrites lies latent in his heart. "Wo, wo
to us," says St. Jerome, "who inherit the vices of the Phari
sees !" How hideous therefore soever the representation which
the gospel gives us of them may appear, yet all persons may
reap some advantage from it, and every one ought to take
that admonition of our blessed Saviour as directed to himself:
" Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees."
Now, as to the portraiture of the second man, Jesus Christ,
the Saviour of the world, the head and pattern of Christians,
it is that which all who are honoured with this glorious title
ought to study with that care and application which are worthy
of him, whose name they actually do, and whose image and
resemblance they ought to bear. And in ¦what place of the
gospel will they not find him delineated ; since the gospel is
nothing else but Jesus Christ himself, still living and breathing
in his word, still doing the works of his divine omnipotence,
and suffering whatever human infirmity can suffer^still teach
ing on earth the truths of heaven, and forming for that blessed
place the church of the elect which sojourns here on earth ?
Upon which account, St. Augustine scruples not to say, " That
we ought to hear the gospel, as if it were our Lord himself still
present ; and not to say, ' Oh, how happy were they who saw
him with their eyes here on earth !' For many of those that
saw him, put him to death ; and many of those who never saw
him, have believed on him."
Nay, we even seem to have a very great advantage above
the former. They saw indeed Jesus Christ; they were wit
nesses of the wonders which he wrought in all places, and of
the good which he did to all persons ; they heard the truths
which proceeded out of his divine mouth, and which he de
livered with that force and energy which is peculiar to God
alone. But what a counterbalance to all this did they find
in the infirmity of his flesh, in his common and ordinary way
of life, in the ignominies and humiliations to which he sub
jected himself; the scandal whereof, followed by that of the
cross, was not yet removed by the 'glory of his resurrection,
c

xxxiv AUTHOR'S PREFACE.
and by all the wonderful works which confirmed the truth of
it in the succeeding ages ! But we who now receive this gos
pel of Jesus Christ, sealed with the blood of Christ himself,
confirmed by his resurrection and his glorious ascension, by
the mission and visible operations of his Spirit, by the accom
plishment of the prophecies and the promises, by the faith of
all nations, and by the blood of all the martyrs, who in all
parts of the world joyfully laid down their lives for the truth
of this divine book : let us, I say, to whom the gospel has been
given ¦with all these advantageous circumstances, instead of
vainly and unjustly repining at our not having heard it from
the mouth of our blessed Saviour, offer up our praises unto
him, for that through his favour we were born in an age,
wherein it is as great and real a folly not to receive this gos
pel as the word of God, as it seemed to the eyes of the Gen
tiles and infidels to be folly to receive it as something divine
and as the instrument of salvation.
Let us receive it, then, with reverence and gratitude ; let us
read it with affection and devotion ; let us place our dehght in
it, and make all that pious use of it which we ought to make
of a book written by Jesus Christ. For he it is, let us not
make the least doubt of it, who is the true author thereof;
and, therefore, let us be very far from entertaining the dan
gerous and visionary conceits of some certain writers, who
have dared to advance this notion : That it is not necessary
that an historical book, such as the gospel is, should have been
inspired by the Holy Ghost, in order to make it divine and
canonical. But let us rather say, with St. Augustine, That
" when the apostles and disciples of our blessed Saviour com
mitted to writing what he did and taught, we must hy no
means say that it was hot he who wrote it; since they were
his members who composed the whole, without inserting any
thing but what their Head himself revealed and dictated to
them. For whatever he intended we should read relating to
his words and actions, he caused them to write it, as it were,
with his own hands."
What comfort and consolation is it to our faith, to have so
immovable a foundation as this ! What joy to our hope, to
be no less assured of the truth and certainty of the promises
made in the gospel, than if the incarnate Truth himself de
livered them to us now with his own mouth ! What assistance
is it to our charity, to be assured that we shall find in this
adorable book the Mediator, without whom we cannot possibly

AUTHOR'S PREFACE. xxxv
be reconciled to God; the Way, without ¦which we cannot
go to him; the Guide, who alone can conduct us in it; the
Victim, in whose blood we must be washed ; the High-priest,
ever living, ever present, and ever making intercession for
us before the face of God; the Master, whom we ought to
hear; the Model, hy which we are to frame our lives; the
Pattern of all the virtues which should render us conform
able to our head; and, in a word, that adorable Head him
self, as the principle of life, of faith, and of the spirit of grace
in his members, and as the sovereign judge of the quick and
of the dead!
But if we desire earnestly to study the righteousness and
the life of faith, which is the Ufe of Christians, we must do it
with the respect, docility, caution, humility, submission, and
simplicity of faith; far from bringing along with us the pre
sumption, pride, boldness, and that spirit of self-sufficiency
and independency which heresy insensibly conveys into all
those whom she has seduced.
For nothing is more true than that which St. Augustine
says in his eighteenth Treatise upon the Gospel of St. John,
where he instructs his people how they ought to hear and read
the gospel. "Heresies," says he, "and pernicious doctrines,
which insnare souls, and cast them into the abyss of hell, have
sprung from no other cause but this, from men interpreting
the Scriptures, which are good in themselves, in a bad sense,
and then maintaining and defending that sense with all the
rashness and confidence imaginable." But in order to pre
serve the most unlearned from this misfortune, especially in
reading the Gospel of St. John, which is the most sublime of
all, this holy doctor gives them a rule, which he calls "A rule
proper to keep them sound in the faith;" by the help of which
they may, without any danger, feed upon the bread of the
divine -word. "It is absolutely necessary, my dear brethren,"
says he, "that we read or hear those things which are above
our capacity, with abundance of precaution, with a heart full
of piety and devotion, and, as it is written, with fear and
trembling : observing still this rule of a pure and sound faith.
That we should joyfully feed upon those truths which we are
able to understand, hut as to those which surpass our under
standing, let us defer our endeavours to understand thom till
another time, but let us not defer one moment giving our
assent to them without the least doubt; that is, though we

xxx-ri AUTHOR'S PREFACE.
may meet with something which is beyond our reach, let^ us
notwithstanding be fully persuaded that it contains nothing
but what is good and true."
Nothing can be more prudent and just than this advice;
but at the same time nothing is more humbling and more capa
ble of confounding the pride of those vain and presumptuous
persons, who think they can of themselves understand every
thing, and who flatter themselves that they have always the
spirit of understanding so as to penetrate into the sense of
the most difficult places ; nothing, I say, is more capable of
covering them with shame and confusion, than that account
which this great saint gives us afterward of his own disposi
tion. For this sublime and penetrating genius ranks him
self with children and disciples, and is not in the least ashamed
to confess his own ignorance, and the need he has to have re
course to the light of heaven, in order to attain to a true under
standing of the Scriptures. " Consider a little, my brethren,"
says he to his people, " who I am that I should undertake to
discourse to you upon the gospel, and of what nature the truths
are which I have taken upon me to explain ; the truths are
altogether divine, and I am only a man; they are spiritual
mysteries, and I am carnal; they are the secrets of eternity,
and I live in a body subject to mortality. Far be from me,
my dear brethren, all vain presumption, if I desire to preserve
the health of my soul in the house of God, which is the church
of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. I my
self receive according to my small capacity that which I set
before you: when truth vouchsafes to open to me, I feed upon
it together with you; when it shuts itself up from me, I knock
¦with you at the gate thereof."
Another disposition in order to read the gospel with profit,
as we may also infer from the words of St. Paul, is a great
esteem and reverence even for things which appear mean and
little to the eyes of the flesh. Those who behold them with
the eyes of faith, while they therein contemplate the righteous
ness and the life of faith, say with St. Paul, that they are " not
ashamed of the gospel of Christ ; for it is the power of God
unto salvation, to every one that believeth." St. Paul, in
saying that it is "the power of God," does in this one expres
sion comprehend every thing great and magnificent which can
be spoken to the advantage of this divine book. For his
meaning is, that if we consider the eternal truths therein

AUTHOR'S PREFACE. xxxvii
declared, it is God who speaks therein, it is God also of whom
he speaks, and he speaks as God ; because at one and the
same time he therein speaks both in such a manner as is suit
able to his greatness and infinite majesty, and to the depth of
the mysteries he reveals, and likewise in such a manner as is
adapted to the meanness of those whom he instructs, and to
the different capacity of those who read these heavenly oracles.
If we consider in them the past matters of fact which are there
recorded, what can we find in all the histories extant which
does at all come near this? A God who is born in a stable,
and who dies upon a cross ; who is at once both God and man ;
whose whole life is but one continued series of miracles which
could be the effect of nothing but a divine power; and whose
humiliations, sufferings, and death appeared more powerful
and miraculous than his miracles themselves: these having
almost generally only hardened those who had the greatest
reputation for wisdom and sanctity among his people, whereas
the former converted even his enemies and executioners.
As to those future things which are there foretold by this
God-man, nothing was ever at one and the Same time so credi
ble and incredible. The destruction of that temple, that city,
and that people, which God had established by so many
wonders, and by the subversion of so many nations ; the rais
ing up of another people who were to fill the whole earth, after
they had been formed into a body by twelve fishermen in the
midst of persecutions, and of a deluge of blood, and in opposi
tion to all the powers of the earth. These wonders already
come to pass were so visible, that they afford us a full security
as to that which remains still to be fulfilled, namely, the uni
versal judgment which a crucified God shall pass upon all
mankind, at the end of the world, in the sight of heaven and
earth, and the consummation of the church of the saints in
the glory of eternity, where all the magnificent promises made
to the elect, throughout the- whole Scripture, shall be fully
and perfectly accomplished.
In fine, the means which we there plainly see were chosen
by Christ, to the forming of these great designs, the manner
of life, and the laws he prescribes to those who are to compose
this new people, and the rules of the Christian morality which
he there teaches, are so worthy of admiration, that, at the
same time that human wisdom is confounded and pride humbled,
we cannot but adore the treasures of the wisdom and know-
VoL. I.— 4

xxxviu AUTHOR'S PREFACE;
ledge of God #hich lie hid therein, and are constrained to cry
out, that the finger of God is there, that the gospel is truly
"the power of God unto salvation to every one that believetk"
But it is not "the power of God unto salTation," except
only when the finger of God, that is, his Spirit, vouchsafes to
write in our hearts the faith or belief of the eternal truths and
mysteries of Christ, the hope of the accomplishment of: the
promises, and of the good thmgs to come, and charity, or the.
love of his law, his precepts, and his evangelical maxims. For
without this quickening Spirit, the letter, even of the gospel,
is a letter which killeth; and this savour of life is, by our,
abuse of it, changed into a savour of death. From whence it-
is easy to infer, that in order to read it with advantage, it is
necessary to join to this holy exercise such fervent prayer as
may draw down upon us his Spirit and his benediction. Our
own sanctification, as well as the sanctity of his word, requires
that our reading should have more in it of adoration than of.
study. And since even the food of our body ought to be
received with prayer and thanksgiving, how much more ought
this spiritual food to be so, which is not at all beneficial to the'
soul, but only so far as the heart is open to receive it, and the
eternal truth speaks to the heart ?
But the best preparation for the reading of the gospel as
we ought, is to love it ; and we cannot possibly love and relish
it, unless, the love of eternal treasures reign in our heart,- or,
at least, begin to gain ground therein, by a desire to devote our
selves to the service of God, and a purpose and resolution to.
seek his kingdom and the righteousness thereof. The under
standing of the truths of the gospel is the fruit of the purity
of our manners. Our lives must be conformable to the gospel,
if we desire to. attain to the knowledge of the secrets, of. the
mysteries, and of the holiness of the evangelical , perfection.
We must disengage our minds from the love of carnal and
perishing things, and we must love those which are heavenly
and eternal, to qualify us to take delight in a book, the whole
design whereof is, to destroy the former sort of love, and to
establish the latter upon the ruins thereof. For it is called
hy Jesus Christ, "the gospel," or, "the gospel of the king
dom," as St. Matthew has it; "the gospel of the grace of
God," by the apostle of grace; "the gospel of the glory of
Christ," and "the gospel of peace," by the same apostle in
other places. And it is. called by these appellations on no

AUTHOR'S PREFACE. xxxix
other account, hut because it declares to us the accomplish
ment of the spiritual promises, and informs us that Jesus
Christ, the high-priest of good things to come, appeared at
last in the world, to impart to us his grace and his Spirit,
thereby to conduct us in his ways to our heavenly country,
and there put us into the possession apd enjoyment of those
good things in the, bosom of God which are reserved for
his elect.
Not that the gospel may not and ought not to be read even
by those whose lives are irregular and disorderly. On the
contrary, such are to be invited to seek after remedies in this
holy book, for their blindness and concupiscence. And who
oan tell biit that it is the design of God to m,ake use of some
of these words to op'en, their eyes, and to convert them to hini-
splf, as he heretofore touched the heart of St. Anthony, and
chapged it in a, moment, by one word of the gospel, which he
heard a^ he entered into the church ; and as he converted St.
Augustine, by one single sentence of St. Paul? We must,
therefore, if possible, prevail with them to read the gospel;
but, at the same time, "we niust," as St. Augustine says,
''take from them, as from children, those childish amusements
with which their minds are so foolishly employed, that we may
substitute in their stead things more useful, as being for per-
spns grown up to full age." And that they may raise them-
selyes from - the earth on which we see them grovelling, we
must speak to them in the words of the same saint: "Rise,
seek; p.o,ur forth sighs and ardent desiyes, and knock at the
gate, which you find shut against you."
Let us then purify our hearts by the reading of the gospel,
aftd this reading will still purify them to a greater degree. Let
us sanctify our manners by our respect and reverence toward
this holy book, ajid this book will still sanctify us more and
jnore. Let us kipdle within us a warm and ardent affection
fpr this word of fire, and this fire will inflame our hearts to
Sjucih a degree, a,s to make us cry out with admiration, as did
the two disciples, " Did not our heart burn within us, while he
talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the
Scriptures!" Let us make, those sweets which God has pre
served for us in the word of his Son our chief dejight ; and
•W.& sha,ll quickly find, that this delicious word, will daily turn,
all that the world calls delight and diversion into bitterness.
In short, we shall find our instruction, our strength, our con-

THE

GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST,

ACCORDING TO

ST. MATTHEW.
CHAPTER I.
SECT. I. — THB GENEALOGY OF JESUS CHRIST.
1. The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the
son of Abraham.
The gospel is the history of the foundation of the kingdom
of God, which is the church; formed by the vocation and
union of the Jews, (David,) and Gentiles, (Abrahajn,) in one
and the same faith. It is the relation of the sojourning life
of Jesus Christ, the founder of this church, prefigured by the
life of Abraham ; and of his conquests, prefigured by those
of David. It is the covenant of the adoption of the children
of the promise made to those two great saints. What consola
tion is it, to find here, at first sight, the two titles by which
we belong to thee, 0 Jesus ! The first is the choice and
eternal adoption of thy Father, who becomes ours. Apd the
second is thy grace and Spirit, (the worthy fruit of all thy
labours and conflicts,) which make ua thy members. Grant
that, in this quality, we may become true penitents, like
David, and true worshippers of God, in the spirit of faith, hke
Abraham !
2. Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob bfegat
Judas and his brethren : 3. And Judas begat Phares and Zara of
Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram; 4. And
43

44 MATTHEW.
Aram begat Aminadab; andAminadab begatNaasson; and Naasson begat
Salmon; 5. And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed
of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse ; 6. And Jesse begat David the king;
and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of
Urias. This genealogy of the Son of God is an abridgment of the
faith of his incarnation. It informs us that he is true man,
by the generations which it contains ; that he is a Saviour, by
the name of Jesus, which it gives him ; that he is both priest
and prophet, by the title of Christ, which in him signifies
anointed with the Holy Ghost, and with the Divinity itself;
that he is the prince and the author of peace, as son of David ;
author of the faith, father of them who believe, and model of
the most pe'rfect self-denial, and of the true circumcision, as
son of Abraham ; born miraculously, and in virtue of the
promise, the immortal sacrifice of the li-ving God, and heir of
the promises, as son of Isaac ; and lastly, the eldest among
his brethren, through free predestination, persecuted by his
carnal brethren, and head of the church, which is the Israel
of God, as son of Jacob.
7. And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia
begat Asa; 8. And Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram;
and Joram begat Ozias; 9. And Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham
begat Achaz ; and Aohaz begat Ezekias ; 10. And Ezekias begat Ma-
nasses; and Manasses begat Amon ; and Amon begat Josias ; 11. And
Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were
carried away to Babylon: 12. And after they were brought to Baby
lon, Jechonias begat Salathiel ; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel ; 13. And
Zorobabel begat Abiud ; aud Abiud begat Eliakim ; and Eliakim begat
Azor ; 14. And Azor begat Sadoc ; and Sadoc begat Achim ; and Achim
begat EUud.
The true nobility of these kings, and of all the ancestors of
Jesus Christ, is to have their names found in his genealogy,
and to have a share in his birth ; that of Christians, is to be
born of and in Jesus Christ himself. Men are apt to be fond
and to boast of an illustrious birth, which yet, perhaps, in the
sight of God, has been more criminal than a meaner ; but
they never employ their thoughts upon a holy birth, which
renders us children of God and members of his Son. Great
ness, power, and human wisdom appear in the family of the

CHAPTER I. 45
ancestors of the Son of God incarnate ; but he will not enter
into it himself, till, all those are first gone out.
15. And Eliud begat Eleazar ; and Eleazar begat Matthan ; and Matthan
begat Jacob ; 16. And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of
whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
The parents of Jesus, and Jesus himself, draw no manner
of advantage from the power, splendour, or riches of their
ancestors, except only the joy they conceive to see themselves
reduced to a low estate, that they may be subservient to the
designs of God in the temporal, poor, and humble birth of
his Son ; and that, by their mean condition, they may repre
sent his humiliation in the flesh, and the concealment of his
eternal glories from the eyes of men. 0 my Saviour, how
dost thou confound the pride and vanity of men, in relation
to their genealogies, by having thy own composed of a long
train of sinners !
17. So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen gene
rations ; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are
fourteen generations ; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto
Christ are fourteen generations.
The various states and conditions through which the peo
ple of God passed, made it evident that none of all these was
THAT which had been promised; and that in Jesus Christ
alone the promises were to be accomplished, by the establish
ment of a state of royalty and an unchangeable covenant.
Nothing was able to hinder the , execution of this design ;
neither the age of Abraham, nor the barrenness of Sarah,
nor the slavery of their posterity in Egypt, nor their infi
delity in the wilderness, and before the time of the kings ;
nor the sins of David, and those of the kings, his descendants
and successors ; nor the captivity and desolation of this peo
ple, after the declining of their regal government.
SECT. II. — JOSEPH ENCOURAGED CONCERNING THB BIRTH
OF CHRIST.
18. If Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise : When as his
mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she
was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
The incarnation is the effect of the love of God toward

46 MATTHEW.
mankind, and therefore it is appropriated to the Holy Ghost,
who is the substantial and consuhstantial love of the Father
and the Son. It is by the same Spirit, that both Jesus Christ
as head, and the faithful as his members, are conceived ; he,
as Son, by nature, we, as his brethren, by adoption. 0 God,
how much does it imply to be a Christian ! and how great
ought his piety and holiness to he !
19. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to
make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.
True charity can easily find the middle between jealousy
and insensibility. It is never contrary to prudence. The
just person knows how to secure his own reputation, without
blemishing another's, by discovering his faults. A passion
too credulous, and a false zeal for the law, are often the
occasion of violating it, by hindering men from tgiking notice
of any thing but the revenge which it permits, and of all
which is severe and rigorous in it. But a wise patience and
true justice in Joseph, render him attentive to the mild and
indulgent part of the law, which did not at all oblige him to
become the accuser of his spouse. This wise patience is a
very great gift both in a husband and in a wife.
20. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the
Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David,
fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife : for that which is conceived in
her is of the Holy Ghost.
How good is it to suffer in silence, like the holy ¦virgin !
God never abandons those who, according to her' example,
commit themselves to him. He will send an angel from
heaven, rather than leave those finally in trouble who, in
imitation of Joseph, conserve charity, and place their confi
dence in him. The knowledge of hidden truths and mysteries
is the reward of calmness and patience under inward troubles.
The angel awakes the remembrance of the promises in Joseph,
by calling him the son of him to whom they had been made ;
and thereby prepares him for the belief of their accomplish
ment in his spouse. The first birth or conception of Christ,
is not a communication of the substance of the Holy Ghost,
but an effect of his power. This was a double consolation

CHAPTER I. 47
to Joseph, to be at the same tiine assured both of the fidelity
of his spouse, and of the holiness of the infant which she
carried in her womb. This is the recompense of his mildness
and good nature.
21. And she shall bring forth a Son, and thOu shalt call his name
JESUS : for he shall save his people from their sibs.
These words declare the second birth of Christ from the
womb of the virgin, and how the faithfulness of Joseph was
rewarded. Nothing so proper to Jesus as to save, in destroy
ing sin by his grace. Would to God, that every one would
as fully answer his name of Christian, of pastor, of magis
trate, of father, of priest, as Jesus Christ does that of Saviour !
0 amiable and reviving Name ! What confidence dost thou
inspire into true penitents ! What fidelity, gratitude, and
love into Christians!
22. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken
of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23. Behold, a virgin shall be with
child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Em
manuel, which being interpreted^ is, God with us.
Jesus is the corhpletion of the prophecies. " All the ful
ness of the Godhead d^wells bodily" in him; and through
him, both with and in us. Thou art verily and indeed with
us. Lord, by thy incarnation ; vouchsafe likewise to be with
us by the impression and lively sense of thy presence, by the
belief and imitation of thy mysteries, and by the powerful
operation of thy Spirit, thy grace, and thy love.
24. Then Joseph, being raised from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord
had bidden him, and took unto him his wife :
How acceptable a sacrifice to God, is a ready, humble, and
exact obedience ! This gives certain relief and cOmfort under
inward pains and troubles. In many such cases, the more
one considers, the more one is perplexed ; the secret to find
trne peace of mind, is to stiffer one's self to be guided. A
man who really loves God, as soon as ever he knows his will,
will immediately perform it, without knowing the particular
reasons of it.
25. And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son :
and he called his name JESUS.
Mary is, in one sense, the mother of Christ entire, as he

48 MATTHEW.
consists both of head and members; and Jesus is the "first
born among many brethren." Oh, happy moment of our
blessed Saviour's birth, be thou always present to our mind,
he thou always the delight of our heart ! That -w'hich it had
been our duty to have done at the foot of the manger, let us
do now by adoration, thanksgiving, love, imitation, and hu
mility. Oh, grant us a true respect for this holy name, an
ardent love for our Saviour, and a hearty ^eal for our own
salvation !

CHAPTER II.
SECT. I. — ADORATION OF CHRIST BT THE WISE MEN.
1. Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of
Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
The love of Jesus for a mean and private life, appears from
the first moment of his birth, in the choice which he makes
of Bethlehem. Those who are nearest to Christ very often
know him not, when those who were farther off, seek, adore,
and serve him. How great was the faith of these wise men,
and how much elevated above human reasonings and the
opinions of the world !
2. Saying, Where is he that is born king of the Jews? for we have
seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
Jesus Christ is king by birth, and from that very time
demands our homage and allegiance. This courageous and
undissembled faith of the wise men is a very great example.
The obedience and simplicity of true Christians sometimes
hinder them from seeing the hazards which they run in follow
ing the voice of God ; but he watches over them. He pro
tects those who think of nothing but performing their duty,
without perplexing themselves about the consequences of it.
The star of Jesus, with respect to us, is his word. Let us
never lose sight of this, if we intend to be his true worshippers.
3. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and
all Jerusalem with him.
Christ is the peace of the righteous, and the trouble of the

CHAPTER II. 49
wicked. A man is well received by the world, when he comes
to flatter it, and to comply with its passions ; but if he comes
to interrupt, to oppose, and to condemn them, what storms,
what tempests does he raise ! It is difficult not to follow the
example of the great, and to secure ourselves from the in
fluence of their authority and their passions; and therefore
they are the more obliged to regulate their conduct.
4. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the
people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
Adorable conduct of God, to permit this search and study
of the Scriptures, for the hardening of Herod, the condemna
tion of the priests, the warning of the faithful, and the in
struction of the wise men and the Gentiles ! It is tho Scrip
ture which ought to regulate and justify all extraordinary
lights and ways.
5. And they said unto him. In Bethlehem of Judea: for thus it is
¦written by the prophet.
It is a very dreadful state and condition, for priests and
pastors to have the knowledge of the Scriptures, and not to
profit by them ; to show Jesus Christ to others, and not to
follow him themselves; to point out the way of salvation,
and not to walk in it. That which leads others to God has
no influence at all upon the heart of those who have the
spirit of the world.
6. And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among
the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall
rule my people Israel.
Happy the country, but more happy the heart, in which
Christ is born ! One city alone had this privilege ; but every
soul may have it.
7. Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired
of them diUgentiy what time the star appeared.
God laughs at the wisdom of men. He often deceives the
wicked hy their own artifices, and hinders them from taking
advantage of the sincerity and simplicity of the righteous.
The Scripture is our star; too often men study it with a
corrupt intention. They plunge into barren disquisitions of
chronology and the like ; but do not at all examine into the
Vol. I.— 5 D

5Q ^ MATTHEW.
spirit of it ; they inform themselves exactly concerning the
time of the star, but will not follow the direction of it.
8. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said. Go and search diligently
for the young child ; and when ye have found him, bring me word again,
that I may come and worship him also.
The ambitious are generally hypocrites, and make religion
subservient to their interest and policy. Let us take care
not to deceive ourselves, in thinking that we seek to know
the mysteries of religion with no other design but to adore
them; the secrets of the Scriptures, only in order to love
God the more ; and his ways, for no other end but to walk
in them. How often are men mistaken !
9. When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star,
which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood
over where the young child was.
God sometimes withdraws from his saints all extraordinary
illuminations, because they should not depend too much upon
them. He brings them back, and confines them to the way
of faith, that they may the more esteem and value it, in
themselves and others. But whenever there is occasion, he
restores those illuminations to such as sincerely seek him.
All our knowledge ought to tend toward Christ, and to stop
at him. All such as cannot help us to attain to his kingdom
is but vanity.
10. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. ^
Comfort taken away, and restored to the righteous, becomes
more dear unto them, and augments their joy. In following
the word of God, one may infallibly find out Jesus Christ.
It is not upon the account of light in itself that we should
so much rejoice ; but because it makes us know Christ, and
leads us unto him.
11. 1[ And when they were come into the house, they saw the young
child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him : and
when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts ;
gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
Let us learn of these first Christians to humble ourselves,
to adore Jesus Christ, and to give up ourselves entirely to
him, as soon as we have found him. What faith was here, to
worship a poor neglected infant as a God ! And what power

CHAPTER II. 61
lit this Infant, to bestow such a faith as this, so pure, so
humble, so courageous, and so destitute of all human support !
To open one's heart is to open one's treasure ; it is Christ
who fills it ; it is to him that it must be opened. Happy the
man, who always finds therein the gold of charity, the in
cense of prayer, and the myrrh of mortification ! The more
careful a man is to present and offer these to God, the more
of these does he continually receive again from him.
12. And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return
to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
Let US, like these wise men, be obedient to inspirations ;
and like them, take the contrary course from the world.
Fleshly wisdom and ambition find themselves at length con
founded. It is one of the first lessons given to the first
Christians, that they must obey God rather than man. We
can never return to heaven, but by a road different from that
which has carried us away from it. It is the greatest of all
delusions, to pretend to be converted without changing our
lives, and to go to heaven by that way which was leading us
to hell. SECT. II. — THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT — THB MURDER OF
THE INFANTS.
13. And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord
appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young chUd
and his mother, and flee into fegypt, and be thou there until I bring thee
word : for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.
The rigour of God's conduct toward his own Son, is the
consolation of those whom he obliges to walk throngh rugged
and grievous ways, without ¦ showing them their journey's
end. He makes his escape by flight, who could have pre
served himself by his own power ; to teach us, that we must
go to God by the lowest ways, that we must be humbled
under the reputation and power of his adversaries, to triumph
over them with advantage ; and that of all our enemies, pride
is the most dangerous. The world seeks Christ for no other
end but to destroy him. Let my heart, 0 Jesus ! be the
Egypt of thy refuge from the? persecution of the world ! Live

52 MATTHEW.
there, reign there, stifle and suppress whatever thou shalt
find there of the spirit of Herod.
14. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night,
and departed into Egypt :
A blind obedience is due to God, because he is God, and
can neither deceive nor be deceived. Our trust in his wisdom
and his love should make us take the cross without arguing
or disputing. As soon as ever we know the will of God,
nothing should keep us from doing it. It is for man to obey,
it is for God to answer for the success of obedience. It is
he who sometimes stops and hinders us, when invincible diffi
culties seem to do it. That man always performs his will,
who puts himself in a disposition to perform it. God bestows
the means, even when he seems to take them away.
15. And was there until the death of Herod : that it might be fulfilled
which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying. Out of Egypt have
I called my Son.
What humiliation was it for Christ to be, as it were, driven
from amidst the people of God, and banished by his Father
into a country of idolatry and abomination! How many
lights extinguished, how many graces hidden ! But nothing
is lost, when it is lost for God. Thus God sometimes obliges
his servants to remain, as it were, buried in a (superstitious
and) heretical country, or among wicked people, to worship
him in their stead, to gather up those graces which they
neglect, or to spread them in a secret manner ; or, perhaps,
to secure themselves from the ill-will of false brethren.
16, Tf Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men,
was exceeding -wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were
in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and
under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the
wise men.
The ambitious man is cruel, and always ready to sacrifice
every thing, even Christ himself, to his passion. The world
is more to be feared when it flatters than when it persecutes.
It bestows life at that very time when it thinks it takes it
away. The disgraces of the world contain in them great
graces for those who know how to distinguish and improve
them. Salvation, given so freely to these infants, teaches us

CHAPTER II. 53
that our own must necessarily be the gift of God. Grace
prevents all merit in those whose will it disposes, as well as
in these infants, who could not possibly will any thing freely-
17. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet,
saying, 18. In Ramah was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weep
ing, and great mourning, Rachel weeping fm her children, and would
not be comforted, because they are not.
Christ makes the cruelty of Herod subservient to the pub
lication of his birth, to the accomplishment of his Father's
designs, and to the sanctification of his elect. He reduces,
within the order of his goodness, the greatest disorders of
human wickedness. We are often inconsiderately afflicted at
that which is the real happiness of those we love. To lament
the death of infants, is to lament their salvation. It is, for
the most part, a great gain to mothers thus to lose their chil
dren in their infancy, who might otherwise, perhaps, prove
the occasion of their eternal loss and damnation, by reason
of the bad education which they might give them, that idola
trous fondness which they might have for them, and the
ambition and wicked methods which parents use to advance
them in the world. Happy the tears of such mothers, if they
make (some) amends for the past, or preserve them from vain
joys for the future !
SECT. III. — THE RETURN OUT OF EGYPT.
19. \ But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord ap
peareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
A true child of God adores and imitates the humble
dependency of Christ on his Father, whose commands he
receives from time to time, not by himself, but by an angel,
and by Joseph. Let us learn of him, not to take one step,
but either by the command, or in the way of God. As to all
common and ordinary duties, his command is sufficiently
signified to us by the obligations of our state and condition.
To him who is not wanting in relation to those, God will not
be wanting on all extraordinary occasions.
20. Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into
the land of Israel : for they are dead which sought the young child's life.
Thus the designs of God concerning his elect, his church,
5»

54 MATTHEW.
and his truth, seem to depend upon human and natural events;
whereas, in reality, God disposes and orders these events
according to his own designs. God humbles himself, to give
a reason for his conduct toward his Son; and he humbles his
Son, by making him seeim unable to save his life but only
like other men. The malice and power of men endure as
short a time as their life; God alone, almighty and eternal,
is terrible in his anger. To wait quietly and patiently, till
either the anger of men, or they themselves pass away, is the
most proper means to escape that, anger which will never
pass away.
21. And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came
into the land of Israel.
Obedience ought to be ready, persevering, and indefatiga
ble. When God has once placed us, we must not remove our
selves of our own accord, and without knowing his will.
Moses leading the people of God out of Egypt into the land
of promise, is a figure of Joseph, who brings back the Son of
God from thence; and Joseph represents the pastors, who
conduct the church and her children by the mission and the
word of God. How happy is a church, whose pastor being,
like Joseph, in the hand of God, takes and carries the faith
ful in his bosom, as his children, to convey them to heaven,
the true land of Israel.
22. But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judea in the room
of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being
warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee :
The joy of this life is always interrupted by sorrow. God
is not wont to free his servants from all troubles and afflic
tions in this world. Here we never want enemies ; here is
always somewhat to be feared. Christ was conducted step
hy step by his Father ; and as for us, we would fain know
immediately all the designs of God concerning us. Let us
then, in like manner, with the docility and submission of a
child, suffer ourselves to be led and directed, out of obedience,
and according to the example of the Word incarnate. He is
light itself, and yet acts as if he was not so. We are nothing
but darkness, and yet will needs be our own light.

CHAPTER IIL 55
23. And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might
be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets. He shall be called a
Nazarene. Jesus Christ a true Nazarene, that is, holy, separate from
all impurity, and consecrated to God. A Christian ought to
be such in proportion. Let us learn to conceal ourselves,
and to keep silence, until our time to act and to speak is
come. If Christ go up to Jerusalem, it is only to worship
God according to the law,, to carry on the work which he
gave him to perform, and to finish his sacrifice. Except on
these occasions, he lives private and concealed, retired from
the world, and shut up in the solitude of Nazareth : this is
the pattern of a priest.

CHAPTER IIL
SECT. I. — THE MORTIFIED LIFE AND PREACHING OP ST. JOHN.
1. In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness
of Judea, After a retirement of thirty years, to begin the exercise
of his ministry in the wilderness ; to prefer the country to
the city, the poor to the rich, the ignorant to the learned, is
that wherein St. John will have but few imitators. The for
wardness and usual aims of preachers are here condemned,
in the very beginning of the gospel. This is what hinders
the fruit of it.
2. And saying. Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Repentance is the true preparation for the kingdom of
heaven. Let this therefore keep us every moment prepared
for it, because this kingdom is every moment approaching
nearer to us. If this kingdom is a kingdom of love, the
repentance which prepares us for it must likewise be a re
pentance of love. It is from thee, 0 Lord, that we hope to
receive both this love and this repentance, both the principle
and the works.

56 MATTHEW.
3. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying. The
voice of one crying in the wilderness. Prepare ye the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight
Repentance must begin by taking away the stops and hin-
derances of salvation, that we may proceed directly toward
God. It is difficult to hear this voice, except in the wilder
ness, that is, in retirement, and out of the noise and hurry
of worldly affairs ; or at least, in a recollected, intent, and
sedate mind. The sinner is gone too far from God, to he
called back any otherwise than by a great ery, that is to say,
a great grace. Repentance is not the business of a moment,
because it is a preparation for being reconciled with God;
nor does this preparation consist only in a few thoughts or
words, because the way of God lies in the will; nor is this
way easy to be prepared, since by it- the heart must pass
from darkness to light, and from death to life ; nor is all this
the work of man, because the preparations of the heart in
man are from the Lord, and he only can order and direct his
steps, and make him choose and delight in his way.
4. And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern
girdle about his loins ; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.
He who preaches repentance, ought to perform it himself,
and join the outward part to the inward. This persuades
more than words. All is singular in St. John, not to attract
the esteem and praises of men, but to awaken their attention.
A fast so rigid and extraordinary might pass for excessive
ahd indiscreet; but when the finger of God appears, men
must hold their peace.
5. Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region
round about Jordan.
Those who direct to God by a straiter way, are most sought
to by such as really desire not to deceive themselves, but to
be saved. So true is it, that one does not discourage sinners,
and drive them to despair, by preaching to them repentance,
according to the holy severity of the divine law.
6. And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.
One part of repentance is to bear the shame and confusion
of our sins in confessing them. It is not grievous to any to

CHAPTER III. Br
show this shame and confusion before men, except only to
those who have none at all for their sins before God. Sooner
or later the sinner must he humbled, because' every sinner is
proud ; but this humiliation has no virtue in it, unless it pro
ceed from the choice or acceptance of the sinner.
SECT. II. — REPROACHES AGAINST THE PHARISEES.
7. 1[ But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to
his baptism, he said unto them, 0 generation of vipers, who hath warned
you to flee from the wrath to come ?
A disinterested and impartial preacher or director (of the
conscience) spares no one. The holy rigour which he exer
cises is infinitely better than a false mildness; this only lulls
the sinner asleep in his vices ; that wakes him, makes him
thoroughly sensible of his condition, and shakes his conscience
with a saving fear. To treat a sinner harshly, in order to
humble him, is not to insult him ; it is only piercing the skin
¦with a charitable hand, to take do-wn the swelling of his pride.
8. Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance :
Unhappy he, whose life passes away in promises, desires,
and barren designs of repentance ! God requires of us real
works, and such as are (in some measure) proportioned to
our sins. No fruit, except that of charity, is worthy of God,
who is charity itself. A fruit of self-love, such as is a servile
fear, cannot be (acceptable to) his justice. The exercises of
repentance cannot please him, but by the spirit of repentance,
which consists of a true change of mind, a sincere grief, and
a penitent love.
9. And think not to say within yourselves. We have Abraham to our
father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up
children unto Abraham.
The virtue of fathers is of no advantage to children, unless
they tread in the same steps. God has no need of us to serve
him, because he can make worshippers of the most hardened
sinners, can change hearts of stone into tender lovers of his
law, and form children out of the most mercenary slaves. Oh
that this heart, 0 Lord, hitherto so hard and servile, may

58 MATTHEW.
feel the effects of this sovereign power ! Vouchsafe to show
thy glory in making me a child of faith and promise.
10. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore
every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast
into the fire.
Let us always look upon death as ready to surprise us.
Let us well consider this truth, that to be saved, it is not
enough that we do no evil works, but we must do good ones.
No works are such except those which God works in men by
his grace, and which men return to God by their charity.
Damnation consists of two things; the one, eternal excom
munication, in being separated from the body of Christ, and
from the presence of God, without the least hope of recovery ;
the other, eternal punishment by fire. Let us fear this pu
nishment; hut let us more fear that eternal excommunication.
11. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that
cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear:
he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire :
The greatest saints are nothing before Jesus Christ. The
Holy Ghost (which Christ alone can give) overflowing the
soul, purifles, transforms,, and lifts it up to God. The less
the minister attributes to himself the work of God in the soul,
the more he advances it there. The outward part only belongs
to him; but God alone sanctifies, who can work upon the
heart, subject it to himself by his Spirit, and make a new
heart of it. What should I do, 0 Lord, if thou didst not
wash me often in the laver of thy blood, and purify me in
the fire of thy charity ?
12. Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor,
and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff
with unquenchable fire.
The present and visible church is the floor, where the corn
is as yet mingled with the chaff, the elect with the reprobate.
The agitation of persecution, or the salutary suffering for the
truths of the gospel, separate them in this life the one from
the other ; the fan of the last judgment shall remove them
from the floor, in order to be either carried into the garner,
or cast into the fire. Terrible, but inevitable separation!

CHAPTER III. 59
We shall eternally belong either to the one or the other ; and
out of the fioor, we shall be the same that we have been in it,
either chaff or wheat. Grant, 0 Lord, that I may have a
heart, not as of chaff, feeble, light, empty, barren, and tossed
about with every wind; but as of wheat, pure, full of sub
stantial virtue, firm in goodness, fruitful in good works, and
fit to become the bread of God, after ha-ving been bruised
under the millstone of the cross, kneaded in the water of
affliction, and baked with the fire of charity !
SECT. III. — THB BAPTISM OF CHRIST.
13. 1[ Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be bap
tized of him.
Jesus clothes himself with us and our sins, that he may
clothe us with himself and his righteousness. He takes, and,
as it were, deifies in himself the marks, effects, punishment,
and remedy of sin. If Christ, being innocence itself, not
withstanding chooses to bear the shame of sin, in passing for
a sinner, to subject himself to (a sort of) public penance, and
oblige himself by this ceremony to all the duties of a true
penitent; let us he ashamed of our pride, injustice, and
impenitence. 14. But John forbade him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee,
and comest thou to me?
How holy and lovely is that contest, which arises, on either
side, from nothing but humility ! The designs of God are in
comprehensible, even to the saints. There is no person but
has need of being purified by Christ ; let us go to him with
confidence every moment, because every nioment we have need
of his grace. An important lesson this, which God here, at
the very first, delivers to us by his apostle; the necessity
which we have of a Sa-viour and of his grace, were we as inno
cent and as penitent as St. John.
15. And Jesus answering said unto him. Suffer- ii to he so now: for
thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. .
The humility of Jesus could not but surmount that of St.
John. In the former, it is firm and persevering, without heat
or obstinacy; in the latter, obedient and submissive, without

60 MATTHEW.
flagging and growing weak. He who is truly humble, lets
slip no opportunity of humbling himself without improving it.
Those who are to preach this virtue, ought to make it appear
in their life and conversation. Christian righteousness is
almost all included in humility and repentance ; because these
include all sorts of good works, at least in the preparation
and disposition of the heart. Prepare mine, 0 Lord! re
plenish it out of the fulness of thy own !
16. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the
water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit
of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him : 17. And lo a
voice from heaven, saying. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well

Nothing pleases God but in his Son. The baptized [who
truly receive Christ] enter into the divine filiation, and are
made a part of this beloved Son by the grace of adoption.
God bestows no favour, and pardons no sin, but through the
merits and for the sake of his Son. The certain way for a
man not to be refused, is never to present himself before God
in prayer, but together with Jesus Christ ; to ask nothing but
in his name, to do nothing but by his Spirit, to hope for
nothing but through his mediation, and to offer nothing to
God but in the union of this Son, and in offering him to the
Father.

CHAPTER IV.
SECT. I. — THE FAST AND TEMPTATION OF CHRIST.
1. Then was Jesus led iip of the Spirit into the wilderness to be
tempted of the devil.
Thus the Holy Ghost received at baptism, inclines the
Christian to retirement and a retreat from the world. The
more a man is devoted to God, the more ought he to expect
temptation. See here an excess of charity and humility in
Christ, who exposes himself to the temptation of the devil,
that he may overcome for us the lust of the flesh, the lust of
the eyes, and the pride of life. We seek retirement, that we

CHAPTER rV. 61
may shun temptation, and we do well, because we are weak.
Jesus goes into the wilderness on purpose to be tempted there,
because he goes to overcome for us, clothed in our weakness
without, full of his own divine strength within.
2. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was after
ward ahungered.
Fasting, and all mortification of the flesh, has been under
gone, sanctified, taught, and rendered easy by Jesus Christ.
The devil makes use of our body to tempt us; we ought to
use it to engage, disarm, and vanquish him. He turns the
strength and vigour of the body against us ; we must, by
weakening it, turn it into arms against him. Assist me.
Lord, to do this salutary violence to my rebellious flesh.
Give me the strength and fidelity which thou has merited for
me by thy holy fast, to follow thy example, to obey the
church, and to fight against sin in myself.
3. And when the tempter came to him, he said. If thou be the Son of
God, command that these stones be made bread.
The gluttony of Adam is cured by the fasting of Christ.
No necessity should induce us to relinquish the methods of
God's ordinary providence, since Christ himself does not do
it. It is never necessary to desire miracles for the wants of
the body : it is oftenmost most expedient not to desire them ;
and it is always the surest way to leave God to act of him
self. We often beg to be, delivered from some evil and
necessity ; and it is by this very means that God designs to
show us his mercy and to secure our salvation.
4. But he answered and said. It is written, Man shall not live by bread
alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Providence makes use of every thing, and is confined to
nothing ; God being alle to nourish with his word the body
as well as the soul. Trust in God, in the greatest necessities,
saves abundance of disquiets, temptations, and sins. He who
gave us life before we could desire it, can he want either
power or will to conserve it, after having loaded us with bene
fits, and given us his own Son ?
Vol. L— 6

62 MATTHEW.
6. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him
on a pinnacle of the temple.
The most holy persons, as well as Christ, are often left to
the power of the devil. The devil lifts up, only in order to
cast down and destroy. We could never believe how much
power the devil still retains over us, so long as our regenera
tion and adoption continue imperfect, did we not see an in
stance of it even in the person of Christ, the Son of God hy
nature, over whom he never had any manner of right. It is
in our stead, and for our sakes, that he suffers this outrageous
attempt of the e^vil spirit ; and it is by this that he weakens
his power, diminishes his rights, and hinders him from en
croaching upon us.
6. And saith unto him. If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself do-wn:
for it is -written. He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and
in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy
foot against a stone.
The curiosity of Adam, presumptuous confidence in God's
assistance, and superstitious credulity, are cured by this second
temptation. It is because Christ is the Son of Grod, that he
takes so much care not to tempt his Father. His confidence
is perfect, but prudent, subject to the disposition of God, and
regulated by his will. The devil lays snares for us by the
means of the Scripture, and of the most sacred things. He
often inspires into souls a false confidence in God, in order
to make them lose the true, and thereby cast them into
despair, when they see they are deserted by God in that
danger into which they have so rashly brought themselves.
7. Jesus said unto him. It is -written again. Thou shalt not tempt the
Lord thy God.
To desire to know the power and mysteries of God by sensi
ble experience, is no other than to tempt him. Faith, is suffi
cient to a sincere heart. We render ourselves unworthy of
the protection of God, and of the supports of his ordinary
providence, when we create new wants to ourselves without
necessity, and contrary to his will. Nothing is more common
than to tempt God ; and because it is a sin so very common,
we take no notice at all of it.

CHAPTER IV. 63
8. Again, the de^vil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain,
and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them ;
The vanity, pride, and ambition of Adam are cured by the
third temptation of Jesus Christ, the new Adam. To love to
see the pomps and riches of the world, is to expose ourselves
to this temptation. We certainly open our heart to the love
of false riches, when we open our mouth to praise them in
others. Parents do the devil's office, when they raise in their
children an esteem and desire of advancement, of great wealth,
and of the glory of the world, by causing them to see and
admire these things in others.
9. And saith unto him. All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt
fall down and worship rae.
The devil promises that which is not his own. God seems
to give up riches and honours to the power of the devil, and
of those who belong to him, as things unworthy of his elect.
How can a child of God esteem and set his heart upon them?
The devil discovers himself by this promise; for God has
never promised to his servants these false riches, any other
wise than to represent to them the promise of the true and
eternal riches. Would to God, the world were not so full of
persons who make wealth their god, and fall down and worship
those who bestow it !
10. Then saith Jesus unto him. Get thee hence, Satan: for it is -written.
Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
God alone is truly worthy of our service, adoration, and
love. To worship, is not to say, I worship and adore thee ;
but it is to be really obedient to God, and from the bottom
of the heart to prefer his will before all things, to live and
act only for him, and to esteem nothing but him, or with rela
tion to him. When we see men busied and employed about
every thing except their God, can we believe that there are
many who worship and serve him only? Grant, 0 Lord,
that by thy grace, I may be among the small number of those
who worship thee in truth, and serve none but thee !
11. Then the detil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and minis
tered unto him.
God generally makes joy and consolation succeed temptation
and trouble. He does not send invisible angels to comfort

64 MATTHEW.
those who, for his sake, have suffered the assaults of the
devil or of the world; but a vigilant director, (of the con
science,) a charitable pastor, or a faithful friend, is a visible
angel, who receives from God an invisible mission to go to
the assistance of a soul which is in trouble. When will it be,
0 my Saviour, that our temptation being finished, and the
devil having left us, we shall serve thee in perfect peace, in
the company of angels, and be forever satisfied with the en
joyment of thyself?
SECT. II. — CHRIST'S RESIDENCE AT CAPERNAUM. — ^HIS EX
HORTATION TO REPENTANCE.
12. If Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he
departed into Galilee ;
It is prudence and humility to avoid danger and persecu
tion. To wait for it without necessity, and to no good pur
pose, is to expose one's neighbour to the temptation of doing
evil, and one's self to the danger of sinking under it. When
the passions of men are raised, we imitate Jesus Christ by
taking out of their way even the most innocent occasions.
13. And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which
is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zebulun and Nephthalim :
As Christ came to Nazareth out of obedience, so he goes
from thence upon the same motive: necessity pointing out
the ¦will and command of God. He has no other choice but
the persevering mind to do the will of his Father.
14. That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet,
saying, 15. The land of Zebulun, and the land of Nephthalim, hy the
way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles ;
Christ will not begin his preaching in his own country, nor
among his own relations. All the ways and steps of Jesus
Christ are marked out in the Scriptures, that he might be a
man of obedience in all the stages of his life. We imitate him
but ill, when we resolve to be governed by none but ourselves,
and to do nothing but our own will.
16. The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them
which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.
Darkness cannot possibly merit light, nor the sinner the

CHAPTER TV. 65
mercy of God ; but yet light is pleased to shine through the
thickest darkness, and God to show mercy to the most miser
able. To me, 0 Lord, thou hast already, and dost still show
this mercy, as often as thou dost not abandon me to my own
darkness. Jf the light of grace be not joined to that of the
gospel, the latter does nothing else but bhnd, as it blinded
the Jews. My God, let not these two lights be separated
in me!
17. If From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say. Repent: for
the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Jesus begins his preaching, not hy fiattering men in their
inclinations, but by that which is most necessary for them.
Repentance is the only gate of heaven for sinners ; he who
pretends to show any other, is .not a guide, but a seducer.
Whenever Christ comes to men, whether by his incarnation,
or by th'e eucharist, or by the last judgment, the kingdom of
heaven is then at hand, and repentance must always go forth
to meet him. Nothing but a penitent heart can perform re
pentance ; and this heart is the gift of God. To will and to
do is chiefiy the work of God in repentance, because it is that
to which man is most averse.
SECT. III. — THE CALLING OF PETER AND ANDREW, JAMES
AND JOHN.
18. If And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren,
Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea :
for they were fishers.
Jesus chooses the simple and the poor, to intrust them
with the treasures of faith, of the ministry, and of the know
ledge of salvation. Let us learn from hence, not to judge of
the call to ecclesiastical dignities by birth, wit, or natural
talents. He calls and blesses those who are busied in an
innocent and quiet employment. To pass immediately from
a tuihultuous and distracting employment to the ministry of
peace and holiness : is this to follow his Spirit?
19. And he saith unto them. Follow me, and I will make you fishers
of men. It is a very great honour to follow Christ, and to be
6« E

66 MATTHEW.
admitted to a partnership in his priesthood; but unhappy
those, who do not wait for the call of God ! To presume to
take the name and employment of "fishers of men," and yet
never to cast the net of the divine word : is this according to
the design and intention of Christ? He who follows Jesus
Christ in order to be a fisher of men, only in consulting his
own inclination for this employment, and does not follow him
in imitating his virtues, and guiding himself hy his Spirit,
though he does not perhaps enter as a thief, yet at least he
lives like a hireling.
20. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.
How powerful is the voice of Jesus Christ ! Let us remem
ber to beseech him often, that he would he pleased to speak
to our hearts and make us obedient to him. Vices and in
veterate habits are a sort of nets, which sinners are abun
dantly more unwilling to leave, than Peter and Andrew were
to leave theirs; but every thing is equally possible to him
who can do all things. These poor men leave indeed only
nets; but they certainly leave a great deal who reserve
nothing for themselves.
21. And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the
son of Zobedee, and John' his brother, in a ship -with Zebedee their
father, mending their nets ; and he called them.
Sometimes God is pleased to unite by grace those who are
already united by nature, to show that he does not design to
destroy, but to repair it; sometimes he separates them to
prove their sincerity, to show the force of his grace and of
his love; to make known his sovereign power, and that he
chooses his ministers with distinction, and with the greatest
wisdom. There is a time to cast the nets into the sea, that
is, to labour for the salvation of others ; and a time to mend
them, that is, for a man to prepare himself for labour, to
make the best amends he can for his wandering and other im
perfections, by prayer and retirement, to gain new strength,
and to fortify himself against the dangers to which he may
probably be exposed.
22. And they immediately left the ship and their father, andfoUowed him.
We must renounce all human expectations, and all the

CHAPTER IV. er
tenderness of nature, (represented here by the nets and the
father of these apostles,) in order to enter into the ministry
•with a true apostolic spirit. And what shall we not find in
thee, 0 Jesus, if we leave all for thy sake ! He who but just
now united brethren, by calling them to the ministry of grace,
now separate the sons from their father, to teach them to
obey God at the expense of all things, and to prefer the
honour of serving him in poverty and humility to all the
comforts of a father's house.
SECT. IV. — THE PREACHING, MIRACLES, AND REPUTATION
OP CHRIST.
23. If And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues,
and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of
sickness and all manner of disease among the people. 24. And his fame
went throughout all Syria : and they brought unto him all sick people
that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which
were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatic, and those
that had the palsy ; and he healed them. 25. And there followed him
great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from.
Jerusalem, s,r\A.from Judea, andyj-om beyond Jordan.
See here the perfect pattern of an evangelical preacher.
(1.) To go to seek out sinners on every side, that he may
show them the way to heaven. (2.) To preach " the gospel
of the kingdom," not with a servile spirit, but with a freedom
worthy of the King whom he serves, and of the kingdom which
he proclaims. (3.) To make his reputation and the confi
dence of the people subservient, not to his own interest, but
to the good of souls, and to the establishing the kingdom of
God. (4.) To speak nothing but what may tend toward
salvation. (5.) To preaching to join the exercise of works of
mercy and temporal assistance as often as he can. (6.) To
assist all those who apply to him as penitents, how great sin
ners, and of what condition soever they be. (7.) To take
care to make them sensible, that diseases, and all kinds of
temporal evils, are the effects of sin ; that whether God be
pleased to remove them or not, it is for the good of the soul,
and to promote our eternal salvation; and that the power
which he makes appear in healing them, is a sure pledge of
the power of his grace in healing our souls.

68 MATTHEW.

CHAPTER V.
SECT. I.— THE EIGHT BEATITUDES.
1. And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain : and when
he was set, his disciples came unto him :
Since all Christians are the disciples of Christ, they have
all a right to hear his word. To this end they must have a
disciple's heart, humble, full of respect, teachable, swift to
hear, eager to learn, and faithful to obey. To go up with
Christ,. is to lift up one's heart from the earth, in order to
hear the truths of heaven. To sit down, is to hear them with
calmness, peace, and repose of mind. To come unto this
divine Master, is to be united to him, and to hear him with
faith, attention, and love for his word.
2. And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying.
How great is the mercy of God toward man, in that wisdom
herself is sent to instruct him, not by angels nor by prophets,
nor in dreams nor in figures, but with her own mouth, and in
her own words. When we open the New Testament, it is the
mouth of Christ which is opened for us. It is no other than
to shut it from Christians, either to wrest this holy book out
of their hand«, or to keep it closed up, by taking from them
the means of understanding it.
3. Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
The first lesson of Christ is concerning poverty and Chris
tian humility. -To be poor in possessing much, is to be dis
engaged from wealth, to use it like a poor man, and to look
upon it as a burden or as a trust. Happy then those souls
who have embraced the state of poverty and humility of spirit,
provided they have the spirit of that state ! The kingdom
of heaven is theirs, provided nothing of the kingdom of earth
live and reign in their heart. Covetousness is of so malig
nant a nature, that one may have the poison of riches in the
midst of poverty; grace is so powerful, that one may have

CHAPTER V. 69
the blessing of poverty in the midst of riches. God by no
means permits himself to be outdone in generosity; he gives
all for all, or rather, all for nothing : heaven for earth, him
self for us. In what does the kingdom of heaven in this life
consist, but in the riches of faith, the grace of God, his truth,
his Spirit, etc. ?. And to whom does he communicate them
more abundantly, but to those who are most disengaged for
his sake from the good things of the world?
'4. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
The second lesson of Christ teaches us, that the afflictions
which men suffer for the sake of God, and the tears of re
pentance which they shed for their own sins, and for those
of others, are sources of true comfort. Every one fljes from
tears, and seeks after joy; and yet true joy must necessarily
be the fruit of tears. Self-love, pride, and covetousness have
their sorrow and their tears ; but God wipes away only those of
humility, charity, poverty, and repentance. May the sweets
of temporal prosperity, of the favour of men, and of the
diversions of the world, be forever far removed from me,
because they are inconsistent with thine, 0 my God, and with
the consolations of thy Spirit.
5. Blessed are the meek : for they shall inherit the earth.
The third lesson of Christ is the meekness of charity, in
heart, in countenance, and in word. It is no small victory
for a man to subdue the severity of his temper. The meek
ness which leads to blessedness is not a meekness of constitu
tion, of -artifice, or of deceit ; but a meekness of grace, of
charity, and of patience. It is disposed to suffer itself to be
spoiled of all in this world ; but of what treasures, what in
heritances, does it not put us into possession in the land of
the living? To possess the land of our heart in patience, is
the beginning of the perfect kingdom of charity and the fruit
of Christian meekness. Instruct us. Lord, in this virtue, thou
who art the master and the teacher of it !
6. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness :
for they shall be filled.
The fourth lesson of Christ shows us, that a zeal for
righteousness and perfection, a hatred of sin and of the un-

70 MATTHEW.
righteousness of the age, and the desire of the sovereign and
eternal righteousness, ought to be the sole hunger and thirst
of our heart. The salutary hunger is after that alone which
can nourish and satisfy our soul according to God. The
hunger after every thing else is either a disease of the hody,
or a folly of the mind. May I hunger after nothing but
thee, 0 my God, because thou alone canst feed me here on
earth and satisfy me in heaven !
7. Blessed are the merciful : for they shall obtain mercy.
The fifth lesson of Christ is compassion on the miseries of
others, which consists in aiding them with our substance^ our
counsel, our cares, and our prayers, both for the body and
the soul. Mercy is not purchased but at the price of mercy
itself; and this price is even a gift of the mercy of God. We
think ourselves disposed to show great instances of mercy,
when we perceive ourselves inclined to pardon great injuries ;
when perhaps it is eitiier because the opportunities for it are
at a distance, or because there may be honour in doing it,
and danger in the contrary. But as for those little instances
of mercy which we have every day many opportunities of
showing, by reason of aversions, peevish, troublesomej con
tradicting, and unequal humours, light offences, small dif
ferences, and the like, with how much difficulty do we exercise
them, if we do it at all ! He who gratifies his resentment,
when he thinks he can do it without being damned, ought to
fear that his compassion is only servile and mercenary on the
greater occasions. What mercy can those vindictive -persons
hope for, who forgive nothing, and are always ready to imbrue
their hands in the blood of their brethren ?
8. Blessed are the pure in heart : for they shall see God.
. The sixth lesson of Christ is, that the purity of a heart,
either preserved after baptism, or repaired by repentance,
consists in loving God alone. Filthy objects are not the only
things which defile the heart ; whatever it loves contrary to
the command and will of God renders it impure. 0 infinite
purity ! what heart can ever be worthy ,to see thee, unless
thou purify it, by engaging it entirely to thyself!

CHAPTER V. n
9. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children
of God. The seventh lesson of Christ recommends to us a zeal for
peace. We ought to preserve it with God, our neighbour, and
ourselves, and to procure it wherever we can. Whose chil^
dren then are those, who sow or foment division in the church,
or in families, if not of the spirit of discord, which reigns
only by hate and division? 0 lovely and desirable peace!
' of which God is the God and Father, his Son the mediator
and victim, the Holy Ghost the inspirer and band, and the
cMirch the kingdom and family! When shall we possess
thee? When wilt thou be perfect ?
10. -Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Lastly, the eighth lesson of Christ is concerning the happi
ness of suffering for righteousness' sake ; but few persons
comprehend this happiness, and fewer still desire to partake
of it. To be willing to suffer for ' righteousness from the
hands of Christians, is a grace more rare than to be perse
cuted for the faith by infidels. There are more in proportion
who give up their life for the sake of the latter, than there
are who, uppn the account of the former, sacrifice their ease,
their interest, and their fortune. But what ! cannot the king-
, dom of heaven make us sufficient amends for what we suffer
upon the account of righteousness, as well as upon the account
of faith ?
. 11. .Blessed are ye, when rmn shall revile you, and persecute you, and
shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Persecution for righteousness and truth includes in it con
tempt, mockery, injuries, and contradictions, suffered in serv
ing God, at the hands of the wicked and of worldly men.
Whom shall we believe ? Either Jesus Christ, who places
our present happiness in this; or our own self-love, which
fixes it in the esteem, the praises, the caresses, and favours
of the world? The cause of God and of Christ is the cause
of faith and the goSpel, of truth and righteousness, of
God's glory and our sanctification, of the church and her
interests.

72 MATTHEW.
12. Rejoice, and he exceeding glad: for great is your reward in
heaven : for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Is there any thing greater, than by means of persecution
to enter into fellowship with the prophets and apostles, even
in this life ; and to expect God for our reward in the other ?
This is a subject not only of joy, hut of an excess of joy and'
of rapture. A joy not of sense, but of faith and hope, which
does not stifle the perception of pain, but feeds npon it, and
causes us to embrace it ; which does not distract the heart,
but unites it to God. How precious and valuable is this com
munion, by which we are admitted to a fellowship in sufiS-
ings, not only with the prophets and apostles, but with Christ
himself; and which is to us a pledge of his love, and of his
Spirit.
SECT. II — THE APOSTLES THE SALT AND LIGHT OF THE EARTH.
— THE LAW NOT DESTROYED. — DOING AND TEACHING.
13 . If Ye are the salt of the earth : but if the salt have lost his savour,
wherewith shall it he salted ? it is thenceforth good for nothing, hut to
be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
Bishops and priests ought to be, (1.) Holy, that they may
sanctify sinners, in taking away the rottenness and corrup
tion of sin by the salt of the word, of prayer, of repentance,
of sacraments, etc. Christians are likewise, in some sense,
the "salt of the earth;" when, being preserved from corrup
tion themselves, they preserve others from it; make them
relish God and his gospel, and have the salt of true wisdom,
and the spirit of Jesus Christ. What then is a bishop with
out strength and virtue, a priest without piety and zeal, a
Christian without faith or charity, but even salt which has
lost its savour, worthy to be rejected of God, and despised of
men ? How great must be the miracle which can restore to
this salt its first strength and savour !
14. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot
be hid.
Bishops and priests ought to be, (2.) Learned, to instruct.
(3.) Open, and easy of access to all, in order to do them ser
vice. Of what advantage is it to a Christian to be light, in
respect of his faith and calling, if he be nothing but darkness

CHAPTER V. 73
as to his life and actions ? If an infidel, instead of seeing
the light of the 'gospel and the purity of faith shine in our
conversation, discovers nothing there but the darkness of sin,
we certainly blind, instead of enlightening him. The Chris
tian life is something very high and sublime, to which we
cannot arrive without pains ; while it withdraws us from the
earth, and carries us nearer heaven, it places us in view, and
as a mark to the malice of carnal men.
15. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on
a candlestick ; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
Bishops and priests ought to be, (4.) Of good example, that
they may edify others. What is this city and this house, but
the universal church, one, holy, immovable, raised above all
human things, contained in one only society, united by one
sole communion, and enlightened by one doctrine alone ? Out
of this house, there is nothing but darkness. Out of this hill,
there is no stability. Out of this city, there is [ordinarily]
no salvation.
16. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good
works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Bishops and priests ought to be, (5.) Humble, that they
. may seek, nothing but the glory of God. They are obliged
to five duties: First, To dispense light; Secondly, To join
good works thereto; Thirdly, To direct them all to God;
Fourthly, To do it with a filial heart; and that. Fifthly, lifted
up to the things of heaven. How rare and extraordinary a
thing is it to discharge these duties ! How difficult to shine
only for God, to work only for heaven !
17. If Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets:
I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. ^
Bishops and priests ought to be, (6.) Faithful, in doing that
first themselves which they require of others, in unitation of
Jesus Christ. Yes, Lord, thou fulfiUest the law: in itself,
adding what is wanting to perfect it, and supplying its ina
bility to satisfy God, and sanctify man ; in thyself, submitting
to its types with an exact obedience, and verifying them by
thy death upon, the cross ; in thy members, giving them what
Vol. I.— r

74 MATTHEW.
it promised, and enabling them by thy grace and love to fulfil
what it commands. FuhSl it in me, 0 Lord. •
18. For verily I say unto you. Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or
one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
There is nothing so little in the law, hut it has its truth
and completion in Jesus Christ or in his church. The word
of God is immutable, because his power is infinite. His
mercy will infalhbly he accomplished in the saints ; his justice
will be inflexibly executed upon sinners.
19. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments,;
and. shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of
heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called
great in the kingdom of heaven.
The only just and holy ambition is to desire to be great in
heaven; but the only means for a bishop or priest to be so,
is not only to do, but also to teach the gospel. Every part
of the law carries in it equally the authority and will of God ;
we oppose this, when we violate that. There is nothing more
little and contemptible in the sight of God, than a pastor,
¦^Yho, by his principles, his discourse, and his life, diverts those
from the meditation and practice of the divine law, whom by
all these methods he ought to incite thereto. It is neither
eminence of see, nor abundance of wealth, nor magnificenee.
of equipage, nor learning, nor authority, nor the favour of
princes, which makes a great prelate ; hut it is in doing and
teaching, ih&i his true greatness does consist.
SECT. III. — EXCEEDING RIGHTEOUSNESS. — INJURIOUS WORD. —
RECONCILIATION.
20. For I say unto you. That except your righteousness shall exceed
ihe righteousiiess o{ the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter
into the kingdom of heaven.
Let us often consider, how great the perfection of the evan
gelical law is. It must be internal, spiritual,, and in the
truth of God. Who can flatter himself with having come
near the exactness of these persons in avoiding open and visi
ble sins, and in fulfilling the external part of the law, with
having come near the length of their prayers and the austerity
of their lives ? And yet, in order to be saved, one must sur-

CHAPTER V. 75
pass them in righteousness. That which God principally
requires is righteousness of heart, charity, humility, a sincere
love of the law, of justice, etc. Whoever has not these, may
be the most holy person in the world before men, and the
most contemptible in the sight of God.
21. If Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt
not kill ; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
22. But I say unto you. That whosoever is angry with his brother with
out a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say
to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever
shall say. Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
Observe here the punishment, (I.) Of murder; (2.) Of
Anger ; (3.) Of an angry word ; (4.) Of an injurious word.
Who will not tremble at these words ? who will not dread the
judgment of God, who condemns and punishes the external
effects of anger, in proportion to the hatred which a man
carries in his heart ? Murder is the most punishable of all
crimes, according to the written law, in respect both of our
neighbour and of civil society. But he who sees the heart,
and who judges it by the eternal law, punishes as much a
word or a desire, if the hatred from whence they proceed be
complete and perfected.
23. Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest
that thy brother hath aught against thee ;
Of how great importance is it for a man, before the com
munion, to examine whether he has nothing in his heart which
is contrary to charity ! A Christian has no enemies at all ;
he has only brethren, looking upon all men as children of
God and members of Christ, or, at least, as capable of becom
ing such. If a brotherly heart was required even of a Jew,
in order to his offering a bullock or a lamb ; what oughf then
to be the charity of a Christian, who offers up (the representa
tive sacrifice of) the Son of God, and who is obliged to receive
him into his heart ?
24. Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be
reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
No sacrifice can be acceptable to God, unless it be accom
panied with that of a sincere charity. The gift and offering
which God. prefers to all others, is for a man to take away.

76 MATTHEW.
out of his own and his brother's heart, all seeds of hatred, by
an humble and necessary satisfaction, or by a charitable and
voluntary prevention. It is to fly in the face of the Son of
God with respect to his doctrine and command, to send to
the communion, or to admit to the grace of reconciliation, a
sinner who will neither forgive nor make any satisfaction for
injuries. A religion, the very soul of which is charity, can
not suffer at the feet of its altars a heart which is revengeful,
or which does not use its utmost endeavour to revive charity
in the heart of another.
25. Agree with thine adversary quickly, while thou art in the way
with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and
the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
It is a real folly for a man not to be reconciled while he
has time. Unhappy he, who puts it off till death ; still more
unhappy he, who lets slip this last and precious moment, the
loss whereof is irreparable. But how great is the madness,
how desperate the rag& of the duellist, who goes in cold blood
to deliver himself up to his judge, to seek his executioner, and
to cast himself into the eternal prison, by being the occasion
of his own death, either through the engagement of a false ,
honour, or out of. a foolish vanity, or in following the torrent
of a diabolical custom, or even under the actual impulse of a
mortal hatred, and while his heart is entirely possessed and
inflamed with the desire and with the last effort of revenge !
26. Verily I say unto thee. Thou shalt by no means come' out thence,
till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.
How terrible is thy justice, 0 iny God, even to the most
righteous ! What will become of him whom thou shalt judge
according to rigour? He who has not laboured before his
death to change justice into mercy by a sincere repentance,
shall never escape out of God's hands.
SECT. IV. — ADULTERY IN THE HEART. — THE PLUCKING
OUT AN EYE.
27. Tf Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time. Thou shalt
not commit adultery:
It is the property of a Pharisee to abstain only from the
outward crime. Men are very often less inquisitive to know

CHAPTER V. 77
how far the will of God extends, that they may please him in
performing it, than how far they may satisfy their lusts,
without destroying themselves by an open violation of the law.
¦ 28. But I say unto you. That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust
after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
Christian righteousness is the righteousness of the heart.
Concupiscence or charity renders the use of the senses good
or evil. If voluntary and deliberate looks or desires make
adulterers, how many persons are there, whose whole life is
but one continual adultery, which they commit even at the
foot of the altar? Men would abhor to commit one external
act before the eyes of men, in a temple of stone, and yet they
are not in the least afraid to commit a great number of them,
in the temple of their own heart, and in the sight of God.
29. And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from
thiSe : for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish,
and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
Sometimes pride or fear keeps us from giving the outward
scandal, which causes the fall of our neighbour ; but we do
not at all watch over our own heart, to avoid the inward
scandal or offence which make us fall ourselves. Let us tear
up our evil desires and our corrupt will, and we shall then
pluck out our eye, by preventing the bad use which that
causes us to make of this. One cannot pluck out an eye
without pain, nor without violence ; much less an evil inclina
tion, which corrupts the heart. Nothing but thy grace, my
God, can perform this necessary and difficult operation.
Would to God the sinner would often make the comparison,
which our blessed Saviour causes us here to make of the A'ain
and transitory pleasures of sin, with the inconceivable and
eternal pains of hell.
30. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee :
for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and
not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
This is to shut the gate against the enemy; namely, to
shut our senses against dangerous objects, to avoid the occa
sions of sin, and to deprive ourselves of all that is most dear
to us in order to save our souls. Men often part with the
7»

78 MATTHEW.
members of the body, at the discretion of a surgeon, that they
may preserve the trunk and die a little later ; and yet they
will not deprive themselves of a look, a touch, a small plea
sure, to save the soul, and secure themselves from dying
eternally. It is not enough to shut the eye, nor to stop the
hand; the one must be "plucked out," andthe other "cut
off." Neither is this yet enough; we must "cast them both
from us." Not one moment's truce with lust ; it must be rooted
up and destroyed. But, alas ! the end of this work is not to
be seen in this life.
SECT. V. — MARRIAGE INDISSOLUBLE. — SWEARING.
31. It hath been said. Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him
give her a writing of divorcement :
God permitted this evil, to prevent a greater, and to pre
figure his repudiating the synagogue, which was his first
spouse. A Christian ought rather to beg of God the grace
to bear patiently and quietly the faults and imperfections of
his wife, than to think of the means of being parted from her.
That which was allowed to the hardness of an uncircumcised
heart, ought not to serve as a rule to a heart into which charity
has been infused by the Holy Ghost.
32. But I say unto you. That whosoever shall put away his wife, sav
ing for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and
whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
How inviolable ought to be the alliance of man with his
God by charity, since conjugal society is only an image and
figure of it; as it is likewise (an emblem) of the union of
Christ with our nature in the incarnation, and with his church.
Marriage, which bears so great a relation to this mystery,
ought to resemble it likewise in its indissolubility. A hus-
' band should be inseparably joined to his wife, as Christ is to
his church.
33. If Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old
time. Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord
thine oaths:
They violate this commandment who dishonour God by
blasphemies; impious jests; swearing in light matters; fre-

CHAPTER V. 79
quent and customary oaths, especially on wicked accounts;
and frivolous, unprofitable, and irrehgious vows. It is a very
old abuse, to weaken the law of God without scruple, to lighten
the yoke of it without authority, and to enlarge the way to
heaven hy arbitrary and presumptuous explications. To
believe that only the perjured person dishonours God in rela
tion to this precept, is to understand very little the holiness
of the divine name.
34. But I say unto you. Swear not at all ; neither by heaven ; for it
is God's throne: 85. Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither
by Jerusalem ; for it is the city of the great King.
All swearing without necessity is forbidden. Who is there,
among the traders and people of the world, who obeys this law?
He who swears of his o^wn accord, without discretion, with
out judgment, and by custom, is in continual danger of being
perjured. When yre make any promise contrary to the com
mand of God, taking as a pledge of our sincerity, either God,
or something belonging to him, we engage that which is not
ours without the master's consent. To make any imprecation
against ourselves, with relation to heaven, the earth, or sacred
things, of which God has given us "the use, is to dispose of
ourselves, of the gifts of God, and of his creatures, without
the leave, and against the will, of the sovereign Master. God
manifests his glory in heaven as upon his throne; he im
prints the footsteps of his divine perfections upon every thing
on earth as upon his footstool ; and shows, that his holiness
and his grace reign in his temple, as in the place of his resi
dence, and in his palace. Let it be one of our most constant
and ordinary cares, to seek and honour God in all his works.
36. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not
make one hair white or black.
How dares man presume to dispose of hia person, his time,
and his goods, contrary to the command and appointment of
God, since he is not able so much as to change the colour of
one single hair?
37. But let your communication be. Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatso
ever is more than these cometh of evil.
Simplicity is most commonly to be found with truth. Let

80 MATTHEW.
US he sure not to use an oath for the sake of little temporal
interests: this is to abuse religion, and to make God sub
servient to mammon. The abuse of an oath proceeds, either
from the distrust of him who requires it, or from the wicked
ness of him of whom it is required, or from lightness, or
irreverence. Wisdom, probity, and religion would remedy
all. Nothing is more contrary to the Spirit of God, and to
the doctrine of Jesus Christ, than to render oaths common in
the church ; because it multiplies the occasions of perjury, lays
snares for the weak and ignorant, and sometimes makes the
name and truth of God subservient to the designs of the wicked.
SECT. VI. — PATIENCE.
38. If Ye have heard that it hath been said. An eye for an eye, and a
tooth for a tooth :
How many Christiana are there worse than Jews, who
carry their revenge to the utmost extremity, and return even
more evil than they have received ! There is a great deal of
difference between what the law appointed to the Jews for the
public safety, and what charity requires of us for our par
ticular perfection ; between the duty of a judge, who ought
to punish according to the law, and the tempter of a Chris
tian, who ought to pardon according to the gospel.
39. But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil : but whosoever shall
smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
Patience, and true Christian charity, incline a man to quit,
to do, to give, and to suffer all things. First, in his person,
all sorts of affronts, at least in the disposition of mind. We
are allowed to demand justice ; but never to avenge ourselves,
never to desire punishment for itself, hut either for the public
good, or for the welfare of private persons. Christian patience
and evangelical prudence must concur to regulate the use of
this counsel; for it is not always expedient to do that pub
licly, which it is always necessary to be disposed to do at the
bottom of the heart. We ought to take care not to deprive
ourselves of this blessing by too much reasoning, or by the
delusion of self-love.

CHAPTER V. 81
• 40. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat,
let him have thy cloak also.
• Patience and Christian charity would have us be in the
same disposition in relation to our goods. It is a gain to lose
them, rather than the treasure of charity and peace. These
words contain only matter of advice ; but the foundation of
this advice, namely, the having a mind averse to law, and the
preferring peace and Christian concord to temporal advan
tages — this is a precept. We are great gainers when we lose
only our money, because we will not run the risk of losing our
souls by losing charity.
41. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
Lastly, patience and Christian charity would have us be
disposed to suffer in our bodies all sorts of toils, vexations,
and torments, that we may be martyrs of charity and peace.
Jesus Christ went beyond this advice, when, without being in
the least constrained thereto, he suffered himself to be set on
a pinnacle of the temple, and taken up into the mountain by
the devil, and to be led to the top of Calvary by the Jews.
Few persons are exposed to these kinds of vexations ; but all
are exposed to suffer injustice. If we always believe that our
sufferings are less than we deserve in the sight of God, we
need never fear our being mistaken, or doing any injustice to
ourselves. The way to improve the injustice of men to our.
own advantage, is to suffer their violence with a view to the
justice of God.
42. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that -would borrow of
thee turn not thou away.
To give and to lend freely to all who are in need is a
general precept, from which we are not excused, but by our
inability to perform it. Men are more or less obliged to it,
as they are more or less able ; as the want is more or less
pressing ; as they are more or less burdened with poor ; or by
their office as pastors; or by the necessities of their relations;
or by the opportunities and demands of providence ; or by the
duty of restitution and satisfaction. In this matter we must
consult prudence and more charity. He who makes use of
F

82 MATTHEW.
the beggar's hand to ask our charity, is the same of whom we
ourselves beg every day our bread ; and dare we refuse Him !
Let us show, at least, mildness and compassion, when we can
do no more. To give and to lend are two duties of charity,'
which Christ joins together, and which he sets upon an equal
footing. The loan is sometimes more beneficial than the
absolute gift, because it fiatters less the vanity and natural
generosity of him who lends ; it spares more the shame of
him who is in real want, and gives less encouragement to the
idleness of him who may not be very honest.
SECT. VII. — THB LOVE OF ENEMIES. — PERFECTION.
43. If Ye have heard that it hath been said. Thou shalt love thy neigh
bour, and hate thine enemy. 44. But I say unto you. Love your enemies;
bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for
them which despitefuUy use you, and persecute you;
We must love our enemies in heart, in word, and in deed;
desiring their welfare, praying for them, speaking well of
them, and assisting them as occasion requires. The enemies
whom Christ here enjoins us to love, are either those who
hate us, or those" whom we do not love. A man certainly
bears a hostile mind, when he thereirf cherishes aversion and
hatred, either with or without cause. This one precept alone
is a sufficient proof of the holiness of the gospel, and of the
truth of the Christian religion. None but God could have
imposed a yoke so contrary to self-love ; and nothing but the
supreme and infinite charity could have made men love and-
practise a law so insupportable to corrupt nature. In vam
do men flatter themselves with loving their enemies, if their
works do not give testimony thereof.
45. That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven:
for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth
rain on the just and on the unjust.
There is nothing greater than to imitate God in doing good
to our enemies. All the creatures pronounce on the revenge
ful the sentence of their condemnation, wrote with the rays
of the sun, the drops of rain, and all the other natural good
things, the use whereof God gives even to his enemies. If

CHAPTER V. 83
God had not loved us while we were his enemies, we could
never- have become his children ; and we shall cease to be so,
if we cease to imitate him.
46. For if ye love thom which love you, what reward have ye ? do not
even the publicans the same ?
He who loves only his friends does nothing for God's sake.
This is the virtue of a publican and a heathen, which will
have no other reward but theirs. God is the reward of that
virtue only, of which he himself is the principle and the end.
He who loves for the sake of pleasure or interest, rewards
himself, and pays himself with his own hands. He who loves
for the sake of God, loves his gifts in all men. God has no
enemy but sin ; we ought to have no other.
47. And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others?
do not even the publicans so ?
If not to salute be a heathenish indifference, to hide hatred
under civilities is a diabolical treachery. It is easy enough
to show a signal instance of generosity to a declared enemy
to gain honour before men. But to speak kindly, mildly,
and cordially to one whose humour we do not like, or from
whom we have received some affront, how rare a thing is this !
how hard and grievous is it to nature ! Thou alone, 0 divine
Repairer of our corrupt nature ! thou alone canst render this
pleasant and agreeable to it by thy grace.
48. Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven
is perfect. God is, in himself, the principal law, and the chief pattern
of the perfection of the man and of the Christian. God has
but too many bad imitators of his power, of the simplicity of
his nature, of his independency, and of his vengeance ; but he
has very few of his love, his condescension, and his indulgence.
He calls himself love, to teach us, that in this consists the
perfection to which he would have us aspire. God is more
easily to be imitated by his children, in the perfections
whereby he appears a Father, than in those whereby he ap
pears a God: these for heaven; those for the earth.-

84 MATTHEW.

CHAPTER VL
SECT. I. — ALMS.
1. Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to. be seen
of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in
heaven. The best way is to do good works in secret, as far as is
consistent with the advancement of God's glory. The devil
engages the wicked to do evil with pleasure, and the righteous
to do good out of vanity. Let us wait with patience one
moment ; the eternal reward can neither fail us nor be de
layed. To desire to be paid ready money by the hands of
men, is the way to lose all; but to trust God, is to enrich
ourselves forever.
2. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet
before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues, and in the streets,
that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you. They have
their reward.
To do alms in secret is to offer a double sacrifice. A
transient and momentary honour is the empty reward of vain
men. Unhappy he, who, in parting with his wealth, deprives
himself, by his vanity, of the heavenly riches. It is, as it
were, attempting to impose upon God with a wrong title, for
a man to endeavour to sell that to him which he has already
sold to vain-glory.
3. But when thou doest alms, let not thy lefb hand know what thy
right hand doeth :
It is good to conceal our good works, even from our nearest
relations, unless we are under an obligation of edifying them.
We ought to proceed farther, to conceal them, as one may
say, even from ourselves, by not allowing ourselves the satis
faction so much as to think on them, or to lay them before
our eyes by reflections of complacency and self-love. They
are given to God, and therefore they ought to be kept hid
in him.

CHAPTER VL 85
4. That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in
secret himself shall reward thee openly.
The substantial reward of the secret virtue of the humble
is conferred openly. Our alma is our treasure ; not to hide
it, is to expose ourselves to being robbed. He who seeks any
other approbation than that of God, forgets that he is made
only for him, and that he ought ultimately to refer all to.
him alone. SECT. II. — PRAYER.
5. If And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are :
for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of
the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you. They
have their reward.
In order to approach God, and to incline him to give ear
to our prayer, it is necessary to pray out of the hearing of
men, and without affecting to be seen by them. A man loves
the world when he seeks to please it, and this love spoils
the best works. God is a jealous God, and cannot share
with any one what is due to himself alone ; and this not
out of envy, but goodness. He ia not afraid of losing any
thing, but of being obliged not to give, and not to bestow
himself. 6. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou
hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy
Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
The heart is God's peculiar portion ; he is the judge of it ;
it belongs to him to reward. It is in. this that he will be
worshipped and adored. Prayer is the most secret inter
course of the soul with God, and, as it were, the conversation
of one heart with another. The world ia too profane and
treacheroua to be of the aecret. We must shut the door
against it, by forgetting it, and all the affairs which busy and
amuse it. Prayer requires retirement, at least of the heart ;
for this is the closet in the house of God, which house is our
selves. Thither we ought to retire, even in public prayer,
and in the midst of company. What goodness is there equal
to this of God, to give not only what we ask, and more than
we ask of him, but to reward even prayer itself! What ad
vantage is it to serve a prince, who places prayers in the
Vol. l— a

86 MATTHEW.
number of services, and reckona to his subjepts' account even
their trust and confidence in begging all things of him.
7. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heiathen do: for
they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
Prayer requires more of the heart than of the tongue, of
sighs than of words, of faith than of discourse. The elo
quence of prayer conaists in the fervency of desire, in the
simplicity of faith, and in the earnestness and perseverance
of charity. The abundance and choice of fine thoughta,
studied and vehement motiona, and the order and polite-
neaa of the expressions, are things which compose a mere
human harangue, not an humble and Christian prayer. Our
trust and confidence ought to proceed from that which God
is able to do in us, not from that which we can say to God.
8. Be not ye therefore like unto them : for your Father knoweth what
things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
Prayer is not designed to inform God, but to give man a
sight of his misisry, to humble his heart, to excite his desire,
to inflame his faith, to animate his hope, to raise his aoul
toward heaven, and to put him in mind that there is his
Father, his country, his inheritance. He is a Father to
,whom we pray ; let us go to him vrith confidence : he knows
our wants; let us remove far from us all anxious disquiet
and concern.
9. After this manner therefore pray ye:
The prayer which Jesus Christ gives ua here ia the pattern
of all Chriatian prayer, and an abridgement of the gospel.
What satisfaction it is to learn, from God himself, with what
words and in what manner he would have us pray to him,
so as not to pray in vain ! A king, who himself drawsup the
petition which he allows to be presented to himaelf, haa aucely
a very great desire to grant the request. We do not suffi
ciently conceive the value of this prayer, the respect and
attention which it requires, the preference to be given to it,
its fulness and perfection, the frequent use we should make
of it, and the spirit which we should bring along with ua to
it. The order of the petitions is the order of our desires and

CHAPTER VL 87
of our duties ; it is here we ought to be particularly mindful
of them.
Our Father which art in heaven,
1st, We must, in the first place, say 'this prayer with the
heart of a heavenly child, disengaged from the earth by his
new birth, animated with the Spirit of the divine adoption,
and full of desire to be reunited to his Father and Author.
The heart of a child of God is a brotherly heart, in respect
of all other Christians ; it asks nothing but in the spirit of
unity, fellowship, and Christian charity, desiring that for its
brethren which it desires for itself. Let us adore God in the
unity and simplicity of his essence, in the trinity and fellow
ship of his persons ; as the Father of Christians, the source
and model of all paternity both in heaven and earth, and the
Author of all created good.
Hallowed be thy name.
¦'2d, We must aay it, with the heart of a prieat, all inflamed
with zeal for God'a glory, and for the sanctification of souls,
and with the desire of that holiness, which should render him
like to God as to his Father. In the sanctification of the
elect and of the whole church, God is pleased to place hia
glory; and, therefore, thia glory and thia aanctification we
ought to desire and to pray for before all things. Let us
adore the holiness of God ; let us desire that his holy name
may be everywhere known ; let ua labour to this purpose with
all our power, beginning first with ourselves.
10. Thy kingdom come.
3d, We must say it with the' heart of a faithful subject,
zealous for the glory of his sovereign. When will it be, 0
my God, that death and ain, the devil and his ministers, the
isyorld and its offences, shall cease to reign upon earth; and
that thou, after having judged the quick and the dead, sepa
rated thy elect from the reprobate, and destroyed all the
powers of earth, and hell, wilt thyself reign alone everywhere,
in all, and forever, and thy saints with thee, and with thy
Son? In order to desire the coming of this kingdom, it is
necessary to be in a condition to expect it with confidence.

88 MATTHEW.
Let US adore the sovereignty of God, and labour to establish
hia kingdom in our o^wn hearts.
Thy -will he done in earth, as it is in heaven.
4th, We must say it with the heart of a -wife who studies
the desirea and inclinationa of her husband, and seeks only
to pleaae him. God everywhere effects his will, even in those
who oppose it the moat ; but it is done, with and by love, in
none but the saints in heaven and on earth. We acknowledge
the necessity of a grace, which, by a free and predominant
love, may subject our will to that of God, when we pray that
"his will may be done in us aa it is in heaven." It is by this
that God reigns, and that his name is hallowed. Let us adore
the almighty will of God, and desire that it may work in us,
so as to subject us to itself.
11. Give us this day our daily bread
5th, We must say it with the heart of a sheep, which re
quires food from its shepherd ; and of one really in want, who
begs his bread. We ought to ask of God the bread of the
body ; but much more the bread of the soul, — his grace, his
word, the divine eucharist, the love of hia law, and the accom
plishment of his will. God will have us depend on him. He
gives not to the body all its nourishment, nor to the aoul all
the grace which is necessary for it, on purpose to oblige us to
pray ; and prayer, which proves that we always stand in need
of this grace, proves also that we have it not always. Let ua
adore the providence of God, let ua love to depend upon it,
and let ua frequently have recourae to it.
12. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
6th, We muat say it with the heart of a penitent who begs
mercy of his God, while he affords it to his neighbour in all
respects. That man condemns himself to suffer the eternal
vengeance of God, who makes use of this prayer with revenge
and hatred in his heart. He who ohaervea not the condition
of a tranaaction ao advantageous, doea not comprehend what
he owea to God, and ia a madman who reaolvea to perish.
Let us adore the infinite love and mercy of God; and let us

CHAPTER VL 89
beseech him to give us such a heart as is indulgent, chari
table, and always ready to forgive.
13. And lead us not into temptation,
7th, We must say it with the heart of a sick person, who
implorea the asaiatance of his physician, acknowledging that
he deserves to be forsaken by him. The way of salvation is
a way of humility, and the Christian grace a grace of combat.
There is nothing makes men more humble, renders them more
vigilant, and obliges them to have recourse more frequently
to the arms of faith and prayer, than their being unable to
ascribe to themselves any good, their perceiving themselves
capable of all evil, their having a domestic enemy who leaves
them not one moment's quiet or security, and their depend
ing continually upon a grace which is not due, and of which
they are altogether unworthy. Let us adore the wonderful
contrivance and wisdom of God in the work of our salvation ;
and let us give up ourselves entirely to him, that he may not
give us up to ourselves.
But deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power,
and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Lastly, we must say it with the heart of a captive, an exile,
or an afflicted person, who haa recourae to hia deliverer.
With how many anarea, how .many obstacles to good, how
many occaaiona of sin, how many enemies of salvation are
we surrounded, among whom our false friends are the most
dangerous ! Lord, from thee alone we expect deliverance :
delay not to succour ua. May the frequent combata, in which
the tempter engagea ua, make ua sigh and long after the
general deliverance, which will forever banish to hell the
tempter and the temptation, all disorderly affection and con-
cupiacence, all sin and wickedness whatsoever. Let us adore
the power and justice of the sovereign Judge ; let us wait like
exiles, to be called home, and, like captives, to be delivered ;
and let us fly to him for aid under the miseries of our banish
ment and alavery, and in all the assaulta of our enemiea.
14. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will
also forgive you :
He who shows mercy to men, receives it from God. For
8»

90 MATTHEW.
a king to forgive his subjects, a hundred millions, and an in
finite number of treaaons against his authority and person, on
this one condition, that they will but live peaceably with him
and with one another, is what we shall never see; and yet
this is but the shadow of that which Christ promises on hia
Father's part to all true penitents. A man must needs love
his salvation but little, who refuses to purchase it at thia price.
15. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither -will your Father
forgive your trespasses.
He who doea not awake at the aound of so loud a thunder,
ia not asleep, but dead. It is not without reason that Christ
insists thus upon this one petition concerning the forgiveness
of sins; since this alone contains the threat of God's eternal
wrath, and the necessity of brotherly love. We hazard ail,
if we either do not understand it, or do tranagress it.
SECT. III. — FASTING.
16. If Moreover when ye fast, he not, as the hypocrites, of a sad coun
tenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men
to fast. Verily I say unto you. They have their reward.
It ia difficult to avoid hypocriay and oatentation in external
mortifications, and chiefiy in fasting. He who desires to
please men in that which he does by way of atonement to
God, seems as if he pretended to expiate and make amends
for his affection to the creatures by this affection itself. God
turns from the sinner the eyes of his mercy, in the same pro
portion that he endeavours to draw upon himself those of
men. When a man, out of hypocrisy, affects a sad counte
nance, he has but little of that godly sorrow in his heart which
repentance gives.
17. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;
The love of God tnakes us do that with joy which we do for
him. Our heart is the same in respect of God, that our head
and face are in respect of men. It is by the heart that he
knows us, and judges of ua; it ia hy this that we please him.
It is thia victim of the heart, which we muat waah vrith the
water of our tears, and" anoint with the spirit of charity, to
make it an acceptable sacrifice of repentance.

CHAPTER VL 91
18. That thou appear not unto men to fast, hut unto thy Father which
is in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee
openly. He who takes no care to avoid the sight and applause of
the world, has but little desire to be seen and rewarded by
God. There is a time to show ourselves tp men, through the
' obligation we have to edify them ; and a time to hide our
selves from them, to prevent our own destruction. Let us
not be afraid that our heart will be concealed from God ; but
let us be afraid lest he should discover it to be greedy of the
glory which comes from men, and little filled with the desire
and esteem of that glory which he alone can confer.
SECT. IV. — TREASURES IN HEAVEN. — THE SINGLE EYE.
19. If Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and
rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal :
What blindness is it for a man to lay up that as a treasure
which must necessarily perish ! This is to degrade a heart
designed for God and for eternity, to fix it upon such things
aa are aubject to corruption, and, on their account, to aet it
in competition with motha.
20. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth
nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal :
He who frequently considera the solidity and eternity of
.the treasures in heaven, little amuses himself with the con
temptible goods of the earth. This treasure ia laid i;p by
good works, and especially by alms. The only way to render
.perishing goods eternal, to secure stately furniture from
moths, the richest metals from rust, and precious stones from
thieves, is to transmit them to heaven by charity. This is a
kind of bill of exchange, which cannot fail of acceptance but
through our own fault.-
'21. For where your treasure is, there -will your heart be also.
Happy he, who has a heart only for God, and who has only
God in his heart. How misplaced is a heart, when it cleaves
either to the smoke of honours, or to the dirt of riches, or to
the mire of pleaaures ! Let our heart, then, 0 God, rest satis
fied in thee alone, since it waa made only for thee, and since
thou alone art worthy of it.

92 MATTHEW.
22. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single,
thy whole body shall be full of light.
The single eye, is the pure intention, and the unity of the
end. The eye is neither single nor pure, when it looks upon
two objects at once; nor the heart, when it seeks not God
and his righteousness only; when it has some other end
besides his glory and hia will ; when it would fain be happy
in the enjoyment of some other good together with him; and
when it pretends to unite God and the world, to he the ser
vant of Christ and to please men, and to reconcile the gospel
with the eager desire of earthly things. Nothing is more
single than the eye of faith ; there is nothing which renders
our whole conduct more uniform in goodness, than to follow
singly the light of it.
23. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be fuU of darkness.
If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that
darkness !
An evil intention corrupts the beat worka and rendera them
evil. Who can conceive the misfortune and corruption of a
heart which lays up for itself a double treasure of wrath, by
suffering itself to be led away to evil actions by a perverse
will, and depriving itself of the fruit of good ones by a bad
intention ? The way of the righteous is a way of light ; that
of sinners is nothing but darkness.
SECT. V. — GOD TO BE SERVED, NOT MAMMON. — TRUST.
24. If No man can serve two masters : for either he -will hate the one,
and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.
Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
The master of our heart, is the love which reigns in it ; we
are slaves to that only which we love most. A man cannot
be in a perfect indifference between two objects which are in
compatible ; he is inclined to despise and hate whatever he
does not love in the highest degree, when the necessity of a
choice presents itself. Could we ever imagine that mammon
has the advantage of God in the hearta of the generality of
mankind, did not experience force us to believe it? How
dangerous ia it to set our minds upon riches, since it ia so
easy to make them our god !

CHAPTER VL 93
25. Therefore I say unto you. Take no thought for your life, what ye
shall eat, or what she shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall
put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment ?
To be so intent on the means of subsistence as to lose all
the satisfaction of it, is to have but very little faith ; it is
even infidelity. On the other hand, to rely so much upon
providence as to do nothing at all, is to tempt God. But to
labour, without placing our trust and confidence in our labour,
expecting all from the blessing of God : this is to obey him,
to co-operate with his providence, to set the springs of it
a-going, and to imitate Chriat and the aainta by a sedate care
and an industrious confidence. In the following verses, Christ
lays down several reasons why men should not disquiet them
selves about the wants of life, or concerning the future. The
first is the experience of greater benefits already received.
He who gave us life and the body, before we could ask
them of him, can he refuse ua wherewith to conaerve them,
when we aak it with an humble confidence ? It is ingratitude
to fall into distrust with respect to our great Benefactor.
26. Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they
reap, nor gather into barns ; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them.
Are ye not much better than they ?
The second reason is the example of the lesser animals,
which the providence of God feeds without their own labour,
though he be not their Father. We never knew an earthly
father take care of his fowls and neglect his children; and
shall we fear this from our heavenly Father ? That man is
unworthy to have God for his father in heaven, who depends
less upon his goodness, wisdom, and power, than upon a crop
of corn, which may be spoiled, either in the field or in the
barn. The excellency of man consists in his being capable
of knowing, loving, and enjoying God; and what ought he
not to expect from God after so great a gift ?
27. Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
The third reason is the unprofitableness of human cares,
unless God vouchsafe to bless them. What can our own un
easiness do, but only render us unworthy of the divine care?
The passage from distrust to apostasy is very short and easy ;

94 MATTHEW.
and a man ia not far from murmuring against providence,
when he ia diaaatiafied with ita conduct. He ought to depend
entirely upon it, aa well for the conaervation of ita gifts aa
for the gifta themselves.
28. And why take ye thought for raiment ? Consider the lilies of the
field, how they grow ; they toil not, neither do they spin :
The fourth reason is the example even of insensible crea
tures. Let us learn from hence, not, like these planta, to do
nothing, but to trust to God's eye, and to commit ourselves
to his almighty hand, which the least of hia worka diacover
and manifeat unto us. He who makes the lilies of the field
grow, cannot he augment our subatance, if it be for hia glory
and our advantage ? Nothing ia more capable of increasing
our confidence toward God, than to consider his works with
attention, and to meditate upon his conduct.
29. And yet I say unto you. That even Solomon in all his glory was
not arrayed like one of these. 30. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass
of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall
he not much more clothe you, 0 ye of little faith ?
Chriat confounds, at one and the same time, both the luxury
of the rich in their superfluities, and the diatruat of the poor
as to the necessaries of life. Let man, who is made for
heaven and eternity, learn from a flower of the field, from a
flower of a moment's duration, how low the care of Providence
vouchsafes to stoop. All our disquiets and distrusts proceed
from want of faith. A man is rich when he has faith ; that
supplies all wants. The poor are not really so, unless desti
tute of faith.
31. Therefore take no thought, saying. What shall we eat? or. What
shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32. (For after all
these things do the Gentiles seek:)
The fifth reason is, that to concern ourselves about these
wants with anxiety, as if there was no such thing as provi
dence in the world ; with great affection toward earthly en
joyments, as if we expected no other ; and, without praying
to God or consulting his will, as if we could do any thing
without him : this ia no better than to imitate the heathens.
For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
The sixth reason is, because God is a good father, who

CHAPTER VL 95
knows all our wants. It ia the property of a true father to
provide necessariea, and not auperfiuitiea. Not to hope for
the former, is to offend his goodness ; to expect the latter, is
to do injury to his wisdom. The want of what is necessary is
that which generally casts men into uneasiness about the
future; and yet it is this very thing which ought to make
them easy; because thia ia properly the buainess of provi
dence, and the care of a father.
33. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and
all these things shall be a4ded unto you.
The seventh reason is, because the business of our salvation
ought entirely to take us up. Hither all our desires, our
cares, and our inquiries ought to tend. He who first seeks
God, finds him together with all these thinga ; the righteous
are never deprived of them, but only in order to their finding
God more certainly, readily, and fully. He who has all his
spiritual wants supplied by God himself, though he were left
under the greatest wants and necessities of the body, would
yet be far from complaining that God had broken his word.
Grant, Lord, that I may desire and seek nothing but thee,
and that I may live only for thee, and in thee.
34. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take
thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
The eighth and last reason is, that a solicitous carefulness
renders us unhappy beforehand. The future falls under the
cognizance of God alone; we encroach therefore upon his
rights, when we would fain foresee all which may happen to
us, and secure ourselves from it by our cares. How much
good is omitted, how many evils caused, how many duties
neglected, how many innocent persona deaerted, how many
good worka destroyed, how many truths auppreaBed,"and how
many acta of injustice authorized, by these timorous forecasts
of what may happen, and these faithless apprehensions con
cerning the time to come! Let us do in aeaaon what God
then requires of us; and let us trust to him for the conse
quences. The future time, which God would have us foresee
and provide for, is that of judgment and eternity ; and it is
this alone which we will not foresee.

96 MATTHEW.

CHAPTER VIL
SECT. I. — NOT TO JUDGE. — NOT TO CAST HOLY THINGS
TO DOGS.
1. Judge not, that ye be not judged.
God reserves to himself the judgment of the heart of man.
Nothing so much incenses a judge against a criminal, as to
see him set up himaelf for a judge. We search into the heart
of our neighbour to discover something for which we may con
demn him, either out of an idle curiosity, or out of envy and
malice, or in order to find our own justification in the con
demnation of others ; this is what a great part of the world
do almost without perceiving it.
2. For -with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and -with
what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
We believe it, because Christ has said it, that we shall be
treated at the last judgment as we shall have treated others;
and yet we act every day as if we did not believe it. He
who shows mercy shall receive it. This severity which is
just, considerate, and proportioned to our sins, is the punish
ment of the unjust, rash, and excessive rigour of the greatest
part of our judgments.
3. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but
considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
On one side, self-love blinds us aa to ourselves ; and on the
other, envy and malice give us piercing eyes in respect of
others. An excellent remedy against this forwardness in
censuring the conduct of othera, ia to conaider ourselves before
we find fault with them. When we shall have as much zeal
to correct ourselves as we have inclination to correct others,
we shall then know our own defects better than we now do
those of our neighbours.
4. Or how wilt thou say to thy brother. Let me pull out the mote out
of thine eye : and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye ?
A false, blind, and irregular charity inspires us with a

CHAPTER VIL 97
malicious attention and application to the faults of others,
and with an extreme sloth and negligence in regard of our
own conduct. Give us. Lord, that true charity, which teaches,
not to fiatter ourselves, to spare our neighbour, and to judge
equitably of every thing.
5. Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye ; and
then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
The necessary order of action is to labour first about our
own sanctification, before we apply ourselves to that of others ;
for else it is nothing but pride and hypocrisy. A blind, pre
cipitate, and ungoverned zeal is good for nothing but to puff
ua up, to darken our understanding more and more with
respect to ourselves, and to make us commit very great faults
with respect to others. What is it to cast the beam out of
our eye before we undertake to exercise the ministry of aalva-
tion, but to purify our heart from every human aim and irregu- '
lar intention, to mortify our passions which are the causes of
our blindness, to enlighten our faith by studying the way of
salvation and the rules of the church, and to lay aside all
false prejudices or popular prepossessions which are contrary
to true piety ?
6. If Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your
pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn
again and rend you.
It is an express command of the Lord, not to expose the
truths, mysteries, or sacraments of the church to the contempt
and profanation of sinners ; and yet this is what is now-a-days
charged as a crime on those who endeavour to observe it.
That is often represented as party management and con
federacy, or as dangerous dissimulation, which is really the
necessary wisdom and discretion of not dispensing the truth
to those who are fit for nothing but to bark at it like dogs,
to trample it under their feet like swine, and to rend or perse
cute those who deliver it to them. Sacraments are not for
such as are continually returning, like dogs, to their former
sins, particularly those which proceed from the tongue and
the mouth; nor for such aa remain, like awine, under habits
of impurity, or of any other sins.
Vol. I.— 9 &

98 MATTHEW.
THE MEANS TO ARRIVE AT PERFECTION.
SECT. II. — 1. MEANS — PRAYER.
7. If Ask, and it shall be given you ; seek, and ye shall find ; knock,
and it shall be opened unto you :
How rich is a man when he knows how to aak, to seek, and
to knock as he ought; with his tongue, his desires, and hia
works! Let us ask, with confidence and humility; let us
seek, with care and application ; let us knock, with earnestness
and perseverance. Grant me. Lord, a faith, which may make
me thoroughly sensible of my needs, and humbly ask thy
grace; a hope, which may excite me to seek thy kingdom
only, and the righteousness which leads thereto; and a
charity, which may urge me to knock incessantly and respect
fully at the gate of thy mercy.
8. For every one that asketh receiveth ; and he that seeketh flndeth ;
and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
Prayer ia alwaya heard after one manner or another, when
charity asks, seeks, and knocks. She alone obtains all which
she asks, because she alone asks what she ought, and that in
a right manner, and for a good end. The way never to be
refused is,- never to desire any thing but the will of God.
9. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he
give him a stone?
We have no right to aak any thing of God, hut only,
(I.) Under the quality of children, and aa members of his
Son. (2.) With the heart of children, or a filial love.
(3.) Necessaries, as bread. Thou art, 0 my God, both the
Father and the bread of our souls. Give thyself to us, thee
and thy Son Jesus Christ, the bread of heaven. How many
times. Lord, have we asked of thee a stone, namely, the good
things of the earth, which would only have formed in us a
heart of stone, and thou hast been pleased to give us the
bread of thy grace, of thy word, and of thy Son !
10. Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent ?
Jesus Christ may be said to be hidden in the Scriptures,
aa a fiah is hidden in the water ; faith and charity find him

CHAPTER VIL 99
there ; curiosity and concupiscence, instead of him, find there
sometimes the serpent and his temptation. If he is an un
natural father who gives his children things hurtful to the
life of the body, what then is that person who causes them to
lose the hfe both of aoul and body to all eternity, in poiaon-
ing them with the maxims of the world, and in giving them
the serpent of ambition, either by bad example or otherwise !
Thou alone, 0 my God, art always a Father ! and never givest
to thy children any other than the gifts of a Father. Let
me likewise always show myself a good child in prayer, and
never ask any thing but what is worthy of thy paternal love !
11. If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your chil
dren, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good
things to. them that ask him?
Good gifts are always given to children who ask them well.
What other good things but those of heaven ahould a Chris
tian aak of hia heavenly Father ? — a Christian, who was made
such only for heaven ! To ask them amiss, is not so properly
to ask them, as to render ourselves unworthy of them. They
are given only to those who ask them ; and we ask them, so
far as we esteem and desire them. Show, 0 my God, that
thou art our Father! and make us esteem, deaire, and ask
that only which thou art willing to give !
SECT. III. — 2. MEANS — CHARITY.
12. Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to
you, do ye even so to them : for this is the law and the prophets.
The Scriptures contain nothing but charity, which is the
substance and the end of them. How rare is thia apirit of
equity ! and how difficult and painful ia it even to good men,
to walk exactly according to thia rule ! Self-love is too much
confined ¦within these bounds ; it always finds out reasons of
preference and distinction. Thy charity alone, 0 Jesus, can
enable us to observe this law of charity !
SECT. IV. — 3. MEANS — THE STRAIT WAY.
13. If Enter ye in at the strait gate : for wide is the gate, and broad is the
way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat :
Unhappy those, who either flatter, or suffer themselves to

100 MATTHEW.
be flattered, on this subject ! There are four things which
show that a man ia in the way to heaven : — The firat, when
he lovea the goapel, which confines nature, reduces it to what
is strictly necessary, obliges it even not to be too intent on
that, and separates it from every thing which fiatters or cor
rupts it. The second, when he does not envy those who enjoy
all the comforts, and all the gOod things of this present life
which they desire. The third, when he declines the way that
everybody is too apt to like, "the broad way that leadeth to
destruction." The fourth, when he earnestly endeavours to
"enter in at the strait gate."
14. Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth
unto life, and few there be that find it.
To live as the generality of mankind do, is not to take " the
¦way which leadeth unto life." He who teaches that the gate
and way to life are wide and broad, when Jesus Christ wonders
to see them so strait and narrow, can be no other than a de
ceiver. Few find the way of heaven, fewer enter into this
way, fewer yet abide in it, fewer still walk in it, and fewest
of ^all persevere, or go forward to the end. As it is thy grace
only, 0 Lord, which cauaea us to find it, so from that we
expect all the rest.
SECT. V. — FALSE PROPHETS. — THE FRUIT LIKE THB TREE.
15. If Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing,
but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Adherence to the doctrine of the true pastors is one mark
that a man is of the number of the true sheep. Thia advice
of Christ, and the difficulty of discerning a sheep in her own
natural clothing, from a wolf concealed under that of a sheep,
show plainly how difficult the choice is of a good director, (of
the conscience.) Those who come to you, and are no pastors,
instead,of leaving you to come to them, are from thence justly
suspected to be wolves, who seek not so much to help you to
heavenly treasures, as to rob you of earthly. What ia the
reaaon that so few find the way to life, unless it be because
there are so few who have any distrust of falSe prophets, or
loose directora, (of the conscience,) or who are not glad to

CHAPTER VIL 101
follow those who make the way very broad ? He who really
aeeka God, will not trust himself to a guide without being
assured that he can conduct him to him. The pure and up
right heart is attentive ; and this attention, joined with prayer,
obtains the grace of discernment.
16. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of
thorns, or figS of thistles ?
The works are the tongue of the heart. When the whole
body of actions is bad, the heart muat necessarily be corrupt.
Hypocrites may deceive for a time, and conceal their heart
on many occasions; but they cannot do it on all, or always.
A man has not the Spirit of God in the least, when he does
nothing but the works of the flesh : such as ambition, covet
ousness, and the like. Whoever enriches himself by the di
rection of conscience, and makes it subservient to the advance
ment of his family or his friends, or to other paasions, he
plainly enough discovers by hia worka, both what he is and
what he is not.
17. Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit ; but a corrupt
tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
Such as is the will, such are the actions which proceed from
it. One important rule to keep us from delusion is, to judge
of ourselves, not by barren desires, nor by deceitful transports
of devotion, but by our good works. The good tree ia the
good heart; the good fruit is a good life. The heart is God's,
and truly Chriatian, when the life is so; the heart is the
world's, when a man lives like the world. It is thou, 0 my
God, who pluckest up the corrupt heart, and who createst,
plantest, cultivatest, waterest, and makest the good one fruit
ful ! Mine is in thy hands ; make it a good tree ; make it
thy o-wn plant !
18. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt
tree bring forth good fruit.
Charity is the root of the good tree, and that which rendera
it good ; so long as that subsiats, there can be no evil fruit of
crimes ; so long as it does not, there can be no good fruit of
righteousness. To teach that righteousness is consistent with
9*

102 MATTHEW.
the greatest crimes, is really to make a good tree bring forth
evil fruit, and to give the lie to the Son of God.
19. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and
cast into the fire.
There can be no true piety nor salvation without good
works. What greater misery, then, can a man have, than to
be found before the tribunal of God without the root of charity,
and the fruit of good works ! Let us make haste, for the time
is short, and the last moment perhaps at hand ! To be for
ever separated from God and Christ, and to suffer eternally
the torment of fire! 0 God, who can think of it without
horror ! But whoever does no more than barely think of it
with horror, will be but the more inexcusable on that account.
The only means to avoid this separation and eternal fire, is to
separate ourselves from sin, and the occasions of it, and to
purify ourselves in the fire of repentance.
20. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
This truth is often repeated, because our eternal state
dependa upon it. Not to have good fruit, is to have eoU;
there can be no innocent sterility in the invisible tree of the
heart; to "bring forth nothing," is cause sufficient to be
"hewn dovra, and cast into the fire." One main source of ~
the evils of the church is the neglect of this rule, though given
by Jesus Christ himself The best fruits are frequently
counted as nothing, and the trees which are most loaded with
them are condemned, upon the word of those who have not
the least good fruit themselves, or who bear nothing but evil.
When the proper use is made of this rule of our Lord's, it
will soon be discovered who are the good trees.
SECT. VI. — GOD JUDGES NOT BY WORDS, BUT BY WORKS.
21. Tf Not every one that saith unto me. Lord, Lord, shall enter into
the kingdom of heaven ; but he that doeth the will of my iFather which
is in heaven.
That man condemns himself, who calls God his Lord, and
yet testifies by his works that he does not fear him. God
considers actions, and not words; fruit, and not leaves. The
false and deceitful devotion which conaists only in words, is

CHAPTER VIL 103
rejected by Jesus Christ. That alone which is true, substan
tial, and necessary, consiata in atudying and doing what God
requires of us. How can the world be saved ? — the world,
which is intent on nothing but doing either its own will, to
please itself, or that of others, out of interest ! The will of God,
which alone can sanctify and save, is regarded by it as nothing.
22. Many will say to me in that day. Lord, Lord, have we not pro
phesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy
name done many wonderful works ?
The moat shining actions of the reprobate are often such
as are rejected by God with the greater indignation, because
the principle of them is more corrupt, and the end more crimi
nal. How many preachers are there, who appear prophets
in the pulpit ; how many (spiritual) guides ; how many writers
and other evangelical workmen, whose conduct, doctrine, and
labour we admire ; who yet are really nothing, and even less
than nothing, before God, because they do not perform his
will ! It is better to be and to do nothing, than to be or do
what God would not have us.
23. And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart
from me, ye that work iniquity.
Dreadful separation indeed, which we do not enough con
sider! How dear will the vain pleasure of sin, of worldly
splendour, of a transient reputation, cost those who forget
God ! Grant, 0 Lord, that I may discover and avoid all those
snares which are laid for ua by the devil, the world, and our
own self-love ! — that so thou mayest know and accept me in
that great day. Terrible alteration for those among the
clergy, who are so eager to be known in the world, and to
make their fortune in it, by the functions of the sacred minis
try! Chriat knowa them not; whereby is meant, that he
regards and treats them aa he does the world, to which they
have given themselves up, and for which he has not vouchsafed
to pray ; and that he strikes them, aa well aa the world, with
thia eternal anathema, "Depart from me!"
24. If Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth
them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock :
We must build upon the rock, which is Jesus Christ, doing

104 MATTHEW.
that good by charity which we know by faith. True wisdom
consists in working on the building of our salvation, in making
it firm by keeping close to the word and the maxims of the
goapel, and in conforming our lives thereto. And when, in
order to thia, we lean upon nothing but the grace of Christ,
we then build upon a aolid rock.
25. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew,
and beat upon that house ; and it fell not : for it was founded upon a rock.
It is the practice of God's commandments which renders
our calling and election sure, and which secures our salvation
against the divine wrath and the last judgment. There are
three kinds of trials and temptations : (1.) Those of temporal
afflictions, which come from above, like the rain. (2.) Those
which proceed from the lusts and passions of men, which are
like floods. (3.) Those which, like impetuous ¦winds, ariae
from the devil. It ia charity, and not the light of faith alone,
which can enable us to stand our ground againat so many
temptationa and triala.
26. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them
not, shall he likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the
sand: He who knows and doea not, builds upon the sand, and is
a fool. How many fools on earth paaa for the inen of true
wisdom ! And very often he who pities them, is himself of
the number ! It is a great misfortune not to know the gos
pel ; but it is a real folly, to be filled with the knowledge of
its truths, and to make no use at all of them. Render us
faithful in this matter, 0 Eternal Wisdom ! and give us that
wisdom which consists in knowing how to be saved !
27. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew,
and beat upon that house ; and it fell : and great was the fall of it.
This is a lively representation of the case of a soul, which,
at the hour of death, has nothing to rest upon. The know
ledge of the law alone cannot support a soul against tempta
tions, nor against the judgment of God; it will serve only to
overwhelm it the more. The fall of the soul is irreparable,
and without remedy, after this life; because the spring of
charity will be then dried up, which alone can shelter the soul

CHAPTER Vin. 105
from the rain of God's justice, stop the floods of hia anger,
and withstand the wind of his judgment, which will carry
away the straw and the sand. Let us strengthen and secure
our building, while we have time to do it.
28. And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the peo
ple were astonished at his doctrine :
These people will condemn the insensibility of our hearts at
the word of Christ. They perhaps heard it but once, and we
hear or read it every day. It is something to admire the
beauty and holiness of the Christian morality; but to make
us love and embrace it, ia the work of Him alone who can
change the heart.
29. For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
Obaerve here the difference of Christ, and those who preach
by his Spirit, from those who do it out of vanity, and by the
spirit of the world. The word does nothing in the minister,
without the unction with which God accompanies it. This
does all, even in the mouth of him who ia himself the Anointed
of God. Lord, exercise upon my heart this sovereign power;
instruct it with all the authority of thy divine person, and
with all the efficacy of thy Spirit. Make it bear the yoke of
thy gospel with affection, and let this excellent abridgment
of thy doctrine be always the rule of my manners, and the
pattern of my behaviour. ,

CHAPTER VIII.
SECT. I. — THE LEPER.
1. When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes
followed him.
A preacher or pastor ought never to decline from the per
fection of his state ; and yet he must often stoop, by way of
condescension, to the weak and feeble ; he must go to them,
if they cannot come to him ; and he must descend to their
wants, their troubles, and their infirmities. It is the means

106 MATTHEW.
to gain them to God, to engage them to follow him, and to
draw them after him by the sweet savour of the word.
2. And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying. Lord,
if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
This leper is an emblem of the corruption of man by sin,
and of his restitution by repentance. A ainner truly penitent,
seeks God with a respectful faith, approaches him in the spirit
of adoration, humbles himself under hia almighty hand, and
acknowledges the greatness of his fall, and the vileness of sin,
by' an extreme humiliation of heart. His prayer is humble,
plain, and full of confidence in God, who can do all things,
and of dependence upon his will, which owes him nothing.
It is peculiar to God alone, that he need only will what he
intends to perform. His power is his ¦will ; it is because he
wills it, that thereby he effects all, both in nature and in grace.
These two truths are the fountain of Christian humility, the
foundation of continual prayer, and the pledge of the mercy
of God, to those whose hearts he has been pleaaed to inatruct
and penetrate with them.
3. And Jesus put forth Tiis hand, and touched him, saying, I will ; he
thou clean.. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
Thia action of Jeaus Christ is a representation of that in
visible hand, which makes itself felt by the most insensible
hearts ; of that internal word, which makes itself heard by the
most deaf; and of that supreme will, which makes itself obeyed
by the most rebellious. There are two sorts of grace : the
one, which does not work a conversion, but which prepares
the heart for it, by working faith, deairea, trust, prayer ; and
which cauaea the leper to aay, "Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst
make me clean!" — the other, which does really work the con
version itself, hy surmounting all the resistance of the sinner,
and inspiring him with a good, strong, full, and perfect will,
which entirely heals concupiscence, the very thing in which
a bad will does consist. Say to me this word of salvation,
"Be thou clean," 0 sovereign Physician, who dependeat not
on time for the cure of the maladies of my heart ! We ought
to be so far from despising the greatest sinners, that it is our
duty to apply to them, but atill aa Christ did, not permitting

CHAPTER VIIL 107
ourselves to be infected by them. Let us admire the efficacy
of prayer ; and let us put more trust and confidence in it for
the future.
4. And Jesus saith unto him. See thou tell no man; but go thy way,
shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for
a testimony unto them.
Observe here the conduct of a good director (of the con
science :) (1.) Not to suffer the good which God is pleased to
do by his ministry to be divulged, but to shun the reputation
of good works. (2.) To be unconcerned for his own interest,
and zealous for that of God. (3.) To prevent all occasion of
scandal and jealousy. Priests ought not to treat sinners as
cured of the leprosy of sin, until they are assured of it by
sufficient proofs ; as the priests of the law could not accept
the offering bf a leper, nor allow him to partake of the sacri
fice, until they had received convincing tokens of his cleanness.
SECT. II.  THE CENTURION.
5. If And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto
him a centurion, beseeching him, 6. And saying. Lord, my servant lieth
at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. •
God very often grants more than is desired. The elo
quence of prayer consists in representing our wants to God
in a plain manner. The centurion is the pattern of a true
Christian master's charity toward his aervanta, who retaina
thoae who are the most incapable of doing him any more ser
vice, and is to them instead of a father. The inability to do
good without the grace of Christ, is the palsy of the soul.
Whence comes it to pass, that men are not near so much con
cerned at this spiritual palsy, as at that of the body, and that
they complain of it so little ? Is it not because their faith is
small, and the business of salvation so little at their heart ?
7. And Jesus saith unto him, I -will come and heal him.
The word and promise of Christ is the great consolation of
a sinner. There ia no person in the world but what has need
that Jesus Christ should come and heal him, either of his
mortal wounds, or of his weakness and infirmitiea. From the
time that he has made ua aenaible of our diseases, and given

108 MATTHEW.
US the grace to lay them before him in prayer, let us confi
dently believe, that he says to us, "I will come and heal you;"
and let us faithfully and humbly say to him, without ceasing,
"Come, Lord Jesus."
8. The centurion answered and said. Lord, I am not worthy that thou
shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant
shall be healed.
See here the pattern of a lively faith, and a profound
humility, which ought always to accompany the prayer of a
sinner. Jesus Christ, by his will alone, can heal the palsy
of ours. The first degree of humility ia to acknowledge the
necessity of grace, and our own inability. The second, to
confess the freeness of this grace, and our own unworthiness.
Nothing more retarda our cure than our presumption.
9. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I
say to this man, Go, and he goeth ; and to another. Come, and he cometh ;
and to my servant. Do this, and he doeth it.
This is to make a true Christian use of authority, by it to
raise our minds to the contemplation of that of God. Let us
look upon ours as a small emanation of his; and let us ac
knowledge, that it is nothing in comparison of his almighti-
ness. Carnal men are apt to idolize either the authority of
others, out of fiattery or interest, or their own through pride
or conceit; but a Chriatian takea occasion from hence to
humble himaelf, to adhere to God, and to hope for every thing
from him.
10. When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed.
Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
We aometimes see laymen and military peraons, on whom
God seems to have bestowed fewer favours than on others,
have notwithstanding greater faith than they. Humility is,
at the same time, both the mother and the daughter of faith.
Jesus admires the works of his Father, to whom he refers all,
and chiefly the operation of hia grace in the aoul, to induce
ua to admire them alao, and to give glory to God for all.
There are two things which are the subject of Christ's wonder :
the first, how few find the way to heaven by reason of its per
fection, ^Matt. vii. 14 ;) the second, how incomprehensible the

CHAPTER VIIL 109
election of those ia, on whom God confera the free gift- of
faith. There ia nothing greater, nothing more worthy of
the attention of a Chriatian than faith, and the worka of it in
the aainta.
11. And I say unto you. That many shall come from the east and
west, and shall sit dowii with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the
kingdom of heaven :
Oftentimes he who seems to he lost, enters into the same
place with him who led a pious life. We must fear and hope
to the end. Christ proclaims and foretells the conversion of
remote nations, to the end that we may ask it of God. To
pray often for the advancement of his kingdom, and for the
propagation of the faith, is one of the duties of a true Chris
tian. All the elect are the children of promise, and are ad
mitted into fellowship with the patriarchs, and into their
rights and privileges ; because it is to them that the promises
were made. Let us imitate Abraham in his faith, Isaac in his
obedience even unto death, and Jacob in hia hope and expecta
tion of good things to come, amidst all the evils of thia life,
if we deaire to reign with them.
12. But the children of the kingdom shall he cast out into outer dark
ness: there shall be weeping aud gnashing of teeth.
How many Christians suffer the graces, the kingdom, and
the salvation, which they had as it were in their hands, to be
loat; while Pagans and Idolaters obtain salvation! An
eternity of darkness, tears, and paina, for one moment of
ainful pleasure. What blindness is it to expose ourselves
thereto !
13. And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou, hast
believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the
selfsame hour.
The faith given hy God is the fountain and measure of his
other gifts. To beg the increase of it, ia to beg many other
gracea, and to preserve those which we have already. The
faith to which Jesus grants all which it desires, is not a naked
and barren faith, but one which produces trust, humility, and
prayer. Vol. L— 10

uo MATTHEW.
SECT. III. — PETER'S MOTHER-IN-LAW. — THE POSSESSED AND
SICK CURED.
14. If And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's
mother laid, and sick of a fever.
As the miracle of the leper represents the corruption of
nature by original ain, and the reatitution of it hy Christian
grace ; as that of the paralytic expresses our inability to do
good, and to resist evil, without actual grace; so this third
miracle denotes the concupiscence which atill remains, and
which, like a fever, is the cause of many frailties and infirmi
ties. Behold them, 0 Lord, in me, with the same eyes of
mercy which thou wast pleased to cast upon this woman !
15. And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose,
and ministered unto them.
Christ, in touching the hand of this woman, showa plainly
the quickening virtue of his flesh, united to the divinity in
unity of person. This flesh, so often received (spiritually) in
the communion, what ought it not to work in our hearts !
When God touches the heart with his grace, he destroys the
heat of concupiscence therein. We must, after the example
of this woman, be so faithful, as to consecrate and return to
God the whole use of his gifts and graces. It is by works
that a man proves himself to be cured of his evil habits. The
humility and charity which are shown by serving Chriat in the
poor, are some of the surest marks of a true conversion.
16. If When the even was come, they brought unto him many that
were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with to word,
and healed all that were sick:
0 my God, make the sinner thoroughly sensible that he
falls into the power of the devil when he refuses to have thee
for his Lord and Master. The possessed with devils are not
to be seen without horror ; but what is this possession, if com
pared to that of the soul, and beheld with the eyes of faith?
How terrible to the devil ia the word of Jesus Christ ! Let
us with faith and confidence employ if^against his tempta
tions. Let us bless God for having left this Avord to his
church to be the acourge of the devil. It is Christian pru-

CHAPTER VIIL 111
dence, by constant reading, to fill our heart therewith, to the
end that the devil may alwaya meet there with thia safeguard
and defence. That which the word of God, in the mouth of
Christ performs in a moment, it performa by degrees in the
sinner who feeds upon it. Oh the goodness of Christ, not to
reject any sick person! Oh wonderful power, to heal them
all ! Let none therefore despair under the sight and sense of
their miseries.
17. That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esais the prophet,
saying. Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.
We see here the immense charity of the good Shepherd.
To bear the infirmities and frailties of our brethren, is to imi
tate him. We cannot indeed cure sicknesses; but we can
assist, relieve, serve, visit, and comfort the sick. We take
upon us their infirmities, when we compassionate them by
charity. Christ fulfils the prophecies in all respects, and is
himself the completion and truth of them, as being the Lamb
and Victim of God which bears and takes away the sins of the
world. He alone is the universal Physician for all the dis-
eaaea of body and soul. I do not ask, 0 Lord, to be exempt
from the former, because thou makeat them remedies for the
distempers of the latter ; these are they which call upon thee,
which wait for thee, and which are incurable to all beaide.
SECT. IV. — CHRIST IS TO BE FOLLOWED IN HIS STATE OF
POVERTY.
18. If Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave com
mandment to depart unto the other side.
A man ought (frequently) to withdraw himself from the
world, though his piety be ever so much proof againat tempta
tion. A pastor, how necessary soever he may be to hia peo
ple, ought to retire from them for a while, when he finda the
crowd and noiae of the world prejudicial to hia aoul.
19. And a certain scribe came, and said unto him. Master, I will follow
thee whithersoever thou goest.
The presumptuous person fancies himself capable of every
thing. As to ordinary duties, the call of the gospel is suffi
cient ; as to designs of perfection, we must wait until God

112 MATT-HEW. - '
calls us. To anticipate the call of God, ia to prevent his
grace; and miserable is he who pretends to walk vrithout it.
It is not sufficient that the desires be good ; they must also
be regular.
20. And Jesus saith unto him. The fiixes have holes', and the birds of
the air have nests ; but the Son of man hath not where to lay Ms head.
It ia very juat and reaaonable, to worship Christ even under
this destitution of all the conveniencies of life; to undergo
the want of some of them, thereby to honour and imitate him,
and to beg of him the spirit and the grace to do it. What
poor man is not comforted, when he casts his eyes upon this
adorable pattern ! What rich man is not confounded, when
he sees himself so unlike, and at such a distance from it!
What shame must those nice and delicate persona hence re
ceive, who are alwaya ill at ease, and who exhaust their wit
in daily inventing some new gratifications ! Let ua adore the
Son of God, debaaed so low aa to take upon- him human nature
in the incarnation, and in some manner more destitute of the
conveniences of life than the very beasts themselves. Who
ever designs to follow Christ, in order to make his fortune in
the world, does not seek him, but the world and its fortune.
A man must disengage himself from every thing, if he would
truly serve God/ by following Jeaus Christ in the sacred mi-
niatry, or otherwiae.
21. And another of his disciples said unto him. Lord, suffer me first
to go and bury my father.
The voice of God must be obeyed without delay. The chil
dren of Adam are always in extremes : either they will an
ticipate God, like thia acribe, (v. 19,) or they -vrill not follow
him immediately, like this disciple. The mean between both,
is to wait until he speaks; and not to defer following him one
moment when he has spoken. Men never want pious pre
tences, when they have neither resolution enough to enter
into the way which God points out, nor humility enough to
acknowledge their own weakness.
22. But Jesus said unto him. Follow me ; and let the dead bury theur
dead. How difficult is it to forsake the world! Always some

CHAPTER VIIL lis
secular tie retains those whom God calls to retirement. All
human reapebta, all regard to the dutiea of civil life, muat be
laid aside, when our salvation ia in queation. All other care
may be supplied by some other person ; the care of saving our
soul, ia our own peraonal affair. A man ia dead when he livea
not according to faith, which ia the life of the soul. He who
is called to follow Christ in the way of perfection, ought to
fear the world, and the conversation of worldly people, as
much as we generally fear the apparition of a dead man, or
the infection of a burying-place.
SECT. V. — THE TEMPEST APPEASED.
23. If And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.
This ship in the midst of the sea, is an emblem of the church
in the midst of the world. Jesus is there with his disciples :
this is our comfort. Whoever has this truth present to his
mind, looks upon every thing which happens in the church
with other eyes than thoae of the world.
24. And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that
the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.
¦ We ought to expect to meet with tempests in the church,
and to see it covered with waves. Let us not be scandalized
at it, but let us arm ourselves with faith and patience. Every
one has likewise his storms and tempests. When our faith
grows dull and heavy, then Christ is asleep in us. He is
asleep in respect of us, when he leaves us some time to our
selves, and makes us know the want of him by permitting us
to fall either under temptation, or inward troubles, or outward
persecution of carnal men, or into coldness, difficulties, and
disgust in the service of God.
25. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying. Lord, save
us : we perish.
The advantage of temptation is to make us know our weak
ness, so as to oblige ua to have recourse to God, and to unite
ourselves to Jesus Christ. We approach him by faith, we are
united to him by charity, and we awake him by prayer. All
good perishes, or at least decays in us without Christ. There
is not so much as one moment, wherein we are not in danger
10-* H

114 MATTHEW.
of perishing without our Saviour's grace. How proper is thia
short prayer for us, and how familiar should it be to us,
because our Saviour's grace is necessary every moment ! It
comprehends all the power of our Lord's grace, the abundance
of our Sariour's merits, and the depth of the sinner's miseries; ,
26. And he saith unto them. Why are ye fearful, 0 ye of little faith ?
Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea ; and there was a great
calm. Faith is courageous, incredulity fearful; A person truly
faithful retains his confidence in the most violent temptations.
One word alone of God, restores a perfect calm to aoula
troubled by temptation. Prayer, though imperfect, ia very
often heard : (1.) That our imperfections may not hinder us
from praying to God. (2.) That we may be persuaded that
our merits do not make our prayers effectual. (3.) That we
may offer them up with great humility. (4.) That we may
unite ouraelvea to Chriat in praying together with him. Thia.
defect of/ faith in Chriat's diaciplea conaiated in their not havr
ing that idea of hia power which they ought. Let ua fear the
same defect, and let us learn of how much use it is, in order
to pray well, to have such a notion of grace as is suitable to
the omnipotence of that God whom we adore. Great tempest,
great calm; God proportions the comfort to the affliction.
27. But the men marvelled, saying. What manner of man is this, that
even the winds and the sea obey him !
Insensible creatures hear the Creator's voice, and obey it ;
man alone is deaf and disobedient thereto. God, who makes
^ himself obeyed by them, can he have less command over our
heart, when he resolves to subject it to himself? This is the
consolation of those who suffer, that he can make himself
obeyed in a moment, and restore peace to souls, and to the
church. Let us only awake our faith, and pray.
SECT. VI. — THE DEVILS CAST OUT — THE SWINE DROWNED.
28. If And when he was come to the other side into the country of the
Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the
tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.
That which passes in these two possessed persons, is a lively

CHAPTER VIIL 115
representation of the fury of the devil possessing a sinner's
soul, of the misery of the sinner whom he possesses, and of
the evils which sin causes in the world. A guilty conscience
is a real tomb, wherein a possessed person lodges, and where
stench and darkness reign. Happy that person, whom the
approach of Jesus Christ cauaea to come out and meet him !
29. And, behold, they cried out, saying. What have we to do with
thee, Jesus, thou Son of God ? art thou come hither to torment us before
the time ?
The first motiona of conversion do but trouble and torment
the sinner. Men shut their eyes against the light, they thrust
back the hand of Christ, they say it is not yet time, they are
incensed against the truths of faith, and against those who
set thentebefore their eyes and show Jesus Christ unto them.
There is no communication between the Spirit of God and
the spirit of the world ; we must »enounce either the one or
the other.
30. And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine
feeding. See here another representation of sinners, of those chiefly
who are subject to impurity by habit, or by frequent relapses.
They are still farther off from salvation than other sinners,
are to be found in greater numbers, and are more addicted to
please their appetite. Make them know, 0 Lord, the shame-
fulneaa of their condition, and what it ia to have changed thy
image into that of a swine.
31. So the devils besought him, saying. If thou cast us out, suffer us
to go away into the herd of swine.
The sinner thinks he haa injuatice done him, when he is
restrained from hurting his neighbour. He will not see the
end of his sins. He imitatea the devil, and does what lies in
hia ])Sfev to be at no loss as to wickedness, by never leaving
one sin but for another. Since the devil can do nothing but
by God'a permission, and as the executioner of his justice, it
is this adorable justice which he ought to fear, and more yet
sin, without which justice is inactive.
32. And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they
went into the herd of swine : and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran

116 MATTHEW.
violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters.
33. And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and
told every thing, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils.
God hears not the devil and certain sinners, but only so
far as he hears his own justice. Here is an emblem of the
final impenitence into which the habitually impure more com
monly fall than other sinners. Christ permits the devila to
do that in the awine which he did not permit them to do in
the poaaeaaed, on purpoae to ahow ua what rage they would
exerciae upon us if God left them at liberty. How many are
the divine favours and benefits, which we do not consider, and
which we know only in general ! God looks upon temporal
riches as of little or no value. He auffera them to be lost,
sometimes to disengage us from them out of mercy, sometimes
but of justice, to punish us for having acquired or preserved
them either by covetousness or injustice.
34. And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus : and when
they saw him, they "besought him that he would depart out of their coasts.
The -wicked choose rather to lose Jesus Christ, than their
temporal goods and the objects of their lusts. Blind and
ungrateful wretches, who cannot discern the time and the
grace of thia viaitation of the Lord ! There are but too many,
whom the fear of aome loss, disgrace, or reproach, blinds and
intimidates so far as to make them ashamed of Christ, his
gospel, his truth, and his aervanta. Continue with ua, 0 Lord !
for thou art all things to us, and art alone sufficient for us.

