the Lufts and Paffions, the Prejudices and Superftitions of Men, it will caufe great Divifions and Strifes, great Enmities and Pefecutions in the World. Nay, these Contentions are already begun to be raised; and the Fire of Perfecution is already kindled. 50. I my felf muft undergo the firft Effects of it, in suffering a Cruel and Ignominious Death: And I am uneafy and straitned in my own Mind, with an earnest Defire of having this Great Work finished. 51. After which, do not imagine that the Gospel you are to preach, will be received peaceably in the World. For fo far will it be from that, that on the contrary, as I have faid, it will raise great Divifions and Contentions, great Hatred and Enmities among Men. نوع 52 53. Nay, to fuch a heighth will thefe Enmities and Perfecutions upon account of Religion arife, that Men will not only break through all the Bonds of Humanity, but alfo all the Obligations even of Natural Affection and Relation, in perfecuting and deftroying one another: So that a Man's greatest Enemies, fhall be thofe of his own House or Family; and his nearest Relations, his cruelleft and most implacable Perfecutors. After these things, Je5455. fus took occafion to reproach the unbelieving Jews for their Partiality and Hypocrify, faying; Ye are fkilful enough in other Cafes, to obferve the Signs and Tokens of Things that are about to come to pafs: Ye are expert and diligent enough in Things of the fmalleft Concern, to make good Gueffes and Obfervations: Ye can prefage from the will I, if it be already kindled? 50 But I have a baptifm to be baptized with, and how am I ftraitned till it be accomplished ? 51 Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather divifion. from 52 For henceforth therefhall be five in one house divided, three againft two, and two against three. 53 The father fhall be divided against the son, and the fon against the father: the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother: the mother in law against herdaughter in ter in law against her law, and the daugh mother in law. 54¶ And he faid allo to the people, When you fee a cloud rife out of the weft, ftraightway ye fay, There cometh a fhower; and fo it is. 55 And when ye fee the fouth. wind blow, ye fay there will be heat; and it cometh to pafs. 56 Ye hypocrites, ye can difcern the face of the fky, and of the earth: but how is it, that ye do not difcern this time? 57 Yea, and why even of your felves judge ye not what is right? 58 When thou goeft with thine adverfary to the magiftrate, as thou art in the way, give diligence that thou mayeft be delivered from him, left he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer caft thee into prifon. 59 I tell thee, thou fhalt not depart thence, till thou haft paid the very laft mite. VOL. II. appearance and colour of the Sky, from the motion of the clouds, and from the blowing of the Wind, what Weather is like to be the next Morning or Evening. 56. Why then, ye Hypocrites, if ye were not blinded with Obftinacy and wilful Prejudices, can ye not in Matobferve the Periods and Revolutions of ters of far greater moment learn to Things, the various Methods and wife Difpenfations of Providence towards Mankind? Why can you not study, from the Predictions of the antient Prophets, and from the prefent Circumstances of Things, compared together, to know the Times and the Perfon of the Meffiah? 57. Nay, though ye had none of thefe Tokens to affift and direct you, why can ye not even out of your own Confciences, and by the bare Reafor and Equity of things, learn to judge what is fit and right? 58 59. In Temporal Affairs your own Reason will tell you, that if a Man be about to be brought in Judgment upon an Accufation which he cannot efcape, his only prudent way is to agree with his Adverfary in time, and make an end of the Difference, before Sentence be paft upon him, and he be put in Prifon. Why then do ye not likewife fee in matters of Religion, that 'tis highly reasonable and neceffary for you to Repent and Reform immediately, while God graciously affords you time and space of Repentance; before Judgment overtake you, and ye perish irrecoverably? CHAP. XIII. The Punishment of fome, a Warning to others; and that Temporal Afflictions afford no Judgment of the Measure of God's Anger, ver. I. God will not always bear with Sinners, ver. 6. Jefus cures a crooked Woman, ver. 10. The Parable of the Mustard-feed, ver. 19. Of the Leaven, ver. 21. Repentance must not be deferred, ver. 25. Obedience the indifpenfable Condition of Salvation, ver. 26. Jefus defpifes Herod, ver. 31. and laments over Jerusalem, ver. 34. I. ABOUT this time, as Jefus was teaching and inftructing the People, fome that were present took occafion to mention to him the hard Fate of certain Galileans, whom Pilate the Roman Governour, for holding fome Opinion contrary to the Power and Authority of the Romans, had furprized as they were offering Sacrifice, and fell upon them suddenly and flew them. 2. Whereupon Jefus faid to them that mentioned the Story; Do you think that those few Galileans, who thus perished, were greater and more notorious Sinners than all the reft of the Nation; because God fuffered them to fall by fo fevere and unexpected a Calamity? 