84 Sect. 106. others of an inferior Character, and haft graciously revealed them to the Weak, the Ignorant, and the Luke X, 21. Poor, who are but as Infants in the Eyes of the World, and in their own Apprehenfion: Be it fo, ob Father! I chearfully acquiefce in it, fince fuch is thy fovereign, wife, and holy Pleafure, to humble Human Pride, and to display the Glory of thy Name.

They were much happier than the antient Kings and Prophets.

22

23

Then likewife did Jefus repeat the Declaration
of his own extenfive Authority, and faid, (as before,
Vol. i. pag. 360.) All Things in the Kingdom of
Providence and Grace are delivered to me by my
Father; and no one perfectly knows who the Son is,
except the Father; nor who the Father is, except
the Son, and be to whom the Son will be pleased to
reveal [him] So that from me you must learn
the Saving Knowledge of GOD, and the Way to
fecure his Favour.

And then turning to his Difciples, he faid [to
them] apart, Bleed are the Eyes, which do, or
hereafter fhall fee the Things that you fee; and
may add,) the Ears, which do, or hereafter
Thall hear the Things that you daily and familiarly
hear. In the midst of all your Poverty, Fatigue,
and Danger, you have Reason to think yourselves
24 exceeding happy. For I fay unto you, and very.
folemnly affure you of it, that many of the moft
eminent Prophets of the Old Teftament Difpen-
fation, and even of the most pious and illuftrious
Kings whom GOD raifed up to reign over his
People, defired earneftly to have feen the Things
which you fee, and did not fee them, and to have
beard the Things which you hear, and did not hear
them: Remember therefore, how much
you are
indebted to the Divine Goodness, and let it be
your Care to make a fuitable Improvement of
them. (Compare Mat. xiii. 16, 17. Vol. i. pag.
399.)

Luke x. 23,

24

A

Prudent, and haft revealed
them unto Babes: even fo
in thy Sight.
Father, for fo it seemed good

22 All Things are deli

vered to me of my Father: and no Man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son will reveal him..

the Son, and he to whom

IMPROVEMENT.

ND are not our Obligations in fome measure proportionable to theirs, while thefe glorious Sights are reflected to our Eyes from the Mirror of his Word, and these glad Tidings are ecchoed back to our

Ears!

Reflections on the Joy arifing from a Title to Heaven.

85

Ver. 21.

Ears! Have not we alfo Reason to adore the peculiar Favour of GoD Sect. 106. to us, and to admire the Sovereignty of his Love, that he has been pleased to reveal his Son in us, and has given to such Babes, as we must own ourfelves to be, that Spiritual Knowledge of him, which he has fuffered to remain hidden from the Great, the Learned, and the Wife! Even fo, Father, must we also fay, for jo it feemed good in thy Sight: Thou haft Mercy on whom thou wilt have Mercy, and often exalteft the Riches of thy Grace, by the Meanness and Unworthiness of those on whom it is bestowed.

Have we Reason to hope, that our worthless Names are written in Ver. 20. Heaven? let us often think of that glorious Society, amongst whom we are enrolled as Members, and rejoice in the Thought of those Privileges, which refult from fuch a Relation to it: Privileges, in Comparison of which, a Power to heal Difeafes, and eject Damons with a Word, would hardly deserve our Joy. In a grateful Senfe of them, let us adore the Grace which gave us a Place in the Lamb's Book of Life, and be ever folicitous to behave in a Manner worthy of fo illuftrious a Hope.

We have great Encouragement to expect, that he, before whom Satan Ver. 18, 19 fell like Lightning from Heaven, will enable us finally to trample on his Power. Let us not fervilely fear that condemned Criminal, already marked with the Scars of the Divine Vengeance; but let us chearfully hope, that the Triumph over him will be renewed by the Preaching of the Gofpel. Quickened by that Hope, let us more earnestly pray, that the Ruin of his gloomy Kingdom may be daily more and more apparent, especially among us; that our gracious Redeemer, who reckons the Inte. Ver. 21. reft of Souls his own, may have renewed Reafon of Joy and Praife on that Account. Exert, oh Bleffed Jefus, thine own Almighty Arm, for that great Purpose; and as thou alone canft do it, reveal thine Heavenly Ver. 22. Father to thofe, who by neglecting thee, fhew that they know not him!

SECT. CVII.

CHRIST anfwers the Scribe, who asked what he should do to inherit Eternal Life; and illuftrates his Anfwer by the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Luke X. 25,---37.

WE

LUKE X. 25.