CHAPTER IX.
SECT. I. — THB PARALYTIC HEALED.
1. ANn he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his
own city.
Wo to those whom God hears as he heard the Gergesenes,
abandoning them to their o-wn desires, and to temporal felicity,
according to their wishes ! Miserable condition : to imagine
we can be happy when Jesus Christ departs from ua, or with-

CHAPTER IX. 117
draws his light, and his ministers, because they disturbed our
false repose and our passions.
2. And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying
on a bed : and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy ;
Son, be of good cheer ; thy sins be forgiven thee.
The paralytic is an emblem of the total inability into which
sin has cast ua, and of which Jesus Christ alone can heal us.
Faith, charity, and the prayers of the church, obtain from
him our cure. See here the confidence which a sinner should
have. Christ goes to the source of the evil which is sin ; and
to that we ought also to run back in all our maladies. It is
probable that this pious sick man did, by his desires, beg the
cure of hia aoul, leaving the care of hia body to others, since
Christ heals the soul before the body. Few are there who
imitate him. When we seek, before all things, to please God
by our piety, he inspires others with the care of our temporal
necessities. 3. And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves. This
man blasphemeth.
The learned who are proud and conceited, are also blind,
unbelieving, slanderers, envious, and obdurate. They call
good evil, and abuse and pervert every thing. Christ has no
manner of regard to the offence taken by a Pharisee, which
he knew would happen. He does the good, though he fore
sees the abuse of it. Let us also not omit works of charity
or justice, on the account of the evil disposition of the pre
tenders to devotion, the openly profane, or of men of corrupt
knowledge. Light serves only to blind and lead men out of
the way, when it is not joined with uprightness of heart. The
most sacred truths become often an occasion of delusion, where
men are under the government of their passions.
4. And Jesus knowing their thoughts said. Wherefore think ye evil in
your hearts ?
The meekness of Jesus Christ shows itself on all occasions
in his conduct and behaviour. He sounds the secrets of every
heart. No sin escapes his knowledge. How senaeless is the
sinner, to think he sins securely when unseen by men ! Let
us fear that Judge who sees the bottom of the heart better

118 MATTHEW.
than we do ourselves. If we put thia question to ourselves
concerning all our thoughts, how many of them should we find
unjust, rash, foolish, unfit for God to behold, and unservice
able to any good purpose. Let ua watch over our mind ; and,
by judging and correcting ourselves, let us prevent the judg
ment and manifestation thereof which God will one ^ay make.
5. For whether is easier, to say. Thy sins be forgiven thee ; or to say.
Arise, and walk ?
External miracles are proofs of internal, and of inrisible
effects. Every thing is equally easy to him who can do every
thing by the sole act of his will; but extraordinary and mi
raculous effects are the necessary proof of an extraordinary
mission, and of that authority which a man takes upon him
aelf aa coming from God.
.6. But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to
forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy
bed, and go unto thine house.
That man's sins are forgiven him who is converted; and
the proof of his conversion is to imitate thia paralytic healed
of hia distemper. He who cannot rise and stand upright, but
either continues grovelling on the earth, or falls back as soon
aa he gets up, is not yet cured of his spiritual palsy. The sin
ner's bed is every thing which he loves, and in which he finds
hia rest and satisfaction upon earth, his criminal inclinations,
and the objects of his passions; a true conversion takes up
and carries away every thing of this nature. When we see a '
penitent walk in the way of the commandments, enter into his
own heart, there to rest in the enjoyinent of his God, and not
go out thence any more to run after the creatures, we may
then conclude that his conversion is perfect.
7. And he arose, and departed to his house.
Thou art obeyed. Lord, the very moment in which thou
commandest, because it is thou who workest what thou dost
command. Speak after this manner to my heart, and it will
then have motion and strength to raiae itself toward thee, to
go unto thee, and to rest in thee, who art the house and bed
of its everlasting rest.

CHAPTER IXi 119
, 8. But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God,
which had given such power unto men.
That which to the doctors of the law is a matter of scandal,
ia to the humble an occasion of glorifying God. Divine things
make a deeper impression upon the heart of the ignorant
multitude, than on that of doctors puffed up with their own
learning. How much more ought we to bless and glorify
God, for so many invisible wondera which he worka in the
saints and in ourselves ? The conversion of one heart, which
ia rebellious and paralytical as to all good, ia more to be ad
mired than all the miracles which God performs on inanimate
creatures. SECT. II. — MATTHEW CALLED.
9. If And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man named
Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him. Follow
me. And be arose, and followed him.
The call to conversion seems often a matter of chance;
though it be really an effect of divine election. The whole
happiness of a soul frequently depends on its being imme
diately obedient to the voice of God, and following his first
call. What cannot the word of Christ, joined with grace,
work on the heart? God, in calling all sorts of persons to
faith and piety, makes it erident that he is the master both
bf the work and of the workmen. A profession which is very
painful, excites and nourishes covetousness ; and the manage
ment of the public money, increases the affection toward
earthly riches; but what bonds dost thou not break, 0 my
God, when thou designest to show mercy ?
10. If And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in 'the bouse, behold,
many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his
disciples. It scarcely belongs to any but Chriat to converae familiarly
with the greatest sinners in order to convert them. We ought
to decline the impulse of a false zeal, which often induces
souls as yet weak to undertake this work; but we must not
refuse to become instruments of Providence, in saring the
most abandoned, when that engages us in it. The facility
and goodness of Christ, in bearing with a company so oppo-

120 MATTHEW.
site to his own holiness, condemns the proud disdain of th^
great pretenders to devotion.
11. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples. Why
eateth your master with pubUcans and sinners?
The pretenders to devotion are envious and jealous of the
care which any one takes of sinners. A good Chriatian must
expect to see his best actions interpreted ill and condemned.
Such a one follows the impulse of humility and charity, with
out regarding the discourses of the world. Envy is cowardly
and timordus, and not daring to apply itself directly to the
Master who would confound it, it endeavours to surprise th^
disciples, and to take advantage of their weakness.
12. But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them. They that be whole
need not a physician, but they that are sick.
Jesus Christ comes to the assistance of the weak when they
are attacked on his account. Here are four necessary in
structions: (1.) That Jesus is the sovereign Physician of
souls. (2.) That all stand in need of him. (3.) That we
must acknowledge our own diseases, and the need we have of
Christ, if we desire to be healed by him. (4.) That it is the
greatest of all our maladies to think ourselves whole, this
being in effect to renounce Jesus Christ. It belongs to thee,
0 Lord, both to make us sensible of our diseases and wants,
and to oblige ua to have recourse to thyself.
13. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and
not sacrifice : for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to
repentance. Nothing ia more conducive to the instruction and humilia
tion of pretenders to devotion, and true Pharisees, than to
show them that they understand neither Scripture nor re
ligion, when, relying on external performances, they neglect
charity, which is the very aoul and substance of it. If this
inward sacrifice accompany not the outward, the latter pro
vokes God instead of appeasing him. It is an act of religion
and a sacrifice, to assiat the poor with regard to Chriat aS
preaent in them. True holineaa consiata not in external
things, but in faith animated and working by love. It is our
great comfort, 0 Jesus, that thou art come to call sinners;

CHAPTER IX. 1^1
Call US, we beseech thee, to repentance ; but do it with that
strong and powerful voice which always makes itself heard.
SECT. III. — FASTING. — ^NEW CLOTH. — OLD VESSELS.
14. If Then came to him the disciples of John, saying. Why do we and
the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not ?
Self-conceit and contempt of our neighbour do generally
proceed from external mortifications. The humble man looks
not on the life of his neighbour, but only in order to imitate
the good which he observes therein. Good and well-meaning
persons do sometimea unwarily fall in with the passions of
Pharisees, and are misled by their calumniea, A aecret
jealouay between the disciples of different (masters) opens the
heart to evil-speaking. Charity is the internal way wherein
all ought to walk ; but there are several external ways which
lead to God"; every one is to follow the path in which he has
set him, without blaming that of others.
15. And Jesus said unto them. Can the children of the bridechamber
mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? 'but the days will come,
when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast^
The life of Jesua Christ on earth was a time of indulgence.
The present life of Christians is a time of mourning and mor
tification. Every soul has ita time of pleasure and consola
tion, and its time of exercise and trial ; the one ought to be
a preparation for the other. In the former, a man should
fortify himself againat the time of combat; in the latter, he
should learn not to misemploy that of peace. Fasting in
cludes all sorts of privations and pains. When God suffers
the church to be persecuted, he thereby gives her to under
stand that she is a widow upon earth, and that she ought to
mourn in expectation of the bridegroom who has been taken
from her. Every Christian soul is really a widow and deso
late, if by faith it becomes thoroughly sensible of the absence
of its Lord, and earnestly desirea hia retmrn.
16. No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment ; for
that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent
is made worse.
Chriatian and pastoral prudence require, that the weak and
Vol. L— 11

122 MATTHEW.
the newly-converted should be managed with care and tender
ness. He does not fiatter, but assiat the ainner, who en
deavours to inure and reconcile the old man by degrees to the
yoke of Christ. It is a very great imprudence to neglect
this conduct, ao recommended here by the great director of
soula. We take great care not to apoil the leaat trifle, which
may be at all aerviceable to ua any longer, and we have often
little or no regard to a aoul, which is so precious in the sight
of God, and created to serve him eternally. The wounds
which we give it by a -wrong and too precipitate a conduct are
sometimes incurable.
17. Neither do men put new wine into old bottles : else the bottles
break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish : but they put
new -wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.
To impose the yoke of such exercises and mortificationa as
are not absolutely necessary, before God has changed and
renewed the heart, is no other than to endeavour to prevent
his grace. Men sometimes cause a soul to lose that portion
of grace which it had, by urging it too soon to engage. in the
ways of perfection, of which it is not as yet capable. Very
auspicious beginnings, and great hopes of conversion, even as
to a whole people, are often ruined by men proceeding too
hastily, by their endeavouring to make their own designs take
place, and to have the honour of that success themselves which
is due only to God. It is a great degree of knowledge, to be
able to observe and follow the motions of grace, on which all
depends, and which commonly performs its work by degrees,
and step by step, in the souls of particular persons, and almost
always in a great people. Give, Lord, the Spirit of thy con
duct to the ministers of thy work, that they may know how
to manage and improve thy interests in the aoula of men,
without the leaat damage to them.
SECT. IV. — THE DAUGHTER OF JAIRUS RAISED. — THE BLOODY
ISSUE HEALED.
18. f While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a
certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying. My daughter is even now
dead : but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live.
There are four conditiona of a good prayer : (1.) A man

CHAPTER IX. 123
ought to place himself in the presence of God, and to ap
proach him by faith. (2.) To humble himself sincerely.
(3.) To lay open his wants with a holy earnestness. (4.) To
have confidence in the goodness of Christ, and in the virtue
of his holy humanity, which is the source of all the holiness
of Christians. The mysterious imposition of hands, used by
Christ in bodily curea, represents the sovereign authority of
Jesua Christ, the inward touches of his grace, the communica
tion of his merits, and the effusion of his Spirit.
19. And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples.
Jesus, though able to act as well absent aa preaent, appears
upon the place, to teach hia ministers not to spare either their
steps or their pains, when the salvation of a soul is in ques
tion. He rises up, to show them that they must quit their
repose and ease, to go in search of souls which are dead in
sin. When a pastor, praying earnestly for a aoul, of which he
is the father, calls Jeaus Christ to his succour, he ought to
hope that he will rise and follow him.
20. Tf And behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood
twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment:
There is nothing in Christ but what is sanctifying. God
sometimes makes little things instrumental to the cure of the
most shameful and inveterate habits, to illuatrate his grace,
and to give confidence to sinners. This is a representation
of the natural shame which persons have to discover aina of
impurity ; of the unworthiness of thoae who, before their being
cleansed from them, approach holy things; and of the hu
mility of a true penitent, who aspires only to "touch the hem
of his garment," in reading hia word, in meditating on the
moat huhible part of his life and mysteries, and in imitating
him by the mortifying exercises of repentance.
¦ 21. For she said -within herself. If I may but touch his garment, I shall
be whole.
Faith renders the meanest and weakest thinga efficacioua,
and full of virtue to us. Faith is so much the greater, as it
is fixed on the less things. Nothing is more simple than that
which composes the outward signs of the sacraments; and yet

124 MATTHEW.
there is nothing which contains greater reinedies and richer
treasures than the sacraments themselves.
22. But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said". Daugh
ter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the
woman was raade whole from that hour.
Christ grants every thing to prayer made with faith and
humihty. God never fails to turn, and cast the eyes of his
mercy upon a penitent, who, out of humility, dares not lift
his eyes toward him. How much to blame ia the sinner, to
distrust the goodness of God, who comes to meet him with so
much mildness, and who himaelf encouragea him under hia
dejection ! Let ua firmly believe that we can do, and that we
merit nothing ; that God can do every thing for ua and in us ;
and that he delights to exercise this power upon the most un
worthy. Faith is that which a sinner must bring along with
him to repentance and to prayer.
23. And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the minstrels
and the people making a noise.
How often, on the death of relations, do men encumber and
perplex themselves with" vain, worldly, tumultuous, and un
profitable ceremonies, inatead of making in silence profitable
refiections upon death ! It is customary for the people of the
world to seek for comfort in their grief only from diversions.
What is a sinner, deprived of the life of God, whom the crowd
of affairs, the noise of his passions, and the delusions of the
world, hinder from thinking of hia condition, but that very
thing which we aee here ?
24. He said unto them. Give place: for the maid is not dead, but
sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn.
How happy is a sinner, when God himself takes care to
remove from him all obstacles to the resurrection bf hia aoul !
It is apart, and in retirement, that one labours most profit
ably to thia purpose, and that Christ applies himself thereto.
Death is but a sleep, in respect of him who raises a dead per
son, more easily than we can awake one who is asleep. Even
the death of the soul is but a sleep, when God has resolved to
awaken the sinner, and to restore to him the life of his grace.
The world laughs at the truths which it neither comprehends

CHAPTER IX. 125
nor loves, and at those who publish them. A faithful minister
keeps on his pace, and ceases not to work the work of God.
25. But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by
the hand, and'the maid arose.
Christ and the world are incompatible in the same heart ;
the world muat go out thence, if one would have Christ enter
therein. The world is unworthy to be present at the worka
of God, and to know the operationa of his grace. He who
desires to rise from sin, ought to diatruat the world, and not
• to diacover himself to any but to Christ, or to hia true diaci
plea. If the helpful hand of Christ do not take hold of the
sinner's, he will never rise. The living hand of our blessed
Saviour, and the dead hand of the maid joined together, are
an emblem of grace and of the will, which unite and concur
inseparably to justification and good works, by the consent
which grace works in the will, and which the will gives through
grace, which revives it, sanctifies it, moves it, and makes it act,
26. And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land.
The fame of the conversion of a soul diffuses itself in the
church like a sweet odour. It is the duty of a minister to
conceal himself; and that of a thankful soul to publish the
mercy of God.
SECT. V. — TWO BLIND MEN RESTORED TO SIGHT.
27. If And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him,
crying, and saying. Thou Son of David, have mercy on us.
One good work draws on another. He who is raised by
grace, is not thereby delivered from all his darkness, — God
enlightens him afterward. That man is partly enlightened
already, who knowa that he haa a Saviour who is full of mercy;
that mercy is all which he must aak; that he must cry and
pray with fervour ; and that, in praying, he must follow him
as God-man, and the son of David expected from heaven.
28. And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to
him : and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this ?
They said unto him. Yea, Lord.
God often delays to hear us, in order to exercise our pa
tience, to augment our desire, to oblige us to approach Chriat
11*

126 MATTHEW.
the more, and to put our whole trust in him. In our blind
ness we ought, (1.) To have a lively belief of the almighty
grace of Christ. (2.) To call upon him by an humble and
ardent prayer, which is the cry of the heart. (3.) To have
confidence in him, upon the account of his incarnation.
29. Then touched he their eyes, saying. According to your faith be it
unto you.
The internal hand of Christ opens the eyes of the heart,
by touching thera with his grace. Faith, which is a gift of
God, is the measure of his other gifts in us.
30. And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them,
saying. See that no man know it.
The effect follows the will of Christ without delay. Touch
my heart, 0 Jesus, that its eyes may open themselves to thy
truth, and to the holiness of thy law. In eminent and re
markable works we must conceal ourselves, that we may avoid
the reward of men, and not lose that which God reserves for
us. Christ seems to be apprehensive of this reward of men
as to himaelf, to this end, that we may really dread it as to
ourselves. 31. But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all
that country.
Honour pursues those who fly it. He who is thoroughly
sensible of God's mercy, cannot contain his acknowledgments.
God permits not his saints to remain so concealed aa they
deaire, becauae what he gives them for their own sanctification
ought to be subaervient alao to that of othera.
SECT. VI. — THE DUMB MAN POSSESSED. — THE BLASPHEMY
OF THE PHARISEES.
32. If As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man pos
sessed with a devil.
The devil abuts up the mouth of those who belong to him,
when he diverts them from prayer, confessions of their sins,.
and the praise of God. One of the most miserable conditions
of sinners is, not to be able to express their misery.
33. And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake : and the multi
tudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel.
Nothing is more wonderful to the eyes of faith than the

CHAPTER IX. 127
change of a soul by grace ; but carnal eyes very often see
nothing in it hut what is contemptible. When charity is once
entered into a heart, one may know it by its language. Goil
receives the praise of his works from the mouth of ignorant
people sooner than from that of the learned.
34. But the Pharisees said. He casteth out devils through the prince.
of the devils.
This is a consummate piece of malice, to attribute the works
of God to the devil! Envy cannot suffer the approbation
which is given to the virtue of others. It makes those whose
hearts are possessed by this vice, speak the language of the
devil. ' Calumny is but at a little distance from envy. All
persons have not the envy of the Pharisees; but every one
ought to fear having some degree of it, aince every one haa
the principle.
SECT. VII. — THE SHEEP WITHOUT A SHEPHERD. — THB HAR
VEST AND LABOURERS.
35. And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their
synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing everr
sickness and every disease among the people.
A true miniater of Jesus Christ, after hia example, ia neither
detained in one place by the sweetness of the a.pplause of some,
nor discouraged from his ministry by the jealousy and calumny
of others. Wherever Christ exercises his mission, he makes
the proofs of it evidently appear. He works none but salutary
and beneficial miracles, because his ministry is a ministry of
salvation. Bodily cures foretell that of the soul, and are
instrumental -thereto, because God makes them so.
36. If But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion
on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep hav
ing no shepherd.
Here is the pattern of a pastor who is indefatigable, and
full of compassion for sinners. Let us view here the shadow
of what we should be without the divine Shepherd of oui-
souls; andlet us never grow weary of praising God for hav
ing bestowed him upon us. Without him there is nothing but
fainting and wandering.

128 MATTHEW.
37. Then saith he unto his disciples. The harvest truly is plenteous,
but the labourers are few ;
There is extreme want of lahourera in the church. There
are abundance who bear this character, but few who really
work ; and a great many who work in the Lord's name, but
very few whom he will own for hia ministers. Christ, by de
claring the needs of the church, in-rites to labour all eccle^
siastical persons who either live in idleness, or employ them
selves about something quite different from that which they
ought to do. If the wants of Europe are great, how much
more those of other countries, where several provinces have
only one minister ! The place of the harvest is the whole
earth. It signifies but little where a man worka, provided it
be by the appointment, in the Spirit, and with the bleasing
of God.
38. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth
labourers into his harvest.
It is for God to send them, and for us to pray to him to do
it. Jesus Christ requires for labourers, not such aa confer
upon themaelvea a mission, but who receive it from God; not
such as by .intrigues and human solicitations assume the office,
but such as are the fruit of the church's prayers ; not such as
enter into the harvest, to make themselves the lords of it, but
who labour only for the Lord of the harvest; not such as in
the repose of .an idle life enjoy the honour and temporal ad
vantages of the ministry, but auch as work hard, like daily
labourers. We do not sufficiently comprehend how much it
is our duty and interest to pray for the obtaining good bishops,
good curates, holy preachers, full of zeal, knowledge, and dis
interestedness. Let us not read this, without doing it with
all the fervency of our faith.

CHAPTEE X. 129

CHAPTER X
THE INSTRUCTION OF THB APOSTLES.
SECT. I, — THEIR NAMES.
1. And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave
them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all
manner of sickness and all manner of disease.
To call persons to the ecclesiastical ministry, belongs only
to Him who can give power over the unclean spirit of sin, and
over the diseases of the soul. There are three kinds of these
diseases : (1.) Such as are caused by sins of impurity, which
are the most obstinate, and like devils which possess the whole
soul. (2.) Sins of habit, which are, aa it were, lingering dia-
tempera. (3.) Sina of infirmity, which are the (lesser) faults
of negligence and inclination.
2. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these ; The first, Simon,
who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother ;
God often unites by grace thoae whom he has be4>re united
by nature; to show us, that though nature be not a step
toward grace, yet it is not always an obstacle thereto. St.
Andrew, the elder brother of St. Peter, and who knew Jeaus
Christ before him, has not the honour to be named first, to
teach us, that God ia maater of hia own gifts, and that nothing
but his will gives us a right to them.
James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother ; 3. Philip, and Bar
tholomew ; Thomas and Matthew the publican ; James the son of Al
pheus, and Lebbeus, whose surname was Thaddeus; 4. Simon the
Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.
Let us adore the unsearchable judgment of God, in the
choice of a wicked minister, whose unworthiness he knew.
Let us learn from hence, that no merit gives a right to the
ministry, but the sole choice of God by the church. Christ
would not put into the ministry none but saints, to oblige iis
not to judge of the church's holiness by some of her ministers.
He would not place in it any of the rich, noble, powerful, or

130 MATTHEW.
, learned ; for fear men should affix ecclesiastical dignities to
temporal advantagea. Let ua auffer the bad with patience ;
let ua adore Chriat, and hia authority abaaed in them ; yet so
as that the [word and] sacraments lose not any of their effect
thereby; and let us by this believe, that it is Jesus Christ
who doea all therein, even by the handa of the most unworthy
workmen. SECT. II. — THEIR MISSION, POWER, POVERTY, AND PREACHING.
5. These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying. Go
not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans
enter ye not :
Let us not go where inclination, but where God's command
carries ua. Vocation, miaaion, inatruction, and holineaa are
four different gifts, which a man must receive from God by
Jesus Christ, to qualify him for a worthy labourer. The very
same instructions are given in common to all, in order to
establish a uniformity of maxima, conduct, and disciphne.
Such as God seems at first to have neglected or rejected, are
often those for whom he has designed his greatest mercies.
He haa hia own proper time to diacover and reveal them.
6. But gO rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
A good paator ought to apply himaelf to the moat diaeaaed
of his sheep; and the diseases are the greater, where there is
the more ingratitude and abuse of the divine favours. God
is faithful to his promises, even in respect of the most un
worthy ; but often, through the corruption of their heart, and
contrary to his design, his faithfulness turns to their greater
condemnation. Men sometimes look upon certain preroga
tives and preferences as an honour, which are no other than
a subject of fear and humiliation.
7. And as ye go, preach, saying. The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
See here the first efforts of the apostles preaching. "Pteach,"
to establish the faith; "the kingdom," to animate the hope;
"of heaven," to inspire the love of heavenly things, and the
contempt of earthly; "which is at hand," that men may pre
pare for it without delay. Every Christian ought frequently
to repeat this to himself, and to live as continually expecting

CHAPTER X. 131
this kingdom. He who, instead of desiring it, dreads its
approach, has but little of the relish and spirit of it. Pour,
Lord, the love of it into my heart, for thou alone canst do it.
8. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils :
The word of Christ, so efficacioua aa to give what it com-
manda toward the removal of bodily diseases, can it be less
80 in the healing of spiritual ? He gives them the power of
working the same miracles with himself, to ahow ua that they
acted only in hia name, and by virtue of it. Let ua learn, in
our good worka, to join bodily relief to apiritual.
Freely ye have received, freely give.
A rule very neceaaary this, and of large extent, — that we
must serve God and his church "freely." What a shame is
it for a man to traffic with the gifts of the Holy Ghost, of
which he is not the maater, but the dispenser ! It is a piece
of theft, injustice, irreverence, and disobedience. A man may
drive a trade, or traffic with them several ways ; by pride and
vanity, when he desires by them to gain esteem and applause ;
by avarice, when he makes use of them to enrich himself.
Preachers, and spiritual guides, will never sufficiently compre
hend how great disinterestedneaa Christ requires of them.
How few are there whom a perfect disengagement from all
manner of interest qualifies to say, that they "give freely!"
9. Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses ;
An apostolical workman resigns himself to the divine Provi
dence for the necessaries of life. If the ministers of Jesus
Christ ought to he disengaged from their own wealth, how
much more from that of others ? What avails it for a man to
have no gold in his purse, if he have it in his heart ? It is
the greatest blindness imaginable in a clergyman, to act quite
contrary to this direction of Christ, in being chiefly solicitous
about providing gold and silver. How many blind persons
of this sort are there !
10. Nor scrip for ymir journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor
yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.
Nothing should detain an evangelical workman; he ought
alwaya to be ready to set forward. The equipage of an

132 MATTHEW.
ambassador of Jesua Chriat waa (at firat) only poverty ; his pro
visions, his trust in the providence of God, and in the charity
of the faithful. He who preaches the gospel, ought to make
it known by hia life. The maintenance of the clergy is a
matter of justice and of divine right. He who labours in the
church, not he who does nothing there, has a right to live of
the church's revenue, but not therewith to support his luxury
and his vanity.
11. And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, inquire who in
it is worthy ; and there abide till ye go thence.
A priest ought to be very careful of his reputation ; to lodge
with persons of a regular life, and to avoid all suspicion of
levity, or of lo-ring good cheer and the conveniences of life.
To receive and entertain workmen truly evangelical, is a
favour of which everybody is not worthy.
12. And when ye come into a house, salute it. 13. And if the house
be worthy, let your peace come upon it : but if it be not worthy, let your
peace return to you.
The peace of the gospel is that which charity and a good
conscience give. This is to pay the master of the house
largely beforehand — to pray for him, and to offer him peace ;
namely, the knowledge of Christ, the righteousness of the
kingdom of God, and the grace of faith. A man is not worthy
to receive this peace, till chosen by God, and prevented by
his grace and mercy. The merit of a preacher of the gospel
does not depend upon hia success. The mortification of a
repulse is a gain to a man of God. There is always great
advantage to be made in the service of a master who requires
nothing but a good will and obedience, and who bestowa even
that which he requires.
14. And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when
ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.
Whoever, out of contempt or neglect, neither reads nor
hears the word of God, and whoever does it without improv
ing thereby, ought he not to fear a more terrible malediction?
It is necessary that the world should know that we do not
seek it for the sake of its riches ; and that we would not have
any conversation with it, but only in order to ita salvation.

CHAPTER X. 133
When it will no longer hear us speak of thia, it ia time for us
to retire from it.
¦ 15. Verily I say unto you. It shall be more tolerable for the land of
Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city.
How great a crime is it not to receive, or to despise the
truth! If men are thus treated for not having received the
preachers of the goapel, what will it be to despiae the gospel
itaelf, to decry it, to preach the contrary, to hinder the
preaching of it, to abuse those who do it as they ought, and
to atop the fruit of it by calumnies ?
SECT. III. — THE WISE SIMPLICITY. — BOLDNESS BEFORE MAGIS
TRATES. — THE HOLY SPIRIT SPEAKING IN US.
16. If Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves : be
ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
It ia but a small thing for a labourer in the gospel to be
prepared for the repulses of the world ; he ought to look upon
himself aa a "sheep in the midst of wolves." Such a person
must be a perfect lamb, that he may oppose nothing to the
artificea and -riolence of the world but the simplicity and
meekness of that creature. Where can we find those, now-a-
daya, who embrace eccleaiastical dignities only as a state of
labour and suffering? That we may neither draw upon our
selves persecution by our imprudence, nor endeavour to avoid
it against the divine command, and by ways contrary to the
simplicity of the dove, it is necessary to join these two quali
ties, wisdom and simplicity, which nothing but the Spirit of
God alone can unite in one soul.
17. Bat beware of men : for they will deUver you up to the councils,
and they will scourge you in their synagogues ;
Let ua not truat or depend upon every one. Even the beat
frienda are to be suspected, when the business is to consult
whether a man shall show his weakness, together with them,
to avoid the ill-treatment of carnal men, or expose himself to
every thing that he may continue faithful to God. Chriat
conceals not from his disciples what they have to undergo in
his service, because he will not deceive any one ; and because
Vol. L— 12

134 MATTHEW.
it belongs to Him to fortify the heart of man, and to render
it invincible to all things.
18. And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake,
for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.
This is matter of wonderful comfort and encouragement to
such as are sent to preach or teach, that they can be assured
that it is the cause of God and of Christ, which they have to
maintain before the powers of the earth. God never forsakes
him who takes his interests to heart. It is the duty of a
preacher to declare the truth to kings, hut with abundance of
prudence. He who flatters them, makes himself an accom
plice in their sins.
19. But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye
shall speak : for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall
speak. The Holy Spirit is in the heart, in the mind, and on the
tongue of those who are to speak for Christ, and who belong
to him. Neither surprise, nor defect of talent, nor even
ignorance, can hurt the cause of God, when the heart is ready
to defend it. This promise baniahes all diatruat and diaquiet
on dangerous occasions, but without encouraging sloth and
negligence, and without dispensing with the obligation we are
under, to prepare ourselves, by the meditation of Christian
truths, by the study of the Holy Scriptures, and by prayer.
A promise so positive would more frequently have its effect,
if the incredulity of man did not oppose it.
20. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which
speaketh in you.
The Holy Spirit animates the confessors of Christ, and
makes them speak. The Head speaks in his members by his
Spirit. It belongs to the Spirit of God to speak for God. It
is the Spirit of the Father which speaks, because he worka
powerfully in the heart of hia children, puts into their mouth
what they ought to speak, and causes them to do it. Mayest
thou, 0 Holy Spirit, speak in me upon all occasions, since on
all occasions I ought to apeak like a Cliristian, only for the
glory of God, and by thy impulse and direction !
21. And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the

CHAPTER X. 135
father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents,
and cause them to be put to death.
Although good men be left to the wicked for a while, yet
one ought not to be scandalized at it; Jesus Christ himself
waa left thus. We accuse the gospel of severity, because it
requires us to renounce our human paaaions and natural affec
tions ; and yet there is nothing in all this which comes near
that which the devil here causes the wicked to do. Very
often by means of detraction, coloured and disguised under a
pretence of piety, men in some manner exercise this cruelty,
arming Christian againat Chriatian, the shepherd against the
sheep, and the sheep against the shepherd.
22. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that
endureth to the end shall be saved.
Two things are necessary in order to salvation. The first,
to suffer at the hands of the world. The second, to persevere
under suffering. It is grievous to nature to see one's self
continually exposed to the hatred of carnal men ; but when it
is for thy name's sake, 0 my God — for the sake of thy truth,
ahd for being faithful to thee — how lovely is thia hatred!
Salvation is the fruit of perseverance; but perseverance is a
gift of God, aa little due to the sinner as salvation itself.
SECT. IV. — PERSECUTION TO BE AVOIDED,
23. But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another : for
verily I say unto you. Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel,
till the Son of man be come.
It is prudence ahd humility, when charity or righteous
ness obliges us not to the contrary, to avoid persecution. To
deprive those who are disposed to do eril of the opportunities
of doing it, to convey the grace which they despise to others,
to accomplish the designs of God's justice on the former, and
of his mercy on the latter, are consequences of the fiight of a
persecuted preacher. This flight is a matter of precept to
pastors who are necessary to the church; of advice to those
who would draw upon themselves persecution; and of in
dulgence for those who are weak. But this flight is highly
criminal in those mercenary pastors who abandon the flock
to the wolf.

136 MATTHEW.
24. The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.
He who keeps this saying in his heart, will never complain
of what he suffers, nor seek for any other way to save himself,
but humiliation and the croaa. How many irregular thoughts,
affections, and motions, is this maxim capable of restraining !
Let us remember, that Jesus Christ ia the great Maater of
humility, suffering, and poverty; and that we are his disci
ples. A man is not such, unless he learn his doctrine ; and
he does not learn it as he ought, unleaa he put it in practice.
25. It is enough for the disciple that he .be as his master, and the ser
vant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub,
how much more shall they call them of his household ?
What injustice is it for a Christian, being a disciple of
Christ, to desire to be treated well by the world ! What a
shame, not to be able to suffer so much as a word, after all
which He has suffered! , This delicacy and tenderness in
ministers of the gospel, And in a Chriatian; conteats about
small rights or imaginary prerogatives; and an excessive
sense of injuries, do but little agree with this maxim. This
is a solid consolation for those who are oppressed under the
calumnies of false brethren.
26. Fear them not therefore : for there is nothing covered, that shall
not be revealed ; and hid, that shall not be known.
He who can make us suffer nothing but what Christ has
suffered, is not to be feared. Men cannot make any thing
die in us, hut what died in him. Had men always been feared^
we should never have had any martyrs. God sees every thing ;
this is the comfort of good men, and the despair of the wicked.
When a man has once undertaken the ministry of the word^
he ought to consider more the designs of God, as to the truths
of the gospel, which he would have made manifest, than the
threats of men, who set themselves in opposition thereto. It
is of small import for one man to be crushed by another; but
it is of the greatest importance that God's will be done, andi
his truth known, honoured, and defended by men.
27. What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light : and what ye
hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.
A man ought to preach only that which he has learned

CHAPTER X. 137
from God, in the secret exercise of prayer, of meditation on
the Scriptures, and of the study of the holy fathers. In this
lies the obligation of the miniaters of the gospel, who should
be the disciples of God, and of his word, before they become
the instructors of the faithful. The church has now no more
hidden mysteries, nor secret truths ; and it is now the time to
reveal all the knowledge and grace which Christ haa com
mitted to her. It is to injure religion, to imagine that it con
tains some truths or mysteries which ought to be concealed.
It is to do wrong to Christians, to deprive them of that which
is. designed for their sanctification and salvation. This is to
resist the Holy Ghost, who is given to the church on purpose
to teach it all truth.
SECT. V. — GOD ONLY TO BE FEARED AND TRUSTED.
28. And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the
soul : but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body
in bell. It is prudence, to deliver up the body in order to save the
soul; this is to cast the lading of the vessel into the sea, to
preserve the men froin destruction. A man loses nothing
when he loses that only which must perish. That which is
visible in me ia in the power of men ; but it is not by this that
I am what I am. Let us fear none but him, who can make
the invisible and immortal part of us suffer and die. My God
ia my life ; I die not, but when I loae him. What strange
blindness is it, to expose that part of ourselves which should
enjoy God eternally, to save that by which we enjoy nothing
but the creatures, and them only for a moment ! It is not
hell which we must fear, but that Almighty Being who there
punishes those eternally, who have been so far from loving
him above all thinga, that they have preferred a mere trifle
to him.
29. Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall
not fall on the ground without your Father.
All thinga are ordered by the will of God ; thia ia the great
eonaolation of those who suffer. The belief of hia providence
is a powerful support under the most grievous accidents of
12*

138 MATTHEW.
life. Nothing eacapea hia obaervation, not even the smallest
things, of which he is only the Creator ; how much less those,
whereof he ia the Father, the Saviour, and the eternal felicity !
30. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
Nothing ia more wonderful, or more incomprehenaible, than
the care and concern of God for hia elect. The least circum
stances of their life are regulated, not by the general provi
dence, which extends to all things, but by a particular provi
dence, which fits and directs all things to the design of their
aalvation. Every thing ia happy in the death of a true Chris
tian, how sudden, unfortunate, and calamitous soever it appear,
because every thing therein promotes his salvation.
31. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.
How great is the value of a soul for which Christ has given
his blood and his hfe ! What confidence ought it not to have
in his goodness! It is just, 0 Lord, that he should have
nothing but fear and disquiet .who will not rest in thy provi-
dfence. How sweet is it to trust to thee, and to leave thee to
act as thou pleaseat !
SECT. VI. — JESUS CHRIST IS TO BE CONFESSED.
32. Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him -will I con
fess also before my Father whioh is in heaven.
To confeaa Jeaus Christ, is* to follow his precepts and ex
ample ; to suffer for his sake ; to love, teach, and practise his
doctrine. We have but little faith, if such a promise ia not
capable of encouraging ua to bear testimony to the truth at
the expense of all things. We own Christ, when we own hia
doctrine, his ministers, his servants, and when no fear hinders
us from supporting ahd assisting them in the time of necessity.
We refer this great truth to the times of the martyrs for no
other reason, but only because we wHl not ourselves be martyrs
for the truth. It belonga to all timea, and to all sorts of per
sons : every one in his proper way.
33. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him -will I also deny
before my Father which is in heaven.
Whoever prefers his interest to his duty, -with relation to
truth and justice, he sets a greater value upon the friendship

CHAPTER X. 139
of men than upon that of God, and in some manner denies
Jesus Christ. What confusion will it be to those, who shall
not have confeaaed Christ before men, to see themselves denied
by him before God ! Did we thoroughly conceive, that to be
denied by Christ, is to have him neither for a Mediator nor
a Saviour, but to he treated as reprobates; human reapects,
and the fear of men, could have no influence upon ua. To
appear before the tribunal of God, without having Christ for
our advocate ; and on the contrary, to have him there as a
party, a witness, and a Judge : how can we think of it, and
not expire with horror !
34. Think not that I am come to send peace on earth : I came not to
send peace, but a sword. •
Notwithstanding this declaration of Christ, it ia thia earthly
peace and repoae which all the world aeek. If it be a ain, to
think that thia repoae, built on secular desires and a false
peace of conscience, ia conaiatent with the goapel of Chriat,
what will it be to teach this doctrine, to preach it, and by
means of dangerous maxims to confirm and encourage soula
therein. 35. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the
daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother
in law. The truths of the gospel set at variance in order to unite
to God, and oppose the false peace of concupiscence, for no
other end but to establish that of charity. It ia very hard to
deprive ourselves of the comfort of these relations ; but we
shall receive ample amends, by that incomprehensible union
with God and Christ which attends us in heaven, and by the
society of angels and saints which is promised ua by truth itaelf.
36. And a man's foes shall he they of his own household.
Our relatione then are oftentimea the greateat enemiea of
our aalvation. The greater our fondness is. toward earthly
things, the more capable are they of hurting ua in respect of
our salvation. The father is the enemy of his son, when,
through a bad education, an irregular love, and a cruel indul
gence, he leaves him to take a wrong bias, instructs him not
in his duty, and puts ambition into his head. The son ia the

140 MATTHEW.
father's enemy, when he is the occasion of his doing injustice,
in order to heap up an estate for him, and to make his fortune.
The mother is the daughter's enemy, when ^e inatructa her
to please the world, breeds her up in excess and vanity, and
suffers any thing scandalous and unseemly in her dress. The
daughter is the mother's, when she becomes her idol, when
she engages her to comply with her own irregular inclinations,
and to permit her to frequent plays and balls. The maater
ia the enemy of hia aervant, and the servant that of his master,
when the one takes no care of the other's salvation, and the
other is subservient to his master's passions.
SECT. VII. — THE PREDOMINANT LOVE.-;— CONTEMPT OF LIFE.
37. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of
me : and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
He who loves not Christ above all thinga is not worthy to
have him for his Head. The life and the works are the thinga
which show plainly, which of all these affections reigns in the
heart. He whom we love the most, is he whom we study most
to please, and whose will and interests we most commonly
prefer. Let us judge ourselves by this rule. He who is not
worthy of Christ, that is, to be a Christian and member of
Christ, is unworthy of any thing but hell. A soul, raised
above all earthly things, is that which is worthy of Jesua Chriat.
38. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not
worthy of me.
To take' the cross and follow after Christ, is not a bare
matter of advice, but a necessary means of salvation. It is
not sufficient, in order to be really worthy of Christ, for a
man not to be fond of any of the aweeta of life ; he must also
be prepared for all the bitterness of the cross. A wicked
person refuses, instead of taking it ; a philosopher seems to
take it, but not in following Christ. Only the Christian takes '
it, either by choice or acceptance, and bears it for the sake
of Chriat, in hia apirit, and after his example.
39. He that flndeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for
my sake shall flnd it.
. He who deapisea hia life in time, preserves it to eternity.

CHAPTER X. 141
The love of life ia the moat senaible and the most violent
temptation ; and it ia even the love of hfe, which should make
us surmount it ; because we should be ready to give up our
mortal life, in order to obtain that which is immortal. What
ever a man sacrifices to God is never lost, because he finds it
again in God. That person may be said to lose his life for
the sake of God, who sacrifices it by a state of repentance and
mortification, or who employs it for God in that state and con
dition to which he haa been pleased to call him.
SECT. VIII. — THE REWARD OF. CHARITY.
40. ^ He that receiveth you receiveth me ; and he that receiveth me
receiveth him that sent me. 41. He that receiveth a prophet in the name
of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward : and he that receiveth a
righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous
man's reward.
In our neighbour whom we assist, we must direct our eyes
toward Christ by faith, if we would find him there by charity.
It is no small honour, or slight advantage, to receive into one'a
houae a minister of Jesus Christ. The lesa peraonal merit
auch miniater has, the greater ia faith which diacovers that
of Christ in him. Everybody is not admitted to exercise the
sacred ministry ; but none are excluded from partaking of ita
grace, its spirit, and its reward. No one can tell how far the
charity of those extends, who contribute to the inatruction of
their neighboura; by being concerned in the maintenance of
coUegea, achools, catechetical lectures, missions, good pastors,
and other truly evangelical workmen. But how much the
more useful such a workman ia, and the more service he does
the church, so much the greater must hia reward be, who en-
tertaina, receives, and supports him, for the sake of Christ
and his church.
42. And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a
cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you,
he shall in no wise lose his reward.
Charity heightens the smallest actions. It is this which
recommends good works. Under a just and merciful God, no
sin is unpunished, no good action is unrewarded. • It belongs
to men to reward what is done upon human motive; and to

142 MATTHEW.
God, to crown that which proceeds from a Christian disposi
tion. Jesua Chriat confirma thia last promise with an oath;
to this end, that we should not doubt but that the moat indi
gent may exerciae works of mercy, and that the least of such
works will be rewarded. In the world, a man must make his
court to great persons, and do them very great services, in
order to receive a great reward for them. In the kingdom
of God, a man, in doing the amalleat aervices to the meanest
persons, may justly hope for a very great reward.

CHAPTER XI.
SECT. I. — JOHN THE BAPTIST SENDS HIS DISCIPLES TO CHRIST.
1. And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding
his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their
cities. Nothing persuades more, than for a man to put in practice
himself the instructions which he gives to others. There is
no empty space in a pastor's life. A good bishop is con
tinually employed, either in forming and instructing subordi
nate ministers, or in teaching and labouring in the place of
his residence, and his visitations.
2. Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he
sent two of his disciples,
A prisoner of Jesus Christ employs his thoughts lesa about
hia own condition and danger, than about the intereata of hia
Master, and the salvation of thoae whom he haa committed to
his care. His consolation is, to entertain and fill his mind,
not with the world, and with what passes therein, but with
Christ, with his life, his works, his kingdom, and his church.
To feed prisoners ife a good work ; but how much more so is
it to show them the true Deliverer, the wonderful works of
the mystery of redemption, what it is wherein their true cap
tivity does consist, and what use they ought to make of the
confinement of the body toward the deliverance of the soul.
A director (of the conscience) should always send his disciples

CHAPTER XL 143
to Christ, and teach them to have regard to him in every
thing. 3. And said unto hiin. Art thou he that should come, or do we look
for another?
There is a kind of holy addreaa belonging to the pastoral
charity and humility, which consists in knowing how to become
weak with the weak; in hiding our knowledge like St. John,
when the good of souls requires it; and in choosing rather
that God' should make himself known by himself, than by our
ministry. He who really loves the majesty of God, loves also
his own abasement. Yes, Lord, thou art he who shouldst
come to heal, to sanctify, and to save me. Perform thy work
in me; for I look not for another: and thou alone art my
light, my strength, and my salvation.
4. Jesus answered and said unto them. Go and shew John again those
things which ye do hear and see :
Christ would have men judge of him and of others only by
works. One secret in the art of guiding souls is, to manage
the tenderneaa of the weak, and to inatruct them by aeeming
to inatruct othera. Even Christ, when asked concerning his
mission, makes the proof of it evidently appear in hia mira
cles, which had been foretold; and now, persons without
piety, without mission, without authority, without succession,
would oblige us to believe them upon their bare word. St.
John points out the prophecies ; Jesua Chriat ahows the com
pletion of them in himaelf.
5. The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are
cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have
the gospel preached to them.
Cause, 0 my God, blind sinners to (see and) know thy
truth, and the way of salvation ; make them walk therein with
a steady, even, and constant pace ; let them be cleansed from
the corruption of their heart ; let them hear thy word with
joy and with advantage ; let them, as persons raised from the
dead, live the new life of Christ ; and let the most poor and
miserable receive, love, and observe the goapel. Christ re
quires a heart which is poor, void of itaelf, and convinced of
ita own indigence, unworthineas, inability, and misery. Make

144 MATTHEW.
my heart, 0 Jesha, thua poor, that it may be enriched and
satiafied with the sacred truths of thy gospel.
6. And blessed is he, whosoever shall ttot be ofiended in me.
He who reads or hears the word of God, and does not prac
tise it, takes from thence an occasion of falling, and is offended
at it. As Christ condemns the life and maxims of the world
by his own ; so the world condemns the life and maxima of
Christ by those which it prefers before thepi ; and this is to
be offended or scandalized at them. If we be not as yet
strong enough to enter into the ways of the gospel; at least
let us esteem them, and not entertain any prejudice against
them. A man is offended in Christ, when he does not follow
him ; how much more then, when he diverts others from the
paths of piety and perfection, in softening the gospel hy a
loose morality? To design to amend the gospel, ia to blame
and condemn it.
SECT. II. — THE BLOGY OF ST. JOHN.
7. If And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes con
cerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see ? A reed
shaken with the wind ?
One ought to avoid praiaing teachera, and (apiritual) direc
tora, in the preaence of those who esteem it an honour to be
under them. Though the praise might not all exalt the dis
ciple, yet it may reach even the master, and either tempt or
corrupt him. Jesus Christ is not a false friend, who dares
not declare for him who is in disgrace ; on the contrary, he
has spoke of and for St. John only aince his imprisonment.
When the world persecutes good men, then is the time for
those who belong to God, with prudence to imitate Christ in
relation to them. The first virtue of which Christ takes' notice
in St. John, ia hia steadfastness ; and it is not without some
mystery that he commends this virtue before all others in thia
minister of his word.
8. But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment?
behold, they that wear soft clothing are in king's houses.
The second is his mortified life, which gives authority to his
preaching. A preacher should have nothing which appears

CHAPTER XL 145
worldly, or which borders upon excess and softness.' That
man ia miataken, who thinka to prevail upon the world by
conforming himself to its faahiona and mannera ; the world
will much sooner entirely corrupt the heart which opens itself
thereto. Would to God, that in this age luxury and softness
were to be seen only in kings' houses ! It is a greater mis
fortune than we imagine, to see these vices overfiow all ranks
and conditions of men, even those of the most moderate for.
tune ; this is what draws down the judgments of God upon ua.
9. But what went ye out for to see ? A prophet ? yea, I say unto you,
and more than a prophet.
The third advantage of St. John is his gift of prophecy,
whereby he discovers Christ. This is indeed to be "more than
a prophet," for a man to point out the Saviour and sacrifice
of the world, and to foreshow him by his retirement, his mor
tification, his preaching, and his faithfulness, so great, as even
to die for the sake of truth. Preachers ought to imitate hira,
and to be in aome measure more than prophets in this respect.
10. For this is he, of whom it is written. Behold, I send my messenger-*
before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. (*i*'/'. Angel.)
Thei fourth advantage of St. John is his office of being the
harbinger of the Son of God. Hia mission is authorized by
the Scriptures, not hy miracles, because it is not extraordi
nary. A man should be an angel in purity, in knowledge, in
'zeal, and in activity, to prepare the way for Christ in the
soul, as it is the duty of pastors to do.
11. Verily I say unto you. Among them that are born of women there
hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist : notwithstanding, he that
is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
The fifth advantage of this holy forerunner is his excellence
beyond the other prophets, on the account both of his know
ledge and the sanctity of his life. The latter, not the former,
renders a man great in the sight of God. The way to be
exalted in heaven above othera, is to humble ourselves on earth
below all. The greatest without comparison among all, ia he
who made himself the least of all, in stooping so low as to
resemble sinners, and to become the Lamb or Sacrifice for sin.
Vol. I.— 13 K

146 MATTHEW.
12. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom df
heaven sufiereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
The sixth advantage of John the Baptist is to have set up
ihe standard of repentance, which is the way to heaven.
Heaven is not to be taken but by the violence which a man
does to his inclinationa. All right to eternal happiness is lost
in Adam. It is not due to any one ; this evangelical violence
is that which carries it as by conquest. Happy thoae holy
banda of penitenta, thoae violent persons of the gospel, who,
aa it were, take heaven by the force of their prayers, their
obedience, their humility, etc. But wo unto the men of this
world, who know not what it is to deprive themselves of any
thing, or to do the least ¦riolence to themselves in order to
their own salvation !
13. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.
The seventh advantage of St. John is hia having firat ahowed
Jesus Christ present ; whereas the state of the law was no
raore than a state prophetic of his coming, in which his mys
teries were represented and typified; the prophets having
only foretold the Saviour to come, and the true righteousness
which he should brin^ into the world. Let us praise God that
we live now, after that all haa been unfolded, that truth has
succeeded figurea, that the promiaes have their effect, that the
prophecies are fulfilled, that Jesus ia given, and that he haa
wrought the aalvation of men !
14. And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.
The last advantage which Christ would have us observe in
St. John, is hia haring been an Bliaa by hia office, hia zeal,
and his fidelity. He did that at the first coming of Christ,
which Elias (perhapa) will do at the second. Pastors should
do the same in proportion, in order to the coming of Christ
into the soul, by their faithfulness in making him known, by
their zeal, their mortification, and their constancy. This is
what few are willing to comprehend. Give us. Lord, some
Johns and Eliases, who may both understand and do for aoula
that which thou requirest of them!

CHAPTER XL 147
15. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
_ Happy he, who has the ears of the heart ; for they are not
given to all. This is a gift which we must often beg. We
frequently lose our time in desiring and expecting an Elias,
a good director (of the conscience) to assist our endeavours
after perfection or salvation; whereas a good will, and the
ears of the heart, are the things which are wanting, and fpr
which we should earnestly pray.
SECT. III. — BOTH JESUS AND JOHN REJECTED OF THE JEWS.
16. If But whereunto shall I liken this generation ? It is like unto
children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows, 17. And
saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have
mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented.
The wicked person, by his malice, makes all which God has
done for his salvation become fruitless. Nothing but charity
can make it beneficial. There are some, to whom every thing
is useful in leading them to God ; others, to whom nothing is
sufficient. To these, the easy and less austere ways seem too
remiss ; and yet a more rigorous and severe kind of life quite
disheartens them. The defect ia in the heart, and not in the
meana. Every thing ia good to a good heart; every thing is
hurtful to a corrupt one.
18. For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say. He hath
a devil. The sinner will not be persuaded, that what he has no mind
to imitate can come from God. There are such violent aver
sions in some persons, as to make them rather blame even
virtue itself, than esteem it in those whom they do not love.
This vice has several degrees ; let us take care that there be
no degree of it in ourselves. Men sometimes affect to appear
wise and prudent in condemning those ways which seem too
austere. Pride, envy, and vanity, are the sources of these
false and rash judgments.
19. The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say. Behold
a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners.
But wisdom is justified of her children.
Whatever measures good men take, they will never escape
the censures of the world ; the best way is not to be concerned

148 MATTHEW.
at them. Iniquity, being alwaya ready to oppoae and con
tradict the divine conduct, often contradicts itself. God still
finds his glory, not only in the faithfulness of the righteous,
but even in the hardness of the wicked, bringing good out of
evil itself. Wisdom, which does all for the sake of the elect,
knows thereby how to find the justification of her different
ways in their salvation, to which she makes every thing sub
servient. We discover in all things sufficient cause to adore
the wisdom and goodness of God, when we are of the number
of the true children of thia incarnate Wiadom.
SECT. IV. — THE IMPENITENT CITIES WORSE THAN SODOM.
20. If Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty
works were done, because they repented not :
Happy he, who, hy a speedy conversion and a true repent
ance, prevents the reproaches which his conscience would
otherwise cast upon him at the hour of death. The more
effects of his power God has employed to draw us to himself,
the more inexcusable are we. We cannot complain that we
have seen no miracles, since all thoae of our Creator are ex-
poaed to the eyea of our mind and of our body, and all those
of our Saviour to the eyea of our faith. Let us take to our
selves these reproaches of our Lord, aince his miracles also
are designed for us.
21. Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the
mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and
Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
An impenitent Christian is worse than a Pagan; and hia
heart ia more insensible to the divine word and to miracles
than an infidel's. Let us adore the judgments of God' in the
distribution of hia gracioua dispensations, without desiring to
pry into the reasons of them ; and let us not cease to thank
him, that his great goodness to us has suffered no obstruction
from our extreme ingratitude.
22. But I say unto you. It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon
at the day of judgment, than for you.
How terrible are God's judgments on the impenitent!
Every thing will help to overwhelm them at the tribunal of

CHAPTER XL I49
God ; the benefits and favours which they have received, as
well as the sina which they have committed. The divine
mercies, which the sinner now buries in oblivion, shall be then
rendered present to his mind, in order to his confusion and
condemnation. Let us prevent this misfortune.
23. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be
brought down to hell : for if the mighty works, which have been done in
thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.
The proud, who of all sinners are the most difficult to be
converted, shall likewise be the most humbled. Pride is a
vice, which, instead of diminishing, increases with time. Ye
great men of the world, ye rich men of the earth, who think
of nothing but how to advance yourselves, and who are never
satisfied with wealth, honours, and preferments, read here tbe
sentence of your condemnation if you continue impenitent.
Pride hardens the heart even more than the greatest sins of
impurity. There is nothing more opposite to the Christian
religion, the whole design of which is to make us humble.
Every man has some degree of pride, and therefore ought to
examine the progress or decrease of it.
• 24. But I say unto you. That it shall be more tolerable for the land
of Sodom in the day of judgment, thaii for thee.
There is a difference and inequality of pains in hell, answer
able to that of sins. The contempt and abuse of preaching,
and of the word of God, will be there dreadfully punished.
Men glory in having holy preachers ; and it is this very thing
which brings a severer judgment upon those who continue in
impenitence. Lord, humble us at present, rather than reserve
na for the eternal humiliation of the reprobate !
SECT. V. — THE WISE BLINDED, THE SIMPLE ENLIGHTENED.
25. If At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father,
Lord of heaven and earth, because thoii hast hid these things from the
wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.
Ye wise men of the world, who are prudent in your own
sight, fear lest you should be left to your own darkness in the
business of salvation, while the humble shall walk by the
divine light. Let ua dread, but not endeavour to fathom the
13*

15» MATTHEW.
judgments of God, which are just, terrible, and unsearchable.
It was one of the employments of Christ on earth to adore
them, and glorify his Father for them ; it ought likewise to
be the employment of Christiana. They have a beauty, whioh
we shall never fully discover but in heaven. The full sight
of God's mercies toward his elect, of their preference, dis
tinction, and aeparation from the corrupt maaa, deserves the
praise and acknowledgment even of Christ's heart; and this
heart alone is worthy to know them perfectly, because to him
they are given by his Father. Simplicity and humility are
their distinguishing character. My God and my Saviour im
print on my heart this amiable character, which is the mark
of thy elect.
26. Even so, Father ; for so it seemed good in thy sight.
Let us with fear and trembling adore the conduct of God
in the disposal of his creatures, and the distribution of his
favoura. The knowledge of the myateriea of religion and
divine trutha ought not to puff up any one, becauae it is a gift
altogether free, and which proceeds purely from the will of
God. He ia maater of his own gifts, but he divides them by
a will full of wisdom, and upon motives which are in himself,
not in us, and which tend to the manifestation of his great
ness and power, of his mercy and justice.
27. All things are delivered unto me of my Father : and no man know
eth the Son, but the Father ; neither knoweth any man the Father, save
the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.
This is a great truth, and the key of the science of salva
tion. Christ is the sovereign dispenser of this, and the Lord
of all things, by the donation of his Father. All the springs,
and the whole dispensation of the divine favours, are in the
hand of Christ, as priest and sacrifice of God, as Saviour and
mediator, head and pattern, pastor and sovereign jud.ge* of
men. There is no knowledge, no belief of the mystery of the
most Holy Trinity, hut what is a gift of God by Jesus Christ,
and according to his will. How lovely is this dependence !
0 Jesus, I accept it with joy, I dfesire to depend on thee.
Make me know the Father ; make thyself known to me ; but
let the love in me be yet greater than the knowledge.

CHAPTER XL 151

SECT. VI. — THB EASY YOKE.
28. Tf Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I
will give you rest.
Our only remedy is to have recourse to Christ, under our
troubles and afflictions, after our miscarriages, in our tempta
tions, and in our inability to do good. How sweet is it to
have our dependence on a God who comes to meet us, in order
to solicit us to come to him ! Sinners, wearied in the ways
of iniquity, throw yourselves into the bosom of this amiable
Shepherd, who while on earth took so much pains to aeek you,
and to bring you hack to his fold. Penitents, humbled under
the weight of your crimea, unite yourselves to this sanctifying
Yictim, who bore your sins on the cross. Christians, over
burdened with the multitude of your defects, and with the
greatness of your duties, lift up yourselves to this eternal
High-Priest, who is at the right-hand of God his Father, and
presents hknself continually before his face in your behalf.
Jesus excepts none: all are inyited and urged to go to him.
But in order to do so, he must speak to the heart, and say,
^'Come unto me," in such a manner as to make it hear, and
to attract it. No man goes to Christ without receiving rest.
He himself promises it, and shall we not believe it? I would
fain come to thee, 0 Lord ; but as thou givest me the will, be
thou also my guide, my light, and my strength, to conduct
me to thyself.
29. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me ; for I am meek and
lowly in heart : and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
Strange paradox! that a man already weary and over
loaded, must take a new Tveight upon him, in order to be eased,
and to find rest! But Christ's yoke eases those whom charity
inclines to hear it. Jesus Christ is the sole teacher of hu
mility. There is no rest, but only for the humble in heart.
Pride is the source of a thousand disquiets. It is not suf
ficient to go to Christ hy faith ; we must take upon us the
yoke of hi^ law and goapel, that we may conform our hves
thereto, and study his dispositions and behaviour, that we may
be capable of imitating them. In the schools of the world.

152 MATTHEW.
some study philosophy, others physic, law, etc. In the school
of Christ, every one must study meekness and humility ; for
to these two the whole science of Christianity may be reduced.
Meekness of charity : calm and sedate in the midst of wrongs,
injuries, affronts, persecutions, without envy, without revenge.
Humility of heart: remote from all inordinate and worldly
desires by which pride is nourished, ascribing nothing to it
self, and desiring nothing, ready to part with all thinga, to be
placed below all men, to remain in ailence and oblivion. Lord,
vouchaafe to teach ua this science, writing it in our hearts by
thy love !
30. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
How easy and sweet is it, to serve Christ, even in bearing
his cross ! How hard and painful is the alavery of the world,
of ain, and of our own paasions, even with all their false
pleasures ! That satisfaction, peace, and comfort which grace
gives here below, and that which hope encourages us to expect
in heaven, make a Christian full amends for all his pains in
subduing his passions, and in opposing the world. A yoke
which Christ takes together with us, can that be uneasy? A
burden which he bears in us by his Spirit, can that be heavy?
Come, taste and know by experience how sweet the Lord is,
and how worthy his yoke is to be chosen and loved !

CHAPTER XIL

SECT. I. — THE EARS OP CORN PLUCKED. — THE OBSERVATION
OF THE SABBATH.
1. At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn ; and
his disciples were ahungered, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and
to eat. Who will not wonder at the extreme poverty of Jesus Christ
and his diaciplea ? He was himself present with them, and
yet suffered them to want bread ! A man, therefore, is not
forsaken of God because he is in want. It is more honour to
suffer in the fellowship and apirit of Chriat, than, in the midst

CHAPTER xn. 153
of the world, to have all things in abundance. If, when we
first begin to serve God, we should also begin to suffer, and
to have more temporal necessities, we ahould not be aurpriaed
at it; fhe richea of Jesus Christ, and those of his disciples,
are all spiritual.
2. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him. Behold, thy
disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.
The pretenders to devotion are sometimes superstitious to
inhumanity, sometimes indulgent even to impiety; the true
lovers of the law regulate their exactness in observing it by
the intent of the law. God sometimes permits such things in
the church as may perhaps make some persons murmur, on
purpose to afford an opportunity of attacking superstitions or
popular errors. Envy is alwaya ready to blame and to con
demn. Conceited sciolists are still forward to determine to
the disadvantage of others that which they do not understand.
3. But he said' unto them. Have ye not read what David did, when he
was ahungered, and they that were with him ;
The example of holy men, which the Scripture relates with
out any censure, may serve to regulate our behaviour. We
must, after the example of Christ, confute those by Scripture,
who misapply it contrary to charity, and who flatter them
selves that they understand it. It is the effect of envy to
make us easily see what may serve to accuse others, and not
perceive what may justify them.
4. How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread,
which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with
him, but only for the priests ?
Positive laws cease to oblige four ways: — First, by the
natural law of necessity. Charity opens the eyes and the
understanding in defence of slandered innocence. No conse
cration of things can dispense with the charity which is due
to our neighbour in necessity.
5. Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the
priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless ? 6. But I
say unto you. That in this place is o«e greater than the temple.
In the second place, positive laws cease to oblige, by means
of some other particular law, which is superior. That which

154 MATTHEW.
is done for the service of God, ought not to be looked upon as
a thing profane. Christ is not discouraged at the malice of
his enemies, but gives them occasion to reflect upon all they
had seen, which fully proved his divinity. The reverence and
devotion of the Jews in their temple, which was only figura
tive, will condemn the irreverence and profaneneaa of Chria
tiana in the preaence of Christ, who is the true temple.
7. But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not
sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.
In the third place, the obligation of these laws yields to the
law of charity and mercy, which is preferable to all other.
Few, even among Christians, do thoroughly know, with regard
to practice, what this sentence means. It is easy enough to
sacrifice to God external things; the sacrifice of charity ia
that which he requirea. The liberty to judge ill of othera, is
what most agreeably flatters the heart of the sons of Adam.
The world ia aometimea full of wronga and violencea,. which
have no other foundation but unjuat and rash judgments.
The multiplying the external sacrifice of works, is no certain
sign of a progress in holiness ; but a proficiency in charity
and mercy toward our neighbour is always such.
8. For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.
Lastly, these laws cease to oblige by a lawful dispensation,
or by the authority of the legislator. Jesus Christ is Lord;
when we once know his will, we must obey it. The change
of the Jewiah into the Christian and apiritual Sabbath, shows
that Christ is not only the Lord, but also the truth and com
pletion of it. When, Lord, wilt thou change this Sabbath
into that of eternity, into that unchangeable rest whicjh thou^
reaerveat for the people of God ?
SECT. II. — THE wAhERBD HAND RESTORED.
9. And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue :
10. If And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And
they asked him, saying. Is it la'wful to heal on the sabbath days ? that
they might accuse him.
Envy ia an implacable enemy, which it is very dangerous
for a man to admit into his heart; she is provoked, and her

CHAPTER XIL 165
malignity fed, even hy her neighhour's charity. The fear of
giving offence to pharisaical persons, should not hinder an
evangelical labourer from going forward with God's work, ac
cording to his rules and maxims. A truly good man ia alwaya
diapoaed to excuse ¦what is evil in his brethren ; a hypocrite
seeks occasion to accuse them even from good itself. Thia
laat makea no manner of acruple about plain and evident
crimes, and acts the scrupulous person in thinga most clearly
and manifestly good.
11. And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that
shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he
not lay hold on it, and lift it out?
Charity sometimes bears with what is done only out of
worldly interest ; envy cannot bear even that which is done
out of charity. Interest is a very decisive casuist, and re
moves abundance of scruples in a moment. It is always the
soonest consulted, and the most readily obeyed. We are not
indeed forbid to hearken to it ; but we must not let it govern,
or determine by itself.
12. How much then is a man better than a sheep ? Wherefore it is
lawful to do well on the sabbath days. ^
He who violates charity, violates the law, though he observe
the letter of it. He who exercises charity, observes the law,
even then, when for just reasona he neglecta the letter. There
are but too many Christians who do more for the sake of a
beast of profit or pleasure, than for their neighbour. If we
owe a great deal to a man, let him be what he will, how much
more to a Christian, together with whom we help to form the
body of Christ ? Strange corruption of the heart of man, to
whom it must be proved that he is permitted at all times to
do good !
13. Then saith he to the man. Stretch forth thine hand. And he
stretched it forth ; and it was restored whole, like as the other.
The bare will of Jesus Christ has an almighty power of
reatoring life and vigour to our souls. He makes the afflic
tion evident, in order to make known his mercy, and to excite
that of the Pharisees. When God designs to heal the withered
hand of a sinner, he need only give command, and the sinner

156 MATTHEW.
begins preaently to stretch it forth toward him by prayer, and
toward his neighbour by alms, and by all the assistances which
he owes him. Lord, my soul is before thee, like this hand;
vouchsafe to show it the same mercy !
14. If Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him,
how they might destroy him. ^
Nothing sooner leads to blindness and hardness of heart
than envy; and when once a man ia brought to that, of what
is he not capable ? To exercise charity on a sabbath day is
crime, — to labour on the same day to destroy one'a neighbour
is a good work! — thus reasons a corrupt heart before it is
aware. Such a one gives himself up to all sorts of wicked
ness on days the most holy, who will condemn without mercy
a poor man whom necessity forces to work on any such day;
to that degree may a man's heart, not devoted to God, be
blinded as to himself, and hardened toward his neighbour.
SECT. III. — THE MEEKNESS OF THE MESSIAH. — THE BRUISED
REED AND SMOKING FLAX.
15. But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence : and
great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all ;
It is the part of prudence and charity not to provoke the
blind and the hardened, and to take from them the occasion
of sin. The man of God gives place to persecution. He
appears amid the world, only to do good in it; he retires
from it when he is no longer useful in it, or when the obsta
cles to good are, humanly speaking, invincible. Men still
find much good by following Christ ; but it is he himself who
draws those after him whom he intends to heal. Let us
follow the Physician of our souls, and never leave him.
16. And charged them that they should not make him known :
Let us love to be hid with Christ, either out of humility or
neceaaity; there is always some advantage in it. To secure
himself from being discovered, he uaea no other than human
meana, for which he had no occasion, to teach us not to
neglect them in our necessity. He could have concealeid
himself as God ; but he chooses rather to do it as man, for
the instruction and edification of men. He makes use of hia

CHAPTER XIL 157
power, less on his own account, than on that of men, because
he knows that his Father gave it him for them. How much
charity and meekness, how much prudence and humihty, are
here to be imitated in him !
17. That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet,
saying, 18. Behold my servant, whom I have chosen ; my beloved, in
vrhom my soul is well pleased : I will put my spirit upon him, and he
shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.
^ The majesty of God is so great as to have a God-man for
his servant ! It was by hia Father'a choice that he entered
into this condition ; and it is by the same choice that men
must enter into the sacred ministry. Christ is, by way of
excellence, the Servant of God — being alone worthy to serve
him. He who serves God faithfully, becomes his delight.
The perfect fulness of the Holy Spirit dwells in Christ alone
— and we can receive none of it, but from thia fulneaa. How
ought he to be replenished with it who is appointed to preach
the truth ? The Spirit of Jesus Christ must be in a minister
of God, and that not transiently nor feebly, but after a full
and peraevering manner, and must reside in him.
19. He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice
in the streets.
How lovely is this meekness of Christ! How worthy to
be imitated ! His spirit ia not a spirit of contention, mur
muring, clamour, or litigiousness. He who loves all this, be
longa not to hira. The meekness of Jesus Christ, as hia
Father'a minister, waa particularly foretold, on purpose to
teach the clergy that their ministry is not a ministry of pride,
imperiousness, and violence, but of humility, moderation, and
mildness. 20. A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not
quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.
The strength of the perfect must not be left inactive; the
good which is in the weak and imperfect must be managed
with prudence ; and even the most wicked must not be driven
to despair. Let nothing discourage us ; for truth will cer
tainly prevail. But let us have patience ; for neither Christ
nor his truth will completely triumph till after the laat judg-
VoL. L— 14

158 MATTHEW.
ment. He bears with the enemies of his truth and hia church
in thia life, becauae this is the time of humiliation and suffer
ing ; his power will break forth at the time of triumph.
21. And in his name shall the Gentiles ti-ust.
Jesus Christ is the sole truat and hope of Christiana. To
truat and hope in his name, is to expect salvation, and all
things necessary thereto, from him alone ; to despise all
earthly promises ; to esteem, love, and desire only heavenly
things ; and to bear with patience and tranquillity all the losses
and evils of this life, upon the prospect and hopes of that
felicity which he has obtained for us.
SECT. IV. — THE POSSESSED, BLIND, AND DUMB. — THE BLAS
PHEMY OF THB PHARISEES. — THE DIVIDED KINGDOM.
22. If Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind,
and dumb : and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both
spake and saw.
The devil makes himself master of the heart, the eyes, and
the tongue of the sinner : — Of his heart, by possessing it with^
the love of sin ; of the eyes of his mind, by hindering him
from seeing the ghilt and consequences of it ; and of his
tongue, by diverting hira from prayer and confession. Work,
0 my God, these three miraclea upon sinners, and deliver my
heart from every degree of this threefold captivity !
23. And all the people were amazed, and said. Is not this the son of
David? Let US but reflect upon what God haa done in us, and upon
what he can do, to drive out the evil spirit of ain, to open our
eyes, and untie our tongues ; and we shall be then wrapt up in
admiration, and full of hopes, with much greater cause than
this people. Whenever we have a good thought, a holy de
sire, or an edifying word, let us say, without hesitation,
"The son of David works this in us;" and let us say it with
gratitude. 24. But when the Pharisees heard it, they said. This fellow doth not
cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.
The more disciples truth gains, the more enemies she raises.

CHAPTER XIL 159
Thus it is that the malicious world sometimes ascribes the
conversion of sinners to motives of covetousness and inte
rest, or to some passion contrary to the Spirit of God. Can
the spirit of contradicton, hatred, and envy proceed farther
than this, to choose rather to give to the de^ril than to God,
the honour of a work which it is forced to acknowledge as
miraculous ? It is a sin more common than we imagine, for
men to be unwilling to own the finger of God in those they
hate. 25. And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them. Every king
dom divided against itself is brought to desolation ; and every city or
house divided against itself shall not stand : 26. And if Satan cast
out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom
stand ?
Christ knows the secrets of the heart : and this is a new
proof of his divinity, which cannot be attributed to the devil.
God permits those who, out of a spirit of envy and contra,-
diction, oppose the truth, to fall into manifest contradictions
themselves. Division ruins every thing ; and the stability of
the church depends upon its unity, which must never be broken
on any account whatsoever. .
27. And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children
cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.
The affections have a great share in our judgments ; and
we must take care that envy do not make ua condemn that in
one which we approve in another. There were exorcists
among the Jews.
28. But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of
God is come unto you.
None but Christ can destroy the kingdom of the devil.
Wherever God's Spirit is, there is also the kingdom of God.
The destruction of that of Satan is a proof and an effect of
the incarnation. Chriat, by freeing the bodies of the pos
sessed, ahowa plainly what he came to do in the aoul. Exert
thy power upon mine, 0 Jesus, and by thy Spirit prevent all
the attempts against thy rights which the evil apirit would
otherwise there make !

160 MATTHEW.

SECT. V. — THE STRONG MAN ARMED. — THE SIN AGAINST THE
HOLY GHOST. — THE TREASURE OF THE HEART. — THE IDLE
WORD.
29. Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil
his goods, except he first bind the strong man ? and then he will spoil
his house.
Men, through sin, are become the house of Satan, having,
of their own accord, surrendered themaelvea up to this unjuat
poaaeaaor. Whoever givea up hia soul to sin, gives it up to
the devil. Christ alone can deliver from this bondage, and
bind the power of this strong one. Return into thy house
and into thy rights, 0 my God ! and take possession again, by
Christ, of my heart and mind, and of all the good things
wherewith thou hast been pleased to furnish me !
30. He that is not with me is agaiftst me ; and he that gathereth not
with me scattereth abroad.
In vain do men seek for ways of accommodation to soften
the gospel : there is no medium between loving God and being
his enemy ; between belonging to Christ or to the devil ; be
tween being governed by charity or self-love ! If we would
belong to Christ as we ought, we must give ourselves entirely
to him. He alone has paid down the price for us ; he alone
ought to be our Lord. When Jesus Chriat, his truth, his pre
cepts, and his servants, are openly assaulted, how can a man
avoid declaring for them, without incurring the guilt of de
serting and betraying them ? How many are there in the
world who are really against Christ, and « scatter abroad,"
who yet flatter themselves that they are workers together with
him, and in the number of his friends !
31. If Wherefore I say unto you. All manner of sin and blasphemy
shall be forgiven unto men : but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost
shall not be forgiven unto men.
There is nothing more contrary to the Holy Ghost and his
grace, than to withatand manifeat truth, to decry good doc
trine and Christian maxima in opposition to particular persons,
and to attribute to an evil apirit that which proceeda from the
Spirit of God. Thia ia the sin of arrogant scholars, and of

CHAPTER xn. 161
selfish, envious, and opjnionative bigots, out of which they
scarce ever recover. The forgiveness of this sin is not abso
lutely impossible, but only very rare, because the conversion
of such persons ia very rare and difficult. The people are
converted in crowds, but very few Scribes and Pharisees
yield to the truth.
32. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be
forgiven him : but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall
not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.
Jesus Christ, who came to be abased, has endured all man
ner of humiliation in his flesh, but he will not be abased in
his Spirit. Whatever ignominies and persecutions he suffered
in his life and death at the hands of the Jews, were forgiven
those who received the faith, after the mission of the Holy
Ghost ; but there ia no mercy for auch as have rejected the
testimony of this Holy Spirit in the preaching of the apostles,
in the miracles, gifts, and other marvellous effects produced
by him in the church. Impenitency is the most common pu
nishment of this kind of spiritual sins.
33. 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.
The fruit is always like the tree — the works like the will.
Nothing good can proceed from an evil spirit — no good fruit
from a corrupt heart, unleaa it be renewed and moved by the
good Spirit, which only can render it good. If we would
know our heart, let ua view our actiona. That is good, if our
life be so ; that ia devoted to the world, if this be conform
able to the maxims thereof.
34. O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things ?
for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
These are very severe words, but such as were justly due
to the malignity of the Pharisees. Charity has its sting,
but never uses it except in order to heal. What good can a
soil so bad as the heart of man produce of itself? What
judgment shall we make of our o^svn, if we judge of it by our
vain, slanderous, light, bitter, and haughty words ? All the
sons of Adam have naturally a pharisaical heart. Thou
14» L

162 MATTHEW.
alone, 0 Jesus, canst change it into a Christian heart, by con
ferring upon it Christian virtues out of thy fulness !
35. A good man, out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth
good things : and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil
things. The good heart ia the good treasure, and it is charity makes
it so ; for charity only never offends. ' Concupiacence pro-
ducea nothing but what ia evil, and makes the evil heart and
the evil treasure.
36. But I say unto you. That every idle word that men shall speak,
they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
It is no small matter to know how to rule the tongue, and
to restrain the unprofitable use thereof. God would not have
us doubt but that he will demand an account of it. And if
he demand it of every vain, idle, and unprofitable word, how
much more then of every calumnious, impure, and offensive
word, contrary to religion and charity ? How terrible is this
exactness of the divine justice! — the very thought of which
should be enough to dry up the source of such a multitude of
words which have no necessity, no usefulness to excuse them.
37. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou
shalt be condemned.
There are few who conceive how instrumental the tongue
is to salvation or condemnation. We count words as nothing ;
and yet eternity depends upon them ! Set a guard, 0 Lord,
upon my mouth, and reduce my tongue under an absolute
subjection to thyself!
SECT. VI. — JONAS A SIGN. — THE NINEVITBS. — THE QUEEN OP
THB SOUTH.
38. TfThen certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, say
ing, Master, we would see a sign from thee.
Incredulity, pride, and curiosity have never proofs enough
of the truth. Learned men have particular reason to fear
these vices. To require miracles in this age is to affront and
injure God, and, like the persons before us, to make no ac
count of all those which he haa wrought for the establiahment
of the goapel. The proofa of religion are not in the choice
of men : God only knows those which are most proper.

CHAPTER xn. 163
39. But he answered and said unto them. An evil and adulterous gene
ration seeketh after a sign ; and there shall no sign be given to it, but
the sign of the prophet Jonas :
Christ complies with the weakness of men, but never with
their extravagant desires. He takes notice of the corruption
of heart in these wretches, to show the cause of their incre-
duhty and of his refusal. That man wrongs the truth who
submits to the caprice of its enemies in the manner of proving
it. It is natural for unbehevers to imagine, that a miracle
wrought on purpose for them would change their heart. But
it is presumption, blindness, and delusion, to expect extra
ordinary signs in order to conversion. What miracle can
convert him to whom even the resurrection of Chriat ia not
sufficient ? The general resurrection and last judgment will
indeed do it ; but that ¦vrill be too late.
40. For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly:
so Shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of
the earth.
Our blessed Saviour's resurrection is his grand miracle, the
confirmation of all the rest, the seal of his mission. Jonas is
the most eminent type of Chriat, aa preacher of repentance,
as voluntary victim of his people, as returning alive from the
grave and hell three days after hia burial, and as abandoning
the Jews after his resurrection, to preach aalvation to the
Gentiles. These types and prophecies are very strong argu
ments for the truth of religion.
41. The men of Nineveh shall rise in the judgment with this genera
tion, and shall condemn it : because they repented at the preaching of
Jonas ; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
Impenitency is the greatest of all misfortunes ; and into
this they muat necessarily fall who hear not Jesus Christ.
We shall have those for witnesses or judgea of whom we would
not be the imitatora. The fear of temporal destruction causes
a people to repent, who had neither Moses nor Christ, neither
the law nor the prophets, and who, perhaps, never had but
this one preacher among them. What judgment, then, shall
we undergo, if we continue impenitent, after all that which
has been bestowed upon us !
42. The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this

164 MATTHEW.
generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts
of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon ; and, behold, a greater than
Solomon is here.
How many who affect the character of strong reasoning,
believe, without any proof, what comes from places the most
distant, and yet take a pride in doubting of the gospel, though
confirmed by so many miracles ? Men are apt to run after
such preachers as are most powerful in word and deed, and
to value themselves upon adhering to them; when it is this
very thing which will condemn them the more. Whenever
we read the gospel, our faith should thus dictate to us: "He
who is here, who speaks here, is both greater than Jonas, and
wiser than Solomon ; let our respect, obedience, and fidelity
be proportionably increased."
SECT. VII. — THE UNCLEAN SPIRIT ENTERING AGAIN. —
RELAPSES.
43. When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through
dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.
The devil ceases not to tempt those whom Christ has taken
from him ; he has no other joy but only in doing hurt to man.
The unfaithfulness of a Christian, and the relapse of a peni
tent, are his delight. Strange debasement of a spirit created
to enjoy God, and to rest in him, not to be able to find any
rest but in a corrupt heart! If a man of great power placed
his happiness in ruining ua, ahould we venture to be long
aaleep? Let us watch, therefore, and arm ouraelvea with
faith and prayer ; for it ia not a man whom we are to reaiat.
44. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came
out ; and when he is come, he flndeth it empty, swept, and garnished.
Unhappy that person whom the devil still looks upon as his
house, because his evil habits are yet alive at the bottom of
his heart, or are only suspended! In what condition is a
soul, when, on one side, the devil besieges and attacks it with
an eagerness and application which are indefatigable; and,
on the other, the soul itself opens the gate to him out of sloth
and cowardice ? Let ua conaider, whether thia aoul be not
our own. Negligence and idlenesa invite the devil. The

CHAPTER XIL 165
secret to keep him out, is to employ all our time in good
vrorks, and to he wholly taken up with God.
45. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven 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. Even so shall it be also unto
this wicked generation.
The devil makes new efforts, and takes new precautions,
that he may not fail to ruin ua, while we, perhapa, use none
at all to escape him. This is because he counts our loss his
gain and delight, and we count not our salvation our proper
business. How much ia a relapse to be dreaded ! This ren
dera the ainner worse and more intolerable than before,
through his ingratitude and perfidiousneaa. Habita are formed
and strengthened by relapses ; and relapses are multiplied and
become more incurable through new habits. How is it that
the sinner has not eyes to see -what a soul is when deserted
by the Holy Ghost and his seven gifts, and made a slave to
as many contrary habits, — as it were, to "seven devils," to
whom it has surrendered up itself by sin ? A galley-slave,
loaded with aeven chaina, would raise compasaion in us. With
what terror, then, ought we to be affected at the idea of a
Captive soul, reduced, by frequent relapses, under the power
of seven devils!
SECT. vin. — CHRIST'S MOTHER AND BRETHREN.
46. If While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his
brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him. 47 ._ Then one_ said
unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren Stand without, desiring
to speak with thee.
How great are the modesty and humility of the blessed
virgin, who does not interrupt her son while he is talking to
the people, but is contented to stand without ! Her pious
concern for a son, whose absence sensibly affected her, is the
cause of her coming,— not the desire of having a share in the
applause of the people.
48. But he answered and said unto him that told him. Who is my mo
ther? and who are my brethren?
How holy soever relations are, a clergyman, who under
stands the holiness of his office, professes not to know them

166 MATTHEW.
in the sacred ministry. It is alwaya a loss to be diverted
from Gpd's work by any human thing whatsoever. A minis
ter of eternal salvation ought to be above every thing which
is temporal. This answer aeema a little harah, but it is sanc
tifying for the virgin, corrective for the other relations, and
instructive for all.
49. And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said.
Behold my mother and my brethren ! 50. For -whosoever shall do the
will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sis
ter, and mother.
Grace and faithfulness to God, unite us to Jesus Christ in
all respects. He shows us here what a truly apostolical per
son ia. Such a one ia inaensible to the affections of fiesh and.
blood, entirely taken up and employed about God's work, and
full of tenderness for souls, — he has nothing in his heart and
before his eyes but the divine will ; he adheres to God only,
regards him only in all things, and counts aa nothing what
ever belonga not to him ; he knowa no relations on earth, but
such as have God for their Father in heaven ; and he conse
crates and sanctifies every passion and affection of nature, by
turning and applying them to the souls committed to his
charge, to whom he is instead of a father, a mother, or a
brother, by affording them all kind of assistance and relief.

CHAPTER xm.
SECT. I. — PARABLE OF THB SOWER. — BLIND HEARTS. —
BLESSED ARE THB EYES WHICH SEE.
1. The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side.
An evangelical labourer allows himself but little rest. His
charity makes him quit the comforts of his house and family,
to place himself in a readiness to relieve the wants of souls.
2. And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he
went into a ship, and sat ; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.
The word of God, preached after a holy manner invites the
faithful. The love of it is more quick and ardent in the

CHAPTER XIIL 16?
meaner sort, than in the rich and learned. We aee here a
representation of the church, which consiata of the people
united to their pastors. These, being more exposed to vio
lent tossings and storms, are, as it were, in a ship, while those
continue at ease on the shore.
3. And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying. Behold,
a sower went forth to sow ;
Let US not be discouraged at the obscurity which is in the
parables of the Scripture. Truth conceals herself under them,
not that she may not be discovered, but that she may oblige
us to search after her. It is a double gain, to attain to the
knowledge of divine truths, both 4)y the gift of God and by
(raeans of) our own desires, endeavours, and prayers. Our
heart is God's field ; it bfelongs to him to sow it. It is a very
great misfortune to deny ourselves the benefit of this divine
seed, by neglecting to read or hear the word of God.
4. And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls
came and devoured them up :
Let us take care lest our heart become a highway, open to
all the world, trampled by passengers, covered with the dust
of vanity, fouled by the dirt of pleasures, hardened by habitual
ain, and exposed to devils. Distraction of mind, diversions,
and buainess, are the fowls which devour the good seed, filling
the heart with vain, earthly, and dangerous thinga.
5. Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth : and
forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth : 6. And
when the sun was up, they were scorched ; and because they had no
root, they withered away.
What ia a man the better for not having a heart like the
highway, if he has one which is hard and stony as to divine
matters ? Unless good thoughts and deairea enter deep into
the heart, and are there held fast by charity, as by their root,
the heat of a contrary lust will scorch them, and make them
soon wither away.
7. And some fell among thorns ; and the thorns sprung up, and choked
them: The terrestrial world is full of good desires, projects of con
version, and schemes of retreat; but the thorns of secular

168 MATTHEW.
lusts make them miscarry. If we do not labour to pluck up
thes,e thorns, they will certainly grow up and choke all the
divine seed in us.
8. But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some a
hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.
The good ground is the good heart; none is such, but
through the mercy of God and the grace of Jeaua Christ. It
was a mercy peculiar to thee, 0 Lord, to purchase at so dear
a rate such barren and accursed ground, full of thorns and
briers, and fit only to be burned, that thou mightest make it
a rich and blessed soil, fertile in every kind of good fruit.
Blind and miserable is that man who attributes this work to
himself, and gives not thee the glory of it, 0 my Saviour !
9. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. '
Who, Lord, has ears to hear thee, except he to whom thou
giveat, continuest, and openest them; and by whora thou
causest thy voice to be heard in a way peculiar to thyself?
10. And the disciples came, and said unto him. Why speakest thou
unto them in parables ?
Man would always fain know the reason and method of the
divine conduct. Let him but thoroughly conceive what it is
to be a sinner, and he will then soon understand what he de
serves. The very least degree of knowledge ia yet more than
ia due to him who deserves, nothing but eternal darkness.
11. He answered and said unto them. Because it is given unto you to
know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Christ, who with scorn refuses to satisfy the crafty and
malicious curiosity of the Pharisees, answer^ that of hia diaci
plea, which ia plain, innocent, and honest. If faith, which is
the fountain and foundation of salvation, be a free gift, which
God bestows not upon all, what acknowledgments then are
due to him from thoae who have received it, without deserv
ing it any more than those who have not ! The knowledge
of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven is so much neglected
by the generality of Christians, that it seems as if they had^
no concern at all in it, or that it was not worth their pains.
Others apply their studies to it, after a manner aa entirely'

CHAPTER XIIL 169
human, and vrith as little faith and prayer, as if it was not a
gift. Let us study it with care, but by the light of faith. God,
the master of his own gifts, confera the underatanding of his
word and myateriea upon whom he pleases. Let us be care
ful to adore this dreadful election, and to humble ouraelvea,
¦^ithout deairing to know more.
12. For whomsoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have
more abundance : but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away
even that he hath.
The uae of grace attracts more ; faith gives a man the
knowledge of the truths of Christianity. But from whence
do this use of grace and this faith proceed, but even from
grace itaelf? The leas belief, respect, and relish one has for
these truths, the more one deserves to be deprived of them.
One divine gift prepares us for another : he who, by a holy
kind of usury, improves them for hia Master, enriches himself.
13r Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see
not ; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
Blindness is a punishment of sin, and the source of a great
many. Obscurity, which exercises the faith, excites the de
sirea, and increaaea the prayera of true Christians, serves to
punish the incredulity, distaate, and slothfulness of others. In
order to profit by the word of God, it' is necessary, before we
read or hear it, to beg of him the seeing eye and the hearing
ear ; namely, a heart which may understand and love the truth.
14. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, whieh saith. By
hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see,
and shall not perceive :
Let ua take warning from the blindneas and hardneaa of
theae wretchea, for fear leat thia prophecy should again be
fulfilled in us. God makea known his judgments, that they
may be avoided ; but this knowledge becomes an occasion of
condemnation, if men are not the better for it.
15. For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of
h'earing, and their eyes they have closed ; lest at any time they should
see with thdr eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with
their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
An affection to worldly things, a forgetfulness of divine, a
disrelish of God's word, and a spirit of contradiction to his
Vol. I.— 15

170 MATTHEW.
truths, do generally produce blindness and hardness of heart
in Christians, as they did in the Jews. Thia deplorable con
dition, wherein the sick person is afraid of being cured, is
more common than we imagine. The delighting in all kind
of loose and licentious discourse, and shunning all opportuni
ties of hearing that which ia pioua, ia the way by which men
arrive at laat at stupidity of heart. By opening our eyes to
a false light, and to whatever gratifies our senses, passions,
and curiosity, and by closing them against the light of the
gospel, they at lengtii continue shut against every thing which
tends to salvation.
16. But blessed are your eyes, for they see ; and your ears, for they
hear. '
How much more blessed are those eyes, which, without
having ever seen Jesus Christ, see his religion confirmed by
his resurrection, by the faith of all people, by the tradition
of all ages, by the blood of all the martyrs, by the writings
of all the fathers, by, miracles of all kinds, and by the lives
of all the saints ! Men are not thankful enough to God for
the favour of being born in an age, country, and family en
lightened with the goapel; and for either having never had
the prejudicea of birth, habit, and example to struggle with, or
for having surmounted them.
17. For verily I say unto you. That many prophets and righteous mten
have desired to see thase things which ye see, and have not seen them;
and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
How much to be admired are those saints who lived only by
faith, by a faith altogether pure, which relied solely upon
God, and waa destitute of all the supports which ours finds in
the wonders of seventeen ages ! The more advantages we
have above them, the more criminal is our abuse of them, and
our baseneaa the more punishable. Let us be persuaded that
it is more profitable for us to see and hear Christ with the eyes
and ears of the heart, than with those of the body. Let .us
by no means envy the Jews this last advantage, which tended
only to their condemnation ; and let us praise God for having
vouchsafed us the first, whereof we were more unworthy per
haps than they.

CHAPTER XIIL 171

SECT. II. — THE EXPLICATION OF THE PARABLE.
18. Tf Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.
Hear ye, to whom God is pleased to impart the knowledge
of his mysteries, to whom he discovers his truths, to whom no
means of instruction in the way of salvation ia wanting, while
so many others are abandoned to their darkness, to ignorance
and error, to seducers and blind guides. Do ye therefore
comprehend and value your happiness, love and practise what
ye know, and by your life glorify him who bestows so many
mercies upon you.
19. When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understand-
eth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which
was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.
Who does not perceive, in this description, the generality
of the world, and the manner in which they hear the word of
God ? Contempt, neglect, and want of attention in respect
of this word, are greater sina, and more aeverely punished,
than men are apt to think. The heart which will not vouch
safe to hear God, deserves to be delivered up as a prey to the
spirit of error. It is the proper and most usual employment
of the wicked one, to endeavour to render fruitless all inspira
tions, truths of the gospel, and divine seed which haa been
sown in our hearta. Men watch with great care that they may
not lose the seed of their ground ; but they do not at all re
gard losing that of their soul.
20. But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that
heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it ; 21. Yet hath he not
root in himself, but dureth for a while : for when tribulation or persecution
ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
We aee but too much of these kinds of forwardness, warmth,
and joy, on the account of the truths of Christianity and of
the word of God, which come to nothing, or to what is next
to nothing. The fruit of the word is not to be known except
in times of trial, either internal from the conflicts of concu
piscence, or external from the tribulations of the world. Let
us, but without anxiety, fear lest our fruits should be without
root, our beginnings without perseverance, and our works with-

1.7.2 MATTHEW.
out charity. Lord, granty that I may hear thee, that I may
taste thy word, and that I may be thine, not only for a while,/
but always, even forever !
22. He also that reeeived seed among the thorns is he that heareth the
word ; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke
the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
Whatever inclination a man may have to piety and to
Chriatian trutha, the love of richea and worldly thinga, if it
be predominant, ruins all. To rely upon riches is to lie down
upon a bed of thorns. To seek for peace amid the cares of the
world, is to seek it in the very bosom of inquietude itself.
The word cannot bear fruit in a heart possessed with the love
of riches, aud with a design of raising a fortune in the world.
23. But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth
the word, and understandeth ii; which also heareth fruit, and bringeth
forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
The seed in the good ground is the word in a faithful heart.
To hear, to understand, and to bear fruit, are the three signs
of this good ground or faithful heart. There are several de
grees of fidelity and holiness ; hut none without the fruit of
good works. To be in the most perfect state is not absolutely
neceaaary, but only to be faithful to God in that to which he
ia pleaaed to call ua. Convert my heart, 0 my God, into good
ground, and make it bear the fruit which it ought to render
thee ! Not to render thee all the fruit of thy own aeed, is a
piece of injustice, ungratefulneaa, and theft. Lord, preaerve
me from thia guilt by thy grace !
SECT. III. — THE PARABLE OF THE TARES.
24. f Another parable put he forth unto them, saying. The kingdom
of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field :
The church is God's field, which he cultivates by his grace.
and his ministers, wherein he sows no other than good grain,
where none become such but by charity and other Christian
virtues, which are the plant and seed of God. What favour,
what raercy is it, to be the wheat of God, sown in his field by
his own hand ! Grant, Lord, that I may therein continue,
grow up, and be still fruitful, even till the time of harvest ! .

CHAPTER XIIL 173
25. But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the
wheat, and went his way.
In the church on earth, the wicked are mingled with the
righteous ; no place but heaven is altogether pure and free
from mixture. All societies have their tares ; the good grain
is not offended nor scandalized at them, but suffers them with
patience. Wo to those negligent and drowsy pastors, who let
the souls under their care be corrupted by error or sin!
Whoever sows these tares in the church, is the enemy of God ;
and he may, in some manner, be said to sow them who does
not hinder the sowing of them. Wake the pastors, 0 my God,
and open their eyes, that they may perceive the tares which
choke thy aeed!
26. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then
appeared the tares also.
When the righteous begin to improve and make a progress
in virtue, they then begin to experience the malice of the
wicked. Afflictions do not make men wicked, but they show
what they are. God does not usually permit his elect, to be
exposed to the vexation of the wicked, until they are strong
enough to undergo the trial of suffering. The mixture of the
one with the other is necessary to instruct, purify, and sanc
tify, and keep the elect in humility.
27. So the servants of the householder came aud said unto him. Sir,
didst not thou sow good seed in thy field ? from whence then hath it
tares ?
Adorable is the divine conduct in thia mixture of the good
and bad. A faithful- and vigilant miniater faila not to dis
cover the tares, and to address himself to God by prayer, in
order to lament the misfortune before him, to inquire after
the cause of it, and receive from him the rules of his behaviour
on this occasion. It is under these evils which befall the
church, that the zeal and application of a true pastor are
fully known.
28. He said unto them. An enemy hath done this. The servants said
unto him. Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
God answers his faithful servants, and informa them con
cerning the devil'a artificea and attempta against his church,
15*

174 MATTHEW.
when they apply themselves to him in the way of prayer and
pastoral vigilance. The grand enemy of mankind introduces
sometimes into the church, and into religious societies, wicked
persons, to favour his designs. A zeal, which is rash and
precipitate, and not according to knowledge, is as much to be
feared as one which is too alow and inactive. But that zeal
is commendable which is ruled by God's direction, which does
not anticipate his designs, and which is free from all indecent
passion. God judges quite otherwise than men of this mix
ture of the good and evil. He alone knows the good which
he intends to produce from it, and how far hia patience toward
the wicked ahould extend, in order either to their conversion
or condemnation, or to the sanctification of the righteous.
29. But he said, Nay ; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up
also the wheat with them.
Men often persecute a true Christian, while they intend
only to prosecute an impioua peraon, for want of giving heed
to this prohibition. God spares the wicked, only in considera
tion of the elect. He will not pass judgment upon the former,
until he completes hia mercy toward the latter. A zeal for
the extirpation of heretica and wicked men, not regulated by
these words of our blessed Saviour, allows no time to the one
to grow strong in goodness, or to the other to forsake their
evil couraes. They are of a apirit very opposite to his, who
care not if they root up the wheat, provided they can but
gather up the tares.
30. Let both grow together until the harvest : and in the time of har
vest I will say to the reapers. Gather ye together first the tares, and bind
them in bundles to burn them : but gather the wheat into my barn.
We ought patiently to bear with the wicked in this life,
because it is God's appointment that they should continue
mingled with the good to the end of the world. God not
only suffers them here, but by his power he makes them in
strumental to one onother in promoting his wise designs.
For the wickedneaa of the wicked ia ao inflamed by the virtue
of the good, that, even until their condemnation, they have a
gradual increase in sensual desire and wealth, in honour and
power ; and the virtue of good men improves ao much by the

CHAPTER XIIL 175
others' wickedneaa, that they proceed from one degree of
grace and piety to another, until their conaummation. These
two different effects depend upon the justice and mercy of
God: upon his justice, which permits and punishes all the
evil in the one ; upon his mercy, which works and rewards all
the good in the other. Do men sufficiently apprehend, what
it is to be violently plucked from the earth to which they
cleave, to be bound up like a bundle of tares, and cast into
eternal fire? And yet to this the temporal felicity of the
wicked comes at last. The garner of God is heaven ; it is the
bosom of God himself. Thither his elect, who are his wheat,
are carried, after having been bruised and ground by persecu
tions in this world, in order to become his bread in eternity,
as he will be also eternally theirs.
SECT. IV. — THE PARABLES OF THB MUSTARD SEED, AND
THB LEAVEN.
31. 1] Another parable put he forth unto them, saying. The kingdom
of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed
in his field :
This parable is a representation of the progress of the gos
pel in the world, of the growth of grace in the soul, and of
the establishment of the church, which ia founded upon the
humility of a God stooping to the form of a servant. This
humiliation is the projfer mark and character of all hia worka,
ever since his incarnation, as also that of true piety; and it
is this virtue, which the ministers, and all the sons of the
church, ought to study with the greatest care.
32. Which indeed is the least of all seeds : but when it is grown, it is
the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the
air come and lodge in the branches thereof.
Truth is depressed in this world, and advanced in the other.
The saints find in it their eternal rest, and reap the first-fruits
of it in their heart, even here below. The more humble a
man is in this life, the more shall he be exalted in the next.
These are two characters of the true church, and of the doc-.
trine of the gospel, upon which it is built, to be, according to
the order and appointment of their founder, very amall in

176 MATTHEW.
their beginning,' and very extensive in their progress and con
tinuance. Our duty is to aim chiefly at our own abasement;
it belongs to God to enlarge and to exalt ua. What are,
generally apeaking, the firat impreaaiona of grace, the first
motions of faith in the heart, but only a little spark which
kindles the fire of charity there, a grain of mustard seed which
fills it with ita strength and virtue ? Let us not neglect and
despise any thing.
33. If Another parable spake he unto them ; The kingdom of heaven
is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of
meal, till the whole was leavened.
Whatever use we make of our understanding, our will, and
our body, without the leaven of faith and charity, is disagree
able and nauseous to God. The divinity uriited to the human
nature in Christ; the gospel diffused throughout the world;
the Spirit of God working in a sinner's heart; and the sacra
mental bread nouriahing a Christian soul, — these are the dif
ferent sorts of leaven which thy wiadom, 0 my God, has
found out, to render man altogether spiritual, to raise him t6
the love of heavenly things, and to make him bear some re
semblance of thyself. How can a heart, ao often filled with
the wholesome leaven of thy body, 0 Jesus, still retain its
heaviness and inclination toward the earth? Let thy Holy
Spirit, I beseech thee, cause mine to riae, to be united and
to cleave inaeparably to thee !
34. All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables ; and
without a parable spake he not unto them :
Let ua learn from theae parablea to discover the Christian
world in the natural, the former being represented in the
latter. Christ descends from invisible mysteries to these
visible descriptions and parables, to excite us to raise our
minds from these sensible objects to the invisible wondera
which are in God and hia church.
35. That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, say
ing, I will open my mouth in parables ; I will utter things which have
been kept secret from the foundation of the world.
The myateriea, which lay hid in God from all eternity, and
in types and propheciea from the foundation of the world, are

CHAPTER Xin. 177
at length disclosed and fulfilled in and by Jesus Christ. How
happy are Christians in being born in the timea of manifeata-
tion, if they make a good uae of this bleasing by their faith !
Let us leave the covetous wretch to dig to the centre after
treasures of no duration, and the naturalist to lose himaelf in
searching into the secrets of nature ; the treasures and study
of a Christian are Jesus Christ and his mysteries, which he
diacovers to us by his word. Thou openest thy adorable
mouth, 0 Eternal Wisdom, to instruct me in them ; but this
is all in vain, unless thou openest my heart, so as to make it
thoroughly apprehend them.
36. Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house :
and his disciples carae unto him, saying. Declare unto us the parable of
the tares of the field.
The clear manifestation of gospel trutha ia only for the
true disciples of Christ. In order to understand them fully,
it ia neceaaary to recollect ourselves in and with him, by re
tiring at leaat into the house of our own heart, to approach
him by faith, and to make our addresses to him in prayer.
Why does Christ speak in parables, but only to conceal his
truths and mysteries from the wise men of the age, to excite
the desire of God's children, and to inform them that the
knowledge of God and his mysteriea is a favour which they
inust earnestly beg of him ?
SECT. V. — THE PARABLE OP THB TARES EXPLAINED.
37. He answered and said unto them. He that soweth the good seed is
the Son of man ;
Yes, Lord, we acknowledge it with joy, that it ia thou alone
who formeat the saints, and sowest in their hearts all that is
good, by a grace which is altogether free. It . is thou who
performest all this, as Son of man ; namely, by the mysterious
union of the two naturea in thy person, by the merits of thy
life and death, by the holiness of thy Spirit, and by the power
of thy grace, which is the fruit of the mysteries and sacrifice
finished and completed in thy flesh upon the cross.
38. The fleld is the world ; the good seed are the children of the king
dom ; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;
Chriatian faith, and hope oblige us to look upon ourselves
M

178 MATTHEW.
as children of the kingdom of God, provided we live accord
ing to his laws and precepts. Can we, then, ever lose sight
of a kingdom to which we believe we are appointed ? How
can our heart but be filled with it, and direct all its thoughts
and designs toward it ? Here is a dreadful description of a
sinner, yet such a one as is true, it being given us by Christ
himself. They are no other than tares, who choke the good
seed, and hinder it from growing up in the love of truth, and
frora bringing forth the fruit of charity. Men become "the
children of the wicked one," by following his dispositions,
and promoting his designs.
39. The enemy that sowed them is the devil ; the harvest is the end
cf the world ; and the reapers are the angels.
They imitate the devil, and do his work, who sow like him,
and change the good seed into tares, by bad examples, evil
counaela, enticements, etc. Let us anticipate the time of the
harvest and the coming of the reapers.' If we are tares, let
us use our utmost endeavours to become good grain.
40. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so
shall it be in the end of this world.
^ The end of every man's life is to him the end of this world;
the one, as well as the other, being the end of the time of
mercy. My God, what a dismal change will this be, when-
a sinner, who now lives in honour and pleasure, shall, like a
bundle of tares, be cast into the fire !
41. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather
out of his kingdom all things that ofiend, and them which do iniquity ;
42. And shall' cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing
and gnashing of teeth.
Eternal separation from the hody of Christ, the being cast
headlong into the furnace, the torment of everlasting fire,
and an endless despair : all this is the just punishment of a
fond affection toward the creatures, of the loftiAess of pride,
of the enjoyment of pleasures, and of the love of worldly
satisfactions. How much better is it to weep in this life, hav
ing the consolation of hope, than to expose ourselves to the
wailings of eternal despair? The true church will not be
entirely freed from all occasions of offence till the end of the

CHAPTER XIIL 179
world. To separate frora it, under pretence of the disorders
in it, is to understand neither the nature of the church nor
the Scriptures.
43. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom
of their Father, Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
How will the condition of the elect be changed in heaven !
Here, they are in obscurity and contempt; there, they will
shine forth as the sun. Here, under oppression ; there, upon
the throne of God himself. Here, in poverty and want;
there, in poaaession of the eternal inheritance of their hea
venly Father, and of all the righta of the children of God.
To conceive and understand this, requires a very lively faith ;
and all the misfortune of men proceeds from their ^not con
ceiving it. The small number of those who endeavour aa they
ought to attain to it, shows that this faith is very rare. Let
us not cease to request it humbly of God.
SECT. VI. — THE GOSPEL A HIDDEN TREASURE.
44. Tf Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field ;
the whioh when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth
and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
The effects of a lively faith are, (1.) To make ua look upon
salvation as our only treasure, and value, beyond all the
richea of the world, the grace which causes us to seek after
it. (2.) To receive this grace as a free gift which precedes
all human endeavour. (3.) To hide it by humility. (4.) To
place our whole joy in it. (5.) To give all we have for aalva
tion, and the grace which leads to it. (6.) To be thoroughly
sensible that salvation must be bought, and that it is not
bestowed for nothing. It is a purchase, because we buy it.
It is a grace, because we do not find it to buy, but, as it were,
by chance; and because we give nothing for it but what we
have received. SECT. VII. — THE PEARL OF GREAT PRICE.
45. If Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchantman, seek
ing goodly pearls : 46. Who, when he had found one pearl of great price,
went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
The sloth and indolence of the greatest part of Christiana^

180 MATTHEW.
with respect to God and their own salvation, are condemned
by those merchants who traverse the world, and venture all
upon the uncertain prospect of temporal advantage. We must
seek, if we would find ; we must prefer G^d before all things,
and be disposed to part with them all to secure our own salva
tion. Wo to him who expects to find any thing more amiable
than God, more worthy to fill his heart, and more capable of
making him happy !
SECT. VIII. — TflE NET CAST INTO THE SEA.
47. If Again, the kingdom of heavfin is like unto a net, that was cast
into the sea, and gathered of every kind :
The net of God's word, animated by his Spirit, draws souls
out of the abyss of sin and error to Christian faith and piety.
The use of the word and sacraments is common to all. The
net and vessel of the visible church receive indifferently both
the good and bad fish, true Christians and hypocrites, the
elect and the reprobate. This is neither the time nor the
place of distinction; all must continue mixed together till the
great day of separation.
48. Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and
gathered the good into vessels, but cast the. bad away.
We muat labour in the work of our salvation with humility
and fear, yet without anxiety, and in hope ; being uncertain
what we are in the sight of God. Though a man's being in
the church will not infallibly assure him of salvation, yet his,
being out of it is sufficient to make him [fear that he may]
perish irrecoverably. As yet there ia time to become good or
better. But the moment will come, when all deairea and en-
deavoura to this purpose will be attended only with despair.
And who knows but that this moment is just at hand?
49. So shall it be at the end of the world : the angels shall come forth,
and sever the wicked from among the just.
What comfort will it be for those who, during this life,
have incessantly lamented the afflictions of the church, to see
it at length freed forever from the persecution of the wicked,
either foreign or domestic ! What torment and despair will
those feel who have, either with envy or hatred, borne the

CHAPTER XIIL 181
sight and company of the righteous, to see themselves sepa
rated from thein to all eternity ! Our faith is very weak, if
we can think of thia aeparation without horror. Our love of
salvation very faint, if we do not endeavour earneatly to aepa-
rate ourselves in this world from the wicked, by the holiness
of our livea and converaations.
50. And shall cast them into the furnace of fire : there shall be wail
ing and gnashing of teeth.
Thia ia a short description of the pain, grief, and rage of
the damned. Happy they, who by godly sorrow and repent
ance prevent these miseries, having renounced all the plea
sures and vain delights of the world ! Yet but a moment,
and these shall be no more. But this fire and theae wailinga,
after thouaands of milliona of yeara, will be still beginning,
in order to an endless duration.
51. Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things?
They say unto him. Yea, Lord.
Let us not slightly pass over these divine truths, if we
desire to be the better for them. Let this question of our
blessed Lord convince us of their importance. It is very
proper, when we read thera, to call ourselves to an account,
as to the impreasiona which they make upon our mind and
heart, as to the use which our faith makes of them, as to the
conaequencea which we should draw from them for the regula
tion of our livea, and as to that estrangement from worldly
lusts and amusements' which they ought to inspire into us.
52. Then said he unto them. Therefore every scribe, which is instructed
unto the kingdom of heaven, is like unto a man that is a householder,
which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.
A amall degree of knowledge ia not sufficient for a preacher
of the gospel. Above all things, he ought perfectly to under
stand the Holy Scriptures, and to make them his treasure.
His knowledge does not consist in being furnished with a
great variety of human learning, but in being well versed in
whatever concerna the kingdom of heaven, and the art of con
ducting souls thither. To this the learned ought to direct all
their skill in the law and the prophets, their natural talenta,
Vol. I.— 16

182 MATTHEW.
and their attainments in profane arts and sciences; and to
make them all subservient thereto. It is not enough for a
man to have these advantages in his poaaeasion ; he must bring
them forth out of his treasure, and distribute them abroad.
A good pastor will always remember that he must not, like a
raiser, keep these things to himself, only to please his own
fancy ; nor yet, like a merchant, traffic with them to enrich
himaelf; but that, like a bountiful father or houaeholder, he
must, with a prudent economy, distribute them freely for the
good of hia family.
SECT. IX. — JESUS DESPISED. — NO PROPHET HONOURED IN
HIS OWN COUNTRY.
53. If And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these para
bles, he departed thence.
There is no time of amusement or vacation in the life of
the great Shepherd of our souls ; having performed his mis
sion, he retires. This is the pattern which the subordinate
paatora, to whom he vouchsafes a share in his ministry, ought
to imitate.
54. And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in
their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said. Whence
hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works ?
Those who should know Christ best, are very often most
ignorant of him. We must not consider the persons who
teach, but the truths which they teach. There ia, in minds
too carnal with respect to mysteries, an astonishment of con
tempt, incredulity, and unteachableness, as there is one of
reverence, adoration, and joy in souls replenished with faith.
0 wisdom of the Son of God ! 0 power of the Father ! who
can at the aame time diacover thyaelf to the eyes of reason
able men, and conceal thyself from such as are carnal ! My
faith owns, adores, and invokes thee, as the uncreated and
incarnate wisdora, aa the light of angela and raen, hid under
the obscurity of our flesh, and debased in the proud conceits
of the aagea of thia world !
55. Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary?
and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas ? 56. And

CHAPTER XIIL 18S
his sisters, are they not all with us ? Whence then hath this man all
these things?
Jesus Christ goes among his relations and acquaintance
only in order to be despised, whereas men generally do it to
be esteemed and caressed by them. The more contemptible
thou appearest to carnal eyes, 0 Jesus, the more worthy I
find thee to be adored, loved, and admired, in the dispensa
tion of thy mysteries and the abasement of thy greatness!
How glorious is this humiliation of Mary and Joseph, which
proceeds only from their union with Jesus Chriat! Who
would not willingly be his at the same price?
57.' And they were offended in hira. But Jesus said unto them, A
prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own
house. The most holy things are; to carnal men, an occasion of
offence. Without faith, and the grace of Jesus Christ, the
means of salvation become obstacles to it. The reason of
man cannot comprehend how God should vouchsafe to abase
himself for his sake. His pride will not own and receive the
wiadom of God, unleaa accompanied with his greatness and
glory. But, from the entrance of ain into the world even to
the time of the resurrection, the way from God to man, and
from man to God, is the humility of Him who is both God
and man.
58. And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
Unbelief, and contempt of the divine word, drive Christ out
of the heart, as they did out of his own country. Faith seems
to put the almighty power of God into the hands of man ;
whereas unbelief seems to tie up even the handa of the Al
mighty. A man, generally speaking, can do but little good
araong his kinsfolk and relations, because it is difficult for
them to look with the eyes of faith upon one whom they have
been always used to behold only with those of the flesh.

184 MATTHEW.

CHAPTER XIV.
SECT. I. — THE DEATH OF JOHN THB BAPTIST.
1. At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus, 2. And
said unto his servants. This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the
dead ; and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.
It appears from henpe, that the belief of the reaurrection
waa common among the Jewa. The holiness of St. John 19
acknowledged even by his persecutor. It is a dreadful judg
ment upon men, not to have their eyes open to discover the
piety and virtue of a good man, till they have caused his
death, either by the sword or by ill-treatment. The miracles
of Jesus Christ, owned and acknowledged by Herod, are the
condemnation of him, of the Jews, and of unbelievers in all
ages. The hardened sinner has hia ain for a continual tor
mentor, and thinka he aeea it everyiyhere before hia eyes.
3. If For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him
in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife.
An unchaste person cannot suffer any charitable advice to
disturb his pleasures. Such a one sacrifices every thing, be it
ever so holy, to his passion. This is what darkens thia prince's,
understanding, and stifles his sentiments of esteem for virtue,
and every inclination to good ; and it will produce the same
effects in every peraon who givea himself up to it as he did.
4. For John said unto him. It is not lawful for thee to have her.
Here is an instance of zeal, fidelity, and courage in an
evangelical preacher. How few imitators has this example !
Plainness, mildneaa, and modesty are qualifications to be ob
served when we are obliged to reprove the great. The beat
service one can possibly do them is, clearly and plainly to lay
before them, without any obscure or intricate discourse, what
the law of God requires of them, and what it forbids.
5. And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude,
because they counted him as a prophet.
When only fear restrains the hand without changing the

CHAPTER XIV. . 18S
heart, the sin is committed already in the will, and will soon
be produced into act. The people are better judges of holi
ness than the great. Miserable prince, who fears to offend
hia people, but ia not afraid of offending hia God ! When a
man resists sin by the help of huraan motives only, he cannot
long defend himself.
6. But when Herod's birthday Was kept, the daughter of Herodias
danced before them, and pleased Herod.
The diversions of the world, feasting and dancing, are but
too commonly the occasions of sin. After so fatal an example
as this before us, can we in the leaat doubt whether balla are
not anarea for aoula, deatructive of chastity and modesty, and
a pernicious invention to awake and excite the passions?
Unhappy mother ! who exposes her daughter to the shipwreck
which herself has suffered,, and makes her the instrument of
her passion and revenge, and the murderer of a saint ! God
grant that many mothers may take warning by this example,
and have it before their eyes, when they are about to intro
duce their daughters at court !
7. Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she
would ask.
How dear does it cost a man to resign himaelf up to his
paaaiona ! To satisfy one he frequently forgets all the rest.
Sometimes war is waged for an inch of ground ; at another
time, by a foolish and rash promise, half a kingdom is given
up to the will of a young coquette ; there is nothing but con
tradiction to be seen in the passions of men. What strange
kind of religion is here, for a man to remember God in the
midst of sin, to no other end but to make his name subser
vient thereto by a scandalous oath, instead of thinking of hira
with a reverential awe, in order to renounce hia paaaion!
8. And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here
John the Baptist's head in a charger.
Impudence and cruelty are the common companions of
impurity. How pernicious is the bad education of children,
and what a train of evils does it generally draw after it!
Men are apt to inatruct one another aa much and more in
16»

186 MATTHEW.
order to sin, than to piety and virtue. A wicked mother
does more easily inspire her children with her own corrupt
inclinationa and passions, than a virtuous one can communi
cate her good dispositions. How ingenious is carnal wisdom !
It knows how to raake an unhappy use of the moraents of an
infiaraed passion, and gives it no time to cool or to recover
itself. 9. And the king was sorry : nevertheless for the oath's sake, and them
which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given lier.
Religion often serves as a cloak for the greatest crimes.
The men of the world sacrifice every thing to human con
siderations. When a man is blinded by passion, he suffers
himself to be brought under the most unjust engagements
upon the weakest reasons. By these he thinks to justify him
self before men, and, on this very account, he becomes the
more guilty before God. How fatal ia thia regard to men !
which plunges Herod in a crime so heinous, and hinders him
from finding one faithful servant who might dissuade him
from it, and improve the remorse of his conscience in favour
of the innocent. Thia ia the poison of the great, the tyrant
of their flatterers, and the destruction of the best of men.
10. And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison. 11. And his head
was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel : and she brought ii
to her mother.
There is nothing more revengeful than a laaciviOua woman
when reproved and blamed. A preacher of the gospel has
most to fear frora this quarter. The first of the profession
lost his life for the sake of truth and chaatity, that othera raay
learn from hence that all the reward they have to expect in
thia world, for their faithfulness in the discharge of their office,
ia to auffer and die with and for Chriat ; and that it ia in the
behalf of truth and chaatity that they have moat occasion at
court to show themselves the ministers of God.
12. And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and
went and told Jesus.
We have a right, as Christians, to open our mind to Jesus
Christ, and to comfort ourselves with him in our afflictions,
and under the loss of our friends. St. John taught his disci-

CHAPTER XIV. 187
pies in hia lifetime, that they muat, on all occasions, go to
Christ ; and they profit by this instruction after his decease.
This is to them the first fruit and advantage of his death.
SECT. II. — THE MIRACLE OF THE FIVE LQAVES.
13. If When Jesus heard ofil, he departed thence by ship into a desert
place apart : and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him
on foot out of the cities.
A man ought prudently to withdraw himself from the rage
of the wicked, and, by retiring, yield to the storm, according
to this example of Christ, who did it only for the instruction
of his ministers and servants. The farther he seems to re
move from us, the more diligently ought we to endeavour to
follow and to find him.
14. And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved
with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.
How exceeding great must the tenderness and compaasion
of Christ's heart be toward diseased soula, when he discovers
so much in relation to the distempers of the body ! The sove
reign Pastor shows not the least uneasiness, though the peo
ple will not let him enjoy that repose which he came on pur
pose to seek in the desert. That must be relinquished when
necessity requirea, and an opportunity of doing good presents
itaelf. We ought to have abundance of pity and compassion
on diseased souls, to anticipate them, and, as it were, go forth
to meet their weaknesses.
15. If And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying.
This is a desert place, and the time is now past ; send the multitude
away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals.
The charity of the apostles is very mindful of the people's
wants ; a man is not worthy to succeed them if he do not imitate
them. Human prudence should think only of human meana,
when God has not revealed any extraordinary design. He
leaves the want to be taken notice of and considered, on pur
pose to render the miracle more illustrious and useful. How
wonderful is the zeal of these poor people, who, through the
comfort of being with Christ and enjoying his presence, are
forgetful of their own necessities ! When the aoul ia either

188 MATTHEW.
well replenished with God, or very hungry after hia word, it
ia very little sensible of the needs and hunger of the body.
16. But Jesus said unto them. They need not depart ; give ye them
to eat. A bishop and a priest seem obliged to atteqipt impossibili
ties, in order to feed the poor, and to serve and assist soiils.
It is not their own stock, but that of Christ alone, wherein
they must expect to. find enough to give to the souls under
their care. He who puts his trust in him, has a treasure
which is inexhaustible, and always at hand.
17. And they say unto him. We have here but five loaves, and two
fishes. The acknowledgment of our own indigence is a great quali
fication for the divine gifts, and is itself one of thera. What
store soever of parts and knowledge a rainister of Christ may
think he possesaea, yet he has still occasion for more.
18. He said. Bring them hither to me.
It is an instance of charity and obedience truly apostolical,
for a man, where there is a very great neceaaity, to give hia
whole aubsistence for the aupport of others, reserving nothing
to himself but a dependence on the treasures of Providence.
Let us carry our poverty to Christ, and it will become in hia
handa an abundance of wealth.
19. And he commanded the multitude to "sit down on the grass, and
took the flve loaves, and the two flshes, and looking up to heaven, he
blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples
to the multitude.
Thia tranaaction is a representation of the consecration and
communion of the eucharist. Humility, which is a principal
disposition in order to approach it, is represented by the peo
ple's aitting down on the graaa. It is just and reasonable to
thank God for good things already received, before new are
asked of him. The looking up to heaven is a token, both of
acknowledgment of having received all from God, and of trust
in expecting all frora him. The blessing of Jesus Christ ia
powerful and efficacious. It is to terapt God to depend upon
receiving whatever is necessary to salvation iramediately from
Christ himself, because he gives it generally by the means of

CHAPTER XrV. 189
his ministers. How many graces pass through their hands !
It is their sanctification, as well as that of others, if they know
how to make a good use of this advantage.
20. And they did all eat, and were fllled : and they took up of the
fragments that remained twelve baskets full. 21. And they that had
eaten were about flve thousand men, beside women and children.
Little or much is the same thing in the hand of Jesus
Christ. The more a man gives to the poor, the raore he is
enriched one way or another. The feeding and filling this
people by the multiplication of loaves, is an emblem of the
holy communion, which is a source of graces and spiritual
riches to those souls which are truly filled and nourished by
it ; but it is one thing to eat it, and another to be truly nou
rished thereby.
22. If And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a
ship, and to go before him unto the other side. While he sent the multi
tudes away.
A person who is really humble does not continue willingly,
or without necessity, in a place where he has done some re
markable good. That man runs the risk of losing his reward
from God who awaits for the applause of men. How difficult
,is it to withstand this inclination, and what need ia there of
a very powerful and conatraining grace in order to do it!
Jeaus Christ makes haste to send away, hia diaciplea from a
near occaaion of vanity and complacency, for he fully knows
the danger.
SECT. III. — PRAYER. — CHRIST AND PETER WALKING ON
THB SEA.
23. And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a
mountain apart to pray : and when the evening was come, he was there
alone. Jesus parts from his disciples in order to give them some
mortification, to keep them from adhering to him with too
human an inclination on the account of this new miracle, and
to suppress in them all vain joy, by their grief at hia de
parture. The proper dispositions and circumstances for pray
ing well, are, (1.) Retirement from the world. (2.) Elevation

190 MATTHEW.
of heart. (3.) Sohtude. (4.) The silence and quiet of the
night. 24. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves :
for the wind was contrary.
There is no manner of calm where Christ is not. This ia
a representation of the present life, which is a state of con
tinual temptation. The church is like a ship in the midst of
the sea of this world. Her ministers are continually exposed
to the storms of persecution. He who is not prepared to be
tossed with waves, knows not to what he ia called. The con
trary wind of peraecution proves a favourable one in the end,
which brings Jesus Christ along, and carries the ship safe into
the haven.
25. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walk
ing on the sea.
Christ comes to all hia disciples in the tirae of trouble and
temptation. He will not abandon hia church or hia miniaters,
who are, by hia appointraent, and by their calling, expoaed to
the vexation of the world. He will work a miracle for their
relief, rather than foraake them, when they put their whole
trust and confidence in him. Here are three miracles in one:
(1.) He knows their distress. (2.) He finds them out in the
midst of darkness. (3.) He walka upon the sea. Salvation
is often near, when nothing but darkness and destruction are
before us. Whoever, when he seems most forsaken, still
hopes against all appearance, may truly say that he is not
forsaken. It is by the favour of this kind of night that Jesus
comes to us.
26. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were
troubled, saying. It is a spirit ; and they cried out for fear.
The righteous are often troubled and startled at the effects
of grace, and take them for illusions ; as, on the contrary,
these are frequently taken for the operations of God's Spirit.
In all extraordinary cases, it is necessary to begin by fear
and distrust, and then to consider and examine them. Hu
mility is undaunted only in matters of faith, whereas pre
sumption is bold in every thing which fiatters its vanity.