3. I tell you, No: But the Wisdom of Providence permitted these Men fo to perish, only for an Example to others altogether as great Sinners as they, to bring them to Repentance. And af furedly, unless you do Repent, ye shall all, even your whole Nation, be deftroyed by as fore a Calamity, and by 1 THERE were present at that feafon, fome that told him of the Galileans, whofe blood Pilate had mingled with their facrifices. 2 And Jesus anfwering, faid unto them, Suppofe ye that thefe Galileans, were finners above all the Galileans,because they fuffered fuch things? 3 I tell you, Nay: but except ye repent, ye fhall all likewise perish. as dreadful a Slaughter, as thefe very Men were. 4. In like manner, thefe Eighteen Men, who were killed by the fall of the Tower of Siloam; do you think that reft of the Inhabitants of Jerufalem? they were greater Sinners than all the 5. I tell you, No: But God made them an Example, to bring you to Repentance. And verily, if ye do not Repent, ye fhall all perish in as dreadful and exemplary aDefolation of the whole City, as these Men did in the Ruins of that one Turret. 6. Which severe Warning, that it might make the deeper Impreffion upon the People, Jefus added the following Comparison to confirm and enforce it. A certain Man, faid he, had a Figtree planted in his Vineyard; which when he expected it should have been full of Fruit, it brought forth none. Thus God chofe the Nation of the Jews to be his peculiar People, expecting that they should ferve and obey him with Fidelity and Conftancy; but they revolted from Him, and degenerated into a wicked and impenitent People: And thus likewife every particular wicked Man, when God expects of him the Fruits of Virtue and Righteousness, brings forth on the contrary Sin and Folly. 7. Then the Man faid to his Vinedreffer; I have come with great Patience Year after Year, looking for Fruit on this Fig-tree, and yet find none, Cut it down, and let it cumber my Ground no longer. Thus God, feeing the Obftinacy and Impenitency of the Jews; after much Long-fuffering, refolved with himself at last to destroy them utterly: And the like alfo He deK 3 termines, termines concerning every particular impenitent Perfon. 89. But the Vine-dreffer replied; Sir, have Patience one Year longer, and I will take fome Pains with it and dig about it and dung it, and try if I can by this method make it bear Fruit; and if it does not, I will then cut it down. Thus God, by fending Chrift and his Apoftles to preach the Gofpel to the Jews, made them one Offer of Mercy more; and gave them one farther space of Repentance; after which, if they rejected it, he irreverfibly determined to deftroy them without Mercy: And thus likewife to every obftinate Sinner, God offers means and fpace of Repentance; but at last, if he continues impenitent, cuts him off, and deftroys him irrecoverably. 10 & 11. Now as Jefus was teaching one Sabbath-Day in the Synagogue, according to his Cuftom; there was prefent a Woman who had been Eighteen Years afflicted with an incurable Disease, which kept her continually stooping and bowed together in fuch a manner, that he was not able to look up, or lift her felf up at all.' 12 13. And when Jefus faw her, he called her to him, and laid his Hands upon her, and commanded the Disease to depart from her; and immediately the lifted up her Head and ftood upright, and gave thanks to God for this extraordinary Deliverance. 14. But the Ruler of the Synagogue, being one of a truly Pharifaical Temper, who placed Religion much more in the ftrict and formal Obfervance of external and pofitive Ceremonies, than in Works of Righteoufnefs, Mercy, and Charity; was highly incenfed at Jefus's 12 And when Jefus faw her, he called unto her, and faid unto her, Woman, thou art loofed from thine infirmity. 13 And he laid bis hands on her: and immediately fhe was made ftraight, and glorified God. of the fynagogue 14 And the ruler answered with in |