HILE our Lord was difcourfing in this Sect. 107.
Manner with his Seventy Difciples, an
Affembly of People gathered round them; and Luke X. 25.
bebold, among the rest, a certain Man who was

a Lawyer, or one of thofe Scribes, who made it

their

86 Sect. 107. their Profeffion to ftudy and teach the Law of Mofes, and to refolve many curious Queftions reLuke X. 25. lating to it, rofe up with a Defign to try him (a), and, to judge of the Skill of Jefus in Divine Matters, faid, Oh thou great Master and Teacher in Ifrael, what must I do that I may inherit that Eternal Life, which thou fo frequently propofeft as the main Object of our Purfuits, and which is indeed most worthy of them?

A Lawyer afks, what he must do to inherit Eternal Life. tempted him, faying, Mafter, what fhall I do to inherit Eternal Life?

26

27

26 He faid unto him,

Law? how readeft thou?

And Jefus, as he knew with what Design he had propofed the Question, wifely returned it on What is written in the himself, and faid to him, What is written in the Law, which thy Profeffion muft engage thee to have made thy Study? how dost thou find the Cafe to be determined there? and what is it, that thou fo frequently doft read there (b)?

And he replying, faid, It is there written as the Sum of all the Commandments, (Deut. vi. 5. Lev. xix. 18.) " Thou shalt love the Lord thy GOD "with all thine Heart, and with all thy Soul, and "with all thy Strength, and with all thine UnderStanding; thou shalt unite all the Faculties of thy Soul to render him the most intelligent and fincere, the most affectionate and refolute Ser"vice (c); and thou fhalt also love thy Neigh

" bour

27 And he answering, faid, Thou fhalt love the Lord thy GOD with all thy Heart, and with all thy Soul, and with all thy Strength, and with all thy Mind; and thy Neighbour as thyfelf.

(a) With a Design to try him.] Dr. Barrow concludes, it was with an Intent to infnare him; the Question being fo determined by the Jewish Doctors, that for a different Answer he might have been accused of Herefy. (See Barrow, Vol. i. pag. 221.) But I fee no certain Proof of fo bad an Intention.

(b) How doft thou fo frequently read there ?] Vitringa with great Pertinency obferves, that what the Scribe replies, Thou shalt love the Lord thy GOD, &c. was daily read in their Synagogues, which made the Answer more apparently proper. (Vitring. Synag. pag. 1060.) And that this Paffage of Scripture is ftill read by the whole Affembly, both in their Morning and Evening Prayers, and is called, from the firft Word of it, the Shemah, may be feen in Pedabzur's Ceremonies of the Modern Jews, pag. 49. and 115. only it is obfervable, they leave out that Claufe, Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thyself. See Wotton's Misc. Vol. i. pag. 171,-194.

apprehend, with Archbishop without being folicitous to Otherwife I fhould think

(c) Thou shalt unite all the Faculties of thy Soul, &c.] I Tillotson, we may acquiefce in this general Senfe of the Paffage, feek a particular diftinct Idea to each of the Words ufed here. nagdia, the Heart, a general Expreffion, illuftrated by the three following Words; even with all thy Soul, (uxns,) that is, with the warmest Affection; and with all thy Strength, (quos,) that is, with the moft vigorous Refolution of the Will; and with all thine UnderStanding, (Savoias,) that is, taking care to form rational Ideas of him, as a Guide to the Affections, and Refolutions. Accordingly we may obferve, that in a parallel Place, (Mark xii. 33.) the Word ouverts is ufed inftead of diavola. And this very Word is justly translated Underftanding, Eph. i. 18. iv. 18. and I John v. 20.

(d) Paffing

87

If he loved GOD and his Neighbour, he should live.
"bour as fincerely and impartially, as thou loveft Sect. 107.
thyself."

28 And he said unto him, Thou haft anfwered right: this do, and thou shalt live.

Jefus readily approved his Anfwer, but was Luke X, 28,
defirous to convince him at the fame Time, how
far he was from coming up to what the Law re-
quired: And in this View be faid to him, Thou
haft anfwered right: Do this, and thou shalt live:
Do it perfectly, and thou wilt have a legal Claim
to Life; or cultivate this Temper fincerely, and
GOD will not leave thee finally to perish, but will
give thee all neceffary Discoveries of his Will, in
order to thine eternal Salvation.

But he, willing to justify himself as to the In- 29
tegrity of his Enquiry, and to display the Virtue
of his Character, not at all doubting but he fuffi-
ciently understood his Duty to GOD, faid unto
Jefus, And who is my Neighbour, whom by this
latter Precept I am obliged to love? for I would
fain know the whole of my Duty, that I may
practise it in all its Extent.