CHAPTER XrV. 191
27. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying. Be of good cheer ;
it is I; be not afraid.
Christ, by his word and illumination, causes those who are
his to discern what proceeds from the good Spirit. It is he
who works in their heart that trust and confidence which he
requires of them. His word in his church gives sufficient
evidence of his presence. Speak, Lord, this powerful and
efficacious word, "It is I," to the heart of such as still doubt
whether it is thou who speakest in thy Scriptures and church,
who workest by thy grace and ministers, who art present in
heaven and the holy eucharist; and their incredulity will
forthwith be changed into faith.
28. And Peter answered him and said. Lord, if it be thou, bid me
come unto thee on the water.
An imperfect faith requires signs and wonders ; that which
is perfect is satisfied with Christ's word alone. When he in
spires this confidence in asking, it is because he designs to
enable us to perform what he is about to command. We see,
in this expression of St. Peter, the character of a generous
soul ready to undertake any thing for the sake of God. This
confidence proceeds froth grace, when charity and humility
are the foundation thereof.
29. And he said. Come. And when Peter was come down out of the
ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
See here a fourth miracle, in the strange power of obedience
to Christ's word. To walk on the water to go to Jesus, is to
follow him and to do his will, notwithstanding all troubles and
losses, contradictions and persecutions of carnal men. Lord,
say to my soul. Come ; and it will then go to thee, and do
whatever thou wouldst have it,"'without the least apprehension
from the world.
30. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and begin
ning to sink, he cried, saying. Lord, save me.
A peraevering faith ia very rare in the world. Upon every
new danger and teraptation, there is new want of grace, and
new necessity for prayer. It is of great advantage to a Chris
tian for God to make hira sensible, from time to time, of hia

192 MATTHEW.
natural weakness and inability, that he raay still have recourse
to his Saviour. Temptation in the elect serves to awake their
faith. Not one moment passes, but we have occasion to say,
"Lord, save me."
31. And immediately Jesus stretched forth Ms hand, and caught
him, and said unto him, 0 thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou
doubt? Here are a fifth and sixth miracle : Jesus holds Peter up
in the raidst of the water, and knows the bottora of his heart.
Let us take great care that we do not, like St. Peter, con
sider raorfi the danger, in which we are, than the power of
Christ ; such a piece of infidelity would make us deserve to
be left entirely to ourselves. Hia word ia our light; his. hand,
our strength. He permits his elect, to fall, only in order to
humble them; and by raising them up, to increase their faith
and gratitude.
32. And when they were come into the ship, the wind ofeased;
This is a seventh miracle. As soon as ever Christ enters
into a heart, the wind of temptation, vanity, and uneasiness
ceases to disturb it. St. John mentions an eighth miracle on
this occasion, (chap. vi. 21.) Wherever Christ is, there is rest.
The ship represents the church, which is the house of faith,
of peace, and of God hiraself, but continually subject to be
toaaed to and fro in thia world. Comraand the winds which
toss it to cease, 0 my God; for thou haat fuU and absolute
power over them
33. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, say
ing. Of a truth thou art the Son of God.
A confidence to approach Christ, a spirit of adoration, and
a confirmation in the belief of his divinity, are three effects,
which the reading (as well as seeing) these miracles ought to
produce in us. These miracles alone drew from those who
were preaent at them a confession of Christ's divinity ; and
yet some presume to doubt of it now, after all the miracles
of his life, death, and resurrection, after the wonders of seven
teen ages, and the belief of all nations.

CHAPTER XIV. 193

SECT. IV. — THE HEM OF CHRIST'S GARMENT.
34. If And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gen-
nesaret. 35. And when the men of that place had knowledge of him,
they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him
all that were diseased ;
How many are there of those who seek God only for the
sake of life, health, and teraporal conveniences? Christ re
jects none here, that he may teach hia ministers to use their
utmost endeavours to cure all sinners who apply themselves
to them. Where can one find that zeal for the eternal salva^
tion of the soul, which equals this diligence in seeking after
the teraporal health of the body? He who really loves his
neighbour, never growa weary of exhorting sinners to go to
Christ. We ought at least to present, and as it were to lay
thera before God in prayer, when we have no other means of
aaaiating them.
36. And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his gar
ment : and as many as touched were made perfectly whole.
What mighty influence must the grace and Spirit of Christ
necessarily have on the mind, when the very hem of his gar
ment has so much on the body ! A man always finds much
good by resigning himself up entirely to him. Every thing
is sanctifying in him through the virtue of his divinity. Let
us by a lively faith touch the mysteries of his mortal life, and
that even to the least actiona and circumatancea of these mys
teries wrought on earth; this is a source of a great many
graces, and of salvation itself. How much more then is it so,
to adore our blessed Saviour, and as it were to receive into
our heart his body and blood, and to feed on him with faith,
confidence, and humility !

Vol. I.— 17 N

194 MATTHEW.

CHAPTER XV.
SECT. I. — UNWASHEN HANDS. — HUMAN TRADITIONS.
1. Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusa
lem, saying, 2. Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the
elders ? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.
The fondneaa which men generally have for their own in
ventions, for ancient errors, and auperatitioua devotions, ia a
continual source of calumnies, rash judgraents, persecutions
against good men, and of great disturbances in the church.
The disciples of Jesua Christ must expect to be treated aa
their Maater was. Why, instead of praising God, and being
edified by the labours of pastors, should a man be intent only
on discovering in them occasions to decry them and make
them odious ? It is because a Pharisee takes more pleasure
in blaming others, than in amending himself.
3. But he answered and said unto them. Why do ye also transgress
the commandment of God by your tradition ?
The pretender to zeal often prefers and opposes super
stitious usages to the divine law and the essential dutiea of
Christianity. Strange depravity of raen'a hearta, who think
to honour God by tranagreaaing hia commandment, and doing
their own will! The world is full of zealots of this kind,
who neglect their duty to follow human inventions. To op
pose these abuses is to imitate Christ, provided a man do it
with mildness and modesty; not insulting, but instructing;
not merely to gain the victory, but to gain over souls to
God. He who does it by his Spirit, still does it after this
raanner. 4. For God commanded, saying. Honour thy father and mother : and,
He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.
Obedience to the fathers and pastors of our souls, and to
sovereign princes, is no less enjoined by this commandment,
than piety toward the fathers of our flesh. Whoever pre
tends to release and withdraw ua from their government and

CHAPTER XV. 195
direction, is a seducer and transgressor of God's law, how
much holiness soever he may seem to have.
5. But ye say. Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother. It is a
gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me ;
Religion often serves as a cloak for impiety, hard-hearted-
ness to the poor, and indifference toward parents. It is not
uncommon for spiritual fathera to want almost neceasaries,
by reaaon that men, through a false devotion, or by an irregu
lar charity, or at the importunity of some person, bestow that
otherwise which is in justice due to them. We cannot possi
bly please God by gifts offered contrary to his law or his
Spirit ; it is sacrilege to dedicate that to him which is taken
away from the piety which nature inspires, and the divine law
enjoins. This is, aa much aa in ua lies, to invalidate our
Saviour's declaration, that he accepts as done to himself the
good which is done to the least of his disciples.
6. And honour not his father or his mother, he shall he free. Thus
have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.
It is an infallible sign that our devotion is false, if it con
tradict any divine command or essential obligation; as it is
certainly true, if it contribute to the observation of them.
God grant there may not be many who "make the command
ment of God of none effect," by means of suggested wills and
extorted donations, whereby they exclude their poor relations
from inheritances belonging to them. Let us, with the great
est care and readiness, assist the poor, and especially our
poor relations, since Christ himself assures us that it ia a
work preferable to all pious legacies and endowments.
7. Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, 8. This
people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with
their lips ; but their heart is far from me.
A known hypocrite deserves not in the least to be used
gently. Nothing is due to a reputation unjustly acquired.
It is not evil-speaking, but an act of public charity, to expose
the hypocrisy of a seducer. Outward worship is nothing
without the inward. It is in the heart, and by the religion
thereof, that God is honoured. True piety consists in the

196 MATTHEW.
union of the heart with God ; thia ia what we muat labour to
accomplish. 9. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the com
mandments of men.
Thia ia a terrible, aentence againat those who introduce, and
keep up in the church, devotions which are superstitious and
altogether huraan; and who, hy their excessive indulgence,
fiatter the sinner's sloth, keep hira under a false peace and
fatal security, amuse him, and make him neglect the laws of
God. Such are no other than the devil's ministers and agents,
to seduce those who have some principle of religion, and to
render all their inclinations to piety ineffectual. Their good
intention will not save them. In vain do they worship God,
says Jesua Christ.
10. Tf And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and
understand: The teachers of the superstitious and pharisaical devotion
are scarcely ever brought off from it. Jesus leaves them, and
applies himself to the people, in order to undeceive them, by
instructing them. We muat imitate our bleaaed Saviour in
this, using our endeavours to instruct the people in true piety,
and to undeceive them as to the false.
11. Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man ; but that
which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.
It is a rule of great importance, and full of instruction and
comfort to souls whiqh seek God, that no sin, no defilement
can arise from any thing but the will ; as nothing sanctifies
us but what comes from the heart. Whatever proceeds from
the concupiscence of the heart, is evil; and whatever does
not, cannot but he good. It is not that which enters into the
raouth, which defiles even hira who sins in eating and drink
ing to excess ; but the will and disposition of the heart, which
inclines him to tranagreaa the divine law.
SECT. II. — GIVING OFFENCE TO PHARISEES NOT TO BE RE
GARDED. — BLIND GUIDES. — WHAT DEFILETH A MAN.
12. Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that
the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying ?
Truth offends those who have the spirit of a Pharisee. One

CHAPTER XV. 197
can scarcely ever touch upon the paaaiona of men, without
provoking them. The proud peraon will neither be humbled
for hia faulta, nor receive inatruction to amend them, nor
suffer others to be taught those triiths which he does not like
himself. This is the scandal or offence proper to a Pharisee,
which we raust neglect and despise.
13. But he answered and said. Every plant, which my heavenly Father
hath not planted, shall be rooted up.
That which is not of God, cannot stand and continue. The
wicked are of no account in his aight. They are the thorna
and briers of his field, as well as their maxims, traditions, and
customs. Whoever has not the spirit of children, which is
love, is no plant of the heavenly Father'a planting.
14. Let them alone : they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the
blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
Wo to blind guidea, who damn themselves and thoae whom
they lead ! What ia such a blind guide as this, but one who
is so fond of human traditions, external devotiona, and auper-
ficial performances, that they become, even contrary to his
intention, a hinderance to the obaervation of God's law ? The
blindness which proceeds frora pride, envy, and obstinacy, is
the most dangerous and damnable.
15. Then answered Peter and said unto him. Declare unto us this
parable. 16. And Jesus said. Are ye also yet without understanding?
Alas ! how raany are there who pass for spiritual, and who
seem to have studied a long time in the school of Christ, to
whora the purity of his worship and religion is still a perfect
riddle and parable ! The true knowledge of the apirit of the
goapel ia a thing raore rare and uncommon than we imagine
among the generality of Christians, and even of the learned.
' 17. Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth
goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? 18. But those
things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and
they defile the man.
How necessary is it to watch over the heart, since that
moves the tongue, and is the fountain of all human corruption !
It is according to what we are in the inmost recesses of the
heart, that we arfr either righteous or wicked, that we belong
17*

198 MATTHEW.
either to God or the world, either to Christ or the devil ;
and it is according to the state and condition pf our will that
we shall be judged. The regulation of thia heart, and the
reformation of thia will, demand our chiefeat care ; the reat
follows their disposition. Lord, from thee I expect to receive
this vigilance and application. Thou alone art the light, the
strength, and the life of my heart.
19. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries,
fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies :
Man has in his heart the principle and seed of all kinda of
ain ; and he finda only in the heart of Jesus Chriat the princi
ple of the contrary virtuea. Of himself, he is nothing but a
sinner ; by grace and mercy he becomes righteous. Yea, 0
my God, whatever good I do, and whatever evil I avoid, it ia
entirely owing to thee alone.
20. These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen
hands defileth not a man.
Christian liberty in external things has no bounds or limits
but the law of God, the ordinances of the church, and the edifi
cation of our neighbour ; but we must take care not to abuse
this liberty, and make it an occasion of licentiousness. Abun
dance of persons would make a scruple of going to the com
munion without having washed their hands, who make none
at all of doing it without having washed their conscience from
habits of vanity, evil-speaking, luxury, and wantonness. If a
raan do not chiefiy mind the spirit of religion, he disorders
and confounds every thing in it ; he makea religioua actiona
of such as are common and indifferent; and that which is
most sacred and holy, he performs out of custom and as it
were by rote, traffics with it, makes it subservient to his pas
sions and interest, and abuses it a thousand other waya.
SECT. III. — THE WOMAN OF CANAAN.
21. If Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre
and Sidon.
Thia journey of our. blessed Saviour seems to be taken with
out any particular design ; and perhaps it was only for the
sake of this one soul, since he leaves the place as soon as ever

CHAPTER XV. 199
he has healed it. So wonderful is the goodness and kindness
of the Son of God toward souls ! One alone ought to be dear
to a true pastor, and deserves his whole care and apphcation,
how despicable soever it may appear.
22. And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and
cried unto him, saying. Have mercy on me, 0 Lord, thou Son of David ;
my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.
We see here, in this woman, the picture of a sinner deeply
sensible of the misery of his aoul, and truly penitent. Such
a one ought to begin, by removing from the occasions of sin,
by turning toward his Saviour, putting hia whole trust in him,
and praying heartily to him. How proper ia this prayer for
a penitent ! It is short, humble, full of faith, fervent, re
spectful, rational, relying only upon God's mercy, modest,
persevering, and not presuming to prescribe to God. Can he,
who looks upon himaelf aa a alave of the devil, beg with too
much earnestness to be delivered?
23. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and he-
sought him, saying. Send her away ; for she crieth after us.
This woman's faith first causes her to pray, and then her
prayer, adding strength to her faith, makes her capable of
undergoing the trial of a alighting ailence, an express refusal,
and a treatment in appearance somewhat hard and injurious.
It is such a faith as this, which should make us cry incessantly
after our deliverer. The sinner does well to apprehend his
own unworthiness.
24. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep
of the house of Israel.
Jeaua Chriat being promiaed only to the Jewa, for the time
of his mortal life, and being their proper apostle, it is with
some difficulty that he extends his mission to others. How
edifying is this reservedness ; and how commendable ia it for
a man to imitate it, by confining himaelf as rauch as possible
within the limits of his calling ! A pastor ought by no means
to apply himself out of self-love to such souls as belong to
God already, neglecting to seek after the loat sheep, which
cannot of themselves return into the way. This is a conduct
to be dreaded.

200 MATTHEW.
25. Then came she and worshipped him, saying. Lord, help me.
Let us never cease to pray, and to humble ourselves before
God, though he seem to despise our humility, and to reject
our prayers. ' A true penitent is not discouraged by the
severity which God shows toward hira; he knows that he
deserves it. The raore subraisaive he ia to the divine plea-
aure, the nearer doea hia faith bring him to God, humblea him
the more in his sight, and inspires hira with greater confi
dence to make his addresses to, and to expect assistance from
him. According aa these virtues increase in a soul, the apirit.
of repentance grows and increaaea in it.
26. But he answered and said. It is not meet to take the children's;
bread, and to cast it to dogs.
Favours are for children, and love only renders us such.
It is thr,ough mercy that God makes the ainner aenaible from
whence he is fallen, what he is become, and to what he should
aspire. Jesus instructs by humbling ; his repulses speak to
those who can understand their language. It is thou thy
self, 0 Jesus, who art the children's bread ; and who turnest
even dogs into children of God, that thou mayest feed them
with thyself. I know indeed my own misery and un
worthineas, but I know alao thy mercy, and the power of thy
grace. 27. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs w^ich
fall from their masters' table.
True faith conaents to all the deniala and severities which
come from God, but at the same tirae makes uae of them to
raise, unite, and fasten itself raore strongly to him. When a
man sincerely desires to be saved, he is discouraged by no
difficulties, but, on the contrary, changes even obataclea into
means. God defers sometimes to show mercy, on purpose by
delay to increase desire ; by desire, hope ; by hope, the fer
vency of prayer; and by prayer, humility. God loves the
earnestness and importunity of prayer ; and at length grants
every thing to a persevering hope, which grows the stronger
by being humbled and refused.
28. ' Then Jesus answered and said unto her, 0 woman, great is thy

CHAPTER XV. 201
faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made
whole from that very hour.
Faith remains victorious at the last, triumphs, aa it were,
over God himaelf, and, by a holy violence, wreata Out of his
handa what he aeemed deterrained not to bestow. Jesus ad
mires this faith, to the end that we may admire and imitate
it, and may reap the same fruits and advantages from it. O
Woman, great indeed is thy faith! but, 0 my God, much
greater is thy mercy! because this great faith is the gift
thereof. Faith is the foundation of the whole Christian build
ing; but the foundation, as well as the building, is the work
of God. Faith, and the desire to belong entirely to God,.
increase equally together in a penitent's heart, and hia cure
ia answerable to them both. This is ¦wrought in a moment,,
but the sinner is not so suddenly prepared for it.
SECT. IV. — MANY HEALED. — THB MIRACLE OF THE SEVEN
LOAVES.
29. And Jesus departed from thence, and came nigh unto the sea of
Galilee; and went up into a mountain, and sat down there. 30. And
great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame,
blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus'
feet ; and he healed them :
That which we have here to imitate, is to follow Christ up
into the mountain, by raising our minds to him in prayer, and
humbly representing at his feet our inability to go to him, to
know him, to pray to him, and to act for him. Shall Chris
tians then be less eager and forward to go to him, on the
account of the diseases of their souls, than these Jews for
those of their bodies ? Let us but love eternal life, as much
as they did the present, and we shall then be willing to spare
our pains no more than they. Lord, God, and Saviour of my
heart, give me feet, eyes, tongue, and health of heart, that I
may run after thee, know thee, praise thee, worship thee, and
love thee !
31. Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb
to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see:
and they glorified the God of Israel.
It is a great matter for a man to be very careful to ascribe

202 MATTHEW.
to God all the graces, talents, and degrees of knowledge
which he enjoys, and to thank him for them. Blessed be
thou, 0 my God, for having loosed the tongue of somany sin
ners to confess their sins ; restored their feet, to walk in thy
ways; and opened their eyes, to see and know thy truth.
Complete these miracles of thy grace in me. Perform thera
in all those who are atill in darkneas and corruption.
32. % Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have com
passion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days,
and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest
they faint in the way.
There are few so faithful in seeking and following Christ
as to forget even the necessaries of life. This is peculiar to
his true disciples. He is raindful of their wants himself, when
they seek before all thinga the kingdom of God and hia right-
eousness. Jesua Christ, his grace, his word, and, his body,
are the true bread, without which they would find themselves
without strength, and faint in the way to heaven. He does
not think of feeding, till after he haa healed thera ; and they
aubmit themselves to his guidance and direction, without ask
ing any thing but health and instruction. The conduct of
Christ, and the behaviour of this people, are the pattern of a
wise spiritual director, and of a well-disposed penitent. In
the one, there must be tenderness, compassion, and raindful-
ness of what is wanting; in the other, confidence, docility,
patience, and perseverance.
33. And his disciples say unto him. Whence should we have so much
bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude ?
Huraan foresight is very short even in the saints ; it must
be supplied by faith. It ia the way of the divine wiadom to
make men thoroughly perceive the greatness of their want,
and the necessity of extraordinary succour, before it vouch
safes to afford it. The world is a wilderness, where nothing
is capable of satisfying the heart of raan, except Jesus Christ.
No, Lord, we shall never fear dying of hunger here, so long
as by our faith we can seek, find, possess, and feed upon thee.
34. And Jesus saith unto them. How many loaves have ye ? And
they said. Seven, and a few little fishes.
Jesus does not inquire in order to be informed, but to make

Chapter xv. 203
the necessity, more apparent. It is a gift of God to reflect
upon our own indigence ; it is a greater, thoroughly to under
stand it, to be convinced of it, to be humble^ by it, and to
value the grace of our blessed Saviour the more on this ac
count. What have we of ourselves to sustain and feed us in
this life? What have we not by and in thee, 0 Jesus, and in
thy church, while those who are out of it perish with hunger ?
35. And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.
Every one of us ought to receive the gifts of God in hu
miliation of heart, and in the repose, at least, of inward re
tirement. Humility is a principal qualification for the receiv
ing Christ worthily. He here gives us a representation of it.
36. And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and
brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.
We must return thanks to God, not only when we receive
hia gifts ourselves, but also when we diatribute them to others.
God alone givea without receiving ; Jeaua Chriat himself gives
thanks to his Father, because the human nature, even in the
only Son of God, has nothing but what it received. The
supreme Pastor authorizes inferior pastors. It is by their
ministry and conveyance that he bestows his graces; and
whereby, according to his appointment, inatruction and the
sacraments are to be received. They have nothing to confer
but what comes from him. He it is who breaks the bread of
the word, who gives the true sense of it, and all the disposi
tions and qualifications which are necessary to our improve
raent by his other gifts ; but this he does by the rainistry of
the pastors of his church.
37. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the
broken meat that was left seven baskets full.
We are not truly filled but only when God hiraself feeds ua.
It ia not enough barely to eat — it ia neceaaary also to be filled.
Thou knowest, 0 my God, how very few there are who are
fed and filled with thy word, and with the flesh and blood of
thy sacrifice, though all truly eat at thy table (that which is
a lively representation of) the latter, and read the former in
thy Scriptures! Suffer not this' abuse in me. The more we

204 MATTHEW.
communicate the gifts of God to our neighbour, the more thej/*
abound in ourselves. To distribute and disperse by charity,
our spiritual as well aa temporal gooda, ia to sow in order
to reap.
38. And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and
children. Christ often gives to the charity which men have for the
poor, the grace of multiplying their alras. When a man de
pends upon Providence, which sees and can do all thinga, he
is not in the least afraid that his stock ^i^l ^^ exhausted by
the multitude of the poor, and of their wants, either bodily
or spiritual. Let masters of families learn from this place to
trust to Providence, how numerous soever their families maybe.
39. And he sent away the multitude, and took ship, and came into the
coasts of Magdala.
It is neither inconstancy nor curiosity which makes Christ
remove from one region to another, but humility, charity, and
the appointment of God his Father. It is an action worthy
of a true disciple of Christ to withdraw frora a place where
he has done some remarkable good, in order to go and do
raore in one where he is not known.

CHAPTER XVI.
SECT. I. — A SIGN DESIRED AND REFUSED.
1. The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired
him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.
Wicked men and heretics, who are at so little agreement
among themselves, unite always in opposing Jesus Chriat, his
church, or his truth. S.trange is the malignity of envy, which
would engage virtuous persons in good works on purpose to take
occasion, even from thence, to asperse them ! It is an irregu
larity and corruption which is but too common, for men not
to apply themselves to conaider and observe the wonders of
God and the miracles of Christ, and yet to have the presump
tion to desire more! This is a piece of ingratitude; and

CHAPTER XVL 205
nothing deserves more to be rejected of God than the desires
and prayera of the ungrateful.
2. He answered and said unto them. When it is evening, ye say. It
will he fair weather: for the sky is red. 3. And in the morning. It will
he foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowering.
Man ia too curioua about natural, and too little concerned
about aupernatural thinga; and-yet upon theae latter eternal
salvation dependa.
0 ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky ; but can ye not dis
cern the signs of the times? 4. A wicked and adulterous generation
seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the
sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.
Man haa abundance of application and foresight as to his
temporal affairs, none as to his salvation ! His curiosity to
discern human events is very great, but he ia not at all curioua
in obaerving divine prophecies, and the times appointed for
the accomplishment of the mysteries of salvation ! God for
sakes with scorn the double and dissembling soul, but takes
pleasure in instructing the simple and sincere. Christ had
¦wrought miracles enough to prove his mission and divinity;
that of his resurrection, typified in Jonas, was the only one
remaining necessary, to take away the scandal of his cross
and death, to fulfil and justify the Scriptures, and to establish
the Christian religion, of which Jesus raised from the dead is
the eternal Priest and the Sacrifice, now glorified and become
immortal in heaven.
SECT. II. — THB LEAVEN OF DOCTRINE. — THB APOSTLES
REPROVED.
5. And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had for
gotten to take bread. 6. If Then Jesus said unto them. Take heed and
beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
Happy he, who ia ao intent on following Christ, as to for
get even his bodily necessities. When we have once tasted
him, we' should not suffer ourselves to be much employed
about earthly things. How few are there who take care to
keep themselves entirely free from the pride, envy, and hypo
crisy of the Pharisees ! It is against these spiritual and conta
gious vices that those ought particularly to guard who pass
Vol. L— 18

206 MATTHEW.
for learned, devout, and spiritual, and for persons of an austere
and singular life. Unmindfulness of the other life and eternal
salvation is the leaven of the Sadducees, who believed neither
the imraortality of the soul nor the resurrection of the body.
The expectation of eternal happiness, huraility, and Christian
simplicity are the leaven of Jesua Chriat, oppoaed to that of
the Phariseea and Sadduceea. Fill us with thia, 0 Lord, out
of thy fulness !
7. And they reasoned among themselves, saying. It is because we have
taken no bread.
How great is the wretchedness of man, who is at all -times
sooner sensible of bodily wants than of those of the soul ! How
great the infirmity and weakness of those whom the Holy
Ghost had not yet renewed, to fear wanting bread, after the
two late miracles of the five thousand fed with five barley
loaves, and the four thousand fed with seven ; and to imagine
they could be defiled by material leaven, when they had been
so particularly instructed concerning the things which could
alone defile a man ! These defects in the apoatlea themselves,
plainly ahow the univeraal necessity of God's grace, in order
to understand, retain, love, and practise hia instructions.
8. "Which when .JesUs perceived, he said unto them, 0 ye of little faith,
why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread?
Want of faith is the cause of men. being wholly taken up
about the wants of the body, and the source of most of their
vices. Aa Jeaua, among all the virtues, praises faith most fre
quently, so he very often blames the weakness of it ; because
a lively faith draws after it all the rest, and because nothing
can supply the defect of it.
9. Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the
five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up ? 10. Neither the seven
loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up ?
Men easily forget the divine benefits. If they are so for
getful of such as respec.t the hody, notwithstanding the quick
sense they have of its wants, how much more apt are they to
forget such as respect the soul ! They who are the ministers
of these receive great advantage from them, if they discharge
their ministry as they ought. They sanctify themselves while

CHAPTER XVL 207
they sanctify others; and are fed and nourished by those
truths which they dispense to them. Jesus, in providing for
the present needs of the people, provides also for the future
needs of his disciples. This condemns those who grudge what
is necessary to pastors and ministers of the word.
11. How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you con
cerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and
of the Sadducees ?
With how much difficulty do the sons of Adam apply their
minds to heavenly things, and how hardly do they understand
them! God permits thia dimneas and inadvertency in the
first pastors, that they may not forget that light and attention
are his gifts, that they may have compassion and patience
toward those who have not yet received them, and teach them
to beg thera of him as matters of pure grace and favour.
12. Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the
leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
God only knows how to reprovp in such a manner as to
open the eyes. A loose kind of morality is a sort of leaven,
which, proceeding from the corruption of the heart, depraves
and corrupts a whole people, and diffuses itself everywhere in
a little time. Here are two sects, and both opposite to the
Christian morality: the one of the Phariaees, who, minding
only external performancea, and auch thinga aa draw a!fter
them eateem and reputation, destroy charity ahd humility,
which are the very aoul of religion; the other of the Saddu
ceea, who, believing no other felicity but what dependa upon
the good thinga of this life, become the fiatterers and slaves
of thoae 'who can bestow them, and in whose hands worldly
prosperity is chiefly lodged. Would to God that theae aecta
were expired and dead with the Pharisees and Sadducees, and
that we did not sometimes see them revived and reunited
among Christians! SECT. III. — THE CONFESSION OF ST. PETER.
13. Tf When Jesus came into the coasts of Cesarea Philippi, he asked
his disciples, saying. Whom do men say that I, the Son of man, am ?
Christ, by taking the mean and humble appellation of " Son

208 MATTHEW.
of man," confounds the vanity of men, who are ao apt to be
puffed up with their great titles. It is neither out of idleness,
curiosity, nor pride, that he inquires concerning what the
world says of him, but through a necessity of instructing his
disciples, and obviating false reports. It is useful for pastors
to know the false notions of religion which are spread araong
the people, that they may be able to put a atop to them.
Ought not Chriatians to imitate their Maater, who concerna
not hiraself about the news of the world, but only so far as it
relates to his rainistry and to religion ?
14. And they said. Some say that thou art John the Baptist; some,
Elias ; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
Thua an irregular affection dividea the minda of raen in
favour sometimes of one person, aometimea of another. It ia
another corruption to attribute to aainta prerogatives which
belong only to Christ. Men are always mistaken and lose
their way, when, in discoursing on religious subjects, they
follow the conjectures of human reason, instead of being guided
by the word of God. Truth ia but one ; error is infinite.
15. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am ? 16. And Simon
Peter answered and said. Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Uving God.
St. Peter answers for and in the name of all. Only one
speaks, to denote the unity of the faith and of the apostleship,
as well as of the church and of the person of Jesua Chriat.
Thia ¦«'ould have been nothing new, if he had not been the Son
of God by nature, but only by adoption; nothing extraordi
nary, if he had not been the Chriat, that ia, anointed with the
divinity itself, but only with grace, like other kings, priests,
and prophets. I adore and confess thee, 0 Jesus, aa true
God and true man. Son of God and Son of man, — conserving
in the unity of thy divine person the properties of thy two
natures ! Christ is the Son of the living God ; Christians are
the children of a dying God !
17. And Jesus answered and said unto him. Blessed art thou, Simon
Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Fa
ther which is in heaven.
The saving knowledge of Christ can come only from God.
A man must not cease to beg it of him, how knowing soever

CHAPTER XVL 209
he may be. No, advantagea of birth, nor natural talents, nor
wealth, nor power, nor honoura, compose the happiness of
man; but the riches of grace, and the love whereby the
Father chose us from all eternity, in order to sanctify and
glbrify us in his only Son by the raeans of faith. Blessed is
he who spends his life, not in the pursuit of such knowledge
as flesh and blood can bestow, but in the study and love of
Jesua Chriat!
. 18. And I say also unto thee. That thou art Peter, and upon this rock
I will build my church ; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Thia particular application to St. Peter is the reward of hia
faith. Hia power, strength, and apostolical grace in found
ing the church, is included in his name. This he receives
from Christ, to show that he receives the other also from him.
The church is immovable and eternal, because the faith which
is the foundation of it is firm and unchangeable.
19. And I will give, unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven : and
whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven ; and what
soever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
The power to remit all sins is given to the church, to show
that thia power ia not to be found out of the unity of the
church. This power ia 'abuaed when it ia uaed contrary to
the deaign of Christ who gave it. As nothing but sin shuts
the kingdom of heaven againat men, so by remission of sin it
is opened to them. The church binds by excommunication,
and by the refusal or delay of absolution; and God ratifies
in heaven the judgraent of his miniatera on earth, when they
judge according to the rules prescribed by hia word. God
preserve us from such cowardly or ignorant ministers as know
not what it is to bind sinners !
SECT. IV. — PETER REBUKED.
20. Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that
he was Jesus the Christ.
This was the time of Christ's mission to the Jews. None
could enter into it until after his death and reaurrection, and
the mission of the Holy Ghoat. It was necessary that' he
should be sacrificed for the truth, before men could expose
18» 0

210 MATTHEW.
themselves to be sacrificed for the sake thereof. Let us learn
from hence, not to discover to the world the great truths of
religion, except with prudence, and according to the direc
tion of God.
21. If From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how
that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suff'er many things of the dders
and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the
third day.
Christ's death without the belief of hia divinity, ia a matter
of scandal and offence. Three sorts of persons generally per
secute Christ: the rich of the world, covetous or ambitious
ecclesiastics, and conceited scholars. The whole knowledge
of Jesus Christ ia comprehended under his life of sufferings,
his sacrifice on the cross, and his life restored to him again.
The spirit of Christianity disposes a man to bear life with
patience, to receive death with joy, and with faith to expect
the resurrection and the life of the world to come.
22. Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying. Be it far
from thee. Lord : this shall not be unto thee.
Man, blind as he is, ia alwaya ready to find fault with the
conduct of God, and to judge of his ways and deaigna. Hu
man reaaon cannot coraprehend that it is necessary to be
crucified in this world ; much less can it reconcile the belief
of Christ's incarnation and divinity with his sufferings and
death. The more what he has done and suffered for us is
above the reach of our understanding, the more adorable also
ia his wisdom and love ; and the more unbounded, and without
reserve, ought our gratitude and fidelity to be.
23. But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan :
thou art an offence unto me : for thou savourest not the things that be
of God, but those that be of men.
Whoever is against the cross of Christ becomes his enemy.
Nothing waa in appearance more reaaonable than theae hu
man sentiments ; but how contrary are they to those of faith !
Peter, who but thia moment was blessed and enlightened by
God, falls back on a sudden into the darkneaa of human
reason, and becomea an adveraary and an offence to Jesua
Chriat himself. Let us from hence learn the difference which

CHAPTER XVL 211
there is between man when assisted by grace, and when left
to himself. Let us continue humble under that light and
strength which may be taken from us in a mome;nt. Let us
look upon every person whatever as our enemy, who attempts
to divert us from the ways of God. False friendship and
carnal tenderness can inspire us with none but human affec
tions, and such as are contrary to the love of mortification
and the cross. SECT. V. — THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.
24. If Then said Jesus unto his disciples. If any man will come after
me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
The principles of the Christian life are. First, To have a
sincere desire to belong to Christ. Secondly, To renounce
the inclinations of self-love. Thirdly, To embrace the con
dition which God has appointed for us, to perform the obliga
tions of it, and to undergo the troubles which we meet with in
it, and the contradictions and oppositions of men. Fourthly,
To do all in the spirit of Chriat, and to imitate him. Abun
dance of people glory in profeasing to follow him, but very
few comply with what he requires in order thereto. A man,
when full of himself and void of God, is but a burden to him
self; whereas he is in a condition to walk very fast toward
heaven when he is filled with God, and has taken up the croaa
of Chriat. Thia is a paradox, which to the spirit of man ia
incomprehensible; but thine, 0 Jeaua, makea thy true disci
ples easily. comprehend, love, and put in practice.
25. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it : and whosoever will
lose his life for my sake shall find it.
A fifth principle of the Christian life is, to wean ourselves
from the love of the^present life and of all the conveniences
of it. A sixth is, to have eternity always before our eyes.
The great occaaion of the loas of souls is, that men are mind
ful only of this life, and wholly taken up with the care how
to enjoy it in honour, convenience, and abundance. That
man who neglects all these thiu'gs, and who, for thy sake,
0 my Saviour, despises life itself, is he who shall certainly
find it.

212 MATTHEW.
26. For what is a man proflted, if he shall gain the whole world, and
lose his own soul ? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul ?
A aeventh principle ia, to conaider frequently that all things
are unprofitable to one who loses his own aoul. An eighth,
that thia loas is eternally irreparable. At the time of death,
there is nothing in the world which a man would not willingly
give for salvation ; during life and health, he doea not so much
as think of it. While he is able, he will do nothing at all ;
and he would fain do all, when he is no longer able to do any
thing. What strange delusion ia this ! "Will mankind nevei
recover from it, after ao many fatal examples ?
27. For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his
angels ; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
A ninth principle of the Christian life is, frequently fo
exercise our faith upon the last judgment ; and to beseech God
to give us a saliitary dread and apprehension of it. That we
should deny ourselves, take up our cross, follow Christ, and
be ready to lose our lives for his sake, are not matters of bare
advice or counsel, but an indispensable law ; since according
to the performance or omission of these works we shall be
judged. Those who will not acknowledge the necessity of
works, shall find it at that dreadful tribunal. The glorious
coming of Chriat at the end of the world is a truth in religion
generally knowil, yet that whereon men do not sufficiently
exercise their faith, their fear, and their love.
28. Verily I say unto you, There be some standing herte, which shall
not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.
In the last place, a tenth principle of the Christian life is,
to encourage ourselves with the hope and expectation of that
glory which Christ has prepared for those who suffer with and
for him. A specimen of this was seen by three apoatlea on
the holy mountain, — and every one of them beheld him glorioua
after his resurrection ; but that which we all see of his glory
in the Scriptures, and of the rfeign of his Spirit in the world,
ia more certain than any other knowledge, even than that
which the apostles had at hia transfiguration. .

CHAPTER XVIL 213

CHAPTER XVII.
SECT. I. — THE TRANSFIGURATION OF CHRIST. — ST. JOHN THE
BAPTIST CALLED ELIAS.
(
1. And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his bro
ther, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart,
Jesus discovers his glory on Mount Tabor to none but those
whom he designs should be witneaaea of hia agoniea on the
Mount of Olives. Few understand theae myateriea by a lively
and true Christian faith. In order so to do, and to live by
the belief of them, it ia necessary for a man to withdraw from
the world, to raise himself from the earth by prayer, and to
follow Christ in imitating his example. God advances whom
he thinks fit to extraordinary favours. He makea a distinc
tion even among the apostles as to these, to show that he is
master of his own gifts, and that no one ought to be jealous
of the advantages of his colleagues.
2. And was transfigured before them : and his face did shine as the
sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
Christ prepares his disciples for sufferings, and kindles in
them the desire of eternal happiness, by giving them proper
consolations, and foretastes of the beatific vision. He takes
all sorts of appearances, and enters into all conditions for the
good of his churqh, on purpose to teach the most exalted pas
tors to regulate their conduct, and to fashion their external
behaviour, so as raay best answer the occasions of the faith
ful, and the edification of their neighbour. He raakes even
the senses serviceable to faith, though they seem quite con
trary thereto; and this is what we ought to endeavour at in
the instructions which ¦we are obliged to give others. This
brightness of glory, wherein Christ appears to these three
apostles, confirms the confeaaion which St. Peter made of his
divinity, fortifies this apostle againat the trouble which the pre
diction of hia aufferinga gave him, and encourages all Christians
to the practice of the doctrines of self-denial and the cross.

iU MATTHEW.
3. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking
¦with him.
The law and the prophets give witness to Christ, and
scarcely speak but of him; he who aeeka any other thing
therein, besides the Son of God 'and his church, reads them
not like a Chriatian. In the prophetical and figurative parts
of the Scripture, we see nothing worthy of God, unless we
consider them together with Christ, and behold him repre
sented in those shadows.
4. Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us
to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles ; one for thee,
and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
Let US not set our hearta upon outward comforts ; the sweet
ness of them is apt to make men forget the necessity of pass
ing through sufferings in their way to heaven. We are dis
posed to lay hold of the firat object which presents itself, when
it fiatters our inclination toward ease and pleasure. But we
ought still to mistrust it, and give ouraelvea time to reflect,
that we may aee whether it agree with the rule of our dutiea,
and with the will and designs of God concerning us. If this
small drop of vision put St. Peter into an ecstasy, my God,
what effect will that torrent of delighta have with which thou
wilt fill, and, aa it were, inebriate thy elect !
5. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them:
and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said. This is my beloved Son,
in whom I am well pleased ; hear ye him.
Let ua receive, with a particular respect, that which the
Father himself declares to us concerning his Son. According
to this gospel off the eternal Father, we must believe in Jesus
Christ as Son of God, and he persuaded that the Father loves
no person, nor is pleased with any thing, but in his Son ; and
we must attentively hear him aa our Maater and our law. See
here that which God doea continually in the hearta of men.
To enlighten them, to make them fruitful in good worka, to
extinguish or allay the heat of concupiacence : these are ao
many effects of the grace of Christ, denoted by the bright
cloud ; and which neither the letter of the law, nor the shadows
of sacrifices, nor the preaching of the prophets, were able to

CHAPTER XVn. 215

produce. Jeaus Christ alone does it, by speaking to the heart,
of which he only is the Master and Instructor. He alone,
therefore, can make it hear effectually, so as to obey, love,
follow, and imitate him. Speak, Lord, to my heart; but
speak with authority, as the only Son of God, as the personal
truth, and the principle of that love which existed from all
eternity. 6. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were
sore afraid. 7. And Jesus carae and touched them, and he said. Arise,
and be not afraid. 8. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw
no man, save Jesus only.
Great and extraordinary truths fill the mind at first with
fear. Jesus Christ dispels it, by touching us with the internal
hand of his grace, giving us the love and practice of these
truths, and removing every thing but himself from before our
eyes. Earth is not the place for large communications from
God; man, encumbered with flesh, is incapable either of see
ing or understanding the wonders of eternity. Let us be
content to adore them by the light of faith, and in the eternal
Word, veiled and overshadowed with the cloud of our fiesh.
9. And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them,
saying. Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again
from the dead.
Thus God frequently casts into the heart truths which,
like seeds sown late, produce only backward fruita. We must
not neglect to sow the heart of sinners, though it seem as if
it were dead, and like ground in the winter season ; the spring
of grace, and time of resurrection, may possibly come even
for such. There ia a time to live retired, and a time to ap
pear in the world ; a time to make known the greatest trutha,
and a time to conceal them ; a prudent paator knowa how to
adapt himself to the capacity of the weak.
10. And his disciples asked him, saying. Why then say the scribes
that Elias must first come ?
The wit of man still discovers some contradiction in the
mysteries of religion ; a tractable disciple humbly desires that
instruction which he needs. Those teachera who have not
the true knowledge of the Scripturea, nor the Spirit of God

216 MATTHEW.
to understand them, are good for nothing but to perplex those
whom they should instruct and prepare for the coming of
Jesus Christ. To lull sinnera aaleep, perauading them that
the time of death, ¦vy^hich to every one ia the second coming
of Christ, is yet at a great distance, is full aa dangeroua aa
it was to believe that the time of his first appearance was not
come, aa the doctors of the law did, confounding the one with
the other.
11. And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shaU first
come, and restore all things.
It is out of mercy that Chriat will have harbingers or fore-
runnera. God doea not intend to surprise, but to awaken, sin
ners. All preachers of repentance are the harbingers of
Jesus Christ. It is by means of this, that, like John and
Elias, they labour to restore all thinga, in reclaiming and
bringing sinnera back to the obedience and piety of the
fathers of their faith.
12. But I say unto you. That Elias is come already, and they knew
him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall
also the Son of man suff'er of them. 13. Then the disciples understood
that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.
There is no age, no time, in which there does not arise
some Elias, some imitator of his zeal, to exclaim and inveigh
against the violation of God's law and the profanera of his
worship, to preach repentance to sinnera, and to publiah the
truth to the great. Wo to thoae who know him not, who atop
their eara, and who are the occaaion of hia Bufferings ! To
suffer, is the lot and portion of Jesus Christ and his ministers.
It ia good to look upon every preacher as our Elias, as the
last whom God designs to send to proclaim to us the coming
of Christ, and to excite ua to prepare his way by repentance.
SECT. II. — THE LUNATIC CURED. — THE POWER OF FAITH —
OF PRAYER AND FASTING.
14. If And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him
a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying, 15. Lord, have mercy
on my son ; for he is lunatic, and sore vexed : for ofttimes he falleth into
the flre, and oft into the water.
The rage and power of the devil against man, in conae-

CHAPTER XVIL 217
quence of sin, is expressed by the aad uaage which this lunatic
suffers. The devil, in bodily possessions as well aa spiritual
possessions, knows how to take advantage of thp constitution,
and of natural causes and dispositions, in order to conceal
himself. Some of these are aa contrary as fire and water.
Would to God the sinner were as thoroughly sensible of the
misery of his soul, and the spiritual illusions qf the devil, as
this father is of those under which his son labours ! See her©
the first steps toward conversion; to approach Christ, to
humble ourselves in his presence, earnestly to pray to him,
and with confidence to lay our misery before him.
16. And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.
God often permits hia ministers to be unsuccessful in the
cure of souls, both through a just judgment on the latter, and
that he may teach the former to expect all from Christ, and
to refer their good success to him ; that he may purify their
hearts by shatae and humiliation, and oblige them to pray
more frequently, to know, and to distrust themselves.
17. Then Jesus answered and said, 0 faithless and perverse genera
tion, how long shall I be with you ? how long shall I suffer you ? bring
him hither to me.
Nothing raises more indignation in Christ than a distrust
of his goodness and power in healing our diseases. Alas!
how many are there, who present themselves before the minis
ters of the church, and even at the sacrament, without receiv
ing the cure of their souls, through the bad disposition of their
heart, which keeps Christ at a distance, because they come
thither without faith, and with an irregular intention ! Let
us be sure not to imagine that these words of Christ betray
any impatience in him, but, on the contrary, let us 'adore
therein his long and unwearied patience toward sinners.
Harahneaa ia only in his words, gentleness is in hia heart.
18. And Jesus rebuked the devil ; and he departed out of him : andi
the child was cured from that very hour.
Jesus Christ is the only person whom the devil cannot re
sist. There are some souls whose cure God reserves to him
self alone, and to whom all the application of his ministers
Vol. r.— 19

218 MATTHEW.
appeara to be utterly ineffectual. He apihetiraea doea all
without thera, to the end that they may know that they never
do any thing without him. It is a matter of the greatest im
portance for us, to place our trust and confidence, not in the
minister, but in Jesua Christ, who, by the sole motion of hia
will, curea in an inatant.
19. Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not
we cast him out ?
When we find our endeavoura, with reapect to aome aoula,
ineffectual, we ought to hurable ouraelvea, and to examine
before God in prayer what obataclea there may he, on our
part, to hia grace and mercy toward them. Far be from ua
the pride of those who never impute to themselves the faults
and unfruitfulnesa of their rainiatry !
20. And Jesus said unto them. Because of your unbelief: for verily I
say unto you. If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say
unto this mountain. Remove hence to yonder place ; and it shall remove:
and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
There are perhapa but few miniatera of Chriat to whom,
upon their addresses to him in prayer, he might not answer
after the same manner — that the weakneaa of their faith ia a
hinderance to the conversion and improvement of souls. A
faith, which has a perfect confidence without any presumption ;
a holy boldness and liveliness, not weakened by a mistaken
humility, and which can discern when it is proper to desire
and expect a miracle, is such a thing as is not at all common.
To remove pride out of a sinner's heart is to remove a moun
tain. Thia can be the work only of a great faith ; and this
faith must be, at the same time, both the fruit and the seed
of many prayers, and of a penitential life.
21. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
In order to subdue evil habits, we must hurable the mind
by prayer, and mortify the flesh by fasting. This ia the duty
of the miniater as well as of the penitent. He has no faith
at all, if it do not make him have recourse to prayer and mor
tification, which are the natural effects thereoif. Faith causes
a man to pray, by making him sensible of his inability as to
all goodness, without the assistance of grace ; it disposes him

CHAPTER XVIL 219
to lead a mortified life, by showing tbe unworthineaa both of
the ainner and the miniater.

SECT. III. — THE PASSION FORETOLD. — CHRIST PAYS TRIBUTE.
22. If And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them. The Son
of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men : 23. And they shall kill
him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceed
ing sorry.
What will become of the man who shall fall into the hands
of the living God, if God suffers so much by falling into, the
hands of mortal men ! Men apply themselves very imperfectly
to the consideration of the mysteries of salvation, and are af
fected with them after too natur.al a manner. They are unduly
affiicted at the death of Christ, and rejoice not at his reaur
rection aa they ought ; because death is an approaching and
natural evil, and the resurrection a mystery of faith. The
death of Jesus Christ should humble the sinner, but it should
also fill him with confidence and joy. We ought to humble
ourselves for being so miserable that nothing but the death
of God could save us ; and to rejoice that the mercy of God
is so great toward us that he refused not to be born and to die
for us.
24. If And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tri
bute money came to Peter, and said. Doth not your master pay ti-ibute ?
The divinity of Jesus Christ, stooping thus low, confounds
the vanity and eagerness of men in defence of their rights.
He refusea no kind of dependence and aubmiaaion, that he
may make the ainner like it, who haa always so great an aver
sion thereto.
25. He saith. Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus
prevented him, saying. What thinkest thou, Simon ? of whom do the
kings of the earth take custom or tribute ? of their own children, or of
strangers ? 26. Peter saith unto him. Of strangers. Jesus saith unto
him. Then are the children free.
Christ does not insist upon his rights as to external and
temporal things, but only in secret and among his apostles.
The clergy likewise, after his example, should not speak too
frequently to secular persons concerning this kind of pri-

220 MATTHEW.
vileges annexed to their state ; nor the faithful, concerning
Christian and evangelical liberty, which dispenses not with
external laws. The Son of God, the Lord of the temple, and
the true temple of God, could not be obliged to pay a tribute
imposed by God'a command for the uae and service of the
figurative temple. To make our prerogatives known is not
alwaya vanity ; nor to take proper measures of receding from
them without any prejudice to our right.
27. Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea,
and cast an hook, and take up the fish that flrst cometh up ; and when
thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money : that take,
and give unto them for me and thee.
It is the duty of charity still to prevent the occasions of
scandal or offence. Let us admire and adore the poverty of
Christ in not having the value of four drachms ; his obedience
and humility in paying them, though not due ; his charity in
avoiding, even by an extraordinary means, that which might
have given offence to the weak ; and his greatness, under hia
humiliation, in paying tribute, but paying it aa God, by an
act of sovereign power. They are far from imitating Christ
who disturb the peace, offend the weak, neglect the care of
souls, and rise up against the secular powers, to secure aome
little temporal advantage, and to maintain some external pre
rogatives. Liberty and subjection agree very well together
in a Christian, who by faith is entirely free in respect of all
things present, and becomes subject to every creature hy
charity.

CHAPTER XVIII.

SECT. I. — CHRIST TEACHES TO BE HUMBLE, AND TO BECOME A
CHILD.
1. At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the
greatest in the kingdom of heaven ?
How great and common a miafortune ia it for men to think
of nothing but their own greatneaa, and how to raiae them
selves above others ! Ambition is no lesa a vice of eccleaiaa-

CHAPTER XVIIL 221
tical than of secular persons. If the apostles, who had
forsaken all, and who had so long had the instructions and
example of Christ before their eyes, were, ¦ notwithstanding,
subject thereto, who ought not to be afraid ? This passion is
sometimes more violent, and always more scandalous and
offensive, in the kingdom of humility, than in the world, which
is the kingdom of pride.
2. And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst
of them.
It is a -duty of the pastoral charity to adapt ourselves to
the capacity of the weak, when we instruct them. Jesus
Christ does not here propose himself, but a little child, for a
pattern of humility. It ia the business of our faith to raise
our minds to that divine child, who is free from the defects
of the children of Adam, and who haa all the perfections of
the only. Son of God.
, 3. And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and be
come as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
He who still continues under his disorderly habits, and who,
instead of abasing and humbling himself, thinks of nothing
but becoming greater than he is, — this person certainly is not
in the way of salvation. Either Christ is not truth itaelf, or,
without a true conversion and humility, there is not the least
hope of any place in heaven. There are but too many who
are children in inconstancy, affection to sensible things, and
love of toys ; but how few are such in innocency, simplicity,
ignorance of evil, and docility !
4. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the
same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
What ia it to be an evangelical child but to be pure in mind
and body, to wiah ill to none, to be ready to do good to all,
and to have no projecta for advancement, richea, honoura, for
tune, etc. ? This Christian childhood will make us great in
the kingdom of heaven. How low do we debase ourselves,
in order to be great on earth! To be great in heaven, how
little do we do ! The humility which pleases God ia that of
choice or of acceptance, not a natural meanneaa of heart and
19*

222 MATTHEW.
spirit. The first place is promised to that virtue which seems
the most easy, and to the exercise of which external things
are least needful ; for this reason, we are certainly the lesa
to be excused if we want it.
5. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiv
eth me.
Jesus Christ is received in the persons of the poor, but es
pecially of auch as are good and virtuous. In the world,
men glory in entertaining the great and the rich : under the
gospel, the chief advantage lies in receiving those .who stand
in need of every thing except the Spirit of Christ. These
must be received, not out of human respects, nor ostentation,
nor for our own satisfaction, but in the name and for the sake
of Christ. Thia rendera our hospitality truly Christian.
«
SECT. II. — GIVING OFFENCE TO BE AVOIDED. — THE EYE TO BE
PLUCKED OUT.
6. But whoso shall off'end* one of these little ones which believe in me,
it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and
that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. \^Fr. is an occasion of
falling and offence to.]
A violent death is not so much to be dreaded as the being,
through bad counsel or example, the cause of the fall of one
soul. The salvation of one soul is more precious to God than
we are able to express. The more faith separates us from tho
world, renders us despicable in its sight, and deprives us of
its protection, the more God espousea our interests, and de
clares himself on our side. If, by offending one single aoul,
we thua draw on ourselves the indignation of God, how abomi
nable in his sight must those needs be who offend a whole
city, and by their wanton dresses, lascivious and loose dis
courses, immodest picturea, wicked examplea and the like,
occasion the fall and ruin of a vast number of souls !
7. Tf Woe unto the world because of offences ! for it must needs be that
offences come ; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh !
Offence, or scandal, which deatroya the generality of the
world, contributes to the good of those who love God, by means

CHAPTER XVIIL 223
It
of the good use which charity causes them to make of it. The
world is the centre of offence, and as it were the throne where
on it reigns. Unhappy ia that man who continuea exposed to
it without necessity ! Unhappy likewise is he who exposes
others thereto ! But most unhappy of all is that person who
becomes an agent for the world, and an instrument of the
devil, to seduce and draw others into sin ! The general cor
ruption of the world is a certain source of offences, but yet
imposes no manner of necessity on any one to give them.
8. Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and
cast them from thee : it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed,
rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.
Man has within himself occasions enough of sin, and needs
not seek for any from without. He must be ready to part
with what is dearest to him, and effectually to cut off all evil
actions, words, and inclinations. This is a circumcision griev
ous to nature, but necessary to salvation. A friend who does
us all the good offices imaginable, but who, being an enemy to
our piety, hinders us from serving God, is a necessary hand,
which, notwithstanding, must be cut off. A visit where a man
meets with dangerous objects, which is attended with loss
of time, occasions of evil-speaking, distraction of raind, and
other temptations to sin, is a foot which we are likewise
obliged to cut off.
9. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee : it
is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two
eyes to be cast into hell fire.
Let us make no scruple of retrenching the curiosity of our
senses and understanding, as a thing very dangerous ; since,
by raeans of this beneficial blindness, we raay attain to that
sublime knowledge of God and Christ wherein eternal life
does consist. An immodest picture, of what price soever it
be, — a lascivious, scurrilous, or licentious book, — a dangerous
object, — each of these is an eye, which must be plucked out.
A director of the conscience, be his abilities ever so great, yet
if, by any criminal or imprudent affection, he become an ob
stacle to the salvation or perfection of himself, or the peraon
under his care, is an eye which this person must cast away.

224 MATTHEW.
10. Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones ; for I say
unto you. That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my
Father which is in heaven.
Great reason has the Son of God to caution us against
despising his little ones, and honest persons of simplicity and
innocence ; for almost all mankind is guilty of this vice, and
scarce any one sensible of it. How can a man despiae thoae
who belong to God, and count it a small matter to induce
them to sin, and expose them to destruction by bad example
or ad'^ice ? Is not this to oppoae God himself, who takes so
much care to preserve theto. First, By hia providence, which
watchea over them particularly by meana of his angels^
They who have no respect for these little ones on account of
the care which is taken of them by those angela who atand in
the presence of_God and always behold his face, ought at
least to forbear hurting them for fear of such powerful pro
tectors. The doctrine of guardian angels is authorized by
Christ. God makes every thing subservient to the guidance,
protection, and salvation of men ; and they very seldom re
flect upon it. In promoting the welfare of soula, let ua atill
have God before our eyes; and let us do all for his sake, and
in his presence. This is a disposition which priests, the visi
ble angels of the faithful, ought above all thinga to imitate in
the invisible angels.
11. For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.
A secoiid reason against offending those who belong to God,
is because he has loved them so exceedingly as to give his own
Son for them. Who can either doubt or wonder as to God's
sending, his angels for the service of souls, after he has sent
his own Son to serve them even with his blood ? They do what
they can to destroy the workmanship of Christ, who, by means
of scandal or offence, cause those to relapse into sin whom he
by hia labours and sufferings has rescued and cleansed from it.
Sect. hi. — ^the strayed sheep. *
12. How think ye? if a man have a hundred sheep; and one of them
be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into
the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray ?
Let us learn from hence, what charity and pastoral care ia

CHAPTER XVin. 225
due to thoae aoula which are not in the way of salvation. It
is a rule to be observed by paatora, to apply themselves most
to those souls whose wants are greatest. It is contrary to
the order of the duties incumbent on a true pastor, and to the
example of Christ, for a man to be wholly taken up in the
spiritual direction of persons far advanced in the way to
heaven, — a work which is pleasant and easy ; and entirely to
neglect such as are gone astray, the bringing back of whom
requires abundance of pains, application, and prayer. It is
the indispensable duty of one of thie profession to leave thoae
who too induatriously aeek, and without any neceaaity follow
him ; and to haaten after such as fly from him, of whom God
will certainly demand an account at his hands.
13. And if so be that he flnd it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth
more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.
Is it not a sufficient motive to engage a man to apply him
self to the conversion of souls, by ministerial cares, prayers,
and good works, to know that it occasions so rauch joy in the
church? The more we have grieved the church and afflicted
Christ by our corrupt and irregular life, the more earnestly
ought we to endeavour to raise in them this kind of joy,
by contributing to the conversion of others. In order to
comprehend the good Shepherd's joy on this account, it is
necessary to comprehend his love toward souls, — but who ia
able to do this? If we would have some idea of it which
comes near- the truth, let us judge of it by his descent from
heaven to be incarnate, by the laboura oi his life, and by the
pain and ignominy of his death.
14. Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven,, that
one of these little ones should perish.
To cause any of the elect to sin ia to thwart God's designs
concerning them ; by our bad example to give the least of our
brethren an occasion of offence or falling, is to oppose his
providence in the appointment of angels, and his love in the
raission of his Son. Let the world and the devil do their
utmost to corrupt and destroy those whom God, with the ten
derness of a father, loves to eternity ; not one of them shall
perish! They are little, together with Christ, in this life:
P

226 MATTHEW.
they shall with him be great in heaven. Grant, 0 my God,
that we may all concur with the deaigna of thy raercy toward
theae aoula, and toward our own ; and that we may be of the
number of these little ones, whoae salvation is secured by thy
will and adorable election !
SECT. IV. — BROTHERLY REPROOF.
15. If Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell
him his fault between thee and him alone : if he shall hear thee, thou
hast gained thy brother.
It is not enough for a man not to make hia brother fall ;
if he be fallen of himself, he muat raise hira up. Can we see
a soul ready to perish through a breach of charity toward us,
and not be concerned at it ? This is to be wanting ourselves
in that charity which we owe him. There often needs no
more than a step, a word, or a small advance on our part, to
open the eyes and heart of such a weak person, — is the re
fusing so small a thing consistent with imitating Christ ? We
must neither revenge ourselves on him who has offended us,
nor neglect his salvation. This is the firat rule to be observed
in reproving our brother ; in doing which, charity must spare
the confusion, and tenderly manage the weakness of the per
son reproved. Brotherly reproof is certainly a duty; but it
ia one also to give it after a useful manner, so as not to wound
our brother inatead of curing him, and so as to avoid every
thing which may render our admonition fruitless, or perhaps
hurtful, which it must neceasarily be, if delivered in a harsh,
haughty, indiscreet, or public way.
16. But if he will not hear thee, tJien take with thee one or two more,
that in the mouth of two or thre^ witnesses every word may be established.
The second step to be taken in brotherly reproof is to use
prudence, in order to excite the ainner's ahame and fear, and
thereby to awake him from his drowsiness. It is not enough
for us to do something toward the salvation of our brother;
we must use all proper methods to procure it. It is charity
and prudence to take care to prevent his denying his fault,
and, at the same time, not to make it public ourselves.
17. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but

CHAPTER XVIIL 227
if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man
and a publican.
The third rule of reproof is, zealously to have recolirse to
authority, in order to discover the sin, without intending to
defame the sinner. The fourth and last rule, which charity,
prudence, and zeal oblige us to observe in reproving our
brethren, is to exclude the incorrigible person from all so
ciety to prevent the infection of others, and to hasten his
amendment. Excommunication is the last remedy, but su^
as is extraordinary, and reserved for the incorrigible in the
case of enormous sins. The church alone has authority to
exercise it by the chief pastors, with the presumed consent at
least of the whole body. They who, having deserved excom
munication, despise it, know not what it is to be in God's sight
no other than a heathen, and to have neither him for a Father,
nor Christ for a Saviour, nor the church for a mother, nor
Christians for brethren.
' SECT. V. — THE POWER OF THB KEYS. ¦
18. Verily I say unto you. Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall
be hound in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be
loosed in heaven.
How much is the judgment of the church on an obstinate
sinner to be dreaded, since it is ratified in heaven! God
binds and looses all those who are bound and loosed on earth,
because no person is truly bound or loosed who is not so
justly. A man may be excommunicated externally, and to
the eyes of men, without being really so either on earth or
in heaven. Let us be more afraid of one single sin than of
all the excommunications in the world; since these can be
only the punishment or remedy of sin, and without it are no
thing at all. '
19. Again I say unto you. That if two of you shall agree on earth as
touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my
Father which is in heaven.
God is found in union and; agreementi Nothing is more
efficacious in prayer. When we are united to Jesus Christ,
and offer up our prayers through his mediation, it is he hira
self who prays, his merits which ask, his love 'which entreats.

228 MATTHEW.
his heart which groans, his blood which intercedes ; and it is
the Son who obtains all frora his Father. This shows the ad
vantages of prayer raade in coraraon; of Christian societies,
where God is served, as it were, with one heart and one soul ;
but above all, of the great society of the church, where we are
united in the body and by the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
20. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there
am 1 in the midst of them.
' Where charity is, there is Christ ; where division ia, there
ia the evil apirit. A Chriatian faraily which, in choosing the
state of marriage, has sought God alone, which brings up chil
dren only for him, and which doea all the good that liea within
its sphere, may be aaaured, by virtue of thia promise, that
Christ is present in the midst of it in a very particular man
ner. How great respect ia due to councila, wherein the whole
church ia assembled by ita paatora, for the illuatration of the
truth, the reformation of mannera, the establishment of dis
cipline, and the interpretation of the Scriptures ! ,
SECT. VI. — FORGIVENESS OF INJURIES. — THB DEBT OF TEN
THOUSAND TALENTS.
21. If Then came Peter to him, and said. Lord, how oft shall my bro
ther sin against me, and I forgive him ? till seven times?
It is a very dangerous thing for a man to be unwilling to
do any more good than just what he thinks precisely necessary
to salvation. Self-love is always on its guard, always afraid
of going too far, and of giving too much. Nothing is more
difficult than the forgiveness of injuries to corrupt nature,
which is still seeking pretences to evade this duty more than
any other. Men seldom consult casuists, but when it is to
justify, if possible, their natural and corrupt inclinations.
22. Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee. Until seven times : but.
Until seventy times seven.
Charity is an immense and eternal debt; and, by conse
quence, the love of enemiea and the forgiveness of injuries
must have no hounds in the heart, though they admit of aome
in the external behaviour. God and Chriat have loved ua
without measure, and that even while we were enemies, and

CHAPTER XVIIL 229
have freely pardoned all our sins ; and yet we deliberate nicely
how far our love of eneraies and our forgiveness of injuriea
are to extend !
23. If Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king,
which would take account of his servants.
If we consider the lives of the generality of raen, can we
believe that they are persuaded they must give an account of
all their actions at death and judgment? It is with respect
to thia duty of forgiving injuriea, chiefly, that a pastor ought
to set before his people's eyes the judgment of God; because,
on their performance of it, he has engaged to remit every
thing, and, on their refusal, he refuses to show any mercy.
24. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him,
which owed him ten thousand talents.
How many debts have we contracted toward God, if we
consider that all our time, all our thoughts, desires, words,
and actions are his due ! We may find on earth ten thousand
talents; but where can we find a sum sufficient to satisfy God's
justice for one single sin, unless he himself give us wherewith
to pay it ! Let us all look upon ourselves in the person of
this miserable debtor ; and yet in him we can see nothing but
only a shadow of our own misery.
25. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to
be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to
be made.
There is no sinner but is utterly insolvent, in respect of the
divine justice, if he be judged without mercy. God cannot
sell the sinner, nor alienate the right which he haa over him ;
but the sinner sells himself to sin and to the devil for a mo-
raent's satisfaction. It is the very height of misery for God
to leave the ainner in the handa of him to whom he has sold
himself; and thia, to be under him not as a proprietor, but
executioner. A damned soul, who has no longer any share
in Christ, has not wherewith to pay his debts ; and for this
reason hia puniahment will have no end.
26. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying.
Lord, have patience with me, and I wUl pay thee all.
A sinner, who sees hia own poverty, has no other remedy
Vol. I.— 20

230 MATTHEW.
left but these four dispositions : (1.) A sincere humiliation of
heart. (2.) A fervent prayer. (3.) An application full of
hope to the patience of God. (4.) A real desire and firm
resolution of satisfying God to the utmost of his power by re
pentance. It is no presumption in a man who has nothing
to promise the payment of all, provided he depend, not on
himself, but on the patience of God and the merits of Jeaus
Christ. The value of these is infinite ; and from hence the
repentance of a Christian receives all its Avorth. A man can
not have too great hopes, when he is resolved not to spare
hiraself, and his heart is entirely devoted to God.
27. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and
loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
God, rich in mercy, shows it more abundantly than we ask
it, when we ask it as we ought. He cannot, as one may say,
withatand humility: this disarms hia justice, and opens the
treasures of his mercy. God never grants any thing short
of a full pardon ; he forgives the greatest debts as easily as
the least, but still on this condition, that a man do not re
pent only in part, and that his resolution of performing this
duty be full and complete.
28. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellow ser
vants, which owed him a hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and
took him by the throat, saying. Pay me that thou owest.
Hard-heartedness toward our neighbour, and ingratitude
toward God, are the fruits of a false conversion; whereas a
true one produces always a compassionate charity for our
brethren, and a love full of acknowledgment toward God.
Forgetfulness in respect of hia favours is very often the cause
of our relapses. Let us consider the hard-heartednesa and
ingratitude of thia wicked aervant in all its circumstances,
and we shall find ourselves therein repreaented to the life.
29. And his fellow servant fell down at his feet, and besought him,
saying. Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
Man, though uncertain of hia success, humbles himself
before men on the account of temporal debts ; and yet, on the
account of such as are eternal, he hurables not himself before
God, though certain that his humiliation will succeed.' Let

CHAPTER XVIIL '231
ua thoroughly apprehend that we are poor and criminal in
the sight of God, and we shall then, as in a glass, behold our
selves in auch of our brethren aa are so in reapect of ua. Let
ua think on that raoraent, wherein we ahall fall down at the
feet qf our Judge, there to receive the aentence of our eternal
fate ; and we shall have but little inclination to insult those
whom we see prostrate before us.
30. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he
should pay the debt.
God hears the sinner, and yet the sinner will not hear one
like himself. When a man is thoroughly sensible of the weight
of his own sins, he is very far from judging others with rigour.
God's ears eternally shut against the sinner, hell for his prison,
and an inflexible justice punishing every thing and remitting
nothing, — this is what he must expect who treats his brother
after this raanner. Truth itself has established this retalia
tion, declaring, that "with what measure we mete, it shall be
measured to us again." This then is an immutable law, and
such as the sinner can never change, but by changing himself.
31. So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were very
sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was don,e.
When in heaven we are once united to the supreme and
sovereign Juatice, we cannot but eapouae ita interests against
sin and the obdurate ainner. Not to pardon injuries is to
scandalize and provoke both heaven and earth. He who hurts
one member of Christ, gives offence to all the rest. The whole
church will one day rise up against the revengeful, and behold
with joy the judgments of God on all such as have shown
themselves without mercy and compassion.
32. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, 0 thou
wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me :
33. Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant,
even as I had pity on thee?
The goodneaa and indulgence of God toward ua ia a pattern
which we ought to follow in respect of others, and a law which
obliges us thereto. God forgives all, and that at the entreaty
of the criminal himself; but to induce a revengeful person to
forgive, what pains, what endeavours must be used! Can

232 MATTHEW.
rigour in exacting temporal debts, and in treating without
mercy such as are unable to aatiafy them — can this be allowed
to a Christian, who ought to imitate his God and Father, — to
a debtor, who has been forgiven only on the condition of for
giving others, — to a servant, .who should obey his master, —
and to a criminal, who is in expectation of his judge and final
sentence ?
34. And his lord was -wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till
he should pay all that was due unto him.
There is no raercy for him who will not show any. Nothing
raises the divine anger and vengeance more than the spirit of
revenge in men; because by this we neglect the condition of
our reconciliation with God, violate the sacred covenant of
Christian prayer, and invade the rights of the suprerae Jua
tice. No refuge, no remedy ia to be found, when once a raan
ia delivered to the tormentors, of whora these are but a faint
resemblance. Death puts an ,end to every thing on earth;
but nothing haa an end, in that place, where a man can never
aee any end of his debt, and where death itself is immortal.
35. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from
your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
We must forgive, not only with our lips, but frora the
bottom of our hearts ; and this is not barely a counsel, but a
commandment. We may deceive men by a feigned reconcilia
tion, and a pretended mercy ; but how can we hide our hearta
from hira who is their Creator and Judge? The term every.
one, which is here used, shows that no person whatever ia,
exempt from thia obligation of forgiving; neither emperors
nor kinga, neither great nor araall, neither rich nor poor.
Give us, Lord, this Christian heart, whose bottom ia all charity
and mercy, and whose worka are all mildness and indulgence !

CHAPTER XIX.

CHAPTER XIX.
SECT. I. — MARRIAGE INDISSOLUBLE.
1.' And it came to pass, that when Jesus had flnished these sayings, he
departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judea Ijeyond Jordan;
Jesus goes aboi:<t everywhere to seek the sinner. A good
pastor's thirst after the salvation of souls is never satisfied in
this life. He always finds sufficient exercise for his zeal. The
end of one instruction in a pastor, of one mission in an evan
gelical labourer, and of one visitation in a bishop, is but the
beginning of another.
2. And great multitudes followed hira; and he healed them there.
Men never follow Christ in vain. Here they run after him
in hopes of some temporal advantages ; how nluch more should
the pleasant odour of his virtues, the holineaa of his mysteries,
the sweetneaa of hia truth, the hope of his grace, and the ex
pectation of eternal happiness, draw us after him ! How free
and ready is he to distribute hia favoura ! Here are no de-
laya, excuses, or denials, — he heals immediately; but what
pains must one take to draw from the hands of man a small
alms, a kindneaa, or even a debt itaelf!
3. If The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying.
unto him. Is it la'wful for a man to put away his wife for every cause ?
They who have once declared against the truth are seldom
reconciled, but aeek all occaaiona to betray it. Hypocrisy is
generally of the party ; a pretended love of truth serves often
as a veil to cover the hatred which they bear it, and the per
secution which they raiae against it,
4. And he answered and said unto them. Have ye not read, that he
which made tliem at the beginning made them male and female.
In this answer, Jeaus Chriat shows that marriage is indis
soluble. First, By divine institution,, and the order settled at
the creation. To answer a case of conscience well, in the
spirit, and after the example of Christ, we must not regard
20»

234 MATTHEW.
that which the corruption 'Of manners, or the remissneaa of
men, has introduced ; but we must look back to the original
will, design, and institution of God. Christ knows not what
it is to accommodate his morality to the tiraes or to the in
clinations of men. What was done at the beginning, is that
which God has judged most worthy of his glory, most profit
able for man, and most agreeable to nature.
5. And said. For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and
shall cleave to his vrife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
The second reason which Christ gives for the indissolubility
of raarriage, is the express commandment of God, comform-
able to the institution of nature. The union which is formed
between man and woman by marriage is more intimate and
inseparable than that between parents and children. It is
honoured by being made the figure and representation of the
union which is between Christ and his church. It is a partner
ship of soul and body, of life and fortune, of comfort and sup
port, and of designs and inclinations. What a wickedness then
is it, to sow division in a society so holy and so dear to God !
But how much greater is it still, to violate it by a criminal
and adulterous commerce with another woman !
6. Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore
God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
The third reaaon of the indiaaolubility of marriage, is
because the married couple become thereby, as it were, one
and the same person, and one sole principle of their children's
birth. This is not the invention of men, but the work of God.
As it was he who made this union at the beginning, so it is
he who continues it down through all ages, — a union, worthy
of reapect, honour, gratitude, and aingular circumapection ;
but much the less respected, honoured, and understood, by
reason of the brutality and lust of men.
7. They say unto him. Why did Moses then command to give a -writing
of divorcement, and to put her away ?
How great is the disingenuity or ignorance of these doctors,
who seek for pretences whereby to favour concupiscence, even
from the divine law itself? It is dangeroua sometimes to
tolerate the least evil, though prudence may require it;

CHAPTER XIX. 235
because toleration raises itself insensibly to permission, and
permission soon sets up for command. A bill or writing of
divorcement is appointed, on purpose to render the practice
of it more difficult; and men make use of this to justify the
action, and to give it the authority of a law.
8. He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts
suffered you to put away your wives : but from the beginning it was not so.
The fourth reaaon of the indiaaolubility of marriage, and
which Christ gives as a proof of it, is the example of the first
married couple. Whatever the laws do not forbid, is not
therefore according to the mind and first intention of God.
That which is established by the wisdom of the Creator, is
one thing, ; that which is extorted from his condescension by
the hardness of men's hearts, is another. The former haa
nothing but what ia worthy of the perfection of the Creator ;
the latter is only a remedy for the imperfection of the creature.
9. And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it
he for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and
whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.
The fifth ireason of this indissolubility, is the evil conse
quent on separation. Christ takes the authority of a legisla
tor, that he may reform, without any human respects what
ever, the abuses introduced and tolerated contrary to the
appointment of God. He here decides the case proposed to
him, and declares, that it is not lawful for married persons to
separate, except in the case of adultery ; and that a woman,
put away even on this account, cannot, during her first hus
band's life, be married to another. Nothing hinders Christ
from declaring for the truth, though the design of his enemies
in asking him questions be only to ensnare and bring him
into trouble.
SECT. II. — VOLUNTARY EUNUCHS. — LITTLE CHILDREN,
10. If His disciples say unto him. If the case of the man be so with his
wife, it is not good to marry.
Before we enter into an engagement, which nothing but
death can entirely dissolve, we are obliged in prudence to
consider it on all sides, in order to understand it thoroughly.-

236 MATTHEW.
There are inconveniencea in every state ; and thoae of marr
riage are not aufficient to keep such persons from it as God
thinka fit to call thereto. They must consult his will, and
rely upon his grace.
11. But he said unto them. All men cannot receive this saying, save
they to whom it is given.
This is a very wise answer, which blames neither of these
two states, but approves them both. To some, marriage is
necessary by reason of their frailty. When God givea the
grace, celibacy ia to be preferred. He who, out of caprice,
humour, or licentiouaness, and not at the divine call, leads a
single life, is more in danger than he imagines. Continency
is a peculiar gift of God ; he who has received it cannot pre
serve it but by humility, vigilance, prayer, fasting, and mor
tification. 12. For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mo
ther's womb : and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs
of men : and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for
the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him re
ceive it,
Grace makes one embrace with joy that which otherwise is
not endured without pain, when nature or the violence of men
imposes it. The state of voluntary and perpetual continence,
undertaken for God's sake, is a gift of God himself, and the
only kind of virginity which he has engaged to reward.
13. \ Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should
put his hands on them, and pray : and the disciples rebuked them.
Since the generality of fathers take more thought how to
make their children rich and powerful, than to put them under
the protection of Christ, and to draw down his blessing upon
them by the prayers of good people, one need not wonder
that their youth is so addicted to all manner of vice. Im
position of hands, used frequently by Christ, by him has passed
front the Jewish church to the Christian. It is, as it were,
the visible sign and sacrament of prayer, in which the divine
power and assistance are invoked. It is not according to the
spirit and conduct of Christ, to treat those with severity who
are as yet children in the spiritual life.

CHAPTER XIX. , 23r
14. But .Jesus saVl, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come
unto me ; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus Christ loves children, because he loves simplicity and
innocence. Heaven ia for the humble and aimple, of whom
children are the repreaentation. Christ tacitly upbraids his
disciples with having so soon forgot his instructions concern
ing the advantagea of childhood. He took thia age upon him
aelf, and sanctified it, as well aa the other ages, that he might
be the pattern and Saviour of men in all. He lets slip- no
opportunity of recommending and inspiring humihty, as being
the very gate of heaven.
15. And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence.
Could the imposition of Christ's hands be otherwise than
powerful in preventing wickedneas in theae children ? Lay
on me, 0 Lord, the invisible hand of thy divinity, that it may
take possession of my heart and senses, that it may repress
in me whatever is contrary to thy will, and consecrate me to
God as a victim in thee and. by thee.
SECT. III. — THE RICH YOUNG MAN. — PERFECTION.
16. f And, behold, one came and said unto him. Good Master, what
good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life ?
It is to Jesus Christ that we raust address ourselves, in
order to learn the way of salvation. The conduct of this
young man is wise, pious, and prudent ; and fit to be imitated
by all of his age, who think of choosing a stat^ and condition
of life. They are — (1.) To look upon God as their Father
and Master, without whom they ought not to choose at all.
(2.) To have confidence in him as a good Father, who hears
and directs all such as sincerely apply to him, without seeking
any thing but his will. (3.) To approach him with a firm
belief of his wisdom, power, and goodness; and a full per
suasion that no man has any light, strength, or piety but
what floys from, and is freely imparted by, him who alone is
wise, powerful, and good in his own nature. (4.) To have no
other design or ambition than to put themselves into a con
dition of working out their aalvation. (5.) To believe that
eternal life is not bestowed for nothing.

238 MATTHEW.
17. And he said unto hirfl. Why oallest thou me good ? there is none
good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the com
mandments. They must (6) look upon God as the fulness, source,
pattern, and end of all good. No one can be good but by
adoring this fulness, by receiving from this source, by imita
ting thia pattern, and acting for thia end. (7.) They are to
conaider, that the fulfilling God'a commandmenta ia the gene
ral way of salvation, and the ordinary and indispensable voca
tion; and that to choose any state or condition of life in
which we cannot fulfil them, is to choose not to be saved. To
enter into or to continue in such a state, is the same thing.
18. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said. Thou shalt do no mur
der. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal, Thbu shalt
not bear false witness. 19. Honour thy father and thy mother: and.
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Those who are of age to choose a condition for themselves,
ought (8) to take care betimes to avoid pharisaical ostenta
tion, which is more intent on the observation of ceremonial
laws and external usages, than of the essential duties of reli
gion, juatice, and charity, which are part of the eternal law,
indispensable, and neceaaary for all conditions. They muat
(9) remember that, in order to salvation, it is not sufficient
for a man to honour his parents, and to make no attempt on
the life, wife, goods, or reputation of hia neighbour ; but that
he ia obliged likewise to do good to others, according to their
needs and his own power, and according to the rules of charity,
of which the well-regulated love of ourselves is the perfect
model. 20. The young man saith unto him. All these things have I kept from
my youth up : what lack I yet ?
It is good (10) for them not to rely too much on their
having passed the time of their childhood innocently enough,
and without any open violation of the divine • law. For this
perhaps has proceeded solely from their want of opportunities,
and their having been kept from ill company by the vigilance
of parents and masters ; and even these blessings are in great
danger of being lost through the vanity and presumption of'
young men, and the liberty which they claim of disposing of

CHAPTER XIX. 239
themselves. They must (11) be persuaded that they have
scarce done any thing aa yet, and that the main buainess is
still unfinished. For, to serve God in the apirit of Christ
and his religion, with a perfect disengagement from all other
things, and to choose a proper condition of life for the resi
due of it, — this is what remains to be done by a young man
who has not yet thoroughly understood his duty, nor been
master of himself.
21. Jesus said unto him. If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou
hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven : and
. come and follow me.
They ought (12) to observe that, besides the general call
and the common way of the commandmenta, every one haa his
particular way and call, which he must learn from God with
the assistance of men. They ought (13) to be persuaded,
that it ia necessary to be so far disengaged from every thing,
in the disposition of the heart, as to prefer nothing before
God, his love, and his will; and that this is an obligation
common to all Chriatiana, and included in the general call.
Actually to quit every thing, in order to follow Jesus Christ
in a state of poverty, is only a matter of counsel in general,
but which raay become a necessary means of salvation to those
whom God is pleased to call thereto. Whatever we deposit
in the handa of the poor, [from a desire to glorify God,] we
shall receive with infinite advantage in heaven. He who has
stripped himself of all his earthly poaaessions, ia in a readi-
nesa to follow Christ, but is not yet arrived at perfection.
22. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrow
ful : for he had great possessions.
Laatly, Thoae who are about to chooae a atate of life, muat
be convinced, that neither great richea, nor worldly hopes
and expectations, ought to hinder thera from following the
voice of God when he calls them to perfection. We undergo
a great deal while we are in suspense between the love of the
world and the love of our salvation; we have no manner of.
peace, good or bad, till the one or the other becomes vic
torious and predominant. We often deceive ourselves in be
lieving that we are fond of nothing; a proper conjuncture or

240 MATTHEW.
occasion is wanting to make us thoroughly know ouraelvea.
We posseas, with fondness and sensual affection, whatever we
cannot leave without regret and sorrow. Let every one ex
amine himself by this rule.
SECT. IV — THE RICH HARDLY SAVED.
23. If Then said Jesus unto his disciples. Verily I say unto you. That
a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Christ abates nothing of the strictness and holiness of his
maxims, on the account of the trouble which they cause to
worldly persons ; but, on the contrary, delivers them in the
stronger terms. Earthly riches are a great obstacle to salva
tion, because it is very rare to posaeaa without loving them.
To be rich, therefore, ia a great misfortune ; but what rich
man can we convince of this, if God hiraself by an extraordi
nary grace do not open his heart to receive thia truth ? Truth
itself affirms it with an oath, and yet scarce any one hears or
believes it.
24. And again 1 say unto you. It is easier for a camel to go tbrough
the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
Astonishing expression ! which showa us, that a rich man
cannot be saved with an ordinary grace. A man is not rich,
in the sense here intended, unless he loves richea ; and he ia
properly enough poor in the midst of hia treasures, when he
uses them, not aa a proprietor, but as the steward of God.
Wealth is the gate of hell to the greateat number ; and to
aome few the key of heaven. If he who only possesses his
own proper estate, can so hardly be saved, what will become
of those who unjustly take away or detain that of another?
25. When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, say
ing, Who then can be saved ?
The natural love which men have for wealth, makes it seem
very strange, even to the poor, that it should be so great an
obstacle to salvation ; how much stranger must it seem to the
rich ! One cannot easily conceive, how that which con
tributes so much to the happiness of this life, should be one
of the greatest impediments to the felicity of the other ; and

CHAPTER XIX. 241
yet this is the very reason why it is so ; for it ia impossible
for us to be happy both here and hereafter.
26. But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them. With men this is im ¦
possible ; but with God all things are possible.
The inability of nature to attain to salvation, is not the
despair ofa Christian, but the triumph of the grace of Christ.
Happy inability this, which obliges ua to expect all from Him
without whom we can do nothing ! It is as impossible to God
as it is to men, to save a rich man possessed with the love of
riches ; but God can root up this love out of his heairt, — a thing
which man is not able to do. Nothing can support and com
fort a sinner, who is sensible of his natural weakness and im-
potency, but to know that God haa an absolute power over
hia heart. How is it possible that a truth so full of consola
tion should startle Christians ? What has liberty to appre
hend from the sovereign and almighty hand which made it ?
SECT. V. — REWARD AN HUNDREDFOLD.
27. If Then answered Peter and said unto him. Behold, we have for
saken all, and followed thee ; what shall we have therefore ?
How can a man but reflect with joy on the advantage of
seeing himself in the most direct way to salvation, when he
considers the perils to which almost all conditions in the world
are continually expoaed? To foraake all without following
Ohrist, is the virtue of a philosopher. To follow Christ with
out forsaking all, is the state of the generality of Christians.
But to forsake all and follow Christ is the apostolical perfec
tion, which gives a man a right to hope for the highest reward
in the world to come. That man foraakes a great deal who
reaervea nothing to himaelf, and renounces all hopes and ex-
pectationa here below.
28. And Jesus said unto them. Verily I say unto you, That ye which
have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in
the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the
twelve tribes of Israel.
Oh the goodneaa of Jeaua Chriat ! Inatead of checking the
too forward confidence of these beginners, he comforts and
fortifies them by his mildneaa, and encouragea them by the
Vol. L— 21 Q

242 MATTHEW.
proapect of reward. To what do the great aapire by all their
wealth and power, but to make themaelvea maaters of the
world for a moment? By poverty, humility, and following
Christ, men may come to reign with him forever in heaven.
There is no true greatness but that which he imparts to those
who are united to hira, and whora he makea partakera of hia
power and authority aa sovereign Judge of the world.
29. And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters,
or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake,
shall receive a hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.
How little faith have we, to be unwilling to forsake for a
moment that which shall be restored with so much interest in
heaven! He who possesses God, regains every thing in
him, — thia ia an hundredfold, which surpasses all expecta
tion. Rather than violate the fidelity due to God, we must
break through all ties whatever ; there is nothing in the world
which we are allowed to prefer before him. Men have not
always occasion to forsake all these things for the sake of
God, or in order to enter into the way of perfection ; but they
have always occasion to forsake themselves, by renouncing
their inclinations, that they may bear the infirmities and de
fects of their brethren, their aiaters, etc. Here is a double
hundredfold — grace in this life, and glory in the other.
30. But many that are flrst shall be last ; and the last shall he first.
This terrible vicissitude, relating to the Jewa and the Gen
tiles, is a representation of many others in the business of
salvation. Perseverance alone ia crowned; in a Chriatian the
end is more regarded than the beginning. Many great sin
ners will raise themselves by repentance above many just per
sons. There is not any one in the world to whom a man can
justly prefer himself One who seems to be at a greater dis
tance from God, is he for whom he designs an extraordinary
grace, and a glory proportionable thereto. Another is [ap
parently] a great saint at present, who will soon decline, or
totally fall. In whatever state we are, we have always suf
ficient cause to humble ouraelvea.

CHAPTER XX. 243

CHAPTER XX.
SECT. I. — THE PARABLE OF THE LABOURERS IN THE VINE
YARD.
1. For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a householder,
which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.
2. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he
sent them into his vineyard.
God, as it were, went out of himself, early in the creation,
and afterward in the incarnation, to call men to serve him in
his church. The church is a heavenly kingdom, because God
is therein known, worshipped, feared, and loved. It is a vine
yard, because it is a place of labour wherein no man should
be idle. Every soul is the kingdom and vineyard of the Lord ;
every one of us is hired, or rather created, to work in thia
vineyard toward his own salvation, by causing the will of God
to reign and flourish therein. Life is but a day, whereof
childhood, or the first use of reason, is the first hour. We
are called to work frora the time of our receiving life and
reason. This is the first call.
3. And he went about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in
the marketplace. 4. And said unto them ; Go ye also into the vineyard,
and whatsoever is right 1 will give you. And they went their way.
The second call is in the time of youth, which is most com
monly idle. Before God calls ua by hia grace, what can we
do toward our salvation? The will which is not prevented
thereby, has no light but to go astray with, no warmth of
desire but to endanger, and no strength but to hurt itself; it
is capable of all evil, incapable of all good. The will is alwaya
fickle and inconatant, when not guided and acted by the im
mutable and eternal will. The more earnestly it endeavours
to work, the more faults and sina it commits. The prospect
of reward is a good motive, since Jesus Christ himself lays it
before our eyes. God is just, and the perfection of reason ;
this is sufficient ground to expect all from him.

244 MATTHEW.
5. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise.
The third call ia at the age of manhood. The fourth in old
age, which is almost incapable of work. During this present
life, God never ceases calling us to labour and salvation.
When he commands us to go, and gives us that which he com
mands, we imniediately set forward, and labour to advantage.
If thou wilt. Lord, it ia sufficient ; for my will without delay
will be obedient to thine. Rouse up my dull and slothful
heart, and I shall run vrith vigour in the waya of thy com
mandmenta. 6. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others stand
ing idle, and saith unto them. Why stand ye here all the day idle ?
The fifth call ia at the end of our livea, and in our decrepit
age. We are at no time excused from the work of our salva
tion ; and the mercy of God can render our endeavoura uae-
ful at any time. No age should be idle ; it is always time to
begin a work, without which there is not the least hope of
eternal happiness. Good God ! how full is the world of this
sort of people, who pass their whole life in idleness, and are
ready to leave it, before they so much as know for what pur
pose they received it ! Man is obliged to paina and labour
by the law of the creation; the sinner is condemned to it by
way of penance ; the Christian is devoted thereto by the holi
neaa of hia adoption. Whoever neglecta to follow thia im
pression of his Creator, to aubmit to thia decree of his Judge,
and to imitate the example of his Head, Pattern, and Re
storer, is very rauch wanting to his own salvation. Every
thing conapirea to engage man in a buay and laborioua course
of life ; and idleness is one source of damnation.
7. They say unto him. Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto
them. Go ye also into the vineyard ; and whatsoever is right, that shall
ye receive. ,
If Christ himself come not to seek us, if he do not send us,
and set us to work, we shall either live altogether in idleness,
or perform only works of darkness, or do every thing out of
vanity, — but nothing for the sake of God, or for eternity. No
salvation ia to be had but by Jesus Christ. Without him man
ia left to himself, that is, to his own impotency and darkness.

CHAPTER XX. 245
8. So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his
steward, Call tho labourers, and give them thdr hire, beginning from the
last unto the first.
In the work of salvation there is no rest. We must work
all day, even till night ; that is to say, all the time of our life,
even until death. Every thing is labour in the sight of God :
action, suffering, sickneaa, and even repose itself, when ne
cessity and his appointment require it. Happy evening!
which will be the beginning of a glorious eternity to those
who shall have laboured diligently, without expecting any
other reward than that which God has promised to confer by
Jesus Christ, with whom he has intrusted the affairs of his
kingdom. This is the comfort of the most weak and imper
fect, who are faithful to God according to the measure of
their grace, and the quality of their calling, to know that
none ahall go unrewarded. He who went last to work, being
in the last rank of the faithful, shall be rewarded as much as
the first, if it appear that he has loved as much.
9. And when they carae that were hired about the eleventh hour, they
received every man a penny.
The ways of God are very different from those of men ; let
us, adoring them, labour and hope. Provided a man be really
converted, though at the last hour, he has reason to hope for
a reward. But to delay the business of his salvation till the
laat hour, ia to hazard all. When a man sincerely and heartily
employa all that remains of his life for God, according to the
rules of the gospel, in the spirit and exercises of repentance,
he performs every thing which God requires of those whom
he calls last, to make them equal to the first. To enjoy God,
and to enjoy him eternally, ia the penny given equally to all.
A moment ia perhaps sufficient to obtain it; but it is the
height of folly and madness, either through a rash presump
tion to stay till the last moment, or through a distrust of
God's mercy to let that moment slip.
10. But when the flrst came, they supposed that they should have re
ceived more; and they likewise received every man a penny. 11. And
when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the
house. There are perhapa abundance of persons whose long labours,
21-*

246 MATTHEW.
great austeritiea, and averaion to external vicea, serve only to
nourish their pride, to give them a contempt of others, and
to make them think that God is in their debt. The goodness
of God toward converted sinners is so great, that it gives some
kind of jealousy to the righteous, when left to themaelvea ; and
would do so even to the saints, if they were capable of it.
12. Saying, These last have wrought hut one hour, and thou hast made
them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.
We must rely more on the goodness and mercy of God,
than on our own labour or righteousness. He dispenses not
his liberality either according to the order of our call, or the
time of our labour, or the difficulty of the work, or the reputa
tion it has acquired us; but according to the measure of
charity, humility, and fidelity which he has placed in the
heart for the accomplishing his eternal purposes concerning
souls. The less value we set upon that which we do for God,
the greater will its value be in his account. We should em
ploy our minds leas on what we do and suffer for his sake,
than on what he does in us by his grace to enable us ; since
we have nothing but what we have received, and are still of
ourselves but unprofitable servants.
13. But he answered one of them, and said. Friend, I do thee no
wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? 14. Take that thine
is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.
God dispenses his glory with faithfulness, justice, and
bounty: faithfulness to his promises, justice to Christ, and
bounty to sinners. There ia no other title to glory but God's
promise ; because even the virtues of a good life are included
in this promise, and are his gifts ; and because thia promise
and these gifta have no other rule or foundation than the free
love and good-will of God. A person truly humble is always
satisfied with his lot and portion, and never envies that of
others ; because he knows that he deserves nothing, and be
lieves that others are more faithful in paying God the interest
of his grace. ,
15. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own ? Is thine
eye evil, because I am good ?
Jesus Christ distributea hia gifts as he thinks fit. Every

CHAPTER XX. 247
one ought to be content with the share allowed him. The
will and designs of God have always a sovereign justice and
infinite wisdom in them, which are infinitely above the reach
of human reason. They are hid from man in this life, to
teach him not to dispute with God, and to seek him, not by
reason, but by faith ; and to convince him, that it is not know
ledge, but obedience, which sanctifies and saves us. The more
spiritual jealousy and envy are, the more criminal are they,
and like to those of the devil. The gifts of grace being less
due to a sinner than those of nature or fortune, it is a greater
sin to think we deserve them, and to make them the object
of our ambition or jealousy. To covet the grace bestowed on
another, is to be guilty of injustice not only toward him, but
also toward God, who is master of his own gifts. There is a
desire of grace which is humble and commendable ; but there
is likewise one which is proud and irregular, and more com
mon than we imagine.
16. So the last shall be first, and the flrst last: for many be called,
but few chosen.
Let us neither presume nor despair on any account. The
Gentiles preferred before the Jewa, teach us to leave to God
the right of choosing and determining to whom to show
mercy. It is not the call, such as it appears to human eyes,
but perseverance, which discovers the elect. It belongs to
him who bestows it on whom he pleases, to judge who are his
in a greater or less degree. The only thing we have to do is,
still to humble ourselves, whatever our condition be ; because
nothing but humility can either keep the first in grace from
becoming the last, or draw down that mercy on the last which
will make them first.
SECT. II.  THE PASSION FORETOLD.  ZBBEDEE'S CHILDREN.
17. If And Jeshs going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart
in the way, and said unto them, 18. Behold, we go up to Jerusalem;
and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the
scribes, and they shall condemn him to death. 19. And shall deliver
him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him : and
the third day he shall rise again.
, All bear their cross in thia world ; but Christ discovers the

248 MATTHEW.
mystery, virtue, and fruit of it to none but his true disciples.
He was always mindful of his sufferings and death, not through
any anxious foresight of them, or to desire to avoid them, but
through a holy earneatneas to honour hia Father hy hia sacri
fice, and that he might prepare his disciples for it. Such a
tranquillity, upon such a prospect, is peculiar to him alone
who ia God as well as man. He seems to relate a history
rather than a prediction. By this, as well as by the assu
rance which he gives them of his resurrection, he prevents the
scandal of the cross.
20. f Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her
sons, worshipping Mm, and desiring a certain thing of him.
The children of Adam willingly stoop and humble them
selves when their interest is concerned, and their humiliation
may be a step to their advancement. The ambition which
parents have to raise their children, makes them often forget
the humiliations and sufferings of Christ, and the obligation
of conforming themselves thereto. Who could have imagined,
that, while Christ is speaking of nothing but suffering and
crucifixion, a mother, who had constantly followed him, should
ask any other favour for her children than to partake of his
sufferings and cross ? She fixes her mind on the resurrection,
and on the kingdom which was to follow it, and forgets all the
rest. In this she has but too many imitators,
21 And he said unto her. What wilt thou ? She saith unto him. Grant
that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other
on the left, in thy kingdom.
The generality of men seek only to establish themselves,
even at the expenae of othera. There are few mothera whose
heads are not filled with the fortune of their children, and who
do not, to promote it, raake even piety and devotion subser
vient, if they pretend to have any. Ambition in pursuit of
benefices and ecclesiastical dignities aeem to be the most com
mendable, because it is the most easily covered with the pre
tences of God's glory, the service of the church, and the aal
vation of children ; yet it is certainly the moat criminal,
dangeroua, and fatal of all othera.
22. But Jesus answered and said. Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye

CHAPTER XX. 249
able to. drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the
baptism that I am baptized with ? They say unto him, 'W'e are able.
It can he nothing but a false love and a blind passion,
which make people desire ecclesiastical employments and
great benefices for their children, — since the chief prospect
they afford ia that of labour and suffering. We know not
what we ask, when we take upon ourselves to answer for their
call to the most holy state, for the salvation of souls, and for
the patrimony of the poor. To what does this false and blind
love of ambitious parents tend, but only to put their children
in a way of being inevitably ruined, and to oblige themselves
to be accountable for their sins and damnation, and for that
of many others? No glory is to be hoped, before we have
drank of the cup ; no crown to be expected, until we have
fought the combat. We very often know, neither what to
ask, nor how to ask it. Let us be solicitous only in acquiring
the Christian virtues ; the care of rewarding them let us leave
to God. Prayer, made not as it ought, serves only to beget
presumption, even in persons of piety.
23. And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be
baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with : but to sit on my
right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall he given to
them for whom it is prepared of my Father.
Jesus Christ gives his disciples assurance of humiliation
and the cross, but not of rest and glory; the latter is the
fruit and reward of the former. Let us follow him in his suf
ferings ; this is the only way to be assured of the happiness
of our eternal portion. This is in the hands of him who gives
grace as well as glory, and equally prepares both the one and
the other.
24. And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation
against the two brethren.
Ambition is one cause of jealousy, murmuring, and ani
mosity in communities. There is but little of that pure zeal
in the world, which is displeased with the sins of others,
merely out of hatred to sin, and love to God. Men gene
rally condemn the passions of others, through passions which
are of a contrary or like nature. We should learn to know

250 MATTHEW.
our own defects by seeing those of other men, without pro
voking or exasperating them. The condemning these defects
in our neighbour renders us the more inexcusable.
25. But Jesus called them unto him, and said. Ye know that the princes
of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great ex
ercise authority upon them.
The power of the church is very different from that of tem
poral princes, being entirely founded on humility, dedicated
to charity, and established on the death and humiliations of
Christ, and being designed only to promote the knowledge
and love of humility, and to oppose the pride and pomp of the
world. Several dutiea of paatora are here laid down. The
first is, not to look on themselves as absolute masters and
lords over the fiock of Christ. The second, not to do any
thing out of a spirit of imperiousness ; and to require only a
reaaonable obedience. The third, to reform and amend the
weak after Chriat'a example, more by instruction than re
proof; not driving them away by harsh and severe treatment,
but attracting them by mildness and gentle usage. In the
kingdom of charity, those who have authority must diatinguish
themselves by charity, and not by a haughty and imperious
conduct. 26. But it shall not be so among you : but whosoever will be great
among you, let him be your minister ;
The fourth duty of a pastor is, to have nothing of the air
and deportment of secular princes. The fifth, to look upon
his office as no other than a service or ministry, in which his
true greatness does consist. Worldly greatness inclines men
still to raise themselves above others, and to make them even
instrumental to their own advancement: thia ia directly con
trary to the evangelical and apoatolical greatneaa, which
makea men alwaya intent on rendering themaelvea useful to
others by a prudent and wise humility.
27. And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:
It is the sixth duty of a paator to attend continually on
his fiock as a servant ; and to dedicate to it all his pains, his
goods, his time, and his talents. Happy indeed were the
church, if none entered into its offices and preferments, but

CHAPTER XX. 251
by the gate of humility ! But all the holy ambition of this
virtue consists in seeking only the lowest rank and place of
a aervant.28. Even as the Son of man carae not to be ministered unto, but to
minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
The aeventh duty of a good paator ia, to look on Chriat as
his pattern ; to study hia conduct and hia apirit ; and to imi
tate his poverty, humility, application, and zeal in miniatering
to aouls. To be always ready to give one's life a ransom for
the least and meanest of the sheep, and to spend and be spent
for them, — in this consists the noble and holy service of which
Jesus Christ has set us an example. Can a man possibly act
more contrary to this, than by eagerly seeking ecclesiastical
dignities, that he may be better attended or ministered unto,
that he may be freed from dependence and subjection, and that
he may live more at his ease, in plenty, luxury, and repose?
SECT. III. — THE TWO BLIND MEN OF JERICHO.
29. And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed
him. 30. If And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when
they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying. Have mercy on us,
0 Lord, thou Son of David.
Blindness of heart ia the only blindnesa of which men very
seldom complain, and from which they scarcely ever beg to
be delivered. It is one part of this blindness not to perceive
it, and to think that our sight is good. We are extremely
sensible of being deprived of the sight of the creatures, because
our love for them is very ardent ; if therefore we have no de
sire to see God, and do nothing to this end, it is certain that
we do not love him at all. What have we to do under this
spiritual blindness, but, with all the strength of our faith, to
cry to him who is our light and our salvation, to implore hia
mercy, and to put our whole confidence in him ?
31. And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their
peace : but they cried the more, saying. Have mercy on us, 0 Lord, thou
Son of David.
Whenever we deaign to draw near to God, we always meet
with obstacles from the world; but nothing should hinder us
from seeking light, and calling upon Jesus Chriat. The devil

252 MATTHEW.
knowa very well, that when once we have a relish for prayer,
and apply ourselves constantly to this duty, we have grounds
for the greateat hopea; he therefore diverts us froni it as
much as poaaible. Temptationa and difficulties at the begin
ning of conversion, serve only to increase the faith of the
elect, to make thera pray with raore earnestness and fervouy,
and to rest entirely upon the mercy of God.
32. And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, 'V^hat will ye
that I shall do unto you ?
Jeaua Christ comforts, encourages, brings near, and unites
to himself all such as persevere in prayer. He would have
us humbly declare our wants ; and excites our deairea, to pre
pare us to receive his gifta. The poverty and blindness of
sinners are the usual objects of God's mercy. He as it were
stands still, and attends, while they represent them to him by
an humble and fervent prayer. God consults not the will of
those on whom he designs to show some peculiar mercy, until
he has himself disposed it to a concurrence. He expects our
consent, but he first forms it in us. 0 Jesus, thou knowest
what I deaire that thou wouldst do unto me !
33. They say unto him. Lord, that our eyes may be opened.
The firat grace ia to have the eyea of our heart opened, that
we jnay know our own miaery and our Deliverer. Who ia
there haa not occasion to beg this grace almost in every action,
since there ia ever aome degree of darkness in our mind and
heart? None but the blind pray for bodily sight; hut a man
must be already enlightened to pray for that of the soul, to
hate its blindness, and to solicit its cure. Lord, make me
know my own blindnesa and darkness ! Open thou the eyes
of my mind, that I may perceive my want of sight, and desire
earnestly to recover it !
34. So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes : and
immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.
Jesus Christ gives thoae only the grace to follow him to
whom he haa before given the desire and the grace to know
him. God's compassion in respect of sin is hia love for thd
sinner ; this love is the fountain of grace ; this grace is an

CHAPTER XXL 2.53
operation of his almighty hand; and the effect of this opera
tion is, that the sinner sees and performs his duty, knows God
and loves him, that he has faith and does the works of it, that
he fixes hia eyea on the life and precepta of Christ, and follows
him by imitating and obeying him. 0 my God, may I be the
object of thy compaaaion and love ! Let thy grace work in me
all that which it causes me to know ! And grant that I may
follow thee with that gratitude and fidelity which the wonder
ful kindneaa thou hast showed, in giving me the light of
faith, requirea at ray hands !

CHAPTER XXI.
SECT. I. — CHRIST'S ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM.
1. And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Beth-
phage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples.
The entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem is a figure of his
reign in the church and in the soul. It is by his death that
he is to reign ; by humiliation that he is to conquer ; and by
the cross that he is to triumph over sin, the world, and the
devil. He enters therefore with some kind of pomp, only in
order to meet death ; his whole equipage has nothing in it but
what tends to humble him ; and his triumph serves only to
incense his enemies, and to pave his way to the cross.
2. Saying unto them. Go into the village over against you, and straight
way ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her : loose them, and bring
them unto me.
Christ, in this triumphant entry, gives a representation of
the church, for which he came to triumph by his death, and
which he designed to compose of two sorta of people — the Jewa,
¦accustomed to the yoke of the law, and the Gentiles, who had
never borne it. The Christian, consisting of two parts, aervea
the law of God according to the Spirit, and the law of sin
according to the flesh. By the bonds which tied these crea
tures, thou showest me, 0 Lord, my bondage under the law
of sin ; but at the same time thou showest me, that thou art
Vol. L— 22

254 MATTHEW.
about to untie them, and to leave to thy church, and the
miniatera of it, the power of looaing ainnera, Jewa and Gen-
tilea, without distinction.
3. And if any man say aught unto you, ye shall say. The Lord hath
need of them ; and straightway he will send them.
Jesua Chriat,, still uniforra in his conduct, ia alwaya intent
on humbling himself, that he may prepare a remedy for our
pride ; and on setting off his humiliations by marks of his
aJmighty power, that he may establish the belief of his di
vinity. Nothing resists his will, when he intends to loose the
sinner, or make use of him for his own purposes and designs.
4. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by
the prophet, saying, 5. Tell ye the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy King
cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of
an ass.
See to what the outward magnificence of this triumph ia
reduced! but to the sight of God, nothing can appear more
great and magnificent, than a God who despises greatness and
magnificence so far as to divest himself thereof, and who
teaches the great ones of the earth to despise it, even while
they possesa it. What an example ia here, that the son of
God should come meek, and full of gentleness, to those whose
hearts he knew to be full of hatred and rage against himself,
and entirely employed in contriving his death, and that he
should come even to deliver himself up to them ! This is such
an inatance of charity, as will cover the revengeful with shame,
and overwhelm them at the tribunal of God, if they do not
profit by it. The kingdom of Christ is a kingdom of meekness
and of love, by which he subdues both Jews and Gentiles — the
spirit and the fiesh.
6. And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them,
A ready and faithful obedience to the word of Jesus Christ
is a sacrifice due to him from the reason and will of man.
When God commands, there is no time for dispute. Wheur
ever, by his order and authority, we undertake to loose souls,
and to bring them to Christ, we must do our duty in following
his instructions, without regarding the censures of men. There
may happen some certain occasions, wherein, through zeal to

CHAPTER XXL 255
serve souls and obey Chriat, we are obliged to expose ourselves
to grievous and mortifying suspicions; as the disciples here
expose themselves to pass for robbers. Herein they imitate
their Master beforehand, who was treated as such at the time
of hia death, being crucified between two thieves.
7. And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes,
and they set him thereon.
All here is mystery and instruction. Pastors should learn
from hence to atrip and diveat themaelvea of every thing, that
they may prepare aoula for the reception of Jesus Christ as
their King ; to cover the sins of others with the garment of
an inviolable secresy ; to hide their infirmities by a wise con
descension, their bashfulness by a preventing charity ; and to
spare nothing which may engage them to take upon them the
yoke of Chriat, and to carry Christ himself in their hearts,
by a sincere faith and imitation of his yirtues.
8. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way ; others
cut down branches from the trees, and strewed them in the way.
The people celebrate Christ's triumph over their hearts with
out knowing it. Their simple and more sincere faith renders
them more disposed to receive him and his word. God accepts
more favourably the artless praise and small offerings of the
poor, than the studied praises of the learned, and the mag
nificent preaenta of the great. We do not aee here either
learned, or rich, or great men come to meet Christ, and con
tribute to the glory of his triumph; this is for them a very
bad presage : knowledge, which puffs up, being not apt to in
cline men to the obedience of faith, nor riches to the love of
poverty, nor greatness to the humility of Christ.
9. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, say
ing, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name
of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.
Some praise Jesus Christ to-day, who will crucify him to
morrow by their sins. See the vanity of the world's applause !
To-day men acknowledge Christ to be the Son of David and
the Messias ; and we ahall presently hear them renounce him,
require his blood, and place him below thieves and murderers.
There are abundance of these well-meaning, but weak souls.

256 MATTHEW.
who would die for the truth when there ia nothing to fear ;
but who, aa aoon as it is attacked, are the first who turn their
backs upon it, and declare against it. All the Scriptures
give witness to Jesus Christ, — the Old which preceded, as well
as the New which followed him. Let us read and meditate
on them all with reverence and faith.
10. And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved,
saying. Who is this ?
That saving trouble with which the elect are affected at the
belief of Christ's coming, is very different frora that trouble
of envy and infidelity, which the estabhshment of his king
dom causes in the wicked. Had he come to flatter the pas
sions of men, he would then have been welcome to the world;
but the world would not have been converted. Had he adapted
himself to the desires of sinful men, they would not indeed
have been moved or. troubled at his coming; but then they
could have had no Saviour. This is a dreadful instance of
forgetfulness and ingratitude, to ask who Christ is, after so
many wonders and miracles ! Such is the forgetfulness of a
sinner, who, having been healed and sanctified by hia grace,
loaes it afterward through his ingratitude.
11. And the multitude said. This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of
Galilee. The people are readier to acknowledge and confess Jesus
Christ than the great; but faith and piety, which have not
yet been tried, are very unsteadfast and wavering. Those
truths of the gospel, which, in aome aeaaon or other of their
lives, many have known and commended, will serve only to
condemn thera at the judgment of God.
SECT. II. — THE BUYERS AND SELLERS CAST OUT OF THE
TEMPLE. — LITTLE CHILDREN COMMENDED.
12. Tf And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them
that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the
money changers, and the seats of them that sold doves.
Avarice, covered with the veil of religion, ia one of those
things upon which Christ looks with the greatest indignation
in his church. It is a sure mark of the terrible punishments

CHAPTER XXL 257
which he reaervea for the profanera of hia true temple, the
church, that he suffers in it those whose very ahadow and
figure he would not suffer in the Jewish temple. Merchandise
of holy things, simoniacal presentations, fraudulent exchanges,
a mercenary spirit in sacred functions ; ecclesiastical employ-
raents, obtained by flattery, service, or attendance, or by any
thing which is instead of raoney ; collations, nominations, and
elections, made on any other raotive than the glory of God,
and the good of the church, — these are all fatal and damna
ble profanations, of which those in the teraple were only a
shadow. 13. And said unto them. It is written. My house shall be called the
house of prayer ; but ye have made it a den of thieves.
If to do comraon and ordinary actions in a temple, which
contained no more than a figure of the Christian mysteries,
denominate a man a thief in God's house ; what name do those
deserve, who, by criminal and scandalous discourses, by las
civious looks and shameful dresses, profane the churches where
Christ is present? They who are placed in the church on
purpose to serve souls, and do not do it; or who enjoy the
revenues of the church, and neglect the service of it, are
thieves in raore senses than one.
14. And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple ; and he
healed them.
Jesus Christ soon returns to his kind and charitable incli
nation, whatever cause of anger has been given him ; how can
we refuse to imitate him with reapect to our brethren ? After
having condemned the profane uae of the house of God, he
shows what is the holy and lawful use of it; namely, by
prayer, adoration, praise, and sacrifice, to use our utmost en
deavours to obtain the cure of those who are under the blind
ness of sin, and the lameness of irregular affections; or to
enlighten them by the divine word.
15, And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things.
that he did, and the cSldren crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna
to the Son of David ; they were sore displeased.
The blindness ahd obstinacy of priests and teachers are
generally the effect of ambition, avarice, and pride. Would
22* R

258 MATTHEW.
to God, that they who ought most to promote the advance
ment of his work, and the kingdom of Christ, were not too
often those who obstruct and hinder it the most ! The envy,
jealousy, and worldly interest of corrupt ecclesiastics, will
ever do more mischiief to the church than her declared ene
raies. The most wonderful success of holy bishops, their
reputation, and the veneration which the people have for
them, are so far from gaining the hearts of their secret ene
mies, that they do but exasperate them the more.
16. And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus
saith unto them. Yea; have ye never read. Out of the mouth of babes
and sucklings thou hast perfected praise ?
A great reputation is a very great crime, when a man has
envious, incensed, or powerful eneraies. It is not always a
well-regulated humility to disavow praise and public esteem,
when the glory of God and of truth ia concerned. The praise
of the common people ia leaat to be suspected, because they
are least capable of affectation and artifice. God willingly
accepts the praises of the simple, because his Spirit draws
them out of their mouths.
17. If And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany ; and
he lodged there.
It is wisdom not to persist in endeavouring to instruct those
who are blinded with envy. When a pastor has discharged
all he owea to truth and the dignity of hia office, he should
consider vsrhat is due to prudence and humility, giving way
for a time to the envy of his enemies, and withdrawing him
self from the excessive affection of his friends.
SECT. III. — THE FIG-TREE WITHERED. — THE PRAYER WITH
FAITH.
18. Now in the morning, as he returned into the city, he hungered.
How barren is the friendahip of men toward Jesus Christ.
Their hard-heartedneaa often leavea hia membera to suffer
hunger as well as himself. We may conclude, from his hun
ger, that his triumph was followed by fasting and prayer, two
powerful means to suppress human complacency, and expel
the poison of applause. Chriat had no need of these pre-

CHAPTER XXL 259
servatives himself, but hia members wanted this example and
instruction. 19. And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found
nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on
thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.
Can the Christian, who affords Jesus Christ nothing but
barren words and desires, expect any thing but his maledic
tion and curse? We must continually watch, and employ
ourselves in good works, especially thoae of our salvation, still
expecting the hour when Christ will come to demand the fruit
of all his gifts and graces. A fig tree in the way, and a Chris
tian exposed to all the temptations of the world, either bear
or preserve but very little fruit. Dryness and barrenness
are, without comparison, more terrible in the other world,
where there is not the least hope of any more grace. Let us
take great care not to let the season pass which is proper for
producing fruit ; one moment will deprive ua of it all.
20. And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying. How soon
is the fig tree withered away ! *
The desertion and malediction of sinnera ought to strike
even the just with fear and amazement. We say every day
one to another. See how suddenly this man died; but who
takes warning by such examples ? What we say to-day of
others, will perhaps be said to-morrow of us. God is more to
be admired in the fertility which he restores to trees and
plants every year, than in the sterility wrought by him in
this fig tree ; but the more wonders he produces, the less we
admire them.
21. Jesus answered and said unto thera. Verily I sa.v unto you, If ye
have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the
fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain. Be thou removed,
and be thou cast into the sea ; it shall be done.
Nothing is impossible to a faith which doubts not ; but this
fiiith is very rare. . Few or no miracles are done in our days,
because there is so little faith, and so little necessity for them.
22. And all things, whatsoevei; ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye
shall receive.
Faith is the source of prayer. The measure of faith is the

260 MATTHEW.
measure of our success in prayer; and prayer is the inter
preter of faith ; it nourishes, increases, preserves, and raakes
it fruitful in good works. Abundance of people pray, but
few proportion the fervency, huraility, and perseverance of
their prayers to the greatneaa of those gifts for which they
pray. The church is the houae of .prayer, becauae it is the
house of faith. Whoever prays not within the pale or faith
of it, pray unprofitably, and somewhat worae.
SECT. IV. — CHRIST IS ASKED CONCERNING HIS AUTHORITY. —
PUBLICANS AND HARLOTS PREFERRED TO THE PHARISEES.
23. If And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the
elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said. By what
authority doest thou these things ? and who gave thee this authority ?
The wicked cannot believe that the authority which con
demns their maxims is lawful ; and are always ready to op
poae it. It happena but too frequently in the church, that
other persons, as well as the wicked, interrupt the chief- pas
tors in the exerciae of their proper functiona, by carrying on
unjust actiona and vexatious suits against their authority and
jurisdiction. The miracles of Jesus Christ are a sufficient
proof of his authority ; Scripture shows that of hia ministers.
24. And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one
thing, which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority
I do these things.
The wisdora of God very easily finds raeans to confound the
designs and malice of men. It ia not out of a spirit contrary
to simplicity, that_our blessed Lord opposes one question to
another ; but to expose the insincerity of the eneraies of his
rainistry, and to hinder them from obstructing the gospel.
There ia a pioua dexterity and addreaa, aa well aa criminal
and wicked artificea.
25. The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men?
And they reasoned with themselves, saying. If we shall say. From heaven;
he will say unto us. Why did ye not then believe him ? 26. But if we
shall say. Of men ; we fear the people ; for all hold John as a prophet.
One aingle word of the Son of God puts a atop to the malice,
and disconcerts all the wisdom, of the world. Simplicity gives
a wonderful confidence and peace of mind; double-dealing

CHAPTER XXL 261
cauaea a thousand disquiets and troubles. To what extremity
are they reduced, whom envy and obstinacy engage to oppose
those whom God sends to instruct them? They are forced
even to confess their incredulity, and to acknowledge them
selves set only against that which is good. Let a man do his
utmost to conceal within his own heart the conviction which
he has of truth and innocence, to avoid yielding thereto, or
being condemned before men ; God, who sees the heart, will,
by the light of the last day, produce it as a witness against
him, and make it hia judge.
27. And they answered Jesus, and said. We cannot tell. And he said
unto them, .Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.
They who are once engaged against the truth, never scruple
a lie. Pharisaical pride, according to its different interests,
prompts men equally, either to pretend to know every thing,
or to affect to know nothing. By a real ignorance, God often
punishes the feigned and counterfeit ignorance of the envious,
who will not acknowledge the good which they see in others.
28. f But what think ye ? A certain raan had two sons ; and he came
to the first, and said. Son, go work to day in my vineyard.
Labour is the universal penance imposed on all the children
of Adam, and yet all the world declines it. Our soul is not
our own. It is the vineyard of God, which we ought to culti
vate by fulfilling hia cotumands ; and this not out of self-love,
but for the love of him. That which would have been the
delight of man in innocency, is become a painful work to him
since his fall.
29. He answered and said, I will not ; but afterward he repented, and
went. The just perceive at first the opposition of nature to obe
dience ; but grace remains victorious. How happy ia it for a
man to receive the gift of repentance, when he haa been ao
unhappy as to transgress the divine law in the first years of
his life ! There are very few Christians who have not lost
their innocence by disobeying God; and very few sinners,
who, touched with true remorse, "bring forth fruits meet for
repentance."

262 MATTHEW.
30. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered
and said, I go, sir ; and went not.
The pretended just man is full of presumption, and very
eager to embrace the good proposed to him, — he promises
every thing, and performs nothing. Christian righteousness
consists not in making .ostentation of a great zeal for God's
law, or of great application to every thing which contributes
to make it more understood, nor in appearing always ready to
fulfil it ; but in fulfilling it with humility, exactness, and per
severance. Men often deceive themselves in this matter;
there are abundance of false lovers of the gospel.
31. Whether of them twain did the will of his father ? They say unto
him, The first. Jesus saith unto them. Verily I say unto you. That the
publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.
True repentance saves the greatest sinners; a false right
eousness does but blind and harden the worldly-wise the more.
Men recover more easily from gross and public disorders, than
from a false righteousness and secret pride, which corrupt the
whole life, and lull the sinner asleep.
32. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye be
lieved him not; but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye,
when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe hira.
If the word and good example had been sufficient for con
version, what sinners would not St. John have converted?
Pride, which is the greatest obstacle thereto, requirea other
remediea. When a aoul ia not wrought upon, either by the
innocency of the just, or the repentance of sinners, what hope
can be entertained of its salvation ? Worldly men perish con
tinually amid all sorta of good examples. That of saints,
frights and discourages them ; that of great sinners converted,
they are ashamed to follow; and that of the generality of
good men is not strong enough to affect or stir them. It
belongs to thee only, 0 Lord, to render all these examples
useful, and to make them subservient to thy designs concern
ing souls !
SECT. V. — THE PARABLE OF THE HUSBANDMEN.
I
33. If Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which
planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about; and digged a winepress
in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a

CHAPTER XXL 263
far country : 34. And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his
servants to the husbandmen, that they raight receive the fruits of it.
35. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed
another, and stoned another.
This is a representation of the perfidiouaness of the Jews.
The vineyard ia the synagogue ; the hedge, the divine protec
tion ; the winepress, the law ; the tower, the temple and aacri-
ficea ; and the husbandmen, the priests and doctors of the law.
How great ought the fidelity and gratitude of Christians to
be, who have received the truth and subatance of all these
things in Jesus Christ! The vineyard is now the church;
the hedge, the faith which separates it from Jews and here
tics ; the winepress, the aacrament from whence the blood of
Christ, and the merits of his cross, stream into our souls ; the
tower is the promise of his presence and protection against
all the powers of hell; the husbandmen are the pastors; and
the far country is heaven, whither Christ ascended, having
given them his mission and authority.
36. Again, he sent other servants more than the first : and they did
unto them likewise.
The church, which has existed in all times, has, according
to the difference of them, had prophets, apostles, pastors, and
teachers. There is not a moment in which God does not
shower down his gifts upon us, and require the fruit of them.
The church has been persecuted' in all ages, under the law
and under the goapel, under the prophets and under Jesus
Chriat; and the greatest ahare of persecution has still fallen
on the ministers of it. There have been always good and
bad husbandmen; and the former have still been ill used by
the latter. How happy is the lot of those who have faith
enough to choose rather to suffer in serving the church, than
to enjoy worldly peace by declining the service of it !
37. But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying. They will reve
rence my son.
The Son of God incarnate, by his word, his example, his
mysteries, and his ministers, demands the fruit of those graces
which God has bestowed on mankind. Neither the infidelity
of the Jews, nor their abuse of God's_ benefits, could put a
stop to his goodness, or hinder him from sending his Son into

264 MATTHEW.
the world. My God, how far from this apirit are the chil
dren of Adam ! The leaat trifle is enough to raiae their re
sentment, and to stifle their good-will.
38. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among them
selves. This is the heir ; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his
inheritance. The ainner, to enjoy the miaerable peace of hia ain, would
deatroy both Christ and hia gospel, if it were in hia power.
To conspire against the church and its doctrine, as heretica
do, is to conspire against Jesus Christ. We put him to death
in every one of his members, which, by the poison of bad doc
trine, example, or conduct, we rob of the life of faith and
grace ; or deprive of the food of prayer, of the word, and of
the body and blood of Christ.
39. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew
Mm, Let us take great heed, lest, while we detest theae murder-
era of the Son of God, we ouraelvea be reckoned of their num
ber, on the account of our corrupt will. To be rejected and
crucified by the Jewa, who knew hira not, waa leas grievous to
him than to be despised and outraged by Chriatiana, who
make profession of adoring hira. To cast him out of our
heart, is to "cast him out of the vineyard," which he has
purchased with his blood, and to take away the life which he
had in us. How many hearts are guilty of raurder in the
aight of God ! How raany, which are at least a prison, where
Jesus Christ is detained captive !
40. When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do
unto those husbandmen? 41. They say unto him. He will miserably
destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other hus
bandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.
Jews and wicked Christians shall both be terribly punished;
but the latter so rauch the more severely, aa the gifts they
have received are more excellent, and their ingratitude more
abominable. If the first coming of Christ, which was all
grace and mercy, proved so fatal to the Jews, by reason of
their incredulity, how terrible will his second, consisting all
of juatice and vengeance, be to auch Christians as have not
lived according to their faith? Faith, without the fruita of

CHAPTER XXL 265
it, distinguishes the Christian from the Jew, to no other end
but his condemnation. We must render these fruits in their
season, and that season lasts all our life.
. SECT. VI. — THE CORNER-STONE.
42. Jesus saith unto them. Did ye never read in the Scriptures, The
stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the
corner : this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes ?
They had read these words, but with a veil over their eyes,
which hindered them frora perceiving Jesus Christ, and their
own heinous crime therein. What wonders should we dis
cover in the Scripturea, if the corruption of our heart did not
draw a veil like theirs over our eyes ! . How admirable would
Chriat appear to us in them, if %e had but an earnest desire
to find him there ! This passage contains an abridgment of
the whole knowledge of Jesus Christ: (1.) He is the work
manship of God by way of eminence. (2.) He was rejected,
humbled, and crucified by the Jews. (3.) Raised again by
his Father. (4.) Constituted the head and foundation of the
church. (5.) Made the cement and union of its members,
and the peace of Jews and Gentiles. (6.) Rendered the ob
ject of the joy and admiration of the faithful, — an object which
ought continually to employ them here, and which will yield
them eternal happineaa hereafter.
43. Therefore say I unto you. The kingdom of God shall be taken from
you, and given to a nation* bringing forth the frui ts thereof. [* Fi; people.]
What we see here, in this just rejection of the Jews, and
merciful calling of the Gentiles, is fulfilled every day in par
ticular persons. Let not those, who seem the most forsaken,
despair, any more than the Gentiles, of the mercy of God.
Let not those, whom he has favoured the most, be too much
exalted thereby ; but let them fear the miaerable lot of the
choaen and beloved people. None but a God could, with ao
much freedom and resolution, pronounce on hia enemiea the
sentence of their condemnation. He who did it must needs
have a great desire to die. And it was his earnest zeal to do
his Father's will, and to form his chosen people, which kindled
this desire in hia heart. Chriat answers for the fidelity of his
Vol. L— 23

266 MATTHEW.
people, who are his members ; because he will himaelf engrave
his laws upon their minds, and write them in their hearts.
For it is he who produces in them, by his grace; the fruitS'
which they bring forth by their will. Lord, since by thy
mercy I am of the number of thy people, do thou causS me
to bring forth the fruits of the kingdom of God.
44. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken : but on
whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
All the vain efforts of Christ's enemies, while he was on
earth, served only to the establishment of his designs, and to
the confusion of all thoae who oppoaed them. But how dread
ful will it be,, when the atorma of his vengeance shall fall upon
the enemies of his kingdom and glory, after his resurrection,,
and at his second coming ! They who, being scandalized at
the humiliations of the Son of God, and the ignominy of the
cross, rejected him before his resurrection, are those who fell
on thia atone, and were broken ; but yet had opportunities^ of
being converted, after the deacent of the Holy Ghost. But
as for those who, after the glory of his resurrection, and the
miraculous effects of the Holy Ghost in the establishment of
the church, continued still obdurate, this stone, lifted up to
heaven, fell upon them at the destruction of Jerusalem ; and
will again fall upon them at his last coming, and grind them
to powder.
45. And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables,
they perceived that he spake of them.
The word of Jesus Christ darts light aometimes into the
heart of the wicked, but such light as blinds and hardens'
them the raore. The raost wholesome advice paaaes for an
affront with thoae who have shut their hearts against the
truth. When that which should incline men to repentance
does only kindle the flame of spite and revenge, there is no
more hope of salvation, without a very extraordinary grace.
46. But when they sought to lay hands on hinI, they feared the multi
tude, because they took him for a prophet.
He who abstains from evil, only through fear of punish
ment, commits it in his heart, and is already guilty before
God. Men are apt' to fear those who can kill the body ; but

CHAPTER XXIL 26r
they fear not him who can destroy both body and soul
eternally. A true pastor fears nothing but God, when his
glory is concerned; a hireling fears every thing, except him
whom only he ought to fear.

CHAPTER XXII.
SECT. I. — THE PARABLE OF THB MARRIAGE-FEAST. — THE
WEDDING GARMENT.
1. And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and
said, 2. The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made
a marriage for his son.
The Jews were the first who were called to the belief of
the incarnation, wherein Jeaua Chriat espoused the human
nature and the church. He chooaea the moat strict, tender,
fruitful, and most inviolable of all alliances, to make ua com
prehend how intimate and advantageoua to the Christian soul
that union is, which God is pleased to have with it in his
Son, by faith and charity. What may we not expect from a
royal alliance! For what raay we not hope from a divine
union !
3. And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the
wedding : and they would not come.
The law, the prophets, and the gospel are but so many
different invitations to the wedding of Jesus Christ, to the
belief and fruits of his incarnation. By these nuptials, which
are yet only begun, the creature ia already become one spirit
and one heart with God; how then will it be, when, thia mar
riage being consummated, he will admit the creature to a par
ticipation of all his treasure, perfect his charity in it, and
make it live eternally for himself! This union with God is
contracted very freely ; and no man can be forced or necessi
tated to it ; for it is an immediate union of will to will, of
heart to heart ; and it is by willing and consenting, that we
come to God and Jesus Christ.
4. Again, he sent forth other servants, saying. Tell them which are

268 MATTHEW.
bidden. Behold, 1 have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings
are killed, and all things are ready : come unto the marriage.
God's patience is not wearied by the denial and resistance
of man's heart. He aeema as earnestly desirous of uniting it
to himself, as if some great advantage would accrue to him
thereby ; whereas in truth he finds nothing in it but poverty,
misery, and corruption ; and, on the contrary, the heart finda
in him wisdom, holiness, greatness, richea, and all things
which make a perfect, infinite, and incomprehenaible felicity.
Jesus Christ is himself the true victim of God, slain for ua,
to which we are invited, and of which we ought to partake,
the aacrifice of the Christian covenant, and the marriage-
feaat and banquet ; and it is by eating of it that thia union ia
completed, — here under the veil of the aacrament, but in heaven
openly and without any veil.
5. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm,
another to his merchandise : 6. And the remnant took his servants, and
entreated them spitefully, and slew them.
There are three aorta of states, wherein men run the risk
of living in a continual forgetfulness and neglect of salvation.
The first, ia that of a aoft, idle, and voluptuoua life, wherein
a man thinka of nothing, but quietly to enjoy life, health,
richea, conveniencea, good cheer, public diveraiona, and pri
vate pleasures. Thia ia the life of a man of fortune and plea
sure. The second state of life, is that of a man entirely taken
up with worldly business, merchandise, the public revenues,
or any gainful employment, in which the love of riches, and
application to the means of acquiring thera, generally stifle
all thoughts of salvation, and engross all that time which
should be set apart for the prosecution of it. The third
state, is that of men openly unjuat, violent, and outrageously
wicked, who are ainners as it were by profession, in the
face of the world, and who not only neglect their salva
tion, but are incensed against all those who exhort them
to raind it, and impartially declare to them the truth.
Permit ua not. Lord,, ever to be forgetful of thee in any
state, or to be engaged in such as are inconsistent with
ealvation !

