From this passage of the history we learn, that a plain man void of the advantages of learning and education, but who has honest dispositions, is in a fairer way to understand truth, than a whole council of learned doctors, who are under the power of prejudice.

of dedication, is refused The disciples desire him Samaritans: He rebukes

§ LXXIX. Jesus, in his way to the feast lodging in a village of the Samaritans. to call fire down from- heaven upon the the disciples for their wrathful spirit, and goes to another village. Luke ix. 51,-62.

ABOUT this time the feast of dedication approached, a solemnity not appointed by the law of Moses, but by that heroic reformer Judas Maccabeus, in commemoration of his having cleansed the temple, and restored its worship, after both had been profaned by Antiochus Epiphanes. But although this feast was of human institution, and Jesus foresaw that farther attempts would be made upon his life in Jerusalem, he did not shun it, but went thither with great resolution. Luke explains the reason of this boldness: He had now continued on earth very near the whole period determined, and was soon to be taken up to heaven, from whence he had come down. He therefore resolved, from this time forth, to appear as openly as possible, and to embrace every op portunity of fulfilling the duties of his ministry. Luke ix. 51. And it came to pass, that when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem. He did not travel thither privately, as he had often done before, but he declared his intention, and entered on the journey with great courage. The road to Jerusalem from Galilee lay through Samaria; wherefore, as the inhabitants of this country bare the greatest ill-will to all who worshipped in Jerusalem, (see Jewish Antiquities, Disc, iii.) Jesus thought it necessary to send messengers before him, with orders to find out quarters for him in one of the villages; but the inhabitants refused to receive him, because his intention in this journey was publicly known. Luke is. 52. And sent messengers before his face; and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him. 53. And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem. The Samaritans could not refuse lodging to all the travellers that went to Jerusalem, for the high road lay through their country; such travellers only as went VOL. II. thither

E e

Ver. 51. When the time was come, &c.] Ev тu ovμñangeolai, when the. time avas fulfilled, that is, according to the Hebrew idiom, drew on. The Greek word was, in this passage, signifies Christ's being taken up iso heaven; for we find avalubavou, from whence it is derived, appid expressly to his ascension. Mat. xvi. 19. Acts i. 2. xi. 22. 2 Tin. ii 6.

thither professedly to worship, were the objects of their indignation: hence the expression, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem, must imply that his design of worshipping in Jerusálem was known to the Samaritans.

When the messengers returned with an account of what had passed in the village whither they had been sent, the two disciples James and John being exceedingly incensed at this rude treatment, proposed to call for fire from heaven, which should destroy those inhospitable wretches immediately, after the example of the prophet Elijah, who thus destroyed the men who had evil intreated him. Luke ix. 54. And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, even as Elias did? But Jesus, whose meekness on all occasions was admirable, sharply reprimanded his disciples for entertaining so unbecoming a resentment of this offence. 55. But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. Ye do not know the sinfulness of the disposition which ye have just now expressed, neither do ye consider the difference of times, persons, and dispensations. The severity which Elijah exercised on the men who came from Ahaziah to apprehend him, was a reproof of an idolatrous king, court, and nation, very proper for the times, and very agreeable to the characters both of the prophet who gave it, and of the offenders to whom it was given; at the same time it was not unsuitable to the nature of the dispensation they were under. But the gospel breathes a different spirit from the law, whose punishments and rewards were all of a temporal kind, and therefore it does not admit of this sort of rigour and severity. He told them farther, that to destroy mens lives was utterly inconsistent with the design of his coming into the world: 56. For the Son of man is not come to destroy mens lives, but to save them: alluding to his miracles, by which he restored health to the diseased bodies of men, as well as to his doctrine and death, by which he gives life to their souls. Having said these things, he went with them to another village, the inhabitants of which were men of better dispositions. And they avent to another village. This was a noble instance of patience under a real and unprovoked injury; an instance of patience which expressed infinite sweetness of disposition, and which for that reason should be imitated by all who call themselves Christ's disciples.

Luke ix. 57. And it came to pass, that as they went in the way, that is, as they went to the other village of the Samaritans, mentioned in the preceding verse, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. But Jesus knowing that the man proposed to himself riches and honours, and all kind of pleasures in the expected kingdom, thought

fit to make him sensible of his mistake. 58. And Jesus said unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. About the same time, our Lord meeting with one who had often attended him, and thereby shewed an inclination to become his disciple, he ordered him to disengage himself altogether from worldly affairs, and follow him; but the man excused himself, on pretence that he was bound in duty to wait on an aged father, till he should pay him the last office in his burial. 59. And he said unto another, Follow me; but he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 69. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: let those who are immersed in worldly affairs, follow worldly affairs, but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.Unto a third, who of his own accord offered to follow him, if he would allow him to go home and take leave of his family, Jesus gave such an answer as teaches us, that no domestic affair should hinder the care of our salvation; that the calls of religion are so very pressing, that they admit of no delay or excuse whatsoever; and that all who set themselves to seek the welfare of their souls should pursue the work assiduously, without looking carelessly around them, as if they neglected what they are doing. 61. And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. 62. And Jesus said unto him, No man having put his hand to the plough, and locking back, is fit for the kingdom of God, fit to preach the kingdom of God *.