And Jefus replying, fpake the following Parable, 30
which was intended to fhew, in the most lively
Manner, that every Human Creature, who needs
our Affiftance, is to be confidered by us as our
Neighbour, of whatever Nation, or Faith, or
Profeffion he may be: And he said, A certain
Man of our own Country went down from Jeru-
falem to Jericho, and paffing thro' thofe wild
Defarts and dangerous Roads (d), he fell among
fome of thofe cruel Robbers, who so often affault
Travellers that go that Way And thefe Ruffians
having both plundered, ftripped, and bound him,
and having alfo wounded him in a cruel and dan-
gerous Manner (e), went off, leaving him half dead.
And it happened, that while he was in thefe de- 31
plorable Circumftances, a certain Prieft went down
that Way, who was going to Jericho, where fo

many

(d) Paffing thro' thofe wild Defarts and dangerous Roads.] This Circumftance is well chofen; for fo many Robberies and Murders were committed on this Road, which lay thro a Kind of Wilderness, that Jerom tells us, it was called, the Bloody Way. Jericho is faid to have been feated in a Valley, and thence is the Phrafe of going down to it. (e) Wounded him in a cruel and dangerous Manner.] This is ftrongly implied in the Expreffion, anyas enderles, having laid on Wounds.

(f) Where

88

CHRIST delivers the Parable of the good Samaritan;

other Side.

Sect. 107. many of that Profeffion were fettled (f); and faw him, he passed by on the tho' by Virtue of his Sacred Office he ought to Luke X. 31. have been a peculiar Example of Humanity to the

farther

Afflicted, yet feeing him lie at fome little Distance,
and being willing to avoid the Trouble or Ex-
pence, which a more particular Enquiry might
have occafioned, he croffed [the Road,] and went
on, proceeding in his Journey without any
32 Notice. And in like Manner too a Levite
going that Way, when he was at the Place, juft
came and looked on this miferable Object (g), and
immediately crossed and paffed by, without doing

33 any thing at all for his Relief.

And thus the

32 And likewife a Levite, when he was at the Place, came and looked on him, and

paffed by on the other Side.

33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came

where he was: and when he faw him, he had Com

paffion on him,

diftreffed Creature might have lain and perished, but for a certain Samaritan (b), who, as he was travelling the fame Way, came to the Place where he was, and feeing him in this fad Condition, tho' he might easily know, or at leaft guefs him to be a Jew, yet notwithstanding the general Hatred of these two Nations to each other (i), he was moved with very tender Compaffion towards him; 34 And going to him, he bound up his Wounds in the best Manner he could (k), when he had poured bound up his Wounds, pour

in

34 And went to him, and

ing

(f) Where so many of that Profeffion were fettled.] See Lightfoot's Hor. Hebr. in loc. where he produces a Paffage from a confiderable Jewish Writer, to prove, that Twelve thoufand Priefts and Levites dwelt at Jericho; which if it had any Shadow and Degree of Truth, vindicates the Paraphrafe, and fhews how naturally the Prieft and Levite were here introduced, without any Reflection on their Office.

(g) Came and looked on this miferable Object.] This is the Import of exov nas day, as Raphelius has fhewn, in his Notes from Xenophon, pag. 91.

(b) A certain Samaritan.] It is admirably well judged, to reprefent the Distress on the Side of the Jew, and the Mercy on that of the Samaritan; for Self-Intereft would make them fee, how amiable fuch a Conduct was, and lay them open to our Lord's Inference, ver. 37. Had it been put the other Way, Prejudices might more easily have interpofed, before the Heart could have been ftruck with these tender Circumstances.

(i) Notwithstanding the Hatred of these two Nations to each other.] See Note (g) on John iv. 9. Vol. i. pag. 172. Some Writers tell us, this Hatred rofe fo high, that if a Jew and a Samaritan met in a narrow Way, they were exceedingly folicitous that they might pals without touching each other, for fear of Pollution on each Side. If this was Fact, it is a beautiful Illuftration of the Humanity of this good Samaritan, who would not only touch this Jew, but took fo much Pains to drefs his Wounds, and to fet him on his own Beaft, fupporting him in his Arms as he rode, as well as making fuch generous Provifion for him

at the Inn.

(k) Bound up his Wounds, &c.] As the Jew was stripped by the Robbers, ver. 30. we may probably fuppofe, the Samaritan used fome of his own Garments for this Purpose ; which was a farther Inftance of wonderful Goodness, perhaps tearing them to make a more convenient Bandage.- -Of the Use the Antients made of Wine and Oil in dreffing fresh Wounds, fee Bos, Exerc. pag. 24. and Wolfius on this Text.

(1) Two