CHAPTER XXIL 269
7. But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth : and he sent forth
his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
God, either sooner or later, takes vengeance on men for
their contempt of his word and truth, and for their injurious
treatment of his ministers. The punishment of the Jews, by
the destruction of Jeruaalem, which is here prefigured, ia it
self but a figure and shadow of the punishment of Christians.
Death, which to the saints is the beginning of their happi
ness, to the reprobate is the beginning of the eternal ven
geance of God. The city of this present world, which they
make their earthly paradise, is then burnt up and destroyed
as to them.
8. Then saith he to his servants. The wedding is ready, but they which
were bidden were not worthy.
The substitution of the Gentiles in the room of the Jews,
denotes to us another substitution much more to be dreaded.
Grace is often taken away from a wicked Chriatian, and given
to others. No person ia excluded from the feast, except he
be unworthy; though no man is of himself worthy to be
admitted to it. Deplorable was the blindness of the Jews,
who knew not the feast which was prepared for them; but
rapre deplorable is that of a Christian, [professor,] who, after
having tasted and fed deliciously on it, loathes and nauseates
it, and leavea it, to return to hia vomit.
9. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find,
bid to the marriage. 10. So those servants went out into the highways,
and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good :
and the wedding was furnished with guests.
There is no respect of persons in the business of salvation.
All sorts of ainners are invited to it, Jews and Gentiles, and
the poor who have no settled abode, more than the rich and
great ones of the world. The church ia everywhere repre
sented as visible, and containing both good and bad, righteous
and wicked, united together by the participation of the same
sacraments. Abundance of Christiana are present at the
table of the eucharistical feast, who will never be seen at the
eternal table of God. Let us tremble at the thought !
11. f And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a
man which had not on a wedding garment: 12. And he saith unto him,
23*

270 MATTHEW.
Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment ? And
he was speechless.
Let every man learn from hence, to examine and judge
himself, and to abstain from the holy table, until he has put
on the wedding-garment ; conformably to the apostle's injunc
tion, which Christ authorizes so long before by thia parable. .
Thua we may -prevent thia dreadful aeparation, which will cer
tainly be followed by an eternal excommunication. It is by
faith that we come to the wedding-feast; it ia by charity
which is the life, and by good works which are the fruits of
faith, that we are qualified to eat the flesh of the Lamb, and
to receive nourishment from it. Among a thousand unworthy
communicantSj perhapa there ia but one, whose conscience up
braids him after this manner. How camest thou in hither?
Happy ia he, if amended thereby. No answer can be made
at the tribunal of God. The confusion arising from sin, and
the conscience of the sinner, will stop his mouth.
13. Then said the king to the servants. Bind him hand and foot, and
take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weep
ing and gnashing of teeth.
See here the sad state and total interdiction of a damned
soul. No more feet to run to God's, mercy, or to flee frpm
his justice. No more, hands to do good, or to make any amends
for evil. No more light whereby to know God or his own
duty. Nothing but darkness, pain, grief, tears, rage, fury,
and despair remains for those who are cast out from the wed
ding-feast. This ia the fruit of ain, and eapecially of the
abuse of faith, grace, and the holy communion.
14. For many are called, but few are chosen.
Many are called by the law of nature, by the written law,
and by the preaching of the goapel; but few are there who
come in by faith; few among theae who live by faith; and
few, even of these laat, who persevere in the life of faith.
The elect are not known until the separation is made. One
single reprobate cast out represents all the rest. God some
times manifests his justice on a sinner, even in this world,
on purpose to awaken all others ; with whora he either bears,
in expectation of their repentance, or whom he reserves for

CHAPTER XXIL 271
the torments of hell. Let us strive to be of the amall
number. SECT. II. — GOD AND CESAR.
15. Tf Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might en
tangle him in his talk.
The devil's ministers, like himself, retire only for a while;
but never lay aside the deaign of destroying virtuous people.
Of all wicked persons, the envious are the least diacouraged
at disappointments. The good and pious ought strictly to
watch over their words, because the world ia alwaya vigilant
to raake them aerve ita interests or paaaiona. Set a watch,
0 Lord, upon my mouth, and secure it from being surprised
either by the devil, or the world, or my own corrupt desirea !
16. And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians,
saying. Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God
in truth, neither carest thou for any man : for thou regardest not the
person of men.
The praisea of the world are full of snares : he who loves
them, lovea temptation; and to love it, ia to be willing to
perish. The wicked scarcely ever make any other use of
good, but only to promote their malicious designs. Real
enemiea and falae friends take advantage very often of the
good qualities which they discover in us, so as to raake ua act
indiscreetly, and to put ua upon imprudent measures. The
fidelity which an ecclesiastical person owes to his ministry,
banishes all fear of men from hia mind ; but agrees very well
with Christian prudence, which is neither rash nor insensible.
There are some regards which proceed from timorousness,
ambition, and complaisance, but there are also others, which
spring from charity, discretion, and prudence.
17. Tell us therefore. What thinkest thou ? Is it lawful to give tribute
imto Cesar, or not?
It ia one of the common artifices of ill men', to set the
spiritual and temporal powers at variance if possible; to en
gage princes in the disputes about doctrine and religion ; and
to find some meana to render thoae odious whom they design'
to ruin. When the enemies of truth are undeniably con
vinced, their last shift is to make their adversaries pass for

272 MATTHEW.
persons disaffected to the state, and to cry out against them
aa a faction. We rauat be aure not to give any occaaion for
thia charge, but muat avoid even the leaat appearance of de
serving it.
18. But Jesus perceived their vrickedness, and said. Why tempt ye
me, ye hypocrites ?
They know but little of Christ, to whora the very bottom
of the heart is open, who hope to conceal the wickedness of
it from him. It ia of great advantage to expose the designs
of hypocrites, and to cover them with shame in order to ren
der their calumnies ineffectual. We ought not to auffer the
mask of piety, and a false love of truth, to remain on those
who take it with no other design but to obstruct truth and
piety itself.
19. Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny.
20. And he saith unto them. Whose is this image and superscription ?
Nothing but the wisdom of God can teach ua to avoid the
snares of men, without wounding truth or justice, without in
teresting our own passions, and without flattering or provok
ing those of others. When we raake the divine truth and
wisdom the standard of our words, we then weigh them as we
ought. Christ seems not to know the tribute money: (1.) To
recommend to us a contempt of riches. (2.) To show, that
he did not concern himself about secular affairs. (3.) To
confound his enemies by their own answer.
21 They say unto him, Cesar's. Then saith he unto them. Render
therefore unto Cesar the things which are Cesar's ; and unto God the
things that are God's.
This is an answer full of wisdora, which establishes the
liraita, regulatea the rights, and distinguishes the jurisdiction
of the two erapires of heaven and earth, of the spiritual and
temporal powers. The image of princes stamped on their
coin, denotes that temporal things belong all to their govern
ance ; and the image of God imprinted on the aoul of man,
teachea that whatever use he makes either of himself or of
the creatures, ought to be referred to God. Respect, sub
mission, dependence, and obedience to sovereign princea, as
to whatever ia temporalj being part of the divine law, we can-

CHAPTER XXIL 273
not pay them aa we ought in the aight of God, but by doing
it heartily, and on a principle of love. Princea being more
the iraages of God than other raen, ought also to render to
God whatever they receive from men, by directing it all to
his glory.
22. When they had heard these Words, they marvelled, and left him,
and went their way.
They cannot forbear admiring hira, and yet they cannot
persuade themselves to love him; the hardness of their heart
resists the light of their understanding. Thua worldly per
sona admire good preachera, praise good men, and approve
good actions, through a kind of natural integrity of heart;
but yet are not converted for all this.
SECT. III. — THE RESURRECTION, AND ANGELICAL STATE.
23. f The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there
is no resurrection, and asked him.
One temptation succeeds another. It is not to be expected
that the devil should let those rest who boldly attack him,
and labour to destroy his kingdom. He uses his utmost en
deavours to render the preaching, miraclea, and whole mission
of Christ ineffectual, by overturning the very foundation of
all — the belief of the reaurrection. Few persons openly deny
it ; the generality live as if they did not believe it.
24. Saying, Master, Moses said. If a man die, having no children, his
brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.
In this was a flgure of Christ, who waa fruitful only after
he was dead, and even by his death itself. The apostle?, as
being his brethren according to the human nature, raise up
children; who therefore all bear hia name, and not theirs.
The expectation of the Messias, and the desire of having a
share in his birth according to the flesh, which waa the chief
ambition of the Jews,, gave' occasion to thia law. But now we
have a ahare in hia birth, by faith and the Spirit ; and raore
perfectly by the barrenneaa of virginity, than by the fruitful-
ness of marriage.
25. Now there were with us seven brethren : and the flrst, when he
had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto
S

274 , MATTHEW.
his brother : 26. Likewite the second also, and the third, unto the seventh.
27. And last of all the woman died also. 28. Therefore in the resurrec
tion whose wife shall she be of the seven ? for they all had her.
Sensualists fear thd" loaa of carnal pleaaures in the other
world. They are always mistaken, either in referring to the
present life the truths of the other, or in entertaining dis
honourable notions of this last, and applying to it those mys
teries and truths which belong to the church here below, and
to the forming of the mystical body of Christ. The devil
amuses men with cares suited to their inclinations. Curious
questions are a dangerous temptation in the church, and pro
duce libertines therein. The truths of the resurrection of the
body, and of the immortality of the soul, disturb and perplex
these men the most, and therefore they attack them on every
side, and by all the ways imaginable.
29. Jesus answered and said unto them. Ye do err, not knowing the
. Scriptures, nor the power of God. t
Let us be sure not to judge of God, of his designs, and of
his works, by the power of reason alone ; this is to derogate
nature, from the infinity of his being, and the incomprehensi
bility of his greatness. There are two causes of the opposi
tion of men to the truths of Christianity. The first is, in
that they do not sufficiently understand the Scriptures for
want of due application, zeal, faith, reverence, and humility;
they will not frequent the school of God, in order to learn
that which he vouchsafes to teach them concerning himself
The second, which flowa from the former, is, in that they
frame to themselves too mean an idea of hia greatneaa, holi
neaa, and power over his creatures ; of his wiadom, conduct,
and designs concerning his elect; and of that eternal hfe
which he bestows on his saints, in himself, without any human
means. It is a very great temerity to pretend to measure the
eternal and infinite reaaon, and the omnipotency of the Crea
tor, by the weak and corrupt reason of the creature.
^ 30. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in mar
riage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.
All the alliances and unions here on earth are tokens and
effects of man's indigence and mortality. When once he shall

CHAPTER XXIL 275
enter into eternity, where all his desires will be aatisfied, all
hia wants supplied, and his mortality swallowed up in glory;
then all unions and societies shall be lost in the union and
society with God. The less intercourse and union we have
with the creature, the more have we with the Creator. Happy
is that soul, which, even in thia world, begins the life of an
gels, by separating itself from every thing, that it may live
only to God, and for him alone as hia apouae ! Charity can
render us like to angels in spirit ; virginity only makes ua re
semble them in body as well as spirit.
31. But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that
which was spoken unto you by God, saying, 32. I am the God of Abra
ham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob 1 God is not the God
of the dead, but of the living.
God, who is the God, that is, the bountiful, magnificent,
and almighty Rewarder of the righteous — whom he recom
penses in proportion to his own love and their fidelity — de
clared to Moses, long after the death of Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob, that he was even then their God in this sense, and in
a manner altogether peculiar. Now, if they were not present
with God, and in his sight, any more than they were preaent
with men, he could not style himself their God in so particular
a manner. For the advantages they received on earth were
not sufficient to verify this divine promise in respect of them.
And therefore it is absolutely necessary that they should
enjoy another life, and that their souls, which still subsist,
should one day be reunited to their bodies, to receive in them
such advantage as raay make it evident that God is their
God, and their reward in a most extraordinary manner.
33. And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his
doctrine. God permits the infidelity of some, for the instruction and
edification of othera ; the offences taken by the world, for the
trial and manifestation of those who belong to him ; and here
sies, for the greater illustration of the truth. The doctrine
of the church, when cleared and explained by holy men, ap
pears the more admirable the more odious heretics have en
deavoured to render it to the people. Thus God knows how

276 MATTHEW.
to bring good out of evil, light out of darkness, and to discover
the lustre of truth through the cloud which the wickedness of
false teachers has cast upon it.
SECT.' IV. — THE LOVE OF GOD AND OF OUR NEIGHBOUR.
34. If But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees
to silence, they were gathered together.
Those who are powerful in wickedness are alwaya striving
to succeed better in it than others. The admiration of the
people, and the putting the Sadduccees to silence, instead of
discouraging envy, excite and stir it up. A wicked man takes
no joy in the mortification of one enemy, when another more
odious is exalted thereby, and thinks of nothing but how to
deprive the last of the advantage he has gained.
35. Then one of them which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempt
ing him, and saying, 36. Master, which is the great commandment in
the law ?
We see here three kinda of enemiea and false accusers of
Christ and his diaciplea, and three sorts of accusations brought
against them, which are to the latter so many occasions of
temptation: (1.) The Herodians, or the politicians and cour-
tiera, who form their accuaation on the righta of the prince,
and on mattera of atate, (v. 16.) (2.) The Sadducees, or the
heretics and libertines, who build theirs upon the foundation
of religion and faith, (v. 23.) (3.) The Pharisees, or the loose
casuists and pretenders to devotion, who ground theirs upon
raorality, and chiefly upon the love of God, in this place.
37. Jesus said unto him. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all
thy heart, and wiUi all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
If to love God with all the heart be to seek, adhere to, and
rest in him alone, for his own sake ; and to seek, adhere to,
and take pleasure in nothing, but only so far as it is conform
able to his will, aa it may be referred to his glory, or be use
ful to our own aalvation, to that of our neighbour, or to the
good of the church, — we may then be aaaured, that the number
of those who love God from the bottom of their heart is much
smaller than we imagine. There must be no thoughta nor
deaigns in the mind, no desirea nor motiona in the will, no

CHAPTER XXIL 277
business nor actions in the life, but what must have the love
of God for their principle, and his glory for their end.
38. This is the flrst and great commandment.
The greatest sins are those which are committed against the
love of God, because this is the first and great commandment.
And it is so: (1.) In antiquity, being as old as the world, and
engraven in our very nature. (2.) In dignity, as directly and
immediately respecting God. (3.) In excellence, being the
commandment of the new covenant, and the spirit of the
divine adoption. (4.) In justice, because it alone rendera to
God hia due, prefers him before all things, and secures to hira
his proper rank in relation to them. (5.) In sufficiency, being
sufficient of itself to make men holy in this life, and happy in
the other. (6.) In fruitfulness, because it includes all the
other commandments, and is the root of them all. (7.) In
virtue and efficacy, because by this alone God reigns in the
heart of man, and man is united to God. (8.) In extent, leav
ing nothing to the creature which it does not refer to the
Creator. (9.) In necessity, being indispensable. (10.) In
duration, aa being never to be discontinued on earth, and to
continue eternally in heaven. How then, my God, can any
one forbear loving thee ? yet how can any one poasibly love
thee, unless thou thyself vouchsafest to inspire this love into
him? 39. And the second is like unto it. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as
thyself. The love of our neighbour ia found in the love of Gfld, aa
in its principle, pattern, and end ; and the love of God is re
ciprocally found in the love of our neighbour, as in its effect,
representation, and infallible mark. We take nothing from
God when we love our neighbour for his sake. To love him
as ourselves, is to love him as we ought to love ourselves, in
obaerving the order of charity ; and not aa we love ouraelvea
when we follow our own irregular inclination. It is but one
and the same love, which loves God in our neighbour, and our
neighbour for God's sake, when we desire that his name may
be hallowed, that his kingdom may come, and that his will
Vol. L— 24

278' MATTHEW.
may be done in our neighbour after the same manner that we
deaire it for ouraelvea.
40. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
The Scripture containa and commands nothing but charity.
How extensive soever our external performance of the divine
law may be, we always transgress a part of it when we per
form it not for God's sake ; because, by this neglect, we fail
in the observation of the great precept concerning loving^ him,
which is included in every part of his law. This double pre
cept, concerning the love of God and of our neighbour, is the
summary of all the divine and positive commandments, the
Compendious direction and way to salvation, the Bible of the
simple and ignorant, and the book which even the raost learned
will never thoroughly understand in this life.
SECT. V. — CHRIST THE SON AND LORD OF DAVID.
41. Tf While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,
42. Saying, What think ye of Christ ? whose son is he ? They say unto
him. The. son of David.
Jesus here asks a question in hia turn, not to tempt, but to
instruct his disciples ; to confound the obstinate,yto point out
the source of all their captious questions, namely, their igno
rance of the prophecies which foretold the Messiaa ; to furnish
hia church with weapona against the Jews in all ages ; and,
by this laat public instruction, to establish the truth of his
divinity, incarnation, power, and kingdora, as the foundation
of all religion.
43. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord,
saying, 44. The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,
till I make thine enemies thy footstool ? 45. If David then call him. Lord,
how is he his son ?
This psalm appears to he a prophecy concerning the Mes
sias, by the explication of Christ himself, from the confession
of hia enemies, and according to the general opinion of those
times. We herein find sufficient proof of the divinity of
Christ the son of David, not in the manner in which the Jews
understood it, but as David had foretold it by the Holy Ghost :
Christ being at the same time the Son of God, equal to him

CHAPTER XXIIL 279
in power, and heir of all things. His kingdom will not have
its full consummation till all his enemies are destroyed, and
especially sin and death.
46. And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any
man from that day forth ask him any more questions.
Truth at length triumphs through the wisdom and word of
Christ ; but the defender of it will, notwithstanding, be op
pressed in the sight of men. An important instruction this,
to teach us not to judge of truth by what those who defend
it suffer. The raore triumphant it is by their ministry, the
more they must expect to suffer and be humbled, in order to
counterbalance their vanity, to render them conformable to
Christ, to purify thera frora huraan infirmities, to make them
capable of a greater reward, and to show that it is not by the
endeavours of raen that truth gains a triumph, but by the
God of truth itaelf.

CHAPTER XXIIL
SECT. I. — THE CHAIR OF MOSES. — PROUD RABBINS.
1. Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, 2. Saying,
The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses" seat :
Let us learn to look always with respect on Christ and his
authority, even in the most imperfect of his ministers. The
doctrine of truth which God has placed in the church, loses
Nothing of ita value by the ill lives of ita ministers. That
which proceeds from their corrupt will belongs indeed to
them, and must be rejected; but the truth and authority
which they have from Christ and his apostles belong to God,
and ought to be inviolable. The faith is not built upon the
lives of pastors, but upon the visible authority of the church,
which warrants nothing but what she has received from Jeaua
Christ by the hand of the apoatlea and their successors.
3. All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do;
but do not ye after their works : for they say, and do not.
It is a very great delusion for men to reject good doctrine.

280 MATTHEW.
to refuae obedience, and not to improve by inatruction, under
pretence of the ill conduct of their paators. If these are
more to be condemned for exposing the simple to this tempta*
tion, they are not, however, the leaa to be believed on thia
account when they teach sound doctrine. See here the ad
mirable providence of God, who has been pleased to make the
authority which is to be followed more visible, than the bad
example which is to be avoided ; to this end, that the faith
and salvation of the illiterate might not depend either on dis
quisitions whereof they are not capable, or on the ill example
of some paatora, which raight poaaibly draw them away, if
they had not a viaible and standing rule by which they may
and ought to judge of their manners. Let ua not without
neceaaity aearch into the livea of our paators; nor approve
thera when they are raanifestly disorderly. The first mark
of the irregular life of a paator ia, hia not living according to
thoae evangelical maxima which he teachea.
4. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay
them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with
one of their flngers.
The aecond mark of the corruption of a paator is, his being
severe to othera and indulgent to himself. That which is
grievous only to corrupt nature, when left to its own weak
ness, is not the heavy burden of which Christ speaks in this
place, but that which a pharisaical severity or indiscreet igno
rance imposes on the weak, contrary either to the letter or to
the spirit of the gospel. Repentance seems not impossible to
any but the impenitent; nor the holy rigour of the gospel
grievous to be borne, except only to carnal and aenaual minds.
The yoke of it is easy and the burden light, when God in
clines a man to bear thera, by inspiring the love of mor
tification, and the spirit of repentance. They who preach
repentance to othera, and do not perform it themaelvea, ren
der thia yoke more heavy, and the necessity of it less credible.
Nothing is a better proof that it is not impossible, than to see
it practised by those who recomraend it. Gentleneaa, dis
cretion, and a good example, are necessary qualifications of
a pastor.

CHAPTER XXIIL 281
5. But all their works they do for to be seen of men : they make broad
their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments.
The third mark of a pastor's irregular life is, when he
affects to appear righteous, and a great observer of the law,
as the Pharisees did, in wearing larger phylacteries, or borders
of parchment, in which the words of the law were written, and
longer fringes, which were a mark of distinction from the
Gentiles, or a sign of greater piety. There is a medium be
tween a humility which would hide, and a vanity which would
make a ahow of every thing ; we rauat endeavour to find it.
A paator owea an example ; but it is an example of humility,
as much, and more than of any thing else. A man must have
the love of the law engraven in his heart, to be a true observer
of it in the sight of God. An exactness without ostentation,
and works the sole end of which is God, are the things
whereby the people must be edified. He who labours only to
gain the eateem of men, has nothing to expect from God but
the puniahment of his vanity. Singularity in dress is sus
picious and blamable; but raodesty is no part of singularity,
how singular soever the torrent of vanity and extravagance
may make it appear.
6. And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the
synagogues. The fourth sign that a pastor's life is not regular is, when
he loves to have the chief place. For it ia one certain mark
of a Pharisee to be always desirous of distinguishing himself
from others, either in the sacred ministry, or in the conversa
tion of civil life. A man may take the first place when it is
due to his dignity or rank ; he ought sometimes to take it,
that he may not give up a right with which he is only in
trusted; and he may likewise accept it when offered by
civility; but he raust never seek it, or be greatly dehghted
with it, out of a love of preference.
7. And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men. Rabbi, Rabbi.
The fifth mark of a pastor's irregularity is, his loving pub
lic honours. The sixth and last, his being vainly pleased with
great names and titles. It is a misfortune to weak and im
perfect Christians, to be in a rank and station to which some
24*

282 MATTHEW.
extraordinary honours are affixed. They are puffed up when
they receive them ; provoked when they are not given ; they
require them with haughtiness, possess them with fondness,
defend them with heat, lose them with grief and regret, and
pursue the recovery of them with greediness and fierceness.
SECT. II. — GOD THE ONLY FATHER, CHRIST THE ONLY MASTER.
8. But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ;
and all ye are brethren.
The church ia the only achool of truth, where Jesus Christ
alone teaches it. He only is the Master — men are but hia
ministers or servants. It ia their mouth indeed which opens,
their tongue which speaks, their words which are heard ; but
the doctrine which they teach is his, they find it in his word,
by his authority they preach it, and by his Spirit it is learned
and understood. God'a truth and word are an inheritance
common to all the brethren. He who would seize it to his
own advantage or honour, and deprive hia brethren of the use
of it, is a usurper of the patrimony of the church. Pastors
ought to preach the word with the charity and raeekneas, and
the faithful to hear it with the concord and unity, of brethren ;
for "all ye are brethren."
9. And call no man your father upon the earth : for one is your Father^
which is in heaven.
The church is one faraily, of which God alone is the Father;
from whom all the children, begotten by his word and Spirit,
receive a new life. No man partakes of God's quality of
Father, but only so far as he partakes of hia power, authority,
and charity, to breed up children for hira, according to the
order of nature, of civil life, and of grace.
10. Neither be ye called masters : for one is your master, even Christ.
A true Chriatian should hearken only to Christ ih his word
and ministers ; an humble pastor desires to be heard, only as
the disciple of this Teacher, and the servant of this Maater.
Jesus Christ is the sole Teacher of righteousness, foretold by
the prophets ; because he alone is the internal Master, who,
being the word, light, and eternal truth, illuminates every
created mind, and discovers all truth; and who, as Savibur-

CHAPTER XXIIL 283
and Deliverer, speaks to the heart by his Spirit, and teaches
it the truth by causing it to love it.
11. But hg that is greatest among you shall be your servant.
Humility preserves the graces we have received; charity
raakes them subservient to the good of our neighbour. All
conditions in the world are not equal ; and even in the sacred
ministry there are different degrees ; but humility either ren
ders all equal in God's sight, or places below others those who
were above them. When a man possesses greatness only to
enjoy it himself, and to place his felicity therein, he possesses
it as a heathen. When he receives it with confusion, and a
sense of his own unworthiness, and looks on it as a means of
serving others, he then possesses it as a Christian. All ad
vancement is dangerous ; because nothing is so necessary, and
yet so rare and uncommon a thing, as humility.
12. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased ; and he that
shall humble himself shall be exalted.
Humility is the certain way to substantial greatness ; abase
ment, the unavoidable punishment of pride. According to
the preceding words, a man exalts himself, and deserves to
be abased, when, being in a high station, he neglects to abase
himself by a true humility of heart, and to make his great
ness serviceable to his neighbour, according to God's design ;
how much more then does he exalt himaelf, and deserve to be
abased, when he ambitiously seeks honours, and endeavours
to raise himself to the higheat prefermenta ! Here ia matter
sufficient in this place to comfort those who are humbled,
either by their own virtue, or by the pride of others ; but
there is likewise enough to make everybody tremble ; humility
being so strange and unsupportable a thing to those who are
in the highest, and so difficult even to those who are in the
lowest condition. SECT. III. — HYPOCRITICAL TEACHERS.
13. If But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites I for ye
shut up the kingdom of heaven against men : for ye neither go in your
selves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
As Jesus Christ has delivered eight beatitudes, so he pro-

284 MATTHEW.
nouncea here as many woes against hypocrites. Having now
no manner of reaaon to treat these men gently, to whom, as
persons abandoned to their own blindnesa, he deaigna to apeak
no more, he here diacovera their envy and hypocri'ay, that he
raay hinder them from being hurtful to othera. Strange cor
ruption ! that men, obliged by their atate and profession to
promote the knowledge and love of Christ, should do the quite
contrary, by decrying those who are employed in his work,
and amusing souls with unprofitable and superstitious prac
tices. It is a great sin in any Christian whatever, out of
envy, thua to oppoae the salvation of souls, and the designs
of God concerning them ; but it ia one of the greateat causes
of malediction on envioua and hypocritical miniatera. If it be
a great misfortune, not to enter into the kingdom of heaven;
it is the greatest of all, to hinder others also from entering;
They hinder others from entering, who decry good men who
might serve as guides ; who dispense with the exercises of re
pentance, which is the gate ; and weaken the rules of the gos
pel, which ia the way thither.
14. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! for ye devour
vridows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer : therefore ye shall
receive the greater damnation.
Avarice and hypocriay very aeldom go apart in eccleaiasti
cal persons. When their heart is once corrupted by them,
the more wealth they heap together, the greater treasure of
wrath they lay up for themselves. Will widows never learn
to mistrust hypocrites ? Give to hospitals, to prisons, to those
who are ashamed to ask, and above all to poor relations: this
is the way to avoid the snares of such as are only pretenders
to devotion, but who are really devoted to nothing but their
own interest.
15. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! for ye compass
sea and land to make one proselyte ; and when he is made, ye make him
twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
Vanity and false zeal often cover themselves under the pre
tence of God's glory. We must carefully endeavour to' dis
cern those who seek their own; but we must not judge of
them without evidence, or without utility. One single soul.

CHAPTER XXIIL 285
redeeraed by Chviat, well deserves the utmost pains of the hiost
considerable ministers of the church. Endeavours of this
nature are sometimes the sacrifice of a perfect charity, some
times the effort of a complete hypocrisy. It is a matter of
the last importance, to take care not to put any cdnfidence in
a seducer, whose maxims and example can serve only to cor
rupt the heart the raore. The false raaxiras, prejudices, and
calumnies of ^some spiritual directors, do generally pass into
their disciples, and take deeper root in their minda; which
renders them more blamable, instead of excusing them.
16. Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say. Whosoever shall swear
by the teraple, it is nothing ; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of
the temple, he is a debtor !
The covetous man always gives the preference to the object
of hia lust ; gold has still the first place in his heart. That
person's zeal is more than to be suspected, who recommends
those good works most from which he receives most advantage.
A man ought to take great care to purify his intention, and
to secure himself from the least suspicion of acting by motives
of interest, when he solicits offerings, foundations, .gifts to the
church, etc., which he must not do, but when there is a ne
cessity for them.
17. Ye fools and blind : for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple
that sanctifieth the gold ?
Jesus Christ gives covetous ecclesiastics particularly, the
names of fools and blind, because it is the raost apparent
blindness of mind, and the most deplorable corruption of
heart, to make religion subaervient to avarice, to value that
moat in it which it teaches them most to despise, and to forra
all their notions of it according to their own irregular desires.
In all true religion, the temple is the fountain of the sanctity
'which is therein: in the Jewish, the temple where God was
present; in the Christian, Jesus Christ the true temple,
wherein the fulness of the Godhead dwells, from whence
every thing which is offered to God, and even the heart which
offers it, receives its sanctification ; in the religion of heaven,
"the Lord God Almighty, and the Lamb, who are the temple"
of glory, and the source of conaummate holineaa. (Rev. xxi. 22.)

286 MATTHEW.
18. And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing ; but who
soever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.
A blind casuist is guilty of four sins : The first consists in
authorizing irreligious oaths, and disserabling the abuse of
them. The second, in turning both to his own advantage.
The third, in dispensing with an obligation of divine right.
And the fourth, in overturning the order of religion and the
duties of it, and confounding the notions thereof. A casuist
ought to be entirely free frora worldly interest, thoroughly
instructed in religion, and extremely cautious how he invades
the least of God's rights; without these qualifications he
ruins all.
19. Ye fools and blind : for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar
that sanctifieth the gift ?
Every victim is sanctified by the altar. The person of the
Word, to whom the holy humanity of Christ was united, is as
it were a divine altar, which not only aanctifiea the victim,
but also renders it divine and adorable. It is the business
of faith to discover in this general maxim the foundation of
the church's religion and worship, which consists in adoring
God by Jesus Christ. Nothing is worthy of God but what
is sanctified by this altar; nothing should be offered to him
which has not been purified, elevated, and consecrated, by its
union with Christ. It is by the faith and charity of the heart
which makes the offering, that this union is made, — this is
that which we must always endeavour to establish and perfect
in souls.
20. Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by
all things thereon. 21. And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth
by it, and hy him that dwelleth therein. 22. And he that shall swear by
heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.
We must be careful, not to swear even by the creaturcK.
They are more or less holy, in proportion to the relation
which they have to God ; and the oath is so much the more
criminal, as it more profanes the holiness of which they pai
take. Would to God we could never look on the creatures,
without considering their relation to the Creator, how much
of his perfections he communicates to them, how he is present

CHAPTER XXIIL 287
in them, the use which he would make of them, and which he
would have us raake for his service, and the circumspection
and regard with whioh we ought to do it.
SECT. IV. — THE GNAT AND CAMEL. — OUTSIDE OF THE CUP. —
WHITED SEPULCHRES.
23. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! for ye pay tithe
of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters
of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done,
and not to leave the other undone.
To be exact in little external things, and to omit such as
are essential to religion and piety, what is this but to deceive
ourselves ? The devil has more than one sort of snares. He
has some for the licentious; and some also for the devout.
Unhappy is that man who rests aecure in a vain and con
ceited exactness about the niceties of devotion, instead of ap
plying himself to his proper duties, to the reformation of his
heart, and to the faithful observation of justice and charity
toward his neighbour, and of whatever faith and religion re
quire toward God, — this is a kind of delusion more dangerous
to some souls than an open temptation to sin.
24. Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.
See here the false tenderness of conscience, which serves
only to nourish pride and vanity, and to deceive the sinner
by an appearance of good. One man is extremely concerned
at the omission of a prayer, or of some arbitrary practice,
which he has imposed on himself, who takes no care to correct
his vicious habits of anger, evil-speaking, lying, slandering,
luxury, immodesty, and the like. Another would not take
from his neighbour the value of a gnat or fiy, who robs the
poor of a sum or heap as big as a camel, by his covetousneaa,
vam expenaea, UI use of ecclesiastical revenues, etc.
25. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make
clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full
of extortion and excess.
The heart ia the aeat of virtue and vice ; it is by the heart
that we please or displease God. In vain do men hinder
their corruption from appearing outwardly, that they may not

288 MATTHEW.
lose the esteem of men, if their heart be corrupt in the sight
of God, through the love of sin and through criminal desires.
A true penitent acts quite contrary; he uses his utmost en
deavours to cleanse his heart by the love of God, and the
hatred of sin ; and is willing to bear the shame and confusion
of his. misery before men.
26. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and
platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
External purity proceeds only frora the internal; from
within it diffuses itself without.' He who seeks the applause
of the world, is but little concerned about his inward part.
It is a blindness, which is very common, for men to think that
they have fulfilled the commandments of God when they have
performed the outward part. Obedience to the. law must flow
from the fountain-head, which is charity. When the love of
God is its inward principle, and his glory its end, then the
outside is clean; but without this, it is nothing but hypocrisy
and false righteousness.
27. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for- ye are like
unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are
within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
How many Chriatians are there in name and in appearance;
how few in spirit and in truth ! A great many have not the
virtues which they seem to have ; and have even the contrary
vices. There is nothing of greater importance, than to ex
amine and know ourselves thoroughly in this regard ; since it
is concerning this that we shall be examined and judged at
the tribunal of God. When thia whiteness, with which the
wall is at present covered, shall be taken off, and the naked
heart appear as it is, my God ! of what use will it then be to
have deceived men by concealing ita rottenneas, but only to
overwhelm it with greater confusion and a more terrible
judgment !
28. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within
ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
God leaves the outward appearance to raen ; the heart he
reserves to hiraself. This is the teraple in which he will be
served and adored, and the seat of Christian piety. Dreadful

CHAPTER XXin. 289
ia the judgment, and miaerable the condition, when men are
abandoned to this paaaion of deairing to hide the filthiness of
a corrupt heart under the veil of a false righteousness ; there
being nothing more apt to increase pride, and to render it
incurable. If the best of men find so much difficulty in wean
ing theraselves frora the vain desire of the esteera of the world,
how i.shall a hypocrite ever recover frora it, whose whole ap
plication and only study it is to attract and secure it !
29. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! because ye build
the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,
30. And say. If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not
have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. 31. Whercy
fore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them
which killed the prophets.
The Pharisees thought themselves very far frora the in
justice and cruelty of those who had killed the prophets ; and
yet were themselves at the sarae time contriving the death of
Christ. Let men condemn the conduct of the wicked ever so
much with their mouth ; if they imitate it, they approve it.
They who praise the saints, and yet persecute those who re
semble them, arraign themselves. Men are ready enough to
extol the righteous of former ages, and to blame their perse
cutors, — there being now nothing to fear or hope from those
who are deadt But for the sake of a very small interest,
they will, without any scruple, join with the world against
good men of the present age. Grant, Lord, that our opinions
and conduct may be directed by thy word and interests,, and
not by the corruption of our own heart, or by the spirit of
the world!
SECT. V. — THE MEASURE OF INIQUITY. — JERUSALEM A MUR
DERING CITY.
32. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. _ 33. Ye serpents, ye
generation of vipers, how can .ye escape the damnation of hell ?
God cannot either commend or approve of sin, because he
ia infinitely good ; but he can abandon and give up the sinner
to his wickedness, because he is infinitely just. Miserable is
the state of him who haa filled up the measure of his crimes.
To be deaf to the truth, to oppose it out of interest, envy,
Vol. I.— 25 T

290 MATTHEW.
and jealousy, and to persecute those who preach it, are gene
rally the laat sins. There is a certain measure of grace and
mercy, after which God leaves his justice to take its course:
this measure is known only to him. When a man is about to
commit any ain, he ought to fear that that very sin will be
the last to fill up the measure ; but after the commission of
it, he should hope that it is not, and repent of it. Ttis is
the only means to escape the damnation of hell ; but how rare
ia the grace of repentance after a phariaaical life, such as our
blessed Saviour has here represented it !
34. If Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and
scribes : and some of them ye shall kill and crucify ; and some of them
shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute ihem from city to city :
The gifts of God in hia aainta aerve only to increase the
damnation of those who are left to their own blindness and
wickedness. It is an instance of the favour and blessing of
God on an age and country, when he bestows on it some emi
nent aainta, aome paatora full of zeal, wisdom, and knowledge ;
but wo to those who, by persecuting these saints and pastors,
change this favour and blessing into judgment and maledic
tion! All private persons contribute to this misfortune by
their sins, and therefore they ought all to avert it by their
repentance. 35. That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the
earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son
of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
The resemblance which the crimes of children bear to those
of their fathera, drawa upon them the aame punishments.
There is, in the life of a wicked man, a chain of sins linked
one to another, from the beginning to the en4 of it, which
altogether cause his reprobation; so in proportion in a nation,
in a community, and particularly in the body of the Jews.
Abel, the first righteous raan, slain by his brother out of
envy, and Zacharias the priest, stoned on the account of his
zeal in speaking the truth, are two figures of Jesus Christ,
and of the causes of his death.
36. Verily I say unto you. All these things shall come upon this gene
ration. So terrible is the justice of God, that when he punishes a

CHAPTER XXIIL 291
sinner, he seems to punish all ains in him. God in mercy
foretells his judgments, confirms the prediction by a kind of
oath, represents the rigour, and points out the time of them ;
but the sinner's obduracy turns this mercy into a new trea
sure of wrath.
37. 0 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest
them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy
children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings,
and ye would not !
Unbelieving Jerusalem is an emblem of the sinner. How
great must the tenderness of Christ for his elect be, since he
shows so rauch for these obdurate hearta! God earnestly
desirea the sinner's repentance, since he causes it to be
preached to him by so many persons, and in so many dif
ferent manners ; but the sinner will not hear. Wretched will !
of which man is so fond and jealous ; and which yet, by reason
of its corruption, is good for nothing but to resist and oppose
the will of God ! But thou. Lord, canst overcome the resist
ance whenever thou pleasest. Thou givest way to it when
thy juatice requirea it ; thou aubduest it when thy mercy in
clines thee thereto.
38. Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 39. For I say unto
you. Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say. Blessed is he that
cometh in the name of the Lord.
The Jewish people, left to the justice of God, even to the
end of the world, are a dreadful instance of the punishment
of sin. When men seek to avftid the loss of worldly goods
by forsaking God, they are themselves forsaken by him ; and
his justice often takes away that which they endeavoured to
aecure at the expenae of their fidelity. In what a sad con
dition is a heart, when God withdraws himself from it, when
his hand leaves it to itself, when the eyes of its faith are
closed, and it sees neither Christ, nor his truth, nor its own
duty ! 0 Jesus, let not this miserable heart be mine ! Let
it never lose sight of thee ! Let thy light continually shine
upon it !

292 MATTHEW.

CHAPTER XXIV.

SECT. I. — DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE. — DECEIVERS. —
WARS. — FAMINE.
1. And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disei
pies came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.
Jesus Christ, by going now the last time out of the temple,
denotes the reprobation of the Jews. He bears with the
curiosity of his disciples, to teach us how to make that of our
friends subservient to their instruction and edification. It ia
a very extraordinary talent, to know how to iraprove every
unprofitable part of conversation to the advantage of religion,
by taking occasion frora thence still to raention something
which is edifying, and to sow the seed of aome beneficial truth.
2. And Jftsiis said unto thfe'in. See ye not all these things ? verily I say
unto you. There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall
not be thrown down.
This teraple was destroyed, justly, on the account of the
sins of the Jews; raercifuUy, to take away from them the
occasion of continuing in Judaism ; and mysteriously, to show
that the ancient sacrifices were abolished, and that the Jewish
worship was ceased. If God spared not his own temple, what
will become of those profane? edifices built and cemented with
the blood of the poor ? Happy that person whb labours only
to erect an eternal building !
_ 3. If And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto
him privately, saying. Tell us, when shall these things be ? ind what
shall he the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world ?
Human curiosity makes a great progress in a little time.
This of the apostleS is commendable, becauae they onlypur-
aue the intimation given thein by Chriat, and make him the
only subject of their inquiry. There are three different com
ings of Jesus Christ, which serve rautually to make known
and illustrate one another. One in anger, to punish the Jews,
and to put an end to the reign of the law. Another in mercy,

CHAPTER XXIV. 293
to form his church, and to begin the reign of the goapel and
of grace. The third in glory, to judge the world, and to con
summate the kingdora of God in his saints, and that of his
justice in hell. Abi;indance; of people are curious to know
the time "of the end of the world;" hut very few endeavour
to prepare themselves for the end of their own life.
4. And Jesus answered and said unto them. Take heed that no man
deceive you.
The world ia full of deceivera, (2 John 7.) Thia is a
temptation belonging to all times, and to which the three
comings of Christ are subject. The deceit which is covered
with the raaak of piety, ia raore to be feared by those who
seek God than by others. False Christs to the Jews, false
apostles to the first Christians, and falae reformers in the last
ages. False pastors, false directors of the conscience, and
pretendera to the Spirit in all timea. It is not without cause
that Christ gives us thia caution, — as we must not neglect it,
so we must not abuse it.
5. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall
deceive many.
In this and the following verses, Christ points out unto us
several means and occasions of being seduced. The first
means proceed from false Christs. The delivering the Jews
up to thera was a just punishment for their having rejected
the true during hia life, for their having aacribed hia miracles
to the illusion of the devil, and treated him aa a deceiver after
hia death. How dangeroua is it not to profit by the cares of
a good paator! God oftentimea, by way of judgment, takea
auch a one away, and permita a hireling to come in hia place.
Men lose the opportunity of a wise, exact, and ex;perienced
guide, and' fall into the hands of a deceiver. To avoid
this first seducement, we raust watch, pray, and carefully
examine. .6. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars : see that ye be not
troubled : for all ihese things must come to pasSj but the end is not yet.
The second occasion of being seduced is, when the sight of
the disorders and confusions, which seem to denote the end of
25*

294 MATTHEW.
the world, causes men to despair of seeing the divine promises
fulfilled. Let us not be troubled, whatever happens ; God will
accoraplish his own work, and be faithful to his promises.
What means is there for men to avoid being troubled at a
scourge so terrible as that of war, except by continuing always
intent on God, his promiaea, and his law, and endeavouring
to appease his wrath by a serious conversion? "Wars and
rumours of wars," as to the generality of mankind, serve only
to excite the trouble and disorder of their passions, their am
bition, revenge, hope, curiosity, avarice, and desire of new
events. The true Christian adores God ; bewails both those
sins which are the causes, and those which are the effects of
war ; beholds with a holy dread the justice of God, executed
by the rage of men ; laments the loas o^ so great a number
of souls ; casts his eyes on God's eternal vengeance, of which
thia is only the shadow; and beseeches him to make all these
things subservient to his glory, and to his designs concerning
the elect.
7. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:
and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers
places. 8. All these are the beginning of sorrows.
The third means of being seduced, is the attributing that
to man which comes from God. Thus the heathens ascribed
all the misfortunes of the empire, and all the plagues which
God inflicted, to the contempt which the Christians showed
toward their idols ; whereas these evils were only the punish
ment of the wicked, and the trial of the good. Men gene
rally turn every thing to the disadvantage of piety. If a
man, from the time of devoting himself to God, suffer in his
estate, his health, or otherwise, it is, say they, because he ia
imprudent in his conduct, indiscreet in his mortiflcations, ex
cessive in his devotions, etc. Revolts, famines, pestilences,
earthquakes, and all the other evils of this life, are emblems
of those of the other, which they warn us to prevent by re
pentance ; and of the vices and disorders of our hearts, which
they solicit us to correct.

CHAPTER XXIV. 295

SECT. II. — THE RIGHTEOUS PERSECUTED. — FALSE PROPHETS. —
CHARITY GROWN COLD. — PERSEVERANCE.
9. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you :
and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
The fourth occasion of being seduced is, the public and
general hatred, and the persecution of the world. Can a re
ligion, said they, which is abhorred by all the world, be the
true? Can a handful of men, pursued with fire and sword by
all the powers of the earth, and despised by the wisest philoso
phers — can such as these be the favourites of God? How
often does it happen, that good men are persecuted as crimi
nals, merely on the account of this fourth means of seduce
ment ? To be hated of all the world is nothing, provided one
is beloved of God.
10. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another,
and shall hate one another.
The fifth occasion of being seduced, proceeds from the
scandals or offences given by those of the household of faith,
their divisions, and the treacheries of false brethren. No
thing is more serviceable to the devil, in seducing the weak
and simple. We must still adhere to God, by and for him
self; and not forsake him, though we should be left alone.
Good example is a great help in piety, but it is not the foun
dation of it. Our being mingled with the wicked is somewhat
inconvenient and troublesome ; but it is necessary to exercise
our virtue, and to put us in mind of human infirmity.
11. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
The sixth means of being seduced, arises from false pro
phets, mercenary pastors, and teachers of error. All those
who advance such doctrines of religion or morality as are
contrary to the gospel, are of this number; and thia number
ia great in all ages. Had Jesus Christ foretold the fall but
of two or three persons, ought we not to have feared lest we
should be of the number ? He has foretold the fall of many,
and we tremble not. Let us keep ourselves closely united tO

296 MATTHEW.
God by faith, and beheve that this gift proceeda from his
pure goodneaa alone.
12. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax
cold. The laat occasion of being seduced is, the obaerving how
charity growa cold ; whioh still decays in proportion to the
increase of concupiscence. It is a grace which is very un
common, for a man to hold out against the iniquity of the
age, and to secure his virtue from being at all weakened
thereby. One of the most subtle and dangeroua seducementa.
of all, is the example of some person of great reputation for
piety, who, through fear of men, grows faint and cool in the
cause of truth. Such a one often draws many after him,.
either by the weight of his authority, or perhaps because he
is the more earnest to make his weakness pass for a virtue, to
maintain and juatify it, and to procure aa raany imitatora of
it aa he can.
13. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
God alone gives perseverance, no man merits it. Can any
one who knowa hia own weakneaa, and considers all the se-
ducements and temptationa of life, truat at all to himaelf?
We are ao much the leaa, secure of receiving this gift, the
more confident we are of it ; and we have so much the more
reason to hope for it, the more unworthy we think ourselves
thereof. It belongs to him who has begun the work of aalva
tion, to finish and complete it in us. ' But in order to this, it
belongs to us to fear, to pray, to humble ourselves,, and to
labour. 14. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world
for a witness unto all nations : and then shall the end come.
The destruction of Jerusalem and .of the temple was de
ferred, till the gospel had been preached everywhere ; to the
end, that the Jewa might aee the completion of the propheciea
in the vocation of all the Gentilea; that all the Jews disperaedf
abroad might be called, before the execution of the divine
vengeance ; and that the church, even from ita infancy, might
have a kind of universality, and be viaible to all the earth,

CHAPTER XXrV. 297
before the ahadow of the synagogue disappeared. But how
many Jews were there then, how many Christians are there
in all ages, to whom the knowledge of the gospel served, and
still serves, only to their condemnation !
SECT. III. — THE ABOMINATION IN THB HOLY PLACE. — FLIGHT.
— GREAT TRIBULATION.
15. When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken
of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let
him understand,)
We are not at all troubled at the dreadful signs of the deso
lation of Jerusalem, because all that is past. We are little
concerned at the desolation of the church hy Antichrist,
because this seems at a great distance. But how come we
not to fear the desolation of the soul by sin, of which we have
so many present examples, the principle of which we carry
within ua, and the abomination of which all the propheta and
all the Scripturea so plainly represent unto us ! The profana
tion of holy things is a terrible mark of God's displeasure.
We are affected only .with such as are external and extraordi
nary; hut the frequent abuse of the sacraments, especially
unworthy communions, the sacred ministry in the hands of
wicked men, the contempt of the divine Wiprd, and the sins of
eccle^astical persons, ought much more to make us sigh, and
dread the last effects of the wrath of God, and even the ex
tinction of religion itself in a country.
16. Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains :
To quit all in order to save our aoula, ia a counsel proper
for all times, but which on some occasions may become a
necessary duty. The world is judged, and is about to be
given up to the divine Justice, and yet we still cleave to it !
There ia not one person to be found, but who, for fear of
God'a judgraents, ought to fiee into the mountains, either by
retirement, or by a life of prayer, or by separating himself
from the company of sinners, or by renouncing the conversa
tion, maxims, and impertinences of the world, or even by for
saking his best friends, if they have forsaken God. When

298 MATTHEW.
retreat ia neceaaary to a man'a salvation, he must not barely
retire, but fiy.
17. Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing
out of his house : 18. Neither let them which is in the fleld return back
to take his clothes.
Unhappy is that man who loads himself with earthly cares
and riches, when he should think of .nothing but how to eacape
the divine wrath by forsaking all ! He who desires to save
all, hazards all. Let us leave that to perish which must do
so ; let us save that which ia eternal. Death surprises almost
all mankind in some particular engagement ; the carnal after
one manner, the spiritual after another. The body is an
earthly house ; when a life of faith or mortification has once
raised us above it, our salvation is secured by our not descend
ing or coming down. The body is a garment ; he who has
onc.e laid aside his affection toward it, in order to work out
his salvation, must hy no means take it again.
19. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck
in those days !
Happy is that man, whom the consequences of marriage,
and the encumbrances of a family, hinder not from saving his
soul by flying from the world ! Men are generally big with
desires and designs as to the world, and filled with the love
of it, when they are forced to leave it. How advantageous is
it to disengage and free ourselves from them betimes! A
soft and efferainate soul is fond of the body, and entirely em
ployed about it, as a nurse about her child, to gratify its de
sires, to please it in every thing, and breed it up in an animal
and carnal way of life. How terrible to these effeminate
spirits is the hare name of death ! yet it is not the lesa un
avoidable. 20. But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the
sabbath day :
We must fiy from sin and the wrath of God while we can.
It is a fatal imprudence to wait till aome great occasion pre
sent itaelf, ere we think of making any proviaion of virtue;
and to delay the work of our salvation, till we are unable to
perform any thing ; and our flight from the obataclea of it,

CHAPTER XXIV. 299
till the winter of a languiahing, inactive, and infirm old age.
It ia chiefiy by meana of prayer that the Chriatian furniahea
himaelf with proviaiona, that he propoaea himaelf to depart,
and that he converta the barrenneaa and coldness of his heart
into an abundance of charity, and his inability to work into
the strength and vigour of grace.
_ 21_. For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the be
ginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22. And except
those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved : but for
the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
Every thing is disposed and ordered in favour of the elect.
The destruction of Jerusalem waa haatened, to prevent those
among the Jews from falling under such temptations as were
above their strength; and the reign of Antichrist will be
shortened, for the sake of those who shall live in the last
times. How suitable to the goodness of God is this care of
his elect ! How happy ia it to be his ! Let us adore and love
him ; and let us, by our prayers and fidelity, draw down upon
ourselves this love, vigilance, and care of God, so conspicuous
in proportioning the temptation to the strength of the elect,
or in taking them away even from the temptation itself.
SECT. IV. — FALSE CHRISTS. — THB ELECT ALMOST DECEIVED. —
THB EAGLES GATHERED TOGETHER.
23. Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there ;
believe ii not.
There is but one Christ or Saviour, to whom alone we must
steadfastly adhere. The way of faith, as well aa that of vir
tue, ia a aingle and narrow way ; let us take great care not to
leave it, to seek new paths. When we have once been ascer
tained of the mission of our blessed Saviour, by the comple
tion of prophecies, and the seal of miracles, all that which
comes afterward is but temptation and illusion.
24. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall
shew great signs and wonders ; insomuch that, if it were possible, they
shall deceive the very elect.
No miracle, how astonishing soever it may appear, should
induce us to change our faith ; there is hut one Mediator, one

300 MATTHEW.
gospel, one church, and one faith. The devil himself knowa,
that an extraordinary miaaion without miraclea deaerves not
to be regarded or examined, since he endeavours to support
seducers by the ahadow of this sort of evidence. Prophecy
and rairacles are two proofs which strengthen and confirm
each other; prophecies foretell miracles, and miracles show
the accomiplishment of prophecies. False proofa compared
with those of Christ, make the truth of the latter more evir
dent and illustrious. Since the elect belong to God, and are
peculiarly his who haa undertaken to aave them, there ia not
the leaat occasion to fear that even one of them shall be lostj
No man is certain that he is of this number; hut every one
ought with confidence to. think so, and to confirm that confi
dence by a good life and conversation.
25. Behold, I have told you before. 26. Wherefore if they shall say
unto you. Behold, he is in the desert ; go not forth : behold, he is in the
secret chambers ; believe it not.
Every secret and strange doctrine, unknown to the apostles
and holy fathers, ia falae and pernicioua. Let ua have no
manner of curioaity for these new discoveries. It is not the
good grain, but the^ chaff, which is carried about with every
wind of doctrine. There are hut too many Chriatians who
seek here and there for such remediea in their miseries as God
has not promised them ; and neglect to have recourse to Jesus
Christ, the aole Deliverer from all our miseries, whom all the
Scripturea point out to ua. Blind and miaerable ia every one
who hopes to mend hia condition by foraaking Chriat ! It ia
to him we muat apply ourselves ; it is he whom God has given
us ; whatever turns us aside from him is fatal to us.
27. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto
the west ; so shaU also the coming of the Son of man be.
The faith received everywhere in so short a time, not only
without any human assistance, but alao notwithatanding thye
greatest opposition from all the powers of the earth, was. Is
it were, a lightning which shone from east to weat^ and a
mu-acle from heaven, to confound the incredulity of the sages
of the world. The last coming of Chriat will be yet more
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CHAPTER XXIV. 301
28. For wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered
together. True Christiana are spiritual eagles, raised hy faith above
all things here below, and soaring still With ardour toward
Jesus Christ. Wherever his mystical body the church, or
(the representation of) his natural body in the eucharist, is
found, there the elect are gathered together, as so many eagles
to their prey. As soon as Christ shall appear at his second
coming, with the scars of his wounds, and the standard of his
cross, which will r^ew the memory of his death; then all
men, become, as it were, eagles by the resurrection, shall rise
in the air to meet him; and gather about this carcass, or dead
body, as the Greek expresses it, which, being the victim of
God, was sacrificed on the cross ; there to receive the sentence
of their eternal portion. Let us earnestly endeavour to be
of the number of those blessed eagles who shall present thera
selves with confidence before Jesus Christ, and be united to
his immortal body to all eternity.
SECT. V. — THE SUN DARKENED.^^THE COMING OF CHRIST.
29. If Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be
darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall
, from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken :
The Jewiah church ends in the peraecution which fell on
the Jews ; the Christian church is established by the perse
cutions of the Gentiles. In times of trial, when the sun of
faith seems to be darkened, and the church not to give her
light, when many of her doctors fall, and her pillars are
shaken, then even her greatest lights and strongest supports
have sufficient reason to be afraid. Christian prudence con
sists in humbling ourselves, and being prepared for all events.
30. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven : and
then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son
of man coming in the clOuds of heaven with power and great glory.
The sign of the true Jonas iS the glory of hia resurrection ;
and the faith of this resurrection, received by Jews as well as
Gentiles, is the triumph of his cross, the establishment of his
heavenly kingdom, and the fulness of the body of Christ.
Vol. L— 26

302 MATTHEW.
Happy they who, in these last tiraes, ahall, with'a true con
trition of heart, mourn and bewail the misery of their sins !
Unhappy they who, by a grief arising from sensual desire,
shall lament only their temporal evils and miafortunea. 0
croas of Christ, exposed then again to be the subject of con
tradiction ! Savour of life, savour of death ; salvation to
some, perdition to othera; the comfort of the elect, the con-
fuaion of the reprobate !
31. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and
they shall gather together his elect from the raur winds, from one end
of heaven to the other.
0 lovely and deairable assembly of the elect, august senate,
college truly sacred, why art not thou the sole object of human
ambition ! No man shall have any place therein who has not
been a member of the true church, which alone ia spread over
the four parts of the world. To this church the visible angels
call us with the trumpet of God's word ; whoever obeys not
this call, shall never be called by the invisible angels to the
church of the elect. How sweet and comfortable is it to a
Christian, separated from his brethren, banished to the re
motest parts of the earth, and treated as excommunicate for
the cause of Christ, to think of thia reunion, so much to be
desired, and which shall never have an end.
32. Now learn the parable of the flg tree ; When his branch is yet
tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh : 33. So
likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even
at the doors.
The belief of the coming of Jesus Christ is the consolation
of the righteous. Let us not wait for the last trumpet, ere
we prepare ourselves for judgment. The sound of it in the
gospel is even now heard by all thoae who have the ears of
the heart. Whoever has not these stopped by the amuse
ments of this life, and is not stunned by the noise of his pas
sions, thinks that he is continually called upon by it. Let
our faith incessantly say to us. The Son of man is near, even
at the doors. Let the voice of thy grace, 0 Lord, repeat this
to me both frequently and effectually !
34. Verily I say untg you. This generation shall not pass, till all these

CHAPTER XXIV. 303
things be fulfilled. 35. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words
shall not pass away.
The hope of the righteous is founded upon the stability of
the divine word; which is therefore their chief delight.
Whatever difficulties our understanding may find in that which
God has either foretold or promised, there is not the least
reason to doubt concerning it ; to engage our belief, it is suffi
cient that he has said it. One person readily believes another
on hia bare word, who yet will not beheve the word of God;
so great ia the corruption of the mind of man.
SECT. VI. — THE LAST DAY UNFORESEEN.
36. If But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels
of heaven, but my Father only.
Our ignorance of the laat day ought to make us vigilant
every moment of our life. God haa not discovered to us the
time wherein he intends to judge us, to the end that we may
always keep ourselves in a readiness to be judged. A foolish
desire of knowing that which is to come, renders abundance
of persons incredulous as to this oracle of the Son .of God;
and credulous, even to superstition, in reapect of the vain pre-
dictiona of men concerning the end of their lives, or of the
world. They neglect a beneficial and useful kind of uncer
tainty, to rely on a false and deceitful appearance of certainty.
37. But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son
of man be.
There are two deluges : the firat of water, the aecond of
fire, to purge the world of iniquity, to save the elect, and to
punish the wicked. Christ here instructs us how to inform
ourselves of what is to come, not by a vain observation of the
stars, but by a holy meditation on the Scriptures; not in
order to discover in them what he designed to conceal from
us, but to prepare ourselves to do his will, in pursuing the dis
coveries which he himaelf vouchsafes to make, and in con
templating the mysteries to come, in those representations
which his Spirit has given of them in what is past.
38. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and
drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah

304 MATTHEW.
entered into the ark, 39. And knew not until the flood came, and took
them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
The generality of mankind, through the enchantment of
the carea of this life, are aurpriaed by death and judgment.
They are not always gross and heinous sins which throw
men into a forgetfulness of God and his judgraents, and into
a contempt of his law ; sometimes an irregular application to
the common employraents and affairs of life insensibly extin
guishes our faith. Every one has his own proper way to
attain salvation; and every one who misses of it, does it by
corrupting his way after his own manner. The surprise which
ia here threatened proceeds not frora God's design, but from
the sinner's negligence, and his abuse of the long patience
and forbearance of God. A man is never in danger of beiilg
surprised when his heart ia devoted to God, when his faith ia
pure, his hope lively, his charity fervent and sincere, and his
life full of good works-.
SECT. VII. — THE ONE TAKEN, THE OTHER LEFT. — WE MUST
WATCH CONTINUALLY.
40. Then shall two be in the field ; the one shall be taken, and the
other left. 41. Two women shall he grinding at the mill; the one shall
be taken, and the other left.
Terrible but adorable choice ! Men have still something to
fear, even in the most innocent employments, and in the ex
ercise of auch arta aa are necessary to life. In this state,
indeed, they are not ao aubject to extravagant desires; but
then they are often very ignorant of their duty, and forget
to direct all their labour to God's glory, to look on it as a
means of salvation, and to make it an exercise of repentance.
Neither the church in this life, nor any atate or condition ifi
the church, can pretend to conaiat altogether of elect. There
ia a mixture in every atate ; and therefore, in every one there
is occasion for fear as well aa hope.
42. Tf Watch therefore ; for ye know not what hour your Lord doth
come. The vigilance neceaaary to prepare us for death and judg
ment is not a supine and inactive vigilance, hut such as is

CHAPTER XXIV. 305
employed in examination of our faults, in attention to our
duty, in application to good works, to prayer, repentance, etc.
43. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in
what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not
have suffered his house to be broken up. 44. Therefore be ye also ready:
for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
It is much for our advantage to be obliged* to be always in
uncertainty, always in expectation of our Master, to the end
that we may be alwaya on our guard against sin and sloth.
The heart is then ready, when it is in order; and it is never
so, but when God is master of it, when nothing but his love
reigns therein, and when this love regulates that of our neigh
bour, and the uae of all other creaturea. How great ia the
folly, to be more careful and vigilant on the account of a small ¦
temporal advantage, than of the eternal salvation of the soul I
SECT. VIII. — THE WISE SERVANT. — THE EVIL SERVANT.
45. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made
ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season ?
It is not the work, but the fidelity, which God rewards in
hia servants. We must all live in the aame expectation of the
coming of Jeaus Christ which a aervant haa with respect to
his master ; hut thia expectation must be more vigilant in the
ministers of Christ than in the rest of the faithful. Here ia
an abatract of their duties: (1.) Such a person must be called
and appointed, not by himself, but by the vocation and lawful
mission of his Lord. (2.) He raust look on himself, not as
the master of the family, but really as a servant. (3.) He
must be exactly faithful in his ministry, and in observing his
Master's commands, at the expense of all. (4.) His fidelity
must be wise, prudent, well-informed : faithful and wise, this
comprehends all. (5.) He must raake it hia chief care to give
the household their meat ; not out of his own stock, but dis
tributing what he has received. (6.) He must do it in due
season ; and it is always a proper season to instruct and serve
soula, becauae their needs are always present; the time of
many of them raay expire every hour ; and for want of im
proving a moment, eternity is sometimes loat.
26* u

306 MATTHEW.
.46. Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find
so doing.This blessedness consists not barely in working, but in
working according to the law and will of God. We must then
work continually in the ministry, since our Master should find
us so doing ; and he may come every moment. The exactness
which is used in serving earthly princea in their own way ia
scarcely to be conceived. Does not God deserve at leaat as
much? A servant thinks himself happy when his services
are grateful to his master. Oh, what happiness attends us,
if we pleaae the beat and moat powerful of Masters !
47. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his
goods. He who is not satisfied with the reward which God promises
him, knows not what it is to be made ruler over all his goods.
His goods are himself; and nothing lesa ia promiaed us, if we
continue faithful to him. The miniatera of the Lord have in
heaven a reward proportioned to their laboura and their cha
racter, and shall there partake of his authority over souls.
Let ua not refuse to give ouraelvea to God, who will freely
give himself to us.
48. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart. My lord delay-
eth his coming ; 49. And shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and
to eat and drink with the drunken ;
Here are three characters of a bad prelate : the first is, to
have little faith as to the judgraents of God, or the coming of
Christ. Does a man believe there is another life, when he
either undertakes of hia own accord to he accountable for
souls, by taking on himself the pastoral office, or trembles not
at the thoughts of this account? The second is, to govern
with an absolute dominion, to oppress his colleagues, and to
exerciae violence over his inferiors and on the weak. The
third, to lead an irregular life, and to converae chiefly with
the imitatora of his passions. Lord, abandon not thy flock
to such wolves; but send it pastors according to thy own
heart. 50. The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not
for him, and in an hour that he is not aWare of, 51. And shall cut him

CHAPTER XXV. 307
asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites : there shall
be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Here are three punishments which answer to the three cha
racters of the evil servant: the first is, a sudden death, and
the weight of God's wrath falling upon him, without a mo
ment's time to avert it : thia answers to hia infidelity and his
forgetfulness of the divine judgments. The second is, a gene
ral and eternal separation frora the society of the church,
from the communion of saints, and from all those gifts which
he has abused : and this is answerable to the abuse of his au
thority in the church. The third consists in tears and eternal
paina : which answer to his voluptuous life ; as the company
of hypocritical pastors, who under an angelical office con
cealed a diabolical life, does to hia criminal acquaintance and
conversation. Every wicked Christian, every man who does
not worship and serve God according to his law, is this evil
servant, who shall be judged according to his sina against that
faith and religion which are due to God, according to his in
justice and violence against his neighbour, and according to
the corruption of his heart and the irregularities of his life.
My God ! how dear will the sinner pay for the pleasures of a
moment, and the transient satiafactiona of sin !

CHAPTER XXV.
SECT. I. — THE PARABLE OF THE TEN VIRGINS.
1. Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins,
. which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
Every Christian, by his faith and baptism, makes pro-
feaaion of aspiring to the raarriage of the Lamb. His vir
ginity consists in worshipping one God, and in loving none
but him. His life is but one continual preparation for
the marriage-supper of eternity. His heart is his lamp. By
the motions and desirea of his soul, he goes forth to meet
the bridegroom, and hastens toward heaven by the purity of
his life.

308 MATTHEW.
2. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
The church, before she arrives at the place where this mar
riage is celebrated, which is heaven, is always divided, always
mixed with good and bad. It ia the greatest of all follies, to
make profession by baptisra of our earnest desire and am
bition of attaining to eternal life, and to neglect to prepare
ourselves for it during the whole course of our lives. True
wisdom consists in being always ready, and in living in con
tinual expectation of the bridegroom's coming.
3. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
Charity and its worka are the oil of the heart. A heart
without charity is a lamp without oil. Oh inconceivable folly
of the children of Adara ! to employ their whole lives in fill
ing their hearts with every thing besides, and to forget that
which alone can fill, nourish, and make thera shine before God,
and even enjoy God himself forever.
4. But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
The greatest wisdom consiata in having charity, and in per-
forraing the works of it. Life is given us to no other end
but that we may make a sufficient provision of this oil. God
alone can pour it into our hearta by hia Spirit ; and this Spirit
is itself that oil of gladneaa with which the life of our hearta
must be fed to all eternity. Jeaua Chriat alone haa the ful
ness of it, and of this fulness must all his members receive,
according to the measure which he has designed them. Lord,
as thou hast bestowed on me a lamp, leave it not empty, but
replenish it out of thy abundant fulness !
5. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
How few are there who think seriously of death and judg
ment, and expect the bridegroom with a persevering vigilance !
The beginnings of conversion are fervent; but zeal insensi
bly grows cool in the generality of persons. There is need
of an extraordinary grace, to enable us to continue this per
fect vigilance to the end, so as not to be aurpriaed at the hour
of death. Lord, who keepest Israel — the heart, I mean,
which thou hast made the Israel of God — do thou neither
slumber nor sleep over me !

CHAPTER XXV. 309
6. And at midnight there was a cry made. Behold, the bridegroom
cometh ; go ye out to meet him.
This is a terrible voice, which calls the creatures to appear
before their Creator when they think least of it. Happy
they to whom he comes as an amiable and much-desired bride
groom, not as a severe and inexorable judge ! Let us earnestly
endeavour to render him such to us as we desire to find him,
7. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
Happy is that man who is ready to appear before God at
all times whatever ! But more happy still is he who can with
a true confidence desire the coming of Christ! There are
some certain preparations which no Christian omits at the
approach of death; every one then thinks of trimming his
heart, which is his lamp. But how late is it to begin to think
of it at that time ! Grant, 0 Lord, that I may not be of the
number of those who cannot, without regret, submit to the
necessity of dying, and who neglect to prepare themselves for
it until the very last hour !
8. And the foolish said unto the wise. Give us of your oil ; for our
lamps are gone out.
My God, how dismal is it for a man not to perceive the
emptiness of his heart, the want of good works, and the ex
tinction of charity, until he comes to die ! At that time there
is often nothing more of the light of faith and of the love of
goodness left remaining, than only just enough to show a man
what he has lost, and to raise an unprofitable regret. He
then sees that good men, whom he used to count foolish and
miserable wretches, have only true wisdom and substantial
wealth; to these he has recourse, and would fain partake of
their piety and charity: but every thing fails when time fails.
9. But the wise answered, saying. Not so; lest there be not enough for
us and you : but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
The holiness of others will not avail us at the hour of death.
All the false lustre of external works, which shine only to the
eyes of men, goes out and vanishes in that moment. Charity
alone is never extinguished, when a man carries this oil in his
lamp out of the world with him. What would we not give to
buy it at the time of death, if it were to be sold ? Nothing

310- MATTHEW.
can purchase it but worthy fruits of repentance; but, then,
time and the spirit of repentance are necessary to the pro
duction of these fruits.
10. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came ; and they that
were ready went in with him to the marriage : and the doo^ was shut. '
Sinners, on a deathbed, too often meet with those deceitful
merchants who promise them the mercy of God and eternal
salvation for a price which is of no value in his sight. How
much better is it for them, with the assistance and ministry
of the church, humbly to addreaa themselves to Christ, who,
is the only author of salvation, who himself keeps the key of
his treasury, which is charity, and distributes it freely without
money, instead of losing their time in dealing with quacks,
who promise every thing, and can perform nothing! — The
door is shut ! Dreadful and fatal words ! No hope remains.
Nothing but death shuts this door; but death may surprise
us in our sins, and then despair is our portion.
11. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying. Lord, Lord, open
to us. We stay abundantly too late, when we stay until the hour
of death, ere we begin to love God, and to think seriously of
our aalvation. They rauat he extremely deficient in the know-.
ledge of salvation who place the foundation of it upon a will
or testament charged with pious legacies, without having en
deavoured to fill their hearts with the oil of mercy and charity.
This is to cry, "Lord, Lord, open to us," after the door is
shut. Prayer is the key of heaven; but there is a proper
time and manner of praying. There are prayers at the last,
hour of the same nature with that of the penitent thief; but
there are also those of Esau and of Antiochus.
12. But he answered and said. Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
God, who is love, knows not those who have no charity.
Let us diligently endeavour, while we have time, to make
ourselves known to God as his children, by living in the apirit
of children, which is love. He will own none who have not
the resemblance of his Son ; and this resemblance is to be
attained no otherwise than by humility, purity, mortification,
repentance, charity, and the like. Let us thoroughly con-

CHAPTER XXV. 311
sider, in the presence of God, what it is never to be known
by him, never to bear the least resemblance of his Son, which
may render us acceptable in his sight, and beloved by him.
13. Watch therefore; for ye know neither the day nor the hour where
in the Son of man cometh.
Can that man pretend to have any faith who does not watch,
after an admonition so frequently repeated? If we would
not be surprised, we must look on every hour as the last. If
"to watch" be to employ ourselves chiefly about the business
of our aalvation, alas, how few Christians are there who watch I
How many who slumber ! How many asleep ! How many
seized with a lethargy ! How many even quite dead !
SECT. II. — THE PARABLE OF THB TALENTS.
14. If For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far coun
try, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
The children of God and the miniatera of Jesus Christ are
called, as servants, not to manage their own affairs, but those
of their Master. They have nothing which is properly their
own ; every thing belongs to Christ, who haa received it of
his Father, and recovered it out of the hands of the devil, by
redeeming it with his own blood. He who uses his natural
or supernatural talents aa if he were the author and master
of them, is a usurper of the gooda which belong to God.
15. And unto one he gave flve talents, to another two, and to another
one ; to every man according to his several ability ; and straightway
took his journey.
Dutiea and obligationa are proportioned to the states, con
ditions, and talenta of men. Every one, in order to be saved,
must, First, Be faithful in the performance of that which
God requirea of him in his station. God proportions his
graces, not according to natural deserts, but according to the
conditions and obligations of men, and above all, according
to his designs concerning souls. A person may be very in
considerable in the eyes of men, who is designed for an exalted
station in heaven. All thinga are measured and regulated —
graces, employments, and necessitiea. Secondly, In order to
salvation, a man must keep within hia own sphere, and trade

312 MATTHEW.
according to his own talent, not according to that of another.
It is pride and envy ambitiously to desire our neighbour's
grace. 16. Then he that had received 'the five talents went and traded with
the same, and made them other five talents.
Thirdly, A man must improve the talents he has received,
by establishing and enlarging the kingdom of God, both in
his own soul, and in the souls of others. There ia a great
difference between the figure and the truth. The aervant
doea not receive from hia master the skill and industry ne
cessary to the improvement of his money: but the Christian,
and the rainister of the Lord, raust receive all from him —
both the talent and the good-will — both the grace and the use
of it!
17. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.
Fourthly, A man must not continue idle, under pretence
of having only indifferent talents. No person can deny that
he has two talents at least: that of the understanding, to
know God and his own duty; and that of the will, to love
him and adhere to him. To make a continual progress in
the knowledge of salvation, and in the love of God and of
Jesus Christ, is a great gain : but thereby to arrive at the
sight of God face to face, and to enjoy him by a consummate
love — this is a gain which is incomprehensible and eternal !
18. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and
hid his lord's money.
Fifthly, A man who designs to he saved, must not leave
the smallest talenta unemployed. In the conduct of the chil
dren of Adam, there is always aome exceaa or defect, unlesa
they are guided by the Spirit of the second Adam ; either
they are desirous of making their talents very conspicuous, if
they are great, or they entirely auppreaa them, if they are
small and obscure. We muat do the quite contrary: employ
the greateat with humility, and the leaat with confidence.
19. After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth
with them.
Sixthly, A man rauat work, aa being to give an account of
all at the judgment of God. Doea that peraon think of this

CHAPTER XXV. 313
who acts directly contrary to what he commands ? And if he
do not think of thia, where is his belief of the judgment of
God? And if he believe not this, of what religion is he?
God stays a long time ; hut this long time cannot exceed the
life of man, which is very short.
20. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other
five talents, saying. Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents : behold,
I have gained beside them five talents more.
Seventhly, A man must offer to God the glory, use, and
profit of his talents and labour. How scarce are those faith
ful servants, who take pains only for their Master, and who
keep back from him no part of that glory which should arise
frora his graces and talents ! Vanity is a thief, which robs
God of that which is most precious to hira — naraely, his glory.
21. His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant :
thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over
many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
Eighthly, A man, in order to be saved, must expect no
other praise than that which God himaelf will give his ser
vants. Ninthly, He must aspire at no other reward but His.
Tenthly, He must render himself unworthy of "the joy of his
Lord," by entertaining any vain joy or human complacency.
The reward which God bestows on his servants is a super
abundant reward, because it is himself. Our faithfulness in
observing his commands is the price of it, rather than the
greatness of our labour. We sow on earth ; we reap in heaven.
Here a little pains and sorrow ; there an inconceivable and
eternal joy !
22. He also that had received two talents came and said. Lord, thou
deliveredst unto me two talents : behold, I have gained two other talents
beside them.
He who saves his neighbour's soul together with hia own,
ia the peraon who doublea hia talenta. A faithful compliance
with the deaigns of God and the duties of our vocation, is a
great source of confidence. A man goes to him with joy when
he has done his will; but he demands no reward. God is
good and faithful ; that is aufficient.
¦ 23. His lord said unto him. Well done, good and faithful servant ; thou
Vol. L— 2r

314 MATTHEW.
hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many.
things : enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
0 comfortable words! but which belong not to this life.
How many fears, troubles, and scruples will be forever dissi
pated, when He who knows our heart better than we our
selves do, shall assure us that it is a good and faithful heart,
and such as ia worthy of "the joy of our Lord!" The faith
ful aervant entera into the boaora of the Father, there to en-.
joy the glory of the Son, and the rights of the divine adop
tion. The joy of their Lord enters here below into the heart
of the elect; but in heaven, the elect shall theraselves enter
into the joy of their Lord, there to lose themselves, as it were,
in endless felicity.
24. Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord,
I knew thee that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou hast not
sown, and gathering where thou has not strewed :
It is very true, though the pride of man will not compre
hend it, that it is an advantage to have but one common and
useful talent. The lustre of great talents dazzles, exalts, and
intoxicates. Variety distracts, and often causes men to take
the wrong. The having but one, and that an obscure one,
unites our whole application, and secures us from vanity.
The sinner, that he may lay his sin on God, spares neither
calumny nor blasphemy. How far does the blindness and in
gratitude of the sinner extend, to accuse God of cruelty, self-
interest, and injustice, who requires nothing of us but what is
for our advantage, who freely pardons our evil actiona, and
even rewards the good which he himself works in us !
25. And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo,
there thou hast that is thine.
Laziness often covers itself with the veil of the fear of God.
That man takes little care of his salvation, who, without any
lawful reason, withdraws himself frora labour, only out of ap
prehension of God's judgment, and endeavours not to advance
his glory, and his neighbour's salvation, when he has a talent
for it. This is of itself a piece of theft and injustice ; but for
him to pretend to have discharged his duty, by doing neither
good nor evil, is to add falsehood and insolence to his in-

' CHAPTER XXV. 315
justice. When a man ia obliged to do good, not to do it is
to do evil.
26. His lord answered and said unto him, Thmu wicked and slothful
servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where
I have not strewed : 27. Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money
to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine
own with usury.
The more a man endeavoura to excuae himaelf before God,
the more he condemna himaelf. There ia a filial fear ; and
one which ia servile, mercenary, idle, and slothful. The un
faithful servant hidea this last under a falae prudence, and
juatifies it by a very weak argument. The true wisdom of
the good and faithful servant consists in performing readily
his Master's will, without arguing concerning it. It is only
the wicked and slothful servant who disputea so much, and
does nothing. This is the first punishment of the unprofit
able servant; convicted of wickedness and slothfulness out of
his own mouth, he bears the shame and confusion thereof
before all.
28. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which
hath ten talents. 29. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and
he shall have abundance : but from him that hath not shall be taken
away even that which he hath.
The second punishment of the unprofitable servant is, the
being deprived of every thing which he had received. The
third is, the seeing othera already rich in good worka, still
more enriched by that which was his, vyhich is no small vexa
tion to him. The fourth is, to find himself incapable any
longer of hiding his slothfulness under the appearance of
piety. How advantageous is it to be employed in God's ser
vice ! a man never is at any loaa, and always gains beyond
his hopes. To hazard all for God, is to secure and improve
all. At his tribunal there is a kind of confiscation of graces.
Those of wicked and slothful servants are applied to the ad
vantage of the good and faithful, aa well aa all their own labour.
30. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness : there
shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
To be excluded from heaven, to be caat headlong into hell,
and abandoned to rage and despair to all eternity ! 0 God,

316 MATTHEW.
can any man think on it without horror ! And yet this is the
inevitable punishment of every impenitent sinner. The love
of rest and ease makes men slothful and unprofitable ; and it
ia merely by thia that they loae the very thing which they
have loved in a wrong manner, and at a wrong time. There
ia but one paradise. He who ia resolved to have his here
below, can hope for none in heaven. There are two sorts of
unprofitable servants : (1.) Sorae, who consume the patrimony
of the church, without doing her any service. (2.) Others,
who, through the love of ease and disgust of spiritual things,
do nothing toward their salvation, and raind only the enjoy
ments of this present life.
SECT. III. — THE LAST JUDGMENT.
31. If When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy
angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory : 32. And
before him shall be gathered all nations : and he shall separate them one
from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats :
In vain doea the sinner endeavour to avoid the presence of
hia God; he will be forced one day to appear before his tri
bunal. See here a spectacle very different from that of the
cross, where the Son of God, naked and disfigured, forsaken
by his disciples, encompassed with his enemies, and seated
between two thieves on the throne of his humiliations and
ignominies, did in those two exhibit an emblem of the separa
tion here described. What an object is this to exercise our
faith ! What a large field of reflection and meditation is here
before us — to consider Jesus Christ aa a God in his majesty,
as a King upon his throne, as a Judge on his tribunal, and
as a Shepherd amid his flock, wherein the goats continue
mixed with the sheep even to the last day !
33. And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the
left. The last function of the Prince of pastors to be performed
on earth is, to make this dreadful separation of mankind for
eternity. Let us strive to be of the number of the sheep, by
our meekness, humility, tractableness, and innocency of life.
Such aa we are at our leaving thia world, auch shall we be

CHAPTER XXV. 317
forever ; either sheep, to drink at the very fountain of eternal
truth ; or goats, to become the prey of' devils. Oh pure and
spotless church, society of elect alone, immortal body com
posed of none but living members ! in vain do we seek for thee
on earth ; it is only in the land of the living, and after this
great division and separation, that we shall flnd thee with and
in God, living to him and by him to all eternity.
34. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand. Come, ye
blessed of my Father, inherit* the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world : [*Fr. possess.]
If there have been kings who have given away kingdoms,
they were only foreign kingdoms which they could not keep ;
none but God gives his own out of pure bounty ; and this
kingdom is himself God blesses none in Jesus Christ, but
those whom he has chosen in him ; and he chooses only those
whom he freely loves in him. "Come, inherit;" amiable,
powerful, and efficacious words ! which draw the elect near to
God, and put them in possession of him. He who during hia
life haa said, "Come, Lord Jeaua," through a aincere desire
of his coming, and through his fidelity and love, " Lord, pos
sess ray heart," shall, in his turn, hear these two words,
"Corae, inherit," which will actually confer on him eternal
happiness. 35. For I was ahungered, and ye gave me meat : I was thirsty, and
ye gave me drink : I was a stranger, and ye took me in :
Good works done for God's sake, through Jesus Christ, in
the Spirit of the Father and the Son, are the price of the
glory prepared for the elect ; prepared without merits, by a
bounty altogether free, but merited by Christ; bestowed on
works as their reward, but on such works as are sanctified by
the Spirit of Christ, and are the gifts of God. Who would
not be forward to give to God, so good, so liberal, so rich in
mercies ? If it be too little for those who have fed and lodged
the poor for the sake of God, to feed on him, to drink of his
glory, and to be lodged in his bosom; let them imagine, if
they can, soraewhat greater. We beheve this, but who can
comprehend it ?
' 27*

318 MATTHEW.
36. Naked, and ye clothed me : I was sick, and ye visited me : I waa
in prison, and ye came unto me.
God rewards nothing but charity, because charity alone
honours God. He rewards that only which a man does as a
member of Jesus Christ, by his Spirit, and with respect to
him ; because God loves none but him, givea no grace but in
him, and can glorify and make nothing live in his bosom but
him alone. A garment of light and glory, the effusion and
infusion of the divinity into the soul, and a perfect freedom
from all evils and miseries, — are not these things capable of
fixing the desires of man! Such is the happy retaliation
which God exercises toward those who have clothed, visited,
delivered, or comforted the poor, sick, and imprisoned mem
bera of hia Son.
37. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying. Lord, when saw we
thee ahungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
Humility eaaily makea the righteous forget their good
works. God cannot forget them; and this is sufficient.
There are raany who have a clear and enlightened faith, ac
tually intent on Jesus Christ in every thing which they do;
but there are abundantly more, whose faith is simple, less in
structed and intelligent, who perform good actions in general
for the sake of God and Christ. It is for the comfort of these
that our blessed Lord assures us, that he has accepted their
alms, though they might not perhaps actually think of him in
bestowing them ; and that he has less regard to the mind than
to the heart.
38. When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in ? or naked, and
clothed ttee.^
Let us incessantly beg that faith which alone discovers
Jesus Christ in the poor. Let us frequently exercise it with
respect to his presence and residence in his members. Ldt
us take care to awake and stir it up on those occasions wherein
we may be tempted to neglect, despise, or treat the poOr
harshly, on the account of their personal faults. The most
unworthy and moat miserable have a merit and dignity invisi
ble to the eyes of the flesh, and unimpaired by all their de
fects ; Jbecause it is the merit of Chriat himaelf.

CHAPTER XXV. 319
39. Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee ?
Jesua Christ is continually humbled, and suffers in his
members to the end of the world. Happy are the poor who
are religious, and have eyes to perceive Christ residing and
enduring poverty in themselves ! But still more happy are
they, if they love their poverty as the source of this advan
tage ! The less capable the poor, the sick, and those in prison
are of penetrating into theae trutha, the greater charity it is
to instruct thera therein, and to engage them to make a Chris
tian use of their condition.
40. And the King shall answer and say unto them. Verily I say unto
.you, Inasmuch* as ye have done ii unto one of the least of these my
brethren, ye have done ii unto me. \* Fr, as often.]
What a comfort ia it for those who assist the poor, the sick,
and prisoners, to be more certain, that in so doing they serve
Jesus Christ, than if they saw him with their eyes! "As
often:" we must not therefore be discouraged by the multi
tude of the poor, nor weary of serving them to the end of our
lives, if we are engaged thereto by a motive of piety, or by
our own state and profesaion ; since as often as we serve them,
we serve Christ himself. "Unto one of the least:" let us
then take heed not to neglect any, nor to apply ourselves out
of natural inclination more to one than to another, but to
those whora either the providence of God sends us, or their
neceaaity obligea us to prefer.
41. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand. Depart from
me, ye' cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his
angels :
It is an article of our faith, that those who are found with
out charity shall be treated aa the devila, and have the same
portion with them in eternity. 0 fatal and irrevocable exile !
0 eternal excommunicati"on and separation from the body of
Christ! Sad confinement in hell, and dismal society in suffer
ing with the devils themselves ! All this shows that it is more
proper to tremble than to speak on this subject. Obdurate
sinners are the angels, envoys, and missionaries of the devil,
who establish his kingdom on earth, propagate his maxims,
preach and authorize them by their example, and aeduce and

320 MATTHEW.
pervert the children of God. Let us take care not to join
ourselves to them in any respect.
42 For I was ahungered, and ye gave me no meat : I was thirsty, and
ye gave me no drink :
How severely shall they be punished who take away the
gooda of othera, when thoae are punished after this manner
who only refuse to give what is their own ! It is not out of
indigence or inability that Christ suffers hunger in hia mem
bera, but out of mercy, and to give ua an opportunity of mak
ing , some amends for our sins by our alms. In vain do we
flatter ourselves that we should have fed' Jeaua Chriat while
he waa on earth, if we show ourselves hard-hearted toward his
suffering members.
43. I was a stranger, and ye took me not in : naked, and ye clothed
me not : sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
Who among ua would not run to priaons and hospitals, if
an apostle assured us that Jesus Christ was there, and stood
in need of us ? Christ himself tells us so, and we turn a deaf
ear to him. If our conscience reproach ua on thia account,
let us humble ourselves and amend. Christ now speaks this
to us in his word, and out of mercy applies himself to our
hearts, that he may not have occasion to speak it hereafter
publicly in his anger at the great day.
44. Then shall they also answer hira, saying. Lord, when saw we thee
ahungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and
did not minister unto thee ?
It is want of faith which produces hard-heartedness toward
the poor. The carnal man has only eyes of flesh and blood;
he will not believe what he does not see. We find but too
many who put on affected incredulity when we give them an
account of the misery and wants of the poor, who seek vain
pretences to excuse theraselves from assisting them, or who
even reject them with contempt or hard language. This is to
feign themaelvea ignorant that it is Christ who asks an alms
of them in the persona of the poor. It ia to do that which is
the ground of the condemnation of the reprobate.
45. Then shall he answer them, saying. Verily I say unto you. In-

CHAPTER XXV. 321
asmuch as ye did if not to one of the least of these, ye did it not
to me. Every thing is in common between the head and the mera-
b#s ; but Jesus Christ is chiefly in the poor and the hurable.
We at present colour and disguise our negligence or insensi
bility aa we please ; but our heart will one day appear such
as it really was in respect of works of raercy. If we are
asharaed to be reproached with covetousness by men, who
will be able to bear a reproach of this nature from the mouth
of Chriat in the day of hia fury ? He makea the cauae of the
poor his own ; and will resent any neglect of them aa a neglect
of himself.
46. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment : but the
righteous into life eternal.
No appeal, no remedy, to all eternity; no end to the punish
ment of those whose final impenitence manifeata in them, aa
it were, an eternal will and desire to sin. By dying in a
settled 'opposition to God, they cast themselves into a necessity
of continuing in an eternal aversion to him. The eternity of
the torment of the damned proceeds from the infinite dignity
of the God who is offended ; the eternity of the reward of the
elect frora the infinite goodness of him who confers it on
them. 0 eternal life, which art nothing but pure life and
joy — not the joy of the world, but that substantial joy of which
God alone is the aource, the object, and the end — may I have
nothing at heart but thee, may I seek nothing else during
this mortal life !

MATTHEW.

CHAPTER XXVI.
SECT. I. — THE RULERS CONSPIRE AGAINST CHRIST. — ^HIS
HEAD ANOINTED.
1. And it came to pass, when Jesus had flnished aU these sayings, he
said unto his disciples,
Christ having instructed the Jews by hia diacouraes, edified
thera by his exaraple, convinced them by hia miracles, and
loaded them with hia benefita, preparea himself now to redeem
them with hia blood, and to aanctify them by hia aacrifice.
Thia new teatimony of hia love requirea of ua new attention,
new reapect, and new acknowledgraent.
2. Ye know that after two days is the feast q/"the passover, and the Son
of man is betrayed to be crucified.
To hear Christ apeak, with auch sedateness and tranquillity,
of so cruel and ignominious a death to be suffered by him two
days after, is a sufficient proof that this Son of man is like
wise the Son of God. It is even something more than speak
ing of it, to foretell it as he doea. Let ua learn from hence,
to look on the croaaes which are prepared for ua with the
serenity and meekness of our Head. He teaches us to spare.
our enemies, by not so rauch aa naming here his own. He
joins the two passovers together, the figurative ahd the true,
in order to teach ua to imitate him, by alwaya joining with
the eucharistic passover the love of the cross, and a disposi
tion to suffer whatever shall please God: this is the true
evangelical passover.
3. Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the
elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called
Caiaphas, 4. And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and
kill him.
Who would not have thought that the priests and magis
trates aaaembled together only to cause Jesus Christ to bo
received and proclaimed as the Messias, after all which they
had seen and heard concerning him ? Let us fear, lest, after

CHAPTER XXVL 323
their example, the abuse of the light and grace of God should
draw upon ua the like blindness and infidelity. The designs
of men, though contrary in their intention to those of Christ,
are, notwithstanding, by his sovereign wisdom, made the means
of bringing these to pass. How incomprehensible and adorable
is his conduct !
5. But they said. Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among
the people.
The wicked person regards religion no farther than it is
subservient to his deaigns and interests. Who is there who
keeps himself entirely free from this disorder? He who
obeys the law only with regard to himself, loves himself and
not the law. He who observes a feast-day on motives purely
human, violates it in his heart.
6. If Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the
leper, 7. There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of
very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat.
Charity employs every thing it has for God. Riches are
not at all to be regarded, but only so far as they are service
able to Christ or his members. The contempt which he
showed for richea, and his aversion to pleasures, hinder him
not from admitting this unction: every thing is mysterious
in this time of mysteries ; every thing ought to contribute to
the honour of Christ in this season of hia lowest humiliationa, .
and to the making Judas ashamed of his avarice, to which he
is just going to sacrifice the blood and life of Jesua Chriat
himself. 8. But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying. To
what purpose is this waste ? 9. For this ointment might have been sold
for much, and given to the poor.
One discontented or perverse spirit is enough to corrupt
and disturb a whole community. How often does charity
serve aa a cloak for covetousneaa! We muat not neglect
what is due to Chriat under pretence of what we owe his
members. Men count every thing wasted which is expended
in the external worship of God, when they love neither God
nor his worship. Jesus Christ authorizes external worship,
by accepting it at the very instant in which he waa going to ,
eatablish religion by a worship the most spiritual and internal.

,324 MATTHEW.
10. When Jesus understood it, he said uhto them. Why trouble ye the
woman ? for she hath wrought a good work upon me.
It is then a good work to pay an external worship to God
and Christ, and that sometimes even with lustre and expense.
The church, calumniated on this account by the followers of
the perfidious Judas, or by the imitators of theae imperfect
disciples, will still have Jesus Christ for her advocate. No
thing which ia produced by charity can be evil in the sight
of God. A waste of our gold and silver is of no moment in
his account, when they are not waated on our luata ; but it is
a raatter of great moment to grieve our neighbour, by dis
couraging hia charity, out of temporal intereat.
11. For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always.
Chriat aubatitutea the poor in hia atead, that he may be re
lieved in them. But that which we owe to them for hia sake,
cannot excuse us from paying what is due to him in hia own
person. He is always present with us in the eucharist, but
after an invisible manner. He is visibly present here below
only in the poor. It is in these that we muat seek him, in
order to assiat and feed him, aa we muat seek him in the eu
charist to feed on him.
12. For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did ii
for my burial.
Love is quick in foreseeing things, and has sometimes in
stincts of which it knows not the cause. Let us admire the
goodness and condescension of Christ, who anticipates the
ceremony of his burial in favour of this holy woman, because
he knows ahe will not have the comfort of embalming him
after hia death. True charity ahall be rewarded for whatever
it would have done ; and Jeaua Chriat sees that in its inten
tions which it does not perceive itaelf. The actiona of holy
person's often contain mysteries which they understand not
theraselves ; as that of Christ's burial ia represented by this
action of the woman. The solicitous care of Christ makes
him improve all opportunities to renew the thoughts of his
death, to prepare his true diaciplea for it, and to give some
remorse to the traitor by discovering to him his own heart.
13. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached

CHAPTER XXVL 325
in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be
told for a memorial of her.
God takes delight in diatinguiahing thoae actiona which the
world blamea through a apirit different from his. Happy is
that man who is contented with the approbation of Him who
sees the heart ! Good works embalm the whole church with
their sweet odour. The contradiction of men passes away;
the fruits and edification of auch actiona will aubsist forever.
A conatant auccesaion and perpetual tradition of them ia con
tinued by imitation. Let ua esteem ourselves happy in being
capable of conveying down this tradition, by a fervent appli
cation to anoint Jesus Christ in the poor and sick, either by
relieving or comforting them.
SECT. II. — THE BARGAIN AND TREACHERY OF JUDAS. — THE
PASCHAL SUPPER.
14. If Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the
chief priests.
A charitable reproof completes sometimes the obduration
of a reprobate ; however, he who gave it haa done hia duty.
A provoked paaaion, or even a araall disgust, has often caused
that to be done to the church which Judas does in respect of
its Head : making men betray its interests, and violate its
faith, unity, peace, and discipline, by sacrilegious conspira
cies with its enemies. Thus all heresies and schisms spring
from the passions of raen.
15. And said unto them. What will ye give me, and I will deliver him
unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.
For a man to accuse Christ of nothing, and not to complain
of him while he betrays him, is to justify him and to condemn
himself. He who nouriahea any passion in his heart, is in
great danger of delivering up Christ and the church to their
enemies upon every temptation. When a man hopes for any
thing from the world, he ought to fear every thing from him
self He who treats and bargains with it, leaves his con
science very often in pawn, if he do not entirely reaign it up
thereto. There ia nothing which we have not reaaon to fear
Vol. L— 28

326 MATTHEW.
from avarice, since it stoops so low as to sell Jeaua Christ at
ao vile a price.
16. And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.
Men aeldom leave a crime imperfect. Unhappy he who
engagea himaelf therein for want of reaiating the smallest be
ginnings ! We are but too faithful to the world, and gene
rally keep our word with it at the expense of all. What has
God done to us, that he is the only person with whom we
break it ? Opportunities of finishing sin are seldom wanting
when a man seeks them. The devil is too vigilant not to
present thera. Would to God that men were as diligent and
faithful in seeking and embracing opportunities to disengage
themselves from sin, to break off all familiarity with the
wicked, and to renounce every dangerous conversation !
17. If Now the first dai/ of the yeas* of unleavened bread the disciples
came to Jesus, saying unto him. Where wilt thou that we prepare for
thee to eat the passover?
See here the extreme poverty of Christ, who had no house
of hia own on earth ! He who would fain aettle himself here,
as in his native country, is not his disciple. The disciples
and imitators of his poverty follow the spirit of their Master,
depend on providence, and live in peace all their days, with
out knowing either where or how it will provide for their ne
cessities. A man is easy as to every thing when he has
Jesus Christ in his heart.
18. And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him.
The Master saith. My time is at hand ; I will keep the passover at thy
house with my disciples. 19. And the disciples did as Jesus had ap
pointed them ; and they made ready the passover.
The command of Christ, the obedience of the disciples,
and every thing which passes here, show plainly that he is
truly the Maater of all, who ia going to suffer. He makes
himself obeyed when he pleases ; but he knows also how to
obey when it is necessary, for the salvation of his people and
for our example. He looks on the time of his aufferinga and
death aa hia own proper tirae; it ia alao the tirae of every
Chriatian in this life.
20. Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve.
A man muat be a disciple of Jesus Christ in order to eat

CHAPTER XXVL 327
the paasover with him ; that is, in order not to receive his
body and blood in the euchariat unworthily, he rauat have
learned in hia achool, which is the church, to believe the
truths which God has revealed, to hope for the good thinga
which he haa prepared, and to love the commandmenta which
he haa enjoined. The Son of God, in thia laat assembly,
which contains an abridgment, as it were, of the whole church,
shows us the mixture of the good, the weak, and the wicked,
who are all united in the participation of the sarae sacraments.
21. And as they did eat, he said. Verily I say unto you, that one of
you shall betray me.
Prudence and charity require that we should use the great
est sinners tenderly to the last; admonishing, without dis
covering them. God doea this continually, leaving the most
impious persons unknown. Lord, thou seest, in my wretched
will, the principle of all sorts of infidelity and treachery ; but
thou canst restrain it by thy own holy and almighty will.
Do it, 0 Jesus, out of thy mercy and goodness.
22. And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them
to say unto him. Lord, is it I ?
It is natural to the just to fear lest some sin should lie hid
in their heart without their knowing it. A man ought always
to think himself raore subject to fall than others, because
every one best knows his own weakness, and haa reason to
apprehend every thing from his own infidelity. There is a
Borrow of foresight as well as of repentance. Can a man who
reflects on his own corrupt heart, and sees temptation ap
proaching, forbear sighing and being grieved at the danger
of losing hia God, to which he ia continually expoaed?
23. And he answered and said. He that dippeth his hand with me in
the dish, the same shall betray me.
Judaa, admonished the second time, and that more plainly
than before, is not at all the more affected thereby. When a
heart ia once hardened, it haa no longer any eara to hearken
to admonitions. The multiplying of benefita doea but give it
a new occasion of resisting more obstinately the goodness of
God. It is the property of hardness of heart to make us,

328 MATTHEW.
like Judas, deaf, obdurate, and insensible, without perceiving
that we are so.
24. The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that
man by whom the Son of man is betrayed ! it had been good for that
man if he had not been born.
Jesus Christ considera hia death no otherwiae than aa a
paasage or journey. Long before the birth of his enemiea, it
waa written of him that he muat die, to make it evident that
it ia not through neceaaity, but obedience, that he diea for ua.
It ia alao by obedience that we muat apply the merit of his
death to ourselves. Wo to those who, like Judas, have no
share therein but by their crime and treachery ! Such is the
crime of all wicked Christians, who deliver up, as it were, to
the power of wickedness, Jesus Christ, who had taken poa
aeasion of their hearts by baptism. But such, in a higher
degree, is the crime of wicked priests, who betray Christ while
they offer his (representative) body, and receive it with a
guilty conscience themselves, while they cause others who
are unworthy to receive it, while they either suffer sinners to
continue in their disorders through negligence, ignorance,
cowardice, interest, fiattery, etc., or even encourage them to
wickedness by a treachery like that of Judas.
25. Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said. Master, is
it 1 7 He said unto him. Thou hast said.
Judas, admonished now the third time, hears all with the
insensibility and irapudence of an abandoned sinner. To
imagine that God sees not the bottom of our heart, is an im
piety not very common. We believe that every thing is pre
aent to him, and yet we do that in his presence which we
would not do before a mortal raan ! Nothing so coramon, no
thing ao incomprehenaible. There is neither reason, nor
sharae, nor faith, nor religion in a sinner entirely possessed
and taken up with his sin.
SECT, III. — THE EUCHARIST.
26. If And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and
brake ii, and gave it to the disciples, and said. Take, eat; this is my body.
There is nothing more common and plain in appearance
than that which Christ does here — but yet it is a mystery of

CHAPTER XXVL 329
faith. God confounds the pride of carnal men, and exercises
the humble faith of true Christians, in hiding his greatest
raysteries under such veils as are common and contemptible
to the eyes of the fiesh. Let us believe, and we shall com
prehend it. Holy and adorable words! which contain the
establishraent of the Christian worship, the institution of the
new law, the contract of the true covenant, the testament of
a dying Father, a commandment of the greatest importance,
the foundation of the true religion, the substitution of reality
in the room of shadows, and the end of all types and figures.
27. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave ii to them, say
ing. Drink ye all of it ;
Jesus Christ makes his body and blood the price of our re
demption, the victim of our sacrifice, the nouriahment of our
souls, and the bond of our union with God. Let us return
sacrifice for sacrifice. The sacrifice of the outward man, by
repentance, mortification, and purity ; the sacrifice of the in
ward man, by adoration, thanksgiving, love, self-denial, and
prayer, which are the soul of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ,
and of every Chriatian sacrifice. The eucharistic sacrifice is
an admirable contrivance of the wisdom of God, wherein
every thing is rendered to God by his creatures; and every
thing is given anew by God to his creatures in the communion.
28. For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many
for the remission of sins.
Religion is a covenant with God, confirmed by the blood
of the true victim. Aa long aa religion shall continue on the
earth, and until this covenant, which is but begun, shall be
flnished in the course of ages, it is neceaaary that this blood
should be alao really repreaented. Unhappy ia that man
who, by his sin, breaks a covenant cemented with the blood
of God, who scandalizes a soul redeemed, or defiles a heart
which has been sanctifled by thia blood !
29. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the
vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.
The communion of the body and blood of Christ is a pledge
or earnest of the communion in heaven. Jesus raised from
the dead is a perfect new man, the Priest, the Victim, and
28*

330 MATTHEW.
the Sacrifice of eternity. The whole church, renewed by the
participation of his glory, and reunited to him as its Head,
shall offer with and in him this sacrifice, and communicate
thereof, by feeding on the uncreated Truth, the bread and
wine of the elect. When shall this happy hour come, 0 my
God! 30. And when they had sung a hymn, they went out into the mount
of Olives. Here is a pattern of thanksgiving after the communion.
The sacrifice of our altars ia itaelf a thankagiving. But what
acknowledgment do we not owe to God, for having afforded
ua ao divine a meana of enriching ouraelvea afreah, by return*
ing him thanka for hia former gifts ? A communion-day is a
day entirely set apart for thanksgiving, adoration, and hymns
of joy, which are to be the beginning of the hymns and an
thems of eternity. A man cannot pass such a day unprofit
ably without great infidelity, nor spend it in worldly diversions,
such as dancing, play, comedies, or operas, without doing the
greatest outrage to religion.
SECT. IV. — ST. PETER'S DENIAL FORETOLD.
31. Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of
me this night : for it is written, I will smite the Shepherd, and the sheep
of the flock shall be scattered abroad.
Who has not reason to fear, when he sees the sufferings of
Christ becorae an occasion of offence, even to the apostles
themselves, and make them forget the duties of friendshipy
and the fidelity which disciples owed to so good a Maater,
after more than three years of inatruction and miracles?
Men often follow Christ and his maxims freely enough, until
they meet with times of trial and temptation. Friends are
the last refuge in affliction ; but even this is wanting to Christ,
and he thereby expiatea the abiiae of worldly friendships.
Let ua imitate him, instead of complaining, when our friends
turn their backs upon us, and dare not declare for us.
32. But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.
The sheep foraake the Shepherd, but he forsakes not his
sheep. He will seek, recall, and bring them back; and he

CHAPTER XXVL 331
fortifies and comforts them beforehand with the hopes of his
resurrection. Vulgar souls suffer themselves to be depressed
by affliction, and can hardly receive any consolation : great
souls always keep their station, and support others who are
sinking. 33. Peter answered and said unto him. Though all men shall be
offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.
The presumptuous person imagines he can do every thing,
and can do nothing; thinks he can excel all, and excels in
nothing ; promises every thing, and performs nothing. The
humble man acts the quite contrary part. There is nothing
so unknown to us as ourselves. Nothing which we see less,
than our own poverty and weakness. Let us rather believe
what God tells us of ourselves in Scripture, than what we
perceive in ourselves. The strength of pride is but the
strength of a moment. Vanity serves only to conceal from
us what we are, and what we are not.
34. Jesus said unto him. Verily I say unto thee. That this night, before
the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.
Shall this earthen vessel have the presumption to think
that it knowa itaelf better than ita Maker does ? Our own ex
perience is not sufficient to convince us of our frailty. It is
not even sufficient that Christ assures us that our fall is near,
and that, without his grace, it is infallible. A divine light is
absolutely necessary, to pierce, illuminate, and change the
heart. 35. Peter said unto him. Though I should die vrith thee, yet will I not
deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.
The defenders of liberty against grace, like St. Peter, give
the lie to Jeaua Christ. St. Peter, who drawa the other dia
ciplea into hia own mistake and error, showa ua plainly that
nothing finda a readier admiaaion and entertainment in the
minds of such as have but an ordinary degree of faith, than
this presumptuous opinion of their own strength. We are not
to wonder, but to lament, that it is so common.

332 MATTHEW.

SECT. V. — CHRIST'S AGONY AND PRAYER IN THE GARDEN. —
THE DISCIPLES ASLEEP.
36. If Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane,
and saith unto the disciples. Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.
It is a true Christian foresight to prepare ourselves for auf
feringa and death, by retirement and prayer. The diaciplea
had great occaaion to pray ; but the weak are not alwaya to
have their duty pressed upon them. It is better sometimes
only to lay their wants before them, to leave them to find
their own weakness, to pray for them, and to commit them to
ihe grace of God. All are not capable of the same com
munications ; it is necessary to know how to discern, not only
between the weak and the strong, but also between the dif
ferent degrees of weakneas.
37. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and
began to be sorrowful and very heavy.
Jeaua Chriat imparts his sorrow and heaviness of heart to
those whora he loves raoat. Aa the victim of ainnera, he ex
piates their vain joys by his holy sorrows; as clothed with
their persons, he undergoes that grief and contrition which
they ought all to feel for their sins. This is the source from
whence we must draw the spirit of contrition, and the whole
sorae sorrow of repentance, by adoring it in hira, and pray
ing that he would impress it on our hearts.
38. Then saith he unto them. My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even
unto death : tarry ye here, and watch with me.
Such a sorrow as this in men is never the subject of their
choice ; there rauat be a divine strength and power in Christ
to draw on himself this sorrow unto death, and to open his
heart thereto. He delivered his soul to this internal tor
mentor of his own accord, as he also delivered his body to th'e
external tormentors when he pleased. Good God! what a
shame is it to see him deprive himself of the most supreme
joy, and abandon himself to the deepest sorrow, for our sakes,
while we will not sacrifice so much as one pleaaure, aatiafac-
tion, or diveraion to hira ! Let ua faithfully accept all the

CHAPTER XXVL 333
Borrowa which may befall ua here. Let us beseech Christ to
sanctify them by that state of sorrow which he chose for our
sakes. Let us make it our joy to continue, persevere, and
watch therein with him.
39. And he went a little further, and fell on his face and prayed, say
ing, 0 my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: neverthe
less, not as I will, but as thou wilt.
What posture ought a sinner to use before God, when he
sees Jesus Christ "prostrate on his face" before his Father,
to expiate the loftiness of our pride! He here teaches us
always to look upon God as our Father, even when he afflicts
us; to invoke him in this quality; to represent our wants to
him ; to beg of him deliverance, out of an humble sense of our
own weakness; and to submit to his appointments with confi
dence in his assistance. Christ withdraws in the height of
hia agony, that he may apare hia disciplea. It is not expe
dient for a good pastor to let the weak know all the struggles
and combats which he undergoes ; it ia prudence to hide hia
infirmitiea from them. It ia the wisest way, on these occa
sions, to keep a reserved confidence with our friends, that we
may not afflict or deject them too much.
40. And he cometh unto his disciples, and findeth them asleep, and
saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?
How few Christians set themselves to meditate on the agony
and secret sufferings of Christ ! Faithful friends in affliction
are very rare. Christ would not spare himself this sort of
grief, which is one of the most sensible afflictions of life, to
see his friends so little concerned at hia miafortunea, while he
ia so sensibly affected with theirs, beyond all imagination!
We are but too ready to lose our sleep, when it is to watch
with the world, and to ahare in the pleasures and diversions
thereof during the night ; but what pain, what sluggishness
seizes us, when we should watch one hour with Christ, either
by way of mortification, or out of charity toward a sick per
son, or to praise God in the great solemnities, or to adore
Jesus Christ in his sufferings, to take part in his afflictions by
prayer, and to beg the spirit and grace to do it !

334 MATTHEW..
41. Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit in
deed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
A good pastor, a ti;ue father, after the example of Christ,
takes care of the aalvation of hia flock to the laat. He who
exhorts his flock to watchfulness and prayer, is sure to make
an impression upon them, if they see him watch and pray
himself. In perilous conjunctures men sometimes fall asleep,
and rely on some sudden gust of courage and sensible fervourj
wherewith they flatter themselves; and are often too late
convinced, that they have more presumption than strength.
Christian vigilance and humble prayer are the source of all
our strength. The former renders the vigilance of the devil
ineffectual; the latter procures the vigilance and protection
of God.
42. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, 0 my
Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy
will be done.
The example of Jesus Christ teaches ua to reaign ourselves
to the will of God, and to redouble our prayers at the appre-.
hension of death, the approach of dangers, and the presence
of afflictions. How holily is a pastor's heart divided, between
the vigilance of his function, and his recourse to God ; between
his attendance on his flock, and the care of his own salvation !
The fear here showed by our Head under his voluntary weak-,
ness, is a great lesson of humility for his membera, in the
midst of ao many necesaities, voluntary and involuntary.
Clothe me. Lord, with thy courage and thy atrength, through
that goodness which inclined thee to put on our fear and our
weakness !
43. And he came and found them asleep again : for their eyes were

Men sacrifice with joy their sleep and whole nights to am
bition, avarice, and pleasure; but they cannot afford one to
God, to charity, and to their own salvation.
_ 44. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third
time, saying the same words.
Let us not be tired with "studying this pattern of perse-.
verance, humility, and simplicity in prayer. Let us learn to

CHAPTER XXVL 335
speak little, and to humble ourselves much therein. This is
the model of the prayer of penitents, humbled under the
almighty hand of God; as that of perfect Christians, of
priests, and the chief pastors of the church, is exhibited in
the prayer given us in the seventeenth chapter of St. John.
Let us comfort ourselves with Christ, when God makes us
sensible of our barrenness and poverty in prayer. If he re
duces us to one single good thought, to one comfortable word,
or to one pious motion, it is reasonable that we should be con
tented therewith, and humbly make use of it.
45. Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them. Sleep on
now, and take your rest : behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of
man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
Self-love renders us more vigilant when danger ia present,
than all the advice of our most discerning friends. If we are
moved with indignation to see holiness itself in the hands of
sinners, let us lay the blame on ourselves, since they were our
sins which delivered up Christ to sinners. His charity ia
busily employed to the end. Let us adore this last use which
he makes of his liberty, to admonish his disciples, and to wake
them from their heaviness and slumber.
46. Rise, let us be going : behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.
Happy he, who, through zeal for God's justice, or through
charity toward his neighbour, goes forth to meet the cross,
and even death itself! but so aa not to do any thing contrary
either to the command of God, or to other duties which regard
our neighbour, or to what prudence and humility require of
us as to ourselves. Jesus Christ takes notice of all the steps
of his enemies, to make it evident that nothing ia done con
trary to his will, that they do only what he permits, and that
they seize hira because he is willing they should.
SECT. VI. — THE KISS OF JUDAS.— MALCHUS'S EAR CUT OFF. —
THE FLIGHT OF THE DISCIPLES.
47. If And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and
vrith him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the' chief priests
and elders of the people.
Terrible change ! from one of the leaders of Christ's flock,

336 MATTHEW.
to a leader of wolves and robbers ! He who trembles not at
the sight of so unaccountable a fall, little knows how far the
blindness and wickedness of man's heart can proceed. Let
us fear, in proportion to the holiness of our state and condi
tion. The higher the station is from whence we fall, the less
hope is there of any recovery.
48. Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying. Whomsoever
I shall kiss, that same is he ; hold him fast. 49. And forthwith he came
to Jesus, and said. Hail, Master; and kissed him.
The conduct of Judas ia the picture of that of hypocrites.
Let us adore the God and Restorer of peace, betrayed by a
falae token thereof. The world ia full of this kind of civilities
and insidious compliraents, which tend only to deliver us up
to it and to destroy us. It behoves every one who loves his
own salvation to stand on his guard. A man must have a
heayt as full of the meekness and peace of charity as that of
Christ was, not to refuse a kiss of peace to so perfldious an
enemy, and so unnatural a traitor. How will this condemn
those who cannot bear the presence, or even the sincere civili
ties of a repenting enemy !
50. And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come ? Then
came they, and laid hands pn Jesus, and took him.
As is the heart, such is the tongue — mild, charitable, and
rqady to anticipate even a traitor, and that at a time when
the most moderate are apt to lose all patience. The last
word which Christ uses in order to make Judas recollect him
self, serves onlyvto harden hira the more. But it may often
be very serviceable to us, either to remind us of the duties of
our calling, or to repulse the temptations which would carry
us at a distance from thera. The captivity of Jeaua Chriat ia
the effect, the puniahraent, and the remedy of the ill uae which
we make of our liberty; and the consolation of those who lose
their own, whether justly or unjustly.
51. And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his
hand, and drew hif sword, and struck a servant of the high priest, and
emote off his ear.
Human presumption puts men upon human endeavoura, and
producea a blind, indiscreet, and irregular zeal. Christian

CHAPTER XXVL 337
humility makea them have recourae to the divine power, and
inspires nothing but prudence, meekness, and charity. An
engagement of word or honour may for a while keep a raan
to his duty ; but grace alone can raake him persevere in it to
ihe end.
52. Then said Jesus unto him. Put up again thy sword into his place:
for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.
Jesus Christ will not he served in the same manner with
secular frienda, nor be defended with an arm of flesh. Pri
vate persons have [ordinarily] no right to repel any violence
supported by public authority, no, not even for the sake of re
ligion. The cause of a Christian is the cause of God ; suffer
ing belongs to one, and vengeance to the other. Were there
nothing to be suffered from men, there could be no martyrs
in the world.
53. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall
presently give me more than twelve legions of angels ?
The first article of our faith is to believe in " One God the
Father Alraighty." Whoever is thoroughly rooted and eata-
blished in thia truth, enjoya a perfect repoae in the midst of
the moat powerful enemies. Our wants and distresses cannot
be hid from the wisdora of God, nor disregarded by the good
ness of such a Father, nor irremediable to him who ia
almighty. 54. But how then shall the Scriptures be fulfllled, that thus it must be ?
Jesus Christ died not through weakness, but through obe
dience, zeal, and charity. Whenever God doea not deliver ua
from our evila and afflictiona, it ia because they are corapre-
hended within the unchangeable designs of his wisdora, good
ness, and omnipotence, declared in the Scripturea ; and then
it is our glory to be subservient to them, onr perfection to
aubmit to them, and our eternal advantage never to decline
them. Christ has the Scripture always before his eyes, as
containing the plan of God's designs, both as to himself and
ua. Let ua imitate him herein ; for in them ia the inexhauati-
ble fountain of Chriatian hope and consolation.
55. In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out
Vol. L— 29 W

338 MATTHEW.
as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me ? I sat daily
vrith you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me.
How adorable are this tranquillity and meekness ! and how
worthy to be imitated by every Christian on the like occasion !
The captivity of holy persons is never idle and inactive ; their
charity is always free, and alwaya intent on the benefit of
their neighbour. Nothing but a total inability can hinder a
pastor from discharging his ministry. If captive, he draws
from captivity itaelf an occaaion to open the eyes of his most
furious and blind persecutors, by reflections suited to their
condition. 56. But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be
fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.
Jeaua, exactly faithful in fulfilling the Scriptures, presents
the light of them to his eneraies, as well as to his disciples, in
order to dispel their darkness. The word of God has always
infallibly its effect. All the stepa of our bleased Saviour are
steps of obedience. The cowardice of the disciples convinces
thera, at last, that Christ knows better what is in man than
raan himself. Lord, I cannot adhere to thee but by thy as
sistance ; forsake me not therefore, I beseech thee, that so I
may not forsake thee. ,
SECT. VII. — JESUS LED TO CAIAPHAS, CONDEMNED, AND
/ ABUSED.
57. If And they that had laid hold on Jesus led Mm away to Caiaphas
the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled.
Let us adore Jesus Christ, humbled in his three offices or
qualities of High Prieat, Prophet, and King, by appearing
before thoae who possessed these qualitiea among the Jews.
Would to God that thia sort of hurailiation were not often
renewed in succeeding ages, when hia truth is condemned or
deserted by those who ought to teach or defend it! Let us
honour the priesthood and the magistracy, even in thoae who
abuse it ; and let us conscientiously submit ourselves thereto.
58. But Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest's palace, and
went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end.
How weak are the endeavours of nature when left to itaelf!

CHAPTER XXVL 339
We cannot distrust it too much, nor adhere too cloae to Christ.
When a man is weak, and can only follow Christ afar off, he
must avoid all dangeroua occaaiona, and the company of such
persona who will but increaae his weakness. He who doea
that out of curioaity, or aome human motive, which he ought
to do for the aake of God, will find therein a snare and an
occasion of falling, instead of his own justification.
59. Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false
witness against Jesus, to put him to death ;
Had they aought true witness in order to clear him, hia
whole life abounded with it. Thia proceeding of the council
of the Jewa is too exact a representation of what the envioua
continually put in practice against the best of men. They
first resolve to ruin them, and then seek the proper means of
effecting it, how unjuat soever it be. They suppose or declare
them criminal ; and after that, use their utmost endeavour to
discover and fix some crime upon them.
60. But found none : yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found
they none. At the last came two false witnesses. 61. And said. This
fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in
three days.
It is the constant practice of the envious and unjuat, to
change the worda of those whom they do not love, and so
make them the heads of their accusation. It is easy, by
means of a few small alterations, to render the most holy
truths, and the most innocent persons odious to the world. 0
sacred humanity of Jesus, thou art truly the temple of God,
built up by the mystery of thy incarnation, destroyed on the
cross, and rebuilt by thy glorious resurrection ! Nay, thou
art raore, since thou art the victim of this adorable temple,
and since it ia the deatruction of this temple which makea the
sacrifice of thy religion the glory of God and the salvation
of men.
62. And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou no
thing ? what is it which these witness against thee ?
Jesus, as being the truth itself, deigns to be humbled by
false witnesaea. There ia a time to defend the truth by apolo-
giea, and a time to auffer for it in an humble silence. It was

340 MATTHEW.
necessary for mankind that there should be a victim to merit
for them the grace to receive the truth ; and also an example
of patience, to encourage them to endure calumnies. To this
end, Christ came into the world ; to this end, he suffers him
self to be accused without so much as opening his mouth in
his own justification.
63. But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said
unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou
be the Christ, the Son of God.
The silence of the eternal Word confounds the pride of the
sons of Adam, who are always eager to justify themaelves;
A calumny which destroys itself needs no refutation. The
abusing the name of God, considered as the ever-living truth,
and employing it against the truth itself, is a crime not at all
scrupled hy those who are most obliged to honour it, when
once the spirit of calumny has taken possession of their hearts.
64. Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said : nevertheless I say unto you.
Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power,
and coming in the clouds of heaven.
Men ought to reverence the name and authority of God,
even in his most unworthy rainisters, and not to give offence
to the weak, nor afford raatter of new accusations, by un
necessarily disputing concerning the abuse of authority.
Christ had no disposition to be silent upon a truth for which
he designed to die, and which was to make so raany martyrs
after his example. How odious soever any truth is become
through the power and envy of its enemies, we are obliged to
declare for it, when an account of it ia publicly demanded of us.
65. Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying. He hath spoken blas
phemy ; what further need have we of witnesses ? behold, now ye have
heard his blasphemy.
Let ua adore Jeaus Christ, treated as a blasphemer, who is
the glory of his Father. His patience under the most unjust
and outrageous accusations is a very great lesson for his dis
ciples. See here a false zeal, a mask of religion, and a pas
sionate and seditioua way of proceeding, tending only to in-
cenae and atir up others, all which are common to those who
would oppress truth by cabal and without proof. By crying

CHAPTER XXVL 341
out heresy, blasphemy, and faction, though contrary to all
appearance, men fail not to stir up thoae in power, to gain
the aimple, to give some shadow of authority to the ill-dis
posed, to cast devout but ignorant people into diffidence and
scruplea, and thereby to advance the myatery of iniquity,
which is the.raystery of all ages.
66. What think ye? They answered and said. He is guilty of death.
The Author of life, and Life eternal itself, is then judged
worthy of death; and can we complain after this of the in
justice of human judgraents as to ourselves ? All the forms
of justice are violated in order to oppress this innocent per
son ; the judge becomes a party and accuser, and proceeds to
the verdict without examining whether all the prophecies con
cerning the Mesaiaa, and the miraclea which he wrought with
out number and without example, did not justify him. . Ex
amination and proof are the ruin of calumniea, and of the
authors of them ; and therefore they take care to keep off
from those two things.
67. Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted hira ; and others smote
him with the palms of their hands.
See here those affronts and indignities which the world
thinks it has a right never to pardon, and which the Son of
God endures with a divine meekneaa. Let ua cast at the feet
of Christ, so unworthily treated by his creatures, that falae
honour, that quick sense of affronts, that unreasonable nice-
ness which cavils at every trifle, exaggerates every thing, and
pardons nothing; and above all, that diabolical inflexibility
in the resentment of injuries. The more Christ ia abased on
our account, the more ought we to adore him. That which
he suffers in his face, condemns those who idolize their own,
and that criminal care which they take to render themselves
agreeable to others thereby.
68. Saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee ?
Jesus Chriat, foretold and promised to the Jews under the
quality of a Prophet, is humbled by them as a prophet, and
in respect of his divine knowledge. Strange corruption of
the mind of man, so fond of prophecy and predictions, so
29*

342 MATTHEW.
ready to give ear to false prophets on their own word ; and
yet so very backward to believe the prophecies of the true
Prophet, though confirmed by so many miracles ; and so eager
and zealous in persecuting him.
SECT. VIII. — ST. Peter's DENIAL and repentance.
69. If Now Peter sat without in the palace : and a damsel came unto
hira, saying. Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee. 70. But he denied
before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest.
A man thinks himself able to suffer death for the sake of
God, who cannot withstand even a servant's voice. Every
one carries within himself that concupiscence which tempts
hira to renounce Christ. It is absolutely necessary to keep it
always in subjection as a servant, to hinder it from becoming
a raaster. What darkness otherwise will it not cause in the
understanding? What forgetfulness of favours^ duties, and
promises in the memory? What weakness, confusion, and
infidelity in the will ? Support ua. Lord, with thy own hand ;
for there ia nothing on which we can depend but thy grace.
71. And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him,
and said unto them that were there. This fellow was also with Jesus of
Nazareth. 72. And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man.
When we have once forgotten God, and are left by him to
ourselves, to be tempted and to be overcome are almost one
and the same thing. One temptation unresisted, seldom fails
of being succeeded by another, — a second and greater infi
delity ia the puniahraent of the firat, and very often the occa
sion of a third. Peter joins perjury to infidelity. Let the
example of an apostle make us tremble.
73. And after a while came unto Mm they that stood by, and said to
Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee.
74. Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man.
And immediately the cook crew.
How far does the weakness of man proceed? We could
not have an instance of it in the Prince of pastors ; but he
chose to give it us in the peraon of one of the prime apostles,
to oblige all to hear with the infirmitiea of the greateat sin
nera. Deplorable progress of infidelity and blindness in an
apostle in so short a time, occasioned only hy hia fear of some

CHAPTER XXVIL 343
mean aervanta, and in reference to a Maater whom he had
acknowledged to be truly God. He might poaaibly have pro
ceeded even aa far aa Judas, had God left him any longer to
himaelf. 75. And Peter remembered the word of .Jesus, which ^aid unto him.
Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and
wept bitterly.
A amall matter makea us fall, when God does not support
us ; a small raatter raises us again, when his grace raakes use
of it. The internal grace of conversion is generally affixed
to something external. This eminent minister of Christ
teaches others by his example that, in order to a true con
version, it is necessary to forsake the occaaiona of sin, to weep
and lament for it before God and man, and to remember and
meditate upon the words of Jesus Christ. Lord, how sud
denly does thy grace change the heart, when it undertakes
to do it ! Change mine, I beseech thee, and draw from it the
tears of a sincere repentance !

CHAPTER XXVIL

SECT. I. — CHRIST DELIVERED TO PILATE. — THB REPENTANCE
AND DEATH OF JUDAS.
- 1. When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the
people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death : 2. And when
they had bound him, they led ^m away, and delivered him to Pontius
Pilate the governor.
Let us adore Jesus Christ bound as a malefactor, and de
livered up as a profane person to the secular power. He
herein bears the punishment of the sinner, who deserves to
be haled thus before the judgraent-seat of God. This is the
consolation of guilty prisoners, the glory of the innocent, and
a source of gracea and merits to sanctify our liberty, and the
use we should make thereof, to bless the bonds of those who
are in captivity, and to hallow their condition.
3. If Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was

344 MATTHEW.
condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of sil
ver to the chief priests and elders,
Behold the false repentance of a reprobate ! The devil
blinds the sinner before the comraission of sin, in order to
hurry hira into it ; and opens his eyea afterward, to caat him
into deapair. There ia no beneficial aight and aense of our
faulta but what proceeda frora the grace of Chriat. A man
may know hia ain, conceive an abhorrence of it, repent of it,
confeaa it, reatore hia ill-gotten gooda, retire frora the occa
sion, and yet be a false penitent like Judas. All becoraes in
effectual, when a man has his eyes only upon the justice of
God through a servile fear, without turning them toward hia
mercy by a Christian hope. That which was wanting to
Judas, and is the only refuge of sinners, is humbly to have
recourse to God by Jesus Christ.
4. Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood.
And they said. What is that to us ? see thou to that.
There is a sacrilegious confession, a diabolical humiliation,
and a despairing repentance. These, without an extraordi
nary grace, are the natural consequences of calumny, incited
by avarice and self-interest, and become irreparable by op
pressing the innocent. It is a terrible judgment, not to be
able to find one friend ready to offer us his hand after our fall.
This is a juat puniahraent for having left the society of the
good, and despised the charitable hand of Christ. A true
pastoral charity is to be found only in the apostolic church.
Those who engage us in a sinful course seldom trouble them
selves to recover us out of it. It is natural to mercenary
pastors to be unconcerned at the fall of their sheep.
5. And he cast down the pifeces of silver in the temple, and departed,
and went and hanged himself.
For want of confidence, repentance is false. See here the
miserable and desperate end of a covetous wretch-, gnawed by
the remorse of his conscience for his injustice in acquiring his
wealth, and delivered up to the despair of his own mind.
Every thing ia wanting to a sinner, when hope ia wanting;
and there can be no hope in God, where there ia no love of
God. If nothing but fear of puniahment excite a man to

CHAPTER XXVIL 345
repentance, the more vehement this is, the more it leada to
despair. 6. And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said. It is not law
ful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood.
Who would not admire thia great care of the chief prieats
in not defiling the holy treaaury with profane money, while at
the aame time they scruple not to defile their own consciences
with the greatest of criraes, and deliver up the true Temple
of God to profane men ? Thus it is that the devil often de
ludes many, even among the prieata, by a falae and super
stitious tenderness of conscience in thinga indifferent, while
calumny, envy, oppression of the innocent, and the moat
heinous sins, give them no raanner of trouble or disturbance.
7. And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field, to
bury strangers in.
Blind and merciless priests, very careful in laying out
Judas's money, but not in the least concerned what would
become of his soul ! Would to God that abundance of Chris
tians were not under the same blindness ! Jesus Christ hira
self honours his death and burial, by making the price of his
blood serviceable to the burying of Jewish strangers. Hia
charity in doing good to hia enemiea ia indefatigable ; and his
wisdom continually intent on turning every circumstance of
their crime to some advantage. He does this good to the
foreign Jews, perhaps, because they, not having been wit
nesses of his life and miraclea, were the chief persons who
cried out, " Crucify him, crucify him!"
8. Wherefore that fleld was called. The field of blood, unto this day.
9. Then was fulfllled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, say
ing. And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was
valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value ; 10. And gave
them for the potter's fleld, as the Lord appointed me.
The Holy Scripture, having foretold every thing, renders
all the Jews utterly inexcusable. In vain do the wicked en
deavour to conceal themaelvea ; God makes them instrumental
in diacovering their own wickedneaa. Judaa, hy returning
back the money, and the prieata by laying it out, raise to
themselves an eternal monument — the one of hia treachery,
the others of their perfidiousness.