The composers of harmonies have confounded this passage of the history with Matt. viii. 18. See § 31. note, p. 180.

§ LXXX. Jesus in his way to the feast of the dedication, sends the seventy disciples out; the mean while he himself tarries in Samaria. Luke x. 1,-16.

THE Scene of Christ's ministry being from this time forth, to lie in Judea and the country beyond Jordan, it was expedient that his way should be prepared in every city and village of those countries, whither he was to come. He therefore sent out seventy of his disciples on this work, mentioning the particular places which he intended to visit, and in which they were to preach; whereas, the twelve had been allowed to go where they pleased, provided they confined their ministry to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Luke x. 1. After these things, the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before iis face, into every city and place whither he himself would come. Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that he would send forth labourers into his harvest, see Matth. ix. 37.

2.

It is remarkable, that our Lord assigned the same reason for the mission of the seventy, which he had assigned for the mission of the twelve disciples; the harvest was plenteous in Judea and Perea, as well as in Galilee, and the labourers there also were few.

The instructions given to the seventy on this occasion were nearly the same with those delivered to the twelve; see the Commentary on Matt. x. § 40. Only he ordered the seventy to spend no time in saluting such persons as they met on the road, the time assigned them for going through the cities, being but short. 3. Go your ways; behold I send you forth as lambs ameug wolves. 4. Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes, and * salute no mun by the way: that is, make all the haste you possibly can. 5. And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house. 6. And if the son of peace be there, if the master of that house be a virtuous well disposed person, and receives you kind ly, your peace shall rest upon it: Your blessing which you gare at your entrance, shall by my power be made effectual to that house; if not, it shall turn to you again. See on Matth. x. 12. $40. 7. And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give; for the labourer is avorthy of his hire, see on Mat. x. 10, 11. 8. And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you into their houses, eat such things as they set before you: be content with any fare you meet with, and give the wicked no reason to think that you are of a luxurious disposition, or set a high value upon the pleasures of the table. 9. And heal the sick that are therein. This is not only a direction, but a commiss on empowering the seventy to work miracles for the confirmation of their doctrine, for it is added, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. 10. But into whatsoever city ye enter and they receive you not; shew no willingness to hear your doctrine, and no inclination to give you the necessaries of life; go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say: 11. Even the very dust of your city which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: In the most public manner declare that they have sinned in rejecting you: Cry it in their streets. Withal, that your declaration may make the greater impression upon them, accompany it with the symbolical action of publicly wiping the dust of their city from off your feet, as a testimony that you will have no communication with such a wicked people. This

* Ver. 4. Salute no man by the way] That this phrase implies the greatest dispatch, is evident from Kings iv. 29. where Elisha sending Gehazi to recover the Shunamite's son, commands him to make all the haste possible, in these words: Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in thine hand, and go the sway: If thou meet any man, salute him not; and if ang salute thee, ansaver bim not again: for the eastern salutations were exceedingly tedious, consisting of long wishes of happiness to the person saluted, and of very particular inquiries concerning his welfare.

This was agreeable to the manners of the Easterns, who taught their disciples by symbolical actions as well as by discourse; see on Matt. x. 14. Jesus added, When you have so done, say, Notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you: Though you have rejected us and our message, we solemnly assure you that an offer of the kingdom of God has been made to you. To conclude, to make the seventy very earnest in preaching the gospel, that so if possible the people might be persuaded to receive it, he declared the terrible punishment of those who should reject it. 12. But I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sedom, than for that city. See on Matt. x. 15. § 40. xi. 24. § 42. Having mentioned the punishment of those cities which should reject his ministers, it naturally brought into his mind the sad state and punishment of the cities where he himself had preached most frequently, namely, Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum. For notwithstanding he had often resided in those cities, and performed many miracles before the inhabitants of them, they had continued impenitent. Wherefore, because he was never to preach to them any more, and because he knew how great their punishment would be, in the overflowing tenderness of his soul, he affectionately lamented their obstinacy, which he foresaw would draw down on them the heaviest judgments: 13. Woe unto thee Chorazin, woe unto thee Bethsaida, for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Siden, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackeltoh and ashes. 14. But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. See on Matt. xi. 20, 21, 22. § 42. 15. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven by thy spiritual privileges, shall be thrust down to hell. See on Matt. xi. 23. § 42. This part of his discourse was well calculated to comfort the seventy under the ill usage they might meet with; the preaching of Christ himself had often been unacceptable and unsuccessful with respect to many of his hearers; and therefore it was not much to be wondered at, if theirs should prove so likewise. 16. He that heareth you heareth me, and he that despiseth you despiseth me, and he that despiseth me, despiseth him that sent me. See on Matt. x. 40. § 40. *

As it is Luke alone who has mentioned the mission of the seventy disciples, it is he chiefly who has given the history of our Lord's transactions in consequence of that mission; the rest having recorded few or none of them, excepting the things that happened immediately before the passover at which he suffered. It is true, indeed, Christ's ministry in Judea did in many things resemble his ministry in Galilee, which may have been the reason, not only that it was omitted by Matthew and Mark, but that it hath always been confounded with the latter by the composers of harmonies. Nevertheless, when it is considered how long our Lord preached in Galilee, as well as the importance of the subjects upon which he discoursed, it will not appear strange that the scrmons which he delivered in

Judea,