346 ' MATTHEW.
SECT. II. — CHRIST BEFORE PILATE. — BABABBAS. — THE
CLAMOUR OF THB JEWS AGAINST CHRIST.
11. And Jesus stood before the governor : and the governor asked him,
saying. Art thou the King of the Jews ? And Jesus said unto him. Thou
sayest. Jeaua Chriat anawera out of respect to the authority of God,
whose image he would honour even in a wicked judge. A
man is not freed from the obligation of bearing witness to the
truth, though the usefulness and advantage of it do not ap
pear; and though on the contrary it raay be the occasion of
a kind of scandal, of persecution, and even of the death of
him who bears it. Christ here witnesses "a good confession,"
as St. Paul calls it, (1 Tim. vi. 13,) which establishes his di
vinity, the power of his cross, the kingdom of his truth, and
the inviolable rights and alraighty strength of his grace.
Christ knows how to reconcile the modesty of humility, with
out disclaiming his sovereignty. How rare and difficult ia thisl
12. And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he an
swered nothing. 13. Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how
many things they witness against thee ? 14. And he answered him to
never a word ; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly.
A man may show a contempt of accusations by a generous
silence when he sees that truth is not sought, but only a pre
tence of crimes to justify persecution. None are more worthy
of contempt, and more unworthy to hear the voice of truth,
than those who persecute it knowingly, as these chief priests
and eldera did. Silence under calumny is something more
wonderful than miracles. These priests admire it not, be
cause it confounds them; but a heathen is greatly affected
with it, because he is not ao averae to truth, haa more sin
cerity, and is less under the dominion of his passions. When
a man has once given hiraself up to envy and detraction, he
is entirely possessed by them ; his senses, his understanding,
and his heart are become their perfect slaves. Dreadful,
though voluntary captivity! Preserve ua. Lord, from so
great a misfortune !
15. Now at thai feast the governor was wont to release unto the peo
ple a prisoner, whom they would. 16. And they had then a notable

CHAPTER XXVIL 347
prisoner, called Barabbas. 17. Therefore when they were gathered to
gether, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you ?
Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ ?
A comparison strangely humbling! What sinner could
bear it without murmuring? We often find in a secular
magistrate more inclination to support the truth, than in
those who are obliged by their profession to defend it. A
moral heathen would sometimes be more affected with the con
dition of an innocent person oppressed, than even Christians
and corrupt priests.
. 18. For he knew that for envy they had delivered him.
Since envy is capable oP putting Christ himself to death,
how necessary is it to extinguish even the least sparks there
of! Truth is aometimes persecuted through policy, aome
timea through engagement, complaiaance, aurpriae, or igno
rance ; but the moat implacable of all ita enemiea is envy, and
especially that of ecclesiastical persons. Too often men think
they lend their authority to justice and truth, when a little
reflection would show them that they resign it up to iniquity
and envy.
19. If When he was set down on the judgraent seat, his wife sent unto
him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man : for I have suf
fered many things this day in a dream because of him.
Wives have frequently but too much credit and influence
on the mind of judges, even in unjust causes; but nothing ia
favourable to the cause of Chriat, becauae our aina are againat
him. Every thing testifles his innocence; but it is on this
very account, because he is innocence itself, that he muat die
for ainnera, and be their victim.
20. But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they
should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus.
We aee here how dangeroua in the church wicked prieata
are. When paators are once corrupted, they are capable of
inducing their flock to prefer Barabbas before Jesus, the
world before God, pleasure before their salvation, and their
passions before a life of faith and Christian mortification. A
wise and pious director of the conscience is a proper guide to
seek and find Jesus Christ. An ignorant or vicious director

348 MATTHEW.
is good for nothing but to destroy and extinguish hia life in
the soul.
21. The governor answered and said unto them. Whether of the twain
will ye that I release unto you ? They said, Barabbas.
This is, on the part of men, a criminal preference.of a mur
derer before the Author of life ; but, on the part of God, it is
a necessary preference in order to our salvation. The Father
delivers up his only Son for every one of us, and prefers our
salvation to his life. It is an extreme humiliation for Christ
to be judged less worthy to live than a robber and raurderer.
Thia givea ua an abhorrence ; and yet what elae doea a ainner
do but paas the same judgment. When, after having tasted of
Christ and of the sweetness of his Spirit, he forsakes him to
deliver himself up to sin? This momentary pleasure which
we prefer to Jesus Christ, is it not a robber of our goods, and
a raurderer of our life ; the one more excellent without com
parison than the goods of fortune, and the other, than the life
of the body?
22. Pilate saith unto them. What shall I do then with Jesus which is
called Christ?
How many are there, even among Christians, who know not
what use they ought to make of Chriat, either because they
neglect to learn, or because due care ia not taken to instruct
them ! What shall we do with Jesus, if we make hira not our
Mediator, our-Saviour, our Life, our Strength to go to God,
our Refuge in all our evila, and the object of our adoration,
acknowledgment, love, confidence, and religion; since in
reality God has made him our wisdom, righteousness, sanctifi
cation, and redemption?
Tliey all say unto, him. Let him be crucified. 23. And the governor
said. Why, what evil hath he done ? But they cried out the more, say
ing. Let him be crucified.
What strange fury proceeda from blindneaa ! To deliver
up to death Him who givea life to the aoul, and to save him
who takes away the goods, ease, and life of the body ! Let
our indignation be kindled more against our own sins than
against the Jews ; since they are those which cry out by the
mouth of these, and require the death of Christ. It is abso-

CHAPTER XXVIL 349
lutely necessary that God should be satisfied, and he will not
he so otherwise than by the sacrifice of the cross. Let us suf
fer with Christ, at least in some manner, that which we make
him suffer. Let our fiesh, with its affections and lusts, be
nailed to the cross with him.
24. If When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing; h\it that rather
a tumult was made, he took water, and washed Ms hands before the
multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person : see ye
io it. In vain does a cowardly judge cast on others the injustice
which he comraits : God will certainly judge him. That which
a judge, a magistrate, a peraon in authority, owea to inno
cence, consists not in words, excuses, or a bare testimony in
its favour, but in a real protection. He who does not oppoae
injuatice to the utmoat of hia power when he ought, is no
better than a prevaricator. The world ia full of peraona like
Pilate, very favourably disposed toward what is good, who yet
scarce ever do any ; very zealous for truth, justice; and inno
cence, provided it cost them nothings and that they be not ob
liged to declare openly on their side.
25. Then answered all the people, and said. His blood he on us, and
on our children.
The blood of Jesus Christ is the salvation of some, and the
condemnation of others. Men expose themselves to all man
ner of evils in order to satisfy their paasions. The sinner
knows not what it is to be accountable to God for the blood
of his Son. Though, when he gives himself up to sin, he doea
not perhapa apeak so plainly as the Jews here do, yet his sin
itself speaks the same thing for hira. Lord, let thy blood be
on me, to redeem me ; on my heart and body, to purify them ;
on my thoughts and. desires, to sanctify them ; and on my life
and actions, to consecrate them entirely to thee.
SECT. in. — CHRIST SCOURGED, CROWNED WITH THORNS, AND
MOCKED.
26. If Then released he Barabbas unto them : and when he had scourged,
Jesus, he delivered Mm to be crucified.
When the love of justice is surmounted by interest, human
Vol. I.— 30

350 MATTHEW.
respects, and the prospect of improving a raan's fortune, after
some weak and faint opposition he yields at length to iniquity.
A judge who has not courage enough openly to oppose in
justice, will, on the first occasion, insensibly become a slave
thereto. Every one of us is thia Barabbaa, delivered from
death by that of Jeaua. Who ia that adopted child who will
refuae to be chastised by the hand of God his Father, when
he sees hia only-begotten Son scourged by the hands of exe
cutioners ?
27. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common
hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers, 28. And they
stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.
Let us adore Jesus Christ, given up to the rage of the sol
diers. He ia the eonaolation of holy persons in this condition,
and of the church exposed to the violence and insults of the
men of the sword, and of the wicked. By being stripped in
order to suffer, to be mocked, and to clothe us with his right
eousness, he condemns and expiates that criminal unseemh-
ness in dress which has impurity and pride for its root, and
for its fruit, sin, scandal, and a kind of idolatry. Can those
who ruin themselves, to outahine othera in the aumptuousness
of their apparel, behold Jesus Christ in this condition, and
not be ashamed of their vanity and injustice ?
29. If And when they had platted a crovm of thorns, they put ii upon
his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before
him, and mocked him, saying. Hail, King of the Jews I
Let the crown of thorns raake those Christians blush who
throw away so much time, pains, and money, in beautifying
and adorning a sinful head. Can those who exact even a kind
of adoration frora men, consider Christ in this condition, with
out being humbled for their pride ? Let the world do what it
will to render thy royalty and mysteries contemptible, 0
Jeaua ! it ia my glory to serve a King thus abased, my salva
tion to adore that which the world despises, and my religion
to go to God by the merits of a God crowned with thorns.
30. And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the
head. Let US pay our adoration, and humble ourselves in silence.

CHAPTER XXVII. 351
at the aight of a spectacle which faith alone renders credible,
and which our senses would hardly endure. Jesus Christ, in
this condition, preaches to the kings of the earth this truth,
that their sceptres are but reeds, with which they shall be
smote, bruised, and crushed at his tribunal, if they do not use
thera here to the advanceraent of hia kingdom in the world.
Thia reed in the hand of Chriat will be changed into a aceptre
of love for some, and into a rod of iron for others. It is in
our power to choose which we please.
31. And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from
him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify Mm.
All the rules of justice which protect criminals from the in
sults of private persons, are violated in respect of Christ.
Would to God he were not still made the daily laughing-stock
of the wicked by their raillery and their pretended acts of
worship. To make him subservient to any passion whatever,
is to mock him. , Let us follow Jesus Christ going toward the
cross loaded with reproaches and ignominies. But how can
we follow thee, 0 Jesus, if thou thyself dost not draw ua by
the virtue of this cross ?
SECT. IV. — THE CROSS CARRIED, BY SIMON. — THE CRUCI
FIXION. — THE THIEVES.
32. And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by
name : him they corapelled to bear his cross.
We see in Siraon the Cyrenian a representation of the flesh,
which bears not the cross but by constraint, and being raorti-
fied by the spirit. Let us bless the Lord that he does not in
thia matter consult our inclinations. If God waited for us,
and our choice of crosses and affiictiona, Jesus Christ crucified
would have but few imitators. That he chooses them for ua,
and often laya thera upon ua by the hands of men, is a mercy
which renders the croaa more beneficial, and spares our

33. Tf And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is
to say, a place of a skull, 34. They gave him vinegar to drink mingled
with gall : and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.
The comforts of the world are alwaya mingled with gall.

352 MATTHEW.
It never flatters ua but in order either to ruin or intoxicate
ua, as the Jews would refresh Christ for fear he should escape
their cruelty, and to prolong his sufferings. Jesus chooses to
suffer, and to adore God his Father, even to the last gasp.
The children of Adam do what they can to assuage their pain,
and to render themselves insensible thereof; the'true children
of the cross are very glad to join the sacrifice of their heart
to that of their sufferings by the exercise of their faith.
35. And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots:
that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet. They parted
my garments among thera, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.
Jesus Christ, behaving himself aa a criminal, doea not dia-
poae even of his clothes. In every thing he gives us a great
submission to the laws, of humility, of povertyj of contempt of
worldly things. He who, at the time of death, is not per
plexed with the care of dividing his earthly subatance, may
offer up his aacrifice with much more peace and application of
hia mind to God. Chriat beara the shame of nakedneaa which
sin brought upon man, in his body ; and repaira that deplora
ble deprivation of the gifts of God wherewith the sinner waa
punished in his soul. Vouchsafe, 0 Lord, hereby to give me
a salutary shame and confusion, on the acpount of my poverty,
and of my corporal and spiritual nakedness.
36. And sitting down they watched him there ;
We see but too raany near the altar while the sacrifice is
offering, as the soldiers were near the cross, who not only re
ceive no profit from it themselves, hut likewise hinder others
from profiting aa they ought by the attention and devotion
of their minda. Happy that peraon, who, in perfect tran
quillity of soul, haa no other business hut to place himself at
the foot of the cross by meditation, that he may adore the
Author of his salvation, and engrave his image on his own
heart !
37. And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS
THE KING OF THE JEWS.
The Holy Ghost, master both of the tongue and hands of
the wicked, makes them often speak very great truths, when

CHAPTER XXVIL 363
'they deaign only to ridicule and expoae them. Thia title is
the aentence of the condemnation of falae Jewa, and the title
of the purchase of true laraelites, Jews or Gentiles, made by
Jesua Chriat on the cross. Yes, Lord, by thy death thou
hast acquired a right to subject the world to thyself, and to
form thy church out of all the people of the earth. Happy
I, in finding myself in the number of thoae over whom thou
haat been pleaaed to preaerve thy righta !
. 38. Then were there two thieves crucified with him ; one on the right
hand, and another on the left.
Jeaua Chriat ia compared and joined with criminala, to show
that he carae for the sake of sinners, and that for them he
sheds his blood. The crucifixion of Christ between two
thieves ia a lively repreaentation of the mixture of good and
had in the present church, and of the separation which will
be made of thera at the last day. All are sinners till they
are crucified with Chriat, and partake of the merita of his
death; hut all those who partake outwardly of them in the
body of the church, are not on that account justified before
God. Sinnera, penitent and impenitent, divide all mankind,
represented here by these two thieves.
•SECT. V. — BLASPHEMIES AGAINST CHRIST. — DARKNESS. — HE
CRIES OUT, AND DIES.
'39. Tf And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, 40.
And saying. Thou that destroyest the temple,, and buildest it in three
days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the
cross. . Let us adore Jeaus Christ crucified, and exposed to the
contempt, the scoffs, and blasphemies of raen: he will con
tinue exposed to them to the end of the world. This is an
occaaion of scandal to those who view it only with carnal
eyes. A High Prieat who deaigna to deatroy the temple of
God; a Saviour who saves not himself; and a Son of God
crucified, — these are the contradictions which give offence to
Jews and libertines. But a High Priest who dispels the types
and shadows only that he may disclose the subatance of re
ligion, and become the minister of a heavenly sanctuary ; a
Saviour who dies only to be the victim of salvation ; and a
30* X

354 MATTHEW.
Son of God who confinea hia power within the bounda of the
croas, to eatabliah the righteouaneaa of faith,— thia ia what a
Chriatian adorea, this is the foundation of all hia confidence.
41. Likewise also the chief priests mocking Mm, with the scribes and
elders, said, 42. He saved others ; himself he cannot save. If he be
the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will
believe him.
Few are there who, after the example of Chriat, can bear
the humiliation of the croaa to the laat, and the insults of
carnal men. These insults under hurailiation, are, to virtu
ous persons, one of the strongest and severest trials. It is a
just cause to raake us trerable and hurable ouraelvea, to aee
the chief prieata and corrupt doctora the firat who deride the
croas, and thoae who profeas to love it. A man ia very blind
and ignorant aa to the designs of God, when he refusea to
adore and follow a crucified King. Make men comprehend,
0 my God, that it is by the croaa that thou wilt reign in their
hearta ; and that this obstacle to the faith of the Jewa ia- the
source, the object, and the strength of the Christian's faith,
and the consolation, hope, and love of the elect !
43. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he wiU have*
him : for he said, I am the Son of God. [* Fr. love.]
Carnal man cannot imagine that God loves those whom he
permits to suffer ; that he whom he exercises hy afflictions
can put his trust in him ; and that a person crucified can have
God for his Father. Blessed be thou, 0 Lord, for having
taught me by faith that the cross is a gift of thy love, the
foundation of our confidence, the mark of lawful children,
and the title which gives us a right to the inheritance and
kingdom of the Father! Cause me to love that which I
believe. 44. The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in
his teeth.
The cross is a matter of scandal to all those who, being
punished for their sins, make not a penitential use of it. The
wicked suffer, blaspheming ; many even of the righteous, com
plaining ; few, like Jesus Christ, silent, and humbling them
selves. If crosses are not as it were anointed by the Spirit

CHAPTER XXVIL 365
of God, they become an insupportable burden, a subject of
murmuring, and an occasion of sin.
45. Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land
unto the ninth hour.
This miraculous darkness should have made the enemies of
Christ understand that he was the light of the world ; and
that, because they did not follow it, it waa taken from them,
But darkneaa ia always darkneas to thoae who are abandoned
to that of their own heart, whereof the other ia no more than
a figure. 46. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying,
Eli, Eli, lama sabacthani ? that is to say. My God, my God, why hast
thou forsaken me ?
In the raost virtuous persona, though the spirit love the
cross, yet the flesh ceases not to complain thereof. This cry
should make us in some measure conceive what it is to bear
not only the judgment of God, but the whole flood of hia
anger ai^d juatice. It ia less a complaint than an instruction,
in the mouth of Christ, whereby he would fix our minds on
the greatness of his sufferings, the mysteries of his croas, and
the severity of his Father's conduct toward him in his death.
How many things does thia why comprehend ? It ia a ques
tion which cannot be fully answered, but by explaining the
fall of Adam and of hia poaterity in him, the deaign of God'a
mercy aa to their reparation and recovery, the nature and
rigour of hia juatice, the neceaaity of a sacrifice worthy of
God, and all the incomprehensible designs of his wisdom in
the establishment of the Christian religion, and in the work
of eternal salvation.
47. Some of them that stood there, when they heard thai, said. This
man calleth for Elias. 48. And straightway one of them ran, and took
a sponge, and filled it with vinegar, and put ii on a reed, and gave him
to drink. 49. Tho rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come
to save him.
The croaa is a scandal to heretics and to the wicked. Who
falsify and corrupt the word of God, and ridicule the myste
riea of faith. Wo to the wicked, who continue and increase
the sufferings of Christ, while the righteous fulfil them holily
in themselves ! That which is done here by the people who

356 MATTHEW.
Stand round about the cross, is a representation of what
passes frequently at our altars, where a very small number
apply themselves to offer up, in spirit and in truth, the (repre
sentative) sacrifice of Jesus Christ ; but where abundance of
personfe, through the evil disposition of their hearts, give as
it were Vinegar to Christ inflamed ^it'h the thirst of their
•salvation. 50. if Jesus, When he had cried agaii mtiiia 16ud Voicfe, yielded up the
'ghost. This cry of Jesua teachea us, that his death doea not pro
ceed from the decay of his str&ngth, but from the exceaa of
"hia love ; that hia life ia not taken from iAtii by violence, but
that he gives it up hy his power. It is, on the part of the
Jews, a Deicide and a sacrilege ; btit on hia owUj it ia a most
holy and voluntary sacrifice. 0 cry of Jesus ! penetrate to
the very bottora of my heart, cure its deafness, and wake it
from its drowsiness, that it may be entirely employed in
adoring, loving, and praising a God dying for its salvation,
and in humbling itself before his cross ! This last moment
of Christ's life is, to dying persons, the object of their con
fidence. Let my spirit, 0 Jesus, be received with thine, and
let thy death sanctify mine !
SECT. VI. — THE MIRAClBS AFTER CHRIST'S DEXTH. — THE
CBNTUaiON.
51. And, behold, the vail of the temple was rent ih twain from the top
to the bottom; tod the earth did qtt'ate, aild the rocks ient;
God delays not long to raanifest and exaft the gloi'y of his
Son. He takea care to honour the humiliations a'nd aufferinga
of hia elect and of their Head. The vail of aih, which
separated ua frora the aanctuary;, and. obstructed our sight
and entrance into it, ia rent by the sacrifice of Christ ; and
the figurative "aanctuary is exposield tO the view of the whole
¦world, aa haVitag loat eVery thing which made it holy and
•Venerable. Let thy death, O Jeatis, work in my heart tbe
same miraclea; let it have always bfefore its eyes that hea
venly sanctuary, where all ita hopes are placed ; let it quake

CHAPTER XXVIL 367
through a holy dread of thy mysteries and judgraents ; and
let it be rent by the sorrow of a true contTition.
52. And the graves were opened ; and many bodies of the saints which
slept arose, 53. And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and
went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
All nature seeras to answer that expostulation of Christ,
"My God, ray God, why hast thou forsaken me?" by de
claring the fruits of his death. The vail being rent, shows
that this death is to put an end to the figurative worship, and
to establish the true religion and holiness. T^he earthquake,
that it is to make known on earth the eternal judgments of
God on sinners. The rocks being rent, declare that it is to
make way for the grace of repentance. The graves being
opened, that it is to destroy the death of sin, and to confer
the life of grace on sinners. And, in the last place, the
rising of the saints shows that it is to merit and publish the
eternal happiness of body and soul for the children of pro
mise. 0 adorable death, imprint thyself on my mind, and
produce therein all these effects !
54. Now when the centurion, and they that were him, watching Jesus,
saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly,
saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
Let US honour these first effects of the death of Jesus
Christ wrought on the centurion and the pagan soldiers.
Who, considering theae, will not hope ? It ia good to be near
the crosa ; its virtue diffuaes itself even among those who are
ignorant of its power and holiness : it is a great matter not to
be averse to it, while all the world dishonours it. Those who
knowingly and out of passion oppose the truth, are without
comparison at a greater distance from salvation, than those
who serve the passions of its peraecutora out of ignorance,
and in barely diacharging their office. God haa often pity on
these ; the othera are acarce ever to be converted.

358 MATTHEW.
SECT. VII. — THE HOLY WOMEN. — JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA.^-
THE SEPULCHRE.
55. And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed
Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him : 56. Among which was Mary
Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother
bf Zebedee's children.
Difference of sex makes none as to salvation. The weak
est becomes the strongest, being fortified and animated by
grace. God delights to give thia to the weakest persons, and
to leave the atrongeat to themaelvea, becauae he lovea to make
hia power conapicuous in weakness. To attend at the death
of Chriat, and not to be afraid of the cross, is the reward of
having followed, attended upon, and ministered unto him, in
the time of his life.
57. ^When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathea,
named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple : 58. He went to
Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the
body to be delivered.
A rare instance of fidelity and uncommon courage this, in
a peraon who haa much to lose, to expose himaelf thua to all
hazarda to aerve Chriat ; and that, not while he ia working
miraclea, but even when he ia faatened to a croaa. There ia
a time for a man to conceal himself, and a time to appear on
the behalf of Christ and hia truth. When all the world de
serts it, then is the time to declare ouraelvea with the greater
zeal on ita aide. Necessity is one mark of our being called
to a good work, then, principally, when there is neither honour
nor advantage to be expected from it on the part of men, and
when there is nothing in nature hut what tends to discourage
us from it.
59. And when Joseph had taken the body, he vrrapped it in a clean
linen cloth, 60. And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn
out in the rock : and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre,
and departed.
What objections would not human prudence have made to
Joseph, had he consulted it on this occasion ? It would have
represented to him, that this was to expose himself, to bring
himself into trouble, to render himself auapected, to put him
aelf into an incapacity of ever doing any good, to ruin him-

CHAPTER XXVIL 359
self irrecoverably, etc. There is sometimes in our whole life
but one single opportunity in which God designs to employ us,
and we are for reserving ourselves for others, wherein he will
have none of our service. We lose the grace of the first op
portunity, and deserve to be deprived of it ever after. Happy
that person who receives Jesus Christ into a new and clean
heart, which haa not been defiled by sin, and who takea care
to aecure the door thereof againat the apirit of the world !
61. And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over
against the sepulchre.
Assiduity in meditating on the death of Christ, is the pro
per employment of those who ardently love him. Death can
not extinguish a friendship formed by the Spirit of God, and
newly cemented with the blood of Christ. The fidelity of
faith consists in adhering firmly to Him whom we do not see ;
and this is the grace of these holy women. They learn,
being near the sepulchre, to hide themselves from the world,
and to be buried with Jesus Christ. It is always time to
learn it with them.
SECT. VIII. — A WATCH SET AT THB SEPULCHRE.
62. If Now the next day that followed the day of the preparation, the
chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, 63. Saying, Sir,
we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive. After three
days I will rise again.
Let us adore Jesus Christ injured and persecuted, even in
the grave, by those who ought to be the most holy. How
many precautions are here taken to stifle the truth, to bury
the memory of it, and to abut up all the avenues to faith ; but
how vain do they all prove against the designs of the divine
wisdom ! These men publish beforehand the mystery of the
resurrection, by endeavouring to hinder the belief of it ; and,
by their own words, destroy their false accusation concerning
the destruction of the temple, while they themselves declare
the true meaning of the prophecy. So blind is human pru
dence !
64. Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third
day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto
the people. He is risen from the dead : so the last error shall be worse

.$60 MATTHEW.
than the flrst. 65. Pilate said unto them, Te have a watch: go your
way, make it as sure as ye can.
The prudence of men is utterly ineffectual in opposition to
God. He makes it, in spite of thera, subservient to his de
signs: perraitting thera to anticipate their own calumnies,
and to furnish arguments to refute themselves. Faith ia the
aource of great repoae and peace, through its docility and sin
cerity. An unbelieving peraon torments, himself without
end, that he raay raaintain hiraself in his incredulity.
66. So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and)
setting a watch. ^
The Jews, contrary to their own design, confirm the resur-,
rection of Jeaua Chriat, and take paina only to render them
aelvea inexcusable in their infidelity. Let the great pretend
ers to reason tell us, if they can, what precautions have been.
omitted to obviate all the pretences of incredulity. The tes
timony of the enemies of the church is the confirmation of
her faith ; and their false prudence the confutation of all the
cavils of unbelievers.

CHAPTER XXVIII.
SECT. I. — Christ's resurrection. — the holy women at
THE SEPULCHRE. — THE ANGEL.
1. In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day
of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the
sepulchre. Death and the grave cannot extinguish a true love toward
God. God inspires Mary Magdalene with this holy haste and
earnestness, because he designs to reward her with his first
appearance. Her love of Jesus leads her to the cross and to
the sepulchre ; and hia love of her brings her, by that meana,
to the joy of the resurrection. No person ever repents of
having been faithful to God, and of having aought him be
times. 2. And, behold, there was a great earthquake : for the angel of the
Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from

CHAPTER XXVIII. 36l
the door, and sat upon it. 3. Hia countenance was like Kghtning, and
his raiment white as snow :
The angela, the ministers of light, and the first evangeliats
of the reaurrection, show, by the brightness of their counte
nance, and the whiteness of their raiment, the news which
they come to declare. Would to God, that, after their ex-.
ample, all pastors and ecclesiastical persona would make the
purity of the myateriea which they dispense, and the holiness
of the truths which they preach, evident in their external be
haviour ! In order to rise to the life of grace, it ia neceaaary
to have the aasistance of some viaible angel of the Lord — one
whoae converaation ia in heaven, who by a prudent condeacen-
aion to the wanta of sinners may be said: to descend from
thence, who may approach them by his charity, who may roll
back the stone of their evil habits, and hinder them from shut
ting any more their hearts against grace.
4. And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.
God can by one and the same means comfort hia servants
and terrify his enemies. Let ua here contemplate an emblem
or repreaentation of the victory which Chriat has just ob
tained over hell. This is a raystery of majesty and great
neaa amiable to God's children, and terrihle to slaves.
5. And the angel answered and said unto the women. Fear not ye:
for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
God gives consolation, and the spirit of the new-raised life
to those who seek Jesus Christ crucified. To seek him thus,
ia to return to him by repentance, — not to refuae the croas
when he preaenta it to ua, not to quit the way of raortification
how painful soever it may be to nature, to perform our duty
notwithstanding all the contradictions of men, and not to
turn aside from the way of the gospel through any fear of
displeasing the world. This is a state which ought to afford
us confidence, because it is that wherein self-love is least to
be feared.
6. He is not here : for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place
where the Lord lay.
Happy the sinner who ia faithful to hia promiaes, concern
ing whom one may say, " He is risen, as he said !" It is by
Vol. I.— 31

362 MATTHEW.
his heart, which was his sepulchre, that we are to judge of
this ; and it is by his works that we are to judge of his heart,
and to aaaure ourselves that this sepulchre is become the man
sion of the living Jesus.
7. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead j
and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee ; there shall ye see him :
lo, I have told you.
Let US make haste to publish both Christ's resurrection and
our own, by works of a new and restored life. What joy ia
it to a good pastor when a ainner tella him, by a life separated
from the world and sin, that he is risen with Christ, and that
ie walks in the newness , of his life ! The first news of the
resurrection, the first appearance of Jesus, and this mission
to the apostles, are the recompense of the diligent attendance
of Mary Magdalene and her companions at the crosa and
sepulchre. Let us attend there with her. Let us imitate her
fidelity, if we desire to share in her grace.
SECT. II. — CHRIST'S APPEARANCE TO THE WOMEN. — THB
WATCH BRIBED.
_. 8. And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great
joy ; and did mn to bring his disciples word.
Extraordinary communications of grace ought to give fear
and joy at the same time. Heavenly visits, revelations, or
apparitions, yield comfort to holy peraons, and give them such
an assurance of their truth, as yet hinders them not from
fearing their own unworthineas and the danger of vanity, nor
from submitting these graces to the examination of the pas
tors to whom God sends thera back.
9. Tf And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them,
saying. All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and wor
shipped him.
Christ bestows his graces and consolations by degrees : first
by his angels, and then by himself. He communicates not
himself to incredulous and disobedient souls ; he appears not
even to these women, till he has tried their faith and obe
dience by his ministers. This kind reception and comfortable
greeting used by Jesus after his resurrection, is the due recom
pense of the zeal of theae peraons, who were neither intimi-

CHAPTER XXVin. 363
dated by the rage of the Jewa, nor diacouraged hy the death
and burial of Chriat. Whoever is so happy as to find Jesus
Chriat after having lost him, ought to embrace that which
appears most abject in him, and to adore that which is
highest. ¦ 10. Then said Jesus unto them. Be not afraid: go tell my brethren
that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.
The incredulity of the disciples hinders not Christ from
seeking, comforting, and showing himaelf to them. The love
which he has for his fiock makes him apply himself imme
diately to strengthen and support the pastors of it. The
term, «My brethren," is suitable to the state and condition of
Christ risen from the dead. These are words of hope, which
denote that he looks on thera as his coheirs in glory, that it
is in that atate that we shall bear his reserablance, and have
God for our Father by the perfection of the Divine adoption,
the absolute renunciation of Adam's family, and a full and
complete union with the body of the Son of God. 0 Chris
tian hope! 0 celestial inheritance! 0 brethren and joint-
heirs with Christ, about what do you amuse yourselves on
earth ?
11. If Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into
the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done.
12. And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken coun
sel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, 13. Saying, Say ye. His
disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. 14. And if
this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you.
The Jews, disappointed in their designs, grow the more
hardened, and crown their wickedneaa with a new crime.
One ain naturally drawa on another. How great ia the mia
fortune for a man to have recourae to a lie to conceal his
crime, rather than to repentance (to do what he can) to ex
piate it ! He ought proportionably in other sins, to fear being
detained by engagements, evil bashfulness, wilfulness, or ob-
stmacy. How often do men pay dearly for the vanity of not
seeming to be baffled in their undertakings !
15. So they took the money, and did as they were_ taught : and this
saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.
Avarice and the love of false riches have always persecuted

364 MATTHEW.
Jeaua Chriat, — the avarice of the Jewiah priests during his
life, that of an apostle at the tirae of his death, this of the
soldiers after his resurrection, and that of wicked clergymen
to the end of the world. The most ancient and most cruel
persecutor of the church, is money in corrupt ecclesiastics
and men of the aword. One aingle lie, one single calumny,
may have dreadful consequences. A raan is not leaa anawer-
able for thera becauae he did not think of them. How many
Jews, on the credit of these priests and soldiera, have been
lost, in not believing the reaurrection of Chriat !
SECT. III. — CHRIST'S APPEARANCE TO THE ELEVEN DISCI
PLES. — HIS ALMIGHTY POWER AND CONTINUAL
PRESENCE.
16. If Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a moun
tain where Jesus had appointed them.
Men are more ready to run to Jesus when risen from the.
dead, than to follow him when seized by his enemies, and to,
accompany him dying under ignominy. They are not very
constant in attending at the foot of the cross ; they never fail
to aeek all opportunities of joy and comfort. But these are
not to be sought but only when obedience leads us to them,
and when Christ himself goes before us in them, calls us to
them, and vouchsafed to be present with us.
17. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.
Worship ought always to accompany the sight which faith
gives us of Jesus Chriat and hia myateriea. God permits
doubts to arise for the greater confirmation of the faith.
We must not suffer ouraelvea to be surprised or staggered
a-t the doubtfulueas and uncertainty of the greatest men,
since there were sorae who doubted even awong the apostles
theraselves. 18. If And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying. All power is given
unto me in heaven and in earth.
The' resurrection of Jesus Christ is a state of power, to
which he was predestinated from all eternity, of which he de-

CHAPTER XXVIIL 365
prived teliseTf during his mortal life, and into 'the poaaeasion
of which he entered by hia reaurrection. One frtiit of thia
•myatery ia the n!ew right and power which he i^eceived both
•in heaven and in earth : in heaven, to aerid the Holy Ghost from
thence down on earth, to raise his members up thither, and
to crown his saints there : in earth, to bring all nations into
subjection to himself, to convert sinners, to sanctify, to pro
tect, and perfect his church, to judge mankind, and to con
fine the devils and the reprobate in hell. The absolute power
of Christ over the hearts of men to change them as he pleases,
is the recompense of his labours, the fruit of his cross, the
right of 'his new life, the principle of the new heart, and the
comfort of sinners, as being the cause of the efficacy of his
grace. 19. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name
of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost :
Jesus Christ says to hia apoatlea, "Go ye therefore, and
teach all nationa," to show that he can convert thera all, and
that nothing can resist hia almighty power when he intenda
to aave sinners. The mission of the apostles throughout all
the world, the calling of the Gentiles, the foundation of the
church, and the purchase of his elect, are the effecta of his
new power, and the reward of his past sufferings. In bap
tism, the Christian is adopted by the Father, incorporated
with the Son, animated by the Holy Ghost, and consecrated
to this adorable and eternal mystery, to aerve him in spirit
and in truth by a life conformable to the goapel.
20. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have com
manded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.
Amen. The faithfulneaa of a preacher consists in preaching nothing
but what he haa learned of Jesus Christ. His chief care must
be, not to render himself unworthy of having Christ present
with him in the exercise of his ministry. His confidence is,
to be persuaded that he can do nothing of himself, but that
Christ can do all in him; that he ia able even of atonea to
raiae up children unto Abraham ; that it belongs to him to put
31*

366 MATTHEW.
his law into the heart, and to perform whatever he has pro
mised. Be thou therefore with us always, 0 Lord, to be our
light, our strength, and our consolation. ^ Be with thy church,
to be her steadfastness, her protection, and her holiness.
Amen.

THE

GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST,
ACCORDING TO
MARK. CHAPTER I.
SECT. I. — THE PREACHING OF JOHN.
1. The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God ;
The law of Jeaua Chriat alone is called gospel, that is to
say, good news ; becauae therein the incarnation of the Son
of God, the birth of the expected Saviour, the remiaaion of
sins, the kingdom of charity, and the enjoyment of things
eternal, are declared to us. What better newa could we poaai
bly expect ? How hard aoever aome of the trutha of the goa
pel may appear to ua, yet that ia alwaya good newa which it
tella ua, because it is the way of Christ and the means of aal
vation. It ia the part of a pioua man, at hia firat entrance
on the goapel, to form an act of faith, extending to all the
speculative and practical trutha contained in it, and to beg
of God the grace to read thera with the aarae spirit with which
they were written.
2. As it is written in the prophets. Behold, I send my messenger* before
thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. [* JV. Angel.]
John ia the messenger or angel of God, hia amhaaaador,
apoatle, and herald. Every one ought to have a visible angel
to prepare the way for Jesus Christ in his heart by repent
ance. It is thia alone which receivea him ; it is by this that
we must go forth to meet him. 367

368 MARK.
3. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of
the Lord, and make his paths straight.
A preacher should, if possible, be nothing but a voice,
which should be always heard and never aeen. To cry, ia to
preach with auch force as is worthy of the truth, without fall
ing the voice through complaisance. To this end, he must
not be a man of the world, hut one who comes, as -it were, out
of the wilderness, without relations, without frienda, without
secular engagementa, which may thwart and obatruct his
ministry. The first man who appears in the gospel is one en
tirely dedicated to repentance : the first exaraple and the first
precept are an exaraple and a precept of repentance — so
necessary is this to ^alvtitio-n !
4. John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of re
pentance for the remission m sins.
A preacher, after St. John's example, muat be aure not to
quit the love of retirement and mortification, on pretence of
undertaking the burden of preaching, and of other employ
ments. The principal function and most usual busihess of a
preacher, is to preach repentance, and to prepare souls for it.
This ia a baptism whieh ia to begin with the caating off of
sin, and the renouncing otir evil inclina'tions ; but it muat not
stop there. To enter into the water, is to enter u^on the
practice of worka of atonement, such aa are mortifying, and
capable of allaying the heat of concupiscence, and of puri
fying our hearts from dead works.
5. Ahd there went out unto him all the land of Judea, and they of Je-
Tusalem, a'nd were all 'baptized of him in the riVer of Jordan, coiifesing
their sins.
The -first step toward conversion, is to seek an enlightened
guide. The second is, to open our hearts to himj by ac
quainting hira with our manner of life. The third, to receive
directions concerning repentance from him. The fourth, to
baptize ourselves, as it were> by hia advice, in tears and
works of mortification. It is an instinct, and a duty which
is, as it were, natural, for a man to confess his sins, and to
humble himself for them, when once he is touched with a true
contrition; but to do this is not at all natural to human

CHAPTER L 369
pride. Repentance is a pool, or rather a river, which carries
our impuritiea far from ua, ao aa never to be reaumed again.
Lord, thou art the only peraon who canst put us into it !
6. And John was clothed with camel's hair, and with a girdle of a
skin about his loins ; and he did eat locusts and wild honey ;
The fifth step toward converaion ia, to obaerve a raeanness,
or at least modesty and humility, in our dress. The sixth is,
to mortify the fiesh. The seventh, to cut off all occasions of
sin. The eighth, to eraploy ourselves in good works. The
ninth, to avoid all niceness and superfluity in eating. And
the tenth, to edify others by a good example. — In times of
greatest corruption, God generally gives extraordinary ex
amples of mortification, to awaken sinners and confound the
slothfulness of sensual men. Every one in his way; and ac
cording to his capacity, should profit by such examples.
7. And preached, saying. There cometh one mightier than I after me,
the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose.
It is one of the chief endeavours of an hurable preacher,
to raise himself out of the minds of men, and to imprint
Jesus Christ therein. Humility is the sister of true repent
ance ; they are inseparable, and mutually assiat each other.
To a real penitent, a truly humble peraon, nothing ia more
insupportable than to be eateemed. It ia one of the pious
artifices of such a person to apply the minda of men to aome
excellent aubject, to the end that they may not take notice
of himaelf. Thia ia to be a gainer in all reapects himself, and
to make others so, to fix their minds intently on Christ.
8. I indeed have baptized you with water : but he shall baptize you
with the Holy Ghost.
The Spirit of God is a torrent which carries off all filthi
ness from the heart, and a fire which, infiaraing it with his
love, consumes all the impurities thereof. Jesus Christ alone
possesses this Spirit entirely, merits it for us, and gives it to
us. Thia water denotes the external worka of repentance,
of which Chriat's grace and Spirit is the. soul ; and it is this
Spirit which gives life, worth, and merit to those works.
- Grant, 0 Jesus, that the Spirit with which thou hast baptized
Y

3V0 MARK.
me may awake, and remain continually in me, and that it
may animate all the actions of my life !
SECT. II. — THE BAPTISM AND TEMPTATION OP CHRIST.
9. If And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazar
reth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.
Christ does not oblige John to come to Nazareth to ad
minister his baptisra to him ; but he goes out of one province
into another to find him, even to the place of his mission.
He condemns beforehand the slothfulness of Christians, and
the abuse which they make of domestic chapels, by sparing
themselves the paina of going to the aervice and sacraments
at the parish church, under pretence of distance or incon
venience. Ought any one to be asharaed to appear a sinner,
and to take in the sight of the world the remedy, after that
Christ has done the sarae, though he had no manner of occa
sion for it?
10. And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens
opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: 11. And there
came a voice from heaven, saying. Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I
am well pleased.
He who is renewed by [the] baptism [of the Spirit] livea
already in heaven, as being a citizen thereof by hope, which
deceives him not ; because charity is shed abroad in his heart
by the Holy Ghost, which is given him, and because Jesus
Christ dwells in him by faith, to which he is obedient in hear
ing the word of God. Alas ! where can we find those who,
since their baptism, have not shut heaven again hy their ains,
on whom the Spirit of divine adoption haa continually re
mained, who have lived like children of God, and answered
the love which he haa manifested toward them? Phil., iii.
20 ; Rom. v. 5 ; Eph. iii. 17 ; Rom. i. 5.
12. And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness. 13.
And he was there in the wilderness forty days tempted of Satan ; and
was with the wild beasts ; and the angels ministered unto him.
Jesus, the victim of God,, was prefigured by the goat of
the legal expiation. Being loaded with the sina of the
people in his baptism, he is driven into the wilderness, and
exposed to the wild beasts, the Jews and Gentiles, to be torn

CHAPTER L 371
and devoured by them in his Passion. So profound a hu
miliation preaches to us a profound humility. When any
man is tempted, either in retirement or in the world, he has
need of a visible angel to rainister unto him and direct him.
We are never without temptation in this life : when, by raeans
of abstinence, we have overcome that of the fiesh, the devil
causes new ones to spring up even out of this very victory.
It is happy for us to be driven, with some kind of violence,
into solitude by the Spirit of God, that we may avoid the
temptation of the world ; provided thia Spirit accompany ua,
to fight in ua, and to support us there : for solitude, as well
as the world, has its peculiar temptations.
SECT. III. — THE PREACHING OE CHRIST. — THE CALLING OF
PETER, ANDREW, JAMES, AND JOHN.
14. If Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee,
preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15. And saying, The
time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and
believe the gospel.
The whole gospel is here reduced to repentance. Christ
joins it to the hope of heaven, as being the only means of
arriving there. Here are four points of the Son of God's
preaching : — (1.) That his Father does every thing according
to his adorable designs, in the time prefixed by his eternal
predestination, and in the manner described in the Scriptures,
prefigured in the shadows of the law, foretold by the prophets,
and included in the promiaea, the time whereof ia now fulfilled
at his coming. (2.) That sin has reigned under the law, that
God is tQ reign under grace and hy it, and that the time of
this kingdom of grace and mercy is at hand. (3.) That the
kingdom of God, and his reign by grace, begins with repent
ance for past sins. (4.) That it is established by submission
to the yoke of faith, and of the precepts of the gospel, and
by the hope and love of eternal enjoyments which it reveals
and promises.
16. Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Ah-
drew his brother casting a net into the sea : for they were fishers.
This temporary notice which Christ takes of these men, is

372 MARK.
but a conaequence of that eternal notice whereby God had
predestinated them to the rainiatry, as well aa to the behef
of the goapel. Thia ia an opportunity which chance aeems to
present, but which was regulated in the order of God's de
crees. How different are the views of Christ, in the choice
of the ministers of hia kingdom, frora thoae of earthly
princea ! It plainly appears that' he himaelf ia to do every
thing therein, aince he makea choice of auch ministers.
17. And Jesus said unto them. Come ye after me, and I will make
you to become fishers of men. 18. And straightway they forsook their
nets, and followed him. 19. And when he had gone a little further
thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also
were in the ship mending their nets.
A necessary, quiet, and innocent employment attracts the
eyea of God. To know what he requirea of ua ia a beginning
of grace. He doea not proraiae a atate of inactivity to those
whom he calla ; but the changing their mean, uncertain, and
teraporal labour into an employraent heavenly and profitable,
and which shall be crowned with an eternal reward. Christ
here shows that the kingdora of God by grace begins in
making himself obeyed without delay, without resistance,
without the allurement of any sensible good, and even with
out being known. It is a great happiness to have but few
things to leave. Great possessions are generally great ob
stacles to salvation, or at least to perfection.
20. And straightway he called them : and they left their father Zebe
dee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him.
It is a very great matter to be obedient and faithful to the
first word which God speaks to us. It is most commonly the
seed of abundance of graces. Let us admire this sudden pro
gress of the kingdom of grace, which breaks the strongest
ties of nature, separating even children frora their father.
The first instance of self-denial which Christ gives his minis
ters, in the calling of Peter and Andrew, is the forsaking all
secular hopes and expectations, denoted here by neta; the
aecond ia the renouncing, like Jamea and John, all sensual
affection toward their kindred. A man finds no difficulty in
following Jesus Christ everywhere, when he sita loose to every
thing beaides.

CHAPTER L 373

SECT. IV. — CHRIST'S POWER OVER DEVILS.
21. Tf And they went into Capernaum ; and straightway on the sab
bath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught.
The teacher of huraility begins his miaaion at a town where
pride chiefiy reigned. Preference ia due from rainiaters to
the greatest need, not to the greatest inclination. A minister
should always begin by inatructing, in imitation of God, who
leada men not by a blind instinct, but by instruction and
knowledge, by the external light of his word, and the internal
light of his grace. *
22. And, they were astonished at his doctrine : for he taught them as
one that had authority, and not as the scribes.
The word of Jesus Christ is full of a holy freedom, energy,
and wisdom, and very remote from the flattery of the world.
The freedom and sincerity of a preacher gain the hearts of
the faithful, because these qualifications raake it evident that
he adheres to God alone, and aeeka nothing but him. Theae
thinga are adrair'ed because they are rare ; but they persuade,
only becauae God givea hia Spirit to those who belong^ to
him, and not to the worlS. How great is the difference be
tween a declaimer, whose sole end is to please, and who trusts
to his own eloquence, and a man of God, who labours to con
vert ainnera, and entirely reliea upon the divine aaaiatance !
23. And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit ;
and he cried out, 24. Saying, Let us alone ; what have we to do with
thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth ? art thou come to destroy us ? I know
thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.
The devil ia not at all alarraed at the human endeavours of
a worldly preacher ; but he dreads every thing from a faithful
miniater who has the Spirit of God. The devil places his
whole joy in possessing a soul with uncleanness. The lascivi
ous cannot bear being spoken to, to repent and renounce
their pleasures. Holiness has such a prevailing power, that
it forces even those who are at the greatest distance frora it
to bear witness unto it. It makes even the devil hiraself sen
sible of it. God requires the voluntary testimony of a Hvely
Vol. I.— 32

374 MARK.
and sincere faith, like that of Peter; not a forced and
flattering confession, like this of the devil.
25. And Jesus rebuked him, saying. Hold thy peace, and come out of
him. The devil, and the world, which follows his spirit, never
praise but in order to seduce. It ia a necessary part of pru
dence not to lay ourselves open to their commendations. The
way to avoid their snares, is to have no more commerce with
the world than what is absolutely necessary ; and to use a
holy severity toward it, which raay oblige it to hold its peace.
The sinner must be urged to leave off his sinful habita, with
out liatening to ita fiatteriea.
26. And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud
voice, he came out of him.
What violence, what convulaions doea a man feel, when he
is about to relinquish a habit of uncleanness, under which he
has continued a long while! Happy ia that peraon who
knowa at leaat how to renounce it betimes. When the temp
tations of the fiesh are moat violent in. one who resolves to
serve God, they are soraetimes the last efforts of the devil,
anii the aigns of the approaching deliverance of that aoul.
It ia then that a man ought to redouble hia prayer, to cry to
God with all the strength of faith, and invoke his deliverer
with the greater earnestneaa.
27. And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among
themselves, saying. What thing is this ? what new doctrine is this ? for
with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do
obey him.
The holiness of a preacher goes a great way in recovering
others frora uncleanness. Every doctrine which seems new,
has not for that reason the fault of profane novelty. Wo to
those pastors who are the cause that the raost pure maxims of
the gospel paas , for novelties, by their having corrupted the
taste of Christians, either in accuatoraing thera to remissness,
or leaving thera in ignorance ! The spirit of repentance in
spired into great sinners, and the conversion of the most
obdurate, are the true comraendation of a preacher. Such
preachers as are fond of the world have reason to fear their

CHAPTER I. 375
Ibeing subjected to the spirit of uncleanness which reigns
therein, while those who have the Spirit of God, drive this
spirit of the devil out of souls, and become raaatera of it.
28. And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region
round about Galilee.
A great reputation could not possibly hurt the Son of God ;
but it is a snare very dangerous for a preacher. There are
few who fear it as they ought, fewer yet who shun and avoid
it, but raany whom it entices and insensibly corrupts.
SECT. V. — PETER'S MOTHER-IN-LAW. — THE DISEASED HEALED.
29. And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they
entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.
Jesua here teachea his ministers to avoid applause. He
does not choose the house of some great person to repose and
refresh himself in ; the cottage of a poor fisherman is more
grateful to hira than a palace. What a large field of reflec
tion is there here for thoae who never think any thing good
enough for thera, who never meet with conveniencea enough I
30. But Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever ; and anon they tell
him of her.
Men ought to procure for the sick that aaaiatance which
they cannot give them themaelvea, and at least to pray for
them. Jesus knew that there was somebody in this poor
house who needed his help, which was a sufficient motive to
draw hira hither. The house of Peter and Andrew is the
apostolic church, where all are tormented with the fever of
sin, or suffer the assaults of concupiscence. This is the only
house wherein prayers are successfully offered up for sinners,
and where Jesua Christ heals them. Let ua unalterably fix
there. Christ sometimes waits for our prayers, on purpose to
make way for that charity which prays to him, to teach us
not to be too forward of ouraelvea. in doing remarkable actions.
31. And he came and took her by the hand, and Hfted her up ; and
immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.
. Happy that soul which the heavenly Physician comes to
seek, which he touches with his grace, which he recovers from
its weakness, its sloth, and all ita evil habita ! The acknow-

376 • MARK.
ledgment which he requires from it is to serve him. Good
works, and, above all, those of gratitude toward God, and of
charity toward the poor, ought to follow the cure of our aouls.
Concupiacence ia the fever of the aoul ; charity is its health,
and this is never idle.
32. If And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all
that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils. 33. And
all the city was gathered together at the door. 34. And he healed many
that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils ; and suffered
not the devils to spieak, because they knew him.
Let ua adraire, adore, and imitate the extent of Christ's
charity. The phyaicians of the aoul ought never to refuae
any labour which preaenta itself, nor accept the reward of
vain applauae. It ia into the houae of truth, charity, and
unity, represented by this of Peter, that all sinnera muat be
conducted. Thia houae only haa the Holy Ghost, the power
over the evil spirit, and the true remedies for sin.
SECT. VI. — THE RETIREMENT, PRAYER, AND PREACHING OF
CHRIST.
35. If And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went
out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.
It is good for a man soraetimes to withdraw himaelf from
buaineaa or labour, in order to converse with God alone.
Prayer is so necessary to him who preaches and laboura in
the church, that far from dispensing with hiraself on this
account, he ought to take a time for it out of that which be
longs' to rest and the other necessitiea of life, rather than be
deficient therein.
36. And Simon and they that were with him foUowed after him,
37. And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for
thee. A miniater of Jeaus Christ ought to follow him as well in
his retirement and prayer, as in his public life, when he dif
fuses his benefits and favours with lustre and figure. A
preacher who has parts, finds but too raany who come to tell
him that all raen seek, esteera, and applaud him ; but the
more they seek hira, the raore ought he to fly from them, as
much aa hia rainiatry will permit. There are very few of this

CHAPTER L ' 377
profession who do not answer the offers and caresses of the
world; and it is well if they do not anticipate and court them.
38. And he said unto them. Let us go into the next towns, that I may
preach there also : for therefore came I forth. 39. And he preached in
their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils.
A preacher, who is too much cried up and followed in the
city, will imitate Chriat if he withdraw himself from the
crowd, and go to instruct the poor in the country: Jesua
came for their sake. Men are too apt to imagine, that they
have received their talents raore for the sake of the rich than
of the poor. They take it as an honour to preach in a village
or an hospital, in order to raake their court to some person
of quality; but they are not very forward to go thither for
the sake of the poor themselves, and to preach to them in a
manner suited to their capacity. Men ahould, aa it were,
purchaae and merit the grace to be serviceable in citiea, and
to the great, by leaving both now and then, and going to in
atruct the poor in the country without noiae, luatre, ostenta
tion, or intereat. SECT. VII. — THE LEPER.
40. f And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling
down to him, and saying unto him. If thou wilt, thou canst make me
clean. ,
How loathsome and inveterate soever the leprosy of our
sina may be, let ua not be aahamed to go to Christ. Prayer,
humiliation, and faith in him, as the source of all righteous^
ness, are a triple band which ties up the justice of God, and
drawa down hia mercy. There ia nothing better than fre
quently to raake thia prayer ; and to be alwaya diapoaed in
heart to do it, since there is always in us something which
needs a cure.
41.. And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and
touched him, and saith unto him, I will ; be thou clean.
Let ua here learn, that the cure of our souls ia the pure
effect of the goodness and free mercy of God; that Jesus
Christ performs it by a sovereign authority, (" put forth his
hand;") that his sacred humanity ia the instrument of the
32»

378 MARK.
divine operation in 'our hearts; and that it is by his will that
his merits are applied to us. Fear, for he does not put forth
his healing hand and touch all ; hope, for he very frequently
puts it forth and touches the moat miserable.
42. And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed
from him, and he was cleansed.
God does whatever he pleases in the cure of the soul, as
well as in that of the body; and the latter is an emblem of
the former. When will it be, 0 Lord, that the leprosy of my
pride ahall diaappear frora lief ore thy eyea? Haaten, if it.
please thee, that raoraent of thy mercy toward my heart !
43. And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away;
44. And saith unto him. See thou say nothing to any man : but go thy
way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things
which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.
Happy those who are in a condition to serve the church
like angels, hiding themselves as much as possible ! What
ever privileges a man has as to ecclesiastical functions, he
must freely forget them, to give place to the ordinary power
of the church. Whenever we receive any benefit from God,
he must also receive somewhat in his turn from us, either by
the hand of his ministers, or by that of the poor.
45. But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze
abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into
the city, but was without in desert places : and they came to him from
every quarter.
An excess of gratitude is a very pardonable fault. Who
ever loves his own salvation, ought to take as much care to
preserve humility as to exercise charity. God grants to his
church many of those evangelical labourers, who may out of
modesty decline their own reputation, and be obliged by the
esteem of men to conceal themselves. A pastor or minister
of the church oiight always to be found, when there is a real
need of him ; but when nothing hut praise and commendation
is to be received, he ought to be invisible. The more he with-^
draws himaelf from the world, the raore the world values him,
and puta the greater confidence in him.

CHAPTER IL 379

CHAPTER II.
SECT. I. — THE PARALYTIC.
1. And again he entered into Capernaum after some days ; and it
was noised that he was in the house. 2. And straightway many were
gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive tliem,
no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto
them. The retirement of a preacher advances hia reputation, and
rendera his labours more beneficial to thoae souls who seek
him. Thia wonderful ardour and forwardness of the Jews to
hear the word of God, condemns the lukewarmness of abun
dance of Chriatiana. Men aeldom hearken to it as the word
of God, which it really ia, becauae it ia aeldom preached to
them in auch a manner aa is proper to make them believe that
it is so. The faith of the preacher, and that of the hearer,
ought mutually to support each other.
3. If And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, whioh
was borne of four.
God willingly accepts the desires, prayer, and good works
which are offered for the conversion of sinners, who are not
themselves sensible of their misery. Here is a representa
tion of the universal charity of the church, which is one, holy,
catholic, and apostolic, which bears sinners in her bosom, and
preaenta them continually to God by Jeaus Chriat. Every
particular Chriatian ought to imitate the charity of the church,
to be zealous for the conversion of sinners, and to bring them
to Christ by prayer, good advice, good exaraple, and by
patience and mildness in supporting them. We are more cul
pable than we imagine, when we are deficient in point of
charity, in neglecting to pray for those whom providence has
made known to us, in not admonishing them of their faults,
and in misguiding them, or treating them after a harsh and
severe manner.
4. And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they

uncovered the roof where he was : and when they had broken it up, they
let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.
That is a holy and necessary violence which a raan uses in
order to approach Chriat. Adorable judgment ! He preaenta
himaelf to some, and they reject hira; others earnestly seek
hira, and scarce can they get near hira, even by extraordinary
meana. Happy that peraon, for whom pioua soula use so
many charitable endeavours, that he is at last brought nigh
to Chriat ! It ia abaolutely neceaaary to come nigh unto him
aome way or other, either by the door, or by the roof. No
thing should be able to hinder a man from doing it, because
without him he is utterly lost.
5. When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy. Son,
thy sins be forgiven- thee.
God often defers to hear the prayers which are put up
for the bodily health of a friend or relation, and gives that
of the soul which was not asked for them. Sin is the source
of all the infirmities of the body ; it is the wound to which a
remedy must be applied in the first place. God rewards the
faith which raakes us mindful of our neighbour, though it be
not very clearly enlightened ; and he rectifies it, by showing
us, by the order of his gifts, that which ought to be asked
first. Chriat calls thia aick man "son," to make us compre
hend, (1.) That God is never more truly our t'ather, than
when he confers spiritual graces upon us. (2.) That the
physicians of the soul are fathers, and ought to have the heart
and conduct of such.
6. But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning
in their hearts, 7. Why doth this man. thus speak blasphemies ? who
can forgive sins but God only ?
The generality of mankind are more inclined to take an
occasion of offence at their neighbour, than to be edified by
the extraordinary virtues which he possesaea, or the truths
which he delivera. Divine trutha serve only to set us at a
greater distance from truth itself, when we do not receive
them into an upright and sincere heart. From a principle
whence they ought to conclude that Jesus Christ is God, they
conclude that he is a blasphemer. ' So true is it, that one

CHAPTER IL 381
cannot have a perfect knowledge in the business of salvation
without being a good raan.
8. And immediately, when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so
reasoned within themselves, he said unto them. Why reason ye these
things in your hearts ?
A true pastoral charity bears with the weak and even the
wicked, is not discouraged at the defects of the one or the
malice of the other, applies itself to their cure, and repre
hends, with a apirit of meekneaa, even thoae who ain out of
envy. Admirable condescension, to bestow a new rairacle on
those whora so raany others had only blinded ! But dreadful
judgraent, if it serve only to blind them the more, instead of
forcing them to confess that, since he knows the thoughts of
the heart, he is God, and not a blasphemer ! Inconceivable
delusion of the sinner ! to hide himself frora man when he
commits a sin, and not to fear the eyea of Him who sees the
very secrets of the heart !
9. Whether is it easier, to say to the sick of the palsy. Thy sins be for
given thee, or to say. Arise; and take up thy bed, and walk?
Nothing is more or less easy to him who can equally do all
things ; but by visible miraclea he makea known those which
are invisible. 0 indefatigable goodness of our Saviour !
He works miracles upon rairacles, to overcome the incredulity
of his enemies ; and yet pastors will not vouchsafe to clear
the doubts of a aoul full of faith, nor to aupport the weakness
of a scrupulous conacience. The aole eonaolation of sinners
is, that Jesus Christ can forgive their sins ; and it is to as
sure them of this consolation that he establishes, by all sorts
of ways, thia fundamental truth.
10. But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth
to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)
If Jeaua Chriat in his mortal state had power to forgive
sins, how great ought the confidence of a sinner to be in him
now dead for sinners, glorious in heaven, and enjoying all his
rights and all his power !
11. I say unto thee. Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way unto
thine house.
What is sin but a deplorable fall, a grovelling on the earth,

382 MARK.
a repoae in the creature, often followed by a univeraal palsy
of the soul ; namely, an utter inability to help itaelf, to break
off ita evil habita, to walk in the waya of God, to riae, or to
take one good step toward him ? Grace can repair all in a
moment ; because it is nothing elae but the almighty will of
God who commanda, and does whatever he commands. When
God will save a soul, the undoubted effect, always and every
where, follows the will of God.
12. And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before
them all ; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying.
We never saw it on this fashion.
Whence comes it that we leaa admire the converaion of the
aoul than the cure of the body, but only from the want of
faith, and from the love of the present life, which makes ua
raost intent and concerned about the latter? Amazement
and admiration caused by miraculous works, and especially
by those of grace, should not be barren and without fruit.
The first fruit of it is, to glorify God for them, by adoring
and thanking him. The second, to acknowledge how very
different his conduct and works are from those of men. Per
form in me, 0 Lord, that which thou didst in thia aick per-
aonf — cure my palay, my adheaion to the earth and the crea
turea, my faintnesa and aloth, and cause me to go toward
thee!

SECT. II. — THE CALLING OF MATTHEW. — FASTING. — THE
NEW CLOTH. — THE OLD VESSELS.
13. Tf And he went forth again by the sea side ; and all the multitude
resorted unto him, and he taught them.
That man neglects to improve his talent who takes no care
to render the confidence placed in hira by others, beneficial
to their souls, by instructing them in their duty. Men never
go to Chriat without receiving some benefit ; the visits made
to hira are always useful and advantageous. Such let those
be which are made to pastors, who ought to have the law of
God continually in their hearta, and on their tonguea.
14. And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alpheus sitting at

CHAPTER n. 383
the receipt of custom, and said unto him. Follow me. And he arose and
followed him.
Such as ait at the receipt of customs are hard to be con
verted ; but Jesus manifests his power by doing it with one
word alone. Grace disengages Matthew from the love of
money, to make hira an apostle ; the love of money will sepa
rate Judaa from Chriat, and make him an apoatate : thus our
bleaaed Saviour makea himaelf amenda beforehand. Mat-
thew'a example had no influence on Judaa, though perhapa it
waa Christ's design to lay it before his eyes. Let us profit
by the one as well as the other ; and let us, with fear and
trembling, adore the different judgments of God in relation to
souls !
15. If And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house,
many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his dis
ciples ; for there were many, and they followed him.
Jeaua is sometimes found in a house or in a society which
is full of disorderly people, for the sake of one single person
who is faithful to hira. This new disciple is not ashamed
of his Master in the midst of this worldly and profane com
pany; and Jesus himself is contented to stay in it with his
disciples, to teach his ministers not to despiae or disdain any.
It is on the account of sinners that theae are sent as well
as he; such therefore they ought to seek. Every sinner
converted to Christ must endeavour to conduct his friends to
him. Fruitfulness is a certain proof of the reality of con
version. 16. And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans
and sinners, they said unto his disciples. How is it that he eateth and
drinketh with publicans and sinners ?
How is it that he is crucified between thieves, will they one
day say ? Whoever has not charity, cannot possibly compre
hend what it ia capable of doing through a prudent condeacen-
sion toward ainners, much leaa what it cauaed Chriat to do and
suffer for their aalvation. It ia proper only to Phariaeea to
take offence and be scandalized at the excess of humility andi
charity. This is one part of the scandal of the cross and
death of Christ, at which the children of this world are.

384 MARK.
offended 'and take exception, while the children of light find
in it their joy and their salvation.
17. When Jesus heard it, he saith uhto them. They that are whole
have no need of the physician, but they that are sick : I came not to call
the righteous, but sinners to repentance. '
The raore righteous we imagine ourselves, at so much the
greater 'distance do we remove Christ from us. Let us by no
means seek after false comforts, in flattering ourselves with
an iraaginary health and righteousness. That whioh alone is
substantial and real, consists in our having in Jesus Christ a
Physician for all our diseases, and the remission of all our
sins. How dear to us ought thia hia quality of Physician to
be, of which he informs us himself ! If we are aenaible of
the need we have of it, let ua not neglect often to adore him,
to have recourse to him, and to place our whole confidence in
the healing operation of his grace.
18. And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast : and
they come and say unto him. Why do the disciples of John and of the
Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not 1
The envious are more busied in censuring the conduct of
othera than in rectifying their own. This is one vice belong
ing to a Pharisee, and which is very common. It is another,
to desire that every one should regulate his piety by ours, and
emhrace our particular cuatoma and devotions. It ia a third,
to speak of others only that we may have an opportunity to
speak of and to distinguish ourselves. It is very dangerous
for a man to make himself remarkable by such devout prac
tices as are external and singular, when he is not firmly
settled and rooted in internal virtues, and, above all, in hu
mility. 19, And Jesus said unto them. Can the children of the bridechamber
fast, while the bridegroom is with them ? as long as they have the bride
groom with them, they cannot fast. 20. But thq days will come, when
the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast
in those days.
It is prudence not to overcharge those with outward per
formances who are as yet weak in piety, lest they be disgusted
and diacouraged: when their love becomea atrong, it will
make them do abundantly and with joy. It is piety to imi-

CHAPTBJl IL 385
tate, by some degree of abstinence, at least, the primitive
Christians, who fasted Wednesdays and Fridays, in remem
brance of Christ's being sold and dying on those days ; as
the church did not fast at all in the forty days after Easter,
io memory of the Bridegroom's continuing so long on earth
with his church after his resurrection.
21. No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment ; else
the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is
made worse.
Men often spoil all, for want of well considering the
strength and ability of such souls as begin to serve God.
The indiscreet zeal of a spiritual director, who requires too
mucfh of a penitent at first, often makea him give over all,
and renders him the worae. It is a temptation to some be
ginners to be desirous of following the perfect in every thing.
The devil seeks either to discourage thera, or to puff them
up. We must lay deep foundations of humility and the love
of God, before we can possibly raise the building of perfect
tion. Love Will furnish us with all materials, and humility
will preserve them.
22. And no man putteth new wine into old bottles ; else the new wine
doth burst the bottles, and the wine' is spilled, and the bottles will be
marred : but new wine must be put into new bottles.
Let us wait till God has strengthened the heart by the new
spirit, ere we endeavour to fill it with the severer truths of
the gospel. The mind of new penitents is often very forward,
and full of a lively warmth, which makes them fancy thera
selves able to do every thing which they find themselves will
ing to do : but the flesh, notwithatanding, ia weak and infirra.
It is the duty of a wise pastor to use the latter tenderly, and
to moderate the former. The means for a man to avoid re-
ses is, to fear his own weakness, and not to go too fast.

SECT. III. — THE EARS OF CORN PLUCKED. — THE OBSERVATION
OF THE SABBATH.
23. If And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the
sabbath day ; and his (Usciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears
of corn.
Christ, in suffering hunger while his disciples eat, teaches
Vol. I.— 33 Z

386 MARK.
US that a master, a superior, or a spiritual director ought to
be more perfect than his disciples. He never once wrought
a miracle to feed himself or his disciples, though often in
very great need, as he did to feed the people ; on purpose to
instruct them not to have recourse, on their own account, to
extraordinary means, without an extrerae necessity, and to be
raore sensibly affected with their neighbour's wants than with
their own. ,
24. And the Pharisees said unto him. Behold, why do they on the
sabbath day that which is not lawful ?
He who has only the knowledge without the spirit of the
law, very often opposes, while he thinka he defenda it. Pha
risaical pride makea men aet themaelvea up for judgea of
every thing, and require an account of every thing to be given
them. When a man is once full of hiraself, he decides con
fidently, eapecially when it ia to conderan othera. Those who
love to domineer, are not content to exerciae their authority
upon their own diaciplea, but would fain bring thoae of others
under their dorainion.
25. And he said unto them. Have ye never read what David did, when
he had need, and was ahungered, he, and they that were with him 1 26.
How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high
priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the
priests, and gave also to them which were with him ? '
Charity and neceaaity are auperior to all poaitive lawa. It
ia good to confound thoae who pretend to he raaatera in the
divine law, when they are ignorant in it ; and a man ia so,
when he ia a stranger to charity, which is the soul thereof.
The bread which is offered to God out of religion, is due to
man by charity, when neceaaity makea known the will of
God. He who daily feeda his creature, and allows him the
use of all his good things, is far from desiring that he should
perish. God teaches us to spare nothing when our neigh
bour is in neceaaity, by giving up (aa one may aay) to man
even that which he reaervea for himself.
27. And he said unto them. The sabbath was made for man, and not
man for the sabbath :
The usages and ordinances of religion ought to be regulated

CHAPTER IIL 387
according to their end, which ia the honour of God and the
advantage of men. It is the property of the religion of the
true God to contain nothing in it but what ia beneficial to
man. Hereby God plainly ahows, that it is neither out of
indigence, nor interest, that he requires men to worship and
obey him, but only out of goodness, and on purpose to make
them happy. God prohibited work on the sabbath-day, for
fear lest servants should be oppressed by the hard-heartedness
of their masters, and to the end that men might not be hin
dered from attending upon God and their own salvation.
28. Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.
Man, on the account of self-preservation, may diapenae
with a law which God made fbr hia benefit and advantage :
with much greater reaaon, then, might Jeaus Christ do it,
being the God, the Saviour, and the sovereign diapenaer both
of the temporal happiness and eternal aalvation of man. Let
ua alwaya take great care to consider chiefly in laws the in
tention and design of the legislator. This is the way to
understand their true meaning, and to do nothing contrary
to the spirit of them.

CHAPTER III.
SECT. I. — THE WITHERED HAND.
1. And he entered again into the synagogue ; and there was a man
there which had a withered hand.
Let US contemplate our own weakneaa in thia emblem, which
represents that total inability of doing good to which sin has
reduced mankind. A withered hand, in the sight of God,
and in the eyes of faith, is a covetous wretch, who bestows on
the poor little or no alms at all ; it ia a lukewarm and negli
gent Christian, who performs no good works ; it is a magis
trate or person in authority, who takes no care to niaintain
order and justice ; and it is a great man who abandons the
, innocent when oppreased. None hut thou, 0 Lord, can heal

388 MARK.
this withered hand, because its indisposition proceeds from the
heart, and thou alone canst apply thy healing and almighty
hand to that !
2. And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath
day; that they might accuse. hira.
How many are there in the world, who will highly condemn
an action which Charity or necessity shall oblige a man to do
upon a Lord's-day, while they themselves make no acruple of
spending whole Sundays in taking the air, in diversions, in
revelUng, in evil-speaking, in vain conversations, or in pro
fane or criminal correspondence !
3. And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand. Stand
forth. It is no other than to he asharaed of that which is good,
and of God hiraself who coramands it, not to do it publicly,
when it is publicly blamed. We ought not to countenance
either the ill-grounded scruples of the weak, or the pasaion of
the envious, by abstaining from a good action which they do
jiot approve, lest we confirm the ignorance of the one, and
partake of the bad dispositions of the other. True charity
fears not the ill-will of men, when the doing good to our neigh
bour is the thing in question.
4. And he saith unto them. Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days,
or to do evil ? to save life, or to kill ? But they held their peace.
The true sabbath consists in abstaining from evil and in
doing good. Where sanctification and charity are, there ia
the Christian rest. There is a silence which proceeda from
the Spirit of God. There is also a diabolical ailence, which
proceeda from the conteat between pride and envy in a phari
saical heart. Would to God there were not to be found
among Christians such aa affect to be ailent, through fear,
either of passing for ignorant persons if they condemn the
truth, or of justifying thoae they do not love, if they approve it !
5. And when he had looked round about on them wjth anger, being
grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man. Stretch
forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored
whole as the other.
Thia conduct, and theae diapoaitiona of Chriat, ought to be

CHAPTEli, IIL 389
imitated by a wise director of souls. He ought, (1.) To have
a holy indignation against those who, out of envy, oppoae
their own conversion. (2.) A real affliction of heart on the
account of their blindness. (3.) A charitable and constant
application to those, whom God sends to him,, notwithstanding
all contradiction. (4.) He must incite them to lift up and
stretch forth their hands toward God, in order to pray to
him, toward the poor to relieve them, and toward their ene
mies to be reconciled to thera. Stretch out thy hand, 0 Lord,
over us, to bless, protect, conduct, heal, and sanctify us I
6. And the Pharisees, went forth, and straightway took counsel with,
the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.
(5.) A wise director should have no apprehension at all of
what he may suffer at the hands of the wicked, or of the pre
tenders to devotion, for having done his duty. That which
ought to have engaged these Pharisees strictly to Chriat, to
have united them in one common deaign of becoming hia dia
ciplea, and encouraged them to defend him, is the very thing
which induces them to forsake him, to cabal against him, and
to take a resolution of destroying him. My God ! what is a
heart which has resigned itself up to envy? It infects all
thinga, and ia infected by all ; every thing provokea it, every
thing conspires to complete its corruption and ruin ; and even
good itself contributes more thereto than evil.
SECT. II.  THE CONCOURSE OF PEOPLE. — THE CONFESSION OF
THE DEVILS.
7. But Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea: and a
great multitude from Galilee followeid him, and from Judea, 8. And
from Jerusalem, and from Idumea, and from beyond Jordan; and they
about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what
great things he did, came unto him.
A spiritual director ought, (6.) Not to provoke the wicked
by a frnitleaa oppoaition, but humbly and prudently to avoid
their preaence and their malice. If Jesus Christ is abandoned
and persecuted by the wicked, yet a great multitude of pious
souls earnestly seek and follow him. When a man labours
for the aake of God, he alwaya finds more than he loses in the
midst of all contradiction. If the heart of a good pastor is
33*

390 MARK.
afflicted for the obduracy of some, God comforts and en
courages him by the fervency and zeal of others. He is the
savour of death to those whose heart is dead, and the savour
of life to those whom God calls thereto. -
9. And he spake to his disciples, that a small ship should wait on him
because of the multitude, lest they should throng him. 10. For he had
healed many ; insomuch that they pressed upon him for to touch hhn,
as many as had plagues.
(7.) A spiritual director must not suffer himself to be so
taken up with the external exercise of charity, as thereby to
lose the recollection, humility, liberty, and peace of hia mind.
See here the admirable patience of Jeaua ! These people seek
him with trust and confidence, but at the same time out of
interest, and with importunity; yet he receives them all kindly
and without the least uneasiness. How grateful would this
violence be to him, if they sought him for the sake of their
eternal salvation, and were ao earneat to touch him out of a
lively and pure faith ! Charity never exarainea into the in
tentions, dispositions, or behaviour of men, — she opens her
hand to all, and receivea with gentleneaa the most impor
tunate and troublesome.
11. And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him,
and cried, saying. Thou art the Son of God. 12. And he straitly charged
them that they should not make him known.
(8.) A spiritual director ought to reject the praisea of
othera. (9.) He should not have any conversation with scan
dalous and incorrigible sinners, but only in order to their sal
vation ; neither should he enter into any society with them
for works of piety. The humiliation of hypocrites ia like
that of the devil, their prayers the effect of a aervile fear,
and their confeaaion a forced teatimony. All thia ia abomina
ble in the aight of hira who requirea the heart. The, world is
easily deceived in taking some expreaaiona of religion and hu
miliation for converaion, which are only extorted from a repro-
bate'a mouth by the fear of that Judge before whom he ia
going to appear.

CHAPTER IIL 391

SECT. III. — THE ELECTION OF THE APOSTLES.
13. f And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom
he would : and they came unto him.
What talent soever a man may have, he ought not to under
take the ecclesiastical rainiatry without some assurance that
it is God's will. This office is a state of perfection, a moun
tain which none must presume to ascend, without being called
up. Jesus Christ goes up first himself, as being the sovereign
Priest, the author and institutor of the Christian priesthood,
the fountain of all sacerdotal power, and the principle of the
spirit and holiness thereof: a raan. has no part therein, but
only so far as he is associated and united to him.
14. And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that
he might send them forth to preach, 15. And to have power to heal sick
nesses, and to cast out devils :
Bishops and priests are called to the priesthood of Jesus
Christ, (1.) In order to make hut one priest with him, to ex
tend, complete, and continue his priesthood upon earth.
(2.) To preach his word, and make known his truth and his
mysteriea. All eccleaiastical functions are denoted by preach
ing, because this is a principal function of bishops and pastors,
because it is by means of the word and of instruction that the
kingdom of God is eatabliahed, and because the word is like
wise made use of in the representative sacrifice, the sacra
ments, and the other sacerdotal ministrations. (3.) To be
the physicians of aoula, and apply themaelvea to heal their
diseases. (4.) To wage war with the devil, and destroy his
kingdom. Whoever looks upon the sacerdotal state aa a atate
of ease, and not of continual labour, understands but very little
these words of Christ.
16. And Simon he surnamed Peter ; 17. And James the son of Zebe
dee, and John the brother of James ; and he surnamed them Boanerges,
which is. The sons of thunder : 18. And Andrew, and Philip, and Bar
tholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alpheus,
and Thaddeus; and Simon the Canaanite,
The synagogue ia a figure or erablem of the church ; the
Jewiah people, that of the Chriatian ; the twelve heads of the
tribea, that of the twelve apoatlea; and the carnal promises,

ggz MASK.
that of the apiritual. It ia for the completion of these pro
miaea, and in order to put the elect in poaaeaaion of them, that
the prieathood ia instituted. And it is at firat communicated
to twelve, to ahow the twelve tribes which composed the Jew
iah church, that it is in Chriat and his members that the king
dom expected by thera was to be accoinpliahed, and that the
children of the church only are the children of proBiisev
19. And Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed hiia: and they went mto
a house. '
Terrible but adorable judgment of God, who sometimes calla
to the prieathood one whora' he knowa will find therein the
occaaion of hia damnation. One Of the advantages which God
drawa from the perfidiouaness of one of the twelve aipostles', is,
to prevent the scandal of wicked ministers in the church, at
which the weak are apt to be troubled. Who will liot admire
his goodness, his wisdom, and his care in providing for the
peace of aoula ?
SECT. VI. — Christ's kindred. — the blasphemy op the
PHARISEES. — THE DIVIDED KINGDOM.
20. If And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not
so much as eat bread.
We see very few of the wise and of the noble come in to
Christ, but multitudes of the meaner sort of people, contempti
ble in the eyes of the world : thia is to confotmd human wis
dom, power, and grandeur. We must not set our heart upon
these, if we desire to belong to God. Christ teachea his mi
niatera, by his own example, to look upon themselves as the
servants and slaves of soulS, to wait their time, to think none
inconvenient when it is to do them service, and to forget even
the necessaries of life, when the harvest is great, and an op
portunity whieh raay irrecoverably be lost is now present.
21. And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him :
for they said. He is beside himself.
A man is never the better for being related to saints ac
cording to the fiesh. Those whose piety makes them pass for
madmen in the opinion of their friends and relations, ought
to think it an honour to be treated like Jesus Christ. Let a

CHAPTER IIL 393
Christian but neglect the care of his body through the spirit
of repentance, let a minister of Christ but impair hia health
by hia paatoral labours, presently he is beside himself, he has
not the least conduct or discretion. But let a man forget his
soul, let him destroy his health by his debaucheries, let him
expose his life out of ambition, and he may, notwithatanding,
pasB for a very wiae and prudent peraon.
22. Tf And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said. He hath
Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils.
He, in whora dwella all the fulness of the Godhead, is him
self looked upon as a demoniac, and accused of being in con
federacy with the devil ! What a consolation is this for his-
most faithful servants, to whora the same crime is aometimes
imputed ! A rainiater of Chriat, a teacher of the truth, who
is too rauch afraid of being decried by calumniea, is as yet
very far from resembling his Master. A man ought to bo as
Careful of hia reputation aa possible, withont neglecting, his
duty; but he must expoae that aa well aa hia life, when it ia
neceaaary. 23. And he called them unto Mm, and said unto them in parables,
How can Satan cast out Satan ?
It is a mark of solid piety to be unconcerned under the
greatest calamities, still to retain meekness and charity, and
to instruct those who, either through ignorance or blindness,
happen to join in them. They are very often raade up of
contradictions ; but the confidence of those who raise them,
and the malice or simplicity of those who hear thera, supply
all defects. Satan doea neither calumniate, persecute, nor
Cast out Satan : and yet Chriatiana do it to Christians, priests
to priests, bishops to bishops, and even the creature to the
Creator. The Creator suffers this with patience and humility;
and is it reasonable that the creature should be exasperated,
incensed, and unwilling to bear it ?
24. And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot
stand. 25. And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot
stand. Division destroys the best works, aa union estahliahes, pre
serves, and perfects tbem. The world will perish by means'

394 MARK.
of diviaiona, wars, and enmities; becauae it ia deaigned to
perish, and because God gives it up to the passions of carnal
men. But divisions and schiama aerve only to purify the
church, to aeparate the chaff from the good grain, and to ren
der the elect fit to forra the body of unity, which ia the
church, and to enter into the eternal unity of God. The
reaaon of thia is, because his Spirit raakes even division itself
useful in fastening the bond of unity, and bringa out of this
darknesa the light of peace. Effect thia, 0 Lord, and effect
it as soon as possible, according to thy decrees and will !
26. And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot
stand, but hath an end.
How guilty then is he who divides the children of the
church, by caluranies, dissensiona, and jealouaiea ! To divide
the church ia to endeavour to deatroy it ; but hereby a man
can only deatroy himaelf. Schiam ia an attempt againat the
unity of Chriat'a myatical body, which ia the church ; against
the unity of hia Spirit, which is the bond thereof; against
the unity of Chriat, who is the head of it ; and againat the
unity of God^ himaelf, who ia the principle, the pattern, and
the perfection of all unity and aociety, by the unity of his
eaaence, and the society of his persons.

SECT. V. — THE STRONG MAN ARMED. — THE glN AGAINST THB
HOLY GHOST. — CHRIST'S MOTHER AND BRETHREN.
27. No man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods,
except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his
house. There is an irreconcilable enmity between Christ and the
devil, the church and hell, the Christian and the world, charity
and concupiscence. The former of these two cannot be in
any heart but only so far as the latter ia therein auppressed.
When the devil is once become master of a heart, none but
Christ can drive him out, and destroy his power there. En
ter, Lord, into this house, and destroy therein whatever re
mains of the spirit of that unjust usurper !

CHAPTER IIL 395
, 28. Verily I say unto you. All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of
men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme :
See here the extent of God's mercy toward men who ain
either through ignorance or infirmity ! The ainner ia inex-
cuaable if he neglect to have recourae to God, whatever sins
he may have committed. A true penitent is never rejected :
the spirit of repentance can procure him every thing from the
divine mercy; since, as an earnest of this mercy, he has the
word and oath of hia Saviour, and the mercy itaelf of his
God, which preventa him, by giving hira this very spirit of
repentance. 29. But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never
forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation : 30. Because they
said. He hath an unclean spirit.
Who will not tremble, when he considers the rigour of the
divine justice against such as sin out of mere malice ? For a
• man, contrary to the light of his own mind, to attribute to
the devil that which God performs by his aervanta, to oppoae
the known truth of God, and hold it in unrighteouaness, are
sins which are very seldom forgiven ; because they either pro
ceed from blindness and hardness of heart, or else produce
both, and provoke God to deliver up those who are guilty of
them to the errors of a depraved and corrupted mind. To
call our blessed Saviour a demoniac, is to resolve to have no
Saviour ; not to acknowledge him in the fulness of that
Spirit of which we must all receive in order to salvation, is to
reject all forgiveness. Lord, it is thou alone who art ray sal
vation ; it is from thy Spirit alone that I expect my grace
and my justification. Purify rae, sanctify rae, and save me !
31. If There came then his brethren and his mother, and, standing
without, sent unto him, calling him.
Wh^t priest is there who has not reason to apprehend that
his relations, how holy aoever they may be, will interrupt him,
at least in the exercise of hia rainiatry? The reservedness
of the blessed Virgin is very admirable and instructive. Her
tenderness toward her son is the cauae of her coming ; but
her modesty, and the fear of interrupting hira, hinder her
from advancing any farther. Parents ought with great dis-

398 MARK.

cretion to use the right they have over their sons who are
labourers in the church. They properly belong no more to
them, but to God and to Christ.

''J

32. And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto him. Behold,
thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee. 33. And he answered
them, saying. Who is my mother, or my brethren ?
It is better for a priest to seera to have too little tender
ness for his relations, than to appear to have too much fond
ness for them. Thia outward indifference toward the beat of
mothers, is a great lesson for eccleaiaatica, who are apt to be too
fondly engaged to their parenta by the ties of fiesh and blood.
On how many occasions do thoae who enjoy beneficea ahow
too great a regard both to their raothera and their brethren,'
enriching the latter at the blind deaire of the former, and at
the expenae of the patrimony of the poor ! Grant us. Lord,
many pastors, ministers, and miaaionariea, who may be able
to aay in thy Spirit, " Who ia my mother, or my brethren ?"
34. And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and
said. Behold my mother and my brethren! 35. For whosoever shall
do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.
Nothing joins us raore closely to Christ than the perform
ing the will of God. He who does it to the end, contracts
an eternal, alliance with God as his Father, with Christ as his
Brother, with angels and all the blessed apirita aa hia breth
ren and aiatera, and with the heavenly Jeruaalem as his mo
ther. Whoever hears the word of God, with no other intent
but to obey it, has already done the will of God in his heart.
A beneficed person, who feeds the poor according to his duty,
and is himaelf fed of their aubatance, in looking upon them
ought to say, with joy on one account, and with gratitu(^e on
another, "Behold my mother and my brethren !"

CHAPTER IV. 897

CHAPTER IV.
SECT. I. — THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER.
1. And he began again to teach by the sea side: and there was
gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and
sat in the sea ; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land.
There are few besides the common sort of people who are
not tired with hearing the word of God. He who chooses
such a place as this to preach in, little values the rank and
quality of hia auditora ; but then he finda araong them raore
true lovera of God's word. The finest talent for preaching
.which ever appeared in the world was no doubt that of Christ;
and yet he has only a bark for his pulpit, poor country pea
sants for his audience, and the sea shore for the place of
assembly. 2. And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them
in his* doctrine, [Fr. way of instructing.]
Christ, and those who speak by his Spirit, have a peculiar
way of instructing, very different frora that of the preachera
of the world. Impart, Lord, this way of instructing to those
whose business it is to feed thy people with thy word ! Vouch
safe to send them, not vain declaimers, but charitable fathers,
real teachers of Christian righteousness, faithful interpreters
of thy law and thy doctrines, who raay be always intent on
inatructing othera, and not on making themselves admired !
3. Hearken ; Behold, there went out a sower to sow : 4. And it came
to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air
came and devoured it up.
A pastor, a preacher, ia a workman hired and aent out to
sow the field of God ; that ia, to inatruct aoula in the trutha
of the gospel. This workman sins, (1.) When, instead of
going to the field, he absents hiraself from it ; nothing being
more agreeable to natural and divine law than for a servant
to obey his master, for a seedsman to be in the field for which
he is hired, and whither he is sent to sow. He sins, (2.)
When he stays in the field, but does not sow. (3.) When he
Vol. L— 34

398 MAR K.
changes his master's seed, and sows had instead of good.
(4.) When he affects to cast it on the highway. Is not this
what they do who love to preach only before those they call
people of fashion, given up entirely to the vanity and other
passions of the age, and very little disposed to profit by the
divine word ?
5. And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth ; and
immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth : 6. But
when the sun was up, it was scorched ; and because it had no root it
withered away.
This workman sins, (5.) When he fixes on stony groundj
frora whence there is little hope of receiving any fruit. If
interest, inclination, the spirit of amusement, or self-satisfac
tion determine a pastor to attend chiefiy on auch aoula who
seek not God, and whoae virtue haa no depth, he has but little
regard to his Master's profit. Men ought not, indeed, to ex
clude any sort of ground, because Chriat would have them
preach to all, and becauae they do not know the heart; but
then they ought not to chooae and prefer one aort before
another, for fear of being guilty of a criminal affection and
reapect of peraons.
7. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked
it, and it yielded no fruit.
It is a (6th) defect, not to take care to pick out the stones,
not to pluck up the thorns which are in the field. The sower
complains of the barrenness of the field; and perhaps the
field will complain, at the tribunal of God, of the neghgence
of the sower, in not preparing and cultivating it aa he ought.
How many ungrateful and barren fielda are there ! And who
can aay that hia own heart is not auch in reapect of the
divine seed ?
8. And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up
and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and
some a hundred.
A (7th) defect is, the not endeavouring to make the seed
in the good ground yield fruit in proportion to its goodness.
It is a very great degree of knowledge to discover the measure
of grace conferred on every soul, to give them in proportion
that application, instruction, and counsel which are proper

CHAPTER IV. 393
for them, to ahow them the way of perfection aa far aa their
grace calla them, and to cauae them to make all the uae
which they ought of the truths of the gospel. How few
souls are there who are faithful, and bring forth all the fruit
which they ought ! How few perfect guides are there, who
thoroughly understand the art of conducting aoula in the
ways of God !
9. And he said unto them. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
He alone hears the gospel as he ought who puts it in prac
tice; and no one can practise it unless Jesus Christ cauae
him to do it. Let all the world confeaa, that it is God who
gives, these ears of the heart, without which none can accom
pUsh his law : to the end, that those who have received them
may bless God for this free gift ; and that thoae who have not
may humble themaelvea, and have recourae to him in order to
obtain them.
10. And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve
asked of him the parable.
God would have ua addreaa ouraelvea to him in order to
underatand the Scripturea ; and it ia for thia very reaaon that
they have aome obscurity. It is likewise to subdue the pride
of man by labour and study, to take off hia diaguat by variety,
and to make him sensible, that to understand the language
of God he standa in need of a light auperior to reason. In
our reading the Scripture, let us frequently ask his Spirit,
and not trust to our own, which is but darkness.
11. And he said unto them. Unto you it is given to know the mystery
of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things
are done in parables :
Do we sufficiently prize this precious gift of faith and evan
gelical doctrine, and this preference on which our eternal
happiness depends ? Is our fidelity answerable thereto ? Let
ua be very far from insulting them that are without; it is the
mercy of God which alone makes us to differ ; his light was
no more due to us than to others, and it may be taken frora
us and given to them. The truths of the church appear to
those who are. without no other than unintelligible parablea.

400 MARK.
Let them but enter into the church, and its light will soon
open their understanding aaid their heart.
12. That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they
may hear, and not understand ; lest at any time they should be convertedj
and tJieir sins, should be forgiven them.
Terrible, but just and adorable, is this conduct of God
toward those who have deaerved to be left to themselves.
Thia dereliction has several degrees. The firat is, their being
abandoned to their own darkness. The second, then* not
being able to understand the truths of salvation. The third,
their not obeying them. The fourth, their remaining in their
sins. And the fifth, their being condemned. God is pleased
to give examplea of thia, to the end that the children of prp-
miae may know how much they owe to grace. It ia a miatake
to iraagine, that whatever appears moat severe and rigorous
in the conduct of God ought to be concealed from Christians.
He hiraself instructs us in it, on purpoae that we should take
great notice of it on proper occaaiona, and glorify him on the
account of all the good we do, and of all the evil which we
avoid. 13. And he said unto them. Know ye not this parable ? and how then
will ye know all parables ?
Jeaus Christ is very careful to make hia apoatlea aenaible
how incapable they naturally are of underatanding the Scrip
tures and mysteriea, to the end that they might not aacribe to
themselves that knowledge of thera whichhe should one day,
confer upon them. He here, by intiraation, shows the extent
of that knowledge of the Scriptures which the miniaters of
the goapel ought to have, in order to awaken their attention^
to excite in them a deaire to be inatructed therein, and to
make them apprehend how much they stand in need of him to
this end.
14. -% The sower soweth the word.
The word of God is the seed of salvation. Had we, at the
time of hearing the word preached, but this truth before our
eyea. That it is the word of God, and that this word is the
seed of salvation, could we possibly repeive it with a faith so

CHAPTER IV. 401
weak and languishing, and a heart so little prepared ? The
minister sows nothing but the word ; the invisible sower sows
even the good-will itself, and causes the aeed to spring up
therein, and bring forth fruit.
15. And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown ; but
when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the
word that was sown in their hearts.
It ia very dangeroua for a raan to have once laid hia heart
open to the devil, by the love of the world,, which ia the high
way, and by a habit of ain; truth doea not often find any
more admittance there. Truth ia no other thdn a truat ; and
we are peraona intruated with all thoae trutha which are de
livered to ua. Whoever, through the love of the world and
sin, permita this trust to be taken away frora him, must give
an account thereof proportionable to the sacredness of this
word. Do thou thyself, 0 Lord, vouchsafe to preserve in me
this deppsitum of evangelical truths; and to give rae humility,
which is the guardian of them !
16. And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground ;
who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with glad
ness ; 17. And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time :
afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, im
mediately they are offended.
Whoever haa not the root of charity, haa no other than a
stony heart for the word of God. The brightneaa of truth
may cauae aorae joy and gladness for a tirae; but if grace be
wanting, and. a man muat renounce the conveniencea of life,
then truth becoraea odioua, and ia an occaaion of sin. Those
truths which ahould give ua life, give ua death, when the love
of truth itaelf doea not reign in our heart. Men ought to re
joice with huraility at the knowledge of the truth. The weak
ness under which they find themselves, in times of trial and
temptation, on the account of the truth, is often the punishment
of that vain joy and ostentation with which they gloried in it.
18. And these are they which are sown among thorns ; such as hear
the word, 19. And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of
riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it
becometh unfruitful.
When the word of God has caused some good desires to
34* 2 A

402 MARK.
spring up in the heart, they continue fruitless and without
effect, if a man open it to the passions and lusts of the world.
To profit hy good desires, it is not sufficient that the heart be
not hardened by sinful habits ; it must alao be in a condition
to apply itaelf to divine thinga, and to make uae of the means
of salvation, prayer, reading, aacraraenta, etc. The world is
full of peopl% whose hearta aeera to be open to every thing
which ia good, and abut againat every ain; but they being
likewiae open to the things of the world, take their fill of
them, and are lost; To open only the bodily ear to the word
of God, ia not properly to hear it; it ia the ear of the heart
which we rauat open to it; it is in obeying it that we must
receive it.
20. And these are they which are sown on good ground ; such as hear
the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty,
and some a hundred.
Those profit by the word who hear it with joy, retain it
with fidelity, and practise it with zeal. The several degrees
of bringing forth fruit here mentioned, denote as many several
degrees of charity, as many different states of the Chriatian
life, and aa many employraenta or talenta raore or leaa profit
able, more or leaa proper for piety, and more or less meritori
ous, (in God's account.) To bear a hundredfold for one is
the state of perfection. It is a very great happiness to be
called hereto, provided a man be faithful in observing every
thing which the perfection of this state requires. Sometimes
sixty is better than a hundred for sorae certain souls ; for a
middle state, all the duties whereof a man performs exactly,
is, without comparison, surer than a raore elevated one, where
the fidelity does not rise in proportion to the height.
SECT. II. — THE CANDLE UNDER A BUSHEL. — HE WHO HATH
SHALL HAVE MORE.
21. If And he said unto them. Is a candle brought to be put under a
bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?
Truth will not be stifled. The knowledge of our duty must
not be unprofitable, nor our talents without fruit. They must
all be employed for the church. Let ua hear witness to the

CHAPTER IV. 403
truth whenever there ia occasion, and make our faith evident
by our good works. This is the way whereby every one may
set the candle on the candlestick. A man may hide from the
world some good works ; but a Christian life is a lamp which
ought to be seen by everybody ; a public testimony which we
owe to our faith, and an example which the church requires
of us.
22. For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested ; neither
was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.
The doctrine of Jesus Christ has nothing in it which fears
the Ught ; it is itself the light which must enlighten the world.
It is the property of heretics and libertines to propagate their
tenets in secret. Every thing is brought to light sooner or
later. The humble person conceals his virtue in this life, but
God will disclose it at the day of eternity. The hypocrite
hides his wickedness here, but he shall suffer an eternal con
fusion for it in the sight of heaven and earth.
23. If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.
Whoever has the ears of concupiacence to hear the things
of the world, and to, fill his heart therewith, haa not the ears
of charity to understand the truths of salvation. He who has
these, ought to humble himself, and return thanks for a pre
ference which he by no means deserves. He who has them
not as yet, ought to humble himself and pray, in confidence
that Christ has merited them for him.
24. And he said unto them. Take heed what ye hear. With what mea
sure ye mete, it shall be measured to you ; and unto you that hear shall
more be given.
Whether God apeak to us by the general truths of the gos
pel, or do it by opening our understanding and heart to some
particular truth, it ia both a reapect due to him, and a thing
neceasary to our own salvation, to give good heed to that
which he requires of us. If a man would not deceive himself,
he must receive the truths and inspirations in their full extent,
and not restrain thera through fear of being obliged to do too
much. The reward will be answerable to the fidelity : if we
are sparing toward him, he will be so toward us. Let us love

404 MARK.
and serve hira without raeasure, who will give hiraself without
measure to us. Let us do ever so much, there can be no
manner of comparison between that which we do for God, and
that which God prepares for us.
25. For he that hath, to him shall be given ; and he that hath not,
from him shall be taken even that which he hath.
The good use of knowledge and grace draws down more;
the ill use leads to blindneas and hardness of heart. The one
is an effect of grace itself; the other, an effect of a depraved
will. A faithful soul has a great treasure. The riches which
it heaps up have scarce any bounds, because it puts none to
its fidelity. A base and alothful aoul growa poorer every day,
until it ia atripped of all. Who can tell the prodigious stock
which is acquired by an evangelical labourer, a zealous mis
sionary, who croaaea the aeas on purpose to seek aouls whom
he may convert, and ia intent on nothing but the aalvation of
sinners ! The greater his grace ia, the more it increaaea by
labour. Oh how happy and holy is this usury of a faithful soul !
SECT. III. — THE SEED CAST INTO THB GROUND. — THB GRAIN
OF MUSTARD SEED.
26. ^ And he said. So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast
seed into the ground ; 27. And should sleep, and rise night and day,
and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. 28. For
the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear,
after that the full corn in the ear.
Christ himself cast the seed of the. word from which his
church sprung up, and he forraed it hiraself after a conspicuous
manner, by the preaching and miracles of the apostles, and
by the blood of the martyrs of the first ages. He aeemed, as
it were, to sleep in the following ages, while it continued te
grow up insensibly, during the night of adversity and the. day
of prosperity. How adorable is thy conduct, 0. my Saviour,
in the establishment of thy kingdom ; . and how admirable are
the secret operations of thy grace in those souls which thou
forraest for heaven ! Grace has its different ages and gradual
increase, — its growth is iraperceptible. When a soul is once
arrived at that measure of age and fulness, according to which

CHAPTER IV. 405
Christ is to be formed in it, then God withdraws it from the
world. 29. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the
sickle, because the harvest is come.
As Jesus Christ himself cast the seed into the ground, so
he will also himself reap the harvest at the general judgment.
How fearful ought we to be, lest we should let the time of
harvest corae before that of our ripeneaa, death before the
conversion of our hearts, and judgment before the perform
ance of good works ! How terrible will this voice be, The
harvest is come to those who shall then be only in the blade,
or in an imperfect ear ! My God, vouchsafe to ripen thy
fruit thyself; render me worthy to be of that good grain
which ia to be offered up to thee aa the fruit of eternity !
30. If And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or
with what comparison shall we compare it ?
How amiable ia this carefulness of the Son of God ! How
instructive to the ministers of his word ! He is not solicitous
in seeking fine turns of eloquence to charm' the minds of hia
auditora, nor in drawing auch representations, descriptions, or
comparisons as may surprise them : he studies only to make
himself understood, to instruct to advantage, to give true
ideas of faith and piety, and to find out such expressions as
¦may render necessary truths easy and intelligible to the mean
est capacities. This is what raust be imitated.
31. It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the
earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth : 32. But when it is
sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth
but great branches ; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the
shadow of it.
That grace which in its beginning ia the least, may be the
greatest when it comes to its full growth : insomuch that he
who haa it will become auperior even to those who were ad
vanced the highest in perfection. Happy those souls who,
being no longer scandalized at what appears low, imperfect,
and contemptible in the church, now lodge under the shadow
of it with the joy of faith ! Extend, Lord, the branches of
thia plant, which thou haat watered with thy blood : let it fill
the whole earth : let it gather under its shade thoae whom the

406 MARK.
pride of error or the delusions of false pastors does yet keep
at a distance frora it !
33. And with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as
they were able to hear ii.
A man must adapt himself to the capacity of those whom
he instructs. He need not fear stooping too low, when he
considers himself as the dispenser of the mysteries of abased
wisdom. The goapel is more for the poor and simple than
for the refined wits ; and yet a minister thereof is sometimes,
as one may aay, afraid of being underatood by the simple,
lest he should not be admired by the learned.
34. But without a parable spake he not unto them : and when they
were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.
The true disciples of the truth partake of her greatest se
crets. Whenever she seems to hide herself, it ia in order to
humble thoae lofty apirita who are puffed up with their own
knowledge ; to raake thera senaible how much they atand in
need' of her illumination ; to oblige her children to have re
course to her spirit ; and to cause them to adore her judg
ments upon the one, and her mercy toward the other.

SECT. rV. — THE STORM APPEASED.
35. And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them,
Let us pass over unto the other side. 36. And when they had sent away
the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there
were also with him other little ships. 37. And there arose a great storm
of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.
When a raan walks with too much confidence, temptation
rises on a sudden, and hia heart would certainly be over
whelmed by it, if God did not atretch forth his hand to sustain
it. By being in the ahip, that ia to say, in the church, with
Christ and his apostles, we are not in a state of perfect
safety, and secure from all temptations. The waves of heresy
toss it from without ; but the corruption of manners within,
like the water which beat into this ship, puts it in much
greater danger of perishing. This corrupt water shall be
caat out, and the ahip will then arrive aafe in the harbour.
38. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow:

CHAPTER IV. y 407
and they awake him, and say unto him. Master, carest thou not that we
perish? If Jeaua Chriat aeem to be asleep in times of persecution
or temptation, it is only to oblige us to apply ourselves to
him, and to lay before him our danger with fervency and con
fidence. Jesus sleeps, indeed, but his heart continually
watches over his disciples and his church. When the church
is in great straits he expects to be awakened, that is, invoked
with the loud cries of charity, and the importunity of prayer.
It is to the prayera and groana of the church that he vouch
safes to grant peace and a calm. Nothing is more grateful
to him than this complaint of his true disciplea and of holy
bishopa, which shows their concern for the church, their com
passion on its evils, and their confidence in him.
39. And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea. Peace,
be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
When passions the most violent, temptations the most dan
gerous, and the dread of the greatest evils, put our hearts in
the most perilous condition, why do we not fly to Him whose
almighty will can quiet and allay all in a moment ? The true
idea of grace is this — God wills our obedience, and he is
obeyed ; he commands, and every thing is done ; he speaks
with authority, and all things are subject to him. 0 Jesus,
the only rpfuge of those who are tempted, the strength of
the weak, and the sole hope of thy church, thou seest its
afflictions, its troubles, and all its wants : pronounce but over
it this word of peace which calms all in an instant, and peace
will immediately be restored to it !
40. And he said unto them. Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye
have no faith ?
After a teraptation is overcorae, let every one consider
whether he haa not reason, (1.) To reproach himself for his
want of trust and confidence. (2.) To condemn the cause
of it, which, perhaps, was want of faith. God is so good
that he despises not a faith as yet weak,' refuses not imperfect
prayera, nor rejecta and diacouragea a heart which is too fear
ful. What faith, what confidence should we not have, did we

408 MARK.
but take care to reflect on God's conduct toward his elect in
all ages, and his judgments upon their enemies !
41. And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another. What man:
ner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him ?
(3.) We must, in the next place, after a victory over temp
tation, with fear and trenibling conaider the danger' out of
which we have been delivered by Jeaua Chriat. (4.) We must
retain the dread of it in our hearta. (5.) We must wilhngly
entertain one another with the mercies we have received from
God. (6.) We must adore hia power and his goodness.
How comfortable and edifying would it be to aee Chriatians
thua entertain one another, in their converaations, with the
majeaty and wonderful worka of God, with the sovereign
power of Chriat over the heart, and with the admirable ex
amples of obedience, subraission, and inviolable adherence to
his will, wrought by hia Spirit both in ainnera and in aainta !
God'a power over insensible beings is set before us in the gos
pel, as no more than an emblera or repreaentation of that
which he exerciaes over rational creatures. Nothing ia of
greater importance than to be thoroughly convinced of this,
which ia the ground and foundation of our confidence.

CHAPTER V.

SECT. I. — THE LEGION OF DEVILS CAST OUT. — THE SWINE
DROWNED.
1. And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country
of the Gadarenes. 2. And when he was come out of the ship, imme
diately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit.
Hell ia a tomb out of which the unclean spirit will continu
ally come forth, until the judgment of God shall shut, him up
therein. The heart of an unchaste man ia a noiaome aepul-
chre, in which he is himself buried, and wherein there is no
thing but corruption and rottenneas. A criminal beauty is a
whited sepulchre, which insensibly defiles and infects those
who continue near it. No sin ao entirely poaaeaaes the whole

CHAPTER V. 409
heart aa that of uncleanness : none more nearly resembles
the possession of the devil. The firat atep toward a deliver
ance from it, ia for a raan to preaent himaelf before Jesus :
but how exceeding difficult is it for him to corae out of his
grave, to present hira to the light, there to lay open a heart
full of the raoat sharaeful crirae, and to raiae a aoul which is
become altogether earthy, up to Him who ia purity itself!
This is the work of thy grace, 0 my God ! Cause the power
of it to shine forth in the destruction of this vice, so con
tagious and fatal !
3. Who had his dwelling among the tombs ; and no man could bind
him, no, not with chains :
An inveterate habit of uncleanness frequently extinguishes
all the principles of the Christian life ; and an unchaste aOul
dwella in ita body aa in a loathsome aepulchre, where there is
nothing but the remaina of worma and corruption. Thia ia
but too often literally true. An unchaste person is a mad
man, whom every thing provokes, whom nothing stops, and
who will not bear the least restraint.
4. Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and
the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in
pieces : neither could any man tame him. >
Natural physic is by no means capable of curing an un
chaste person, — a heavenly Physician must be employed.
We may, indeed^ remove from hira the occasions of his sin,
or bind him hand and foot ; but nothing but the Spirit of
God alone can make itself absolute master of the heart
wherein lust reigns. Were this violent passion no more than
a chain of iron, another person might be able to raanage it ;
but as it is, nothing hut the Spirit and will of God can break
this chain of fiesh and blood, which the unchaste raan has
made for hiraaelf of his depraved will.
5. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the
tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.
This paaaion rendera a raan brutish, robs him of his rest by
night, gives him a continual uneasiness all the day, carries
him into the excesses of rage and fury, and drives him even
into contrary extremes. How heavy and insupportable is the
Vol. L— 35

410 MARK.
yoke of sin ! How cruel a tyrant is the love of the crea
tures ! There ia no pleasure but in bearing the amiable yoke
of thy law, 0 my God ; there is no true rest to be found but
only in thy love.
6. But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, 7.
And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee,
Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou
torment me not.
At how great a distance soever from aalvation an obstinate
sinner may be, yet when Jesus once shows himself to him by
the saving light of hia grace, which illuminatea the under
standing and gains the heart, he must of necessity submit,
he must run, he must hurable himself, and adore his Saviour.
A raan can never leave sin without violence ; he can never
root up an evil habit but nature must suffer deeply. She
fights againat grace ; ahe cauaea the flesh to strive against the
Spirit, and will against will. Whoever loves impurity dreads
to be delivered from it, and omits nothing to continue himself
under that miserable possession.
8. For he said unto him. Come out of the man, iliou unclean spirit.
Jesus cannot suffer the spirit of uncleanness in his pre
sence. One word alone ,of his, that ia to aay, one grace of
our bleaaed Saviour, decidea the combat between the two men,
and rendera the new man victorioua. No unclean apirit what
ever can hold out againat the Holy Spirit ; no rebellious will
can be diaobedient to the will of God, when he commands aa
God. Command, Lord, thia unclean apirit, which reigns in
the world and in the sinner, and both the world and the ain
ner will immediately change their nature !
9. And he asked him. What is thy name? And he answered, saying.
My name is Legion : for we are many.
Uncleannea^ is rather a multitude of vices than one parti
cular sin. It does not belong to all persons to discourse with
the unclean spirit ; none but the Holy One of God can do it
without danger of being infected thereby. He speaks to him
with the authority of a judge, and the church doea ao in his
name, becauae he haa given her power to judge the world,
and the prince of the world. The sin of uncleanness is very

CHAPTER V. 411
rarely without accomplicea. It ia the duty of a apiritual
guide to examine sinners upon this point with prudence and
caution. 10. And he besought him much that he would not send them away
out of the country.
The devil takes delight in the souls which he has for a long
time possessed. It is a very dangeroua illusion, not to break
with this sin entirely and without reserve. To be willing to
enter into a aort of composition with lust, and not to fly all
the occasions of it, is to be willing to settle in the very region
and country of sin. He deceives himaelf who pretenda that
an impure love will ever be changed into an honest and inno
cent familiarity. The devil is not much concerned, provided
he can but raaintain some small correspondence with a heart
out of which he has been driven.
11. Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of
swine feeding. 12. And all the devils besought him, saying. Send us
into the swine, that we may enter into them.
How many are there in the world, who, after the example
of these devils, abstain frora one ain only in order to commit
another! If we do not examine ouraelvea thoroughly, we
shall easily mistake vices for ¦virtues. We may change the
object without changing the sinful desire. There is no other
way to turn concupiscence into charity, but only by restoring
God to his proper place, which has been usurped by the
creature. The devil has no power to hurt man, or any thing
belonging to him, without God's permission. Being only the
instrument of his justice, he executes nothing but by the order
of Christ the sovereign Judge. It is a certain sign of want
of faith and truat in God, for a man to fear the devil, any
otherwiae than as his slave and aa the executioner of his justice.
13. And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits
went out, and entered into the swine ; and the herd ran violently down
a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand,) and were
choked in the sea.
God often grants to the wicked, through a motive infinitely
holy, that which they aak for a criminal end. He makea uae
of the devil, either to punish ain or to exercise virtue ; and,

412 MARK.
both in the one and the other, he makes hira against hia will
subservient to his glory. When the devil cannot hurt men
in their persons, he endeavours to do it in their gooda. But
when he thinks he hurts a Christian most, then it is that he
is sometimes most instrumental in promoting hia aalvation,
either in curing his avarice by the loaa of hia goods, or in tak
ing away hia health which he abuaed againat God, or in re
moving him from the occasions of sin, or in purifying him
frora his imperfections and faults.
14. And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the
country. And they went out to see what it was that was done. 15. And
they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and
had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind; and they
were afraid.
When a man is delivered from his evil habits, then only he
poaaeasea hia aoul in peace, and ia free indeed. If an in
stance of aorae extraordinary converaion aerve only to excite
fear and trouble in a soul by reason of some temporal interest,
it ia little diapoaed to receive any apiritual advantage thereby.
In order to this, a raan must worahip God, enter into himself,
examine hia own heart, and have recourae to God with peace
and tranquillity of mind; it is thus that he ought to answer
his designs.
16. And they that saw ii told them how it befell to him that was pos
sessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine. 17. And they began
to pray him to depart out of their coasts.
Whoever loves earthly possessions and enjoyraents, will not
long preserve Christ in his heart. Alas, there are but too
raany who strive to part with Christ by parting with the faith
by which he dwells in them, and which does not well agree
with their passions ! The carnal man shakes with fear, when
he considers that grace has prevailed with some souls to divest
themselves of all things. He dreads that grace which leavea
a man nothing but his God ; but how miserable ia the heart
to which ita God ia not aufficient !
18. And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed
with the devil prayed him that he might be with him.
When a man ia in a public station, he ought to be very
cautious of taking into hia houae, or admitting to the sacred

CHAPTER V. 413
ministry, peraona who, before their conversion, have led a
very scandalous life. A penitent should resolve to follow
Christ in his hurailiations, to imitate him in the sacrifice of
Christian virtues, and to adhere to him by a aincere acknow
ledgraent, and by all the tiea of religion ; but he rauat not think
of aspiring to that atate which belonga only to the innocent.
19. Howbeit Jesus suflfered him not, but saith unto him. Go home to
thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee,
and hath had compassion on thee.
God aometiraea requirea of a peraon newly converted no
thing but a grateful acknowledgment of heart, and a good
example in his family, by a regular life and conversation. A
great measure of grace, received by us in order to our own
sanctification, ought sometimes alao to be made instrumental
toward that of others. The grace of conversion is a talent
which a man ought to improve to the utmost, in making known
the majesty of God, the inexhaustible riches of his mercy.,
and the power of hia grace. One cannot better aet forth his
goodness than by openly making a very great acknowledgment
of his benefits.
/ 20. And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great
things Jesus had done for him :* and all men did marvel. \* Fr, The
great graces he had received of Jesus.]
A thankful heart can very difficultly confine itself within
the narrow bounds of gratitude prescribed to it. There are
some graces which are proper to be published; and there are
others which ought to be concealed. It is juat to publiah
thoae, which, being preceded by heinous sins, cannot be as
cribed to any thing. but the pure mercy of God, ahd which are
visibly counterbalanced by our demerits. It is the safer way
to conceal such as may be looked on as the reward of great
fidelity, in making a good use of those which a man has re
ceived before. The glory of God, and the advantage of our
neighbour, are the rules to be observed on this occasion;
He who doea not publiah them of his own accord, when they
are extraordinary in their kind, and the example raay be dan-r
gerous to the weak, shelters his neighbour's weakness under
the veil of silence, and his own under that of obedience.
35*

I
iii MARK.

SECT. II. — THE BLOODY ISSUE HEALED. — THE DAUGHTER OP
JAIRUS RAISED.
21. And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other
side, much people gathered unto him ; and he was nigh unto the sea.
22. And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus
by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet, 23. And besought
him greatly, saying. My little daughter lieth at the point of death : I
pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed ; and
she shall live. 24. And Jesus went with him ; and much people followed
him, and thronged him.
We pray with earnestness for a peraon whoae aoul ia ready
to quit the body ; and we look with indifference upon a aoul
which is on the point of losing its God. Let us judge by this
father's grief, what that of a spiritual father full of charity
rauat needs be, when he sees a soul which is committed to his
care in danger of falling ! Who can tell with how much hu
mility, fervency, and importunity he solicits for grace at the .
feet of Christ for that soul ? Happy the daughter who has
found such a father ! happy the father, exact and faithful in
his duty, who has the bowels of Christ toward those souls
whose infirmities and miseries he fully knows !
25. And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,
Jairus is an emblem of the Jewish people, for whom Christ
came in the first place, but who are hot to be saved till after
the Gentilea, of whora thia woraan is a type or figure, both by
the nature of her disteraper, and by the preference which she
receivea. God haa hia proper times and moments. He aeems
to neglect a sinner, and not to hear his prayer ; but very often
he only defers it. The secret is, to have patience, and not to
give over following him in his ways.
26. And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent
all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse.
It is a great piece of infidelity for men not to think of God
in afflictions until they have experienced the insufficiency of
human remedies. What a mercy is it to be forced to have
recourse to God, by miafortunea, diaeaaes, or the ill usage of
men ! See here a representation of those physicians of souls,
who, not acting in the name and in the apirit of Chriat, do

CHAPTER V. 415
nothing elae but feed and increaae their maladies. Men are
very far from doing aa much for the health of the soul as for
that of the body, and frora giving all for eternal salvation, as
they willingly spend all they have for teraporal life. They
are apt to seek out such physicians from whom they may suf
fer little or nothing, such aa are likely to be moat easy and
gentle; and scarce will they hear apeak of beatowing some
shght alms. What wonder, then, if such peraona are nothing
bettered, but rather grow worae !
27. When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and
touched his garment.
The Gentilea, repreaented by thia woman, paasing aa it
were through the crowd of the Jewiah people, approach Chriat,
and believe in him. A ainner oftentimea, by meana of his
faith, receives a grace which seemed to be deaigned for a juat
peraon. To touch the garment of Christ, ia to believe that
he clothed himaelf with our fleah for our sakes ; it is to unite
ourselves to him by a lively faith, to put our trust and confi
dence in the merits of his mortal life, to apply ourselves to
the mysteries accoraplished in his flesh, and to iraitate the
mortification which he himself underwent therein. Alas, we
are unwilling to touch this with one of our fingers !
28. For she said. If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.
In the mysteries of Jeaua Chriat we find a aovereign remedy
against the diaeases which have taken the deepest root in the
soul. Every thing ia holy, efficacioua, and full of a divine
virtue in the Mediator of our peace ; every thing ia aaving in
the Author of aalvation. How oft do we touch, receive, and
eat hia repreaentative body in the euchariat ; and yet, through
our own fault, we continue still subject to the same infirmities !
It is because we do not approach him as this woman did ; with
the aame faith, the aame confidence, and the aame humility.
29. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up ; and she
felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.
The grace of Chriat is the only remedy for all the most in
veterate diseases of the soul. This will dry up the very foun
tain itself of sin, which is concupiscence, when the time of the

416 MARKi
perfect reign of charity shall comfe. It at present stops the
course, the reign, and the dorainion of concupiscence. The
healing operation of grace alone can do all in a raoraent; the
delays of it do not proceed from inability and neceaaity, but
from diapenaation and wiadom. When will it be, 0 my Sa-;
viour, that it shall drain in me the source of all sin, that it
shall dry up that fountain of corruption and iniquity which I
carry in my flesh and in my heart?
30. And Jesus, immediately knowing In himself that virtue had gone
put of him, turned him about, in the press j and said^ Who touched my
clothes? , ' ^
The Gentiles belong to Christ, and received his grape, as it
were contrary to his design and first intention. There 'are
graces which are gotten; as it were by stealth, and which may
be called surreptitious graces : a.o surprising do they appear,
and contrary to the ordinary conduct of God. If any thing
were capable of surprising wisdom itself, it would be a faith
which is hurable and full of confidence at the same time.
What part soever of Christ such a faith touches, on whatever
it lays hold in order to go to him,, he is sensible thereof,, ancl
suffers himself to be gained thereby.
' 31. And his disciples said unto him. Thou. seest the multitude throng
ing thee, and sayest thou. Who touched me ? 32. And he looked round
about to see her that had done this thing.
Jesus Christ takes more notice of a soul which seeks him
in ailence, in the apirit of faith, and by humble and aecret
waya, than of a raultitude of common Chriatiana, who do no-,
thing but through cuatom, and in the way of external devotion.
He seeks those in hia turn who haye sought him, and who
could not have done it but by hia grace; that ia to aay, aecond
gracea crown the first. He hides the operationa of hia grace
under appearances altogether, human, because this is the time
to establish the belief of it, not to unfold its mysteries, and
to manifest its glory,
33. But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in
her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.
A tiraorous huraility and a perfect thankfulness raise aome
timea an innocent contention in a aoul. There ia a confidence

CHAPTER V. 417
arising from pride, which blinda men, and makea them take
defecta for virtuea. There ia a diffidence proceeding from
humility, which hides their virtues frora them, and raakes
them soraetiraea take them for defecta. It ia a aight very
pleasing to Christ, to see a soul humbled at his feet, whose
only crime is excess of faith and greatness of confidence.
34. And he said unto her. Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole ;
go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.
The time of comfort succeeds that of pain and trouble. It
ia to humility and faith that God gives thia comfort. What
joy muat it be to a aoul which believed itaelf wanting in ita
duty, to underatand that ita fidelity haa not received the leaat
blemish, and that it has been conducted in every thing by its
faith ! The word of Jesus Christ soraetiraes confounds and
humbles soula; aometimes it comforts and raises them from
their dejection. This word, and a spiritual guide or director
who has been well nourished therewith, (1.) Make men sensible
that the reason why they are exercised and humbled is be
cause they are children of God. (2.) Tuauli them to distin
guish that which proceeds from faith from that which does
not. (3.) Restore to them peace of mind, and calm the
troubles of conscience. (4.) Confirm them in -virtue, and in
a full persuasion and confidence of the good atate of their
hearta. 35. While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's
house certain which said. Thy daughter' is dead ; why troublest thou the
Master any further ?
Thua it happena sometimea, that a ghostly father hears of
the [spiritual] death of a soul which he loved entirely, and
for which he had grieved a long time. God permita this, in
order to the hurailiation both of this soul and of thia father,
and that, perhapa, to cure both the one and the other of their
too great fondness and affection. He must be sure not to
abandon it in these circumstances, nor to give admission to
such thoughts as are merely human, and produce nothing but
vexation, discouragement, and despair. He must, on the
contrary, pray with greater earnestneaa, and with new sighs
2B

418 MARK.
importune Him who is the absolute maater of the heart, and
the author of salvation.
36. As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto
the ruler of the synagogue. Be not afraid, only believe.
It often happens that when faith has brought a ainner as it
were to the very point of a perfect converaion, thia faith suf
fers greater shocks than ever by thoughts of diatruat and de
spair. A wise director of the conacience ought to dispel
theae hy fortifying his faith, and making known to him the
goodneaa of God, and the power of the grace of Chriat. At
firat Christ spoke not one word to this afflicted father, gave
hira no raanner of hopes, aeeraed entirely to neglect him, and
applied himself to the cure of another diaeased peraon ; hut
aa soon as he perceives his trust and confidence assaulted, he
then speaks to him. God will be entreated a long time in be
half of a aoul, and auffera it sometimes to fall, in order to
make the power of hia grace more evident and illustrious.
37. And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and
John the brother of James.
Let us thus learn from Christ, not to impart, except only to
a few chosen persons, those works of God which we are to
undertake, for fear lest they should be obstructed. The
Spirit of God would have us labour in secret as much as pos
sible; whereas the spirit of the world continually affects
noise and applause.
38. And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and
seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly. 39. And
when he was come in, he saith unto them. Why make ye this ado, and
weep ? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth.
The death of sin in the elect is nothing but a sleep, because
they will infallibly awake from it. It is not in the midst of
the noise and confusion of the world that a raan ahould en
deavour to raiae his own soul or that of his neighbour, but in
retirement and silence. Men are often apt to make too much
ado about the fall of a soul. They defame it, they discourse
of it with a sort of grief which is too human, loud, and some
times despairing, or elae frora raotivea not very charitable or
Chriatian, and which often proceed from intereat. One should

CHAPTER v.- 419
perhaps very much puzzle these mourners, if one obliged
them to answer this "Why," and to discover what passes in
their heart upon the death of their friends or relations, or
upon the disgraces and falls of their neighbour. It is good
to put this question to ourselves.
40. And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all
out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that
were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying.
The world laughs those to scorn who hope every thing from
the goodness and grace of God : the reaaon is, because it has
no faith at all. A raan raust as much contemn the infidelity
of the world, and perform his duty. How desperate soever
the condition of a sinner raay appear, we raust neither insult
over it nor despair of his conversion. Perhaps he is one of
God's elect, in whom he will make the power of his grace
evidently appear by raising hira up. In order to thia, he
muat enter into the very place where he ia dead, naraely, into
his heart. Those who have been witnesaea of the diaordera
which bring death on the soul, ought likewise to be so of ita
converaion. 41. And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha
oumi; which is, being interpreted. Damsel, (I say unto thee,) arise.
If God vouchsafe not to take our heart in his hand, it will
never recover from its sin. The sacred humanity is, as it
were, the hand and instrument of the Divinity, to which it ia
united in the peraon of the Word. It ia from thia humanity
that our life proceeda, becauae it waa in thia that Chriat died
and roae again, and completed his sacrifice. He is man,
since he takes this dead person by the hand ; he is God, since
he comraands her to live and to arise, and ia immediately
obeyed. 42. And straightway the damsel arose, and walked ; for she was of
the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great as
tonishment. 43. And he charged them straitly that no man should
know it ; and commanded that something should be given her to eat.
None but God can make hia voice heard by a aoul which ia
in ain, becauae it ia aa great a miracle aa to make a dead man
hear it. Observe here the order of conversion: — (1.) To
rise, hy forsaking sin, its habits and occaaiona. (2.) To walk

420 MARK.
a long time in good works. (3.) To retire from the world,
and to keep silence for sorae tirae. (4.) To eat the living
bread of the eucharist. One ought to take great care not to
give this bread to a dead person. That which ought to pre
cede this divine food, according to the order here intimated
by Christ, is, that a man should rise, leave the bed wherein
he was dead, and walk in the practice of virtue with auch
edification aa even to cauae admiration in thoae whom he has
before offended and acandalized by hia sins.

CHAPTER VL
SECT. I. — CHRIST CONTEMNED. — NO PROPHET HONOURED
IN HIS OWN COUNTRY.
1. And he went out from thence, and came into his own country ; and
his disciples follow him.
Christ did not begin his preaching in his own country, and
it waa late before he preached there at all ; and this in order
to teach priests to have little regard to human and natural
affections. 2. And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the syna
gogue : and many hearing Mm were astonished, saying. From whence
hath this man these things ? and what wisdom is this which is given
unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands ?
It ia common for men, when they would elude the force of
a aerraon, to fall upon the preacher. They lose the benefit
of uaeful and practical trutha, by fixing on nice queationa
which have no relation to manners. How can theae men own
the miracles of Christ, and yet pretend to be ignorant from
whence he has his doctrine? Is not this wilfully to shut
their eyes, that they may not belieye? Worldly-minded
men cannot choose but admire a truly Christian preacher;
but they always find pretences enough for not submitting to
what he delivers.
3. Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James,

CHAPTER Vr ¦ 421
and Joses, and of Judas, and Simon ? and are not his sisters here with
us ? And they were ofiended at him.
he world cannot esteem that which proceeda not from it.
Falae wiadom ia .blind, and ia an obstacle to the true. The
humble condition of Jesus Christ is an occaaion of offence
and falling to many. It seems to be unworthy of him, but it
was necessary on our account : and he chooses rather to be
wanting to his greatness' than to his love. Men ought to
bring along with them to sermons their ears and their
heart, in order to hear the word of God, to receive, to love,
and to retain it ; but not their eyes, that they may not be
offended at the external and apparent defecta of the preacher.
Let ua cautioualy avoid the common error of affixing the
gifts of Grocl to the outward advantagea of nature or fortune.
Thia is a delusion of the world, worthy of its infidelity.
4. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in
his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.
The fond adherence of a priest or a preacher to hia own
kindred and house renders him very little serviceable in the
exercise of his ministry. If he have faults, they are known
there, and he becomes contemptible ; if he have great talenta,
they excite envy, and he ia opposed ; if he make himself fa
mihar, he loses respect, and his authority suffers thereby ; if
he do not, he is counted proud, and avoided. The property
of an evangelical minister is to be, as it were, another Mel-
chisedek — without country, without house, without relations,
or to be as if he had none.
5. And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands
npon a few sick folk, and healed them.
Ingratitude, joined with incredulity, ties, as it were, the
hands of the divine goodness. The only revenge which the
gospel allows ua, ia to overcome evil with good. The infi
delity of a whole people doea not hinder the mercy of God
from extending itaelf over the small number of elect who are
mingled with them.
6. And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round
about the villages, teaching.
Jesus wonders at that at which he would have us wonder ;
Vol. I.— 36

422 MARK.
and he takes notice of our faults, to the end that" we may re
flect upon ourselves. How much more strange and sur
prising are our own infidelity or unsuitable returns, after the
inatruction of so many ages !
SECT. n. — THE MISSION AND POWER OF THE APOSTLES.
7. % And he called unio Mm the twelve, and began to send them forth
by tw(j and two ; and gave them power over unclean spirits ;
Union and good understanding between the ministers of
the goapel is necessary to the progresa and advancement of
it. Christ shows this in sending them forth by two and two.
The end and businesa of the ministry is to destroy the king
dom of the devil in the world. Judas received power and
authority over hira aa well as the rest of the apostles : but of
what advantage is it for a man to cast him out of the body
of his brother, if he open his own heart, and through avarice
surrender himself up to him, as Judas did ?
8. And commanded them that they should take nothing for thdrjout-
ney, save a staff only ; no scrip, no bread, no money in iheir purse : 9.'
But be shod with sandals ; and not put on two coats. 10. And he said
unto them. In what place soever ye enter into a house, there abide till
ye depart from that place.
The ecclesiastical ministry requires a perfect disengage
ment from temporal things, to take away from the people all
suspicion that the clergy act only out of self-interest. Ambi
tion and avarice are the two thinga which frequently ruin a
preacher and all hia laboura. There are very few examplea
now-a-daya of thia perfect indifference as to worldly things,
which Christ here enjoins on the apoatlea. A man ia not
obliged to serve the church by actually depriving himself of
all things ; but whoever is not ready to be deprived of all,
rather than be wanting to his duty, is not worthy to succeed
the apostles.
11. And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when yede^
part thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against
them. Verily I say unto you. It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and-
Gomorrah in the day of jiidgmentj than for that city.
The greater the labours of ecclesiastical ministers have
been, the more will they condemn thoae who have not pro-

CHAPTER VL 423
fited thereby. One of the greatest punishments of their
neglect is, that the word of God shall be taken from them.
If men have reason to fear being deprived of the truth, when
they despise its ministers and neglect to hear them, what
judgment of God will fall upon those who persecute them !
Jesus Christ neither enjoins nor permits his apostles to em
ploy their apostolical power to avenge themselves, nor even
to desire that he should do it. It is the part of a minister
of truth and charity to labour without ceasing, to suffer with
out reaentm|nt, and to leave his cauae to God, with a full
truat and confidence in hira.
12. A6d they went out, and preached that men should repent;
John the Baptiat, Jesus Christ, and his apoStles, both be
fore and after his death, always began their preaching with
the subject of repentance, so great is the necessity of this
duty. Those who do not preach it, who weaken the obliga
tion and decry the practice thereof, follow very little the
footsteps of the apostles or of Jeaua Christ. Awaken the
spirit of repentance, 0 my God, in this age, which has so
great need of it, and vouchsafe to give true preachers there
of to thy church !
l3. And they cast out many devils, and anoiiited With oil many that
were sick, and healed ihem.
Here is an emblem of the several duties of a pastor:
namely, courageously to prosecute incorrigible sinners, to
teeat the weak with mildness, and to apply himself to all
with zeal.
Sect. iil. — 'The imprisonment and death of john the
BAPTIST.
14. And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad;)
and he said. That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and there
fore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.
The very memory of just men who have been oppressed,
torments their persecutors. The sinner has no peace when
he desires to have it, becauae he rejected it when God was
pleased to offer it to hira. Strange condition this, for a man
to be forced to bear witneas to the innocence of a aaint whom

424 MARK.
he has oppressed ! This is only a fruitless confession, ex
torted from the mouth of a criminal, not a profitable acknow
ledgraent of the holinesa of a aervant of God.
15. Others said. That it is Elias. And others said. That is a prophet,
or as one of the prophets.
The judgraent of the world is very uncertain in all things,
but extreraely blind in those which relate to God. There are
no conjectures so extravagant but men will have recourse fo
them rather than believe the word of God : so corrupt is the
heart of man ; so true is it that blindness is the^gust punish
ment of incredulity. These Jews, in their several judgments,
afford us a lively representation of those pretended masters
of reaaon, who affect always aingularity in their opinions,
and who believe every thing except truth.
16. But when Herod heard thereof, he said. It is John, whom I be
headed : he is risen from the dead. ^
God exerciaea his juatice upon the sinner even by hia sin
itaelf. He needs only deliver him up to hia conacience to be
avenged of hia iniquity. See here the repentance of a repro
bate, who ia not aahamed to confeaa his crime, and yet is
ashamed to do penance for it ! If the hare thought of John's
resurrection gives Herod so much trouble, how will it be
when all the elect, restored to life, shall rise up in judgment
against their persecutors, and demand vengeance on them !
17. For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and
bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother PhUip's wife ; for
he had married her.
Unchastity is unjust and cruel. A man sacrifices every
thing to an infamous creature when he has once raade her his
idol. God commonly puniahea one enormoua sin by another
more enormous. There is no more dreadful punishment
of public lewdness than for a man to be abandoned to wick
edness, to peraecute God'a miniaters, and to murder a saint.
18. For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have
thy brother's wife.
The world will alwaya charge it aa a crime on righteous
peraona and zealoua preachera, for thera to rebuke ainners,
and to apeak the truth without regard to any man. It is a

chapter VI. 425
very grievous misfortune which attends the great, to be accus
tomed to he never contradicted in the least things ; they will
not be so afterward in their moat unjust paaaiona. This is
the fruit either of a bad education, or of a prostituted flat
tery. These persons are resolved to be praised, and when
they have no virtues which can be commended, it seems their
very vices becorae the subject of commendation on pain of
death. 19. Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have
killed him ; but she could not.
An adulteress cannot auffer any obataclea to her paaaion.
When ain is once conceived in the heart, the person sooner or
later finds an opportunity to finish and complete it. The
difficulty of satisfying a violent passion does only inflame and
stir it up the more. *
20. For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and a
holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things,
and heard him gladly.
The sin of the flesh stifles the best thoughts, and all the
good desires which the word of God has produced. The
world is full of persons who take a pride in esteeming virtue,
and in paying a particular respect to good men, so long as
they give them no disturbance in their paaaiona. But theae
become odious to the world as soon as ever they contradict ita
corrupt inclinations. A man is always ready to hate those
whom he honours only out of policy or through a self-inte
rested hypocrisy, and because he ia afraid of their cenaure
and reproofa. .
21. And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birth
day made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Ga
lilee; A crime is more than half committed when it is once re
solved on ; a convenient day cannot be long wanting to pas
sion so violent and vigilant a,a revenge animated by an infa-
moua love. The feaats of the world are days very convenient
for sin, aa the feaats of the church are for piety. It is a
great misfortune to be engaged to be at the former ; a great
imprudence not to provide against the infectious air which is
36»

426 MARK.
there breathed ; a great piece of unfaithfulneas not to excuse
ourselves from going whefi we can ; and a very great folly to
appear there without any manner of obligation.
22. And when the daughter Of the said Herodias came in, and danced,
and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the
damsel. Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt^ and I will give it thee. 23.
And he sware unto her. Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I Will give ii
thee, unto the half of my kingdom.
Fatal alliance thia between good cheer and laacivious ob-
jecta !. it ia the source of the greateat evila. How is it pos
sible for a person to go innocent out of those assemblies for
diversion, from whence God's presence ia excluded aa mUch
as possible ; where they do not speak of hira hut to dishonour
him ; where all the senses are besieged and intoxicated with
pleasures; where reason, hurried away by passion, becomes
incapable of informing and directftig the will; where un
bridled lust, without the least restraint, sees nothing but
what excites it ; and where modesty and reaervedneaa become
a crime !
24. And she went forth, and said unto her mother. What shall I ask ?
And she said. The head of John the Baptist. 25. And she came in
straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will tbat thou
give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist.
Vanity, feasting, and laaciviousness, joined together, ren
der a person capable of all sorts of criraes. How dangerous
are dancing and balls, and how raany tragical effects do they*
produce ! They awaken the criminal paaaion of Herod, and
deprive him of his liberty and reason ; they renew irt the
heart of Herodias the spirit of revenge, hatred, and rage
against John ; they raake her daughter lose all shame and
modesty ; they cause all three to join in the horrible and
sacrilegious raurder of one of the greateat of aaints ; and in
volve thia whole court in the crimea of injustice, cruelty, re
venge, an impious oath, impurity, and several others which
accompany the sin of Herod.
26. And the king was exceeding sorry ; yet for his oath's sake, and for
their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. 27. And im
mediately the king sent an executioner, , and commanded his head io be
brought : and he went and beheaded him in the prison.
Observe here in Herod, hypocrisy, superstition, and too

CHAPTER VL 427
great a regard to men. His sorrow ia the aign of the remorse
of his conscience ; and his conscience is his accuser and a
witneaa of hia crime. It ia a penal blindneaa, justly due to
the abuse of light and instruction, for a man to make a
Scruple of not performing an unjust oath, and to make none
of delivering up an innocent person and a saint to the request
of a dancer — to the revenge of an incensed adulteress. An
oath is criminal, and by consequence void, when it cannot be
performed without sin and injustice. How dangerous is it to
take but one step in the paths of ain, since it ia so very diffi
cult to go back and retreat from it !
28. And brought his head in a eharger, and gave it to the damsel ;
and the damsel gave it to her mother.
See here the fruit of a bad education, a wicked daughter
of a wicked mother : they are serviceable to one another
in order only to sin and damnation. Revenge cauaea a per
son to take pleasure and delight in that which, if passion
were absent, would raise the greatest horror. This ia a
dreadful example for thia aex, which ia naturally ao aoft, timor
ous, and baahful : a woman could not arrive at once at such
an excess of fury as to prefer the present of a head swim
ming in blood before every other favour which she raight
have asked. A person, by the least acts of infidelity, may
rise at last to the greatest criraes, and to such as are most
contrary to natural inclination. One is capable of every
wickedness, when one is capable of forgetting God.
29. And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his
corpse, and laid it in a tomb.
Behold here how one of the best of men, the Bridegroom's
friend, and a zealous preacher of the truth, passes the laat
daya of his life In disgrace at court, diea under oppression,
is meanly buried, — ^not one person daring to speak for hira, —
and ia abandoned by all, except a few faithful friends, who
carry him in silence from the obscurity of a prison to the
darkness of a grave. But the time of the man of God will
come, when the time of man is past, and that of God is
come.

428 MARK.
SECT. IV. — CHRIST'S RETIREMENT. — THE MIRACLE OF THB
FIVE LOAVES.
30. And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and
told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had
taught. How good is it for a minister to recollect himself near
Jesua Chriat after hia labours ! How sweet is that repose
which he tastes at the feet of truth, after raisaiona, paatoral
viaitationa, and the fatiguea of preaching ! And how neces
sary ia thia repoae, to keep hira frora being too much satisfied
in himself and in his good success through a vain compla
cency, or from continuing, as it were, out of himself, by dis
traction of heart ! To give account to Christ, is for a man
to examine his heart and his own conduct in hia presence.
There are raany who give thia account to themaelvea, with
reapect to their actiona and their faults ; but few think of
doing it, as the apostles here did, with reapect likewiae to the
doctrine which they have taught, examining whether it be
sound, founded on the word of God, and proper to lead souls
to perfection and aalvation.
31. And he said unto them. Come ye yourselves apart into a desert
place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they
had no leisure so much as to eat. 32. And they departed into a desert
place by ship privately.
The zeal of a biahop ought not. to be harah toward hia fel-
low-workera; but he should take care of those who labour
much in the church ; he should be tender of their health, and
procure them reat. He muat neither tempt the weak by toila'
which are above their atrength, nor urge the atrong to exert
their very utmost abilities ; but he must consider their wants,
and apply himself to the relief of thera; and not give the
devil an opportunity of tempting them, by tiring them with
immoderate and continual labour, or by forgetting their ne
cesaities. 33. And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran
afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto
him. Happy those labourers in the church, the sweet savour of

CHAPTER VL 429
whose life and conversation attracts people after Christ ! The
intermission of extraordinary labours is not only advantageous
to the ministers themaelvea, but it aervea likewise to awaken
the zeal of the faithful, and to make them desire more ardently
that which they no longer enjoy.
34. And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved
with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a
shepherd : and he began to teach them many things.
We see abundance of priests, of doctors of the law, and
Phariseea among the Jews, but not one pastor or shepherd.
Jesus Christ alone ia the good Shepherd, and they reject him.
His charity is one of the marks or charactera- of hia miaaion.
He who feeds not his people with the word of God, as much
as is necessary, is by no means a pastor. How ,many of
Christ's sheep, both on this and on the other side of the seas,
have no shepherds ; while ao many of the clergy either aharae-
fully live in idleneaa, or unprofitably tire theraaelvea in worka
of vanity ! Lord, thia fiock and these sheep are thine : vouch
safe to send them pastors of thy own choosing, and according
to thy own heart.
35. And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him,
and said. This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed : 36. Send
them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the
villages, and buy themselves bread : for they have nothing to eat.
The earth ia a dark and deaert place, where the soul can
find no manner of auatenance but by Jesus Christ. Can it
beg this of him too frequently ? The charity of the apostles
is provident indeed, but they know not as yet the extent of
that of their Master. To whom should these people go, hav
ing found him who provides the food both of temporal and
eternal life ! He haa bread to give them which they know
not of
37. He answered and said unto them. Give ye them to eat. And they
say unto him. Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread,
and give them to eat ?
Charity cannot reaolve to deaert the miserable under the
greatest aeeming irapoasibilitiea. A man cannot peremptorily
refuse an alms^ unless he has given or forsaken all for Chriat's
sake. If there be any defect in the charity of the apoatlea.

430 MARK.
it ia their conaidering more their own poverty than the riches
and power of their Maater, and their not having recourse
thereto. We ought to make uae of our credit and interest in
behalf of the poor, when we cannot relieve them ouraelvea.
38. He saith unto them. How many loaves have ye ? go and see. And
when they knew, they say. Five, and two fishes. 39. And he commanded
.them to make all sit down by oompanies upon the green grass. 40. And
they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties.
The Chriatian feeds on five loavea : (1.) On Jeaua Christ
and hia myateries, in applying himself to them by faith.
(2.) On his word, by bearing it. (3.) On his body, in [spirit
ually] receiving it. (4.) On his grace, by confiding in it.
(5.) On hia will and righteousness, in doing it. And that he
may relish thera the better, he raakes use of the example of
the humble and suffering hfe of Christ and of the saints.
41. And when he had taken the flve loaves and the two flshes, he looked
up to heaven, ahd blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his
disciples to set before them ; and the two fishes divided he among them
all. If Jesus Chriat does not give his blessing, and cause men
to make a holy use of thia divine food, it will only do them
harm. It is his appointment, that we should receive it by the
ministry of ordinary paators. It is to thera that he has in
trusted his loaves ; it belonga to thera to diatribute them, as
the truateea of his power and charity. He ahows them in his
own person, in what diaposition they ought to be, in order to
diapenae hia gifts with advantage; they raust acknowledge
that they come from heaven, and that nothing belongs to, or
proceeds from themaelvea, but the imperfectiona which they
mix with thera ; that it is the unction and benediction they
have received from and by Jeaus Chriat which rendera them
beneficial ; and that, being deaigned for their neighbour'a edifi
cation, they are to be diapenaed in auch a manner aa may he
raost profitable for hira, and raoat according to his capacity.
42. And they did all eat, and were filled.
How few are there who sufficiently consider the infinite dif
ference there is between eating, and being filled; and that
more in relation to the food of the aoul, than to that of the

CHAPTER VL 431
body ! Thoae eat without being filled who make a conaider-
able progreaa in the knowledge of Chriat, and little or none
at all in his love ; who read hia word without profiting thereby ;
who partake frequently of his representative body, without
partaking of hia Spirit ; and are very exact in outward per
formancea, without any inward piety.
«
43. And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the
fishes. 44. And they that did eat of-the loaves were about five thousand
men. The treasures of the truths, word, sacraments, grace, and
mysteries- of Jesus Christ are inexhaustible. Here is a slight
draught of what God requires of a pastor, and of what a true
pastor expects from God. The word, truths, and sacraments
which he dispenses after a holy manner, are very often more
profitable to him than to those to whom he dispenses them- '
Wonderful is the usury in thia diapenaation ; the leaa a man
puta out of hia own, the greater ia his return ; the less share
he has in the principal, the higher his interest rises ; and the
more he seems to lose, the more he certainly gains.

ALL THE SICK.
45. And straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship,
and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away
the people. 46. And when he had sent them away, he departed into a
mountain to pray.
Retirement and prayer always succeed the great and re
markable works of Christ : in thia hia miniatera and members
ought to iraitate him. Retirement is so necessary to those
who labour, that if they are not of themaelvea inclined thereto,
they ahould be urged to enter into it, after the exaraple of our
Lord. It belongs to bishops to procure the conveniences
proper for it, and to furnish the subordinate pastors and other
labourers with the means thereof, to aet them an example of
it themaelvea, and to support, instruct, and encourage them
therein. 47. And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea,
iind he alone on the land.
Christ enjoys perfect reat and felicity in the >boaom of his

432 MARK.
Father, while hia church ia in the raidat bf the sea of thia life.
Every one of ua ia no other than a little bark rowing againat
the wind, in a tempestuous sea, encompassed with the dark
ness of the night, and destitute of all help and succour. He
who is not afraid in this condition, sees not the danger of it ;
whoever sees it, and does not pray, knows nothing of his ovra
weakness. 48. And he saw them toiling in rowing ; for the wind was contrary
unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto
them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them.
Every thing is contrary to salvation without Jesus Christ.
He leaves us soraetiraes to ourselves, on purpose that we may
know ourselves, and the need we have of him ; but he never
loaea sight of ua. Thia ia an emblera of the church guided
by ita paators. Did raen but consider thera as mariners,
always tugging at the oar, alwaya rowing againat the wind,.
and always in danger, they would not envy their condition.
Their comfort is, that Christ has his eye continually on the
bark, that he sees their paina and difficultiea, and will certainly
come to their aasistance. He frequently lets a great part of
the night pass away, without succouring his church in a plain
and sensible manner. This is to give us occasion to exercise our
trust and confidence toward him, and to wait his proper time.
49. But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it
had been a spirit, aud cried out : 50. For they all saw him, and were
troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them.
Be of good cheer : it is I ; be not afraid.
We sometimes take the inspirations of God for no other
than illusions, fiis word and his light cause us to distinguish
them. We have but little knowledge of his ways, and often
times that which he designs for our good terrifies us. There
ia aometimes a kind of mutiny in the ship of the church, and
a great clamour is raised at the sight of certain truths, as if
they were errors ; and even those who sit at the helm are
alarraed at a phantora which they fancy they see. But as
soon as Christ speaks, and they are capable of hearing hira,
his truth manifestly appears, their apprehensions vaniah, and
all grows quiet.

CHAPTER VL 433
51. And he went up unto them into the ship ; and the wind ceased :
and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered.
Jesiis Christ, who is present to the heart and to his whole
church, raakes the atorma of teraptation, peraecution, and
error to ceaae, whenever he pleaaes. How strange is the
darkneaa of thia preaent life ! The preaence, word, and mira
clea of Chriat — every thing here diaturba the weak, every
thing is to others a matter of scandal, or offence. But wo be
to him who gives any occasion thereof!
52. For they considered not the miracle of the loaves ; for their heart
was hardened.
How rarely do men preserve the reraerabrance of the favours
and blessings they have received! If they did, it would give
them trust and confidence when they have raost occasion for
them. We are amazed, and that with reason, to find that
miracles so evident did not open the eyes and understanding
of theae poor diaciplea ; but are not all our senses surrounded
on every aide with the wonderful works of God, and yet we
scarce so much as take any notice of them? The miracle of
the loaves is wrought every day. And we less admire in this
the divine goodness and power, for no other reason, but only
because these attributes are really more admirable herein, on
the account of the regular, constant, and unchangeable order
in which it is performed.
53. And when they had passed over, they came into the land of Gen-
nesaret, and drew to the shore. 54. And when they were come out of
the ship, straightway they knew him, 55. And ran through that whole
region round about, and began to carry about in beds those that were
sick, where they heard he was.
Men readily enough know and own Christ, when he bestows
upon them temporal benefits ; but they seldom call to mind
the benefits which he 'has done to the inward man hidden in
the heart. We must not think of enjoying Christ by our
selves, and receiving the whole advantage of hia truth and
gifta. We ought to invite othera to partake of them, to dif
fuse the aweet odour of his name, and to assist the weak to
the utmost of our power : this is one part of the duties of the
members which belong to one and the aame body, and the
very apirit of the communion of aainta.
Vol. 1.-37 2 C

434 MARK.
56. And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country,
they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him that they might touch
if it were but the border of his garment : and as many as touched him
were made whole.
Happy that aick peraon, who, following the example of these
people, ia never weary in aeeking out the true Phyaician, by
a faith and confidence accorapanied with good worka ! Let
ua learn to profit by the preaence of Chriat, who comea to ua
ao many different waya. To aasist the sick, to give or to pro
cure thera reraedies, is a work of charity very acceptable to
Christ ; but how much more so is it to be instrumental in re
storing to them the health of the aoul ! God affixes his assist
ances and graces to whatever he pleases, to the hem or border
of Chriat'a garment.

CHAPTER VII.
SECT. I. — UNWASHEN HANDS. — HUMAN TRADITIONS.
1. Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the
scribes, which came from Jerusalem. 2. And when they saw some of
his disciples eat bread with deflled, that is to say, with unwashen hands,
they found fault.
They know God but little who imagine that he has any re
gard to external cleanneaa. The neglect of aome certain de
gree of neatneaa, when it proceeda from the spii:it of repent
ance and a contempt of one's self, may honour God as much
aa the affectation of neatness dishonours hira, if it proceed
from self-love, and a desire of pleasing men.
3. For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands
oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.
Blind wretches, to value themselves upon a superstitious
practice, and to think it raeritorioua ! Falae traditiona, which
are founded only on popular errora, are soraetimes religiously
observed, while those which are holy and sacred are ne
glected. 4. And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat
not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold,
as the washing of cups, and pots, brazen vessels, and of tables.
It is the heart which a man must wash; it is the inwjard

CHAPTER VIL 435
part which he must examine, when he has been buaied about
worldly affaira, and which he muat cleanse in the presence of
God from the filth which it may have thereby contracted.
External performances are more apt to puff up than to sanc
tify, when not animated by the Spirit of God. To such as
place their whole religion in them, they generally become an
occasion of condemning and calumniating the moat virtuous
persons. 5. Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him. Why walk not thy dis
ciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bresld with un
washen hands ?
One of the greatest marks of the corruption of the heart
is, for a man to place the raain of religion in outward per
formances, while, at the same time, he violates charity, which
is the whole law of God. It showa great ignorance in the
way of aalvation, to disturb the church with unprofitable ques
tions or trifles, as if the essentials of the gospel were in dis
pute, and, in the mean time, to neglect the commandments
of God. The things from which, before our meals, we ought
to wash and cleanse, not our hands, but our hearts, are the
forgetfulness of God's benefits who feeds us, that greediness
and haste with which we commonly sit down at table, the
suggestions to intemperance and sensuality, and the neglect
of offering to God this action, and beseeching him to sanctify
it hy his Holy Spirit.
6. He answered and said unto them. Well hath Esaias prophesied of
you hypocrites, as it is written. This people honoureth me vrith their lips,
ijut their heart is far from me. 7. Howbeit in vain do they worship
me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
Sacrifices, fasts, mortifications, and alms are good in them
selves, but when the heart is not with God, they are only a
body without a soul. Some human usages are no better than
a vain worship, and an honour which God accepts not ; and
that not only such of them as are directly opposite to his
commandments, but those also which amuse, divert, and hin
der the creature from paying to the Creator the necessary
duties of religion. Let my heart draw near thee, 0 my God,
by the imitation of thy goodness, since this is the honour
which thou dos.t require !

436 MARK. ,
8. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition
of men, as the washing of pots and cups : and many other such like
things ye do.
It is a strange instance of corruption, to set the traditions
and ordinances of men in the place of the comraandraent of
God. Self-love is infinitely pleased with this change, and
with bestowing on pots and cups that care and application
which is due to ouraelvea. Nothing ia troubleaome to ua, pro
vided we be not obliged to change our hearts. If we do not
literally imitate these Jewa, let ua take heed that we do not
aomething equivalent.
9. And he said unto them. Full well ye reject the commandment of
God, that ye may keep your own tradition.
Self-love inclinea ua to adore our own inventiona, even to
the prejudice of God'a commandmenta. The openly wicked
do not perhaps contribute ao much to th'e weakening the truth
of the divine law by their vicious lives, as those who make
profession of loving it do by their explications and relaxa
tions, which are contrary to the. Spirit of God. The forraer
are discredited by their very lives, and make no impression
upon any but such as are like themselves ; whereas the latter
gain credit by their profession, and are heard with confidence
by good men.
10. For Moses said. Honour thy father and thy mother ; and. Whoso
curseth father or mother, let him die the death:
It is a very great proof of the corruption of nature, that
it was necessary to make a law concerning a duty which one
cannot neglect without being unnatural. Next to God, our
parents are the first peraona whom he would have ua honour,
aa being the moat lively imagea of the Firat Peraon of the
blessed Trinity, from whom all paternity in heaven and earth
ia derived, and the channela which convey to ua the firat gifta
of God — being life, education, subsistence, etc.
11. But .ye say. If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Cor-
' ban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by
me ; he shall he free.
It is no other than to insult the divine law, to make a jest
of religion, and to trample charity under foot, for a man to
dogmatize againat the first by inhuman and unnatural maxims,

CHAPTER VIL 437
to cover himself with the aecond as a cloak for thia avarice,
and to aeem to value himself upon the third at the same time
he ia destroying it. In vain- dv men endeavour to colour over
their impiety with the finest pretences imaginable : God aeea
it, God judgea it, and will one day lay it open before the eyea
of .the whole world.
2. And ye suffer him no more to do aught for his father or his mo
ther ; 13. Making the word of God of none effect through your tradi
tion, which ye have delivered : and many such like things do ye.
The honour due to fathera and raothera, both by divine and
natural law, conaists not in bare words, but in assistance,
spiritual and teraporal, in respect, obedience, and obliging
carriage, in bearing with the defects either of temper or of
age, and of helping and supporting them ira sickness, poverty,
and troubles, without growing peevish, asharaed, or tired ;
and all thia, neither through hypocriay, intereat, or human
regarda, but from a aense of duty, out of gratitude, piety,
love, and religion, and to honour our heavenly Father in hia
image. To take away from parenta what is due to them, in
order to give it to the church, is sacrilege rather than sacri
fice. God will not accept that from the hand of the priest
which he expects to receive from ua by the handa of our
parenta.

SECT. II. — IT IS THE HEART WHICH DEFILES A MAN.
14. f And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto
them. Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand : 15. There
is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can Tleflle him :
but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the
man. Thia ia a rule concerning Chriatian liberty of great uae,
but underatood and followed by very few. It ought not to
serve aa a vail to cover intemperance, diaobedience, or want
of charity in the uae of meats ; but as a direction in order
to our living like true servants and children of God, by the
spirit of faith and charity, by the mortification of the heart
and ita pasaiona, by inward and apiritual purity, by adoration
in spirit and truth, by the spirit of the goapel, which makes
37*

438 MARK.
Christiana — not by. the spirit of the law, which makes only
carnal Jews.
16. If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.
This rule must needs be of very great importance to
Christians. For our great Master, (1.) Calls all the people
unto him on purpose to tell thera only this, (ver. 14.) (2.)
He requires of them a particular attention. (3.) He requires
it of every one without exception. (4.) Efe exhorts them to
endeavour thoroughly to understand it. And, \5.) He here
lets them know, that in order to do it they have need of a
singular grace, and a particular gift of understanding. It
was for want of understanding this rule, that the Jewa atill
reraained Jewa, adhering to a mere external way of worship.
It ia for the very same reason, that abundance of Christians,
even at this day, serve God like Jews, and not like Chris
tians. 17. And when he was entered into the house from the people, his dis
ciples asked him concerning the parable. 18. And he saith unto them.
Are ye so without understanding also ? Do ye not perceive that whatso
ever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him,;
19. Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth
out into the draught, purging all meats?
Let us fear that more, which, arising from ouraelvea, ia
lodged in our hearta, than that which entera from without
into our bodiea. How could the Jewa poaaibly know of what
remedy and what phyaician they atood in need, aince they
did not well know either the diaeaae of man, or the aource
and cause of it, which ia sin and the corruption of the
heart ? The Jew, full of the ceremonial and figurative law,
is mindful only of the external impurities which it points out,
and of the remedies it prescribes, and by his superstitious
exactness increases tbe number of them : the Christian, en
lightened by faith, applies hiraself to discover and know his
own heart, his diseases, and hia only physician, Jesus Christ.
20. And he said. That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the.
man. How much ought we to distrust our own heart, since that
which it produces of itself is nothing but falsehood and sin !
Whatever love of truth and righteousness it has, muat proceed-

CHAPTER VIL 439
from some other source. Lord, it is thou who art this source,
•vyithout which nothing in me is pure and innocent. Pour
forth on my heart thy celestial water, wash away its impuri
ties, moisten its dryneaa, heal ita wounda, aoften its hardness,
warm its coldness, bring it again into thy ways, and vouch
safe to guide it therein !
21. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts,
adulteries, fornications, murders, 22. Thefts, covetousness, wickedness,
deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: 23.
All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
The heart of man is by the grace of Chriat a aource of all
good ; and of all evil by its own wickedness. Sin is always
committed in the heart before it appears outwardly. There
is no sin without the love of ourselves ; as there is no good
work without the love of God. It is through thy grace, 0
my God, that so corrupt a soil as that of my will does not
produce all these accursed fruits. It is through thy mercy,
that whatever of them it does produce is plucked up and for
gotten before thee.
SECT. III. — THB WOMAN OE CANAAN.
24. If And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre
and Sidon, and entered into a house, and would have no man know it :
but he could not be hid.
God resists the humble peraon aa well aa the proud : the
former, by making him manifest when he hides himself; the
latter, by humbling him when he exalts himself. An evan
gelical labourer ought of himself to be disposed to live pri
vate and concealed, but without any prejudice to what he
owes his neighbour. Happy is that person who is made
manifest, not becauae he will not, but becauae he cannot be
hid! 25. For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean
spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet: 26. The woman
\ya8 a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation ; and she besought him that he
would cast forth the devil out of her daughter.
Every ain ia an unclean spirit which possesses the sinner.
It is at the feet of Jesus that he raust seek a remedy for it.
Would to God the sinner had the same zeal and earnestness

440 MARK.
in regard to his soul which this woman has for her daughter's
deliverance, her fidelity in not letting slip the opportunity
which God presents, and that humility which causes her to
fall at the feet of the aovereign Phyaician ! Few mothers re
semble this. The generality, inatead of shutting the heart of
their daughtera againat the evil spirit of vanity, of impurity,
and of the love of the world, or of endeavouring to caat him
out thence, rather set it open to him a thouaand different ways.
27. But Jesus said unto her. Let the children first be filled : for it is
not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs.
Jeaua Chriat, faithful to the Jewa notwithatanding their in
gratitude, notwithatanding all the evil effecta of it which he
foreaaw, by hia own example forbida us to return unfaithful
ness for unfaithfulness, or evil for evil. Let parents learn
from him, not to do any injustice to their children out of re
venge or hatred; to give those the preference to whora it is
due, and not to favour the rest with a larger share than the
law allows. God tries those on whom he intenda to beatow
great favoura. A seeming rigour frequently preparea the way
for extraordinary bleaainga.
28. And she answered and said unto him. Yes, Lord: yet the dogs
under the table eat of the children's crumbs.
Faith and humility are very ingenious and eloquent before
God. This woman givea us an idea of a true penitent, who is
willing to be treated with a holy severity, to be hurabled even
for the faulta coramitted in hia repentance, to judge himaelf
unworthy of the Lord'a table; ao far ia he from being im
patient at being kept back from it, ia satisfied with the crumbs,
and endeavours in some measure to deserve the bread of his
soul by exerciaea of humility, by the love of God's word, and
by prayer. When God undertakea to hurable the sinner, he
has no other part to choose but to aubmit to his conduct, and
to put himself into a condition of attracting his compassion.
29. And he said unto her. For this saying go thy way; the devil is
gone out of thy daughter. ¦ 30. And when she was come to her house,
she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.
Of how great importance is it to improve all the opportuni
ties which God vouchsafes us for the exercise of any virtue;

CHAPTER vn. ' 441
salvation sometimes depending upon one aingle opportunity!
To neglect thia and let it alip, ia to hazard all. The devil is
not able to reaiat humility ; even God hiraaelf does not. Here
is a great rairacle granted to one word of faith, but of a faith
which is itself a gift of God. His goodness is so great, that
his gifts becorae our raerits. How great Comfort is it to a
Christian mother, when God is pleased at last to grant to
her prayers the salvation of a daughter possessed with the
spirit of the world! But how few are there who beg this

SECT. IV. — THE DEAF AND DUMB PERSON HEALED.
31. f And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came
unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis.
Charity has its rules and measures in the distribution of
spiritual good things, aa well aa in that of teraporal. We do
not aee upon what account Chriat leavea one country to paas
into another ; the reasona hereof are hidden in the aecret de-
signa of God. One advantage which Chriat drawa from it ia,
to ahow ua that he ia abaolute maater of his own gifts, and
that he owea us nothing ; to keep raen under the apprehenaion
of loaing him, and to induce them to profit by his word and
benefita while they enjoy him.
32. And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impedi
ment in his speech ; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him.
Human nature waa incapable of hearing the doctrine of
salvation, and of acknowledging ita own miaery, when the Son
of God carae to aeek it ; and every sinner left to himself has
this double inability in some degree. A man is deaf and
dumb, when he refuses to hear the truth, to be attentive to
it, and to obey it. Deplorable deafness this, which is volun
tary, and of which a man is unwilling to be cured ! for as soon
as ever he is willing, and humbly begs a remedy, he is no
longer either deaf or dumb.
33. And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his flngers into
his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue ;
How great is the mercy shown toward a ainner, when God
chooses him out of a multitude of others, on purpoae to give

442 MARK.
him faith, and the grace to confess his name ! Nothing but
the merits, word, and grace of Him who is both God and raan,
can open our heart to the truth, can infuse into it the love
and relish thereof, and inspire it with courage to confess it.
Every thing is efficacious in Jesus Christ, every thing is full
of virtue, becaus/ every thing in him is united to the word
and to the eternal wisdora.
34. And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephpha-
tba, that is, Be opened. 35. And straightway his ears were opened, and
the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain.
It is by prayer, and the secret sighs of the heart, that
Christ applies his merits. If the conversion of a sinner coat
Jeaua Christ so raany desires^ prayers, and sighs, is it not
reasonable that it should likewise cost the sinner himself
some ? Is it not necessary that his aervanta, called and aepa-
rated to this work, ahould be raen of desires, prayers, and
mghs ? That which Chriat does here, is the pattern which a
minister of the church ought to follow, who, in the exercise
of hia rainiatry, in performing the cereraoniea of the aacra
raenta, and in pronouncing the worda and prayera over ain
ners, in the name and by the authority of the church and of
Chriat himaelf, ought to lift up hia heart toward heaven, to
groan and aigh in behalf of thoae under hia hand, and to ex
pect every thing from hira who ia the aovereign Master of all
hearta. 0 Jeaus ! pronounce over mine, over the hearts of
sinners, and of all those who ought to hear thee and to apeak
in thy atead, theae worda, "Be opened," and thou shalt be
immediately obeyed. ,
36. And he charged them that they should tell no man : but the more
he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published' i<;
A benefit becomes so much the raore worthy to be published,
by how much the raore he who doea it endeavours to conceal
it. The humility of the benefactor, and the gratitude of the
receiver, may very well oppose each other without any preju
dice to the peace of their hearts. Though Christ be not here
obeyed, yet his prohibition is not altogether fruitless, since it
affords an instruction for his ministers, and a pattern for all
hia members.

CHAPTER VIIL 443
37. And were beyond measure astonished, saying. He hath done all
tilings well : he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.
It is proper only to Christ to raake man capable bf hearing
the voice of his God, and of praising his majesty. He did
nothing but what was useful and beneficial to men, because it
was for their sakes that he was made man. That which we
owe to the actions of Christ is not only to admire what is
great and illustrious in them, but likewise to consider the
tendency and design of them. It ia a very great commenda
tion of a minister, to say that he does all things well; that
is, with gravity, modesty, and external decency, and with ap
plication, piety, and internal religion. This is the way to
make even the deaf to hear the truth, and to draw from sin
ners an acknowledgment and confession of their miseries.

CHAPTER VIII.
SECT. I. — THE MIRACLE OF THB SEVEN LOAVES.
1. In those days the multitude being very great, and having nothing
to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and saith unto them,
Jesus Christ, the good Shepherd, seems desirous to take
advice of hia diaciplea, that he raay aet an exaraple to the
chief pastors of the church. He perraitted this want, and
chose this opportunity to feed this people, on purpose to teach
the poor to have recourse to him as their refuge in their ne
cessities, and to put the rich in mind that it is he who keeps
them from falling into poverty, and who givea them all their
wealth and richea.
2. I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been
with me three days, and have nothing to eat :
Jeaua Chriat has had his elect before the law, under the
law, and frora the time of hia incarnation ; which three perioda
are repreaented by theae three daya ; and in all theae aeaaona
they have been, and shall be, with him by meana of faith,
hope, and charity. Alas! how much did those who lived
before the incarnation long after Jesus Christ, the bread of

444 MARK.
heaven, who freely gives himself to us, and ia become our daily
bread ! The Jewa having nothing but typea and ahadowa, and
carnal aacrificea, incapable of nourishing the soul, had, pro
perly speaking, nothing to eat ; in like manner the Gentiles,
who had nothing but what waa capable of giving them death.
All thanks be rendered to thee, 6 holy and adorable Victim,
true bread of souls, for having had compassion on thy people,
and having given them thyself for their food and nourishment !
3. And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will
faint by the way : for divers of them came from far.
Faith grows weak, hope faint, and charity cold, during the
pilgrimage of this life, especially in thoae who have been a
long time at a diatance frora God, unleaa he vouchaafe to give
them new strength. They corae frora far who come frora the
region of sin, which is so remote from God. Jesus Christ
hiraself is the living bread, which is the happiness and joy of
angels in the heavenly country, and the strength and reraedy
of raen in their Way thither. Christ does not feed those who
come from far, till he has nourished them a great while with
his word, tried their fidelity and perseverance, and fully
known their want and their hunger. Thus great sinners are
to be treated, before they are fed with the eucharist.
4. And his disciples answered him. From whence can a man satisfy
these men with bread here in the wilderness ?
Nothing here below is capable of supporting, healing, and
satisfying the heart of raan. The Holy Ghost supports it by
his strength, Christ heals it by his grace, and God will satisfy
it with his glory. Can we fear wanting any thing when we
have Jesus Christ with us, when we have bim for our pastor ?
Yes, Lord, thou art our pastor, and nothing will eVbr he want
ing to those who trust in thee, and are within thy fold, which
is the church.
5. And he asked them. How many loaves have ye ? And they said,
Seven. Theae aeven loavea are emblems of the seven habitual gifts
of the Holy Ghost, of which our blessed Saviour makea uae to
weaken in ua the contrary habits, and to strengthen us againat;

CHAPTER VIIL 445
concupiscence. 0 Holy Spirit, who did rest on Jesus Christ
in order to fill his merabers through him, be thou our wisdom
to raise ua to the knowledge of the raysteries of religion, our
understanding to comprehend the truths of salvation and our
duties, our counsel in all our doubts, our strength in all our
weakness, our knowledge in whatever belongs to our vocation,
our piety in all our actions, and our filial and religious fear in
all the temptations of this life !
6. And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground : and he
took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disci
ples to set before them; and they did set them before the people.
The Word took these seven gifts in his incarnation, inspired
them into the apostles by sending the Holy Ghoat, and by
their rainiatry has shed them abroad in the hearts of all the
faithful by the means of the word and sacraraents. Without
a new gift, without the benediction of his actual grace, which
is obtained by prayer, we can raake but an ill use of these
habitual gifts.
7. And they had a few small flshes : and he blessed, and commanded
to set them also before them.
The bountiful hand of Christ's love never blesses and multi-
plies, but only in order to distribute ; whereas the niggardly
hand of secular love gathers and heaps together with no other
intent but to hoard. We do not find that Jesus Christ ever
gave a blessing to great riches, but only to sorae few things
necessary to life : which was to show us that it is through his
invisible blessing that the poor, who are religious, always find
wherewith to aubaiat, and are raore contented in their poverty
than the rich in their abundance. ,,
8. So they did eat, and were fllled : and they took up of the broken
meat that was left seven baskets. 9. And they that had eaten were about
four thousand : and he sent them away.
The gifts of God fill the heart without being wasted or di
minished, and raultiply in all the faithful. It is Christ who
bleaaes our food, and renders it sufficient for us, when by
prayer we in his name and Spirit bless our provisions before
we eat. In doing this let us always have before our eyes this
blessing of Chriat, and beseech him that his invisible hand
Vol. I.- 38

446 MARK.
may bless us as well as his gifts, and cauae us to use them
after a Christian manner. Bless us. Lord, and these thy
gifts, etc.
SECT. II. — A SIGN REFUSED. — THE APOSTLES REPROVED FOR
THEIR WANT OF UNDERSTANDING.
10 1[ And straightway he entered into a ship with his disciples, and
came into the parts of Dalmanutha. 11. And the Pharisees came forth,
and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven,
tempting him.
Nothing ia sufficient to make him see who is wilfully blind.
None but Pharisees seek Jesua Chriat to dispute with him.
He would have men seek hira aa disciples and scholars, not
as wranglers and cavillers. Many, even at thia day, converse
with hira and atudy his trutha in the Scriptures, only out of
a spirit of disputation and contest, never satisfied with that
which satisfiea all others. New rairacles are wanting for aome
sort of persons, and yet they would not fail to take occasion
even from them to raise new disputes.
12. And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this gene
ration seek after a sign ? verily I say unto you. There shall no sign be
.given unto this generation.
The voluntary blindness of the great pretenders to learning
and strong reasoning, is the most deplorable condition imagin
able, and that out of whieh they seldora recover. There is
nothing to be done for these persons, but only to groan and
sigh deeply for them from the bottom of the heart. Miraclea
are of no manner of use to thoae who are reaolved not to
believe. For what reason do these Pharisees, and others like
them, seek after signs and miracles, but only that they may
have the pleasure to contest the truth of them, to nonplus re
ligion if possible, and reduce it to want of proof? Let us
adore the conduct of Jesus Christ, and imitate his wisdom.
13. And he left them, and entering into the ship again departed to the
other side.
God generally abandons these disputera to the vanity of
their own mind. It ia a dreadful judgment when truth with
draws itself entirely frora a person, and leavea, aa it were, a
chaoa or deep sea between itself and a raind puffed up with

CHAPTER VIIL 447
¦pride. Every one has his ahare of thia apirit, few are aenai
ble of it, and all ought to fear lest it remove Christ at a dis
tance from them.
14. f Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they
in the ship with them more than one loaf.
How happy ia he whora the reliah of Chriat's word causes
to forget the necessities of life. This forgetfulness will be
the occasion of new instructions ; for Chriat makea every thing
^contribute to the aalvation of hia elect.
15. And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of
the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod.
Every atate haa its leaven, as it has ita grace. The leaven
of the pretendera to devotion ia hypocriay and envy ; that of
courtiers and great peraona ia ambition and crafty policy.
Theae are two aorts of enemiea which truth and ita diaciples
have moat reason to fear. Every one, ought to take heed,
and to secure himself frora them, not by artifice or violence,
but by arming hiraself with patience and trust in God, by ad
hering steadfastly to the truth, and hy continually watching
over himaelf, that he may not be drawn away either by au
thority or deceit,
16. And they reasoned among themselves, saying. It is because we
have no bread.
The perfect Chriatian atill raiaes his mind from sensible
things to spiritual ; the imperfect lets his sink insensibly from
spiritual to sensible and carnal things. The raore faith de
creases, the more a man concerns himself about the wants of
the body, and the more his sight of spiritual things decays.
It ia very uaeful and important for a man to aay frequently
to himaelf. Eternity ia that about which I ought to be chiefly
employed. 17. And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them. Why reason ye, be
cause ye have no bread ? perceive ye not yet, neither understand ? have
ye your heart yet hardened?* [* Fr, Have ye yet neither sense nor
understanding, and is your heart continually in blindness ?]
How juatly ia this reproof due to those Christians who are
altogether taken up with the cares of this present life ? If
thia anxioua aolicitude ia blamable even in the poor; how

448 MARK.
much more is it so in those who have necessaries in abim-
dance ? To distrust God, after all which he has done to raake
known his providence over raankind, and his fatherly care
tftward his children, is to want not only faith, but even sense
and understanding. Illuminate us, 0 Lord, anew with thy
light, and suffer not our hearts to fall into this blindnesa !
18. Having eyes, see ye not ? and having ears, hear ye not ? and do
ye not remember ?
One may well apply this with more apparent truth to thoae
children of the earth who mind nothing but earth, and heap
ing up of riches. They have no eyes to see the vanity and
frailty of these things, no ears to hear what faith declares to
them concerning them, and no memory to remember how God
overturns at his pleasure the greatest fortunes, and scatters
abroad that wealth wherein they put their whole trust and
confidence. 19. When I brake the five loaves among flve thousand, how many
baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him. Twelve.
20. And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full
of fragments took ye up ? And they said. Seven. 21. And he said unto
them. How is it that ye do not understand ?
The little use we raake of God's gifts, our forgetfulness of
his particular benefits, and our not taking sufficient notice of
the viaible wondera which he worka every day for ua in the
world, make it evident that ain haa spread its darkness over
the understanding of man, as well as over his heart. There
is need of somewhat more than miracles to establish faith and
Christian confidence. Without thy grace, 0 Jesua ! raan still
reraains what he ia of hiraaelf, even in the midat of the raoat
surpriaing prodigiea. It ia not to insult thy diaciplea that
thou apeakeat ao harably to thera in appearance, but to make
them sensible of their condition and their wants, and to oblige
them to put their whole confidence in thee.
SECT. III. — THE BLIND MAN CURED.
22. Tf And he cometh to Bethsaida ; and they bring a blind man unto
him, and besought him to touch him.
Jesus employs all meana to make us apprehend thia truth^
That all human nature is, through sin, become blind as to the

CHAPTER VIIL 449
things of God. It was in order to cure it that he united him
self thereto by his incarnation, and that he has, as it were,
touched it with his person and divine substance ao cloaely aa
to make with it but one and the aame peraon. Thia cure ad-
vancea in proportion as Christ unites himself to any particular
soul by faith and charity. Our heart is like a blind person,
which we must frequently preaent to Chriat, that he may
touch it with hia inviaihle hand. Charity ought to imitate
him in applying itaelf to enlighten thoae who are ignorant of
their own blindness, and do not desire to be cured of it.
23. And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the
town ; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him,
he asked him if he saw aught.
The humility, wisdom, and power of the word incarnate,
concur to the curing of our blindness. Ignorance of the
truth, or spiritual blindness, is generally both the daughter
and mother of pride. A raan must manage those prudently
whom he designs to cure of this blindness, taking thera aside
in privatein order to make them aenaible thereof, how public
soever it may be. The hand of our blessed Saviour is an em
blem of his healing grace, and of the conduct of his ministers.
He here uses it to three purpoaes : (1.) That he may be a
guide to thia blind man while he continuea blind. (2.) That
he may apply the remedy to him. (3.) That he raay give him
imposition of hands. A man may imitate Chriat herein,
(1.) By treating the peraon spiritually blind with a charitable
mildneaa before his cure. (2.) By applying to him the remedy
of evangelical truths with a great deal of discretion. (3.) By
praying, and doing good offices for him.
24, And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. 25. After
that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up ; and
he was restored, and saw every man clearly.
The cure of our blindness ia only begun here on earth ; for
our understanding haa some degreea of darknesa which will
not be diaperaed until we come to heaven. Thia cure requires
abundance of patience ; becauae the light of truth doea not
often enter all at once into the soul. God would have men
learn the greatneaa of the evil, the necessity of hia grace, and
38* 2D

450 MARK.
the difficulty of the cure, frora the delay of his light, and the
several degreea thereof through which they raust pass. It is
one of the duties of a pastor and spiritual director, to study
this gradual progression, and not to leave the patient until he
is perfectly cured.
26. And he sent him away to his house, saying. Neither go into the
town, nor tell it to any in the town.
When raan shall be perfeetly cured of his blindness, he will
praise God in the eternal silence of his house. Let us begin
the sacrifice of thanksgiving here below. Retireraent of onb
sort or another is, as it were, necessary after conversion.
When a man haa once received the knowledge of the truth,
he must long meditate upon it in private, feed on it in silence,
and let it take deep root in his heart before he speaks of it.
There is an eagerness to impart it to others which does not
proceed from God, and raay be prejudicial tb beginners.
SECT. IV. — THE PASSION FORETOLD. — PETER REBUKED.
27. If And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Cesarea
Philippi :. and by the way he asked his disciples,- saying unto them.
Whom do men say that I am ?
None but Jesua can apeak of hiraaelf without danger. It
ia very advantageoua to diacourae of hia rayateriea in journies
and in comraon conversations. It is neither out of ignorance,
nor curiosity, nor want of other discourse, that Christ speaks
on this subject; but, on the contrary, frora a knowledge of
the different opinions men had concerning him, and frora a
desire to aatiafy their curioaity by tbe truth, and to avoid by
meana of holy inatructions the loss of time which usually
attends travelling.
28. And they answered, John the Baptist: but some say, Elias; aiid
others. One of the prophets.
The world is blind as to every thing which relatea to Chriat.
It ia not by leaving our underatanding to its own conjectures
that we discover Christ and his truths, but by consulting the
Scriptures. Extreme blindneaa thia, that men should be will
ing to truat to themselves in this matter without the least
proof or evidence, rather than depend on Chriat, who declares

CHAPTER VIIL 461
it himself, proves it by miracles, and confirm^ it by pro
phecies. 29. And he saith unto them. But whom say ye that I am ? And Peter
answereth and saith unto him. Thou art the Christ.
The true knowledge of the raysteries of Christ is not to be
found, but only among the disciples of the truth and the light.
Out of this school, there is nothing but uncertainty or false-
¦hood. 0 Jesus ! thou art the Christ, that is, the Anointed
of the Lord, sent to save the world ; anointed with the Divinity
itself, that thou mayest communicate part of thy unction to
thy members. Render me faithful to this grace in always
following the Spirit of the divine adoption.
30. And he charged them that they should tell no man of him.
Pride gives men the curiosity to know what the world says
of them; Christ plainly shows that he is very far from it,
since he will not as yet be known. Truths have their proper
time of discovery ; let us not anticipate it. It was necessary
that Jesus Christ should hiraself bear witness to his divinity
before Pilate, and be the first martyr thereof, to merit for his
disciplea the grace to follow hia example, and to bear the
same witness by their martyrdom. Until then, it was their
part to be silent.
31. And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer
many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and
scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.
Christ here givea an abridgment of the myateriea of his
death and reaurrection. It waa necessary to establish the
behef of his divinity before he proposed that of the mystery
of the croaa. To human underatanding, these aeem to con
tradict one another; but it, is on this very account that his
sufferings are more amiable to us, and that this mystery is
more a mystery of faith. Let us be heartily willing to suffer,
to be rejected of the world, and to be crucified with Christ,
if we desire to rise with him.
32. And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began
to rebuke him.
Corrupt reason often finda somewhat amiss in the divine

452 MARK.
conduct. It is alwaya deceived, when it will needs concern
itself to judge thereof and to rectify it. A pardonable error
this in Peter, who had not yet seen the world aubjected to
God by the croaa bf Chriat, but intolerable in those who fully
know the wondera and power of it. Let my reason, 0 my
God, with an entire submission, continually adore the infinitely
wise contrivances of thy sovereign reason !
33. But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he re
buked Peter, saying. Get thee behind me, Satan : for thou savourest not
the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.
Human sentiments are always opposite to the waya of God.
Whoever oppoaea the love of the croaa ia a Satan. Reaaon,
left to itaelf, ia incapable of receiving the mysteriea of faith.
Christ looks on his disciplea while he speaks to Peter, to let
them know that this lesson concerns thera all, and us as well
as thera.. How dangerous a counsellor is natural tenderness
in the affairs of salvation ! Men think to preserve nature, to
please a friend, and to use a penitent gently, by sparing them
in what is troublesorae and grievous ; and so they ruin them
by a fatal kindness.
34. If And when he had called the people vnio him with his disciples
also, he said unto them. Whosoever will come after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Self-denial is the abridgment of the morality of the gospel,
which concerns everybody, and consists in renouncing not
only some external thinga, but the old man entirely; namely,
whatever ia irregular and corrupt in the underatanding, judg
ment, meraory, will, and affections, and whatever is therein
opposite to Jesus Christ, his cross, and his gospel. There ia
no raanner of privilege, no difference in the leaat, between the
- paatora and the fiock, in relation to the croaa and evangelical
self-denial. It ia for thia very reaaon that Christ joins the
people with his disciples, and, as it were, to justify hia con
duct toward Peter by the moat fundamental part of the gospel.
35. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it ; but whosoever shall
lose his Ufe for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.
The love of this preaent life ia contrary to salvation ; a
man must loae his life for the sake of Christ in order to find

CHAPTER VIIL 463
it again in him. The whole tenor of the goapel teachea us,
that the contempt of this mortal life is a necessary means to
obtain that which is immortal ; but how few are convinced by
it ! It is not only before tyrants that we ought to wean our
selves from the love of life; but much more, while we are in
the midst of the conveniences and satisfactions of it. The
martyrs had only a few days or houra to fight againat it, in
the sight of tormenta and death ; but Chriatiana, during their
whole life, are to maintain their ground againat the allure
ments of pleasure.
36. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world,
and lose his own soul ?
All gain is loss when a man does not save his soul. He
who possesses all things without God, has nothing. No man
is so foolish as to be willing to purchase an empire at the
price of his life ; and yet the world is full of those pretendera
to wisdom, who give up their aalvation and an immortal life
for a vain pleaaure, a handful of money, or an inch of land.
How much are the greateat conquerera to be pitied, if, while
intoxicated with their victoriea and conqueata, they ravage and
lay waste the earth, their own aouls are laid waate by ain and
passion, and destroyed to all eternity.
37. Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul ?
A man haa but one soul ; and when that is once damned,
there ia no recovery. Fatal and dreadful experience thia,
when, after having enjoyed pleaaurea, richea, and empirea a
few yeara, raen find, by loaing all in a raoraent, that all ia
nothing, and that whatever they possessed here is altogether
unprofitable for the other life !
38. Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words, in
this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of man
be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy

Men are often too forward rather than otherwise, highly to
commend truth among those who love and honour it: but to
bear witness to it before those who do not favour it at all, is
a thing more rare th^n can be imagined. We do not suffi
ciently dread this terrible threatening. We may flatter our-

454 MARK.
selvea if we pleaae, here below, and by trivial reaaons excuae
ouraelvea from giving teatimony to the word of Chriat, and to
himaelf in his servants ; the day of the Lord will disperae all
thoae clouda with which we cover ouraelvea, and expose to
open view the base interests which we shall have preferred to
those of God and of his church.

CHAPTER IX.
SECT. I. — THE TRANSFIGURATION. — ^THE COMING OF ELIAS.
1. And he said unto them. Verily I say unto you, That there be some
of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have
seen the kingdom of God come with power.
God never proraises any thing but he gives an earnest of it,
even in this life. Christ, by a foretaste of his glory, confirms
the belief of his incarnation, atrengthena the hope of the
reaurrection and eternal life, awakens the love of truth, takes
off the acandal of the croaa, and encouragea to the practice
of aelf-denial, and all Chriatian perfection, wherein he had
just now instructed his disciples.
2. If And after six days Jesus taketh 'with him Peter, and James, and
John, and leadeth them up into a high mountain apart by themselves :
and he was transflgured before them.
After the six days of this present life, the eternal Sabbath
begins upon the holy mountain of heaven ; where Christ entire,
consisting of the Head and all the raembers, of Jeaua and the
church, ahall be perfectly transfigured in glory. 0 mountain
of Sion, city of the living God, heavenly Jerusalem, church
of the first-born who are written in heaven, when will it be
that we shall approach thee? When will that glorious trans
figuration be accorapliabed which ahall change thia raortal
body, and faahion it like unto the glorioua body of our bleaaed
Saviour ?
3. And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as
no fuller on earth can white them.
The aainta in the state of eternity shall become all shining;

CHAPTER IX. 465
they shall be nothing but light and brightness there, both in
body and soul, and that without changing their naturf. In
cfder to our bearing in our body one day the iraage of Christ,
as the heavenly and spiritual raan, we raust now bear in it the
image of hira as the man of mortification and repentance. A
true Christian, a true penitent, is, aa it were, the fuller of his
own flesh, which he takes the greatest pains to cleanse and
whiten by mortification and works of repentance. But what
is thia purity which grace worka in our bodiea here on earth,
in comparison of that which glory ahall work in thera in heaven ?
4. And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses : and they were
talking with Jesus.
The truth which the prophets attested, published, and
honoured with their blood, shall in heaven be in its full light
and triuraph. Charity, which the law pointed at, longed for,
and regulated, shall be there in its fulness and kingdom.
There ia a perfect agreement between the law and the pro
phets, between the gospel and the apostles. Every thing in
them all tends to make Jesus Chriat known, and God in and
by Jeaua Christ, to forra by faith and charity his mystical
body on earth, and to conduct it up into the eternal mountain
to be glorified there.
5. And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to
be here; and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for
Moses, and one for Elias.
The church shall there enjoy the fruit of all its confiicts, a
repose which shall never end, and a joy which cannot be ex-
preaaed. All the aainta, under their adorable Head, shall be
there placed in their proper rank and order, which will make
one of the chief beauties of God's house. Happy those who
dwell in thy house, 0 my God ! they will forever praise thee,
and say, <«It,is good for us to be here." How good, how de-
leetahle is it to the brethren of thy Son, to aee themaelvea all
reunited with him in unity itaelf!
6. For he wist not what to say ; for they were sore afraid.
The blessed will be there, as it were, intoxicated with the
abundance of heavenly delights. How will this change agree-
aurpriae the children of God, to see themselves on a

456 MARK.
sudden become, not only like to angels, but even like the Son
of God himself! They, aa well as the celestial powers, cannot
but be filled with a holy dread and amazeraent at the sight of
the divine Majesty.
7. And there was a cloud that overshadowed them : and a voice came
out of the cloud, saying. This is my beloved Son : hear him.
They shall be hid in the secret place of God's presence,
overshadowed with that cloud of light wherein God dwells,
and ahall enter into hia bosom, where they shall forever hear
these worda, "Thia ia my beloved Son." This is the eternal,
essential, and unchangeable truth which thou haat desired,
which thou hast diligently sought, and which thou haat at laat
found. Hear it, not with the eara of thy body, but with thy
whole aoul ; which ahall be fed, aatiafied, and rendered happy
thereby to all eternity.
8. And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no
man any more, save Jesus only with themselves.
Then shall the law, prophecies, knowledge, tonguea, minia-
triea, Scripturea, vaniah away; and the church shall aee no
thing any more, save Jesus Christ only in God, and God in
him. The sight of the truth is seldom pure in this life. We
seldom behold, seek, or love it, unveiled and alone. How
many different views, searchea, and desires, which are dia-
pleaaing to it, are generally mixed with it ! It is only upon
the mountain of the heavenly Sion that Jesus Christ and
truth are seen alone, and loved solely for their own sakea.
9. And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that
they should tell no man what things they had seen, tUl the Son of man
were risen from the dead.
Till the reaurrection of Chriat, no eye had aeen, no ear had
heard, and no understanding had been able to conceive, the
things which God prepares for those who love him. Christ
teaches us not to speak some certain truths at all times, nor
to all aorta of peraona ; but to proportion our confidence ac
cording to them. Of the twelve apostles, there are but three
to whora our blessed Lord manifeata his glory before his death,
that they may learn from him a holy discretion.

CHAPTER IX. 457
10. And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with
another what the rising from the dead should mean.
The resurrection ia a raystery which ia incredible to human
underatanding, even to thoae who have been a long time in
the school of the Son of God, who have received his instruc
tions, and who have seen his miracles and glory. It ia abao
lutely necessary that the Holy Ghost himself should teach a
preacher, by the study of the Scriptures and by prayer, before
he can be fit to teach others.
11. If And they asked him, saying. Why say the scribes that Elias
must first come ?
Jeaua Chriat had hia Elias, who proclaimed him to the
world ; he will atill have aome of the aame character through
out all ages, and before his last coming. It is the office of all
preachers, pastors, and bishops, incessantly to admonish the
faithful that the day ia approaching, that Chriat is at the
door, and that he will come at an hour when we think not.
Grant, 0 my God, that theae Eliaaea may want neither zeal
nor boldneaa of apeech to awaken ainnera, nor grace and unc
tion aufficient to convert them !
12. And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and re-
storeth all things ; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must
suffer many things, and be set at nought.
They who labour in the work of God, and endeavour to
re-eatabliah Chriatian morals in the church, muat expect to
be treated aa Elias, John the Baptist, and Jesus Christ him
self were. A preacher who is not disposed to suffer and to
be despised, is so far from restoring all things, that he is in
danger of loaing himaelf. He who foretold that Christ was
to auffer and to be rejected of the world, haa alao foretold
the aame of his miniatera; and therefore, if the world spare
them, it ia perhapa becauae they apare the world.
13. But I say unto you. That Elias is indeed come, a.nd they have
done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him.
We ought not to be surprised at seeing the faithful minis
ters of Christ persecuted, since there is nothing more clearly
foretold in the Scriptures. The world seems to do unto the
Eliases, John Baptists, and their successors, whatsoever it
Vol. I.— 39

468 MARK.
Usteth; but in truth it does nothing more than that which
God is pleased to permit. The wicked, in spite of theraselves,
accoraplish his holy will by their own wickedness, procuring,
by their persecutions, not only the happiness of the saints,
but also their own misery. He who foresaw, and haa fore
told this, has thereby shown that he is absolute Lord in this
respect. SECT. II. — THB LUNATIC. — FAITH. — rPRAYER AND FASTING.
. 14.. If And when he came to his. disciples, he saw a great multitude
about them, and the scribes questioning with them. 15; And straight
way all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and
running to Mm saluted him.
A man of God imprints a respect and veneration on the
minds of people. Christ often auffera hia diaciplea and minis
ters to be preaaed hard in a dispute, on purpose that they
raay know the want they have of hira, and raay have recourse
to prayer with the greater earnestness. He soraetiraes comes
to their assistance in a very surprising raanner, to the end
that his own hand may evidently appear, and that they may
not give that to raan which ia due only to God.
16. And he asked the scribes. What question ye with them ? 17. And
one of the multitude answered and said. Master, I have brought unto
thee my son,, which hath a dumb spirit ; 18. And wheresoever he taketh
him, he teareth him ; and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and
pineth away : and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him
out; and they could not.
When Jeaua Chriat abaenta hiraself from ua, we are nothing.
A minister must not expect to have always succeaa in the con
veraion of ainnera. Sometimea the greateat care, application,
and talenta signify nothing, because God designs to effect
the thing by hiraself, and to make his rainiaters raore fit for
his work, by raaking thera more hurable. Children diseased
and possessed, are an evident proof of original sin ; because,
under a just God, none are raiserable unlesa they deserve it.
Bodily possession is a consequence and emblem of that of the
aoul, and of the dorainion which the devil exercises over the
heart by means of the passions.
19. He answereth him, and saith, 0 faithless generation, how long

CHAPTER IX. 459
shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto
me. Let us imitate, on occasion, the obedience and charity of
Christ, which detained hira in the world, though the incre
dulity and contradiction thereof were a continual trouble to
him. How intolerable soever some ministers and paatora, by
reason of their want of faith, and their other defecta, may
possibly be, yet Christ ceases not mildly to bear with thera,
to continue with them, according to his promise, to work by
their ministry, and even to produce by them extraordinary
effects. Whoever finds his endeavours ineffectual on aoula
enalaved to ain and the devil, ought to conduct them to Chriat,
by addressing himself to him in more fervent prayers, or by
procuring them the assistance of some others of his servants.
20. And they brought him unto him : and when he saw him, straight
way the spirit tare him ; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming.
The devil redoubles his assaults when he sees that Christ
is ready to wrest a soul out of his hands. A passionate and
headstrong sinner, who hardens himself, and obstinately with
stands the admonitions and endeavours of a charitable pastor,
is much raore to be deplored than this miserable wretch, who
is but an emblera of the other. There are few paasions but
what are able to raiae in the soul raore violent agitations than
those which in this possessed person give us so much horror.
21. And he asked his father. How long is it ago since this came unto
h.im ? And he said. Of a child.
¦ From the very moment that man begins to bear a body of
sin, he begins to be subject to the tyranny of the devil. He
gains hia dominion either over the aoul or the body, accord-
mg as the .will opena to him the gate of the heart, or as God
gives him power over the body, soraetiraes to punish sinners,
aometimes to exercise and sanctify the just.
22. And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters,
to destroy him : but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us
and help us.
The mischief which the devil does not do, evidently shows
that what he does is by the permission of a will superior to
his. It is this will which we ought to fear, not the devil, who

460 MARK.
is only the miniater and instrument hereof There ia nothing
which he would not eraploy to our destruction, if the creaturea
were entirely aubject to hia power. It ia of great importance
not to rely too much upon our not having any inclination to
some particular ain, and being well diapoaed to the contrary
virtue. The devil knowa how to deceive us and change our
minds, and to make us pass frora fire to water, and frora water
to fire. It is upon the power, mercy, and 'grace of Christ
that we muat altogether depend.
23. Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible
to him that believeth.
Faith ia a very great treaaure, aince nothing ia refuaed to
it ; but it belonga only to Him who givea all the reat, to give
ua faith alao. Yea, Lord, all things are possible to him, to
whom thou renderest all things possible by working them in
him. Faith, the use, the increase, and the reward of it, — all
ia a gift of thy pure bounty.
24. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with
tears. Lord, I believe ; help thou mine unbelief.
The humble man ia himaelf diatruatful of his faith, and praya
without ceasing for an increase of it. It is often so weak,
that it scarce deaervea the name. Who among ua haa, after
the example of this person, made uae of prayera and teara to
obtain it? An humble acknowledgment of the imperfection
of our faith, and of our other defects, is capable of making
up every thing which ia wanting to ua; or rather, nothing ia
wanting to him who haa humility.
25. When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he re
buked the foul spirit, saying unto him. Thou dumb and d^af spirit, I
charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.
Those who love not either to speak or to hear of God, are
possessed with a dumb and deaf spirit, frora which Christ
alone can deliver them. Happy are they into whom he never
enters any more! What would not God grant to a faith
which ia perfect, since even to an imperfect one he grants
much more than it asks ! Jesus Christ never speaks to the
devil but with threats, as to a alave. There are no measures-

CHAPTER IX. 461
to be kept, where there is no longer the leaat hope of recon
ciliation or charity.
26. And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him : and
he was as one dead ; insomuch that many said. He is dead.
The sinner suffers strange convulsions, when he endeavours
to forsake his inveterate habita ; and especially a young man
who has continued under them from his childhood. To speak
to him concerning renouncing his passions, is almost the same
thing as to deprive him of his life. A young person posseaaed
by sin, is a very proper instrument of the devil for all manner
of wickedness ; and therefore he omits nothing in order to
secure him to himself. Such a person ia dead to the world,
and the world to hira, when once he ia thoroughly delivered
from thia calamity.
27. But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up ; and he arose.
What a happineas ia it, when, amid the pangs and struggles
of conversion, a sinner meets with an enlightened guide, a
charitable hand to lift him up in his dejection, to comfort him
under his pains, and to lead him into the ways of God ! But
what docility, what respect, what gratitude, does not the in
visible hand of Christ, which is concealed under this visible
one, deserve? May I, 0 Lord, have neither motion nor
action, but by the guidance of this adorable hand, which thou
hast been pleased to extend even unto me !
28. And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him
privately. Why could not we cast him out ? 29. And he said uhto them.
This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.
Nothing is more prevalent against the devil than prayer
and fasting. Priests must make use of them in converting
sinners, if they deaire to succeed therein. Those sinnera
whom God or the church delivera aometimea unto Satan, for
the punishment of some very heinous sins, cannot be set at
hberty but by abundance of groana and mortificationa. He
who, for hia crimes, ia once put into the hands of the execu
tioner, has need of very powerful solicitations to obtain his
pardon; and, with regard to God, such are only to be found
m prayer and penitential exerciaes, (presented in the name

462 MARK.
of Jeaus Christ, and with an humble reliance upon his merits
as the only ground of forgiveneaa.)
SECT. III. — THE PASSION FORETOLD. — THE FIRST THE SER
VANT OP ALL.
30. If And they departed thence, and passed through Galilee : and he
would not that any man should know U. 31. For he taught his disci
ples, and said unto them. The Son of man is delivered into the hands
of men, and they shall kUl him ; and after that he is killed, he shall rise
the third day.
The charity of Jesus Christ toward his disciples induces
hira to corafort them with the hopes of his resurrection, and
at the sarae tirae that he afflicts thera with the prediction of
his death. When we cannot avoid giving affliction to our
neighbour, we ought to give hira corafort by the hopes of
future happiness. We raust prepare him for a favourable re
ception of ungrateful and mortifying trutha, by accompanying
them with othera more proper to raiae and support the mind.
32. But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him.
The spirit cannot understand what the flesh is unwilling to
suffer. This seed, which Christ seems unprofitably to cast
into a barren soil, will bring forth fruit in due time. We
must not give over instructing, how dull soever the under
standings of raen are as to heavenly truths ; the Spirit of God
can open thera, as he opened those of the apostles. We ought
to be asharaed of that unreasonable baahfulneaa which raakes
us choose rather to continue ignorant than to discover our
ignorance. Nothing but humility can secure us from it.
33. If And he came to Capernaum : and being in the house he asked
them. What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way ?
34. But they held their peace :. for by the way they had disputed among
themselves, who should he the greatest.
How subtle is the poison of ambition ! how difficult is it
for a man to preserve himself from it in this life ! Humility
is peaceable, and always ready to give place ; pride is always
disputing about preference. . If we look narrowly into the
world, we shall find that this is what most generally reigns in
all atatea and conditiona whatsoever. Few people are heartily
willing to be below others ; they find as much difficulty almost

CHAPTER IX. 463
to bear an equality ; and much the greatest number think of
nothing but gaining a superiority. Who would imagine that
ambition could take hold of peraons who had forsaken all,
and that the apostolical college should not be exempt from
it? In short, everybody is subject to it, and nobody is
willing to own it.
35. And he sat dovra, and called the twelve, and saith unto them. If
any man desire to be first, ihe same shall be last of all, and servant of
all. True greatness consists in renouncing greatness itaelf. A
man becoraea a slave to it when once he deairea it; he is
above it whenever he despiaea it. The primacy or firat place
in humility ia the only one to which we are permitted to
aspire. To dispute with secular persons which should be the
greatest, ia a thing very oppoaite to an eccleaiaatical apirit.
The only thing of which a rainiater of Chriat ought to be
ambitious, is to be the last of all. Huraility must not be an
idle virtue, but a virtue useful to our neighbour. It places
its chief joy not only in being below all, but even in serving
all. For true charity is humble, and true humility is cha
ritable.

SECT. IV. — CHILDREN. — HE WHO IS NOT AGAINST CHRIST IS
FOR HIM. — ^A CUP OF WATER.
36. And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them : and when
he had taken hini in his arms, he said unto them.
The character, and even the emblera of humility, is dear to
Christ. Who does not envy the good fortune of this child ?
Who would not have wished to be in hia place ? But it is far
more advantageoua to he embraced in the arms of hia love
than in thoae of hia fleah. The greater our simplicity and
humility are, the greater share shall we have in his tenderness
and affection.
37. Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name,_ receiv
eth me ; and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that
sent me.
The education of children is one part of that which is here
80 forcibly recommended by Jesus Christ. Thoae who have

464 MARK.
the spirit of simplicity, humility, and Chriatian childhood,
deaerve to be raoat regarded and aaaiated by virtuoua people,
because they are treated worst hy the world. We ought to
look upon Christ and his Father aa preaent in thoae whom we
serve and assist. The recommendation of some great person
is more sought after and conaidered by men, than that of
Chriat. Whoever haa faith, judgea after a very different
manner. 38. Tf And John answered him, saying. Master, we saw one casting
out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us ; and we forbade him,
because he followeth not us.
That which John here does is an example of an indiscreet
zeal for the interests of Christ. The most holy persona have
sometimea occaaion to aecure themselves from secret emula
tions. We very easily mingle our own interests with those
of God ; and our vanity uses the glory of his name only aa a
veil. A preacher sometimes imagines that his only desire ia
that men ahould follow Chriat, and adhere to his word ; and
it ia himself whom he desires they should follow, and to whom
he ia very glad to find them adhere. John haa fewer imita
tors of that perfect freedom from self-interest, which he had
after the descent of the Holy Ghost, than he has of this de
fect in his state of imperfection. A raan willingly approves
the good which is done by others, when he loves good for its
own sake, and God for hia.
39. But Jesus said. Forbid him not : for there is no man which shall
do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me.
Chriat suffers many things in his church which are done
without his miaaionj but he makea them contribute to the ea-
tabliahnient of his kingdom. Whatever reaaon we may have
to fear that aome persons will not persevere in goodness, we
muat, notwithatanding, auffer thera to continue their endea
voura, when they appear to be any waya uaeful. God himself
authorizes such persons, since it is he who performs the good
in them. It is to make the world promote and carry on God's
work for a raan, to engage worldly people to do good, or to
favour the church. And this is sometimes even a beginning
of their salvation.

CHAPTER IX. 465
40. For he that is not against us is on our part.
Why should any one suspect evil in the heart, when in out
ward appearance there is nothing but what is good ? It is
very much for the interests of God and his truth, not to have
some certain persons for his declared enemies ; it is impru
dence not to preserve and iraprove this advantage.
41. For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name,
because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his
reward. The very araallest services done to our neighbour shall be
rewarded. The intention and design which we have of doing
them to Christ in his merabers or rainisters, doea wonderfully
enhance the value of thera before God. They often aay, in
the world, "Such a peraon haa recommended hira to rae:"
but when does any one aay, "God, Chriat, or the goapel re-
commenda thia poor affiicted wretch, thia busineaa, this op
pressed person :" " Such a one belongs to Jesua Chriat ; I owe
him not only a cup of water, but my aaaiatance, my protec
tion, and, if there be occaaion, even my life itself?"

SECT. V. — OFFENCE. — THB NEVER-DYING WORM AND UN
QUENCHABLE FIRE. — SALT AND PEACE.
42. And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in
me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and
he were cast into the sea.
A man offends, or gives occasion of scandal to his brother,
his own family, and the church, not only by giving a bad ex
ample, but alao in suffering that in thera which it is in his
power to reraove ; or by not giving a good example when he
can and ought. Whoever refuses to bear this light yoke of
charity, ahall be oppreaaed with the weight of God's justice,
and caat headlong into hell. He who can excuae himself in
not having a cup of water to give his brother, cannot excuse
himself from giving him a good example, or at least from not
giving him a bad one. This is the moat indiapenaable duty
of Christian charity.
43. And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to en
ter mto life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire
2E

466 MARK.
that never shall be quenched : 44. Where their worm dieth not, and the
fire is not quenched.
How abort and alight ia the pleasure of a criminal touch;
and it is purchased at the price of an eternal and incon
ceivable pain ! He to whora the raanagement of the public
money becomes a hinderance of salvation, or an occasion of
sin, ought he to deliberate whether he ahall cut off thia hand
or not ? Every uae of the hand, every employment, state,
and kind of work whereby a livelihood ia gained, are ao many
hands which are to be cut off, when they are inconsistent with
salvation. 45. And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter
halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that
never shall be quenched :
The cutting off of the foot is the breaking off all com
merce with the world by a holy retirement, whenever it be
comes necessary to salvation. To quit the occasions of fall
ing is not a counsel of perfection, hut a necessary duty, since
salvation depends upon it.
46. Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
Who can conceive the torment of this gnawing worm,
namely, of the eternal reproach of conscience, when a man
shall refiect upon the graces and mercies of God which he
haa deapiaed, and on the preference he haa made of the
ahadow of a momentary happineas before a substantial and
eternal good, which is God himself !
47. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to
enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be
cast into hell fire :
What precautions do we not take to avoid an infectious air,
and to prevent a contagious distemper from spreading ! How
much greater reason have we to shun those persons who are
to us an occaaion of ain, were they, on the account of their
advice, protection, and aaaiatance, aa dear to ua aa our handa,
our feet, and our eyes ! How much raore still ought we to
cut off all criminal, unprofitable, and dangerous use of our
senses, our mind, and our body !
48. Where their worm dieth not, and the flre is not quenched.
These words, repeated three times, are as so many admo-

CHAPTER IX. 467
nitions to avoid the last, great, general, and eternal excom
munication which will separate the sinner from all happiness,
and overwhelm him with all internal and external miseries,
denoted here by the worra and the fire. Let us hearken to
this wholesome advice of our blessed Saviour, while as yet
this worm raay be crushed by the contrition of our heart, and
this fire extinguished by the tears of our repentance.
49. For every one shall be salted with flre, and every sacriflce shall be
salted with salt.
See here the greatness, multiplicity, and eternity of the
pains of the damned ! They auffer without being able to die,
they are burned without ever being consumed, they are sacri
ficed without being sanctified, and salted with the fire of hell,
aa eternal victims of the divine justice. We must of neces
sity be sacrificed to God after one manner or another in the
state of eternity : and we have now the choice, either of the
unquenchable fire of his justice, or of the everlasting flame
of his love.
50. Salt is good : but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith
will ye season it ? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with
another. The salt of Christian wisdom, which consists in having a
relish only of heavenly things, ought to be very quick and
lively in priests. It belongs to thera to impart this relish to
othera ; but, if they have once lost it, how difficultly is it re
covered ! This relish and this wisdom seldom return, when
the relish and wisdora of the world have taken their place.
True wisdom produces humility, and humility preserves peace.
0 Jesus, eternal wisdora, wholesome salt of the soul, pattern
of Christian humility, and source of true peace, vouchsafe to
give me a relish of God, humility and peace ; preserve in me
whatever comes from thee, and consume the corruption which
proceeds from myself !

468 MAR K.

CHAPTER X.

SECT. I. — MARRIAGE INDISSOLUBLE.
1. And he arose from thence, and cometh into the coasts of Judea by
the farther side of Jordan : and the people resort unto him again ; and,
as he was wont, he taught them again.
A true pastor is never weary of instructing his people.
He is always ready to coramunicate himself, because the trea
sure of his heart is always full of the truths of salvation.
Hia known charity cauaea people to seek and apply themselves
to him, and thia search and concourae invite and aolicit hia
charity. Kindle, 0 Lord, thia double zeal, both in the paa
tors and in the sheep !
2. If And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him. Is it lawful for a
man to put away his wife ? tempting him.
Thus aome good paatora, intent on feeding the flock of
God, find themaelvea oppoaed by pragraatical peraona, and
their aheep diaturbed with contentious and malicioua ques-
tiona. Every age haa its Pharisees, of whom the devil makes
use to tempt the pastors, and whom God perraits to do it, in
order to prove the faithful. Lord, do not perrait their trial
to be above their strength ; and vouchsafe to be thyself their
strength and their light ! ,
3. And he answered and said unto them. What did Moses command
you? In order to free the church frora the maxims of corrupt
morality, it is sufficient to refer the followers thereof to the
holy Scripture : it is by this divine word that we must examine
all questions which arise in the church. The way to puzzle
and confound innovators, is to oblige them to explain and
prove their opinions by holy writ.
4. And they said, Moses suffered to -write a bill of divorcement, and to
put her away.
A loose casuist generally wanta either knowledge or ain-
cerity. Thia conduct of the Phariaees is but too frequently
imitated, who, being called upon to produce the primitive law

CHAPTER X. 469
published hy Moaea, "He ahall cleave to hia wife," auppreas
it, to insist upon a doctrine which was only tolerated, and to
fix upon a dispensation of this law which had been extorted,
as it were, by force. Men often substitute, in the room of
the holy law of the gospel, a toleration of some things which
corruption of manners has introduced contrary to the gospel
itself 5. And Jesus answered and said unto them. For the hardness of your
heart he wrote you this precept.
A precept not to divorce, but to write a bill concerning it,
which might allay the warmth of a sudden desire, and give
at least time to conaider more calmly of it. There is much
more reason for- men to humble themselves, than to boast on
account of dispensations, when they are granted only "for
the hardness of their hearts." God does by no means au
thorize every thing which he tolerates ; and he frequently
permits a less evil that a greater may be avoided. It is ab
solutely necessary to distinguish in the Scripture that which
God commands, that which he counsels, that which he ex
pressly permits, and that which, out of his infinite patience,
he only tolerates or auffera.
6. But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and
female. In the defence of the truth and morality of the goapel we
must, after Christ's exaraple, not wander from the subject,
but always keep cloae to the natural order, to the divine insti
tution, and to the sacred text ; and run things back to their
source and original.
7. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave
to his wife ; 8. And they twain shall be one flesh : so then they are no
more twain, but one flesh. ^.
Marriage between one man and one woman carries in it
singularity and inseparable society, friendship and inviolable
fidelity, unity and unalterable coramunity. What weighty
reasons, then, ought there to be for proceeding to a divorce,
after so express a commandment of God, and so forcible a
reason laid down ? For whose sake shall a man and woman
Vol. I.— 40

470 MARK.
part, if they are not permitted to do it for the Sake of father
or mother ?
9. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
There are four sorts of marriage which cannot be dissolved,
whereof the first is an emblera of the rest : between man and
woman, between the Word and the human nature, between
Christ and his church, and between God and his elect in
heaven. It is a shameful perfidiousness in civil life, to break
off a friendship which is within the verge of our power; it is
a crirae, in religion, to violate the conjugal friendship, of
which God is the author, Jesus Christ the pattern, and the
Holy Ghoat fhe bond, and which the end of raarriage, the
education of children, the peace of families, and the public
good render necessary.
10. And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same mai-
ter. 11. And he saith unto them. Whosoever shall put away his wife,
and marry another, committeth adultery against her. 12. And if a wo
man shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she com
mitteth adultery.
The union of marriage honours and resembles that of
Christ with his church, which he will never forsake to take
another, as she will never forsake him. God suffered divorce
in the synagogue, to signify the future repudiation thereof;
he re-eatabliahed the indissolubility of marriage in the church,
to show that she is the inseparable apouae of Jeaua Chriat.
It ia upon thia account that the adulterer doea, by hia lewd-
neaa and injuatice, particularly dishonour Christ and his
church, whose mysterious figure he so shamefully violates and
abuses.

SECT. II. — LITTLE CHILDREN BLESSED.
13. If And they brought young children to him, that he should touch
them ; and his disciples rebuked those that brought them.
Children are the fruit of marriage; their Chriatian educa
tion, and the care of presenting them to Christ, that they
may become his members, is the end thereof. They are an
unhappy fruit, if they are not presented' to our blessed Sa
viour ; and if he does not touch them by blessing them, and

CHAPTER X. 471
uniting them to himself by his Spirit of adoption, in order to
make them raembers of his body.
14. But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto
them. Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not ;
for of such is the kingdom of God. ^
Nothing is more acceptable to God than great simplicity,
how much soever it is despised by the world. It is to tbe
simple and sincere that God communicates hiraself; them he
vouchsafes to honour with a near access to his majesty, and
for them he designs his kingdom. The Christian childhood
consists in having no more pride, impurity, resentment, craft,
ambition, covetousneaa, and knowledge of evil, than children.
It is this which renders us conformable, gives us admission,
and unites us to Jesus Christ in his kingdom. What is here
said is not by way of counsel, but it shows the absolute ne
cessity of being such, at least in some degree, in order to be
saved. It is Jesus Christ who says this ; — can we entertain
any manner of doubt concerning it ?
15. Verily I say unto you. Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom
of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.
To fall back into childhood is the decay of reason, and the
greatest humiliation of man : but there is another childhood,
which ia the glory of a reasonable creature, and the perfection
of reaaon itaelf; and this is to have the docility of a child in
reapect of the truths of the gospel. A child which is in
capable of resisting grace, and is, as it were, a rasa tabula
before God, affords a lively representation of that which
grace is able to effect, even in the heart of an old sinner. If
this grace were not all-powerful, who could ever hope for dis
positions so contrary to the pride of man ? Who could aspire
to this kingdom ? " Blessed is the man whom thou chasten-
est, 0 Lord, and teachest him out of thy law."
16. And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and
blessed them.
What care ought not men to take of children, for whom
Christ expresses so great tenderness, whom he blesses, and
takes under his own protection ! The blessing of the Al
mighty cannot possibly be ineffectual, since he blesaea none

472 MARK.
but those he loves, and since his love producea the good effect
which he requirea. If children were incapable of grace and
sanctification, what good could Chriat do them ? The church
imitates her Head in admitting them to baptism, and opening
her bosom to them.

SECT. III. — THE RICH YOUNG MAN. — THE DANGER OF RICHES.
17. Tf And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one run
ning, and kneeled to him, and asked him. Good Master, what shall I do
that I may inherit eternal life ?
How advantageous is it frequently to ask at the feet of
Chriat what we muat do in order to our salvation ! It is an
excellent practice, provided we perform it as we ought. He
alone is capable of showing us the way to heaven, being him
self the way ; he alone ia incapable of deceiving ua, aince he
is the truth ; and he alone is worthy to conduct ua to eternal
life, being himself that very life.
18. And Jesus said unto him. Why callest thou me good? there is
none good but one, that is, God.
If the faith of the heart be not answerable to the confes
sion of the raouth, the humility to the works, and the purity
of the intention to the fervency of the action, a man may run
to Christ, humble himself before him, and ask the best things
in the world of him, without becoming at all better thereby.
In order to pray after a truly Chriatian manner, it ia neces
sary for us to be thoroughly convinced of our own miaery,
and that God only being the fulneaa of all goodneaa, it is
through hira only that we can become good.
19. Thou knowest the commandments. Do not commit adultery. Do
not kill. Do not steal. Do not bear false witness. Defraud not. Honour
thy father and mother.
The commandmenta of God afford ua aufficient inatruction :
it ia often nothing but curioaity that deairea other lighta. The
law of God makes known hia will ; and it ia by conforming
ourselves thereto, that we partake of his goodness and holinesa.
Let thy law, 0 ray God, be continually the rule of my be
haviour and actions !

CHA.PTER X. 473
20. And he answered and said unto him. Master, all these have I ob
served from my youth.
Under how great obligations to God doea that person lie,
•ffl\om he preposaeaaea from hia youth with the love of his
law ! It is very dangerous for him not to have all the thank
fulness which he ought for such a bleaaing, or to attribute
that to himaelf which ia due only to God. Youth paaaed in
innocence ia a very rare and precious gift ; but it often hap
pena that when a man haa not known ain, he doea not auffi-
ciently know from whence virtue comea.
21. Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him. One
thing thou lackest : go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to
the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven : and come, take up
the cross, and follow me.
God cannot love any thing in ua but only hia own gifta ;
he alone can perfect those which he has bestowed upon us.
It is sometimes of great advantage to us for him not to do
this very soon, to the end that we may know at least, by the
difficulty of what reraains to be done, that what we have done
already did not proceed from ourselves, but was a gift of God.
If there be any one irregular inclination in the heart, this is
the very thing which God requires us to sacrifice to him, with
out which our salvation is in great danger.
22. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved : for he
had great possessions.
Abundance of persona aerve God with cheerfulness, until
he requires them to sacrifice for his sake that which they
love. A man thinks he loves God above all things, when at
the same time, without being sensible of it, he loves a little
money or aome trifie raore than God. Can we look upon
richea aa an advantage, when they are certainly an obatacle
either to aalvation, or at least to that perfection which God
requires of us ? This young man had been perhaps a saint,
if he had been poor : so true is it that it is oftentimes a mis
fortune to be rich.
23. If And tfesus looked round about, and saith unto Jiis disciples.
How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God !
Let Jesus Christ threaten the rich, and decry richea ever
so much ; the rich can by no means be persuaded to be afraid
40*

474 MARK.
of their condition, nor the poor not to envy it. Whoever will
not believe wisdom itself, and the Author of salvation in the
busineaa of salvation, ia reaolved to shut his eyes and to
perish. That which makes the danger the greater is, that
men are either least or rather not at all afraid, in that state
wherein they have most reason to be ao. It is therefore no
other than to turn our backs upon the kingdom of God, for
ns to have no other design but how to raise what the world
calla a fortune, and to heap up riches upon riches.
24. And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus
answereth again, and saith unto them. Children, how hard is it for
them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God I
The poor are sooner astonished at these worda than the
rich are ao much aa moved by them : the reason is, because
men see the danger of others better than their own. It is
rauch easier for a man to be contented without those things
which he has not, than to disengage himaelf from those which
he possesses, and not to trust in them. The poor may find a
sufficient ground of truat and confidence in their poverty,
since the kingdom of God is theirs ; but the rich have reaaon
to tremble in the midat of their richea. Whoever finda in
thera his rest, his joy, and his happiness, never thinks of
seeking for these thinga in God. And there lies the greateat
miaery. 25. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than
for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 26. And they were
astonished out of measure, saying among themselves. Who then can be
saved ?
Experience shows but too plainly how difficult it ia to root
out of the heart the desire of perishing things. To do this
is a greater rairacle than to remove a mountain. The wealth
of a covetous man is like food incorporated and changed into
the subatance of his heart : to take away the former is to
tear out the latter. He alone can do thia who has the heart
of the covetous peraon in his hand, and can take out his
stony heart, and give him one of flesh. The world is full of
such as say one to another, "Who then can be aaved?" and
yet live aa if it were the eaaiest thing imaginable.

CHAPTER X. 475
27. And Jesus looking upon them saith. With men it is impossible,
but not with God: for with God all things are possible.
It is the comfort of the humble that their salvation is in
the hands of God ; and it is the blindness of the proud that
they would have theirs in their own. A true Christian is
not at all alarmed to flnd here that without grace his salva
tion is impossible, because he knowa that God can do every
thing for him, and that he himaelf can do all thinga in God
through . Jesus Christ. Yes, 0 my God ! to thee it does
belong to work my salvation, because thou canst do all things
in me ; and to me to humble myself under thy almighty hand,
because I can do nothing but by thee.
SECT. IV. — A HUNDRED-FOLD PROMISED. — PERSECUTIONS. —
THE PASSION FORETOLD.
28. If Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and
have followed thee.
That man forsakes a great deal who, having but little,
leaves it all for the sake of God, and deairea nothing but
him. It is a small thing to foraake external gooda, if we do
not foraake what is truly ours, our will and flesh, in sacri
ficing 'them to God by mortification. It ia aomething indeed
to strip ouraelvea ; but if we design to follow Christ beyond
the sea of this present world, we must, by strength of arm,
cut our passage through the waves to that place where he-
expects us : that is, we must renounce and do violence to our
selves, in imitation of our head and pattern.
29. And Jesus answered and said. Verily I say unto you, There is no
man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or
wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, 30. But he
shall receive a hundred-fold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and
sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in
the world to come eternal life.
Who could believe that he who leavea his kindred and
estate, that he raay not be deficient in faith, truth, and
righteousneaa, and in that perfection which God requires of
him, is rewarded even in this life ? It is Jesua Chriat who
it: it ia, therefore, a matter of faith. One aingle
»ree of grace, which is a thousand times more valuable

476 MARK.
than all which a man can leave for the sake of God, causes
him to find a hundred-fold. Whoever can truly say that
his faith ataggera not at thia article, and that he ia ready to
follow Christ at the expense of all, what may he not justly
expect from God ! It is very pleasant to serve a master who,
in this world, raakes his aervanta rich in poverty, full of joy
in forsaking all thinga, and happy in the raidat of peraecu-
tiona ; whereaa worldly raaatera cannot aecure their favourites
from being miaerable even in the midat of richea, pleaaures,
and the greatest prosperity.
31. But many thai are flrst shall be last; and the last first.
What is here said is comraonly seen in times of persecution.
A great sinner, who showa himself faithful to God, makes
amends for his past infidelities, and rises even to the glory of
martyrdom; whilst a virtuous person, who gives way, loses
the fruit of all his good works. It is of the last iraportance
for a raan to be faithful to hia duty on aome aingular occaaion.
This is often a decisive atroke, and causes very great altera
tions. How much greater still is that which is made at the
hour of death betwixt a proud rich man and an humble beg
gar, a worldly peraon, and a true Christian !
32. If And they were in the way going up to Jerusalem ; and Jesus
went before them: and they were amazed; and as they followed, they
were afraid. And he took again the twelve, and began to tell them
what things should happen unto him.
All nature trembles in a man, when God obliges him to
take the way of the cross. Christ goes forward therein, with
a firm and even pace, and with a true courage. He who
hazards his life in hopes of a better fortune, exposes it only
because he hopes not to loae it, and ia but the more fond of
it on thia account ; as a covetous peraon ia really the fonder
of riches the more he exposes to the hazard of gaming, on
the prospect of greater gain. True courage consists in the
contempt of this present life through the hopes of that which
ia eternal ; and thia contempt ia ao rauch the greater the more
sure a man ia of losing it, as Jesus Christ and the martyrs
were.

CHAPTER X. 477
33. Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall
be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall
condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles: 34. And
they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him,
and shall kill him ; and the third day he shall rise again.
These two verses contain an abridgment of the passion of
the Son of God. His admirable constancy at the sight of
his aufferinga doea not proceed from insensibility or stupidity,
but from his imrautable affection toward his Father, and his
inviolable adherence to his will. Let us, after the exaraple
of Christ, support ourselves under the prospect of the evils
of this life, with the hopes of that which is to come. The
exact accomplishment of this prediction, in all its parts, is
an invincible proof both of the divinity of Christ and of the
religion which he has established.
SECT, v.— zebedee's CHILDREN. — THE CUP BEFORE THE
GLORY.
35. Tf And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him,
saying, Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we
shall desire.
Such is the blindness of carnal man, that he would have
God's will directed by his own. Worldly men, not altogether
destitute of faith, are not for going directly contrary to the
will of God, but they would fain have his designs fall in with
their own, and, through this earnest desire, they act at last
as if it were so. It is but a bad disposition for prayer, to
begin it with prescribing to God what he ought to give ua.
36. And he said unto them. What would ye that I should do for you?
He knew better than they that which was in their hearts ;
but it was proper that they should discover it themselves, in
the presence of the rest, to the end that all might be
instructed and set right. He seems disposed to grant them
every thing, on purpoae that they may have auch trust and
confidence in hira, as to disserable and hide nothing frora him.
37. They said unto him. Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy
right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory.
How little does man know wherein the kingdom of Christ
consists, and the ways which lead thereto! Who is there

478 MARK.
who does not perceive in his heart some degree, at least, of
this irregular desire ? It is injustice and pride to covet that
which does not belong to ua ; and it ia the spirit of the world.
There men think of nothing but how to place themselves,
without troubling theraselves at all to consider whether they
injure others, or whether they deserve that which they desire.
Ambition supplies the place of merit ; and every thing is just
when it is advantageous.
38. But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye driik
of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am
baptized with ?
Ambition is blind, and often knowa neither what it does
nor what it deairea, becauae it profeases to conault neither
reaaOn nor faith. We think of nothing but human greatneaa,
because we have no perfect knowledge of the true. The love
of sufferings and of the croaa ought to be the measure of our
hopes and. desires. No other way leads to glory but that of
mortification and the cross. There are inward mortificationa,
which pierce the heart, expressed here by the cup whieh ia
to be drank of; and there are outward, denoted by the bap-
tiara. We rauat have no amall degree of faith and of the
love of God, to look upon theae things as no other than an
agreeable and delicious draught, or aa a refreshing and
wholesome bath.
39. And they said unto him. We can. And Jesus said unto them. Ye
shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that
I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized :
The ambitious peraon finda nothing difficult, provided he
can but raiae himself. He easily presumes upon that which
he cannot perform to obtain that which he cannot deserve.
It was but a raoraent ago, and these men were seized with
fear and amazement at the bare sight of the way to Jeruaa
lem : but one paaaion weakens another, and, like a burning
fever, supplies a man with fresh strength and courage.
40. But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to
give; but ii shall be given to them for whom it is prepared.
Jesus Chriat is a priest, or, rather, , a high-priest, who
knows not what it ia to prefer hia friends or relations upon

CHAPTER X. 479
carnal motives, or to satisfy their ambition. He makes them
partakera of hia croaa ; but, aa to glory, he refers them for
that to his Father. As the cross is the only way whereby
we can arrive at glory, to proraise a persevering love for the
former is no other than to promise the latter. Grant, 0
Jesua ! that we may both live and die with thee under the
banner of the croas.
SECT. VI. — imperiousness FORBID.
41. And when the ten heard it, they began to be much displeased
with James and John.
The ambition of clergymen ia a great acandal in the
church, and ia frequently an occaaion of emulations, enmities,
divisions, schisms, and wars: of all which the displeasure
and indignation of the apostles give us an imperfect shadow
and resemblance. If apostles, trained up with so much care
m the school of charity and huraility, notwithstanding, are
not fr«e frora this vice, what effects will not arabition produce
in soula wholly iraraeraed in fieah and blood, which have no
motion but frora their paaaiona — no law but that of their own
desirea ?
42. But Jesus called them io Mm, and saith unto them. Ye know that
they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over
them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. 43. But so
shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you,
shall be your minister:
Observe here the spirit and rule of ecclesiastical govern
ment : much humility, instruction, and condescension ; no
dominion, imperiouaneaa, or harahneaa. Men atrangely for
get themselves when, in a ministry appointed only for the
sake of heaven, they are for contending with the great ones
of the earth in haughtiness and grandeur. It is very difficult
to support equally the double character of a spiritual pastor
and a temporal prince; and to join humility with grandeur,
meekness with dominion, and the constant application of a
pastor to the dutiea of hia function with the care of aecular
affaira. 44. And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.
The greatest prelate in the church is he who is raost con
formable to the example of Christ by huraility, charity, and

480 MARK.
continual attendance on hia fiock, and who looks upon him
self aa a aervant to the children of Gpd. We do not know
what it ia to aerve one aingle aoul for the sake of God in the
spirit of the holy servitude of Chriat. It ia aoraething far
more honourable than proudly to command whole nationa,
and to govern empirea. God requirea nothing raore of hia
chief miniaters than that which men do every day in order to
raiae themaelvea, which is, to become the aervanta of all : but
the one ia a servitude of charity, the other of concupiscence.
45. For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to
minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
To serve and to die, — thia ia all which Chriat came into the
world to do. There ia no alave who aervea hia maater aa thia
divine Maater served hia slaves. After such an example aa
thia, and under auch a head, a Chriatian, and much more a
clergyman, should not reflect, without some confusion, upon
the neceaaity under which he liea of being aerved by othera.
It ia good to diapenae as much as possible with the service of
others, and to exact none but after such a raanner is con
formable to the spirit of the gospel, and to the example of
the Prince of pastors. A man ought continually to serve or
minister in the work of salvation, as our blessed Lord did ;
and to spare neither his health nor his life, to contribute to
the saving of one soul: this is a duty belonging to the pas
toral office, upon which he ought to reckon before he under
takes it. 0 sovereign Paator of souls ! renew in thy church
the spirit and zeal of thy sacerdotal servitude, so little
known, and rauch lesa put in practice.
SECT. VIII. — THE BLIND MAN OF JERICHO CURED.
46. If And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with
his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimeus, the son of
Timeus, sat by the highway side begging.
In the cure of thia blind man, let ua reflect upon man
delivered frora blindneas of heart, indigence, and impotency,
by the raysteries of Christ's life. Blindness and indigence
are not always found together in the blind of body ; but they
are never asunder in the spiritually blind. Faith is, at the

CHAPTER X. 481
same time, both tte eye and life of the aoul ; and truth ia the
Ught and bread of the heart. 0 eternal truth ! 0 heavenly
bread! grant that I may be always sensible how much I
stand in need of thee, that I may know thee, go to thee, and
feed upon thee.
47. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to
cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.
That which a sinner ought to observe in the cure of his
soul ia— -(1.) To know his own blindness, and to be willing to
be delivered from it. (2.) To have recourse to the sovereign
Physician. (3.) To pray to him with fervency. (4.) To
trust only in his mercy. The cure is far advanced when
once a man begins to cry out after his deliverer and physi
cian ; he is already freed from a great part of his misery
when he is become so sensible as to have recourse to mercy.
It is thou, 0 God of raercies ! who hast prevented me in my
bhndness, and taught me to call upon thee, and to lay before
thee my misery.
48. And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he
cried the more a great deal. Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.
The sinner in his conversion ought — (5.) Not to hearken to
the world, nor to those who would discourage or divert him
from hia deaign, but to pray with the greater earneatneaa.
This blind man ia already well enlightened. He knowa that
the opportunitiea of recovering aight do not preaent thera
aelvea every day, and that therefore he muat not let them
slip. Truth doea not alwaya come to ua a second time : he
who lets it pass away frora him, ia not sure of finding it again.
We sometimes hazard all by not adhering to it at first with
constancy and perseverance.
49. And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And
they call the blind man, saying unto him. Be of good comfort, rise; he
calleth thee.
The sinner in his conversation ought — (6.) To have a raan
of God to conduct hira to Christ, and encourage him under
his weakness. What joy and comfort is it to a penitent
when he sees that the divine mercy is moved by hia miaery;
that it atands atill, aa it were, on his account, and heara his
Vol L— 41. 2 F

482 MARK.
prayers ! Hope is firmly eatabliahed in the heart by prayer,
and auppliea a man with courage to go to God when he calls
him in that manner which is always effectual.
50. And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus.
He ought — (7.) To caat away imraediately all outward impe
dimenta which retard the effect of his resolutiona. (8.) To
obey him who speaka to him on the part of God ; and to riae
up in order to go near hia Saviour, by walking in the way of
good worka and of his coramandraents. (9.) To run to him
without delay, and with an ardent faith. The blind man
stands before Jesus without seeing him, yet he believes and
hopes in him ; which gives ua a repreaentation of thia life,
wherein our cure is wrought under the obscurity of faith.
We shall see this adorable truth, which is at present veiled
from our sight, when once our cure shall be perfected, our
eyes opened, and the darkness of faith changed into the light
of glory.
51. And Jesus answered and said unto him. What wilt thou that I
should do unto thee ? The blind- man said unto him. Lord,* that I
might receive my sight. [* Fr. Cause me to see.]
The sinner in his converaion ought — (10.) To forget all
other wanta, and to mention none but thoae of hia aoul, in
begging mercy. That mercy which the blind man here aska
ia, that Chriat, by his almighty power, would be pleased to
work a cure in him, and give him eyea capable of seeing.
In like manner, that which every one who prays to God aa
he ought, asks in proportion, is the operation of hia grace in
the heart. Obaerve here the perfect agreement of grace
with free-will. God, by hia all-powerful will, worka upon the
will of man, which is denoted by these expressions, — "that I
should do unto thee ;" — " cause me to see." The will of man
gives its consent thereto, wills it, and asks for it, signified by
these words, — " What wilt thou ?" — " Lord, cause me to see."
52. And Jesus said unto him. Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee
whole. And immediately he received his sight, and fgllowed Jesus in
the way.
In the laat place, the ainner, after he has received his cure,
obaerving the rulea of justice, ought to be full of acknowledg-

CHAPTER XL 483
-ment, and to follow Christ by imitating him throughout the
whole course of this life. This blind man's faith made him
whole, and saved him ; but it was the Saviour himself who
gave him this faith. The Scripture, and Christ himself,
speak both of cures and of dispositions which qualify for
them, because these dispositions are no less a gift of God
than the cures themselves, and it is a matter of faith that he
is the author of both. My God, I acknowledge with joy that
thou canst not crown any thing in me except thy own gifts ;
and that I have nothing to offer to thee but what I bate
received from thee.

CHAPTER XI.
SECT. I. — CHRIST'S ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM.
1. And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethpage and
Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples,
Christ, as the victim of God, comes to present himself at
the place of sacrifice. This ia not the action of a mere man,
to go thus calmly, in cold blood, to deliver himself up to hia
enemies, and to meet certain death. It is thus, 0 Jesus !
that thou introduceat into the world a new philoaophy, which
conaiats in the folly of the croaa, the contempt of life,
and the desire of death. Lord, let thia spirit of sacrifice
fill the hearts of Christians, and make them become true
victims !
2. And saith unto them. Go your way into the village over against
you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall flnd a colt tied,
whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring Mm.
This colt is a figure of the Gentiles, a people without any
yoke or law, to whom Christ was to send his apostles ; and
thia action denotes the calling of them, which we see con
tinually fulfilled, even in our own days, by missionaries and
bishops truly apostolical. God sometimes sends preachers
very far for a sraall nuraber of hia elect, who have no know
ledge of him, and are tied faat with the cords of sin, and
have never borne the yoke of any law.

484 MARK.
3. And if any man say unto you. Why do ye this ? say ye that the
Lord hath need of him ; and straightway he will send him hither.
The need which the Lord declares he has of this colt is,
that he may show himself to the people as the true paschal
victim which is necessary for tbem ; that he may prefigure
the triumph of his grace over all nations ; and teach all pre
lates, after his example, to retain the marks of modesty and
humility in the raidat of the splendour of their dignity, and
to renounce all exceaa by yielding to neceaaity.
4. And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door with
out in a place where two ways met; and they loose him. ?
It is no small proqf of the faith of these disciples, who
were as yet imperfect, to expose theraselves to the insults of
men, in obedience to their Master. They run the risk of
being counted no better than thieves : there are, therefore.
Some occaaiona on which it ia neceaaary for a man to hazard
bis reputation, aa well aa his life, in order to perform the will
of God.
5. And certain of them that stood there said unto them, What do ye,
loosing the colt? 6. And they said unto them even as Jesus had com
manded: and they let them go.
Nothing resists the word of the God-man, nor the faith
and obedience of a faithful disciple. Let us learn to avoid
all arguing and disputing whenever God commands us some
thing above our atrength ; and to put our whole confidence
in the power of hia Will, which can do all thinga. He accus
toms his apostles to see that the wills of men are less in their
own power than in that of God, and that his word is
alraighty, even in the mouth of his miniatera, to the end
that raen raay believe them.
7. And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on
him ; and he sat upon him.
It ia the duty of a prieat to bring those aoula to Chriat
whom, by hia power, he haa looaed frora their sina ; to apare
nothing within his capacity to cover and secure them from
the malice of the devil and the world ; and to dispose them to
bear the yoke of Christ and his goapel. Thia ia the way to
make them bear a part in the triumphs of our blessed Saviour.
Let us carry Christ in our hearts, and suffer ourselves to be

CHAPTER XL 485
guided by him in the road to the heavenly Jerusalem, if we
desire ever to arrive there with him. But let us remember,
that it will be in vain for us to undertake to do this, unless
he himself vouchsafe to carry and support us by his grace.
8. And many spread their garments in the way ; and others cut down
branches off the trees, and strewed them in the way.
A man may justly be said to lay all at and under the feet
of Christ, when he looks upon all the things of this world
with contempt, and freely parts with them to win Christ.
The shortest and safest way to the heavenly Jerusalem is, for
men to atrip themselves of their possessions, (represented here
by garments,) and to trample under foot all worldly hopes,
(denoted by the branches of the treea,) in order to give re
ception to Chriat, and to make him triumph in their hearta
by apoatolical and evangelical perfection.
9. And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying,
Hosanna ; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord : 10.
Blessed he the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of
the Lord : Hosanna in the highest.
Whatever was done before the incarnation, and whatever
has happened since, was all designed to be subservient only
to Christ and to his glory. He cometh in the name of hia
Father ; he ia the true David ; and hia kingdom is a kingdom
of suffering upon earth, and of glory in heaven. When shall
we behold this glorious kingdom, which the true Israelites ex
pect, for which the children of God daily pray to their hea
venly Father ? when shall we sing a hosanna, to be followed
with an eternal hallelujah ?
11. And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple : and T^hen
he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was
come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve.
Christ teaches kings and conquerors to lay down at the
foot of the altar all the glory wherewith they are encircled.
They ought ultimately to refer to God all the praises which
are given them ; to dedicate to him all their grandeur ; fre
quently to pour out their hearts before him in the house of
prayer, and to offer them up to him, in order to empty and
purify them from all the vanity which praise is apt to inspire,
and to beg of him the grace not to suffer themselves to be
41*

486 MARK.
poiaoned therewith. It is neither a wandering mind nor
curiosity which causes Christ " to look round about upon all
things" in the temple, but a zeal for hia Father's glory and
for his house, which makes hira search and examine into
every thing which may be therein contrary to the purity of
his worship, and to the edification of his people. Thia is a
pattern for bishops, archdeacons', pastors, visitors, etc.
SECT. II. — THE FIG TREE CURSED. — THE BUYERS AND SELL
ERS CAST OUT OF THE TEMPLE. — THE POWUR OF PRAYER.
12. If And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he
was hungry :
The true hunger of Christ, of which this is only the figure,
is his ardent desire of the salvation of men. His bodily
hunger plainly shows that the day of his triumph was to him
a day of fasting and mortification. How different are his
festival days from those of the world,, in which sensuality
and debauchery seem to triumph !
13. And seeing a flg tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he
might flnd any thing thereon : aud when he came to it, he found nothing'
but leaves ; for the time of flgs was not yet.
The faith, hope, charity, and good works of the faithful
are the fruits with which Christ satisfies his hvmger. Words,
promises, barren desires, and outward performances alone
are but useless and unprofitable leaves, upon which he does
not feed. Christ does not, either through ignorance, seek
for fruit where there is none, or through injustice, deaire to,
find it when there can be none : but he doea all thia out of
wiadom and goodneaa, on purpoae to raiae in ua, by thia figure,
a juat apprehenaion of that day when he will come to examine
our livea, and when there will be no longer any time for the
performance of good worka. In order to have sorae at that
day, we rauat labour during our whole life.
14. And Jesus answered and said imto it. No man eat fruit of thee
hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.
Chriat punishes a tree, to raake us conclude that he would
have us understand soraewhat else thereby. God would find
in us some fruits of righteousneaa at the hour of death,;

CHAPTER XL 487
though that ia not the time to begin to produce thera. After
death there are no more good worka, there ia no raore mercy;
nothing is tO be found but wrath, barrenness, and malediction
for the> wicked.
15. And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus vrent into the temple,
and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and over
threw the tables of the money changers, and the seats of them that sold
doves ;
Every one of the faithful ia the temple of God, and there
fore ought to have the same zeal for the purity of hia own
heart which Chriat had for the sanctity of the visible temple.
Avarice, self-interest, fondness for temporal things, and all
other lusts of this life which fill the heart, are the buyers
and sellers which raust he cast out of this house of God, con
secrated by baptism for the offering up of prayer and adora
tion to him, and glorifying his name. He who, instead of
seeking the glory of God hy the works of a free and disin
terested charity, aeeka therein the applauae of men, ia a
trader who aeeka a temporal and earthly gain, and not a
Christian who seeks God, and worships him in spirit and in
truth. 16. And wouW not suffer that any man should carry any vessel
tiirough the, temple.
Let US imitate thia zeal of Christ for the sanctity of God's
house. The severity which he exercises againat the pro
fanera of the figurative temple, ia but a ahadow of that fury
with which he will puniah in hell all thoae who profane the
living temples by their impuritiea, their own hearta by their
vicea, the churchea by their irreverence and impieties, and
the priesthood of Christ by ambition, by the scandalous mer-
dhandise of benefices, and by corruption of mannera.
17. And he taught, saying unto them. Is it not written. My house
shall be called of.' all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it
a den of thieves. .
The prelatea, after Chriat'a example, ought alwaya to join the
instruction of ainnera, with the punishment of sin. The church,
is the place where the divine commerce of religion is carried
on between God and man, the band of which is prayer ; and
where man ought to give himself entirely to God, as God

488 MARK.
therein gives himaelf entirely to man. He who doea it not
is a murderer of his own soul, and a thief who robs God of
his right. None hut the church can " he called of all nations
the house of prayer:" and therefore none but that can he
the house of God. The more a Christian applies himaelf to
prayer, the more hia heart is the houae of God, in which
he Uvea and does every thing in his presence.
18. And the scribesand chief priests heard it, and sought how they
might destroy him : ,for they feared him, because all the people was as
tonished at his doctrine.
Truth always makes a division among men. Sorae think
of nothing but to peraecute and suppress it, while others ad
mire, love, embrace, and practise it. It is a dreadful thing
to see here who they are who take the resolution to destroy
it, without doubt not imagining they were doing it, but really
believing themaelvea on ita side. There are aome particular
seasons in which it is almost necessary for a man to lie con
cealed in the crowd of people, to prevent his having any hand
in the persecution of truth. That which a man is hindered
frora doing against it by nothing but fear alone, is already
done in the heart.
19. And when even was come, he went out of the city. 20. If And in
the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the
roots. Whoever is cursed of God for not having performed good
works, is no longer good for any thing but to be caat into the
fire aa a dry atick. The root of faith remaina, during this
life, in wicked Chriatiana who have not the fruita of it; but
after death there ia no raore faith, no more hope of fruit, the
root itaelf being dried up. It is frequently dried up even in
this life, when no care is taken to cultivate it by Christian,
vigilance, and to water it with prayer.
21. And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, be
hold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.
One of the subjects to which holy persons apply them
selves, is to adore the terrible judgments of the divine justice
on the wicked, while these only blaspheme against it. The
tree withers away because it was cursed ; but it was cursed
only becauae it waa unfruitful : whereaa when it bore fruit, it

CHAPTER XL 489
was the blessing of God which made it fruitful. Thus it is
from the eternal benediction of God that the fruit of good
works in the elect doea proceed ; but it ia the want of good
works which is the cause of his malediction upon the repro
bate. 22. And Jesus answering saith unto them. Have faith in God.
Let us admire the efficacy of faith or trust in God, and the
force of prayer which is derived from it. That truat or con
fidence which obtains miracles, is neither wavering nor pre
sumptuous, neither inactive nor too forward. It is very rare
for a man to have a will ao cloaely united to God aa to have,
as it were, a right to be assured of his without the leaat
doubt, when it ia uaeful or neceaaary for hia glory ; but then,
he haa need of abundance of grace, not to fall from confi
dence into preaumption. A slothful confidence which does
not pray with earnestness, and an eager faith which seeras to
impose a law on God, are equally unworthy to be favoured
with a miracle.
23. For verily I say unto you. That whosoever shall say unto this
mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea ; and shall
not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith
shall come to pass ; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
The pOwer of God is ours when our heart is entirely his by
a faith which ia lively and free from all diatruat or doubtful
ness. Thia ia the fruit of that holy and faithful friendship
which the Holy Ghost forms between God and the saints, and
which consists in desiring only the very, same things. No
thing is raore or leaa difficult in respect of him who can
equally do all things, and whom nothing ia able to resist.
24. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire when ye
pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have mem.
We obtain every thing of a father, when we address our
selves to him with the confidence of children, because then
love praya in us ; and God can refuse nothing to that. God
promiaea every thing, without the leaat exception or reaerve,
to prayer ; becauae the Holy Spirit, who praya in the saints,
knowa what he is to ask for them, and cannot poasibly aak
any thing but what ia holy. Since it ia the will of God which,

490 MARK.
in praying lite Chriatians, we deaire in and above all things,
a Chriatian prayer ia always heard.
25. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against
any ; that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your

He who carries along with him to his prayers a spirit of
dissension, bitterness, and revenge, brings back nothing but
his own condemnation. Christ could not possibly have more
plainly given us to understand that it is charity which must
pray, and that God hears nothing besides, than by requiring
this virtue of us before all things, which reconciles ua both
to God and man. The firat grace and favour which God con
fera on ainnera, ia the pardon and forgiveneaa of their aina :
but then thia forgiveneaa belongs only to thoae who forgive.
26. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in
heaven forgive your trespasses.
We muat have the heart of a brother toward our neighbour,
if we deaire God ahould have that of a Father toward ua.
If the dread of being diainherited by auch a Eather, and of
losing such an inheritance, do not move a revengeful person,
he never had the least notion of what it is to possess God, or
what it is to lose him. One cannot lose him as a Father and-
as an inheritance, without having hira for an enemy and a
judge. What raadness is it for a raan to choose rather to
suffer the vengeance of God to all eternity, than to lay aside
his own, which can neither last a long time nor do abundance
of hurt ! SECT. III. — BY WHAT AUTHORITY.
27. If And they come again to Jerusalem: and as he was walking in
the temple, there come to him the chief priests, and the scribes, and the
elders, 28. Ahd say unto him. By what authority doest thou these-
things ? and Who gave thee this authority to do these things'?
Those who find themselves vanquished by truth generally^
endeavour to reject authority. There are no persons more
forward to demand of others a reason for their actions, than
those who think they may do every thing themselves without'
control. Blind priests ! who see not the finger of God, nor
his divine authority in the viaible and innumerable miracles

CHAPTER XL 491
of Christ, which plainly authorize his raission and his conduct,
and evidently prove his divinity. Ignorant acribea! who
talk of nothing but the Scripturea and the law, ahd yet do
not perceive in Chriat the author and the perfection, the end
and accompliahraent, the spirit and the truth of the law, as
all the Scriptures declare him to be.
29. And Jesus answered and said unto them, I will also ask of you
one question, and answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do
these thipgs. 30. The baptism of John, was ii from heaven, or of men ?
answer me.
An answer worthy of the wisdom of God ! Had he an
swered that hia authority came from God, he muat have
proved it, either by hia paat miraclea, againat which their
malice bad hardened them, or by new onea, of which they
were altogether unworthy, and which they would likewiae
have evaded. The shortest and surest way is to force them
either to acknowledge the testiraony given by John, or to see
themselves reduced to a shameful silence. By obliging here
tics and irreligious persons to explain their own opinions, one
cannot fail of gaining considerably, by the advantage they
will give to the cause of truth, though against their inclina
tion. 31i And they reasoned with themselves, saying. If we shall say. From
heaven; he will say. Why then did ye not believe him? 32. But if we
shall say. Of men ; they feared the people : for all men counted John,
that he was a prophet indeed.
What shifts and evasions does the apirit of Adara seek,
that it may avoid yielding to the truth ! When a man can
no longer withstand the force of it, hut only by insincerity,
dissimulation, and artifice, he ia convinced, but not converted.
Miserable condition this ! for raen to set themselves in oppo
sition to truth with the greater obstinacy the more they know
it; and to employ that very light which reason receives from
truth, to defend themselves againat the light of truth itself!
33. And they answered and said unto Jesus, We cannot tell. And
Jesus answering saith unto them. Neither do I tell you by what author
ity I do these things.
Chriat diacovers not himself to hypocrites. That man is
altogether unworthy of the truth who seeks it only to oppose

492 MAR K.
it. It is to no manner of purpose to dispute and reaaon with,
those who study only how to ensnare in their discourse, and
to take advantage of every thing against truth. Such per
sons show plainly what concern they have for truth, when
they make use of lies and forgeries to oppress it. Humility
does not oblige any one to give an account of his conduct to
all sorts of persons, nor at all times, nor in all circumatancea,
but only to be ready to do it whenever the glory of God and
y the benefit of hia neighbour require iti

CHAPTER XII.

SECT. I. — THE HUSBANDMEN MURDERERS. — THB CORNER
STONE REJECTED.
1. And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man
planted a vineyard, and set a hedge about it, and digged a place for the
winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandnien, and went into
a far country.
The soul, according to one figurative sense of this parable,
is the vineyard of God. When he created it, he planted it;
he set a hedge about it, which is that of his coraraandmenta.
The winepreaa is the representative sacrifice which causes
the blood of Christ to fiow into it. The tower is the church,
the house of prayer, in which the soul, being raised from the
earth, is secure from its enemies, and finds in the word of.
God arms strong enough to overcome them. Our soul is not
our own; God, who is the creator, is likewise the proprietor
of it. We hold it of hira, as it were by lease, only that we
may cultivate it, and render to him the fruits which it is capa
ble of producing by hia grace. Let ua take great care that
we be not found, either not having any at all, or claiming the
property of them to ourselves.
2. And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he
might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard. 3. And
they caught Mm, and beat him, and sent him away empty.
The fruit and product of our vineyard is no other than to

CHAPTER xn. 493
worship and serve him who gave it us, and to keep his com
mandments in reaiating our evil inclinationa. It is very just
that he should receive of the fruit of the vineyard, since it
belongs to him, and since he is at all the charge and expense
of the workmanship by his grace. The divine law, inspira
tions, and good motions, are, as it were, the first servants
whom God sends to us, to demand the fruit or product of his
vineyard. We abuse these when we despiae and reject good
thoughts and desires, and render them useless and ineffectual,
instead of hearkening to and obeying them.
4. And again he sent unto them another servant ; and at him they
, cast stones, and wounded Aim in the head, and sent him away shame
fully handled.
The Scripture ia the aecond aervant aent from God to re
ceive the fruit of hia vineyard. To contemn the authority
of it through pride, not to believe it through incredulity, to
contradict and withstand the truths contained in it out of a
spirit of opposition, to neglect the reading of it through sloth
fulness, and not to obey it through worldly and carnal affec
tion, is a most heinous offence, when it is voluntary, and in a
matter of importance. The Scripture ia a letter from our
heavenly Father. We have but little reverence for such a
Father, or love for our heavenly country, when we despise,
neglect, or disrespect the letters which come to us from thence.
5. And again he sent another ; and him they killed, and many others;
beating some, and killing some.
The labours of the apostles and their successors, the ex
hortations of the pastors, and the exaraples of the sainta, are
the third servant sent by the Lord of the vineyard. It ia a
dreadful thing to make no use of all these, to show no grati
tude for them, to hate the persons on the account of the truth,
to despise or hate the truths which they deliver, and to tram
ple them under foot : these are, in the aight of God, ao many
outrages and murders, which will be aeverely punished. How
much more heinous ia it then to peraecute them ?
6. Having yet therefore one son, his well beloved, he sent him also
last unto them', saying. They will reverence my son.
At length the Son of God himself, as the only Son of the
Vol. L— 42 ^

494 MARK.
Lord of the vineyard, is sent in the incarnation and in the
euchariat, in hia name to retake poaaeaaion of our heart, which
ia hia vineyard, and to receive from it the fruit of hia gracea.
We should be very sensibly affected were but any thing of
the like nature with this parable to happen in our sight, even
though a father should send his son only for his own interest;
and yet we are altogether insensible as to that which faith
teaches us concerning the only Son of God, sent into the
world, and humbled by his Father, purely for our aalvation.
Thia ought to convince ua that our faith ia very weak, and
that our aalvation is little regarded by ua.
7. But those husbandmen said among themselves. This is the heir;
come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours. 8 And they
took him, and killed Mm, and cast Aim -out of the vineyard.
All deadly sins are so many murders of Jeaus Christ. It
seems as if sinners had conspired to kill him by innumerable
deaths. The Jews killed him only when he was mortal;
wicked Christians crucify him afresh, even now that he is
become all-glorious and imraortal. That man renders himself
guilty of shedding his blood, who, by sacrilegious communions,
receives the repreaentation of it unworthily. To ain, ia to
renew hia death, since it was by sin only that he died.
9. What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do ? he will come and
destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others.
The hour of death and judgment is a dreadful hour, which
we do not sufficiently hear. All is lost to a sinner when he
once leaves this world ; he has no longer a right to any thing,
he is not maater of any thing, no, not even of hia own aoul,
which ia forfeited to the juatice of God, ,and delivered up to
the devil aa the eternal executioner 6f that eternal juatice.
10. And have ye not read this scripture ; The stone which the builders
rejected is become the head of the corner :
Happy ia that peraon, who with Chriat patiently beara the
contempts, affronts, and persecution of sinners in this life:
for he shall certainly have a share in his exaltation and glory.
Christ is to his church a stone, which is solid by his immor
tality, white by his purity: a principal one, as being her
head ; a foundation-stone, aa author and finiaher of the faith ;

CHAPTER XIL 495
and a corner-stone, as being the band and union of all his
members. They whose business it is to build the spiritual
edifice, are sometimes so unhappy as to reject the most lively
and excellent stones. But God will certainly take care to
reserve thera their proper place, and to put them into the
building. 11. This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes ?
It is the joy of the righteous to employ their minds with
admiration on the divine qualities of the Son of God, on the
mysteriea of hia life, and the wondera which he haa wrought,
in order to the redemption of raankind, and to the eatabliah-
-ment of his church. Whoever has a true reliah of faith, finds
no manner of diflSculty in depriving himaelf of the vain amuse
ments of this world and of unprofitable studies, that he may
replenish his raind and heart with the truths of religion, and
make the most excellent knowledge of Christ and his church
his chief pleasure and delight. "This is the Lord's doing,"
it is his work, and that which is moat worthy of him ; why
then ahould we be ao fooliah aa to aeek elaewhere after aome-
.thing which may be more worthy of ua ?
12. And they sought to lay hold on him, but feared the people ; for
they knew that he had spoken the parable against them : and they left
¦him, and went their way.
The wicked think of nothing but how to destroy Christ
within them by sin, whereas the saints seek him upon earth,
and adore him in heaven. It is something to be so wise as
to know when trnths are directed to us ; but to raake no other
use of them than to be provoked thereby, is the property of
the reprobate. God makes use of human motivea, of the fear
and the other paaaiona of the wicked, to put a stop to their
fury, and suspend the execution of their evil deaigna, until
the very raoraent in which he has determined to leave them
to themselves, and to permit thera to act as they please. We
need only open our eyes to find sufficient cauae to adore the
like conduct of God in all places, at all times, and on innu
merable occaaiona.

496 MARK.

SECT. II. — aOD AND CESAR.
13. If And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of th^ He
rodians, to catch him in his words.
The worldly-minded, and the great pretenders to devotion,
do but too often combine together againat the truth. It is
very common for thoae who can no longer hold out againat
the force of truth, to make uae, in order to silence the de
fenders of it, of such as have great credit and reputation in
the world, either by reason of their profession of piety, or of
their authority.
14. And when they were come, they say unto him. Master, we know
that thou art true, and carest for no man ; for thou regardest not the
person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth : Is it lawful to give
tribute to Cesar, or not? 15. Shall we give, or shall we not give?
The hypocrisy of theae men cauaea thera to raake uae of
truth itaelf in order to destroy it ; and truth makes use of
their own words to confound them. Praise is a very dan
gerous snare. It is a virtue to praise good men, when it ia
done without any prejudice to truth, and when the intention
is good ; but it is no other than flattery, when praise, though
ever so well-grounded, is given with an ill design. Generosity
and zeal are virtues which are essential in a minister of
Christ ; but for such a one to value himself on the account of
his zeal and generosity, is a dangerous vice, which may spoil
all his other virtues. It is not sufficient for a man "to teach
the way of God in truth," but he must do it likewise in charity
and prudence ; having a regard to persons, not with respect
to the raatter of the truths, but to the manner of speaking
them. But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them. Why tempt ye me ?
bring me a penny, that I may see it. 16. And they brought it. And
he saith unto them. Whose is this image and superscription ? And they
said unto him, Cesar's. 17. And Jesus answering said unto them. Ren
der to Cesar the things that are Cesar's, and to God the things that are
God's. And they marvelled at him.
True piety alone knows how to render to God that which is
due to him, without refusing to princea what belonga to them.
It ia our duty, neither to forbear apeaking the truth through

CHAPTER XIL 497
fear of diapleaaing men, nor to apeak it with a deaign to pleaae
them, nor to have any regard to the judgment they may pass
either on our silence or our freedom, but to regard only the
judgment of truth itself The wicked do not indeed deserve
that truth should be taught them, when they ask for it, out of
hypocrisy ; but truth deserves to have testimony given to it,
whenever ita intereat dependa thereupon. God givea to the
upright in heart the dexterity to avoid the anarea of hypo-
eritea, and to oblige even them to be inatruraental in pro
moting the cauae of truth.
SECT. III. — THE RESURRECTION, AND ANGELICAL STATE.
18. If Then come unto him the Sadducees, which say there is no resur
rection ; and they asked him, saying.
The devil givea no truce or reapite to the Christian, any
more than his ministers did to Christ. When one temptation
does not prevail, he immediately raises up another. Let
watchfulness and prayer keep us continually in a readiness to
fight against this eneray, and to avoid his snares.
19. Master, Moses wrote unto us. If a man's brother die, and leave
his wife behind Mm, and leave no children, that his brother should takp
his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.
Moaea and the prophets, the priests and the doctors of the
law, are dead, without raising up any children to God, hav
ing made only slaves by fear. Christ alone hath raised up
some to hira, because he brought with him the spirit of adop-
tionj which is the love of God; but still in a greater number
after his death, and by his brethren the apostles, who es
poused the church in his name, as his proxies and vicars.
Would to God that this heavenly spouse were given to none
but the true brethren of Christ, who, by the conformity of
their manners and conduct with his, and being filled with his
zeal and apirit, might continually raise up children to God.
20, Now there were seven brethren : and the first took a wife, and
dying left no seed. 21. And the second took her, and died, neither left
he any seed : and the third likewise. 22. And the seven had her, and
left no seed : last of all the woman died also.
Happy is she who has but one eternal husband, who shall
never be taken from her by death, and who will make her
42* 2 G

498 MARK.
fruitful in good worka! By auch examples as this, God
plainly ahowa that it ia he who givea fruitfulneaa ; and that,
without hia bleaaing, every thing ia barren. Such a barren
neaa is likewise frequently the juat puniahment of irregular
desires. 23. In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife
shall she be of them ? for the seven had her to wife.
How carnal are the thoughts of carnal men concerning
the life of heaven, and how unworthy of that blessed state !
We muat loae all the ideaa of whatever paaaes upon earth, in
order to frame one which raay at all corae near the true na
ture of that eternal happiness. The creature shall belong
only to its Creator ; man shall live only for his God. She
who, while ahe waa on earth, left her father and mother to
cleave to her huaband, ahall then leave both her husband and
herself, to cleave eternally to God alone.
24. And Jesus answering said unto them. Do ye not therefore err, be
cause ye know not the Scriptures, neither the power of God ?
The carnal Jews did not know nor understand the Scrip
tures, because they comprehended not the spirit of them, but
explained, according to the letter only, those spiritual and
eternal promises which were wrapped up in the types and
shadows of the law as in a veil. Thus they were far from
comprehending the nature of that land of proraiae, which is
the land of the living — of that Jerusalem of which God him
self is the founder and builder — of that heavenly mountain
where the eternal covenant of the choaen people with their
God ahall be perfected — of that glorious temple which is the
bosora of God hiraself — of that tabernacle which the Lord
hath pitched and not man-r-of that High Priest of good
things to come, who is himself his own altar and sacrifice
with his church — and of that proraise which was to be fully
accomplished only in heaven, namely. That they should be
the people, disciples, and children of God ; and that hewould
be their God, their Teacher, and their Father. Let us, if we
can, comprehend the power of God, and then we shall easily
comprehend how he will fulfil all this in his elect.

CHAPTER XIL 499
25. For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor
are given in marriage ; but are as the angels whioh are in heaven.
. When man entire shall be once put into possession of all
the rights belonging to the adoption of the children of God,
he will then, without losing any thing of his nature, become
altogether spiritual and heavenly; because the Holy Ghost
will perfectly possesa both his soul and hia body. Every
other alliance shall be annihilated, when that of the church
with God shall be consummated. Let us, as much as pos
sibly we can, begin here below the life of angela, by purity ;
by fidelity, in doing every thing aa in the presence of God ;
by charity, and by the practice of all other divine virtues,
to the end that we raay continue it in heaven.
26. And as touching the dead, that they rise ; have ye not read in the
book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am
the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob ?
27. He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living : ye there
fore do greatly err,
God is pleased with the reraerabrance of those whora he
has sanctified, and glories raore in being called the God of
two or three just persons, than the God of heaven and earth.
God is, in a raost peculiar manner, the God of these patriarchs,
being their proper good, their inheritance, their crown, and
exceeding great reward, which they are to posaeaa in virtue
of hia promises : Gen. xv. 1. He ia the supreme Good, or
the "rewarder of them that diligently seek him," (Heb. xi.
6;) the God for whom Abraham and his children forsook all
and gave all, (ver. 8, 17,) upon the prospect of the resurrec
tion, (ver. 19,) and of the reward, (ver. 20 ;) the God of
whom he expected something very different from the land of
Canaan, in which he only "sojourned, aa in a atrange coun
try, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob," (ver. 9,)
who always looked upon themselves as " strangers and pil
grims on the earth," (ver. 13,) desiring earnestly that hea
venly country wherein "he hath prepared for them a city,"
(ver. 16 ;) and it is upon this account that " he is not ashamed
to be called their God."
Now God cannot be, in this sense, "the God of the dead,"
since he cannot be poaseased by those who are no more, nor

BOO MARK.
be the proper good, inheritance, and reward of any but « the
living." Since, then, all these saints " died in faith, not having re
ceived" the good things which God had proraiSed them with
an oath, (ver. 13, 39,) and since God is faithful, and utterly
incapable of failing in the performance of hia word and pro
mises, (chap. vi. 17, 18,) there must necessarily be another
life, wherein the heirs of the divine promises may receive the
effect of them, both in their souls, by which they are men,
and in their bodies, without which they are not such, in which
they received these promiaea, and with which, aa the com
paniona of their laboura, they served God. The soul, there
fore, must be immortal, and the body must be reunited to
the soul by the resurrection, that they may together enjoy
God as their reward, and posseas him as their property and
inheritance to all eternity.
SECT. IV. — THE LOVE' OP GOD AND OF OUR NEIGHBOUR.
28. If And one of the scribes came, and haviiig heard them reasoning
together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him,
Which is the first cOmmadment of all ?
Among a great number of enemies to the truth, there ia
always found sorae person who receives it and profits thereby.
God by this givea aome comfort to an evangelical preacher.
One truth, eatabliahed and well rooted in the heart, producea
in it a deaire of knowing others. Nothing is more capable
of inspiring men with the love of God's law, and of encourag
ing thera to the practice of it, than the belief of another
life, and of the resurrection of the dead, which supposes the
iramortality of the soul. Let ua often draw near to Christ
by prayer, and humbly beseech hira to teach us this "first
coramandment of all," by speaking to our heart, and en
graving it therein by hia Spirit and hia grace.
29. And Jesus answered him. The first of all the commandments is.
Hear, 0 Israel ; The Lord our God is one Lord :
Obaerve here in what true religion does consist : in hear
ing, believing, and loving God without reserve. The unity
of God is the foundation thereof. Happy the people to whom

CHAPTER XIL 801
God made himself known, to whom he taught his law with
his own mouth, and to whom he gave himself, had they but
known, served, and loved hira with all their heart! Happy
that man to whom God has vouchsafed to impart the know
ledge of his narae, and of the Trinity of his persons, pro
vided he be faithful and grateful, and serve him as the God
of his heart ! Say unto ray soul, 0 Lord, that thou art ray
God, and ray only God : but speak it as God, at the same
time taking full possession of my heart, as the aole Lord and
Maater of it !
30. And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with
all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength : this is
the flrst commandment.
God will be loved in truth and with all the heart ; and they
know not what it ia to love God who suffer themselves to be
taken up with any thing whatever which may drive away, di
minish, or divert that love which is due to him. It is by lov
ing God that we serve and worship him in this life ; it is by
the same that we find and poaaess hira in the other : and aa
we cannot possess hira but with all our heart, so we must also
love him with all our heart. It is love which gives motion
to the heart, which inclines the soul as its bias, which fills
the mind with thoughts, and which takes up and employs
our whole strength. To the end, therefore, that all our
motions, inclinationa, thoughta, and atrength may be di
rected to God, it ia neceaaary that our whole love be the love
Of God.
31 And the second is like, namely this. Thou shalt love thy neighbour
as thyself. .There is none other commandment greater than these.
It is a duty to love our neighbour, if not as much as our
selves, at least in the same rank wherein we ought to love
ouraelvea, desiring for him an exemption from the same evils,
the enjoyment of the same good things, and, above all, of the
sovereign, unchangeable, and eternal Good. There is no true
love of our neighbour but the Christian love, which desires
that he may enjoy God : for that alone can be true which de
sires for him the possession of that good which only can
make him happy.

502 MARK.
32. And the scribe said unto him. Well, Master, thou hast said the
truth : for there is one God ; and there is none other but he :
One only God requirea one heart and one love. The sacri
fice of faith and charity is the only sacrifice which can be
worthy of God. Love in thia life is an inclination whereby
the creature seeks its chiefest good ; as love in the othei" is
that complacency whereby it rests in the enjoyment of that
good. No other deserves in the least to be sought, except
that alone in which we are to rest eternally as in the fountain
of all good.
33. And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understand
ing, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his
neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacri
fices. How great is the goodness of God, to require nothing of us
but our heart, devoted to him by love, and to give ua even
that which he requirea ! Who, after thia, can deaire to free
hiraaelf frora ao amiable an obligation? Our sacrifice ia
within ouraelvea : that which God requirea of ua is not a vic
tim of a different' nature, but our own heart, which he would
have us sacrifice to him by evangelical self-denial, mortifica
tion, and the fire of charity. No sacrifice can please God
without this, and thia alone can pleaae him without any
other. 34. And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto
him. Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after
that durst ask him any question.
To love and to assert the truth when an occaaion offers, is
oftentimes a considerable step toward salvation. It is a great
matter for a man to know his duty, and to be convinced of
the obligations under which he lies ; but this does not imme
diately bring hira to the kingdom of God. " God ia love ;
and he who dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God
dwelleth in him," and lives and reigns in him by his Spirit.
A silence of assent and aubmiaaion, ia a ailence uaeful to aal
vation ; but a ailence of weakneas and obstinacy, is the con
demnation of the enemiea of the truth.

CHAPTER XII. 503

SECT. V. — CHRIST THE LORD OF DAVID. — PROUD TEACHERS.
35. If And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple.
How say the scribes that Christ is the son of David ? 36. For David
himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LoRn said to my Lord, Sit thou on
my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool.
Faith alone, which knows what Christ is by his divine na
ture, and what he is becorae by his raercy, knows how to re
concile the seeming contradictions which are in this divine
compound, God-man : son of David, hy his birth according to
the flesh ; and Lord of David, by his eternal birth in God his
Father, aa alao by the righta of his third birth, naraely, his
reaurrection, which placed him at the right hand of hia
Father. Now ia the tirae in which we muat chooae where we
will be to all eternity; either under hia feet aa rebellious
slaves, subdued by his power and subjected to his justice, or
in his body aa faithful members, sanctified by his Spirit, and
obedient to their head. Let us make our choice — there is no
time to be lost.
' 37. David therefore himself calleth him Lord ; and whence is he then
his son ? And the common people heard him gladly.
The relish of God's word is much greater in those who
abound in simplicity and faith, than in those who have a
large stock of wit and learning. It ia neceasary for us to
love the truth if we would rejoice in seeing it triumph ; but
to love it aa we ought, we must love nothing which it con
demns, and every thing which it comraands.
38. If And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes,
which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the market
places, 39. And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost
rooms at feasts: 40. Which devour widows' houses, and for a pretence
make long prayers : these shall receive greater damnation.
Hypocritical teachers and directors of the conscience, are
those of whom we ought to have the greatest distrust. We
may discover thera by the following raarks: (1.) When we
observe that they seek to distinguish theraselves by external
singularities. (2.) When they love every thing which may
gain thera esteem. (3.) When they desire to have the pre
ference before others in matters of religion. (4.) When they

504 MARK.
love to be diatinguiahed in public aasemhlies. (5.) When they
endeavour to draw all the wealth they can from the women
under their care. (6.) When they affect to appear as men
who have the gift of prayer. What a aad miafortune ia it,
that men should live like Phariaees under the goapel, and
mix hypocrisy with a religion which ought to be nothing but
apirit and truth! There ia no peraon indeed in the world
but either aeeka a falae glory, or is not altogether inaenaible
thereto ; because there is none who has not some degree of
pride ; but there are known hypocrites, and there is a pride
full of artifice and design, which must not be gently treated.
There ia nothing so directly opposite to that chaste and sin
cere love which we owe to God, aa this unjust deaire of dis
tinction and preference.
SECT. VI. — THE WIDOW WHO CAST INTO THE TREASURY OF
HER WANT.
41. If And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the
people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in
much. 42. And there oame a certain poor widow, and she threw in two
mites, which make a farthing.
The notice which Chriat takea of theae offerings givea us
to underatand, that God judges even at present of all the
alms which are given by raen, but tbat he does not judge of
thera as raen do. They are not the rich upon whom Christ
fixes his eyes ; hut it was only for the sake of this poor widow
that he came hither, and sat, and beheld the rich and their
offerings. It is of little conaequence to thia poor woman, to
be either neglected or deapiaed by everybody, while the rich
are respected, and their liberality adraired ; the approbation
of Christ alone ia of more advantage to her than every thing
in the world, and supplies the want of every thing besides.
43. And he called unto ^im his disbiples, and saith unto them. Verily
I say unto you. That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they
which have cast into the treasury :
It is of importance that prelates and ecclesiastical persona
should know perfectly how to value good works, and to judge
of them, not as the world, but as God judges. It is for thia
very purpoae, that Chriat expreaaly calls the apostles, and

CHAPTER XIIL 605
makes them come to behold thia aight. He who equally aees
the hand and the heart, judges of the former only by the
latter. It is matter of great eonaolation for the poor, to be
able to give even more than the rich, and to aurpasa them in
liberality. 44. For all they did cast in of their abundance ; but she of her want
did oast in all that she had, even all her living.
One aingle farthing, given by a person in wan^;, and with
a free heart, is more, in the sight of God, than raillions given
by the rich, and with a heart not truly Christian. We give
the more the lesa we reserve to ourselves in proportion to
what we give. Never did any king corae near the liberality
of this poor widow, who reserves nothing for herself. This
alms has enough in it to humble both the rich, who by reason
of covetousness, give but little, and the poor, who through a
distrust of Providence, give nothing at all.

CHAPTEli XIIL
SECT. I. — ;THB DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM  FALSE PROPHETS.
1. And as he went out of the temple,, one of his disciples saith unto
him. Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here I
The world admires a atately and magnificent teraple ; but
the temple which attracta the eyea and the heart of Chriat,
aa worthy of God and framed by hia Spirit, ia a heart which
resemblea that of thia poor widow, a heart conaecrated by
xiharity, wherein God makea hia abode, and in which this vir
tue worships him, sacrifices itself to him, mourns continually
in his presence, and there feeda upon hia divine word.
2. And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great build
ings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be
thrown down.
Chriat bears with the simplicity of his disciples, who would
have him admire a temple of which he was hiraself the model,
and which was only a figure of his body : but he makes use
of this simplicity to inatruct them, to take off their minds
Vol. I.— 43

506 MARK.
from this visible teraple, and to give them a foresight of that
justice which he was to exercise upon this building, on the
account of the Jewa. Nothing of that which ia to be deatroyed
ia worthy to be the true temple of God. It ia in a poor and
humble heart that he delights to dwell. Happy that, in
which God alone is adored and loved !
3. And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, over against the temple,
Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, 4. Tell
us, when shall these things be ? and what shall be the sign when all these
things shall be fulfilled ?
Christ gives occasion to the apostles to pass from a vain
and unprofitable curiosity to one which is holy and of great
advantage. Let us study to imitate hira on proper occasions.
Those who are commissioned to proclaim to the world the
judgments of God and the miseries to come, may seek after
the knowledge and the signs of them with success, not in the
stars, nor in vain predictiona, but in the Scripturea.
5. And Jesus answering them began to say. Take heed lest any man
deceive you: 6. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ;
and shall deceive many.
A great number of deceivera ia one of the aigna of the end
of the world. It ia a terrible judgment upon men, for them
to believe that they are conaulting a man of God -who raay
instruct thera, while they are consulting only a seducer who
deceives thera. Let us beg of God to preserve us from it. The
expectation of new and extraordinary things is an occasion
of which the devil generally makes an ill use in order to de
ceive men. An author of heresy or schism, an usurper of
Chriat'a authprity, a miniater without miaaion, — theae are all
80 many falae Chriata, whom we must carefully avoid aa so
many aeducera.
SECT. II. — PERSECUTIONS. — THE ASSISTANCE OF THE HOLY
GHOST. — PERSEVERANCE.
7. And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not
troubled : for such things must needs be ; but the end shall not be yet.
That person well deserves to be envied, who, amid the
most tempestuous troubles of this world, lives in a profound
calm, as a citizen of another world raised above this. When

CHAPTER XIIL 507
a man once thoroughly knowa thia preaent world, what ita
spirit ia, and what the end of it ia to be, he ia prepared for
all eventa, and ia troubled at nothing. We do not sufficiently
consider all the commotions of empires, and wars of nations,
as being in the hand of God, and making part of his judg
ments. All these things must needs come to pass, but wo
unto those by whom they come !
8. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom :
and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be fa
mines and troubles : these are the beginnings of sorrows.
All the afflictions and miseries of thia life are but the be
ginning of hell to the wicked, but to the elect they are a
purification. To the former they are the occaaion of new
sina ; to the latter, they are, aa it were, a glaaa, which repre-
senta to them their rebellion against God, the insurrection of
their passions, their immoderate fears of the evils of this life,
their vain hopes, and their hunger after its false enjoyments ;
and at the same tirae, a means of making some little amends
for all these disorders by repentance and mortification.
9. f But take heed to yourselves : for they shall deliver you up to coun
cils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten : and ye shall be brought
before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them.
Let US take heed to ouraelvea, not that we may avoid per
aecution and diagrace from men, for thia ia the lot of the true
disciplea and ministers of Christ ; but that we raay receive
them like Christians, and in the spirit of our Master. The
true way to secure ourselves from the terrors of God's judg
ments, is to be little concerned at the judgraent and anger of
men, and to bear testimony to Christ by our words and ac
tions, without any dreadful apprehenaiona of what we may
suffer on that account.
10. And the gospel must flrst be published among all nations.
The faith ia univeraal aa well aa the church : they have
an equal extent, and the one cannot be without the other :
the faith being the foundation of the church, and the church
being the houae, the pillar, and aupport of the faith. That
doctrine and that church which, from the beginning, and
even at thia preaent time were and are preached by the

SOS MARK.
apoatlea or their successors, are the only evangelical doctrine,
and the only true church of Christ.
11. But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought
beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate : but whatso
ever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye : for it is not ye that
speak, but the Holy Ghost.
It is God who speaks in the martyrs and confesaora. A
forecaat which ia too cautious, and proceeda from human
weakneaa, often rendera ua unworthy of that which God
would otherwiae perform in ua. How good is it to resign our-
selvea up entirely to hia Spirit, avoiding equally preaumption
and negligence ! The Holy Ghoat does in us whatever he
enables us to do; and is, at that time, the principle and
author of our worda, deairea, and good worka. So that every
good action, every good inclination of the will, and every
good uae of the tongue, ought to be attributed to the Holy
Spirit ! Not that each of theae ia not also a free act of the
will of man, hut because it is grace alone which is the prin
cipal cause, which goes before, excites, heals, applies, and
puts the will in motion.
12. Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father
the son ; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause
them to be put to death.
Faith gives us as many fathers, children, brethren, and sis
ters as there are Christians; infidehty changes even those
whom nature has given us into enemies, betrayers, and exe
cutioners. But all this does not affect hira to whom God ia
a.11 thinga. The temptation the moat dangeroua, and moat
senaible tb nature, ia that which arises from our kindred and
relations ; but it is in this very thing that the triumph of
grace appears more illustrious, in breaking the strongest and
dearest tiea, in order to unite ua entirely to God alone.
13. And ye shall be hated of all mere for my name's sake : but he that
shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Faith and charity join ua in the cloaeat union with strangers
and the most barbarous people ; infidelity and hatred break
even the strictest tiea of nature. Happy ia that peraon who
is hated for the sake either of the truth which he maintains,

CHAPTER XIIL 609
or of the virtue which he practiaes, and doea not grow at all
weary of being ao ! His cause is the cause of God. And
what greater honour and happiness can we possibly have, than
to be joined in the same cause with our Judge, who is at the
same time the Holy One and the Almighty ! Lord, it is thy
own cause; but who could ever support and maintain it, if
thy grace did not support him, and that to the end !
SECT. III. — THE ABOMINATION IN THB HOLY PLACE.- —
FLIGHT. — EXTREME EVILS.
14. If But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of
by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth
understand,) then let them that be in Judea flee to the mountains :
We have reason to fear that the wrath of God is ready to
fall upon a people, when we see the abomination of error,
sacrilege, and impiety, and the profanation of holy thinga,
reign among them. In times of the divine displeasure, the
most secure and beneficial flight, is. to fly frora the corruption
of the world, and to depart from its raaxiras and manners.
In public calamitiea, the generality of people think how to
aave their goods and their lives; but few consider how they
may save their souls ; the reason is, because raen reflect more
upon the calamitiea themselves, than upon the sina which
have drawn them down.
15. And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house,
neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house : 16. And let
him that is in the fleld not turn back again for to take up his garment.
There is no time, which is not a time of abomination and
desolation; since sin, which is the greatest of all, never ceases
to lay waste the world. Happy that person, who, during this
life, is either on the housetop, by having embraced the atate
of evangelical perfection, or in the field, by a laborioua and
penitential life. It ia a great folly in either of them, to go
down, or to turn back, in order to take up that which they have
quitted, and to enter again into the converaation of the world.
17. But wo to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in
those days I
Unhappy that fruitfulneaa which producea nothing but
miaerable wretches ! Happy thoae women who have choaen
43»

510 MARK.
the part to have nothing to do in the world^ but only tO secure
the salvation of their souls, and, like wise virgina, to keep
themaelvea always in a readiness to trim their lamps ! It is
a very great misfortune, at the hour of death, either to find
the heart only big with good desirea, or to aee only aome
small beginninga of good worka, aa yet feeble and imperfect.
To be able to abide the wrath of God, we muat have [faith in
the Lord Jesus Chriat, and] worka, and those such ^.s are ani
mated and strengthened by charity.
18. And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter.
How late is it, to begin our flight from the world and sin
in the winter of old age and death ! In the winter the daya
are short, the ways bad, the aeaaon rainy, the night comea
on before we are aware, and we meet with a thousand impedi
ments and hinderances of flight and travelling: these are_a
lively representation of those hinderances of salvation which
men find at the end of their lives. The grace to prevent
them by" a speedy conversion is obtained only by prayer.
19. For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the
beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither
shall be.
There ia nothing so dreadful as that which passes, at the
end of life, in a soul which has never thought of disengaging
and weaning itself frora the world. What affliction or raisery
can equal that of a Christian, who can then find nothing in
his whole life, from the beginning to the end thereof, but what
must render him unworthy of raercy ! But the greatest of all
miseries would be to despair of this raercy, and not to have
recourse to it.
20. And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should
be saved : but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath short
ened the days.
Time is designed only to be subaervient to the eternity of
the elect — every thing ia for them. God meaaures the daya
of their life by the election which he haa made of them for
heaven ; and he often ahortens them, lest they should be cor
rupted by the wickedness of the world. If God did not put

CHAPTER XIIL 511
a stop to the malicious designs of the devil against them, how
could they possibly escape his fury ? We shall never know,
until we come to heaven, either the number or the nature of
those teraptations from which God has delivered us, both
during our life, and at the approach of death.
SECT. IV. — FALSE CHRISTS. — THE ELECT ALMOST SEDUCED. —
THE COMING OF CHRIST.
21. And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ ; or, lo,'
he is there ; believe him not :
How apprehensive ought we to be, lest we should take a
false Christ for the true, error for truth, and a corrupt rao
rality for the gospel of Jesus Christ ! We must persevere to
the very end in the way of the gospel, wherein God has been
pleased to set us. It is a very great misfortune to wander at
the end of our days, and to fall into the ways of delusion,
under- pretence of greater perfection, more elevated con
templation, or the like.
22. For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs
and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.
God himself directs his elect when they fall intq the hands
of a seducer, or else by his goodness aoon removea thera from
him. The religion of Jeaua Chriat being confirmed by ao,
many undoubted rairaclea, it ia the greatest folly imaginable
to hearken to those who would dissuade us frora acknowledg
ing him to be the true Christ, although they should show even
signs and wondera. The unity of Chriat ia to Chriatiana the
same thing which the unity of God waa to the Jews, who were
expressly forbidden to hearken to any who should seek to
turn them away from the worship of the true God, which had
been established by so many miraculous worka, even though
they ahould perform auch things aa might otherwiae juatly
make them paas for prophets. Deut. xiii.
23. But take ye heed : behold, I have foretold you all things.
The word of Christ ought to render us watchful, humble,
and perseverant in prayer. It ia a very great piece of infi
delity, not to profit by the warnings and admonitions of

512 MARK.
Christ, so as to take particular heed of the dangers which he
points out to us, and to exercise a Christian vigilance in rela
tion to ourselves and to our duties. He has foretold us all
things, and it can be only our own fault and negligence if we
are surprised by seducers, or drawn aside into errora. To be
so, is the punishment either of curioaity, or of pride and pre
sumption, or of forgetfulneaa as to religious dutiea, and es
pecially prayer, or of neglect in the sacred atudy of the
Scripturea. 24. % But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be dark
ened, and the moon shall not give her light,
There will be nothing but darkneaa fbr impenitent ainnera
at the tirae of death and judgraent. That ia the time of afflic
tion for every one who haa given up his heart to the world,
or to error. His faith, which he abandoned during hia life,
frequently in its turn abandons hira. He loses aight of Chriat,
the church diaappeara before hia eyea, and he no longer re
ceivea any light, either from thia aun or thia moon of the new
world. 25. And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in hea
ven shall be shaken.,
There is nothing ao dreadful to the wicked aa the coming'
of Chriat in hia anger, at the hour of death. They aee all
thinga perishing as to themselves here below, and no hopes
of succour frora above. Those natural lights, with which they
pleased theraselves so much are now become nothing but dark
ness to them ; ^and they see that the power and strength on
which they relied, are no other than weakneaa itself.
26. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with
great power and glory.
There is nothing so worthy of Jesua Chriat aa that day of
hia power and glory : there is nothing ao dreadful to a ainner
who haa laboured only to deaerve hia wrath. To auch a per
son, the day of his death ia this terrible day of the Lord. At
that tirae the devil leaves hira no more faith than just enough
to foresee the rigour of the divine judgment, and all these
preparations for the day of vengeance.

CHAPTER xm. 513
27. And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his
elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the
uttermost part of heaven.
0 deairable day for the elect ! 0 happy reunion, ao long
expected, by which Chriat will gather them together, and
join them in the unity of hia body, hia Spirit, and hia glory!
The wicked shall see nothing of this but what shall grieve
and afflict them, and cause thera, at the sight of the happi
ness of the elect, to say within themselves, "We fools
accounted their life madness, and their end to be without
honour ; how are they numbered among the children of God,
and their lot is among tbe aaints V'
28. Now learn a parable of the flg tree : When her branch is yet ten
der, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near : 29. So ye-
in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that
it is nigh, even at the doors.
What man is there who has any assurance that the time
of his appearance before God, in order to be judged, is not
as near at hand as that of summer is, when the fig tree put
teth forth leaves ? We often depend upon a long life; where
as hfe is but, as it were, a leaf ready to fall, and to become
the aport of winda in a moment.
30. Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all
these things be done.
Since all thinga which are foretold must infallibly be ac
complished, what blindness and folly is it, not to secure our
salvation by a truly Christian life ! Every thing which God
declares to us, in relation to those great truths concerning
the shortness of life, the uncertainty of the hour of death,
the severity of his judgment, etc., is grounded upon the in
fallible truth of his word, confirmed by so many miracles ;
and yet the generality of Christians either believe it not, or
live aa if it were only a fable, or something which did not at
all concern them !
31.1 Heaven and earth shall pass away : but my words shall not pass
away. How many are there who rely more upon the word of a
man, who is nothing but falsehood, than upon that of truth
itself, which is infallible ! Is not that which we ourselves
2H

514 MARK.
have seen pass in the world, during the little time we have
been in it, of itself alone a certain pledge of the truth of
this declaration ? The history of the world is only a hiatory
of what ia paat ; a picture of the inatability of human affairs,
and a proof that every thing paaaes away; that every thing is
really nothing, and that God alone ia all. Be thou alone
therefore, 0 my God, all things to me ! and grant that I may
adhere entirely to thee, who continuest always the same !
SECT. V. — THE DAY UNCERTAIN. — WATCHFULNESS AND
PRAYER.
32. Tf But of that day and thai, hour knoweth no man, no, not the
angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.
It imports but little to know that day : but it ia of infinite
importance to be always ready, that we may not be surprised
by it. A man who ia not aurpriaed by the day, ia surprised
by the hour : so rare and uncomraon a thing is it to be watch
ful to the end. Let us shut the eyes of our curiosity con
cerning that day; and let us open those of our vigilance
upon every day, every hour, and every moment.
33. Take ye heed, watch and pray : for ye know not when the time
is. The exercise of a Christian who expects the time of death,
and who ought every day to expect it, ia frequently to ex
amine his heart, and to keep it clean ; to oppose sloth, and
continually to rouse up his faith, having the arms of prayer
always ready. God has thought fit that the end of our life,
and that of the world, should be alwaya concealed frora us,
to induce ua to look upon every day aa the laat.
34. For ihe Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his
house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work,
and commanded the porter to watch.
The whole which our blessed Master, when he ascended
into heaven, recommended to the care of hia aervanta, con
aiated in fidelity and watchfulneaa ; fidelity, in doing every
thing well which ia to be done in hia house, in the heart, in
the church, according to the full extent of their duty ; watch
fulness, in suffering no stranger nor enemy to enter by the

CHAPTER XIIL 515
senaes, which are the gatea of the soul, in permitting nothing
which belongs to the master to go without his orders, and in
carefully observing all commerce and correspondence, which
the heart may have abroad in the world, to the prejudice of
the master's service.
35. Watch ye therefore : for ye know not when the master of the
house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cookcrowing, or in the
morning :
To watch, is to be like a servant, always employed within
about his master's business, and like a porter, always careful
in examining what coraes in and goes out. The raore the
master is expected, the more diligent the servants are in
working, watching, and keeping themselves in readiness.
Can one who haa received the aentence of hia death, and haa
no right to live one raoraent, need any admonition to prepare
himself to die ? Does not a prisoner who expects his deliver
ance, keep himself always ready to leave hia dungeon ? And
is not he who has no such expectation extremely miserable ?
The hour of death is so very uncertain, that Christ would
have ua look for it at all hours, and therefore mentions four
several parts of one and the same night, at any of which it
may poaaibly happen.
36. Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.
Kemisaneaa and negligence, aa well aa the greater sins, are
often the occasion of our being surprised by death. A por
ter asleep exposes the house to be robbed, and well deserves
to be punished. A Christian, whose faith is not watchful,
exposes his own heart to the enemy of his salvation, and to
those who are continually watching, in order to steal away
all the valuable things which God haa laid up there, aa in his
own houae.
37. And what I say unto you I say unto all. Watch.
No person can pretend any exemption from the fear of
God'a judgraent, or from the duty of watchfulneaa in expec
tation of the laat day. Chriat here recomraends it to all ;
and yet there ia acarce a amall number to be found, who, by
Chriatian watchfulness, are always ready. Those who have
greateat occaaion to watch, are generally thoae who do it the

516 MARK.
leaat. Few paatora, raaatera, superiors, and fathers, watch
over their flock, their servants, their subjects, and their chil
dren. Abundance of people are very watchful throughout
their whole life as to the affaira of othera, but do not apend
one raoraent in watching over their own heart, and in think
ing aerioualy of the buaineaa of aalvation. My God, how
rauch ia faith obacured ahd darkened, and what need have we
that thou ahouldeat renew it in our hearta !

CHAPTER XIV.
SECT. I. — THE CONSPIRACY OP THE JEWS. — PRECIOUS OINT
MENT POURED ON CHRIST'S HEAD.
1. After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened
bread : and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take
him by craft, and put Mm to death.
When once a priest haa loat the spirit of religion, and' a
doctor or teacher the love of truth, they think of nothing
but how to sacrifice both to their self-love. This passion is
too cunning to noglect to cover its injustice, and to varnish
over those crimes which might defame it in the world. But
of what use ia it to conceal the filthineaa of sin from the eyea
of men, but only to double the guilt in the sight of God, and
to cast greater obstacles in the way to repentance ?
2. But they said. Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the
people. Theae men were not at all afraid of committing thia crime
on the feaat day, but they were afraid they ahould not have
an opportunity of doing it on that day ; ao fully had the de
aire of completing thia wickedneaa poaaeaaed them. The
offer of Judaa cauaed them to lay aaide their apprehensions,
and to change their mind; or rather God, who conducta hia
designs aa he pleaaes, and intended at that tirae to aubatitute
the true Paachal Victim in the room of the figurative paaa-
over, hereby made it evident, that ainners do nothing in all
their wickedness but that only which he permits them to do.

CHAPTER XrV. 617
3. If And being in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat
ai meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of
spikenard very precious ; and she brake the box, and poured ii on his

Happy that person who knows how to raake that subservi
ent to charity which others dedicate to the service of concu
piscence ! Every thing which is given to God is acceptable
to him, when it is charity which gives it. Zeal and love for
Jesus Christ have commendable excesses. Great expense in
external magnificence designed to honour him, would most
commonly be better employed in feeding his members ; but
there are some extraordinary occasions on which a sort of
profuseness cannot be blamed. It belongs to him who givea
this love, to inform ua when and how far we are permitted to
gratify it.
4. And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and
said. Why was this waste of the ointment made ?
The fervent zeal of devout peraona ia generally cenaured
by the world aa indiacretion ; but the judgment of the world
is'not the rule of their actiona. When a man haa any thing
to spend or waate, he cannot aacrifice it so well as to the
honour of Christ ; and it ia much better to waate and deatroy
all these things, which raay be instrumental to luxury or any
other vice, and become snares to others, be their value ever
so great, such as excellent but obscene pictures, etc., than to
leave them to the use of the world.
5. For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence,
and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her.
To regulate the duties of religion and those of charity, as
to outward appearance, requires abundance of prudence.
The traitor who raised this murmur in the apostolical college,
made use of their zeal to cover his own avarice: so dan
gerous is it to have any corrupt leaven in an ecclesiastical
society. They are generally temporal interests which carnal
men do there take most to heart, and which exasperate them
against those who have little value for such things. These
ought really to be very little esteeraed araong those who
have quitted all for the sake of God, or ought at least to be
ready to do it.
Vol. I.— 44

618 MARK.
6. And Jesus said. Let her alone ; why trouble ye her? she hath
wrought a good work on me.
It belongs to God to speak in behalf of his servants, and
to them silently to bear the censures of the world. The
world is a very bad judge in mattera relating to God, becauae
it generally judgea concerning them with passion, and with
out knowledge. Those who do not follow its raaxims it con
demna without raercy, not being able to endure that they
should apply their aubatance to a religious and penitential
use, much lesa that they ahould aerve Chriat at the expense
of all.
7. For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye
may do them good : but me ye have not always.
During Chriat's residence upon earth, it waa neceaaary
viaibly to honour him in hia own peraon ; and aince he ia no
longer viaible himaelf, it ia necessary to do it in that of the
poor. There are two ways of honouring him, — by internal
and external duties. As to the first, it is sufficient that he
be present by faith, or by an invisible presence in the eu
charist. As to the second, it is necessary he should Tbe
visible, and he is so in the poor, whom he has substituted
in his stead, and who demand and receive, in his name,
whatever he requires in this kind of duties.
8. She hath done what she could : she is come aforehand to anoint my
body to the burying.
Christ would not lose any part -of the honour due to his
mysteries ; he hastens the accomplishment of them by antici
pation, that he raay shed forth the spirit and grace of them
in favour of those who love him. It was lawful to pay even
external honours to the mysteries of Christ, before they were
accomplished : how much raore then, may, and ought we to do
it, since they are ?
9. Verily I say unto you. Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached
throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken
of for a memorial of her.
That which to the eyes of the fleah seems no better than
folly, is proposed by Christ to the eyes of faith, aa an action
of true wisdom. The saints honour Jesus Christ, and he ho
nours the saints, in causing thera to be honoured. Nothing is

CHAPTER XIV. 619
more conformable to his spirit, than to celebrate their raeraory
and publish their praise. Far is he from being at all jealous
at our doing this, aince we do it by hia appointment, with re
gard to him, and upon hia account, and are as far from ador
ing them with that divine worship which we pay to him, as
.the creature ia diatant from the Creator.
SECT. II. — THE BARGAIN AND TREACHERY OP JUDAS. — THE
PASCHAL SUPPER.
10. If And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests,
to betray him unto them.
See here a surpriaing apectacle ! On one aide, a woraan,
formerly in the power of the devil, givea herself up entirely
to Christ, and pours out her heart and her good things upon
hun. On the other, an apostle of Jeaus Chriat givea himaelf
up to the devil, hetraya his raaster into the hands of his rainis
ters, and thinks of nothing but shedding his blood. Who can
forbear trerabling, when he reflects upon this league and con
spiracy between a prince of the Christian church and the
prince of the Jewish, to destroy the church itself in its
Founder aud Head? Christ sees and permits it, to teach
the faithful not to be greatly troubled at the desertion and
treachery even of pastors, when it happens in the church
11. And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give
him money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray him.
The joy of the wicked is to have succeaa in their crimes.
But what joy ia thia? It ia the joy only of a moment, which
will be changed into everlaating aorrow. It waa easy for our
blessed Saviour to have broken thia aacrilegious, and, as it
may be called, simoniacal bargain, by diverting thia oppor
tunity, which depended on himaelf; but it waa neceaaary that
sin should be instrumental in the destruction of ain, and that
the Author of life should die to deatroy death and hia empire.
12. If And the flrst day of unleavened bread, when they killed the
passover, his disciples said unto him. Where wilt thou that we go and
prepare that thou mayest eat the passover? 13. And he sendeth forth
two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go ye into the city, and there
shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water ; follow him.
It belongs tp the apostles and the proper paatora, accord-

520 MARK.
ing to Christ's appointraent, to prepare the true passover of
the paschal sacrifice and coraraunion, and likewise the hearts
of the faithful for it, in purifying them from the leaven of sin
by the exercises of repentance. Thia pitcher of water ia an
emblera of baptiam and repentance. None but those who
have been cleansed by thia water can eat the Christian pass-
over ; neither can thia paasover be either celebrated or eaten,
but only in the bosom of the church.
14. And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the goodman of the
house. The Master saith. Where is the guest-chamber, where I shall eat
the passover with my disciples ? 15. And he will shew you a large upper
room furnished and prepared : there make ready for us.
Christ alone knows in what heart he is to keep a true pass-
over, "not with the old leaven of malice and wickedneaa, but
with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." We ought
not to make ourselves ready any otherwise than according to
his will ; we cannot do it but by his grace, which alone can
make our heart become a new lump, purged from all leaven.
16. And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as
he had said unto them : and they made ready the passover.
The knowledge, power, and wisdom of Jesus appear in all
his works. He makes them at thia time more particularly
known to the apoatlea, on purpoae to atrengthen their faith
and confidence, to prepare them for temptation, and to in
duce them the raore eaaily to believe the myatery he was
going to celebrate in their preaence.
17. And in the evening he cometh with the twelve. 18. And as they
sat and did eat, Jesus said. Verily I say unto you. One of you which
eateth with me shall betray me.
Christ expiates the vain joy and foolish mirth of worldly
feasts by the sadness of this repast, wherein he thinks of no
thing but the croaa which waa preparing for him. God ia
dishonoured by those immoderate overfiowings of heart in
which the sweetness of human friendships does consist, and
to which we are most apt to give way at the table of our
friends. Chriat makea amenda for this dishonour by that
reserve of heart which the treachery of Judaa causes, and by
the mortifying consideration of that little fidelity which he
foresees in his disciplea and friends.

CHAPTER XIV. 521
19. And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one,
Js it I ? and another said, Js it I ?
There ia no ain whatever of which a man ought not to
think himaelf capable, since he has the aeed of all in hia cor
rupt will. It ia just that the disciples should partake in that
affliction of heart which their Master underwent ; and there
is scarcely a greater in friendahip, than for a raan to be sus
pected of infidelity and treachery by hia friend. Alaa ! how
few are there, even of thoae who eat at Chriat'a table, who
are not guilty at leaat of the sraaller instances of treachery
and infidelity toward him, and those almost without number !
20. And he answered and said unto them. It is one of the twelve, that
dippeth with me in the dish.
God doea not ceaae to admoniah the sinner, though he sees
him determined, by hia wickedness, to commit the sin. The
reason is, because he haa more than one design in his con
duct; and because the righteous, through his grace, profit by
those admonitions which the wicked render ineffectual by the
corruption of their heart. It is good, soraetimes, to raake even
the raost virtuous persons apprehensive that they have some
thing which lurks in their heart of which they are not sensi
ble, to the end they may examine theraselves thoroughly, and
be more distrustful of that corrupt principle which makes
them capable of all evil.
21. The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him : but woe to
that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed ? good were it for that
man if he had never been born.
God does whatever he pleases, both with and by the wicked.
Let us beseech him to do his holy will both in and by us, in
our heart, and for our salvation. Wretched is that man who
serves the deaigns of God only hy his sins. It were much
better for a raan absolutely not to be, than to employ his
being only in the service of ain; but God, in his wisdom,
judges it better to permit sin, that his glory raay appear the
more illustrious in the good which he knows how to bring out
of it by his power. We rejoice at the birth of a child; but
how often ought we to ahed a fiood of tears, were we but able
to look into the future! How lovely and adorable is this
44*

622 MARK.
goodness of Christ, who solicits this traitor afresh to enter
again into himself, by the consideration both of the dreadful
punishment attending his crime, and of the prophecies wherein
he had been instructed, together with the rest of the apos
tles ! But what strange obduracy, what malice is there in
this wretch, which renders so much gentleness and goodness
ineffectual ! SECT. III. — THE EUCHARIST.
22. Tf And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake
it, and gave to them, and said. Take, eat ; this is my body.
Jesus Christ bestows his gifts in a manner very remote from
the haughtiness of the great. These make their presents with
pomp and ostentation ; because, in reality, they are nothing,
and becauae there is no way of aetting them off but by worda
and external cereraoniea. He beatows his greatest gifts with
the greatest simplicity in the world, because they are beyond
all expression, and because he knows well how to make men
sensible of their worth and efficacy by faith, and by the effecta
which they produce in the heart.
23. And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave ii
to tbem : and they all drank of it. 24. And he said unto them. This is
my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many.
The blood of Jeaua Chriat becomes, through his goodness,
milk for his children, a band of union to his members, the
seal of his covenant, and the ransom of his slaves; and, on
the contrary, through the wickedness of the imitators of Judaa,
it becomea to thera a mortal poison, a sword of separation,
the seal of their reprobation, and the cause of an eternal cap
tivity. "They all drank of it;" for Christ does not with
draw hia preaence from the euchariat on the account of the
greateat sinners, not even of Judas. Miserable wretch ! in
whom the very height of ingratitude ia formed by the sacri
fice and sacrament of thanksgiving, and by the greatest of
all benefits ! This ia the laat for Judas, and very often for
many others.
25. Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine,
until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God.
Let ua take care to raise our hearta from the aacramental

CHAPTER XrV. 623
oommunion here on earth to the eternal communion in heaven,
to be celebrated there, not under veils or aensiUe symbols,
but openly and without veils. The sight of truth, unveiled
and perfectly disclosed to our eyes, ia a torrent of delight and
joy, which, as it were, inebriates the soul, makes it forget all
the afflictiona and miseries of the earth, and transports it out
of itself, in order to its living only in the truth, upon the
truth, and for the truth. 0 eternal truth ! may the hopes of
being satisfied with thee in heaven engage thy disciples to
taste thee on earth, to feed upon thee, to adhere constantly
to thee, to love and desire nothing but thee, and. to sacrifice
themselves for thy sake !
26. If And when they had sung a hymn, they went out into the mount
of Olives. Praise and thankagiving, both on earth and in heaven, pre
cede, accompany, and follow the communion of the Christian
church. Can he who relishes Christ, who comprehends that
which he receives and eats, and which nourishes hira in the
holy sacrament, forbear breaking forth into praises and
thanksgivings ? Praise never ceases in heaven ; but on earth
it is interrupted by prayer. The reason is, because the bene
fita which God confera upon us are soon succeeded by new
wants and necessities. Let us then, with Christ and his apos
tles, frequently pass frora the praises of their asserably in the
upper room to the prayers in the garden.
SECT. IV. — PETER'S DENIAL FORETOLD.
27. And Jesus saith unto them. All ye shall be ofi'ended because of
me this night : for it is written, I will smite the Shepherd, and the sheep
shall be scattered.
The apostles, going from the very comraunion, raeet with
an occasion of sin, and fall thereby! Who can forbear
trembling ? The Bufferings and cross of Christ scatter and
disperse the sheep for aome time ; but it ia only in order to
reunite them afterward, and with and by them to unite all
nationa in one fold, and under one ahepherd. Thua peraecu-
tions seem to lay the church waste, and they establish it ; to
intimidate the pastors, and they encourage them; to suppress

524 MARK.
the truth, and they confirm it, propagate it, and give it a
new luatre.
28. But after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee.
It ia a very great eonaolation to the diseaaed and infirm
membera, to be asaured that their Head will not abandon them
when they fall, hut that he will even go before them. If Jeaus
did not vouchaafe to come to meet ua, in the power of hia new-
raiaed life, that is, by powerful graces, how should we be able
ever to rise and go to hira ?
29. But Peter said unto him. Although all shall be offended, yet loill
not I.
To presume upon our own atrength, to prefer ouraelvea be
fore othera, and not to hearken to admonitiona, are three
branchea of pride, and three occaaiona of very grievoua falla.
Peter thought himself in aorae meaaure free from ain, and in
fallible ; since he was confident he should not fall, notwith
standing the assurance which Chriat gave him of the contrary :
and it waa this fooliah imagination which cauaed him to fall
more groaaly and shamefully. How little does man know
himself, if he believes he can have any dependence upon his
own heart ! Christ is our strength, when we rely upon him ;
but he is only an occasion of our falling, when we do not put
our whole confidence in his strength.
30. And Jesus saith unto him. Verily I say unto thee. That this day,
even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice.
Christ knows even the least motion of our heart: let us,
therefore, beseech him to impart sorae of his knowledge to us,
that we raay know it ourselves, and to our own advantage.
The day, the hour, the moment of Peter's fall, are expreaaly
declared to him ; but pride haa drawn a veil over his heart,
and his fall ia necessary, to convince him that he ia capable
of falling.
31. But he spake the more vehemently. If I should die with thee, I
will not deny thee in any wise. Likewise also said they all.
Pride ia obstinate in the presumption which it haa of its
own strength. Thia ia a very contagioua diatemper. One of
the chief of the paators waa more sick of it than the rest, and

CHAPTER XIV. 625
even infected the othera therewith. God permitted this, to
the end that his example, being the raore remarkable, might
make the deeper impression, and raise a greater apprehension
of falling into it. God punishes those raore severely who are
the first in giving a bad example,- and become thereby the
source of sin in a community. They all said the same thing
with Peter, and yet he alone, left to himself, denies hia Master.
SECT. V. — THE AGONY IN THE GARDEN. — WATCH AND PRAY.
32. And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he
saith to his disciples. Sit ye here, while I shall pray.
An afflicted heart ought to shut itself up from men by re
tirement, and to open itself to God by prayer. Christ, aa the
good Shepherd, doea that firat hiraaelf which he enjoina hia
sheep to do — preparing for temptationa by prayer. He prays
retired, not out of any neceaaity, but both out of obedience
to hia Father, who had preacribed thia to him aa well aa all
the reat, and out of love toward us, whom he would instruct,
edify, and redeem by this meana.
33. And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to
be sore amazed, and to be very heavy ;
The sight of God's justice casts even his Son into fear and
amazement, and our aina raiae in him a mortal grief; and
shall we alone reraain inaensible of both? We could not
enjoy ong moment of satisfaction, ahould God be pleaaed to
open our eyea that we raight aee, aa our blessed Saviour did,
our own sins and his justice in all their dreadful and amaz
ing circumstances. Christ has borne thera both for us, and
even spared ua the raortification of ao grievoua and diamal a
sight. 34. And saith unto them. My soul is exceeding sorrovrful unto death :
tarry ye here, and watch.
It is the duty of a Christian soul to tarry and continue
with Christ under his sufferings, and to contemplate his pains
and aorrowa. We could jnever have known how exceeding
painful the inward Bufferings of Christ were, had he not dis
covered them himaelf Let ua have, at leaat, a grateful aenae
both of his condeacenaion in vouchaafing to lay open his heart

526 MARK.
to ua while it waa under thia mortal sorrow, and of hia love
in choosing to open and expose it thereto for our sakes. How
good is it to open our heart to hira when it is oppressed with
grief, in order to attract that grace which he haa merited for
ua by thia aorrow unto death !
35. And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed
that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.
Observe here the extreme hurailiation of Christ in prayer.
Pastors have sometimes such heavy crossea to bear that they
beseech God, but with the greateat submission, that they may
be delivered from them. It is expedient to make such ad
dresses in private, that they may not discourage those whom
they ought to encourage to suffer all things for God and his
church. 36. And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take
away this cup from me : nevertheless, not what I will, but what thou
wilt. What averseness soever the flesh haa to Buffering and
death, the apirit ought to accept both the one and the other.
The will of God ought always to be dearer to us than our
own, whatever it may cost us to perform it. God can employ
hia almighty power in delivering ua frora our afflictiona ; but
it often tenda more to hia glory and our advantage to employ
it in supporting ua under them. When we Bee the only Son
of God not delivered from this cup, even after so touch im
portunity, who can complain when he himself is not ?
37. And he cometh, and flndeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter,
Simon, sleepest thou ? couldest not thou watch one hour ?
Peter ought to be thoroughly sensible that he has promised
too much upon his own strength, since he finds himself over
come even by sleep. It is upon tbis account that Christ
speaka particularly to hira. God permita the leaser faults,
on purpose to cure men of preauraption ; but when they take
no warning thereby, he suffers them to have grievous falls.
Peter is not senaible of thia : the reaaon ia, becauae a man
never aeea any thing when he ia full of himaelf, and presumes
upon his own strength. He falls, both for himself and for us :
let us profit by his fall, as he did.

CHAPTER XIV. 527
38. Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly
is ready, but the flesh is weak.
If we must watch and pray, to prevent and withstand
temptation, let us not be surprised that so many enter into it,
and fall thereby : it ia for no other reaaon but becauae there
are very few who watch and pray in that raanner and with
that constancy which they ought. Prayer is necessary in
order to watch, and watchfulness in order to pray ; and both
the one and the other are so to secure us from temptation.
Peter was deficient in vigilance, because he was so in prayer ;
and through the neglect of both he fell, being overcome by
the fear of death and the love of life.
39. And again he went away, and prayed, and spake the same words.
The simplicity and plainness of Christ in his prayers is an
important lesson, and of great use and advantage. A Chris
tian who prays to God is not an orator, who would persuade
by his eloquence, but a beggar, who would move to corapasaion
by hia poverty and humility. These speak plainly and with
out ornament ; and Jesus speaks thus to God, because he has
clothed hiraself with our humility and poverty.
40. And when he returned, he found them asleep again, (for their eyes
were heavy,) neither wist they what to answer him.
The good Shepherd cannot forget his sheep, knowing their
weakness. He ceases not to watch over them and for them,
though they cannot watch one hour with him. There was
nothing for these disciples to answer, but there was enough'
for their spiritual iraprovement, and particularly for that of
Peter, who ought to have profited by this second admonition,
in acknowledging his own weakness, in humbling himself, and
begging that strength which he had not.
41. And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on
now, and take your rest : it is enough, the hour is come ; behold, the
Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
Jesua Christ, who is holinesa itself, is just going to he be
trayed into the hands of sinners, on purpose to recover sin
nera out of the handa of the devil. The hour ia come, ao much
dreaded by the fieah, but earnestly desired by the apirit, for
the glory of God. We ought with calmneaa and tranquillity

528 MARK.
to expect those grievoua events with which we are threatened :
they cannot happen but by the appointment of God, and at
the hour prefixed by him.
42. Else up, let us go ; lo, he that betrayeth me is at hand.
Jesus always suffered beforehand the pains and torments
which were designed to be inflicted on him, because he always
foresaw them. It is but a moment since Christ, clothed with
our weakness, was, aa it were, oppreaaed, overwhelmed, and
sunk beneath it ; but now, being filled with hia own strength,
he goes to meet death, and supports and aniraates hia dia
ciplea. A raan left to hia own strength at one time, and forti
fied by the grace of Christ at another, is no longer the same
person : he could then do nothing ; he can now do all things.
SECT.' VI. — THE KISS OF JUDAS. — CHRIST APPREHENDED. — THE
FLIGHT OF THE DISCIPLES.
43. If And immediately, while he yet spake, cometh Judas, one of the
twelve, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from
the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.
An apostle at the head of the enemies of Christ, what a
mission is this ! not to preach salvation, but to destroy the
Saviour. We see here but too lively a picture of apostates,.
wbo have no sooner deserted from the church but they perae
cute it, put themselves at the head of conspiracies against the
higher powers, and breathe nothing but violence, rebellion,
and treason.
44. And he that betrayed him had given them a token, saying, 'Wliom-
soever I shall kiss, that same is he; take him, and lead him away safely.
The mystical body of Christ, as well as its head, has its
Judases. It is but too often betrayed with a kiss of peace,
by falae appearancea of virtue, by calumniea apread abroad
in soft language, and by deceitful pretencea of peace and of
the intereat of the churcl*; but it haa alao aome faithful mem
bers, who imitate the meekneaa, quietness, and peaceable dis
position of their Head.
45. And as soon as he was come, he goeth straightway to him, and
saith. Master, Master; and kissed him.
There ia greater patience exerciaed in suffering the false ca-

CHAPTER XIV. 629
ressea of a traitor, who owea hia all to us, than in bearing the
ill-treatment of a professed enemy. It happens but seldora
that we have occasion to endure the greater instances of
treachery; but throughout the whole course of our life we
meet with continual occasions of enduring little artificea, dis
simulations, deceits under colour of friendahip, and infidelitiea
under the veil of intimacy and confidence : it ia hereby that
we are to honour Christ, and that we have an opportunity of
imitating his goodness, in suffering without anger and com
plaint, and adoring Jesus Christ betrayed by a kiss of peace.
46. f And they laid their hands on him, and took him.
Jesus, seized aa a alave, in order to deliver us from bondage,
and to obtain for us. the glorious liberty of the sons of God,
well deserves to receive our homage in that condition. We
honour this confinement or captivity of Christ not only when
we endure the like ourselves, justly or unjustly, with meek
ness and patience, looking at Jesus under these circum
stances ; but also when we love to visit prisoners in order to
relieve and assist them, and to encourage them to bear like
Christiana the loss of their liberty, in honour and imitation
of Chriat a priaoner, and by the spirit of repentance and
mortification. The raore difficult it is to bear this state as
one ought, the raore ought we to apply ourselves to those who
are under it, and give them our assistance, to the end that their
affliction raay not be that of a reprobate, but of a Christian.
47. And one of them that stood by drew a sword, and smote a servant
of the high priest, and cut off his ear.
The reaiatance of nature doea not last long. A Christian
is not a soldier of the world, to defend himself after a worldly
manner, but a soldier of Christ, who is to defend himself like
his Master, only by suffering with patience, and rendering
good for evil. Christ perraits Peter to transgress this rule,
that he raay have an opportunity of giving a more eminent
example of it himself, by healing this peraon.
48. And Jesus answered and said unto them. Are ye come out, as
against a thief, with swords and wiih staves to take me ? ^
Jesua waa pleaaed not only to auffer the puniahment of a
Vol. L— 45 2 I

530 MARK.
thief, but also to bear the ahame and ignominy due to such a
peraon. To be thus calm and unmoved in the midst of so
many provocations, is not the effect of any human courage, or
of a common grace, but only of the grace of the God-man,
whora the Word, in which he subsists, always conducts by his
light, and always aniraates with his power.
. 49. I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and ye took me not:
but the Scriptures must be fulfilled.
It was only out of obedience that Christ avoided confine-
raent during his life, as he suffered it out of obedience at the
appointed time. When a man suffers it with him, for having
been faithful to God, and without having drawn it unsea
sonably upon himself, he is then the priaoner of God and of
Jeaus Chriat. He who auffera according to God'a appoint
ment haa thia consolation, that he can juatly say, I fulfil the
Scriptures, the designs of God, and the afflictions of Christ,
in my flesh, "for his body's sake, which is the church."
50. And. they all forsook him, and fled.
Let us not at all wonder to see Jesus Christ forsaken by
men, since he carae to bear the punishment of men who had
forsaken God, and to raerit for thera the blessing not to be
forsakenjby hira. Nothing is the cause of greater mortifica
tion to Christ, than to be betrayed and sold by one friend, to
be denied by another, and to be forsaken by all the rest, be
ing so worthy as he was to be constantly loved. Hereby he
teaches us what stress is to be laid upon the friendship of
men who are not entirely devoted to God, and with what pa
tience we ought to bear auch acts of treachery frora them.
51. And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth
cast about his naked hody; and the young man laid hold on him : 52.
And he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked.
Thia incident, which aeema to be of no conaequence, aervea
to discover the power of Christ, and his great care and con
cern for his apostles : (1.) He thereby admonishes Peter that
he ought to fly from the occasion, and not expose himself to
temptation ; these people having a design to seize all the dia
ciplea of our Lord. (2.) He by thia diacovera the aame dan
ger to the reat, and adviaea them likewiae to flee. (3.) He

CHAPTER XIV. 531
shows them that it was by his power that they escaped the
danger. (4.) That even that person, who by their means is
expoaed thereto, escapea from it by the appointraent of provi
dence, and becauae he himself would suffer alone.
SECT. VII. — JESUS LED TO CAIAPHAS, CONDEMNED, AND ABUSED.
53. If And they led Jesus away to the high priest: and with him were
assembled all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes.
Jesua appeara aa a criminal before the eccleaiaatical tribu
nal. How different are thinga to the eyea of faith from what
they appear to the eyea of the world ! There can be nothing
more auguat than thia aaserably, if we judge of it by the state
and profession of those who compose it : here holiness, author
ity, and learning aeem to be united and consulting together ;
ancl yet, in reality, it is no better than a sacrilegious meeting,
and a cabal of raurderers. The criminals usurp the place of
the Judge, and the Judge is arraigned and condemned as a
criminal. 54. And Peter followed him afar off, even into the palace of the high
priest: and he sat with the servants, and warmed himself at the fire.
A man never exposes himself to temptation without danger.
Human engagementa are attended with great difficulties, and
the indiscreet advance of one false step has very often dread
ful consequences. Peter has rashly boaated of his courage,
his honour is at stake, he will by no means go back, and nothing
is wanting on his part to his destruction. But it is much
better for a man to retreat and humble hiraself for his fault,
than thus blindly to pursue it to the last.
55. And the chief priest and all the council sought for witness against
Jesus to put him to death ; and found none.
It is a double blindnesa to reject ao many true witneaaea
of the innocence of Christ, and to seek for false ones against
him. What can be expected of a judge who becomes a party,
and is so much blinded by passion that he cannot conceal it ?
Let us learn of Christ to bear the injustice done us in suits at
law with meekness and silence, in case there be no remedy,
and the public interest do not oblige us to apeak.

632 MARK.
56. For many bare false witness against him, but their witness agreed
not together.
What innocence can ever complain of the like injuatice, af
ter having seen that of our blessed Saviour exposed to this ?
Such is this divine innocency, that falsehood itself cannot in
vent any thing which is capable of tarnishing it. It is no or
dinary moderation to neglect the advantage which may be
taken of a testimony plainly found to be false, and to forbear
covering the falae witneaa with ahame and confusion. Christ
follows none of these natural resentments, on purpose to
raoderate them in us, and to teach us to suppress them after
his example, when the public good or the glory of God,re-
quiresit. 57. And there arose certain, and bare false witness against him, saying,
58. We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made wifli
hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.
59. But neither so did their witness agree together.
The greatest truths misunderstood pass frequently for blaa-
phemiea, and are the occasion of great disturbances and
transports of passion. There is no kind of persecution what
ever which Christ has not suffered, sanctifled, ahd consecrated
in his own person. An orthodox teacher ought to comfort
himself with his exaraple, when, in order to persecute him,
men falsify his opinions, writings, and doctrine, and by the
help of calumny attribute a bad one to hira.
60. And the high priest stood up in the midst,.and asked Jesus, saying,
Answerest thou nothing ? what is it which these witness against thee ?
Jesus astonishes and confounds his judge by his silence and
patience; but ther^ is a very great difference between con
founding and converting. It is no small humiliation and
mortification to aee ouraelvea deaerted by thoae Who are moat
obliged to defend us : how rauch greater is it then to see
thera at the head of our enemies ! Thie is what Jesus Christ
teaches us to bear without bitterness, animosity, or the least
desire of revenge.
61. But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high
priest asked him, and said unto him. Art thou the Christ, the Son of the
Blessed? '
The love of Ufe renders the generality of men eloquent be-

CHAPTER XIV.

533

fore their judges ; the desire which Chriat has to sacrifice his,
causes him, like a victim, not so much as to open hia mouth.
He justifies us before his Father, in Buffering himaelf to be'
eonderaned before raen ; he repaira our innocence in not de
fending his own ; and pleads our cause so much the better
before the supreme and eternal tribunal in heaven, as he
seems to betray hia own by his silence before this unjust tri
bunal. Happy that person who follows him at a distance at
least, and In the diapoaition of hia heart ! How many are
there who, like thia high prieat, interrogate the eternal
truth without knowing it, or with a design to dishonour and
persecute it ! When we consult it with a double heart, it
either answers not at all, or else in such a raanner as to blind
and harden us the more. Let us examine our own hearts be
fore we undertake to inquire into the truth, that we may know
whether they are in a condition to hearken to it, and to profit
by its answers.
62. And Jesus said, I am : and ye 'shall see the Son of man sitting on
the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
Jesua ahowa by thia modeat and courageous answer that
his silence is not a' ailence proceeding from fear or want of
power. He admonishes his judge by intimating to him that
he ia to be his. This is a kind of protestation against the
violence and injustice which his sovereign dignity suffers ; and
an appeal against the abuse of this inferior court to the last
tribunal. It belongs to none but God to appeal to himself,
and to join the authority of a supreme judge with the hu
mility of a criminal.
63. Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith. What need we
any further witnesses ?
' That very thing which ought to enlighten this judge finishes
and completes his blindness, through the bad disposition of
hia heart : so true is it that another voice and other ears be
sides thoae of the body are requiaite, in order to our hearing
with profit the truths of salvation. The great are generally
offended and scandalized at great truths, instead of profiting
by them ; the reason is, because they have great passions.
The truth of the last judgment, which ought to make the de'ep-
45*

634 MARK.
est impression upon the mind of a bishop, a judge, or a prince,
ia that which they are least willing to hear when they are
not really the servants of God.
64. Te have heard the blasphemy : what think ye? And they all con
demned him to be guilty of death.
Let us adore Jesus Christ, condemned by his own people,
in order to save that very people. He ia judged by thera all
in general aa unworthy to live ; but they are the iniquitiea
of ua all which conderan hira by their raouth. After thia, who
can wonder to aee good raen condemned by the world? Yes,
Lord, thou art indeed guilty of death for our sina, becauae
thy love caused thee to take them upon thyself, and thou wast
pleaaed to become the victim for them. How then can I pos-
aibly avoid death, I who have deaerved it hy ray own ains ?
65. And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to
buffet him, and to say unto him, Prophesy : and the servants did strike
him with the palms of their hands.
The image of the inviaihle God refuaea not, for our sakes,
to be dishonoured by the moBt unworthy treatment. All hia
sense's suffer: (1.) His sight, by their covering his face. (2.)
His hearing, by their blasphemies. (3.) His smelling, by the
nastiness of their spittle. (4.) His feeling, by their buffeting
him, and the blows given by these servants. (5.) His taste,
by the blood which proceeded from these blows, etc. This is
a dreadful motive of humiliation for the sinner, who seeks
only to gratify his senses; and it is raore so for the proud
and revengeful person, who cannot bear the least injury, and
is a mere idolater of his false honour.
SECT. VIII. — PETER'S DENIAL AND REPENTANCE.
66. If And as Peter was beneath in the palace, there cometh one of the
maids of the high priest :'
Presumption, curiosity, and unprofitable conversation draw
Peter into the occasion of his fall. When a man can be ser
viceable to his friends under their disgraces and persecutions
for religion, he may then expose himself to some danger upon
their account ; but to do it when he cannot serve them in the
least is to forget that he is weak, and that he ought, out of

CHAPTER XIV. 635
humility, to avoid danger as much as poasible, and not to ex
pose himaelf thereto out of curioaity or preaumption.
67. And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked upon him,
and Baid,_ And thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth. 68. But he de
nied, saying, I know not, neither understand I what thou sayest. And
he went out into the porch ; and the cock crew.
What ! not know him, who, by the euchariat, had juat given
himaelf to him, and waa at that very time aacrificing himaelf
for him ? There are but too many who imitate Peter, in de
nying Chriat by their worka as soon as ever they leave the
holy table, and in being ashamed before men of his truths,
his gospel, and his friends. Men look upon it as a small thing,
under the fair and specious pretexts of wisdom, advantage,
and other prudential considerations, to disserable the know
ledge which they have of the innocency of those who are ren
dered odious to the world, or their agreement with them in
the sarae sentiraents and opinions. We shall one day see
what judgraent God will pass upon this conduct. The silence
of a good raan and a friend is a piece of treachery, which is
soraetiraes raore prejudicial and of more pernicious conse
quence than the accusation of a declared enemy.
69. And a maid saw him again, and began to say to them that stood
by. This is one of them. 70. And he denied it again. And a little after,
they that stood by said again to Peter, Surely thou art one of them : for
thou art a Galilean, and thy speech agreeth thereto.
The experience of a first, and even of a second fall, is not
sufficient to convince a presumptuous person, or to make him
senaible of his danger. The danger is never small when the
weakness is great, and a man depends upon himself. A silly
woman, a word, or even a look, is able to overturn the chief
pillars of the church, if they are not well founded upon the
love of God and the contempt of the world, and of all its

71. But he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man
of whom ye speak.
Is this the man who said, " Lord, to whom shall we go ?
thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe, and are
sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God."
What knowledge, what faith, what zeal soever a man has, he

536 MARK.
may loae it all in' a moment, and become like Peter. Pre
aumption was the cause of his fall : let humility support us,
and conserve in us the gifts of God.
72. And the second time the cook crew. And Peter called to mind
the word that Jesus said unto him. Before the cock crow twice, thou
shalt deny me thrice. And when he thought thereon, he wept.
In vain does the cock crow to the eara of Peter ; in vain
do all preachera cry aloud to awaken the sinner, unless the
grace of Christ open his understanding, his meraory, and his
heart, and draw from thence the tears of repentance. Peter's
tongue utters not a word, but his heart speaks by his eyes.
A true penitent ought to begin by silence, especially if his
tongue has been the instrument of his sin. Such a peraon
should speak to God by his love, and to men by his teara. Ij;
ia to hia heart that God apeaka, when it is touched with a
sense of his aina ; and it ia hia heart which muat speak to God,
if it desires to be cured.

CHAPTER XV.
SECT. I. — ^JESUS BROUGHT BEFORE PILATE. — BARABBAS. — THE
CLAMOUR OF THB JEWS AGAINST CHRIST.
1. And straightway in the morning the chief priests held a consulta
tion with the elders and scribes and the whole council, and bound Jesus,
and carried Mm away, and delivered Mm to Pilate.
Nothing can appear more regular in itself than thia aasera
bly ; but the more lawful ita authority ia, the raore criminal
ia the abuae thereof to the oppression of innocence. When
the supreme judges betray their trust, they are more guilty
than the inferior, because there is no remedy or appeal for
thoae whora they oppreas. JesuS is delivered to the secular
power and to the Gentiles as a profane and impious person,
because he is a universal crirainal, who beara the sine both of
Jewa and GentilcB, of all states and conditions of men, and
because he ia to be condemned in the place of all, and to die
for all. He refuaea no judge, and declinea no tribunal, be-

CHAPTER XV. 537
cause he looks upon himself as already condemned by his
Father, and upon men as being, by their injustice, only the
executioners of his sovereign justice.
2. And Pilate asked him. Art thou the King of the Jews ? And he
answered and said unto him. Thou sayest it.
Chriat bears testimony to his own royal dignity, but
without saying any thing which might deliver him from the
hands of his enemies. It is very difficult for a man not to
own and declare that he is a king, when such an acknowledg
ment and declaration draw after them honour, respect, and
every thing due to royalty. But when royalty itself is be
come a crime, then he who dares own and acknowledge it
must despise life. Christ never confessed himself a king till
he found himself in the hands of his enemies, because it was
by the cross that he waa to reign.
3. And the chief priests accused him of many things; but he answered
nothing. Having aeen Jeaua betrayed and delivered up by one of
hia apostles, we cannot wonder at all to see him accused by
the chief priests. This consumnftite corruption in the chief
miniatera of religion makea it evident that it waa high time
that the Saviour ahould appear in the world, that the true
prieat ahould come to offer hia sacrifice, and that grace should
be shed abroad in the heart, aa the aovereign remedy of ain.
4. And Pilate asked him again, saying, Answerest thou nothing?
behold how many things they witness against thee.
Our sins shut the mouth of Christ. He answered nothing,
because he was to answer for us who had nothing to answer
for ourselves. The silence of the person accused confounds
both the malice of the accusers and the cowardice of the
prevaricating judge, when this silence is supporte(i by inno
cence. 5. But Jesus yet answered nothing ; so that Pilate marvelled.
The silence of Jesus proceeds frora his owning all our
crimes before his Father, his only lawful judge. Concern,
passion, fear of death, love of reputation, and deane to be
justified, raake an accused peraon apeak who has 'nothing at
liberty but his tongue; but even the tongue itself of Christ

538 MARK.
is not at liberty, being under a kind of confinement from his
meekneaa, hie patience, hia wisdom, his humility, his obe
dience, and his quality of victim, which make him even in
love with shame and with the cross.
6. Now at that feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever
they desired.
This custom is a type of the deliverance of all mankind at
the feast of the immolation of Christ the true paschal victim.
It is a new benefit, that he would not be released at the feast
of the passover ; as it was one before, that he was willing to
be redeeraed at his presentation in the temple. There could
have been no salvation for us, if the Saviour himself had not
vouchsafed to be the aacrifice for it.
7. And there was one named Barabbas, which lay bound with them
that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the
insurrection. 8. And the multitude crying aloud began to desire Mm to
do as he had ever done unto them.
Who could have helie'ved any other, but that theae people,
who had ao often aeen the miraclea of the Son of God, and
had been loaded with hia benefita, were going to apeak in hia
favour, and to plead hia innocence in order to procure hia
release? But nothing can be favourable to him, whom hia
Father haa conc^mned for our ains.
9. But Pilate answered them, saying. Will ye that I release unto you
the King of the Jews ? 10. For he knew that the chief priests had de
livered him for envy.
How ranch raischief does envy cause, when ecclesiastical per
aona auffer theraaelvea to be poaaeaaed therewith ! That which
it firat began to do againat the Prince of paators, the same
will it continue to do against hia ministers throughout all
succeeding ages, and will never cease to pursue them till the
end of the world. It was the cause of the death of Christ
even frora the beginning of the world, since it was by the
envy of the devil that sin firat entered into it, and aince envy
waa that which made him "a raurderer from the beginning."
Wretched and miserable are his children, who accomplish the
desires of their father. Miserable are thoae Caina who envy
their brethren, and thereby become their murderera, at leaat
in the desire of their hearts.

CHAPTER XV. 539
. 11. But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather re
lease Barabbas unto them.
The people follow the bad example and the sentiments of
wicked priests, rather than those of the good. The envy of
the priests, the credulity of the people, and the policy of the
timorous and selfish magistrate, conspire to set Jeaus Christ
below Barabbas.
12. And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then
that I shall do unto Mm whom ye call the King of the Jews ?
What ! to have Jesus Christ in his hands, and not know
what to do with him ! How many Christians are in the like
condition ! What shall we not do with him, provided we have
faith ! To what purpose is he not useful, who is the Saviour,
the Sacrifice, the Priest, and the Mediator of men ! What
duties have we not to pay him ! What requests have we not
to make to him ! What ought we not to present and offer to
him ! There are abundance of worldly people who know not
what to do with Christ, that is, with their faith in Christ : it
incommodes and perplexes them ; they are unwilling to deliver
it up openly ; and they are likewise unwilling to follow it.
When a person in authority, who is devoted to the service of
God, has Jesus Christ and the interests of his kingdom within
his power, he is far frora saying. What shall I do with this
king? For he knows very well that he ought to use his
utmost endeavours to advance his kingdom in the world, and
to make his own authority subaervient to that end.
13. And they cried out again. Crucify him. 14. Then Pilate said
unto them. Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more
exceedingly. Crucify him.
Faithleaa and ungrateful people ! who make no other re
turn but the puniahment of the cross for all the favours and
benefits they had received. How many more have Christians
received, who yet cease not to crucify him afresh by their
ains ! Let us not pretend to say that we would never have
preferred Barabbas before the Son of God : for we do the
same thing whenever we prefer our will to hisj, our own satis
faction before his law, the world to his truth, and our own
interests before the duties of religion.

540 MAR K.
15. If And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barab
bas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged Aim, to be
crucifled. Obaerve here the aeveral crimea of Pilate : — (1.) Ambition
rendera hira a coward. (2.) He releaaea a raurderer. (3.) He
prefers him before the Author of life. (4.) He abandons
an innocent person. (5.) He causes him to be scourged.
(6.) He unjustly delivera him up to hia enemiea. And, (7.)
He causes him to be crucified. How raany sins do too great
a regard to men, and the fear of the world, cause a judge to
corarait who is not firmly settled in the love of justice ! In
order to his being the instrument of abundance of mischief
it is not necessary that he should be altogether corrupt ; it is
sufficient if he be desiroua only of pleaaing eome particular
peraon. One single pasaion makes a man a slave, and pre^
vails alone above a great number of good qualities. Com
plaisance ia one of the raost dangerous, because it seems to
be a passion attending a good man, and because it has nothing
in it which is shocking, nothing but» what is gentle and good-
natured, insomuch that it often passea even for gratitude,
duty, and prudence.
SECT. II. — CHRIST SCOURGED, CROWNED WITH THORNS, AND
INSULTED.
16. And the soldiers led him away into the hall, called Pretorium ;
and they called together the whole band.
Let us adore the Son of God abandoned to the insolence
of the soldiers. He is sometimes worse treated in a company
of gentleraen, among the great pretenders to reason, than
amid this whole band of cruel soldiers. He suffers at the
hands of these that ill treatment to which his Father con
demned him;- and he suffers it in the body, wherein he waa
to suffer it : but the othera, aa far aa liea in their power, de-
baae and humble him in hia glorious and immortal state by
their infidelity with respect to hia myateriea, and contrary to
the deaign of Giod, who would have hira honoured by the faith
of hia church.

CAPTER. XV. 541
17. And they clothed hhn with purple, and platted a crown of thorns,
and put it about his head,
. Let US honour Jesus Christ, dishonoured in that very
quality which ought tD have been most respected and ho
noured in him. In this myatery he expiates the vanity and
excess of the great ones of the world, who spend, in clothes
and superfluous ornaments, not only that which ia due to the
neceaaitiea of his members, but even that of which they are
frequently atripped and spoiled. All the crowns of the earth,
and the purple of kings, how bright and glorious soever they
be, must pay homage to this crown of thorns and to this pur
ple. The homage which these require of them is that they
use their utmost endeavours in causing their people to serve
Jesus Christ, maintaining and supporting the truths of Chris
tianity, and the faithful ministers of the church, with all the
authority which God haa given them.
18. And began to salute him. Hail, King of the Jews!
He expiatea the pride of thoae who exact or receive from
their subjects such honours as are almost divine. To observe
in the church the posture and countenance of abundance of
Christian professors, one would take thera rather for Jews or
pagan soldiers, who insult and mock Christ, than for Chris
tians, who come to. adore their Saviour and ¦ their King.
Would to God the clergy themselves did not contribute to this
irreverence, either by their cowardice in bearing with it, or
by their negligence in instructing others, or by their own bad
example. 19. And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon
him, and bowing iheir knees wor8hippe(\ him.
He expiates that exceaaive resentment which men have of
the least injuries which are done them, their inclination to
revenge, and the transports of their passions. The insults
of these pagan soldiers, who know not Christ, affect him less
sensibly in this day of his humiliations and sufferings than
the carelessness, forgetfulneaa, and irreligion of Chriatiana,
who make profession that they believe in him, and look upon
him as their Saviour. Let us pray to God, and worship him
in Jesus Christ; but let ua do it in auch a manner as is worthy
Vol. L— 46

542 MARK.
both of God and of. Christ. If to bow the knees be to wor
ship Christ, these heathens do it as Well as we. It is the
heart which prays and worships; the modest and reserved
behaviour is but the sign!, and, as it were, the visible sacra
ment of the invisible adoration.
SECT. III. — THE CROSS CARRIED.^JESUS CRUCIFIED.^THE
THIEVES.
20. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from
him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him.
A God, become the jest and sport of his creatures, ex
piates the sacrilege of his creatures who raake a jest of God
and religion. Every one has his particular way of making a
mock of theae, which ia either raore or leaa criminal: some
do it in a more gross and sensible, othera in a more private
and apiritual manner ; ecclesiaatical persona after one faahion,
and worldly people after another ; aome with deliberate pur
poae and out of an extravagant gayety of mind, others
through carelessness, ignorance, or custom, and, as it were,
without perceiving it. The wicked do but too nearly resem
ble these soldiers : if they cease to mock Christ, it is only in
order to crucify him by other sins.
21. And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming
out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross.
Happy is that person who bears his cross in following
Christ, though againat hia own inclination ! There are scarce
any crosses and afflictions in the world which are purely
voluntary, and which a man would embrace by his own choice ;
but that which in its origij^al is, as it were, forced, becomes
voluntary by acceptance. The silence of this raan is to us a
testiraony of his patience, his peaceableness, and his adhe
rence to the cross of Christ; or at least a lesson, which
teaches us what we ought to do under those afflictions which
may fall upon us.
22. And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being in
terpreted. The place of a skull.
The true Isaac carries the wood for his sacrifice to the very
place appointed for his iramolation. He suffers, and offers

CHAPTER XV. 543
himself without the gate, (Heb. xiii. 12,) to show that we
must expect our sanctification and salvation frora his sacrifice
only, and not frora the sacrifices offered in Jerusalera accord
ing to the law ; and that it is a universal aacrifice which ia
to redeem, sanctify, and save, not the Jewish people alone,
but all the nations of the earth.
23. And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh : but he
received it not.
All humanity is changed into cruelty to augment the suf
ferings of Christ, and yet the sinner would fain have every
thing changed into delights for his own ease and gratification.
Chriat tastes a little of this bitter, intoxicating, and strength
ening liquor, that he may suffer the bitterness of it ; he re
fuses the rest, to show that he was resolved to endure all the
pains of the crosa, to offer his sacrifice with a perfect freedom '
of mind, and not to defer the moment of his death and the
completion of his sacrifice by repairing hia atrength. How
wonderful, 0 Jesus, is the whole economy of thy sufferings !
It ia peculiar to thee alone to suffer with thia freedom of
raind, this strict conformity to the will of God thy Father,
and this insatiate love of sufferings.
24. And when they had crucifled him, they parted his garments, cast
ing lots upon them, what every man should take.
Christ ia hurabled even in hia garmenta, which had been
often the inatrumenta of his goodness and mercy toward his
people. Ecclesiastical revenues being the patrimony of the
poor, are, in respect of them, to be looked upon as the garments
of Christ, who had no other goods upon earth but that only
which served to cover his body. What then can we think
when we see them become the lot and portion of soldiers, but
only that this part of Christ's passion is renewed daily among
Christians? When clergymen by profession are likewise
professed gamesters, though they have no revenues but what
bebng to the church, do they not justly deserve, to be looked
upon as soldiers who, at the very foot of the cross, cast lota
for the patrimony of Chriat crucified, and the garmenta of his
members ?

544 MARK.
25. And it was the third hour, and they crucified him.
Who will give us a heart worthy to adore Jesus Christ
nailed to the cross as a victim laid upon the altar, and there
offering to his Father, yi behalf of his church, the grand sa
crifice of 'his love and of his life ? This cross is not only the
altar of sacrifice, but also the pulpit of the true teacher, the
nuptial bed of the bridegroom who produces us from hia
wounda, and the tribunal of the sovereign Judge. . Every one
of these qualities requires particular duties, which we ought
carefully to study and to pay him with fidelity.
26. And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE
KING OF THE JEWS.
Death is so far from destroying the regal power in Chriat,
aa it does in earthly kings, that it is, on the contrary, the
very foundation thereof. He becomes the King of the true
Jews, of the Israel of God, and of all nations, by overcoming
their true enemies, namely, death, the devil, and sin, and
obtaining for them the true salvation, and the right to reign
with him. Let me not be so unjust, 0 Jeaua, my King and
my Deliverer, as to dispute with thee the sovereignty of my
heart, which has cost thee so dear.
27. And with him they crucified two thieves ; the one on his right
hand, and the other on his left.
In death, that which passea before the eyea of men may be
comraon to the righteous and the wicked ; but that which
passea in the sight of God is very different. Those who have
any ambition to reign with Christ must expect to be crucified
with him ; and even those who have no auch ambition will,
notwithatanding, be certainly crucified in aome manner or
other. The forraer, with the croas of Christ, purchaae heaven ;
the latter hell, with the crosa of the devil : all Chriatians and
all mankind are thus divided.
28. And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith. And he was num
bered with the transgressors. '
Christ, by being numbered with the tranagreaaora at the
time of hia death, merita for ua the favour of being placed in
the number of children, upon our receiving our own death in
the apirit of humility and repentance. The aentiments which

CHAPTER XV. 545
these people have of Christ crucified, teach ua not to fall in with
the judgment of the greateat number. He passes for a no
torious malefactor in the opinion of all, except a very few
who dare not declare their thoughta. We frequently judge
of the eternal atate of a ainner by the manner of hia death ;
but God, perhapa, judgea very differently concerning it : that
peraon diea the death of raalefactora who ia an elect of God.
SECT. IV. — BLASPHEMIES. — DARKNESS. — CHRIST CRIBS OUT,
AND DIBS.
29. And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and
saying. Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days,
30. Save thyself, and come down from the Cross.
He who ia fastened to the cross out of obedience and love
will never corae down frora it of his own accord. It is not
sufficient that a man live under mortification and the cross,
he must likewise die therein. It is sometimes a great terap
tation to thoae who auffer for the aake of Chriat, to see that
their sufferings are an occasion of dishonouring God, and insult
ing piety and religion. It is their part to continue faithful to
God in their state and condition ; it is God's to take care to
put a stop to the blasphemy, and to aecure the honour of piety.
31. Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves
With the scribes. He saved others ; himself he cannot save.
If Chriat had aaved himaelf, he could not then have saved
others. There is a time to suffer and a time to act. It is
not always a proper time to repress the insults which are
made against the truth : there are some seasons when it is
better to suffer and to be ailent, than to work miracles and
to make apologies. Human reason cannot comprehend how any
one can save himself from suffering, when he does not save
himself at all ; and it imagines that it arguea very justly in
concluding that Christ wrought only falae rairaclea for othera,
since he wrought none for himaelf 0 croaa of my Saviour,
it ia in many different waya that thou confoundest the wisdom
of the world !
32. Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we
may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.
An earnest desire to see is but a very ill dispoaition in
2K

546 MARK.
order to believe. Had Christ descended from the crosa and
not died, all faith had been quite deatroyed, and he could not
have been either the author or finiaher of it. See here another
deluaion of human pride, to imagine that miraclea are of
theraaelvea aufficient to engage men to believe : aa if faith were
not a gift of God. Theae men will believe, they aay, if Christ
save himself from death ; when they theraselves had seen him
raise one who had been dead four days, without any other
effect than increasing in envy, incredulity, and hardneaa of
heart. So greatly doea the sinner deceive himself.
33. And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the
whole land until the ninth hour.
It is the sinner's blindness, it is our own, which is repre
sented by this darkneaa. Such ia the heart which haa given
itaelf ita death-wound by meana of ain, and haa now no
other hold of God but only by aome amall remaina of faith.
Exceeding happy in ita miafortune, if the light of grace
return and prevent it from expiring under ita darkness.
Christ hereby plainly showed that his death was to recover
the world out of the darkness of sin and error. It has re
covered us out of it : forever blessed be his holy narae for
this mercy,
34. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi,
Eloi, lama sabachthani ? which is, being interpreted. My God, my God,
why hast thou forsaken me ?
The cry of the heart is the prayer of charity or love, and
the loud cry of Christ's heart is the prayer of his love, which
cauaea hira to give his life for us, and which iraplorea the
greateat mercy for his church. Hear this cry, 0 my God,
and let it be the peace of thy church ! Christ is forsaken by
his Father, on no other account but only because the sinner
deserved to be so, and to the end that he may not. Strange
and wonderful dereliction this ! which, exposing Christ to the
rage of his crea,tures, unites him to his Father in a more close,
holy, and divine manner, as his true victim. Why ? It is
because God thy Father loved mankind so exceedingly ; it is
because thou, 0 Jeaua my Saviour, gaveat thyself up to his
justice, that thou mighteat be the victim of the world ; it is

CHAPTER XV. 547
because thy Spirit had forsaken sinners, and could not pos
sibly be restored to them but by the effusion of thy adorable
blood. 35. And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said. Behold,
he calleth Elias.
The last words of Christ are so much the more worthy of a
singular regard and reverence, because they are dishonoured
by these impious wretchea, and because they discover to us
the most holy dispositions of Jesus Christ, his greatest in
ternal sufferings, and the most violent impression of God, as
being infinite justice and holiness itself upon his Son made
sin, that is, the victim of sin for us. He bears alone all the
affronts and inaulta of the priests and the people, of Jews and
Gentiles, and of the companions and witnesses of his suffer
ings, becauae he alone beara, expiates, and destroys all the
sina of the whole world.
36. And one ran and fllled a sponge full of vinegar, and put it on a
reed, and gave him to drink, saying. Let alone ; let us see whether Elias
will come to take him down.
Malice persecutes Christ to the very last. He expiates
the sharpness and bitterness of our words, and the licentious-
neaa of our tongue, by what he suffers in his own. See here
all the consolation the creatures give their Creator while he
is suffering for them: namely, infidelity, sharpness, and
bitterness. The sharpness and bitterness of a heart full of
gall, animosity, and revenge against one's brother, are, with
out comparison, raore grievous to Christ than those here
tasted by him, which are only an emblem of the other. It ia
by the sweetness and gentleness of charity that Christ re
quires men should comfort him in his sufferings.
37. And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.
This cry is a testimony of Christ's divinity, at the same
time that his death gives one of his humanity. The cry of
our sins gives him death ; his cry, which offers his death to
hia Father, delivera us from death. All nature ought to be
annihilated at the death of its God; hut he requires no more
than the annihilation and death of sin in us. Let us pay him
at least adoration, thanksgiving, humiliation, love, and all

548 MARK.
the other dutiea of which the heart of man is capable toward
hia God dying for him.
SECT. V. — THE MIRACLES AFTER CHRIST'S DEATH. — THE CEN
TURION. — THE HOLY WOMEN.
38. And the vailofthe temple was rent in twain from thetoptothebottom.
Behold all the mysteries which are just going to be dis
covered. The veil of the true sanctuary will now imraediately
be opened, to raen, by the rending of the veil of Christ's flesh.
The death of the true victim puts an end to the figurative
sacrifices, and to all the carnal righteousneaa of the Jewiah
temple. The whole earth ia about to become the temple of
God by the sacrifice of charity, in whieh alone the true
righteousness consists, and by the sacrifice of the eucharist,
which will everywhere renew the memory of that which is
just now accomplished on mount Calvary, and will publish
this truth in all places, that Christ died for the salvation of
the whole world.
39. Tf And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that
he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said. Truly this man was the
Son of God.
A powerful and miraculous cry thia ! It opena the eyes
and the heart of the centurion, because for him it ia accom
panied with the internal cry of grace which ia repreaented by
it. There is a loud cry at the death of Christ; there waa
the Same at the resurrection of Lazarua: to ahow that our
bleaaed Saviour'a death waa to merit for ua the grace to rise
to the true life. The faith and confession of the centurion
are the first-fruits of the faith of the Gentiles, and a pro
phetic sign of their being preferred before the Jews. As
Christ during his whole life gave himself to the Jews, so im
mediately upon his death he begins to declare for the Gen
tiles by thia firat grace.
40. There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was
Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses,
and Salome ; 41. Who also, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and
ministered unto him ; and many other women whioh came up with him
unto Jerusalem.
Grace, which is the fruit of the death of Jesus Christ,

CHAPTER XV. 549
triumphs in the weaker sex, by rendering these women faith
ful in their attendance at the cross, to teach man to glory in
his own weakness if he would receive the strength of Jesus
Christ. These holy women satisfy the bashfulness and
modesty of their sex, in keeping at some distance from this
apectacle ; they aatiafy their love and their duty, in not loaing
sight of the Saviour of the world during his sacrifice. The
love of life and the fear of death are the things which most
strongly oppose the obligation under which we lie to follow
Jesua Chriat suffering and dying for us ; the grace to be freed
from those obstacles is the fruit of having followed Christ in
his life by imitating him, and of having liberally distributed
alma among his poor members, as these pioua women had done.
SECT. VI. — JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA. — THE BURIAL.
42. Tf And now, when the even was come, because it was the prepara
tion, that is, the day before the sabbath, 43. Joseph of Arimathea, an
honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, oame,
and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus.
Whoever with faith expects and waits for the kingdom of
God, exposes himself boldly to the greatest perils of this
present life. God knows how to find proper persons for his
work, how dangerous soever it may be, when he designs to
employ them therein. None but Christ could have found
friends of condition after such a death, because none but he
could give himself such by the sovereign power which he had
over hearts. None of Christ's known and professed disciples
have any share in his burial, because it waa requisite there
should be unsuspected witnesaea of the certainty of his death ;
nor have his apostles any thing to do in it, because by their
cowardice they deserved to be deprived of thia honour ; nor
even Peter himaelf, becauae he waa taken up in bewailing his
own death.
44. And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead : and calling unto
hiin the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead.
The time of Chriat's death is not aubjected to the general
and comraon lawa, but aolely to the will of God, and even to
the power of the person who diea. How wonderful is the

550 MARK.
wisdom of God in the methods which it takea, almoat in an
imperceptible manner, to have witnesses of the truth of hia
Son'a death, and to obviate the objectiona of thoae who were
to deny it !
45. And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph.
This faithful disciple ia paid in ready money for his fidelity
and courage, by his receiving as a gift the victim of God, the
treasure of the church, the sacred bud from whence salvation
is to spring, and the precious grain of wheat which containa
the kingdom of God. We seldora expose ourselves to great
dangers for the sake of God without being rewarded im
raediately, at least by the corafort of having done our duty,
and of having secured to ourselves, in sorae measure, the pos
session of Jesus Christ to all eternity.
46. And he bought flne linen, and took him down, and wrapped him
in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock,
and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre.
Whoever is dead to sin with Jesus Christ, ought, (1.) To
receive Christ with a pure heart. (2.) By the assistance of
his ministers to remove himself from the place or occasions
of sin wherein he was dead. (3.) As it were to wrap up
Christ in hia heart, by preaerving him therein with great
care. (4.) To make of hia heart a living aepulchre, by the
remembrance of Chriat's death. (5.) To hew thia aepulchre
out of a rock, that is, to found and root it in Christ by an
unshaken faith. (6.) To shut it up from the world, and the
occasions of sin and distraction of mind, by retirement and
silence. (7.) So to order the matter that Christ hiraself, by
his word and grace, raay be the living stone rolled unto the
door of this living sepulchre.
47. And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where
he was laid.
Let us imitate these holy women, and take care like thera
not to lose sight of Christ, but to follow him everywhere by
a persevering faith and an indefatigable fidelity. In his life,
in his death, at the sepulchre, everywhere he is our God
and our Saviour, everywhere adorable, everywhere infinitely
worthy to be sought after and followed. That society is very

CHAPTER XVL 55I
pleasant, extremely profitable, and highly acceptable to God,
which is between two souls united together only to follow
Christ, to seek hira in the poor, to honour him in his mys
teries, and mutually to assist each other in discovering where
he is laid and where they may find him, in order to perform
their duty to him either in himself or in his members.

CHAPTER XVI.

SECT. I. — THE RESURRECTION. — THE HOLY WOMEN AT THB
SEPULCHRE. — ^ANGELS. '
1. Awn when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the
mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might
come and anoint him.
Faith seeks after life in the very sepulchre of Christ, and
it will find even more than it seeks, because it seeks it as it
ought, and out of a principle of obedience. A solid and sub
stantial devotion is always regular, does' every thing in its
proper time, and is very far from neglecting what is com
manded for that which is not. The Spirit of God, which
guides these holy women, permita them not to dispense with
the observance even of a dying law, that so they may per
form a service to Christ which could be deferred but a very
little while.
2. And very early in the morning, the flrst day of the week, they came
unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.
True charity, aa well aa faith, is active and diligent ; and
neither death is capable to extinguish it, nor grief to render
it slothful and feeble. The diligence of these women will not
have the success they promise themselves from it, but it will
have something which is much better. The work is done, in
the sight of God, when once a man puts himself in a readiness
to do it ; good dispositions are never lost ; the endeavours of
charity are never fruitless and unsuccessful.
3. And they said among themselves. Who shall roll us away the stone
from the door of the sepulchre ?
Love regards no difficulty nor danger ; it considers nothing

552 MARK.
but the will and deaire of the beloved object. A person muat
needs have a very great stock of faith, to see difficulties
which in all appearance are inextricable, and yet, notwith
standing, to go forward trusting entirely to Providence. It
is prudence to foresee difficultiea ; hut it is a prudence more
holy and evangelical to obey the call of God when he calls
us to any work, and to depend upon him for those means
whereof we ourselves are utterly unprovided.
4. And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away:
for it was very great.
God generally removes the greatest obstacles in those
affairs which a man undertakes, for his sake alone, with cou
rage and faith. Human measures often fail even in the
easiest undertakings; thoae measures which God makes use
of for those persons who in the moat difficult undertakinga
put their truat in him, never fail. It is upon him alone that
we must on all occasions continually depend.
5. And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on
the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were af
frighted. He who, by retiring from the world, as it were, buries
himself with Christ, finds therein true corafort and consola
tion frora God, though he is frequently not sensible of it at
first. It is as rauch out of modesty as surprise, that these
holy women are alarraed and affrighted at the aight of a
young raan ahining with light. The appearance of an angel
ought to be auapected by a aoul which haa no reaaon to think
itself worthy of such a favour, and which knowa both that
the devil often tranaforras himaelf into an angel of light, and
that even a man may become a devil to aeduce and deatroy it.
6. And he saith unto them. Be not affrighted : Ye seek Jesus of Na
zareth, which was crucifled: he is risen; he is not here: behold the
place where they laid him.
A man ought not to bury himaelf in retirement, unleaa it
be in order to aeek there Jeaua Chriat crucified. Thia way
of life ia frightful at first ; but this fright is soon changed
into holy delight and satisfaction. It is in retirement that
one learns by experience that Christ is risen indeed, by par-

CHAPTER XVL 663
taking of his new life, by living on the hopes of rising with
him, and, by means of faith, tasting beforehand the joys of
heaven.
> 7, But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before
you into Galilee : there shall ye see him, as he said unto you.
It is in retirement that Jesus, risen again, goes continually
before those who seek him crucified, dead, and buried, in giv
ing them an example, and removing all the difficultiea which
lie in their way; it ia there that they are confirmed and
atrengthened in the hope of aeeing him one day in the glory
of hia resurrection. God takes care to comfort true peni
tents, and to raise the spirits of those who, like Peter, are
cast down at the remembrance of their faults.
8. And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre ; for they
trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man;
for they were afraid.
God suffers the most fervent to experience the inconstancy,
feara, and infirmitiea of thia life, on purpoae to make them
desiroua of another. He obligea men to purchaae the graces
and consolations of this life by inward pains and troublea,
every one in hia way.
SECT. II. — CHRIST'S APPEARANCE TO MARY MAGDALENE AND
THE TWO DISCIPLES.
9. f Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he
appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven
devils. I
The constancy, fidelity, and persev'erence of Mary Magda
lene at the cross, in some measure deserved to be rewarded
with the first visit of Christ risen from the dead. God ia
pleased in a particular manner to favour those who have been
faithful to him in time of persecution, and have not been
ashamed of his cross, on purpose to show how faithful he is to
his proraises. The service of the devil and sin has its fiatter
ing and deceitful sweets, which terrainate at last in the ut
most miaery; the aervice of Jesus Christ and of righteous
ness is attended with crosses, but such as are full of spiritual
unction and hope, and which end in solid joys, and in the
vision of God himself.
Vol L— 47

554 MAR K.
10. And she went and told them that had been with him, as they
mourned and wept. 11. And they, when they had heard that he was
alive, and had been seen of her, beUeved not.
God here makes choice of a faithful aoul rather than of
an apostle, to be the messenger of joy, comfort, and en
couragement to afflicted and dejected minds, that he may
honour fidelity, and teach pastors to prefer it before mighty
works and extraordinary gifts. Jesus Christ, by the double
instance of Mary Magdalene and of the apostles, confirms
this important truth, which he had laid as part of the founda
tion of his morality, " Blessed are they that mourn, for they
shall be comforted."
12. If After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as
they walked, and went into the country.
How fervent is the charity of the good Shepherd ! He
follows his sheep which fiy from him, to bring them back to
his flock, and applies himself as carefully to every one of
them as if it were the only one he had. The Shepherd risen
from the dead, gathers his sheep together which his death
had scattered abroad : thus persecutions separate and dis
perse the disciplea of Christ, causing them to partake of his
cross and death, in order to be one day reunited in the par
ticipation of hia glorioua life.
13. And they went and told ii unto the residue : neither believed they
them. The reaurrection ia the moat difflcult myatery to be
believed ; it ia properly the faith of Chriatians, and the
foundation of their religion. This incredulity of the apoatlea
ia a fault, but a fault which ia beneficial to the church and
to the faith itaelf. The more backward the apostles are in
believing the resurrection of the Son of God, the fitter will
they be to procure it credit, and to be the witnesses of it.
God ia a most admirable architect ; he makes every thing,
good or bad, serviceable to his building : but the good use
which he makes of had materials is hia praiae, without being
their justification.

CHAPTER XVL 555
SECT. III. — CHRIST'S APPEARANCE TO THB ELEVEN. — THEIR
MISSION. — MIRACLES PROMISED. — THE ASCENSION.
14. If Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and
upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because
they believed not them which had seen him after he was risbn.
Jesus leaves not his elect in unbelief or hardness of heart ;
he does not flatter them in their sin, but raakes thera bear
the shame of it in this life. After a proraise so often re
peated to the apoatlea of rising the third day, besides the
prophecies and figurea concerning it which he had explained
to them, thia waa an inexcusable incredulity. How much
more so, then, is that of the wicked, after such a number of
miracles, after the faith of all nations and of all ages !
15. And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the
gospel to every creature. 16. He that believeth and is baptized shall be
saved ; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
Observe here the effects of the resurrection : (1.) The uni
versal mission. (2.) The calling of the Gentiles. (3.) The
faith, sanctification, and salvation of the elect. (4.) The in
fidelity, obduration, and damnation of the reprobate. Not
to believe, is enough to condemn us; but to believe is not
enough to justify us, unless we believe with that lively faith
which worketh by love, which includes and fulfils the whole
law. Christ ordinarily requirea nothing but faith here in
order to aalvation, and, in the two following verses, in order
to the gift of healing and miraculous works : the reason ia,
because faith being the foundation, the root and the bud of
all other virtues and necessary dispositions, denotes and
comprehends them all.
17. And these signs shall follow them that believe ; In my name shall
they oast out devils ; they shall speak with new tongues ;
The name of Jesus is terrible to the devil. It is a weapon
which he leaves to his church wherewith to cast him out and
to subdue him, and to triumph over hell and sin even to the
end of the world. It is a very great fault in Christians to
put so little trust in it, to use it either too seldom or on tri
vial occasions, without reapect, religion, faith, or attention.

556 MARK.
or without reliance upon thia promise. It ia employed in
casting out the devil when it is used against all evil thoughts or
impure deairea, and againat all hia auggeationa and temptationa.
18. They shall take up serpents ; and if they drink any deadly thing,
it shall not hurt them ; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall
recover. A lively faith puta the power of God into the handa of men,
casts out the devil of sin, causes them to speak the language of
heaven, cleara the heart of man from ita venora and raalignity,
and curea all the faintness and sickness which proceed from sin.
A man has no reason to fear any manner of adversity when
charity has gained the ascendant in hira over concupiscence.
19. f So then, after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received
up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.
The whole gospel, and all the grandeur of the Christian re
ligion, is reducible to this, naraely : " That we have such an
High-Priest, who ia not entered into the holy places raade
with hands, which are the figurea of the true, but into heaven
itaelf, now to appear in the presence of God for us ;" that he
"is there set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty
in the heavens, being the Minister of the sanctuary, and of
the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man."
Heb. viii. 1, 2 ; ix. 24.
20. And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord work
ing with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.
Could the gospel possibly end after a manner more com
fortable, than with the promise of the co-operation of Christ
with the ministers of his word ? A co-operation both external
and internal ; the one by miracles and the other assistances
of his providence ; the other, by the operation of his grace in
the heart. Our whole confidence, 0 my Saviour, dependa
upon our knowledge of thy almighty power in opening our
hearts to thy word. This ia the only hope of the church !
Vouchsafe, Lord, to grant her such ministers of thy word aa
may deserve to have it accompanied in their mouth with the
co-operation of thy grace! It ia thia which doea all, both
with and without miraclea. Theae are not necessary for us ; but
without the operation of thy healing grace we can do nothing.

THE

GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST,

ACCOEDINO TO

LUKE.

CHAPTER I.
SECT. I. — Luke's preface.
1. Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a
declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us,
2. Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were
eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word;
It is a very great proof of the truth of religion, and of the
certainty of those things which the evangelists relate, that
they were written by a great number of historians, without
support, pretensions, combination, or human talents; that
they were written while they were all fresh, in the midst of
the most violent opposition of the Jews against the gospel,
and yet no one at that time writing any thing to the con
trary ; that they were written without any heat, invectives, or
bitterness, though they are no other than the history of the
most unjust and cruel persecution, and even death of their
Master; that they were taken from eye-witnesses, have been
received by all the world, and confirraed by innumerable
miracles. 3, It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all
things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent
Theophilus, 4. That thou mightest know the certainty of those things,
wherein thoh hast been instructed.
Luke is the proper evangelist of the birth of John the Bap
tist, and of all the particulars of the incarnation, infancy, and
47* , 557

558 LUKE.
first mysteries of Jesus Christ. A man ought neither to write
nor speak concerning divine and religious matters, till he has
been exactly instructed in them by persons worthy of credit ;
and then he must do it not to satisfy either vanity or curi
osity, but only to make known the truth. God frequently
makes use of one particular occasion to enlighten the whole
church ; and a writing, composed by the author only for one
particular person, through the appointraent, conduct, and in
spiration of God, becomes a public and divine book. Let ua
adore, admire, and thank providence, for the care it takea
about the inatruction both of private peraona and of the
whole church. Let ua profit by all we read, as being written
for every one of us ?
SECT. II. — THE angel's APPEARANCE TO ZACHARIAS. — JOHN
baptist's birth foretold. — ZACHARIAS DUMB.
5. Tf There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain
priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia : and his wife was of the
daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. 6. And they were
both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordi
nances of the Lord blameless.
Happy that marriage, where all is sacerdotal on both sides :
by the consecration of the heart to God ; by a disengagement
from earthly riches; by a love of purity; by faithfulness to
God'a law ; by a zeal for hia glory ; by constancy in prayer ;
by a spirit of sacrifice ; and by an inviolable application to
all the duties of religion. The nobility of John is founded
on a long succession, not of kings nor of great captains, but
of persona consecrated to God ; not on the authority or wealth
of his parents, but on their piety, which consiata in fulfilling
the law of God.
7. And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren ; and
they both were now well stricken in years.
Mysterioua ia thia barrenneaa of nature, which givea occa
sion to a fruitfulness of grace. Thoae who know how to value
aa they ought the bleasing of the new law, which" is to be a
child of God and a member of Christ, afflict themselves but
little at being deprived of the blessing of the old law, which

CHAPTER L 559
consisted in having children, and giving members to the syna
gogue. Here ia mention made of barrenness, but none of
murmuring or vexation. The righteous receive the outward
gifts of God with gratitude, but they can bear the want of
them with submission.
8. And it came to pass, that, while he executed the priest's office before
God in the order of his course, 9. According to the custom of the priest's
office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the
Lord. One priest alone, intent on his duty, who diffuaes the sweet
savour of Christ, and is constant in prayer, draws down on
the people more blessings than a great number of negligent
priests. A man ought to discharge all the ecclesiastical func
tions with the spirit of the sacred ministry as before God, and
under his iraraediate inspection; to perform them in order, in
his proper station, without ambitiously aeeking a higher; to
do nothing merely of hia own will, but to observe the well-
established customs as being the necessary securities of peace.
This is the truth which these shadows prefigured, and these
the dispoaitions worthy of a minister of the true temple, which
is the church ; and of the true incense, which is the sacrifice
of Jesua Christ.
10. And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at
the time of incense.
Nothing ia more powerful in drawing down the blessings
of God, than a people well united in heart to their holy pastor
in prayer. "The time of incense," aa to Chriatiana, ia the
time of prayer. Thia fidelity of the Jewa, in reapect of the
figure, will condemn Chriatiana who do not esteem the truth
aa they ought. Nothing is more edifying or praiseworthy
than this diligent attendance of the laity.
11. And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on
the right side of the altar of incense.
. It ia the prayer and the aacrifice of the church which draw
down on her, her miniatera, and her children, the favours of
God, and the knowledge of his secrets and mysteries. It is
to a holy bishop, or a holy priest, that God discovers himself
most. Such a one is to the people the same which the angel

660 LUKE.
is to this prieat — a meaaenger, an ambassador from God, to
declare hia promiaea. The angel of the aacrifice ia not visi
ble at the altar; but he ia alwaya preaent there, to carry and
preaent the Chriatian people'a sacrifice before the Majesty
of God.
12. And when Zacharias saw Mm, he was troubled, and fear fell npon
him. Under illuminations, apparitions, and extraordinary mani-
featationa, a man ought always to be afraid. The more hu
mility accompanies the divine illuraination, the greater appre
henaion doea it give of the falae light of the prince of pride.
To know that he transforms himself aometimea into an angel
of light, ia aufficient to raake ua continually in fear of his se
ductions. Trouble producea aaaurance, and fear givea peace,
when they proceed from humility.
13. But the angel said unto him. Fear not, Zacharias : for thy prayer
is heard ; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt
call his name John.
Good angela comfort thoae whom their preaence troubled at
first. Good priests, mindful of the wants of the church and
people, are heard both as to those of the church and as to
their oWn, which perhaps they did not at all consider. Zacha
rias prayed for the Mesaiah, according to the spirit of the
law ; and he is thought worthy to have the forerunner of the
Messias for his own son. The promise of a son is but a small
matter, unless a man can reasonably hope that he will prove
a child of grace. Zacharias receives the promise of it in this
prophetic narae of John, who waa to be the firat-fruit, the
apostle, and the harbinger of Christian grace.
14. And thou shalt have joy and gladness ; and -many shall rejoice at
his birth.
To have joy in the birth of sainta, and particularly in that
of the forerunner of Jeaua Christ, is to honour our Saviour
and his grace. To promise this joy to a father who knew no
other joy but that of the Holy Ghost, is to promsise him every
thing for his son. The gifts of God are not a true subject of
joy, but only when they are to us a pledge of his love, and of
the birth or new coming of Christ in ua by hia Spirit." All

CHAPTER L 561
joy which haa no relation to him, is a joy of the world ; a
joy which coraea not frora heaven ; a joy which we muat
lament. 15. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink
neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be fllled with the Holy
Ghost, even from his mother's womb. 16. And many of the children of
Israel shall he turn to the Lord tbeir God. 17. And he shall go before
him inthe spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to
the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just ; to make
ready a people prepared for the Lord.
Angela have no notion of human, greatneaa, and are far
from bringing tidinga concerning any thing of that nature.
The forerunner of him who came to render it contemptible,
and to contemn it himself, can have no other greatness but
such as makes him conformable to the Son of God in his state
of humiliation. Nothing is truly great, but what is so in the
sight of God. John's greatness arises, (1.) From his mortified
life. (2.) From the fulness of God's Spirit in him. (3.) From
his zeal to make Christ known. (4.) From his fidelity and
courage in rebuking vice, in reviving in the Jews the spirit of
the patriarcha, and preparing the hearts of the people for
Jesus Christ. Give thy church, my God, auch bishops and
preachers as know and desire no other greatness but what
consists in humbling theraselves before thy Majesty, and in
sacrificing their lives to make thee known and adored.
18. And Zacharias said unto the angel. Whereby shall I know this ?
for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.
Menj ought not to fear 'any natural impediments when the
God of nature declares his will, which no obstacle can hinder.
God haa a right to be believed on his word alone, without any
other pledge of his promise. Some persons blame this dis
trust of Zacharias, surprised at the appearance of an angel,
and at such extraordinary news, who, even in cold blood, and
on all occasions, are themselves full of distrusts and uncer
tainties. Diffidence is less excusable in a bishop or in a
pastor, who ought to be, as it were^ God's security with raen.
God permita the imperfectiona of the most holy, in order to
promote his own glory, to confirm their grace by humility,
and to comfort the weak. 2L

562 L U K E.
19. And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand
in the presence of God ; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew
thee these glad tidings.
A priest, a bishop, in serving the church, ahould imitate
the angela, who quit not the preaence of God in their employ
raenta toward raen. A man of vowa and prayer like Zacha
rias, who longed for the Messiah, whose heart was full of the
prophecies of his coraing, needed only the narae of Gabriel to
put him into the way, and to raake hira underatand that the
weeks foretold by the same angel to Daniel were about to be
accomplished. It is good to fill our minds with the divine
Scriptures : one word, on particular occasions, is aufficient to
enlighten and aet us right.
20. And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the
day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my
words, which shall be fulfllled m their season.
The holiness of God renders him severe in punishing the
least faults of the saints. What rigorous treatment, then,
have not the wicked reason to expect ? A thought, a word
of distrust, is a fault which is raore considerable in thoae
who know by experience the goodness and power of God. A
silence of nine months for one distrustful word is in God's
judgment a proportionable penance. It is thus that we raay
make some atonement for the guilt of such words as are
contrary to that respect and confidence which are due to the
word of God.
,21. And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tar
ried so long in the temple. 22. And when he came out, he could not
speak unto them : and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the
temple ; for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.
Zacharias is an erablera of the Jewish people, who gave not
birth to Christ till in their old age, who were becorae speech
less by their not having any longer prophets among them,
and who spoke no more of the Messias to come but only by
the signs of sacrifices and other figures. Let us here observe
the charity of a good people toward their pastor, whose
silence they look upon not as a punishment, but as an effect
of a visit from God. Let us learn to put a favourable inter-

CHAPTER L 563
pretation alwaya, if we can, on that which happens to the
clergy and to others.
23. And it pame to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration
were accomplished, he departed to his own house.
Ecclesiastical persons should not frequently appear in public,
but only to discharge the functions of their ministry, and
when that is done ahould return to the privacy and retire
ment of their own houaea. A man ought to be exact, faith
ful, and intent in the perforraance of his duty, whatever hap
pens, after the example of Zacharias, whom neither haste to
carry such joyful newa to hia wife, nor the loss of his speech,
could draw frora the exercise of his ministry : far, therefore,
should a raan be frora seeking pretences to be excused frora it.
24. And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself
five months, saying.
It belongs to God to make known the extraordinary favours
which he bestows on men. As for them, they ought to con
ceal thera till either necessity or the glory of God obliges
them to a discovery.
25. Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on
me, to take away my reproach among men.
It is a favour to be exercised and tried ; it is one also to be
delivered, — each has its proper time. There is a sort of
honour in the world which depends on the darkness or in
justice of human judgments. Barrenness seems to be a
punishraent from God, and a disgrace to those who are igno
rant of his ways, who value nothing but the present life and
the enjoyments of this world, and who understand neither the
excellence of virginity nor the advantages of spiritual fruit
fulneaa. God some way or other still delivers those whom he
loves : it is our duty to expect his time with confidence, and
to leave the choice of our portion to him.
SECT. III. — THE ANNUNCIATION.
26 If And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God
unto'a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27. To a virgin espoused to a
man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin s
name was Mary.
At length the moment is come which is to give a Son to the

584 , LUKE.
Virgin, a Saviour to the world, a Pattern to mankind, a Sa
crifice to sinners, a Head to the angels, a Temple to the Di
vinity, a new Worshipper to the eternal Father, a new nature
to his Son, and a new principle to the new world. Is it not
very just and reasonable that we should prepare ouraelves for
reading the hiatory of the abaaement of the Word, by a pro
found humiliation of heart, by adoration, gratitude, love, etc. ?
Thia angel ia sent frora God,, not to the palaces of the great,
nor to the kinga or eraperors of the earth, but to the poor
maid, to the wife of a carpenter. Great degreea of grace are
but aeldom conferred on the great. The Son of God coraea
to hurable theae, and to honour poverty, weakneaa, and con
tempt. He chooaea an obscure place for the mystery which
is most glorioua to hia humanity ; and for that which ia most
degrading, he will choose the greatest city. How far are
men from such a conduct as this !
28. And the angel came in unto her, and said. Hail, thou that art
highly favoured, the Lord is with thee ; blessed art thou among women.
The state wherein the angel finds the Virgin is retire
ment ; this is that in which God is wont to diffuse his great
est favours. The Lord is in her by his grace, whieh fills and
sanctifies her ; he is with her by his power, which governs
and protects her ; and he ia very mindful of her by his love,
which chooses her, and raiaea her above other women by the
honour of being the mother of Jeaua. The angel knows the
bottom and inclinations of her heart, and he praisea that
which he admirea. What woman is there who had not rather
one might tell her that she is full of wit, and a peraon of
great fortune and quality ; that lorda and princea are alwaya
with her, auing and making court to her ; and that she is
noble, handsome, and beautiful among women ? The fulness
of God's grace, the fellowahip with Jeaus Chriat, and the
benediction and unction of the Holy Ghoat, — these are the
things whereof one ought to be ambitious, and these are they
which Mary values more than all the things of thia world.
29. And when she saw Mm, she was troubled at his saying, and caat
in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
Thia trouble is a trouble of grace, of light, of holiness, of

CHAPTER L 685
prudence, of application, and of adherence to God. They
who are truly humble are always troubled when they hear
themselves praised. Nothing is more reasonable or holy
than such trouble, because they are then exposed to pride.
A virgin ought always to be troubled when she is alone with
the other sex : too great a security is very dangerous. The
person who guards a treasure should Watch continually ; and
watchfulness ia never without some disquiet. Would to God
that the fear alone of being wanting in their fidelity to him,
would, after the blessed Virgin's example, trouble all those
of her aex who expoae themaelvea so easily to the violation
of their promises or vows !
30. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary : for thou hast found
favour with God. 31. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb,
and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
Here are four marks of Mary's greatness : (1.) Her elec
tion by pure grace and favour to be the mother of Jesus.
(2.) The incarnation of the Word in her. (3.) His birth
from her womb. (4.) The right of giving him the name of
Saviour. What a gift ia thia, which God bestows on us in
giving us his only Son ! He ia given to the Virgin as a Son
by the Father, when she conceives him by the virtue of the
Holy Ghost. She gives him to the world as a King, in
giving him birth. He gives himself to mankind aa a Saviour,
when he takes that name upon him. Who will give ua the
grace to receive hira with dispositions approaching those of
the Virgin — her humility, purity, fidelity, etc. ?
32. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest ;
and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David :
33. And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his
kingdom there shall be no end.
Here are four raarks of the greatness of Jesus : (1.) The
elevation of his huraan nature to the divine, by its union
with the Word. (2.) His filiation according to the Divine
nature. (3.) His sovereignty over hia church. (4.) The
eternity of hia kingdora — the only one which has no end,
while ihoaq of the earth pass away like a shadow. How
¦adorable is thy goodneaa, 0 Jeaus, to raake those partakers
of thy greatness from whom thou receivest nothing but mean-
VoL. I.— 48

566 L U K E.
ness in thy incarnation ! The Christian in this life is made
partaker of the divine nature in Christ, and entera into hia
filiation by the adoption of the Father ; in the other, he will
partake of his sovereignty and of the eternity of his king
dora. My God, what disengageraent from earthly things does
not the Christian grace require of us !
34. Then said Mary unto the angel. How shall this be, seeing I know
not a man ?
The first care of a virgin regards her virginity. One
ought to be faithful in preserving that for God which one has
once consecrated to him. The holy Virgin is the apostle of
virginity ; by her God raakes it known to the world. Happy
is that person who receives this gospel of purity ! It is pru
dence not to engage blindly in the most sacred works. An
inviolable engagement to God by a vow of virginity, gives a
right of examining the proposal of any other engagement
which might be contrary thereto. Doea it not aeem that the
bleased Virgin's love of virginity, and ber fidelity toward
God, were ao great that, rather than be wanting therein, ahe
was ready to refuse the dignity of being the mother of Jesus
if it had been inconsistent with them ?
35. And the angel answered and said unto her. The Holy Ghost shall
coiue upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee :
therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called
the Son of God.
Every one of the three divine Persons has hia part in the
mystery of the incarnation. The Holy Ghost, as Spirit of
grace, sanctification, and love, fills, prepares, and raises the
body of the Virgin. The eternal Father communicates to
her hia fruitfulness and patetnity, to render her hia spouse,
and mother of hira of whom he is Father. The Son takes in
and of her a new being and nature, which is sanctified by
the Divinity itself. 0 my God, what a religion is that which
is established upon such a foundation ! What love in God,
to bestow such a gift upon his creatures ! What ingratitude
in man, if he do not give himself entirely to his God, who
gives him every thing, — if he do not with his whole heart
love God, who loves him so exceedingly!

CHAPTER L 567
36. And,, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a. son
in her old age ; and this is the sixth month with her, who was called
barren. 37. For with God nothing shall be impossible.
It is as easy to God to unite fruitfulness with virginity aa
with barrenness and old age. God seldom faila to give signs
of his great promises ; but he would have men expect them
from his goodness. These signs are new favoura for those
who, like the blessed Virgin, in all things depend on him.
They are beneficial chastisements for those who ask thera out
of diffidence, as Zacharias did. The almighty power of God,
which ia the first article of the creed, is the principal founda
tion of religion and faith ; because it is his- almighty will
which is the principle of all the operations of grace and
mercy. It is on this account that in the creed we make
confession of grace no otherwiae than in confessing the al
mighty power of God.
38. And Mary sai^. Behold the handmaid of the Lord ; be it unto
me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
God does his creature the honour to ask her consent to the
mighty work which he purposes to effect in her ; but he him
aelf givea what he asks. The agreement of the almighty
operation of God in the heart of man, with the free consent
of his will, is immediately showed us in the incarnation as
in the source and pattern of all the other operations of mercy
and grace, all of them as free and as much depending on
God as this original operation. Let us be faithful in sub
mitting ourselves to the designs of God concerning us,
though beyond the reach of our comprehension, with faith,
humility, obedience, renouncing our own understanding, and
resigning ourselves to his commands under the conduct and
with the advice of aome visible angel, full of prudence,
knowledge, and the power of God. Can we ever forget this
adorable raoraent of the incarnation of the Word, the foun
tain of every grace, the sacred first-fruits of all the raysteries
of Chriat, and which gives us Jesus Christ himself ?

568 LUKE.

SECT. IV. — THB VIRGIN VISITS ELISABETH.
39. If And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country
with haste, into a city of Judah ;
Jeaua, being incarnate in Mary, and become her spirit, her
heart,' and principle of action, inclines her to go aeek John
to aanctify him. How worthy to he imitated is thia ardent
zeal to propagate the Spirit of God in aoula, and to conae-
crate them to hira ! The raother of Jeaua is the pattern bf
it, both for all the faithful who conceive Jesus Christ in their
hearts by faith, and chiefly for priests, who, bringing him
forth in souls, have so particular a resemblance to the blessed
Virgin. Mary ia the firat miaaionary of the evangelical law,
who doea that for her Son, and her Son by her, which hia
state a^nd condition do not permit hira to do by hiraself.
Happy, and a thousand tiraes happy they who iraitate her, in
crossing mountains, aeaa, and deserts, to convey Jesua
Christ to those who know him not, and to aeek souls in order
to sanctify thera by the coraraunication and operation of the
raystery of the Word incarnate !
40. And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.
The haughtiness of raen is here condemned by the humility
of the mother of Jesua, who first salutes Elisabeth. They
who preach Jesus Christ to others, must have a preventing
humility ; preventing, in respect both of those to whom they
speak, and of those who are workers together with them
selves, — both whora John represents as being the first-fruits
both of believers and of preachers.
41. And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation
of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb ; and Elisabeth was fiUed with
the Holy Ghost :
Can those who are envious of Mary's glory here avoid
seeing that it ia by her that the firat coraraunication of the
Spirit of the incarnate Word ia made, and that Jeaus begins
to diffuse grace and joy into souls ? How does soraetiraes
even one word of a holy person fill those with light and
grace who hear it ! The invisible infant of Mary works on
that of Elisabeth ; but by the tongue of the forraer and the

CHAPTER L 569
ear of the latter. This is a representation of what Jesus
Christ, who resides invisibly in his church and miniaters,
works in souls by the ministration of the word heard with
faith. 42. And she spake out with a loud voice, and said. Blessed art thou
among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
The incarnation of the Word, and the raaternity of the
Virgin, are honoured and published first by Elisabeth. Who
can forbear lifting up their voice in transports of joy, admi
ration, and gratitude, when they feel the sweet and power
ful operations of grace in their heart ? It ia in and by the
church (that virgin blessed among women) that grace works
and makes itself perceptible. There is no fruit blessed but
that of her womb, no blessing but in her bosora.
43. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should
come to me ?
And whence comes this happiness, that the Lord himself
should come into ua by the incarnation, by faith, and by
grace !
44. For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine
ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
God did all things by his word in the first creation; he
does all things by it in the aecond : and it ia by the word
that Chriat did every thing while on earth, and that the
church worka in hia name ever since he was in heaven. This
is so on purpose to honour his eternal and incarnate Word,
and continually to renew the sense of that dependence which
we have on him. How oft has the word of God aounded in
our eara, and we, perhapa, have been so far from imitating
John as to be altogether insensible of it !
45, And blessed is she that believed : for there shall be a performance
of those things which were told her from the Lord.
The amazing faith of a virgin so hurable is instrumental
in preparing a remedy for the fatal consequences of Eve's
credulity. The latter, through pride and curiosity, believed
the devil : the former, through humility and obedience, be
lieves the angel Gabriel. Eve hoped that she ahould become
like to God : Mary doubta not but that God would become
48»

570 L U K E.
like to man. Presumptuous Eve gave admittance to falsehood
and death : humble and faithful Mary becomes the mother of
truth and life. What is not faith able to do, which draws
down on the blessed Virgin such extraordinary graces ? Faith
is the source of true happiness ; as all real misery proceeds'
either from not believing at all, or frora believing faintly.
Soula leaa perfect, and of much inferior virtue, are, notwith
standing, aometimea aerviceable to the most eminent ; and
pastors £»re often assisted by the understanding of their flock,
as God here makes use of Elisabeth to confirm the Virgin in
the belief of the incarnation, and in the hope of the promises.
SECT. V. — THE SONG OF THE VIRGIN.
46. And Mary said. My soul doth magnify the Lord,
An hurable aoul cannot hear ita own praises long, but
takes occasion thence to lift itself up to God, and to glorify
him for his gifts ; and this application to God is a seasonable
diversion to keep off vanity, which attributes all to itself, and
to ascribe all to him to whom it is due. This address must
proceed from the bottom of the heart, and not from the bare
lips ; otherwiae it is only a false humility and a double .vanity.
47. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
Let Chriatiana learn of the bleased Virgin to rejoice at
God'a favoura only in him and for him. How rare ia thia
pure, thia holy joy, wherewith a peraon rejoicea at the gift,
not on the account of the advantage received by it, but of the
glory which redounda to God, being raore intent on him than
on hia gift ! We must not receive his favours with sadness ; ¦
and it is ingratitude not to rejoice at his mercies.
48. For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden : for, be
hold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
Mary, in answer to that expression of Elisabeth, " Blessed
is she that believed," which seemed to attribute to her some
peculiar merit independent of grace, declares that all her
merit consists in the regard which God was pleased to show
to her low estate, and which is the source of all the great
things he has wrought in her. Praise having alarmed the
blessed Virgin, ahe retires, and, aa it were, entrenchea heraelf

CHAPTER L 571
within her own humility. This is a fort which is impregna
ble : as long as one continues in it one is safe. The more
God exalts any peraon, the more ought he to humble himaelf;
and the more he humbles himself, the more will God seek him
with the eyes of his mercy. Let us judge of the blessed Vir
gin's greatness by her humility, and of her humility by her
greatness : for the one increased always in proportion to the
other. 49. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things ; and holy is
his name. _ 50. And Ms mercy is on them that fear him from generation
to generation. Here we ought, with the Virgin, to adore the power, holi
ness, and mercy of God in all his works, and above all, in the
incarnation, wherein they appear most conspicuous. Power,
in respect of the Father, whose virtue operates in the Virgin ;
mercy, in reference to the Son, who, in taking our nature,
becomes a merciful High Priest ; and holinesa, with relation
to the Holy Ghoat, who becomea the Sanctifier of Jesus
Christ in his new nature. Holiness is a perfection whereby
God retires, reposes, and, as one may say, secures himself
within himself; which renders his name dreadful to his crea
tures, and ia that inaccessible light in which he dwells. Mercy
is a perfection which diffuses itself abroad, whereby God stoops
to his creatures, and which renders him accessible even to the
greatest sinners. These two perfections, so contrary in this
respect, are reconciled and closely united together when God
unites himself to raan in the mystery of the God-man.
51. He hath shewed strength with his arm ; he hath scattered the
proud in the imagination of their hearts.
All the instances of God's power, which appeared in the
deliverance of his people, in the victories over their enemies,
in their establiahment, and in all the wondera which preceded
it in the wilderness, were only a shadow, and a preparation
to the work of his arm, which is the incarnation, and to all
the consequences of it in the forming of his church and the
salvation of the elect. God, by humbling the proud, has
always made it evident that pride is more displeasing to him
than all other vices, that it is the great wound of man's heart,

572 L U K E.
and that it was in order to heal it, and to teach it humility,
that the Son of God abased himself.
52. He hath put down the mighty from iheir seats, and exalted them
of low degree. 53. He hath filled the hungry with good things ; and
the rich he hath sent empty away.
All the instances of God's mercy, which appeared in the
exaltation of those of low degree and in the liberal distribu
tion of his blessings under the old law, were no more than a
small specimen, a slight draught of the richea of hia great
mercy reaerved for hia church, and of the gift of his Son and
hia Holy Spirit, which waa to raiae fallen raan, to supply all
hia wanta, and completely satisfy all his wishes and desires.
The blessed Virgin, being more hungry after these good
thinga, and more ardently desirous of them, had also the
happiness to be the more filled with them. Let us take great
care lest the love of earthly things, which ia alwaya accompa
nied with a disgust toward heavenly, should render us un
worthy of these, as it did the priests, the Phariaeea, and the
other rejected Jews.
54. He hath holpen* his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy ;
[* Fr, United to himself.]
All the inatancea of holiness and love, which appeared in
God's covenant with his people, in the establishment of the
law, of sacrifices, and of the whole legal sanctity, are nothing
in coraparision of that holinesa and love which are found in
the ineffable union of Christ with his church — the true Israel ;
of the Son with his holy raother, and of the Head with its
members, by means of the still more holy and close union of
the Word with the human nature, which is the effect of the
pure raercy of God, and ia, indeed, hia greateat mercy.
55. As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.
In abort, the incarnation ia the accomplishment of the
promises, the miraculous birth of the true Isaac, the true Son
of Abraham, and hira for whom all the promises are reserved ;
the -source of all true blessings, the bud which encloses all
the elect, their grace, their sanctification, and eternal salva
tion. How many wonders, how many instructions are con
tained in this song, under a prophetic language, which ex-

CHAPTER L 673
presses at the same time the past, the present, and the future !
When we love, in imitation of the blessed Virgin and her
cousin, to feed on the divine Scriptures by reading joined
with prayer, we then understand this language perfectly well,
and profit thereby.
56. And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to
her own house.
Charity is persevering, and never forsakes any one in time
of need. The blessed Virgin's mission lasts- three months ;
and during all that time Christ, by her ministry, works on
the heart of his forerunner, in order to forra himself in him.
This is an instruction for missionaries and pastors of souls,
who ought to give their people all the time which is necessary
to change the heart, to destroy the habits of sin, to inforra
themselves of their duty, to know themselves thoroughly, to
frame themselves to piety, and to lay the firm foundations of
it in retirement and prayer. When a person has finished
the work which God has given hira to do, he must return to
his own house, and resume his ordinary exercise and employ
ments. SECT. VI. — THE BIRTH OF JOHN BAPTIST.
57. If Now Elisabeth's full time came that she should be delivered ;
and she brought forth a son. 58. And her neighbours and her cousins
heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her ; and they rejoiced
¦with her.
Charity bears no envy toward our neighbour, but rejoices
at the good which happens to him. All good is performed
and possessed in common in the church; and all its members
being obliged to labour for the body, and in the spirit of the
body, the joy thereof ought also to be common.
59. And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they oame to circum
cise the child ; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his
father. The righteous are far frora endeavouring to exempt them
aelvea from general and ordinary laws, under pretence of ex
traordinary graces. John, though sanctified from his mo
ther's womb, notwithstanding receives the sacrament of cir
cumcision. Grace, which precedea the effect of sacraments

574 L U K E.
in the heart by a aecret way, far from obstructing the use of
common and public meana, inclinea and obligea thereto. John,
aa well as Abraham, ."received the aign of circumcision as a
seal of the righteousneaa which he had yet being uncircum-
ciaed;" becauae he waa to be the first preacher of a righteous
neaa and holineaa which was independent of circumcision.
Holiness and humility are characters which are inseparable.
60. And his mother answered and said. Not so ; but he shall be called
John. 61. And they said unto her. There is none of thy kindred that
is called by this name. 62. And they made signs to his father, how he
would have him called. 63. And he asked for a writing table, and
wrote, saying. His name is John. And they marvelled all.
The birth of John, rendered famoua by many miraclea,
diaposes men to believe the all-miraculoua birth of the incar
nate Word. Every thing is to be prophetic in John, every
thing is to denote his mission. His name, which signifies
the gift, the grace, and mercy of God, showa that he is to
point out, as it were, with his finger. Him who is the gift of
God, the Author of grace, and the Victim of mercy. A
preacher ought to make the truths he delivers apparent and
manifest in his person, and to be entirely a man of grace.
Every thing in him should preach. A name so short and so
holy as that of John, an express messenger from heaven,
does it not condemn that affectation of a train of great names
and long titlea which are frequently uaed for atate in the
moat apoatolical employment, and in a rainiatry of humility
and aervitude ?
64. And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed,
and he spake, and praised God.
John made the first essay on his father of that which he was
to do in the world, which was to open the ears and mouth of
people that they might hear and bless God. Happy the peni
tent who, after the example of Zacharias, breaks silence only
to praise Him who has showed mercy on him ! It is highly
just and reasonable to employ the gifts of God to his glory,
and to cdnaecrate to him both the firat- fruita of them and the
lump. 65. And fear came on all that dwelt round about them : and all these
sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill-country of Judea.

CHAPTER L 675
66. And all they that heard tliem laid ihem up in their heart.<i, saying,
What manner of child shall this be 1 And the hand of the Lord was
with him.
All these wonders are going in a little time to be buried in
the wilderness. The more holy this child is, and the more
he is designed for great things, the more will God hide him
from the world. By this birth, so eminent and illustrious,
God would render the Jews intent on the time of that of the
Messias, and induce them carefully to study the prophecies,
that they raight bear witness thereto.
67. f And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and
prophesied, saying.
After that Zacharias haa been purified by repentance, and
hia tongue sanctified by a silence of nine months, God fills him
vfith hia Spirit, and givea him the tongue of a prophet. One .
apeaka quite otherwise of God when one haa been a long time
without either apeaking to men or hearing them apeak.
SECT. VII. — THE SONG OF ZACHARIAS.
68. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel ; for he hath visited and re
deemed his people.
This song begins with thanksgiving for the two great bene
fits of the incarnation and redemption. This prophet counts
the salvation of mankind as good as accomplished as soon as
our Saviour is born, and that by his birth the designs of God
begin to be put in execution. God visits ua a Father by the
peraon of his Son and word : the Word, as a sacrifice, redeems
ua by hia blood. 0 my God, what a viait doat thou make to
man ! Thou entereat into a houae of clay, into a mortal body,
to make it thy victim, and to redeem thy people by thy sacri
fice, — and yet scarce any one reflects upon it.
69. And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of
his servant David ;
Jesus Christ saves ua by his power as King, and as the
true David. David's victories, and the establishment of his
kingdom, are but the figure and shadow of the victoriea of
Chriat, and of the establishment of his church. He chose to be
descended of the royal house, that he might he the better re
ceived by the Jews, and that he might fulfil the promises:

576 LUKE.

but he would have this house be first decayed, that he might
not partake at all of the lustre and greatness of it. The
power of our blessed Saviour is not that of an earthly king,
since it all consists in humiUation, abasement, poverty, weak
ness, etc.
70. As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been
since the world began :
All the saints are so many witneaaea of God'a faithfulneaa
in hia promiaea.
71. That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of
all that hate us ;
The devil, death, and sin, are the enemiea which Cbriat
came to conquer. Sin ia the most dangerous of all, and
properly the only enemy we have to fear. The devil is with
out us ; death ia only in our fleah ; ain ia in our will : and to
deatroy thia laat there, an almighty Saviour ia neceaaary.
Lord, be thou the Saviour and Deliverer of my will, and ex
ert upon it the omnipotence of thy aaving. hand !
72. To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember
his holy covenant;
The old covenant ia the figure of the union or alliance of
the Word with our nature in the incarnation, and of the
church with God by and in Jeaus Christ : an alliance all of
mercy, both in the promise and in the perforraance, and that
in reapect both of the patriarcha and of Chriatiana. The vir
tue of Chriat'a myateriea extenda even back to all past agoa ;
and it ia in the incarnation that Abraham and the other
fathera receive the raercy and the covenant proraiaed to them,
and eternal aalvation.
73. The oath, which he sware to our father Abraham,
How great ia the goodneaa of God, to oblige himself to his
creaturea by oath ! But how great the infidelity of hia crea
turea, who do not believe even the oath of God ! Abraham
believed the incarnation of the Word, and all the promises
comprehended in Jesua Chriat, though he was not to receive
the effect of them till almost two thouaand yeara after his
death. What confusion should this cast on those incredulous

CHAPTER L 677
persons who do not believe them, after they have been ful
filled and confirmed by the miracles and by the faith of so
many ages, and are, aa it were, continually expoaed to their
sight !
74. That he would gtant unto us, that we, being delivered out of the
hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, 75. In holiness and
righteousness before him, all the days of our hfe.
The effect of the incarnation is to raake ua aerve God, no
longer by a slavish fear, but with a filial love ; by a religion
no longer cereraonial and figurative but substantial and inter
nal ; in a holiness and righteousness no longer legal, carnal,
and transient, hut Christian, spiritual, and eternal. The un
changeable promises of God are accomplished only in the
body of the elect, whereof Christ is the head. The call to
conversion, or the firat justification, which delivera them from
sin and takea them out of the devil'a power — a Christian life,
shown by works of true righteousness — and final perseverance
— are the three principal effects of divine predestination and
the oath of God, and the infallible way to glory, which is the
fourth and last effect, and full completion of the promise.
76. And thou, child, shalt be called the Prophet of the Highest: for
thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways ; 77. To
give knowledge of salvation unto his people, by the remission of their
sins. Nothing is greater than to "go before the face of the
Lord to prepare his ways" in souls, since this is tbat which
makes all the greatness of John. His function, and that of
all apiritual guidea, is to teach men Jesus Christ, and to pre
pare to receive frora him " the knowledge of salvation, and
the remission of their ains." There is a necessary connection
between the true knowledge of salvation, and reconciliation
with God ; for, by filling themselves with bad principles and
maxims remote from the gospel, men too often set themaelvea
at a farther distance frora God,' and lull themselves asleep in
a superficial piety. Teach us. Lord, thia true knowledge
of aalvation, which will infallibly guide ua to thee !
78. Through the tender mercy of our God ; whereby the dayspring
from on high hath visited us.
The incarnation, and the whole train of our bleased
Vol. I.— 49 2 M

578 L U K E.
Saviour's mysteries, the first light which shines on our heart,
and the whole series of graces which work salvation, are the
effects of the love and tender mercy of God. The incarnation
is the rising of the Sun of righteousness, which is corae to
change the darkness of sin into the light of faith. Such, in
respect of a sinner, ia the firat ray which strikes the eyes of
his mind, in order to make him a child of light. These are
two benefits, the one general, the other particular, both wor
thy of an eternal acknowledgment.
79. To give light to them that sit in darkneas and in the shadow of
death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
The designs of God in the incarnation of his Son are : (1.)
To dispel the darkness of ignorance, sin, and death. (2.) To
turn our hearts, and all their inclinations, toward heaven. (3.)
To give us the true peace of eternity. — There waa nothing
but darkness on earth when the Son of God came down upon
it ; there ia nothing but darkness in the heart of man before
that his grace begins to shine therein. It is by faith that he
enlightens us ; it is by this that he conducts his elect to his
glory ; it is this which is the sole way of evangelical peace in
this life, and of beatific peace in the other, to which all the
designs of God concerning his elect tend, and in which do
terminate all the mysteries of Christ, and his whole conduct
toward his church.
80. And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the
deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.
The duties of an evangelical preacher, before he begins his
ministry, are, (1.) To grow in piety, by feeding on the bread
of prayer. (2.) To give his zeal time to wax strong, by read
ing the Holy Scriptures. (3.) To continue in silence and re
tirement, until God is pleased to bring him forth and ahow
him to the world. How many gracea, how many lighta, were
for thirty yeara concealed in the deserts, while the darkness
of ignorance and vice increased on the earth ! Men deceive
themselves when they imagine that they ought to produce
and employ their talents without delay, and that they cannot
hide them without violating the comraand of God. On the

CHAPTER IL 679
contrary, they violate it in not waitiilg his proper time, but
making the wants of their neighbour alone a sufficient call.

CHAPTER IL
SECT. I. — THB BIRTH OF THE SON OF GOD INCARNATE.
1. And it oame to pass in those days, that there went out a decree
from Cesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. 2. (And this
taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
The greatest princes often form magnificent designs, and
undertake great enterprises, without knowing the reason of
them. Augustus iraagines that he is busied in advancing the
glory of his name and the lustre of his reign, and at the same
time his ordera, by raeans of others more powerful and abso
lute than his, become subservient to the accomplishment of
prophecies of which he is altogether ignorant ; to the birth
of a king, whom he will never know ; and to the establiahment
of a monarchy which will subject his and all others to itself.
This is what happens in all ages, and men take no notice
of it.
3. And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 4. And
Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into
Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, (because he
was of the house and lineage of David,) 5. To be taxed with Mary his
espoused wife, being great with child.
There is nothing here but what seems to happen by chance ;
and yet every thing is ordered by Providence to ascertain and
fix, by a public testimony, the knowledge of the time and
place of the Messiah's birth, and of his extraction from the
house of David. The Son of God, by being enrolled frora
hia very birth as true man, gives security, aa one may say,
for his obedience, huraility, and the perforraance of the pro
mises. It is hereby very visible that his greatness, foretold
by the angel, is not a human greatness. The poverty, trouble,
and subjection to which Joseph and Mary are exposed, are
the preparation for the gift which they are going to receive
from God. Let u.'' learn to submit ourselves to every ordi-

580 LUKE.
nance of man for the Lord'a aake, and chiefiy to the royal
power, aince we aee Jeaua Chriat beginning to obey from, and
even before his birth.
6. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accom-
phshed that she should be delivered.
Christ, having submitted himself to the lawa of nature, and
to an irapriaonraent of nine montha, hidea the glory of hia
birth by being born in an obacure place; he teachea ua to
wean ourselves frora our own country, and from this whole
present world, by being born in a journey ; he recommends
poverty, mortification, and humility to ua, hy being born in a
place borrowed' from the brute beasts, and. destitute Qf all
conveniences and of all assistance. How many instructions
are here for us, from this very first moment, if we can tho
roughly understand them ! Let ua hear them in the apirit of
adoration and lowliness.
7. And she brought forth her flrst-born son, and wrapped him in swad
dling clothes, and laid him in a manger ; because there was no room for
them in the inn.
Jesus Christ ia the first-born of the bleaaed Virgin; we are
in aorae sense her younger children. His stooping to the.
weakness of infancy is so rauch the more worthy to be adored,
as it appears more unworthy of his greatness and wisdom.'
Rejected of men, he borrows the habitation of beasts. Let
human pride blush as long as it will, to have a God become
an infant of a day, of a raoraent, reduced to the confinement
of swaddling clothes, to the raeanness of a raanger, to the
raansion of beasts, to have recourse to the assistance of his
creatures, and to be refused by thera. It is the Christian's
glory that hia God would do and auffer all this for his salva
tion ; it is his honour to adore hira, to own hira for hia King,
and to pay him homage in all hia atatea and conditiona.
SBC. II. — THE SHEPHERDS.
8, And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field,
keeping watch over their flocks by night. 9. And, lo, the angel of the
Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about
them ; and they were sore alraid.
Christ manifests himself to the simple and the poor rather

CHAPTER n. y 581
than to the learned and the rich. It is for vigilant pastors
that the light of God is reserved, that they raay know the
mysteriea of religion, and their own duties ; the negligent are
left in their darknesa. Frora thia moment. Lord, thou be-
ginnest to ahow who they are whom thou choosest for thy
kingdom, and whom thou dost reject.
10 And the angel said unto them. Fear not : for, behold, I bring you
good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
The birth of Christ is the joy of this world, and the world
knows it not. The world has its vain and its crirainal joys,
and thereby becomes unworthy to have any part in the joy
of our blessed Saviour's birth. This is a representation of
that which happens every day : men have their hearts shut to
heavenly things in proportion as they keep them open to
earthly pleasures and desires.
11. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which
is Christ the Lord.
This verse contains an abridgment of all that is great in
the character of Jesua, which was propounded to the faith of
the .ahepherds, and which God made known inwardly to them
under the external sign of that light which shone round
about them. As Son of David, and heir of the promises, he
had a royal birth ; as Saviour, a sovereign goodness ; as
Christ, the fulness of God's Spirit and of the sacerdotal and
prophetic unction ; and as the Lord, a divine power. What
ought we not to hope from a Saviour in whom ia found a
sovereign power joined to an infinite goodneaa, which reduced
him to the meanest condition for our sakes.
12. And this shall bi a sign unto you ; Ye shall find the babe wrapped
in Swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
Is this, then, 0 Lord, the sign of thy greatness, the orna
ment of thy royalty, and the throne of thy glory ? 0 manger,
of raore value than all the most rich and precious things in
the world, raay I learn at thy foot that it is by humility that
Christ comes to reign, and that this is the only way which
leads to his kingdom ! Pride is the character of the children
of Adam ; humility, the raark of the Son of God, and of the
elect. 49»

582 ^ LUKE.
13. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly
host praising God, and saying, .
God, by causing the spirits of heaven to honour his Son in
the humble capacity of an infant, teaches those on earth, for
whose sake he coraes into the world, what homage they owe
hira in that state. Angels think theraselves happy by their
praises to advance the glory^of a new-born infant, and to
adore him as their God ; and shall men disdain to do it ? The
raanger of our blessed Saviour, as well as his cross, is to the
Jews a stumbling-block, and to the Gentiles foolishness; his
infancy, as well as his death, is the rock against which human
pride is wont to split ; but these things are the power and
wisdom of God for the salvation of those who believe,' and
are the object even of the adoration of the angels.
14. Glory to God in the highest, and* on earth peace, good will toward
men. [* Fr. Peace on earth to the men whom he loves.]
The two principal motives of the incarnation, are "the
glory of God," and the reconciliation of men God: promises
"peace on earth" to those whom he loves, but not rest; The
peace of God consists in his love, to what trouble and storms
soever this love may expose a Christian. The peace which
reigns on earth at this tirae, is only to signify the birth of the
God of peace.
15. If And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them
into heaven, the shepherds said one to another. Let us now go even unto
Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord
hath made known unto us.
When God puts it in any person's raind to seek Jesus Christ,
to perforra aome duty toward him, or to apply himaelf to any
of hia rayateriea, he ought to neglect nothing. The angel
doea not order the ahepherda to go to Bethlehera; but to
faithful aoula it ia enough only to propoae, and raake known
the good, in order to engage them to undertake it. It ia
aufficient to a good Christian, and to a pious lady, barely to
say, " Christ is in this poor tabernacle as in a manger, for
saken of all the world; he is in thia poor wretch, almoat
naked, lodged in a miserable cottage, and destitute of every
thing." This corapany of shepherds, who excite one another
to go to Bethlehem, is an emblem of the religioua societies of

CHAPTER IL 683
those zealous persons, who, profiting by the exhortations and
the light of their visible angela, mutually encourage one an
other to visit poor familiea, priaona, and fatherless infants, in
honour of Jesus, once a poor, infant, "wrapped in swaddling-
clothes, and lying in a manger." Let us go even unto Beth
lehem, the house of the bread of heaven. Would to God
that those who are out of this house, that is, out of the church,
would encourage one another to come thither and seek Jesus
Christ, that they might there taste with us what "the Lord
hath made known unto us."
16. And they came with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the
babe lying in a manger.
Will not sinners blush at their niceness and profuseness as
to their beds, beholding the Son of God in a manger ? When
ever a good work presents itself to be done, far from losing
any time, we ought immediately to follow the motions of grace
for fear they ahould ceaae, and leat some other person should
rob us either of the opportunity, or of the first-fruits of a
pious work. This inversion of order, the wife named before
the huaband, and the creaturea before the Creator, plainly
denotea the inveraion made by the incarnation.
17. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying
which was told them concerning this child.
Theae shepherds give credit to the angel's word, without
arguing; they see the meanneaa and poorness of the manger,
without being offended ; and they reflect upon the whole, with
out being in the least troubled : this is the advantage of an
humble, simple, and submissive faith. How many false rea
sonings would philoaophera have advanced on thia occasion !
With how many raanifest contradictions would the great wits
of the world have been perplexed !
18. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were
told them by the shepherds.
The shepherds, the first apostles of the child Jesus, are
faithful in publishing the news of his birth. God gives a
blessing to the simplicity of their relation, causing it to meet
with credit everywhere. God does not love, nor give a bless
ing to that human prudence which thinks that the seeming

584 LUKE.
meanness of the mysteries of religion should be concealed.
It belonga to man to obey without auppresaing any thing, and
to God to cauae belief by inspiring faith.
19. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered iTiem in her heart.
Mary being consecrated, and having her mind raised to
Christ, filled with hia myateriea, and altogether intent on
gathering the virtue, apirit, and grace of tbem, condenjna the
forgetfulneaa and negligence wherein Chriatians live in re
spect of those thihgs which their blessed Saviour has done for
thera. In order to profit by the mysteries and truths of the
gospel, it is not enough barely to keep them in raeraory ; we
must, in the presence of our Lord, entertain ourselves with
them, and frequently meditate upon them, after the holy Vir
gin's example. To her we owe the first pattern of Christian
raeditation upon the life of Christ ; let us follow so holy an
exaraple. 20. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all
the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
The shepherds imitate her, in adoring and glorifying God.
This is the first effect of faith, the first duty of religion, ahd
a tribute of acknowledgment due to the gift of God. The
praise -of these good people is as simple as their faith ; and
this ia what God loves. And as " they returned glorifying
and praising God," so true Christians ought, in the same
manner, to return home from the church, whither they come
to worship Christ, and to hear his mysteries, virtues, and pre
cepts delivered and explained.
SECT. III. — THE CIRCUMCISION AND PURIFICATION.
21. 1 And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising
of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the
angel before he was conceived in the womb. •
Let us adore and iraitate the exact obedience of Jeaua to
the particular law of circuracision, by which he engages hira
aelf to obaerve the whole Jewiah law, aa well according to
the letter as to the spirit. Give me. Lord, the grace which
thou hast hereby merited for me, to circuracise the pride and
impurity of my heart, and whatever remains in me of Adam's

CHAPTER IL 585
corruption. Christ, though innocent, takes upon him the
raark, the shame, and the remedy of sin ; and yet the sinner
himself cannot bear them ! The other instancea of our bleaaed
Saviour's hurailiation corae attended, as it were, with the
credentials of some miracle : none appears in thia. The law,
which subjected only sinners to it, authorizes and confirms
it; and nothing dignifies and sets it off but the adorable
name of Jesus or Saviour. By this first effusion of his
blood, he exercises the office of a Saviour at the same time
that he takes the name. How adorable are these first-fruits
of his pains ! Let this holy name be ever my refuge and
confidence, my strength and support, my peace and consola
tion ; and let it be truly to me a name of salvation ! Exert
upon my heart, 0 Jesus, the right and sovereign power which
it gives thee to save me !
22. And when the days of her purification according to the law of
Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present
him to the Lord; 23. (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every
male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord ;)
Jesus subraits to the law, to redeera those who were op
pressed with it. His public oblation in the temple is the
sign, and, as it were, the sacrament of his internal and per
petual oblation begun at the moment of his incarnation in
his Father's aight, upon the altar of hia own heart. Would
to God that parenta would preaent their childKen to the Lord
with .a piety, intention, and religion, pure and disengaged
from the earth, in imitation of the blessed Virgin. She will
ingly partakes with her Son in the humiliation of a ceremony
which, as to hira, seeraed to dishonour hia divinity and the
holineaa of hia birth ; and aa to her, her divine maternity
and the purity of her bringing forth. Theae reaaons would
have been sufficient to induce othera to excuae theraaelvea
from it.
24. And to ofi'er a sacriflce according to that which is said in the law
of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.
Jeaua ia redeemed, not that he may diapenae with hia being
conaecrated to God and aerving in hia temple, but that he
may accompliah a raore perfect consecration, and be himself

686 LUKE.
the prieat and the victim of God, the teraple. and the altar
of his aacrifice on the crosa. All Chriatiana, once redeemed
by Jeaus Chriat, are under the happy neceaaity of being un
able to purchase a dispensation from their consecration. Thia
waa affected by their baptiam, wherein their hearta were
anointed and conaecrated by the Holy Ghost. Wo to them
if they live not up to the holineaa of their conaecration, by
imitating Chriat their Head, in whom they are both prieata
and victima, to offer and conaecrate their own hearts to God
by his Spirit. Is it not a raisfortune, for the eldest sons of
the nobility to be, as it were, dedicated to the world by their
birth, and scarce to have any liberty at all of redeeraing and
consecrating themselves to God ? 0 Jesus, Redeemer of the
world, and redeemed with so vile a price to be the victim of
it, grant that I may redeera rayself frora its slavery, and be
long entirely to God by thy grace !
SECT. IV. — THE SONG OF SIMEON. — ANNA, THE PROPHETESS.
25. And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was
Simeon ; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the conso
lation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.
Simeon affords us an idea of a truly good man, full df re
ligion and love to God, of an exact justice and sincere
charity toward his neighbour, who lives on earth expecting
only the life of heaven, and follows in all things the light
and raotions of the Spirit of God. All the difference between
a good Jew and a good Christian consists in this : the one
waited for the first coming of Christ in the weakness of mor
tal fiesh, the other waits for his second coraing in the raajesty
of immortal glory. Jesus Christ ia, both in the one and the
other, truly " the eonaolation of Israel," of the true laraelite
who ia not of this world.
26. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should
not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
_ How good is it to live in the fear of God, in the. expecta
tion of his Son, and under the guidance of his- Spirit, since
one receives from hence so much comfort even in this world !
The elect of God never die without "seeing the Lord's

CHAPTER IL 587
Christ" here below. For from whence arises their fidelity,
but only from their seeing with invisible eyes Hira who is
invisible ? One could not posaeaa him by hope, if one did
not aee him by faith.
27. And he came by the Spirit into the temple : and when the parents
brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law.
How many Christians go to church out of curioaity, cus
tom, human respects, or interest ! How few go thither by
the impulses of the Holy Spirit ! Happy the Christian who
is aure of alwaya finding Christ in the churches, and of re
ceiving him there by the communion ! But in order to find
him there to our advantage, we must carry him thither in our
hearts, and perform, with respect to him, whatever is enjoined
by his law. Would to God we might never find him in his
temple, except only to adore and serve him as Simeon did !
28. Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,
Simeon, in taking Christ up in his arms, received a singular
favour, but such as would have been of no advantage to him
had be not borne him also in his heart. He ia in thia heart,
he livea and operatea in it, he renewa it, and by the impresaion
of hia holy infancy he makea it the heart of a little child, he
baptizes and confirms it, gives it the communion, feeds it
invisibly, and anoints it with the unction of hia Spirit, that
ao hia holy person may finish his course and his sacrifice
with a joy altogether heavenly, while he is pouring forth hia
heart in the praiaea and benedictiona of hia Saviour.
29. Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to
thy word : 30. For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
Thia aong of Simeon ia a pattern of thanksgiving after the
coraraunion. He who has Jesus Christ really living in his
heart, longs after nothing but the life of the world to come,
and endures this with patience. How could this holy old
raan have departed in peace, and been so soon separated from
his Jesus so long desired, had not Jesus hiraself, by forraing
and imprinting himself in hia heart at that very moment,
taught him from thenceforward not to know Jesus Christ ac
cording to the iesh ? There ia a way of aeeing and posaeaaing

-588 LUKE.
Christ, independent of the senses, which is not well known
but by the- saints, and has more consolation in it than that
which is sensible. Happy Simeon, thus, as it were, to carry
Chriat with him into the place where the patriarcha reaided,
and to be the firat messenger to publish the birth of a Saviour
to the church of the elect, who lived only on thia hope !
31. Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people ;
Jeaus Christ ia offered to all, but received hy few. No aooner
ia he born, but he causes it to be published to all nations
that he is their Saviour ; and thia he doea by the raouth of a
Jew, which conderana beforehand the jealouay of hia own
people. 32. A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
Here is mercy toward the Gentiles, who never knew God;
here ia raercy toward the people of larael, who abuaed thia
knowledge: but, 0 God, what difference, aince the latter re
ceive the light only to reject it ! The very order of the worda
ahowa the preference of the forraer before the latter. Christ
is the glory of his people by being descended frora them, by
preaching salvation to them preferably to all other people,
and not calling others but only upon their refusal, — ^but thehy
through this refusal, he becomes their shame, their condemna
tion, and their ruin. , Thus it is also in respect of such Chris
tians as reject Jesus Christ by their worka. Thou art our light,
0 Jesus ! but we raust have eyes to aee, a heart to love, and
feet to follow thee ; and thou alone canat beatow thera on ua.
33. And Joseph and his hiother marvelled at those things which were
spoken of him.
Chriat will not by hiraself teach those every thing whora he
loves raost. He frequently puts souls, even of the first rank,
under the instruction of others whose knowledge and holinesa
are rauch inferior. The truths which the saints already know,
are always neW to thera ; and they therein every day find aome
freah occasion to adore God. A faith which ia intent dia
covera still, from time to time, in the works of God, and more
especially in Chriat Jesua, some new footsteps of his great
ness, love, and holineaa, still soraething for which to admire

CHAPTEli IL 589
eternally the dispensations and inexhaustible riches of his
Spirit. 34. And Simeon blessed thera, and said unto Mary his mother. Be
hold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel;
and for a sign which shall be spoken against;
Miserable ia that person who, not leading a life conform
able to Christ, whom he profeaaed in hia baptism, finda in him
nothing but hia own deatruction. Jesua ia the aalvation of
raany ; but, 0 adorable conduct ! he must for thia very end
be exposed to the contradiction of sinners. Who will com
plain of being spoken against in the service of God, since
he sees even the Son of God ekposed to contradiction?
And who haa not aufficient cauae of humiliation, in being
hiraaelf instruraental in forming by hia life thia contradic
tion to Jeaus Christ ? Dreadful distinction ! but I hope.
Lord, that thou wilt be my resurrection and life, becauae
thou haat vouchaafed me the grace to hope only in thee,
and to accept, without contradiction, the maxima and waya
of thy goapel.
35. (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thine ovm soul also,') that the
thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
God generally minglea aome bitterneaa with the greatest
joy of the sainta. The blessed Virgin received the impres
sion of all her Son'a aufferinga. Thua God treata those
whom he loves moat. The gospel is the touchstone which
discovers thoae who belong truly to God. The evange
lical sword, which Chriat came to bring, aoon separates
those who love the peace of the world from those who love
only that of a good conscience. There is nothing more
aecret and concealed than self-love; but worka betray it.
Those who love God, part with all for his sake : but when
a raan prefers some sensual good before him, he makes it
evidently appear that he loves that sensual good better
than God.
36. If And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel,
of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with a hus
band seven years from her virginity ; 37. And she was a widow of about
fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served
God with fastings and prayers night and day. 38., And she coming in
Vol. L— 50

'690 LUKE.
that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and f=pfike of him to all
them that looked for redemption in* Jerusalem. [Fr, The redemption
of Israel.]
Anna is a pattern of the continence and life of a true Chris
tian widow. Her portion is constancy in the exercise of reli
gion, raortification, prayer, and the offices of charity. The
Holy Ghost does not vouchsafe so much as to speak here of
the great persons of the earth ; but he writes the life and
eulogy of a poor widow, to preserve her raeraory to the end
of the world, and to show how grateful to hira this kind of life
is. Happy that widow who "looks for the redemption of
Israel," and lives on the hope of finding, at the end of her
days, the expected Saviour in the true temple, in the heavenly
Jerusalem, in the blessed eternity ! Here is an erablem of
it: God gathers round the body of his Sacrifice all these
eagles, who hungered very much after it, and lived only on
the expectation of being filled therewith. Let us desire it,
and we shall find it.
39. If And when they had performed all things according to the law of
the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth.
Christ being manifested to a smaller nuraber of his elect,
retires and hides himself for thirty years, leading an obscure
life in a place out of which it was not believed that any good
thing could come. He chooses his own country, and the
place of his acquaintance, for the scene of an humble, poor,
and laborious life, waiting for his Father's comraand to mani
fest hiraself to the world, to exerciae hia office of Saviour by
his rairaclea, to establish his kingdom by his preaching, and
to accomplish hia sacrifice by his death.
40. And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wis
dom ; and the grace of God was upon him.
Christ chose to grow in his natural body, to teach us that
he intends to grow in the members of his raystical body, with
an increase of grace and holiness to a perfect age.. All the
treasures of the divine wisdora and knowledge were in Christ
frora the very moment of his incarnation ; but they are un
folded and produced abroad only by measure and by degrees,
according to the ordera and designs of his Father.

CHAPTER IL 591

SECT. V. — THB CHILD JESUS IN THE MIDST OF THE DOCTORS.
41. If Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of
the passover.
It is here expressly said, that they went thither every
year, but it ia not aaid that they went oftener : to induce ua,
on the one hand, to be faithful in the diacharge of those
duties to which we are obliged ; and, on the other, not to run,
either through restleaa zeal or idleneaa, after all manner of
popular devotiona — retirement and application to our doraea-
tic duties being more profitable and more pleasing to God.
Christ is brought thither regularly by his parents frora hia
infancy, on purpoae to teach parenta to carry their children
to church, and to watch over thera as to religious dutiea.
42. And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem
after the custom of the feast.
Jeaus celebrated yearly by anticipation the solemnity of
the true passover, taking occasion by the law to go and offer
himself aa in aacrifice to his Father, and to prepare himself
to fulfil all these types and figurea by hia death and reaur
rection. Every Sunday is the solemnity of the passover of
Christians, which they ought to celebrate in their parish
churches — their Jerusalem.
43. And when they had fulfllled the days, as they returned, the child
Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew
not of it,
Christ sometimea hidea hiraaelf from the moat pioua aoula,
to exercise their faith, and to increase their love and desires
toward him. If our Lord, in the time of hia greateat sub
jection, had not done aome actions of independence, the
belief of his divinity would perhaps have been less lively on
that account. He quits not one dependence, but only by
reason of another more holy and indispensable, in respect
of his Father. We must iraitate him, by never withdrawing
ourselves from dependence, without the command of God.
44. But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a
day's journey; and they sought him among- their kinsfolk and ac
quaintance. Let US be faithful in seeking Christ with an ardent and

592 LUKE.
indefatigable care in the day of thia life, and by the light
of faith. He ia very rarely to be found among the kindred
and frienda of the world. God permita men sometimes to
seek him with a good intention, but, not sufficiently enlight
ened, where they ought not, to the end they raay be the raore
persuaded that they cannot aeek him auccessfuUy but by his
own light and grace.
45. And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusa-
fem, seeking him.
We muat not be diacouraged when, even in all appearance,.
Christ seema unwilling to be found by ua; but we muat per
severe in our aearch. It ia in the church alone that we ought
to seek him ; it is there we may infallibly find hira. Who
ever seeks hira elsewhere, wearies himself in vain : he will by
no means find him out of Jerusalem, out of the only temple
of God.
46. And it came to pass, that after three days, they found him in the
temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and ask
ing tiem questions.
This absence of Christ for three days was a -figure of those.
three days in which his disciples bewailed his death and
believed him lost. His manifestation in the teraple is an
erablera of the lustre of his resurrection. It is in the house
of prayer that a raan £nds Christ after having lost him.
The humility of Jesus, in hearing those whose master he was,
was the finest apectacle, the raost uaeful leaaon, the moat
edifying example, and the moat holy aacrifice which had been
ever aeen in the temple to that tirae.
47. And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and
answers. Thia manifeatation of the divine wisdora in childhood aerved
to awaken the faith of thoae who expected the proraiaed
eonaolation. Thoae who knew not the Son of God, had
reaaon to admire hia wisdom ; but we who know hira should
rather admire that he so long suppressed, and, as it were,
annihilated it for our sake; and ahould learn, for his, to
restrain our own forwardneaa to show ourselves on all
occasions.

CHAPTER IL 593
48. And when they savr him, they were amazed: and hi.s mother said
unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thv father
and 1 have sought thee sorrowing.
The holy rigour with which Christ treats thoae whora he
loves, leaving them often under trouble and affliction, is a
mystery which self-love understands not. There is no grief
equal to that of a soul which loves God, and thinks it has
lost him. It muat coat abundance of tears to find Christ
again, being once lost. Joseph is called, even by the blessed
Virgin, the father of Jesus : not as being auch like others,
but becauae he was ao by representation, by alliance, being
his mother's hu'sband, head of his family, foster-father of
his flesh, tutor of his childhood, guardian of his life, etc.
49. And he said unto them. How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not
that I must be about my Father's business?
The first known words of Jesus Christ, prieat, victim, and
teacher, spoken in the temple, and in the midst of the doc
tors, are worda of consecration, sacrifice, self-denial, zeal,
and light. Let them teach us to do the work of God without
consulting with fiesh and blood. This is a leaaon of aelf-
denial, as well for the parents of the miniatera of God aa
for the rainisters themselves. To busy these in secular
employments and temporal affairs, is to forget that it is only
for those of heaven that they are ecclesiastics.
50. And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them.
A man ought to be reserved in speaking to his parents con
cerning that which belongs to the ecclesiastical ministry, after
the example of our blessed Lord in respect of the holiest of
parents. It is modesty and humility in parents not to be too
curious to know it, in imitation of the holy Virgin and Jo
seph. They knew not but that the time of hia ministry and
manifestation was already come : but they wait, with a re
spectful silence, for what he shall be pleased to discover of it
to them.
51. And he went down with theiii, and came to Nazareth, and was
subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.
52. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God
and man.
We know nothing of what Jesus did for eighteen or twenty
60-» 2 N

594 LUKE.
years, but only that he waa subject to his parents, and that
he increased in wisdom and favour, as well as in age. We
know nothing likewise of the blessed Virgin, but only that
she kept in her heart the words of her Son, even those which
she did not understand. Letv us remember to do the sarae
things after their exaraple. Jesus returns to his ordinary
dependence as soon as his Father's orders perrait him to do
it. What an example is here for children ! but, alas ! un
known to the generality of thera, through the fault of parents
themaelvea. Did theae but take care frequently to place Jeaua
Chriat before their eyea, and make them atudy the example
of hia virtuea, they themselves would first reap the fruit of it.

CHAPTER III.
SECT. I. — THB PREACHING OF JOHN THE BAPTIST.
1. Now, in the flfteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Cesar, Pontius
Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and
his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and of the region of Trachonitis,
and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene,
The divine Author of the Scriptures neglects not the human
advantages of a most exact chronological era of the founda
tion of Christ's kingdora. The history of his life is a raystery
of faith, and a work altogether divine, concealed under human
appearances. As the eternal Word, though incarnate by the
operation of the Holy Ghost, seemed to be born in our fleah
like other men, becauae he was to appear among the Jews for
thirty years as a mere man, and until he had been acknow
ledged to be the Son of God: so the written word of God,
though inspired by the Holy Ghoat, aeems to have been com
posed after a raanner altogether human ; because, being first
designed for the Jews, who would never receive it as divine
Scripture, it waa to have all the appearance and characters
of a human history of such thinga as had passed before their
eyes, and which was sufficient to raake them discover the
Messias in the life and miracles of Christ, by comparing them

CHAPTER IIL 596
with the ancient propheciea. When the Christian church
waa once formed by preaching and miraclea, the divine author
ity of the Gospela waa then made manifest to Chriatians, the
church being in a condition to settle her canon of Scripture,
and to attest the authenticity thereof.
2. Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came
unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.
It is a rule, not to foraake retirement in order to instruct
others, except at the call of God ; not to anticipate it ; not to
put it off. Happy is that peraon whp haa perfectly learned
in retirement tp be satisfied with God, and to live without the
world, to the end that he may not know it but only in re
ference to God, and may have respect to him alone when he
delivers his truths to it. How great is the difference, between
a preacher formed gradually by the hand of God in retire
ment, fasting, and prayer, and those ordained in haste, who
have no other school but the world, no other masters besides
themselves, and no other preparation than human studies, in
terrupted by worldly conversations, diversions, play, good
cheer, and the like.
3. And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the bap
tism of repentance for the remission of sins ;
Men ought to preach repentance more than any other thing
whatever, it being the foundation of Christian piety. This
is what the world does not at all love : but its wants, not its
taste, must be consulted. We see abundance of persons do
all they can to make themselves sick, and nothing in order
to be cured. This is a folly which the love of life and health
renders very rare ih relation to the body ; but nothing is more
common in respect of the soul.
4. As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, say
ing. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the
Lord, make his paths straight.
Repentance is preached in the wilderness becauae it ia ael
dom hearkened to in the world, and because it is necessary
for a man to leave it, at least for a time, or in spirit, and by
a aeparation of heart, if he would perforra a subatantial re
pentance. This is the only way to return to God, and to pre-

596 LUKE.
vail with him to return to us. It is into the heart that he is
to come; it is the heart chiefly which we must "prepare and
make straight." And how can this be done but by the love
of God, which alone can rectify that which the love of the
world has made crooked and corrupt ?
5. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be
brought low ; and the crooked shallbe made straight, and the rough ways
shall he made smooth ; 6. And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
The internal preparation which Christ requires of us, to the
end that we may beg it of him, consists in the humiliation of
the heart, the meekness of charity, the rectitude of the inten
tion, the uniformity of the life, the renouncing of our own
wisdom and righteousness, and in an ardent desire and hum
ble hope of hia grace and Holy Spirit. To thia rauat be joined
the external worka of repentance, in order to raortify the fiesh,
to humble the spirit, and to cut off all excess and auperfiuity
in the conduct of our livea. It ia in true penitenta that the
power of a Saviour and the truth of aalvation are^raoat evi
dently seen. Give me. Lord, thia true repentance, which re
stores thee to sinners, and causes them to find in thee an
alraighty and divine Saviour.
SECT. II. — JOHN'S ADVICE TO THB PEOPLE, THE PUBLICANS,
AND THE SOLDIERS.
7. Then said he to the multitudes that came forth to be baptized of him,
0 generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to
come? An apostolical freedom is a thing which a preacher ought
always to preserve, that he raay not flatter sinners. It is his
indiapenaable duty, in a prudent raanner, to raake thera tho
roughly aenaible what they really are before God aa ainnera,
let their rank and quality be ever so great before raen. Those
who have either sucked in heresy with their railk, or been corT
rupted by the ill exaraple of their parenta, or by a bad educa
tion, cannot enough adraire how they have been able to quit
a atate of ain, and " to flee frora the wrath" and judgment of
God : thia is a particular favour, which requires a particular
acknowledgment.

CHAPTER IIL 697
8. Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance ;
What does this therefore denote, which connects thia verse
with the foregoing, if not that repentance is utterly unworthy
of God's raercy when it is not at all answerable either to the
nuraber and greatness of our sins, or to the strength of our in
veterate habits, or to the wrath and judgraent of God which we
have deserved, or to the singularity of the grace which has,
aa it were, anatched us away from sin and the divine wrath,
while so many others are consumed thereby ?
— And begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our
father : for I say unto you. That God is able of these stones, to raise up
children unto Abraham.
Let us work out our own salvation ourselves, without de
pending upon what others do for us. If We do not imitate
our fathers, their holiness will condemn us, instead of being
serviceable to us, at the tribunal of God. None but God can
form his own worshippers, as none but he can make true
penitents. Christ informs us, by this comparison, that re
pentance is a change, a transformation, and a new birth ; and
that so long as there is no appearance of new manners and a
new life, there is no conversion nor true repentance.
9. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees : every tree
therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into
the fire.
There is not one raoraent to be lost in the business of salva
tion. Whoever loses one, hazards all. The patience of God,
infinite and eternal in itself, has its bounds and end in respect
of sinners. A man can abuse God's patience only in this life ;
but this life is in his hands, and perhaps his arm is even now
lifted up to cut down this unprofitable tree. "Every tree
which. bringeth not forth good fruit," without exception, with
out regard to age, knowledge, dignity, or the purple where
with a raan is perhaps covered, — all shall be " cut down and
cast into the fire," if they have not good works at the hour
of death : and there can be none without charity, which is the
root of them.
10.. And the people asked him, saying. What shall we do then?
The first step of a true penitent is to resign himself up
to the conduct of an enlightened, prudent, and disinterested

598 • LUKE.
director. There is no plainer indication that a sinner's
heart is really touched by God, and that the time of mercy
is come, than his appearing docile, submissive, and ready to
do every thing toward his own recovery. A sinner raust
receive the law, and not give it. It is an intolerable sub
version of order, for a criminal to say to his judge, "What
will you do?" But something like this is too often seen in
the business of repentance, and we there find very few who
say aa they ought, " What rauat I do ?"
11. He answereth and saith unto them. He that hath two coats, let him
impart to him that hath none ; and he that hath meat, let him do like
wise. One part of repentance, which here includea the other
worka of mercy, is to give that which is superfluous to the
poor. John doea not enjoin the sacrifices of the law, know
ing their insufficiency, but the sacrifice of charity, which
covers the multitude of sins. The love of God is compre
hended under that of our neighbour, whom we ought to love
and assist only ,for the sake of God. Let ua love to feed
and clothe the poor. These works of charity are preferable
to all others, as being the most necessary and indiapenaable.
He who ia not moved with hia brother'a miaery, deaervea to
find God unmoved with his own.
12. Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Mas-
terj what shall we do ? 13. And he said unto them. Exact no more than
that which is appointed you.
John here gives rulea for public receivera, aa to what con
cerna their particular employment. He teachea perfectly to
distinguiah the abuses of any state or condition of life from
the condition itself. A wise preacher should be so far frora
disturbing either the peace of private consciences or the pub
lic repose, by condemning necessary employments, that he
ought carefully to promote both, by contenting himself with
only retrenching the disorders and injustice of those who ex
ercise them. To be exact in not permitting any abuses in
employments of this nature, is to serve the state ; and those
loose casuists who allow and authorize thera are pernicioua to
governments, by rendering these eraployments odious to the

CHAPTER IIL 599
people, by favouring their murmurings, by encouraging acts
of injustice, and thereby giving occasion to rebellion and
revolt. 14. And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying. And what
shall we do ? And he said unto them. Do violence to no man, neither
accuse any falsely ; and be content with your wages.
John here, in the last place, regulates the duties of mili
tary persons, and shows that no condition is excluded from
salvation. The buaineaa of war ia not in itself at all opposite
thereto ; since there have been not only Christian soldiers,
but even great saints and generous martyrs of that pro
fession. If all war was contrary to the gospel, John would
not have allowed those who presented themselves before him
to continue in that stat^ : however, it ia certainly full of ob
stacles to salvation, which very few surmount. A state
which is generally erabraced either out of pasaion or libertin
ism, or through a blind destination of birth, the exercises
whereof are so violent and tumultuous, agrees but little with
the exercises of Christianity or the spirit of the gospel,
which is all peace, charity, and meekness. It is, notwith
standing, just and necessary that there should be men to
defend the state; but it is still more just and necessary
that this should not be done at the expense of salvation.
The grace of God can do every thing : this is what ought to
corafort those who intend to serve Hira in serving their king
and country.
SECT. III. — JOHN'S TESTIMONY OF CHRIST. — HIS IMPRISON
MENT.
15. \ And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in
their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ or not ;
It was the design of God, in sending John, to fix the
minds of the Jews upon the Messiah, and induce thera to
examine the Scriptures. The mortified life of a person de
voted to religion, the edifying example of a holy prieat, and
the regular conduct of a faithful Christian, excite men to
think of God, and awaken sinners quite asleep and senseless
as to the business of salvation.

600 IiUKE.
16. John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with
water ; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am
not worthy to unloose : he shall baptize you -with the Holy Ghost and
with flre : '
There ia more difference between the baptiam of John and
that of Chriat than there ia between water and fire. Nothing
hut the Spirit of God can waah the soul frora all its impuri
ties, and consume all its filth. Every thing is little before
Jesus Chriat, and the greateat aainta are not worthy to be at
hia feet. Where, then, ought a great sinner to caat himaelf ?
and how could he dare present himself before him in prayer,
had not he himself pressed him to come to him, and to hope
every thing from him ? He did not himself in person baptize
the Jews, to whora John raakes this promise ; but it is He
who baptizes both all Jewa and Gentilea who are baptized,
because it is hia baptism which is given by hia miniatera, be
cause it is in his name, by his authority, through his merita,
by hia inviaihle hand and Spirit, that every sinner is baptized,
every heart is purified, that all sins are remitted, and every
Christian is consecrated to God.
17. Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor,
and will gather the wheat into his garner ; but the chaff he will burn
with flre unquenchable. 18. And many other things in his exhortation
preached he unto the people.
In the church, the good and bad ahall be mingled together
till the laat judgment : we muat, in imitation of the patience
of God, preaerve peace and charity with all the world till
that tirae. Every age passes away in this kind of separation
of the chaff from the wheat; but the visible and universal
separation shall not be till the end of all ages. John joins
the separation made by the word of Christ, received or re
jected, practised or contemned, with the final separation:
because that the one depends on the other ; and because that,
perhapa, aa to moat of thoae who heard him, there would be
but a few daya' distance, or less, between them. Let us
strive, while there is yet time, to avoid the miserable portion
of the chaff.
19. But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his
brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils whioh Herod had done,
A preacher cannot hold hia peace in the midat of public

CHAPTER in. 601
Crimea. John spared none in Herod, because he loved none
of the good things, nor feared any of the evils which he
could confer or inflict upon hira. Sorae persons would not
have wanted fair pretences to persuade John to disserable.
He was not charged with Herod's conduct : he ought to have
cultivated hia good-will, that he raight be aupported in the
exercise of his rainistry ; he ran the risk of frustrating all
his plans, and destroying the fruit of all his preaching, by
making hira his eneray ; he exposed his disciples and his
whole school to danger, etc. John did not reason after this
manner : he did what God required of him at that tinre, and
left the future to him who is the disposer of it,
20. Added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison.
"See what John has drawn upon himself by his impru
dence!" would the worldly-wise aay; but the reflection of
the wise according to Chriat will be, " See the worthy reward
of hia faithfulneas in discharging hia rainistry, and of his
holy freedora !" for the grace of raartyrdom is the greatest
in the Christian religion. Impurity which is public and
scandalous hardens the heart, and disposes a man to contemn
and despise those who have a right to reprove him on God's
part. It is very easy to pass from contempt to hatred, and
from hatred tp murder, or to such cruel uaage aa is almost
equivalent to it.
SECT. IV. — THE BAPTISM AND GENEALOGY OE CHRIST.
21. Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that
Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,
Jesus is not ashamed to be found among the crowd of
sinnera, nor to take upon him the mark and reraedy of ain.
Let ua from hence learn how careful we ought to be not to
judge raahly. That which ia done visibly in the baptism of
Christ, is done invisibly in that of his members. Heaven ia
therein opened, but it ia by the prayer of the church,
whereof ita Head acts it the exaraple. There is reaaon to
believe that in thia action Chriat aaid to hia Father, that,
according to hia will, he took upon himaelf the sina of the
world, in order to undergo the penance [or rather the
Vol. L— 61

602 I LUKE.
penalty] due to them, and to be the victim for them. Let
us learn from hira to join prayer with all the cereraoniea of
the church.
22. And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon
him, and a voice came from heaven, which said. Thou art my beloved
Son ; in thee I am well pleased.
The Father seta off and honours the hurailiation of his
Son, by the testiraony which he gives of his divine extrac
tion and of the fulneaa of the Holy Spirit in him. Jesua
alone ia the delight of his Father ; of whora then ought he
not to be so ? The Holy Spirit is for none but the children
of God : we have no right to it, because it is the Spirit of
our Father. The fulness of it is given to the Head for all
the merabers ; and it is only under this quality that we must
beg of him any portion thereof.
23. If And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being
(as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was ihe son of Heli,
Jesua, in aubmitting to the law or cuatora, and not exer
cising his public rainistry till at the age prescribed by thera,
condemns the forwardness and precipitation of many ecclesi
astics. Who had more right than the Son of God to exempt
hiraself frora the ordinary rules ? Whose ministry is as use
ful to the church, as hia waa neceaaary ? He, who came on
purpoae to make known hia Father, concealed hiraaelf for
thirty yeara. But even the time of hia silence and obscurity
made part of his ministry. Thus he taught us the necessity
of silence, labour, retirement, and humility, and merited for
us the grace of thera. What a treasure is this of the hidden
life of Christ ! what a source of blessings ! But it is only
for the little ones and the hurable. This ia the greatest of
all his mysteries, at least as to the duration of it ; and yet
very few honour and acknowledge it. A man raay deceive
himself in thinking that he imitates his zeal and public
labours. Even pride may imitate charity in performing emi
nent actions ; but there is nothing but huraility which can
love that humility and obscurity which Christ loved so rauch.
The lesson of huraility and silence raust needs be of the
greatest importance, since to this Christ dedicated thirty

CHAPTER. IIL 603
years of his life and example, and reserved but three or four
for all the other truths of the gospel.
24. Which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, which
was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Janna, which was the son
of Joseph, 25. Which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of
Amos, which was the son of Naum, which was the son of Esli, which was
the son of Nagge, _ 26. Which was the son of Maath, which was the son
of Mattathias, which was ihe son of Semei, which was the son of Joseph,
which was the son of Judah, 27. Which was the son of Joanna, which
was the son of Rhesa, which was ihe son of Zorobabel, which was fhe son
of Salathiel, which -was the son of Neri, 28. Which was ihe son of Mel
chi, which was the son of Addi, which was the son of Cosam, whioh was
the son of Elmodam, which was the son of Br, 29. Which was the son
of Jose, which was iJie son of Eliezer, which was the son of Jorim, which
was ihe son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, 30. Which was the son
of Simeon, which was the son of Judah, which was the son of Joseph,
which was the son of Jonan, whioh was ihe son of Eliakim, 31. Which
was ilie son of Melea, which -was ihe son of Menan, which was ihe son of
Mattatha, whioh was the son of Nathan, which was ihe son of David,
32. Which was the son of Jesse, which was the son of Obed, whioh was the
son of Booz, which was the son of Salmon, which was the son of Naasson,
33. Which- was the son of Aminadab, which was ihe son of Aram, which
was the son of Esrom, whioh was the son of Phares, which was the son of
- Judah, 34. Which was the son of Jacob, -n'hich was the son of Isaac,
which was the son of Abraham, which was ihe son of Thara, which was the
son of Naohor, 35. Which was ihe son of Saruch, which was the son of
Ragua, which was the son of Phalec, whioh was the son of Heber, whioh
was the son of Sala, 36. Which was the son of Cainan, whioh was the
son of Arphaxad, which was the son of Sem, -B'hich was ihe son of Noah,
which was iJie son of Lameoh, 37. Which was the son of Mathusala,
which was the son of Enoch, which was the son of Jared, which was the son
of Maleleel, which was the son of Cainan, 38. Whioh was ihe son of
Enos, which was the son of Seth, whioh was the son of Adam, which was
the son of God.
Jesus, the principle of the new creation, and the repairer
of the world, disdains not to be reckoned among ordinary
creaturea and among the children of ainful Adam. He de
signed hereby to secure us from having the least doubt that
he was the man ; and to assure us that we have a Victira, a
Saviour, and a High Priest, capable of compassionating our
infirmities and miseries.

60* L U K E.

CHAPTER IV.
SECT. I. — THB RETIREMENT, FASTING, AND TEMPTATION OF
CHRIST.
1. And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and
was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.
What ought they to do who corae from receiving the sacra
ment, and frora being filled with the Spirit of God, but to
hide their treasure in retirement, and secure it from the cor
rupt air of the world ? There is a mutual assistance between
the Spirit and retirement : for the Spirit of God received
into.the heart inspires the love of retirement, and retirement
preserves the Spirit of God. Happy those whom the Spirit
leads thither for life, and who shut the gate of their heart
against those deceitful notions of false good which the con-.
versation of men continually renews ! Happy at least those
whora it leads thither from time to time, in order to purify
their hearts from that corruption which daily and hourly
slides into thera !
2. Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did
eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.
The first Adam, being proud, sinned, and was overcome by
gluttony in a delicious garden : Jesus Christ, the second
Adam, humbled and abased, does penance, and triumphs by,
fasting in a frightful desert. Fasting is, in some aenae, a
remedy for preaent temptationa, and a preservative againat
future.' Jeaua Chriat spared not his innocent flesh ; and the
sinner cherishes hia continually, refusing it nothing, and
atudying atill to pamper it, aa if thia were the aole end of his
being in the world. The temptation of Chriat ia a source of
grace and strength for those who are tempted. By volunta
rily submitting to the temptation of the devil, he teaches us
that the sinner ia necessarily exposed to it all the days of his
life. Libertines will by no raeans be persuaded that the
devil interraeddles with their affairs ; and even this illusion

CHAPTER rV. 605
itself ia a proof of the empire which he haa over them. Men
are never more dangeroualy tempted, than when they think
themselves secure from being so.
3. And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command
this stone that it be made bread.
God hears not the prayers of those who tempt him through
a spirit of curiosity, neither does he make himself known to
such. Let us learn never to give ear to the wicked spirit,
even though he should not require of us any thing which is
evil. He seems sometimes to inspire such designs as tend
only to the glory of God, and to the manifestation of Jeaus
Christ and his divinity ; but his aim is to gain our confidence,
to grow familiar with us, and to deceive us by false appear
ances of good. God ia he to whora we must hearken ; and
Jesus Christ must be our Guide and Instructor.
4. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is -written, that man shall not
live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
Jesua teachea ua to encounter temptation — (1.) With the
arma of God'a word, which is likewise the support of the
soul. (2.) By cleaving to him alone. (3.) By humbly ador
ing hira. (4.) By declining all extraordinary waya. Tem
poral want and necessity is one of thoae opportunities Which
the devil takea care to improve, in order to tempt ua ; but it
ought never to induce us to hearken to his voice. We have
a Father, who has enjoined us to beg of hira our bread
every day : he will certainly give us either that, or something
better. It ia a peace of infidelity to confine God to one
meana alone, since he has in his hands more than we can
possibly imagine.
5. And the devil, taking him up into a high mountain, shewed unto
him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
A victory over one temptation ought not to make us neg
ligent, becauae the devil ia continually raising up new ones.
Adam resigned himself up to the power of the devil by his
sin. Christ bears the punishment of it, and delivers him
from it. His goodness ia ao great, that he- auffera himself to
be taken up by the devil, to the end that he raay not abandon
thoae to him who deaerve most to be delivered up to his
51* '

606 LUKE.
power, who call upon him, who give themselves to him, and
who either consent or wish that he may carry thera away.
Such are lunatics, incapable of making any contract, much
less of contracting with the devil, (who is under an interdict
by the authority of the supreme justice,) and concerning that
whereof they have no power to dispose ; since all mankind
belong to Christ, through the price of his blood.
6. And the devil said unto him. All this power will I give thee, and
the glory of them : for that is delivered unto me ; and to whomsoever I
will, I give it.
These words of the devil contain three insolent lies, together
with blasphemies against the sovereignty, justice, and provi
dence of God. Would to God the devil had not among raen
iraitators, pretending to be all-powerful, absolute raasters, and
sovereign arbitrators of all things ! It is a dreadful judg
ment, when God does not humble them on earth as he did
Nebuchadnezzar, but reserves them to be humbled with him
whose pride they imitate.
7. If thou wilt therefore worship me, all shall be thine
The diabolical inclination to cause themselves to be wor
shipped, is, in some raeasure, in all the proud, and is a
stronger teraptation than that of carnal pleasures. Herod,
to satisfy his passion, hazarded, by his foolish proraise, no
raore than the half of his kingdora; but there are those
who, like the devil, would give all they have to be wor
shipped. What can be said of those women, who join in
themselves all the lasciviousness whereof the flesh is capa
ble, and all the pride of the unclean spirit, but only that
such are monsters more to be dreaded than the devil himself ?
8. And Jesus answered and said unto him. Get thee behind me, Satan :
for it is written. Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only
shalt thou serve.
One only God, one only religion. 0 ray God, how little
do we understand what it is to worship thee only ! Men wor
ship every thing which they love, every thing wherein they
place their happiness; and the number of those who love
none but thee, and who place their happiness in thee alone,
is less than can be imagined.

CHAPTER rV. 607
9. And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the
temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down
from hence:
How many are there who come to the church, and are
raised to the highest stations in it, only by the instigation of
the devil, and in order to a more dismal fall ! All advance
ment which comes not from God cannot but be very danger
ous. When God raises any one, he is, as it were, engaged by
his goodness to support hira, to prevent his fall, or to lift hira
up again : when the devil, that is, ambition, pride, or vanity,
does it, the person so raised finds no strength but in hia pre
sumption, no vigilance but in his blindness, no help but in his
own weakness. Lord, let me rather crawl on the earth, like
a vile worm, than be abandoned to this diabolical elevation.
10. For it is written. He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep
thee : 11. And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time
thou dash thy foot against a stone.
The providence of God, in relation to his Son, to his
church, and to all mankind, is a ground of confidence, but
not of presumption. God ia of himself sufficient to watch
over us, and to defend us ; and it is not through any necessity
that he employa hia angela on thia account, but only to honour
them, by rendering them the miniatera of hia providence, and
causing them to co-operate with his designs concerning hia
Christ, his church, and his elect ; to oblige them to enter into
the mission, the ways, the charity, and the humility of his
Son ; to make known his love and fatherly care toward his
elect; and to make them sensible how intent the apostate
angels are on their destruction, and how all creatures are
rendered subaervient to the design of man's salvation, and
that every thing is united in the church whereof Jesus Christ
is the head. A guardian angel is a guide for the way, not
for a precipice ; a help in our neceaaitiea, not in our pasaiona ;
and a maater to enlighten ua, not to follow our blindness.
12. And Jesus answering said unto him. It is said, Thou shalt not
tempt the Lord thy God.
One manner of tempting God, ia unnecesaarily to expose
ourselves to danger, through a false confidence in his assist
ance. It is part of the respect and obedience which we owe

608 LUKE.
him, not to leave the common and ordinary way without his
order. It is an extreme instance of ingratitude, to desire, by
extraordinary effects and ways, to experience a goodness,
wisdom, power, and providence, which so evidently show
themselves every raoraent, a thouaand and a thouaand different
ways, which are so mUch the raore to be admired aa they are
more coramon and ordinary.
13. And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed
from him for a season.
The devil ceaaea to tempt ua only for a season, in order to
lull us asleep ; it ia therefore a great folly not to watch con
tinually. He assaults with open force those whom he hast
not been able to overcome by his stratagems, or by the allare-
menta of the world. Thua he acted with reapect to our
bleased Lord in the latter part of his life, and with respect to
holy herraita after one raanner, and to holy prelatea after
another. Let us learn, both from the Head and from the
merabers, that we are not capable of overcoraing the persecu
tions and outward assaults of the devil, if we have suffered
ourselves to he overcorae by the charms and allurements of
the world and of sin.
SECT. II. — CHRIST PREACHES IN GALILEE, AND AT NAZARETH.
— ISAIAH'S PROPHECY.
14. If And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee : aBd
their went out a fame of him through all the region round about.
Who is there, after the example of Christ, so faithful as
not to take one step but by the direction of God's Spirit.
When a man, in entering into a state which ia expoaed to the
temptation of applauae, neither conaulta the Spirit nor follows
its motions, such a one, after having overcome the tempta
tions of the world and of riches, miserably yields to that of
vanity, and ia loat with the fruit of his victoriea. When the
fame of an evangelical labourer is gone abroad in the world,
wo be to him if he goes abroad with it, and follows it, instead
of retiring within his own heart, and recollecting himself there
with Jesus Christ.
15. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.
After having been filled with the Holy Ghost, after having

CHAPTER IV. 609
fasted, prayed, and overcome vanity and all other tempta
tiona, a man raay then begin with sorae confidence to instruct
others, if God call him thereto. To be honoured by all, and
yet to preserve humility, ia a virtue to he found only araong
Christians, and which is very rare even araong the raost per
fect. Whoever has not laboured beforehand in retireraent,
and by prayer, to raortify his mind and body, runs the risk
of being carried away by the wind of vanity.
16.1f And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and,
as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and
stood up for to read.
¦ The constancy of Christ in performing the coraraon dujies
of religion, at the congregations of the faithful and at public
prayers, appears everywhere. The synagogue was to him the
place of asserabling, as the parish church is to us, and he was
always very far from forsaking it.
17. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias.
And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was
written, Jesus Christ exercises the office of reader out of respect to
the word of his Father, in order to render the use of it pro
fitable to the people, to add authority to the prophecies, and
to lay before the eyes of the Jews such as were most capable
of opening them to see the coming of the Messias whom they
expected. It was the consolation of the Jewish church and
people to feed on the word of God, to contemplate Christ in the
enigmatic representation which his Spirit had given of him,
and to render the prophecies which promised him farailiar to
their rainds. How rauch more joy, delight, and profit ought
we Christians then to find in reading the New Testament,
in the history of our blessed Saviour's life and mysteries
fully accomplished, and in meditating on his virtues, his pre-~
cepts, and the ways he has tbere traced out to us.
18. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me
to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken
hearted. The truth of these words of Isaiah (who was the evangeli
cal prophet of Christ, and had so long before received a por
tion of his Spirit, to foretell and make him known as the true
20

610 LUKE.
Deliverer) was evidently fulfilled in thia divine Saviour, in
whom unchangeably reaidea the fulneaa of the Holy Spirit, in
which hia unction and aacerdotal conaecration doea conaiat,
which began in the incarnation, wherein the human nature
(personally united to the Word by the power of the Father
and the co-operation of the Holy Ghoat) waa anointed with
the Divinity itaelf, and thereby conaecrated to an eternal
priesthood. All the functions of this new Prophet, with re
gard to men, are exercised on the heart ; and the grace by
which he operates therein ia a grace of healing, deliverance,
and illuraination ; which, by an adrairable virtue, cauaea them
to paaa from aickneaa to health, from slavery to liberty, from
darkneaa to light, and frora the loweat degree of miaery to
the aupreme and eternal happineaa.
— To preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the
blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19. To preach the accept
able year of the Lord.
The whole series of ages, frora the preaching of Christ even
to hia aecond coraing, ia but aa it were one year, sorae few
days or hours whereof are allowed us to prepare ourselves for
the judgraent of God. These are moraents of raercy, hours
of grace, daya of aalvation, and the year of the true jubilee or
of reraiasion of ain. Let'ua not auffer them to alide away
from ua : the time of wrath will aoon follow, wherein our
worka alone muat anawer for us.
20. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and
sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were
fastened on him.
Let ua accuatom ourselves to have our mind and heart
fastened or fixed on Jesus Christ, that we raay receive with
profit hia word and inapirationa. If his reputation, hia mien,
and hia iiodesty rendered the Jews so attentive to his words,
and so intent on his person, what impression ought we to
feel, after all we know of hira, and all we have received from
him! 21. And he began to say unto -them. This day is this scripture ful
filled in your ears.
Jeaua Chriat is the accomplishment of all the prophecies,
typea, and proraiaea. This he declares himaelf, to make

CHAPTER IV. 6X1
known hia raission, and to authorize it by the Scriptures,
after having already done it by miracles and by the testi
mony of John. This truth manifests itaelf everywhere, that
.an extraordinary miaaion ought to be rejected if it be not
proved by miraclea, which are the voice of God.
SECT. III. — NO PROPHET ACCEPTED IN HIS OWN COUNTRY. —
THE PEOPLE OF NAZARETH ENDEAVOUR TO CAST CHRIST
DOWN HEADLONG.
22. And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words
which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said. Is not this Joseph's
son? 23. And he said unto them. Ye wiU surely say unto me this pro
verb. Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Caper
naum, do also here in thy country.
The worda of Jeaua Chriat are all grace and apiritual
unction to thoae who read or hear them with, faith. Infidelity
itself doea not alwaya hinder men frora perceiving that they
are the worda of Almighty God. It ia not frora worldly
frienda or relations that we raust expect the approbation
of any thing which we do for the sake of God. Christ
would be everywhere, and in all hia conditiona, an object of
faith: in hia birth, in his preaching, and in his death. The
poverty of his life and of his parents is an occasion of offence
to the proud, as well as his raanger and his cross. Whoever
once thoroughly comprehends that the way of Jesus Christ
ia a way of humility, will not be in the leaat aurpriaed to
meet with it .everywhere, and would rather wonder to find it
wanting on any occaaion. He who measures truth by the
extraordinary figure, the talents, or the nobility of those who
preach it, is in great danger of embracing error and reject
ing truth.
24. And he said. Verily I say unto you. No prophet is accepted in his
own country.
The pride of man ia very frequently deceived: he would
fain make a figure where he ia moat known, and that ia the
very place where he generally loaea the credit he has ob
tained. A prieat, a preacher of the goapel, ought to he a
Melchiaedec, of whom we ahould know nothing but only that
he ia a rainister of Chriat, who worthily preachea his truth.

612 L U K B.
and is the first to put it in practice. These people could not
reproach Christ with any other defect but the poverty of hia
kindred; and yet they deapiaed hira, notwithatanding hia
reputation and rairaclea. What fruit, then, can thoae peraons
hope for, whoae faulta are very evident in great numbers,
and whose life is too much known, and altogether contrary
to what they preach ? If Jesus Christ does so little good
among his friends and acquaintance, who is that prieat who,
being fond of hia relations, can be very useful to them ?
25. But I teU you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days
of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months,
when great famine was throughout all the land; 26. But unto none of
them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman
thai was a widow.
The more destitute a man is of human aid, the raore ought
he to trust to that providence which God is pleased to exert
in extreme necessity. A woman whora her sex, poverty,
widowhood, and foreign country rendered contemptible to the
eyes of the fiesh, is she whora God chooses preferably to all
others ; because she was rich in faith, and lived on this bread
of the soul, whilst that of the body was wanting to her.
How good is it to lay up a stock of proviaion of this invisible
bread, which supplies the want of every thing. To depend
upon this treaaure for the future, ia to depend upon the inex
haustible richea of our heavenly Father. Thia faraine of
three yeara and a half prefigurea the faraine of faith araong
the Jewiah people during the public life of the Meaaiaa.
Give me. Lord, some of this bread, on which every soul livea
which livea for God. Let rae learn to prefer the poor before
the rich, aeeing that in all agea thou makeat choice of the
former, to enrich them with the treaaure of faith.
27. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the pro
phet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian. ,
The choice of this stranger is a figure of the calling of the
Gentiles to the baptism of Christ, as alao of the small num
ber of the elect. Few sinners are justified by baptisra and
repentance, if we consider well the number of those who die
without having partaken of the one and without having pro
fited by the other. By the examples of the widow and of

CHAPTER rV. 613
Naaraan, both of them aliens, God plainly shows that the
dispensation of his grace is altogether free, that it is due to
none, and yet that no sort of persons whatsoever are excluded
frora it.
28. And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things,
were fllled with wrath.
Truth provokea thoae whora it doea not enlighten and con
vert. Of how great iraportance is it for men to bring along
with them a good disposition toward the word of God and the
truths of Christianity; otherwise they may hurt instead of
profiting thera ! The proud man cannot bear to be told that
God owes him nothing ; and hereby he renders himself still
more unworthy of his grace : he rises up against his Physi
cian, instead of turning his anger against his pride, and
desiring the cure of it. My God, how few are willing to
acknowledge that the cause of their infidelity ia in theraselves,
and that the source and principle of all grace lies in the
ihercy of God alone ! The world is, even at this day, pro
voked whenever, after Christ's example, we endeavour to
show it that the number of those who are saved is very
small. 29. And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led hun unto the
brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him
down headlong. 30. But he, passing through the midst of them, went
his way,
Thia action of the inhabitanta of Nazareth is a dreadful
instance of that dereliction with which thoae are often pu-
niahed, who, instead of receiving the truth which is preached
to them, persecute those who preach it. It renders those
worse who oppose it. The sinner is incensed when he ia
reproached with hia vicea; and he himself justifies these
reproaches by giving himaelf up to hia passions. The wicked
disposition of this people shows itself in the treatraent which
they give the raost amiable of men; whereas the goodness
and mortification of Christ appear in the choice he made of
their city, to pass therein alraost his whole life. These
hearts, which an example so holy, and exposed so raany years
to their sight, could not touch, make it very evident that
Vol. I.— 52

614' LUKE.
nothing external can be of any advantage to us, unless in
ternal grace causes us to raake a good use of it.
SECT. IV. — JESUS PREACHES AT CAPERNAUM. — THE USTCLEAN
DEVIL. — PETER'S wife's MOTHER,
31. And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them
on the -sabbath days.
Christ teaches hia firat miniatera not pertinacioualy to con
tinue preaching the truth to such as wijl not hear it, but to
carry it to another place. He plainly shows that he does not
seek his own satisfaction in the places -whither he goes to
preach ; since, though Capernaum was so impenitent, that it
will be more tolerable even for Sodom in the day of judg
ment than for it, yet he did not refuse to live there almost
two years, to preach there continually, and to work there an
indefinite number of miracles. Men are very far frora fol- -
lowing their own inclinations so little.
32. And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was vrith
power. The word of Jeaua Chriat, in his own mouth, is full of force
and power : he imparts some of this power to thoae among
hia miniatera who are entirely hia. This city, which our
blessed Lord chose for an extraordinary example of impeni
tence, shows that men raay be struck with the truths of
salvation, and adraire the force of the preacher, without
receiving any benefit at all frora the serraon. Let preachers
learn from hence not to lay any great stress on the applause,
eateem, and admiration of men;, for these often give them
abundance of praises, and yet very few are profited by what
they have delivered.
33. If And in the synagogue there -was a man, which had a spirit of
an unclean devil, and cried out -with a loud voice.
He who has his soul possessed with uncleanness, is far raore
raiserable than he whose body only is possessed with a devil.
Were our faith as lively as our sense, it would be rauch more
frightened at that innumerable company of persons, spiritu
ally poaaeaaed, with which it daily meets, than we are when
only one of the other kind ia expoaed to our sight. An

CHAPTER IV. glS
anchaate person appears, to the eyes of the raind, much more
a demoniac than any other sinner. Our having so little-
drbhorrenee of such, is a sign that we are not yet in a capacity
to judge well of the opposition which there is between the
Spirit of God and the unclean spirit, between graoei d,nd sin.
34: Sayihg, Let us alone ; what have we to do -with thee, thou Jesus
of Nazareth ? art thou come to destroy us ? I know thee who thou art ;
the Holy One of God.
Whoever livea in criminal pleaaurea, cannot ehdure that
any one should disturb his miaerable peace. There are aorae
who praiae the aainta, as the devil here doea Jesus Christ,
being forced by God's appointraent to publish hira as the
Holy One, though, in all appearance, he did not know him
to be the Son of God. , God permits the wicked, in like man
ner, to preach truths which will only serve to their con
demnation, as well as to that of the devil. My God, how
great a difference is there between speaking of the holiness
of God and Christ, and imitating it ! A man raay be a devil,
and yet talk well concerning God; but it is the property of
his children to form themselves by the holinesa of their
heavenly Father.
35. And Jesus rebuked him, saying. Hold thy peace, and come out of
him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out
of him, and hurt him not.
. A good raan ought to reject the praiaea of acandaloua per
sons, and not spare their vices for the sake of their fiatteries.
It is a terrible judgment on thoae who abuae the word of God
in the pulpit, or elaewhere, to the corrupting the understand
ing or the heart, that he does not strike thera dumb, as he
did this devil. Their impunity serves only to heap up trea
sures of sin and wrath, and to harden their hearts the more.
They have no power of doing hurt, any more than the devil,
but only so far aa God permita them.
36. And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying.
What a word is this ! for with authority and power he commandeth the
unclean spirits, and they come out. 37. And the fsime of him went out
into every place of the country round about.
It ia a very beneficial and Chriatian practice, frequently to
invoke Upon ouraelvea, and upon persons engaged in unclean
ness, the authority and power which Jesua Chriat haa over the

616 LUKE.
unclean spirit. We have all of us a living fountain of un
cleanness in concupiscence; and the devil makes greater use
of it than we iraagine, in order to tempt us. It is a very
great occasion for fear and trembling, to perceive, by the
means of bodily poaaeaaion, how great the power is whioh the
enemy of our salvation has over us; but it is a very great
ground of confidence, to see, by the empire which Christ exer
cises over him, how powerful the Author of our salvation is.
We do not raake sufficient use of that portion of this authority
and power which he haa communicated to the church ; and a
sinner, or a juat man tempted, would experience to hia ad
vantage how great it is, if he would, as one may say, exerciae
his heart in aecret by the prayera of the church.
38. If And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon's
house. And Simon's wife's mother was taken with a great fever ; and
they besought him for her. 39. And he stood over her, and rebuked the
fever ; and it left her : and immediately she arose and ministered unto them.
Scarce haa Peter begun to belong to Christ, but his family
finda the good effects of it iraraediately, even aa to bodily
health: ao advantageous ia it to contract an acquaintance
with good raen. One aingle peraon, acceptable to God, draws
down abundance of blessings on a whole faraily. It is by
raeans of prayer that a man may be raost aerviceable to a
family; and it ia a great piece of infidelity not to employ it
for the fever of sin, when it rages there, with as rauch earnest
ness as is used on the account of the fever of the body. Christ
rebukes this so absolutely, on purpose to show us what power
be has over that of the heart, to cure it. He stooped down
over the sick person, to show that it was by his humiliations
that he was pleased to raerit this power; and to teach his
rainiatera to humble theraaelvea, and compassionate the in
firmitiea of ainnera, in order to heal thera.
SECT. V. — THE DISEASED HEALED. — DEVILS CONFESS CHRIST.
— HE RETIRES INTO A DESERT PLACE.
40. Tf Now when the sun was setting,* all they that had any sick with
divers diseases brought them unto him ; and he laid his hands on every
one of them, and healed them. [* Fr. After the setting of the sun.]
That which Christ did by his bodily hands, in the diseases

CHAPTER IV. 617
of the body, he does every day in thoae of the aoul by hia in
viaihle hand, which is his sovereign medicinal grace. It was
not till after the setting of the sun, after the death of Christ,
that the multitude of the nations was^ by preaching, brought
to hira ; that he healed thera by the faith of his incarnation,
and by the application of the merits of the mysteries accom
plished in his flesh ; and that imposition of hands in his narae
waa uaed in the church.
41. And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying. Thou
art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking ihem suffered them not to
speak : for they knew that he was Christ.
The teatiraony of the wicked ia aoraetimes useful to good
men, though they ought not to be pleased with hearing it. It
was not from the father of lies, but frora Jesua Chriat hiraaelf,
from the Scripturea, and from the church, that hia people
were to learn the myatery of the incarnation and coraing of
the Messiaa. The evil apirit ia an enemy of aalvation, with
whom the people of God ought to have no commerce, and who
ia unworthy and incapable of preaching Jesus Christ.
42. And when it was day, he departed and went into a desert place :
and the people sought him, and came unto him, and stayed him, that he
should not depart from them.
Evangelical labourers ought, from time to time, to enter
into retirement, after ' preaching and the other functions
which respect their neighbour. It is good that a preacher
should love to fly from the world. A commendable zeal, this,
in tbe people of Capernaum, for Christ and his word; which
shows, that aa God haa hia own people in the raidat of this
world, though separated from it from all eternity, so in a city
he has his faithful people, mixed with the unfaithful : a peni
tent Capernaum, which loves his word, which seeks, finds, and
detains him with diligence and earneatneaa ; and an impeni
tent and reprobate Capernaura, which, by its pride, exalts
itself to heaven, and which, by the juatice of God, shall be
brought down to hell, and cast even lower than Sodom : a
Capernaum chosen through mercy, and a Capernaum aban
doned with justice. ^
52*

618 LUKE.
43. And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other
cities also : for therefore am I sent.
Thoae who do not aufficiently value the word of God, and
neglect to hear it, because they have every day the oppor
tunity of doing it, will perhapa one day know how deairable
it is, when it shall be taken from them. Let us profit by the
men of God, and by the truths which they preach to us ; we
often wish for them in vain, when God, for our punishment,
withdraws thera frora us. It ia neither the inclination of the
people, nor that of the preacher, nor any proapect of great
advantage, which ought to determine an evangelical labourer
to one place rather than to another, but the miaaion, the
known will of God, and the appointraent of aupferiora.
44. And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee.
Preaching being the proper function of Jeaua Chriat, and
of biahopa who represent hira, we need not wonder that the
Prince of {laatora and Biahop of our aoula ia so intent upon it.
His fidelity and constancy in propagating the gospel in cities
dnd villages, is the condemnation of those who desert his fiock
and leave it without instruction.

CHAPTER V.

SECT. I. — THE MIRACULOUS DRAUGHT OF FISHES. — THE
ADMIRATION AND CALLING OF PETER, ANDREW, JAMES,
AND JOHN.
1. And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear
the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, 2. And saw two
ships standing by the lake : but the fishermen were gone out of them,
and were washing iheir nets.
The haste and forwardness of people is often very deceitful
and fruitless. We see them everywhere running in crowda
after Christ ; and yet alraost the whole body of the Jewiah
people continued in incredulity. Let us distrust our desires
and our fervoui-s, so long as our works are not answerable
to them. The confidence and affection which persons have
toward any director of the conacience, how holy aoever he be, ¦

CHAPTER V. 6ltf
are much to be auapected when no fruit of them appeara. The
paatoral charge is a burdensome office to those who endeavour
to perform all the duties of it ; but the sovereign Pastor alle
viates the weight of it by bearing it himself, both in his own
person, and in those of his ministers who undertake it for his
sake. 3. And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and
prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat
down, and taught the people out of the ship.
The true church is that which, by the purity of its faith, is
like thia bark loosed from the earth, which professes Jesus
Christ, which is the school in which the chair of truth resides,
whereon Christ continually sits, to teach, sanctify, govern,
and comfort his people, and to co-operate with his ministers.
By this thrusting out from the land, he teaches his rainisters
not to contract too great a familiarity with the world ; to
preserve their authority, and the respect of the people, by a
life more retired and holy than that of the laity ; to labour
so as neither to be wanting in their duty, nor to overburden
themselves; to secure theinselves from the contagion of sin
ners and of sin; to retire frora time to time, etc. He prays
Peter, when he could as well coraraand him ; that he may, by
his own exaraple, as well aa hia worda, conderan the apirit of
domineering, and the haughty and imperioua carriage of ail-
perior toward inferior miniaters.
4. Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out
into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.
No raan ought to cast the net of God'a word but by his
order, his mission. When Jesus Christ had left speaking to
men, the church, spreading itself abroad into all nations, was,
as it were, launched out into the d^ep by the apostles and
their successors. It is this bark alone which carries Jesus
Christ as far as the new world ; to this is reserved the grace
of converting all people; and it is by the nets belonging- to
it that souls are drawn into this bark.
5 And Simon answering said unto him. Master, we have toiled all
the night, and have taken nothing : nevertheless at thy word I will let
down the net.
This mysterious fishing represents that of souls. In vain

620 L U K E.
the preacher labours to convert them if God gives not his
blessing. It is upon his grace that he must rely, and not
upon his own eloquence and strength. The fishing of the
night is an unsuccessful and unfortunate fishing, — without
light, without raission, without Christ's assistance, in a bark
where he is not, and without his direction. This is the fish
ing of heretics and schismatics, and of such as wait not for
his command. The fishing of the day is a blessed fishing,
which is carried on by the light of faith, in the sight of the
Sun of Righteousness, with confidence in the promise of his
assistance to the end of the world, and in the mid-day of
truth. This is the fishing of the miniatera of the church.
6. And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of
fishes : and their net brake.
The weak ought to take great care not to be acandalized at
aeeing the neta of the church soraetimes break. It is a rais
fortune which proceeds frora the raultitude. Heretics break
the net of the church when they corrupt the word of God
and the purity of the faith ; schismatics, when they break her
union ; wicked rainisters, when they despiae her authority,
setting up for workraen of their own accord, without union
with their fellow-labourera, and without dependence on the
order of the church; and, laatly, vicioua Chriatiana, when
they violate her diacipline, when they will not aubrait to her
rulea concerning the adminiatration of the aacraraenta, when
they corrupt the sanctity of her raanners by a scandalous
life, and by the breach of their baptiamal vows.
7. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other
ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and fllled
both the ships, so that they began to sink.
The apostolical charity is very far frora choosing rather to
leave souls to perish, than to have companions and fellow-
labourers in serving thera. It ia an intolerable pride to think
nothing well done but what we do ouraelvea, and a diabolical
envy to be afraid leat others should do better than we. And
is it not alao a deplorable and achiaraatical ambition, from
helpa and aaaiatants, to set up fOr raaatera and chiefa ? The
more the number of labourers has increased in the church,

CHAPTER V. 621
the less choice and exactness haa there been used in admit
ting them into it ; and very many seemed to have entered
for no other end hut only to break the bonda of peace, and
to overturn and aink ita diacipline.
8. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying.
Depart from me ; for I am a sinful man, 0 Lord.
He who haa a lively belief of the holineaa of God and of
Chriat, can acarce auffer himaelf to remain in their presence.
A pastor, truly humble, cannot conceive how God should make
choice of him to serve him, though he knows very well that
the glory of grace appears so much the more illustrious as its
instruments are more weak and less proper for its work. We
honour God by lifting ourselves up to him, and approaching
him with confidence ; we likewise honour him by abasing our
selves before him, and by removing, as it were, at a distance
from him by humility.
9. For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught
of the flshes which they had taken :
How rauch raore wonderful, was the draught of souls which
Peter took, after he had received the Holy Ghost ! Great
succeaa astonishes a faithful minister, because he is in fear
for his huraility, without which he loses himself in saving
others. The joy which we receive fr(im hence should not
hinder, us from applying ourselves to admire the power of
God in his worka, and from making use of them to increase
and heighten our idea of it, and our reverence for it.
10. And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which
were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not;
from henceforth thou shalt catch men.
If the bare figurea of the all-powerful operation of grace
in the heart of sinners, in order to draw them to God, be so
surprising, how must it then be when we feel this operation
itself in our own? They who continue still incredulous,
after having seen all the world converted unto Christ, will be
condemned by the example of these apoatlea, whora only one
miraculoua draught of fiah tranaported with admiration.
11. And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all,
and followed him.
The effect of miracles should be, to make ua foraake every

622 LUKE.
thing which keeps us frora serving God. Visible miracles
cannot be of any advantage to men, unless God is pleaaed to
work an inviaihle one, in order to cauae them to make a good
uae of the other. The former are a voice which speaks to the
senses ; there must also be one which raay speak to the heart.
I ought to render thanks to thee, 0 Lord, for the rairacles
recorded here, since it was by raeans of these that thou first
gavest us apostles, and drewest after thee the fathers of our
faith.

SECT. II. — THE LEPER.-^RETIREMENT AND PRAYER.
12. Tf And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold, a
man full of leprosy ; who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought
him, saying. Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst me make me clean.
A prayer, hurable and full of faith, is necessary in order
to obtain the cure of the leprosy of ain. True faith speaks
little, but sighs much. He who is sensible of his own un
worthiness, is extremely willing to depend upon the pure
bounty of God. The confusion of a ainner, at the sight of
Hira whora he haa offended, hindera hira from lifting up his
eyea toward Hira, and makea hira hide his face in the duat;
but truat and confidence cauaea hira to pray. How univeraal
soever the corruption of a heart, full of the leprosy of sin,
may be, yet it cannot be incurable to him who is the univer
sal Physician, the plenitude of holiness, and the Almighty.
No, Lord, I will never despair, but of myself, and I will eter
nally hope in thee, notwithstanding the number of my sins
and the deepness of ray wounds.
13. And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will : be
thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him.
When it is the will of God to save a aoul, and he touches
it powerfully with the internal hand of hia grace, no human
will reaiata him. That which he performa by himself on this
leper, he does in all ages by the ministry of his church. It
is the hand, indeed, of the priest which is stretched forth upon
the humbled ainner, it ia hia voice which ia heard ; but it is
-the will and power of Chriat which makes the sinner clean.

CHAPTER V. 623
14. And he charged him to tell no man : but go, and shew thyself to
the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, accoirding as Moses commanded,
for a testimony unto them.
Not to shun applauae in performing good worka, and chiefiy
in aerving soula, ia to expose our wealth and treasure to rob
bers. What bleaaing aoever God ia pleaaed to give to the ex
traordinary and aubaidiary lahourera of the church in the
direction of aoula, they ought to iraitate Chriat, in still in
spiring them with a subraission to ordinary pastors. We follow
the appointraent of God when we do nothing but with regard
to thera. Miracles are for the edification of aorae, and the
condemnation of othera. Nothing ever waa more wiae, more
exact, raore aubraissive to God aiM the church, and more
peaceable with reapect to raen, than the conduct of Chriat.
They who will not iraitate it, are not worthy to aerve souls.
15. But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him : and
great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their
infirmities. 16. ^ And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and
prayed. It is soraetiraes neceaaary, after the example of Christ, to
prefer retirement and prayer to the exercise of charity, when
the objects of it crowd. upon us in too great numbers. It is
for the advantage of souls, as well as of ministers, that these
should be absent from those for a tirae. To speak to God in
behalf of souls, is not to forsake thera. It is the raost effec
tual way of serving thera, for a raan to purify hiraself by re
tirement, that he may serve them the better, and to replenish
himaelf with God and hia trutha, that ao he raay diapenae
them in greater abundance, and after a more holy manner.
When a great reputation puraues ua, we muat fly from it aa
frora a thief, either into the wilderneaa, if we can, or at least
into the fortress of prayer and humility.
SECT. III. — THE PARALYTIC.
17. And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that
there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come
out of every town of Galilee, and Judea, and Jerusalem : and the power
of the Lord was present to heal them.
Jesua ia full of a beneficent and healing virtue : the only
way to feel the effecta of it, ia to approach him by faith, and

624 L U K E.
to invoke hira with the sighs of the heart. He does not per
forra his miracles only before the simple and ignorant ; he
exposes them to the sight of those who are best able to judge
of them : this is not the raanner of deceivers. These doctora
having a perfect knowledge of the prophecies, God brings
thera hither to 'this end, that they may apply them to the
miracles of Christ, and have every thing which is necessary in
order to discover his mission, and to receive him aa the Mea
aiaa. I adore, 0 Saviour of the world, both the extent of thy
charity and the foreaight of thy wiadora, in reapect of thoae
who most abused them ! They never returned thee any
thanks for them ; I praise and bless thee for thera in their
stead. 18. If And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with
a palsy : and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before
him. ,
The world ia full of falae frienda, who flatter ua in our evil
inclinationa, which are the bed of the ainner'a fatal repoae ;
but where can we find such as these, who will earnestly en
deavour to obtain a cure for us ? We place friendship and
generosity in advancing a friend to offices, eraployraents, or
dignities, which is, in truth, very often only putting him into
the way of damnation, or exposing him to the iraraediate oc
casions of offending God. True friendship consiata in taking
a friend out of the way of ain and perdition, in carrying hira
to Christ, in bringing hira into His house, which is the church,
and in laying hira, as it were, before Hira by admonitions, in-
atructiona, reading, refiections, prayers, etc.
19. And when they could not find by what way they might bring him
in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him
down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus.
God often grants to the faith, prayera, and charity of
othera, the conversion of a sinner who doea not in the least
think of God. Nothing aeema impossible to charity. We ought
to try all ways to approach Christ : we raust place ourselves
in hia aight, and put ouraelvea into a condition of receiving
hia mercy. God very frequently permits great obstacles to
conversion, on purpose to make it the more desired, to try the

CHAPTER V. 625
faith of those who pray for it, to oblige thera to use extra
ordinary endeavours, and to show thera that it is only from
God, through Jesua Chriat, that they are to expect it.
20. And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are
forgiven thee.
In our prayers, Christ often hearkens raore to our wants
than our desires. He goes to the very root of the evil, which
is sin ; and we ought to iraitate him in our afflictions. They
who, out of a spirit of charity, pray for others, receive fre
quently more than they ask. God interprets their prayera ;
because he understands better what charity asks in them,
than they do themselves.
21. And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Whd
is this which speaketh blasphemies ? Who can forgive sins, but God
alone ?
The wicked change the best remedies into poison, and
abuse the most sacred truths. There is none more full of
consolation, than to learn that he who forgives sins haa
placed on earth the throne of hia grace and mercy; and yet
raen set theraselves against this truth, and to this end shut
their eyea and eara against prophecies and rairacles. Those
who so violently oppose this doctrine, have the misfortune to
succeed the Pharisees and other incredulous Jews in this
error ; but believers have the comfort of having this reraedy
always ready and always present.
22. But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto
them, What reason ye in your hearts ?
True charity is never provoked, nor discouraged in prorao-
ting the ' salvation of soula. He who knows the bottora of
the heart, and clearly sees its raoat secret wounds, is the only
physician who can heal thera. Thia proof, so raild and
charitable, opens not the eyes of these blind wretches, be
cause they think themselves too clear-sighted ; and because
there is no kindness more incurable than that of envy.
23. Whether is easier, to say. Thy sins be forgiven thee ; or to say.
Rise up and walk?
That which God does in relation to the life of the body,
shows ua plainly what hia charity and power do aa to the
Vol. I.— 53 2P

626 LUKE.
eternal life of our souls. Jesua Christ does now no longer
make use of external miracles to persuade raen of thia truth ;
but the faith which raakes it believed, is an internal miracle
which is wrought in the heart of all the faithful, and becomes
sensible of their works.
24. But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth
to forgive sina, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee.
Arise, and take up thy couch, and go unto thine house.
The mercy of Jesus Christ is as sovereign, and his grace
as powerful over the soul, as his word is over the body. Who
ever humbly resigns hiraself up to it, will never be deceived.
Christ has upon earth, not only during hia life, and in his
own person, but also after his death, in his church, even unto
the end of the world, the power to forgive all kinda of ain.
25. And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that
whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.
That which we have to do after conversion, is — (1.) To be
corae docile and obedient to the word of God. (2.) Earneatly
to endeavour to destroy and take away from before the eyes of
the world the marks and remainders of our sins. (3.) To go
into retirement as much as we can. (4.) To live in the spirit
of acknowledgment. (5.) To have no longer any other
thoughts or desires, but only of departing to our own house,
to that celestial and eternal habitation prepared for us in our
proper country. (6.) To paaa the rest of our lives, until we
are recalled horae, in glorifying God, by directing all our
actions to him, and doing nothing but what tends to his glory.
26. And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were fllled
with fear, saying. We have seen strange things to day.
The conversion of a soul generally surprises the world;
but the church glorifies God for it, because it makes known
his poweri How much more does she glorify him for the
cure of so many spiritual paralytics throughout the world,
in whora the wonders of the divine grace so conspicuously
shine forth? Did we but apply ourselves raore to the con
sideration of God's conduct over souls, we should then expe
rience in ourselves all the different afiections which we read
of here, — astonishment, fear, and admiration of the greatness

CHAPTER V. 62T
of God. If men feel all this in seeing God dispose absolutely
of a aick body, incapable of resisting, how much more must
they needs feel, in seeing hira like a God dispose as he
pleases of all hearts, even the raost rebellious, without the
least infringeraent of their liberty: which the more weak and
diseaaed it ia, reaiata him ao much the more, and is healed
^ only by ceasing to resist hira ?
SECT. IV. — THE CALLING OF MATTHEW. — THB WHOLE, NEED
NOT A PHYSICIAN. — THE PIECE OF NEW CLOTH. — OLD
VESSELS.
27. If And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican,
named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom : and he said unto him,
Follow me.
See here the order of a sinner's salvation : — (1.) God'a
looking upon him denotes his predestination. (2.) His com
mand, his vocation. (3.) St. Matthew's obedience showa hia
justification. (4.) His feast represents that of the eucharistic
coraraunion, and the heavenly banquet which makes his glori
fication. The looks of Christ are not unprofitable, and cast
on raen by chance ; they: have their cause in the eternal de
signs of the divine raercy. I have this confidence, 0 ray
God, that I ara of the number of those upon whom thou hast,
from all eternity, looked with that eye of grace and goodness
which decrees salvation, deterraines the means, and regulates
the whole economy of it. Thy present mercies are to me a
pledge of thy eternal mercy.
28. And he left all, rose up, and followed him. 29. And Levi made
him a great feast in his own house : and there was a great company of
publicans and of others that sat down with them.
There are four marks of a true conversion: — (1.) To rise
np> t)y quitting the occasions of sin. (2.) To follow Jesus
Christ, by doing good works. (3.) To be full of acknowledg
ment for the mercy of God. (4.) To draw others to Christ.
A man is no longer of the world when he renounces its
maxims, and makes no difficulty of declaring hiraself openly
a disciple of Jesus Christ. The table of a rich publican is
not very proper for the disciples of Christ, unless he carry
thera to it himself, and his Spirit be there with them.

628 LUKE.
30. But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples,
saying. Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners ?
Hypocrites and envious persons are always ready to raur-
mur, and to censure the best things. Men often hide, under
a falae zeal for perfection, a real pride, which criticises upon
every thing, is offended at every thing, and complains of
. every thing ; and which naturally tends to make inferiors dis
satisfied with their superiors. Christ ate with all sorts of
persons ; but never at court, nor with any of the priests, to
inform us that there is very rarely any good to be done with
such persons when once they are corrupted, and that we rather
run the hazard of being corrupted by thera ourselves.
31. And Jesus answering said unto them. They that are whole need
not a physician ; but they that are sick.
Jesus, the sovereign Phyaician of soula, generally heals none
but those who own theraselves aick. Miserable ia that peraon
who iraaginea he baa no need of him. Here are words very
comfortable for hurable and patient sinners, but very dread
ful for the proud. But it is this very pride itself which is
our great disease. I do acknowledge it, 0 Lord ; I lay it be
fore thee, and hurably confess the extreme want which I have
of thee. Every thing in me stands in need of a cure, 0 thou
only Physician of my soul ; and I glory in not being able to
recover without thy assistance and reraedies.
32. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Sin, then, is the true disease ; righteousness is health ; Je
sus, the Physician ; repentance, the reraedy : and grace causes
raen to know, desire, and seek for health, to love and receive
the remedy, and makes the remedy effectual. There are two
sorts of calls to repentance : the one external by the word,
which is comraon to all, and which of itself produces nothing ;
the other internal by grace, which is proper only to those who
either desire it through a beginning and imperfect vocation,
or make use of it through one which is perfect and consura-
raate. Those who will not take the reraedy of repentance
are either such as are in a frenzy, who do not think theraselves
sick ; or in despair, who think themselves past cure ; or fools,
who care not for health ; or children, who know not the value

CHAPTER V. 629
of it ; or inconsiderate, who believe they can do well enoug^h
without reraedies ; or delicate and efferainate, who cannot bear
the sharpness of thera ; or fantastical, who will not trust them
selves to the raost skilful physicians ; or abandoned wretches,
who have none.
33. Tf And they said unto him. Why do the disciples of John fast often,
and make prayers, and likewise ihe disciples of the Pharisees ; but thine
eat and drink ?
Hypocrites are always apt, (1.) To blarae others. (2.) To
extol their own actions. (3.) To esteera that raost which ap
pears to the eye of raen. (4.) To glory in resembling those
whose holinesa ia the most eminent. (5.) To paaa their lives
in comparing themselves with others, not in order to imitate
those who do better, but to undervalue and decry them ; nor
yet to assist those who seem not do so well, but only to insult
thera. It is great wisdom to apply ourselves but little to the
examination of what others do, for fear of meeting with a
snare in their defects, or even in their very virtues. None
but the hurable can do it to their advantage, becauae they
profit by every thing, continually taking occaaion to humble
theraselves more and more.
34. And he said unto them, Can ye make the '*children of the bride
chamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them ? 35. But the days
will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and
then shall they fast in those days. [* Fr. Friends of the bridegroom.]
The friends of the bridegroom, even when they do not faat,
have the eaaential part of repentance, since they have love,
without which repentance cannot be true, and with which a
man cannot but hate sin. Jesus Christ exempts not his
friends from the austeritiea of repentance, but prepares thera
for them. He begins with the heart which is raost sick and
feeble, and which must becorae most healthy and strong. Af
ter their internal renovation, which was completed on the day
of Pentecost, the apostles led only a life of faating, mortifica
tion, and prayer. It ia now the time for our auaterities to
succeed, and to be united to the sufferings of Christ ; for us
to continue them in our life, and to bear his quickening mor
tification in our mortal flesh. Those who are the ministers of
penance are not the masters of it ; they ought to keep cloae to
53*

6.30 LUKE.
the rules of the gospel and of the church, and not to extend
that dispensation which Christ confirmed to the time of his
•presence on earth, to a time wherein' he himself has declared
that his disciples should fast.
36. And he spake also a parable unto them ; No man putteth a piece
of a new garraent upon an old ; if otherwise, then both the new^ maketh
a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with
the old.
It is no leaa necessary thoroughly to understand the con
stitution of souls, in order to conduct thera well, than it is to
understand that of bodies, in order to manage them rightly
and to cure them. A piece of new cloth is good, but not for
an old garment or habit. The more excellent things are in
themselves, the less proper are they for such as are imperfect,
or but beginners. The more weak the aick peraon is, the less
capable is he of strong remedies. In this consists the art of
spiritual, as well as bodily physicians, to understand their
patients thoroughly, to know all sorts of good remedies, and
to give them properly and aeaaonably.
37. And no man putteth new wine into old bottles ; else the new wine
will burst tho bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. 38.
But new wine must be put into new bottles ; and both are preserved.
It is an eaaential part of good conduct, in relation to abuls,
to proportion the external part of piety to the internal, the
work to the strength, the labour to the ability of every one.
A man thinks it good husbandry to put his new wine into old
vessels ; and he thereby ruins himself. He thinks to advance
a soul very fast by putting it imraediately on that which is
most perfect ; and he, by so doing, soraetiraes sets it very far
backward. The business is, not for a man to teach the soul
under his direction whatever good he knows himself; hut to
feed it with truths in proportion to its wants, and according
to the strength of its spiritual stomach, and to cause it to
practise them according to the measure of its grace.
39. No man also having drunk old wiwe straightway desireth new ; for
he saith. The old is better.
As old habits are difficult to be overcome, great regard
must be had to thera at first. It is rashness in a spiritual di
rector to undertake that which grace sometimes performs all

CHAPTER VL 631
at once. Habita are ordinarily corrected only by other habits ;
and there must be time to forra thera, because, in order to
obtain the grace of thera, rauch prayer, labour, and raedita
tion on God's law are necessary. If we do not earnestly beg
the relish of Christian truths, and the love of the wholesome
rigour of the gospel, the new law of Jesus Christ will always
appear to ua a paradox, and hia new yoke an inaupportable one.

CHAPTER VI.

SECT. I. — THE EARS OF CORN PLUCKED, AND THB WITHERED
HAND CURED, ON THE SABBATH DAY.
1. And it came to pass on the second sabbath after the first, that he
went through the corn fields ; and his disciples plucked the ears of corn,
and did eat, rubbing them in their hands.
Of the three Sabbath days accounted the raost aolemn, as
falling in with the three great feasts of the Pasaover, Pente
cost, and Tabernacles, the second of theae three chief, or
principal, was that of Pentecost. The rubbing of the ears
of corn by the apostles, is a circumstance which informs us
how far Christ and his disciplea were from making better
cheer on festivala than on other daya, since they were at that
time in want even of bread. How much does this condemn
those Christiana who distinguish holidays, and the times of
the dedication of their churches, from common and ordinary
days, by nothing but feaatings and rejoicings altogether carnal !
2. And certain of the Pharisees said unto them. Why do ye that which
is not lawful to do on the sabbath days ?
A false zeal for the law blinds men, and hindera them from
understanding it rightly. See here falae religion and false
tenderness of conscience, whereby, under pretence of pro
moting the interest of God raen satisfy their own malice and
envy. The chief Sabbath is for a man to shut his heart
against sin, to cause the works of pride to cease; in it to
honour and iraitate the love of God, who did every thing for
man in the six days of the creation, and who raakes even the
rest of the seventh subservient to his ease and comfort.

632 LUKE. '
3. And Jesus answering them said, Have ye not read so much as thi«,
what David did, when himself was ahungered, and they which were with
him; The saints, even after their death, are beneficial to their
neighbour by their exaraple. Princea and persons in authority
ought to act with great circumspection ; because their exaraple
serves, as it were, instead of a law, either as to good or evil,
and more as to the latter than the former. The bad exaraples
of private men seldom make any impression but in their life
time : that of kings is of fatal consequence in succeeding ages.
Christ here teaches us to justify kinga, and favourably to in
terpret their actions as often as we can, and to be very far
from giving a bad construction and a malicious turn to thera.
4. How he went into the house of God, and did take and eat the shew
bread, and gave also to them that were with him ; which it is not lawful
to eat but for the priests alone ?
The Spirit of God and charity give to pious raen a liberty
which the world underatanda not. Charity haa a right over
the raost holy things, to make them serviceable to raen in
their necessities, because it is the first of laws, and because
that God, who is charity itself, freely yields to man the use
and profit of hia good thinga, provided he atill pay hira the
homage and aervice due for thera. The uae which charity
raakea of holy thinga cannot profane^ their consecration, since
it is charity which donsecrates every thing to God. To pre
serve the life of a man, who is the creature and iraage of God,
is to preserve a good which belongs to him.
5. And he said unto them. That the Son of man is Lord also of the
sabbath. He who has bestowed on raan the six first days, that he
may therein provide for the necessities of this present life,
and reaerved to himself the seventh, has not taken from hira
self the power to dispose of this, as well aa of the othera, in
favour of raan. If every thing be allowed to man, even that
which God aeema to have reaerved to himaelf, how rauch raore
juat ia it, that every thing should he returned to God by our
acknowledgment and love?
6. And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that he entered into
the synagogue and taught : and there was a man whose right hand was

CHAPTER VL 633
withered. 7. And the scribes and Phariaees watched him, whether he
would heal on the sabbath day; that they might flnd an accusation
against him.
Charity profits even by that which ia evil; envy poiaona
the best things. Here are two very different spectacles :
Jesus, always busy in instructing men, in doing thera good,
and in sanctifying the feasta by good works ; and the scribes
and Pharisees, always watchful to oppose the good he does,
to seek an accusation against him, and to dishonour God the
more on those very days which were dedicated to his honour.
It is the heart which makes all the difference ; it is in the
regulation of this that we must employ our chief care, if we
would not imitate the scribes and Pharisees.
8. But he knew their 'thoughts, and said to the man which had the
withered hand, Bise up, and stand forth in the midat. And he arose
and stood forth.
What pleasure would a revengeful person take in being
able to diacover the criminal thoughta which his enemy
hatches in his raind ? But how very different an exaraple
does our divine Pattern give us on this occasion ! Docility
and obedience are the first dispositions of a sinner who de
sires to be cured. It is to the church, which has the rainistry
of spiritual healing, that we raust be obedient; it is to her
that we must discover our disease.
9. Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing ; Is it lawful on
the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy ii?
Days dedicated to the worship of God, and to the commemo
ration of his benefits, cannot possibly be hallowed better than
by performing all sorts of good works, and abstaining from
all such as are evil. By a wise and charitable question
Jesus confounds these obstinate sinnera, without discovering
the bad diaposition of their hearts ; how much rather ought
we to conceal that of the weak, and to spare their reputation,
modesty, and infirmity before men ? Christ does not con
tent , himself with confounding hia adveraariea in aecret, hut
he inatructa thera with humility, and edifiea them.
10. And looking round about upon them aU, he said unto the man.
Stretch forth thy hand. And he did so : and his hand was restored
whole as the other.
The envy of some enemies ought not to hinder us from

634 LUKE.
doing good. This steadfast and undaunted look of Christ
teaches his ministers not to be at all terrified by the ill will
of the adversaries of goodness and truth. Those whom fear
renders weak and cowardly in the exercise of their ministry,
forget that they exercise it in the name and place of Christ,
and that they muat give account to him of their unfaithful-
neaa, and of the daraage which the church shall have suffered
thereby in her children.
11. And they were fllled with madness ; and communed one with
another what they might do to Jesus.
It is not a thing so uncoraraon as we iraagine, to see envy
so furiously incensed against charity, and against such evi
dent proofs of truth and innocence. Pride, obstinacy, and
interest, corabined together, are capable of any thing.
When men have once framed their conscience according to
their passions, madness passes for zeal, the blackest conspi
racies for pious designs, and the most horrid attempts for
heroic actions.

SECT. II.-
12. If And it came- to pass in those days, that he went out into a
mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.
In every condition of life we have sufficient occasion to
imitate that which Christ here does, who prepares himself for
the functiona of hia prieathood, and for the performance
of good works, by retireraent, watchfulness, and prayer.
Prayer, which Christ, and, after his exaraple, hia church,
makea uae of before choosing apostles, bishops, and other
miniatera, showa plainly that in this choice we muat depend
upon God. They are the officera of hia houaehold ; and it ia
highly juat and reasonable that he should be the Master of
it, and that none should be placed therein but by his own
hand. It is a visible encroachraeiit upon his righta not to
consult him at all in this choice ; but it is no other than to
mock hira, for raen to consult hira when they either have de
terrained within themselves, upon reasons altogether human,
or are resolved to choose according to their own fancy.

CHAPTER VL 635
13. And when it was day, he called unto him. his disciples: and of
them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles ;
Jesus prays as man, but chooses as God, and as sovereign
Priest in the name of God. He consults neither those he
chooses, nor those from among whom he chooses them ; but
without any human respect whatever executes his Father's
will. Mission ia so essentially necessary to a raan's having
authority in the church, that Christ would have his first
rainisters bear the name of apostles or envoys, to the end their
mission might be as well known as their very name, and that
all the world might be convinced that there is no true miaaion
in the church beaidea that which reaidea in their aucceasora,
which ia communicated by them, and which, through them,
runs back even to the apostles, and to Chriat himaelf, by an
uninterrupted succession.
14. Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother,
James and John, Philip and Bartholomew,
This change of Peter's name ia a raark of diatinction for
him, and an important instruction for us. He who enters
into the ecclesiastical ministry ought to be, as it were,
changed into another man: no longer to know the world, nor
to be known by it ; to have, if possible, no human weakness,
but the firmness of a stone or rock ; to be no longer solici
tous about his family, but entirely dedicated to the church ;
to be no more aflected with human hopes or fears, but to be
insensible to all false enjoyments, and always ready to be
buried quick, like an apostolical stone, cast into the founda
tion, to support the fabric of the church.
15. Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alpheus, and Simon
called Zelotes, 16. And Judas the brother of James, aud Judas Iscariot,
which also was the traitor.
Who can glory in dignities, when he considers that the
worst man in the world was advanced to the apostleship?
That person strangely deceives himself who reliea upon the
marks of a lawful call to the priesthood, to benefices and dig
nities, without endeavouring to answer it by hia life and
ecclesiastical labours. Never was there a call raore lawful
or more canonical than that of Judas ; never was there seen
a more wicked minister. A foundation without a building ia

636 LUKE.
useless ; a building without a foundation is ruinous. An
apostolical life, founded upon an apostolical call, is the glory
of Jesua Chriat, the edification of hia church, the aalvation
of the miniater, and the honour of the rainiatry.
17. If And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the
company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all
Judea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which
came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases ; 18. And they
that were vexed with unclean spirits : and they were healed.
We see here a representation of the church sojourning on
earth under the conduct of the pastors. All their functions
are reduced to two, which are — to instruct by the ministry
of the word, and to heal by the sacraments ; and all the du^
ties of the faithful come within the sarae corapass, namely,
to hear the word of God, and to use their utmost endeavoura
to be healed of their passions and their sins. Faith is not
wanting to those who follow Christ and his rainisters with so
much zeal and fervour, nor prayer, among so many poor and
miserable persons. The whole life of a Christian consists
almost entirely in contemplating Christ in his gospel, in order
to imitate him, and in praying to obtain the grace to do it.
Chriat and his apostles come down toward the people, in con
descending to their weakness, in compassionating their infir
mities, and in labouring to heal them of their diseaaea. Un
happy ia that pastor who does not imitate them herein !
19. And the whole multitude sought to touch him : for there went vir
tue out of him, and healed them all.
Christ is full of grace and holiness, that he raay replenish
souls therewith ; and it is by prayer that we approach hira,
in order to receive of his fulness. Though, by his ascension,
he be reraoved at a vast distance frora the earth, and be also
invisible in the holy sacraraent, yet his virtue is neither less
present, nor less active, powerful, and efficacious in the cure
of our hearts. Let us admire how he never lets any oppor
tunity pass of inspiring into us, by healing the body, a trust
and confidence in his sovereign power as to the cure of our
soul. Let us often by faith, as it were, touch Jeaus Christ,
now residing in heaven ; let us often with faith approach
Christ ; and his virtue will heal us all.

CHAPTER VL 637
SECT. III. — THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. — THE POOR BLESSED.
— THE RICH CURSED. — FALSE PROPHETS.
20. If And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said. Blessed be
ye poor : for yours is the kingdom of God.
The love of riches and the love of God are incompatible
in one and the same heart. Happy,, then, is he who is not
rich in these false goods ! in the want of which it is much
easier for a raan to live contented than not to aet hia affec-
tiona upon them when he has thera. What is it to set our
affections upon these things but to make ourselves slaves to
them, to be abaolutely governed by them, and to have them
for our king ? And God cannot reign in a heart unleas he
reign there alone. Blessed is that man who, having his heart
void of all care about riches, lives on the expectation of eter
nal wealth, possesaea heaven already by hope, and secures
the right he haa in the kingdom of God and in God himaelf,
aa being his child and heir, by relinquishing all pretensions
which he raay have to earthly possessions as a child of Adara !
21. Blessed are ye that hunger now : for ye shall be fllled.
There must be abundance of faith to carry apostolical po
verty so far as even to want necessaries, and to suffer hunger.
God permitted Paul to suffer it, while Nero, and other mon
sters like him, lived in the midst of plenty and delighta. Let
us by no means condemn his Providence, but adore the wis
dom of his conduct, the holiness of his ways, and the power
of his grace. How glorious is it to God to make himself be
loved by men at the expense of all things, without the allure
ment of any sensible good whatever, and purely for his own
sake ! This is a proof of his existence, a raark of his great
ness, of the truth of his religion, and of the power of his
grace, and of the triumph of his faith. A moment of hun
ger here, in order to be filled with God himself to all eter
nity ! — is not that too little for so immense a happiness ?
— Blessed are ye that weep now : for ye shall laugh.
We are at first born to weep, because we are born sinners ;
we are born again to laugh, because we are then born chil
dren of God, and of the reaurrection of Christ, and joint
Vol. L— 54

63S LUKE.
heirs of his eternal joy. Let us in this life aubmit ourselves
to the penance of the children of Adam, if we would eter
nally enjoy the inheritance of the children of God. This is
the order appointed by God; and wo be to hira who would
establish a different one for himself, by placing joy in thia
world and teara in the other : the alternative ia necessary and
unavoidable. Blessed is that person who makes the neces
sary tears of this life a voluntary sacrifice, the object of hia
desires, and a subject of joy, by considering and refiecting
upon them in Christ, and uniting them to his.
22. Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall
separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out
your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake.
God would have such diaciplea and miniatera aa are not at
all fond either of the friendship of men, or of the corafort of
society, or of the conveniences of life, or of the favours of
the great, or of their own reputation, hut who are diapoaed to
erabrace the directly contrary. Men are but too happy when
they are exposed to the hatred of the world, and to all the
consequences of it, for the cause of Christ ; but then they
must make this cause their sole businesa and concern, which
ia a thing not very common. Where wilt thou find such per
sona, 0 Lord, if thou dost not form them thyself by thy all-
powerful grace !
23. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy : for, behold, your reward is
great in heaven : for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.
The belief of heavenly enjoyraents ia a very great treaaure,
which causes raen to receive even with joy the greatest evils
of this life. He is not in the least worthy of the cross of
Christ who hears it with regret ; and he knows not the value
of it who feels not on this account a true joy at the bottora
of his heart. Would not one be apt to say, that the disciples
and ministers of Christ are scarce paid with any thing but
proraises for all which they do and suffer for his sake ? But
these promises are ready money to every one who has faith.
24. But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.
Can a man read these words with faith, and yet love riches ;
or ia it not rather a aign that he haa but little faith, and that

CHAPTER VL 639
this little is very weaTc ? This is a terrible aentence against
thoae who receive their whole joy and eonaolation from
richea ; a wholeaome admonition for thoae who are conti
nually in danger of setting their affections too rauch upon
them, and a corafort to those who make them instrumental to
the support and corafort of the poor. Lord, there must be a
rairacle of thy hand to hinder raan frora pronouncing a woe
against poverty, while thou thyself utterest this denunciation,
" Woe unto you that are rich!"
25. Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger.
If Christ says, "Woe unto those that are full," what will
he say to thoae whose daily meals are great feasts, who, as it
were, raake profession of a life of good cheer and sensuality,
who deny their taste and appetite nothing ? If to be always
at a plentiful table be not indeed a sin, it is, at least, a rais
fortune to be always exposed to a teraptation, and to the
occasion of being full, and soraething more. The hunger
and thirst of a wicked rich man will not always be of one
and the aame kind. Their hunger after God, or rather their
rage, in eternally perceiving within themaelvea a natural
raotion toward the aupreme and aovereign good, from which
they will find themaelvea eternally rejected and repelled, —
thia will be the raoat grievoua hunger of the daraned.
— Woe unto you that laugh now ! for ye shall mourn and weep.
A life which conaiata altogether of joy and diversion, is
the life of a reprobate. Is it not to insult justice, for a
criminal to turn his prison into a scene of delighta, and lead
the life of a Sardanapalua, while, at the aame time, the sen
tence of his condemnation is preparing ? A raan who hurts
and wrongs nobody, and lives in a constant aucceaaion of '
pleaaurea, passea hia life innocently according to the notion
of abundance of people ; but is this the notion which is here
given us by Christ ? They will certainly perceive the con
trary, but they will perceive it too late, in that day of raourn-
ing and weeping which shall never have an end !
26. Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did
their fathers to the false prophets.
A raan raight free himself from this enchantment of riches.

640 LUKE.
good cheer, and pleasures, did not flattery, as it were, shut
the gate against his return. It is a very great misfortune
for the rich and great to be exposed thereto ; but it is a much
greater for false prophets, teachers, and spiritual director^
to be praised and honoured by the world, for it is a sign
that the world is pleased with them; and a man cannot
please the world but at the expense of Christ and the gos
pel. A commerce of flattery between the great and their
spiritual directors, is a source of infinite evils and misfor
tunes. When they corae to settle the account, the gain on
both sides will be hell and eternal daranation.
SECT. IV. — THE LOVE OF ENEMIES. — PATIENCE. — WE MUST
LEND, HOPING FOR NOTHING AGAIN.
27. If But I say unto you which hear. Love your enemies, do good to
them which hate you, 28. Bless them that curse you, and pray for them
which despitefuUy use you.
Let us love our eneraies in heart, in word, and in deed :
this is the perfection of the new law, and the lesson which we
learn of Chriat when we hear him as we ought. The true
proof of the love of enemies is, 1st, To wish ; 2d, To do them
good ; 3d, To speak well of them ; and 4th, To procure them
all the good we can. The gospel retaliation, the revenge of
those who hearken not to their passion, but to Christ, con
sists in doing raore good than they receive evil. "Love" not
their errors, their defects, or their wicked behaviour, but
their persons. "Do good to them," not such good as raay
make them worse, be prejudicial to their salvation, and con
firm them in evil, but which may be instrumental to their
conversion. "Bless thera," not in apeaking to thera with a
flattering and raean-apirited gentleneaa, which will only raake
thera raore inaolent, but after auch a raanner aa aavoura
neither of bitterneaa nor revenge. "Pray for thera," not in
order to obtain for them temporal proaperity, but only such
things as are necessary for this life and the other.
29. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek ofi'er also the
other ; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not io take thy coat also.
The 5th proof of the love of enemies, is the being disposed
to suffer from them affronts, contempt, and ill treatment.

CHAPTER VL 641
The 6th, To suffer even raore at their hands. The 7th, To
relinquiah our gooda, rather than to lose our meekness and
charity toward thera. Ever since our bleaaed Saviour auf-
fered hia enemiea to take away hia life, it ia by hia patience
that we raust regulate our own. Let us leave the use of our
Creator's perraiaaion to the Jewa and to the imperfect : the
example and the gospel of our Redeemer are the perfection
of the law, ahd the true pattern of Christiana.
30. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh
away thy goods ask ihem not again.
Self-love understands not this language, but faith and
' charity do. We raay lawfully give alms with choice, but not
with respect of persons, or by an arbitrary and groundless
preference. He who expecta an inheritance in heaven, is
but little concerned about his earthly goods. Christ doea
not condemn either laws or the use of thera : he only delivers
one which is raore perfect. This, indeed, appears no other
than a folly to carnal men ; but we muat follow Christ in the
foolishness of his morality, as well as in that of his cross.
The power of God, and the salvation of men, are affixed to
the one as well as to the other.
31. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them
likewise. How bright and clear is this rule of equity toward our
neighbour; and how many cases of conscience would it
decide, if it were sincerely conaulted on all occasions. Our
self-love blinda ua, and renders ua unjuat to our neighbour;
and it ia thia very aelf-love which raust serve to enlighten and
aet ua right in reapect of that which ia owing to him. By
changing peraona, and putting ourselves in hia place, and hira
in our own, we shall more easily discover our injustice and
our duty. It is only by thy grace, 0 Jesus, that we can
attain to a practical and saving knowledge in this matter.
32. For if ye love them which love you, what thank havq ye? for
sinners also love those that love them.
It is the property of the Chriatian religion, and which
shows that that alone is the true, not only to raake known
the corruption of nature, to correct ita errora, and reform its
diaordera, but even to raise it above itself, to bring it near
64-* 2 Q

642 LUKE.
to God, and, by a univeraal charity, to frame its conduct
according to that of the Sovereign Being; while the sages
of false religions, like people of a bad life, love those only
rwho love them.
33. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank
have ye? for sinners also do even the same.
A man ought to tremble with fear, if, besides the external
part of religion, he finds nothing in life but what may be
.found in a Turk or a heathen. Those who signalize them
selves by great acts of liberality, make no nther discovery,
but only that they are entirely influenced by self-love, if,
while they load those with favours who love or flatter them,
they do nothing but mischief to such as oppose them, and no
manner of good to those who are indifferent to thera.
34. And if ye- lend to ihem df whom ye hope to receive, what thank
have ye ? for sinners alao lend to sinners, to receive as much again.
To make our neighbour purchase the assistance which we
give him, is to profit by his miaery, and to increaae it, under
pretence of alleviating it. In vain do we flatter ouraelvea
that we have a Christian heart, if we love not our brother
after a Chriatian raanner : we do not lo-ve him after a Chria
tian manner when we do not love him for God'a aake ; and
we love him not for God'a aake, when we seek somewhat else
besides God in doing him good.
35. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for
nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the
children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
Observe here the tenderness, sincerity, extent, disinter
estedness, pattern, and reward of Christian charity. A reli
gion which'has for ita foundation the union of God with man
in the same person, and the death of this God-man for hia
enemiea; which conaiats, on earth, in the reconciliation of
the Creator with his creatures, hy a mercy pure and unmixed,
and a grace altogether free; and which is to aubsist, in .
heaven, only in the union of the merabers with their head,
consuramated in the unity of God : could such a religion as
this in the least approve of the hatred of enemies? In
necessity, every thing ought to be in common between those
who possess Christ in common upon earth, and who are to
possess God as their joint inheritance in heaven.

CHAPTER VL 64S
36. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
Man, in the state of innocence, made in the image, and
after the likeness of his Creator, ought to have borne the
image of hia majeaty upon earth, by hia dominion over him
aelf and over all creaturea. Man, fallen from innocence, and
become altogether aniraal and like the beasts theraselves by
his sinful birth, bears everywhere the image of his own
misery. Man, become Christian, who is the work of the
divine mercy, ought continually to bear the image, and, as
one may say, to wear the badge of this perfection, there
being scarce any other in God whioh he has now to imitate.
Thou art, 0 my God, all mercy toward me ; grant that I may
be all mercy toward my brethren, for thy sake.
SECT, v.- NOT TO JUDGE. — THE BLIND LEADERS OF THE
BLIND. — THE MOTE AND BEAM IN THE EYE.
37. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged:
There are four kinds of raercy to be exercised. The first
consists in not judging of secret intentions when they do not
appear by the actions ; in renouncing that inquisitive, rash,
and malicioua desire which puts us upon searching into the
heart. In vain do we flatter ourselves with being innocent,
in not openly declaring the disadvantageous judgment which
we form inwardly concerning our neighbour. The pleasure
which we take in lessening him in our own minds, out of envy
or vanity, doea not, by being aecret, cease to be criminal.
How great is the goodneaa of God, in being ao willing to put
our judgraenta into our own handa, aa to engage hiraself not
to enter into judgment with us, provided we do not usurp the
right, which belongs solely to him, of judging the heart !
— Condemn not, and ye ahall not be condemned:
The second sort bf raercy inclines us, not to conderan those
rigidly and unmercifully whose faulta are certain and viaible ; to
leaaen, conceal, and excuae thera as much as we can, without
prejudice to truth and justice ; and to be far frora aggravating
or divulging them, or desiring the punishment of them. It
is no other than the blindness of a madman, to expose himself
to the rigour and severity of the divine vengeance, rather than
to show some indulgence and tenderness toward his own brother.

644 L U KE.
— Forgive, and ye shall be forgiven :
The third kind of raercy extenda to the forgiving the in
juriea we have received. To imitate herein the raercy of
God, is not a bare counsel, since it is proposed as a necessary
means in order to receive mercy. That which raan has to
pardon in man is alraost a raere nothing ; that which he owes
to God is an infinite debt : and yet he cannot resolve to era-
brace ao advantageoua an exchange ! But in the paaaion of
revenge their ia neither faith nor reaaon.
38. Give, and it shall be given unto you ; good measure, pressed down,
and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom.
For -with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to
you again.
The fourth aort of mercy requirea ua to give or lend to
othera in neceaaity. Charity ought to make no difficulty of
giving that which truth promiaea to reatore. It is not sufficient
for Christian charity, either not to exact rigorously what ia
our due, or not to inaist upon aatiafaction for injuries ; but we
must give of our own to those who have need of it. Let us
give, neither out of a mere huraan generoaity, nor out of vanity
or intereat ; but for the aake of God, if we would have him
place it to account. There ia no such thing as true gene
rosity but only in God, because there is none but he who re
ceives no advantage from his gifta, and becauae he engagea
hiraself even to pay the debts of his creatures with an exces
sive interest. Since he proraises to do this, it is piety in us
to hope for and expect it. So great is the goodness of God,
that when he raight have absolutely commanded us to give to
our neighbour, be vouchsafes to invite us to this duty by the
prospect of a reward, and to impute that to us as desert which
he has a right to exact of us by the title of his sovereignty over
our persons and estates.
39. And he spake a parable unto them ; Can the blind lead the blind?
shall they not both fall into the ditch?
A man has no love for hia own aoul who puta it under the
direction of a blind peraon. One cannot poaaibly have a
guide too clear-aighted araong all the temptationa and dangera
of thia life. It ia a very great miafortune to fall by chance
into the handa of a blind guide ; but to aeek after auch a one.

CHAPTER VL 64S
and to be afraid of finding one who is too clear-sighted, is such
a folly as could never be imagined were it not so very cora
mon. It belongs to thee, 0 Lord, to send these guides, to
forra and instruct thera, and to be thyself the Guide of theae
very guidea of thy elect, and to cause thera to be earnestly
prayed for and chosen aa they ought.
40. The disciple is not above his master : but every one that is perfect
shall be as his master.
A blind guide, an ignorant director, a paator who knowa
not the waya of the goapel, — what can they do but ruin all,
both in aoula and in the church? It ia the ignorance of
pastors which is the occasion of the ignorance relating to the
true worship of God, of superstitious practices, abuses, dis
orders, etc. Ignorance is a greater scourge to the church
than vice, because it ia raore capable of deatroying its founda
tion, which ia faith, and becauae it haa a greater train of ill
conaequencea. 41. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but
perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye ?
Ignorance ia, aa it were, a beara in the eyea of those who
should enlighten others. They are generally not at all senai
ble, either of thia ignorance, or of the evila which it causes in
the church. One very dangerous effect of ignorance ia, that
it raiaea great disputes in the church, when, either through
ignorance or passion, (which ia another beam which blinda
even more than ignorance,) raen blame in a doctrine (which ia
the eye of a miniater of Chriat) that which is not blamable ;
and when they take error for truth, and truth for error. He
who thoroughly examines himself, is not very ready to find
fault with others.
42. Either how canst thou say to thy brother. Brother, let me pull out
the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam
that is in thine own eye ? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out
of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote
that is in thy brother's eye.
It is a strange folly, that men will not endeavour to instruct
and heal theraselves before they undertake to instruct and
heal others. It ia no other than a continual state of hypo
crisy, for a raan to take upon him a ministry which consists in
directing and instructing souls, and to make a show of exer-

646 LUKE.
cising these functions, when he ia altogether unable to perform
them by reason of his ignorance, his want of application, and
perhaps his incapacity to learn the several duties of his station.
More miserable still is he, who, to these imperfections, adds
likewise open and apparent vices which scandalize the church
instead of edifying it. There is no other remedy for such
ministers but to retire, in order to cast this beam out of their
eye, by repentance and the study of the Scriptures, and to
leave to others the care of pulling the mote out of the eyes
of their brethren.
SECT. VI. — THE FRUIT LIKE THB TREE. — THB GOOD AND EVIL
TREASURE. — LORD, LORD. — THE HOUSE BUILT ON THB SAND.
43. For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit ; neither doth a
corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
We have a right to judge of the tree when its fruit appeara,
and of a apiritual director when hia life and actions speak.
Actions apparently disorderly, seducing words, and raaxims
contrary to the common faith of the whole church, are plain
marks that the beam is in the eye, and that it is not safe to
follow such a guide. Too great a reservedness, fear of judg
ing raahly, and a blind submission to the judgment and con
duct of a director, are no better than temptations of the devil,
and an illusion, when God permits the veil of hypocrisy to be
taken off, and covetousness to spread and manifest itself
abroad. On the other side, it is great injuatice, and an in
tolerable raahneaa, to judge ill of thoae in whom nothing but
goodness appears, and to decry such pastors and directors
whose fruits testify that they are good trees, planted by God
in his church for the nourishment and shelter of his elect.
44. For every tree ia known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do
not gather figs, nor of a bramblebush gather they grapes.
We may judge of the heart by the Works. The fruits of a
carnal heart are uncleanness, hatred, variance, emulations,
wrath, strife, envyings, revelling, etc.. Gal. v. 19-21. The
fruits of a spiritual heart are love, peace, long-suffering, good
ness, faith, raeekness, temperance, etc., ver. 22, 23. Good
fruits do not consist in fine discourses, nor in some remark-

CHAPTER VL 647
able actiona, but in the whole tenor of the life and converaa
tion, when it diffuaes the sweet odour of Christ's life, and makes
known the power of his Spirit. In times of seducement, we
ought earnestly to beg of God a discerning apirit, attention, pru
dence, fidelity, knowledge, and the like ; and, above all, purity
of heart, which ia neceaaary in order to know God and the men
of God, and to diatinguish that which proceeds from his Spirit.
45. A. good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth
that whioh is good ; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart
bringeth forth that which is evil ; for out of the abundance of the heart
his mouth speaketh.
Charity is the source of all good, concupiscence the origin
of all evil. A good heart always makea itaelf known by the
good which proceeda frora it, what holy artifice aoever hu
mility raay uae in order to hide it ; all the actiona of the life
still savouring of the principle which produces thera, and of
the end to which they are directed. The corrupt heart, for
the same reason, cannot always lie concealed,»what precaution
soever hypocrisy takes to that purpose, because one passion
betrays another. Nothing can auppreaa the voice of worka,
which are the tongue of the heart.
46. Tf And why call ye me. Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
God judgea of the heart, not by words, but by works. He
only mocks God, who calls him Lord and does not obey hia
comraandraenta. A good servant never disputes, speaks little,
and always follows his work. Such a servant a good Chris
tian is ; such is a faithful rainister : always intent either on
the work of his own salvation, or on that of his neighbour;
speaking raore to God than to men, and to these as in the
presence of God; and following the light of his law, without
pretending to make himself the judge of it by human reaaon-
inga. The tongue is, as it were, a pump, whiqh empties the
heart, but neither cleanses nor fills, it. The love of God is a
hidden spring, which supplies the heart continually, never
leaves it dry, and always fills it afresh, by means of good
works and fidelity in doing the will of God.
47. Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth
them, I will shew you to whom he is like :
Important wordsy which give us a lively picture of a true

648 LUKE.
Christian. Since it is Christ himself who promises to draw
it, he well deserves our whole attention. We desire extremely
to know what an elect or a reprobate is ; let us learn it from
the mouth of hira who makes the elect what they are, but
produces not the least part of that in reprobates which renders
them such. He who coraes to Christ by faith, who readsi,
hears, and raeditates on his word with faith, and by perse
vering in the practice of his gospel lives thus by faith, — thia
person is an elect of God. He who persists in doing the con
trary, is a reprobate.
48. He is like a man which built a house, and digged deep, and laid
the foundation on a. rock : and when the flood arose, the stream beat
vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it ; for it was founded
upon a rock.
There is no solid piety but in the practice of the gospel.
Works are the seal of faith. Let raen make as raany com
ments as they please upon the gospel; let thera exhaust their
invention in framing nice distinctions, to excuse themselves
with some sort of probability from the practice of it : all this
is but sand, which the flood of God's wrath will wash away,
so long as the flVm rock of the gospel is not the foundation
and rule of their life.
49. But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a
foundation built a house upon the earth; against which the stream did
beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house
was great.
All conaiata in doing good. In vain doea a raan flatter
himaelf with being of the number, if he doea not lead the life
of the predestinate ; and this life consists not in an external
forwardness to hear the word, but in an inward fidelity in the
practice of it. It is neither by the speculations of astrolo
gers, nor by the Calvinian assurance of predestination, that
we can discover what will be our portion forever; but it is
by the examination of our heart, and the consideration of our
life, that we may in some measure prognosticate our eternal
state. Without the support of good worka, all ia ruinoua,
both at the hour of temptation and in the day of wrath.
END OP VOL. I.

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