more good than their lives. Observe, 4. || powered by corruption, that they do rather The great humility of Christ in concealing his own praises; he had no ambition that the fame of his miracles should be spread abroad, for he sought not his own glory; neither would he by the noise of his miracles enrage the Pharisees against him to take away his life; knowing that his time was not yet come, and he had much work to do before his death.

the kingdom of God is come unto || be forgiven him, neither in this you. 29 Or else, how can one enter world, neither in the world to come. into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house. 30 He that is not with me, is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.

Our blessed Saviour, to clear his innocence, and to convince the Pharisees of the unreasonableness of this their calumny and false accusations, offers several arguments to their consideration. 1. That it was very unlikely that Satan should lend him this power to use it against himself. As Satan has a kingdom, so he has wit enough to preserve his kingdom, and will do nothing to weaken his own interest. Now if I have received my power from Satan for destroying him and his kingdom, then is Satan divided against himself. 2. Our Saviour tells them, they might with || as much reason attribute all miracles to the devil, as those that were wrought by him. There were certain Jews among themselves, who cast out devils in the name of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; Christ asks the Pharisees, by what power these their children cast them out?|| They acknowledged that those did it by the power of God; and there was no cause but their malice, why they should not acknowledge that what he did was by the same power. If I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you: that is, the Messias is come, because he wrought these miracles to prove that he was the Messias. 3. Another argument to prove that the miracles which Christ wrought were by the power of God, and not by the help of Satan, is this: The devil is very strong and powerful, and there is no power but God's only that is stronger than his: Now, says Christ, If I were not assisted by a divine power, I could never cast out this strong man, who reigns in the world as in his house: it must be a stronger than the strong man that shall bind Satan: and who is he but the God of strength?

Observe, 1. How our Saviour makes a difference betwixt speaking against the Son of man, and speaking against the Holy Ghost. By speaking against the Son of man, is meant all those reproaches that were cast upon our Saviour's person as Man, without reflecting upon his divine power as God, which he testified by his miracles. Such were their reproaching him with the meanness of his birth, their censuring him for a Wine-bibber and a Glutton, and the like. But by speaking against the Holy Ghost, is meant, their blaspheming and reproaching that divine power whereby he wrought his miracles; which was an immediate reflection upon the Holy Spirit, and a blaspheming of him. Observe, 2. The nature of this sin of speaking against the Holy Ghost: it consisteth in this, that the Pharisees seeing our Saviour work miracles, and cast out devils by the Spirit of God, contrary to the conviction of their own minds, they maliciously ascribed his miracles to the power of the devil, charging him to be a sorcerer and a magician, and to have a familiar spirit, by whose help he did those mighty works; when in truth he did them by the Spirit of God. Observe, 3. That this sin above all others is called unpardonable, and upon what account it is so. The case of such blasphemers of the Holy Spirit, is not only dangerous, but desperate; because they resist their last remedy, and oppose the best means for their conviction. What can God do more to convince a man that Jesus Christ is the true Messiah, than to work miracles for that purpose? Now if when men see plain miracles wrought, they will say it is not God that works them, but the devil; as if Satan would conspire against himself, and seek the ruin of his own kingdom; there is no way left to convince such persons, but they must and will continue in their opposition to truth, to their inevitable condemnation.

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.

31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall These words may either refer to the be forgiven unto men: but the blas- Pharisees, or to Christ himself. If to the phemy against the Holy Ghost shall Pharisees, the sense is, You hypocritical not be forgiven unto men. 32 And Pharisees show yourselves what you are whosoever speaketh a word against by your words and actions, even as the the Son of man, it shall be for-fer to Christ, then they are an appeal to fruit showeth what the tree is. If they regiven him but whosoever speaketh the Pharisees themselves, to judge of our against the Holy Ghost, it shall not Saviour and his doctrine by the miracles

:

which he wrought. If he wrought by the devil, his works would be as bad as the devil's; but if his works were good, they must own them to be wrought by the power of God. The expression implies, that a man may be known by his actions, as a tree may be known by his fruit; yet not by a single action, but by a series of actions; not by a particular act, but by our general course.

34 O generation of vipers! how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

Note here, 1. The fervency and zeal of our Saviour's spirit in the compellation given to the Pharisees: he calls them a generation of vipers: intimating that they were a venomous and dangerous sort of Learn hence, That it is not always railing and indiscreet zeal to call wicked men by such names as their sin deserves. Observe farther, From our Saviour's saying, that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh; that the heart is the

men.

fountain both of words and actions: according as the heart is, so is the current of men's words and actions, either good

or evil.

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.

Observe here, A double treasure discovered in the heart of man. 1. An evil treasure of sin and corruption, both natural and acquired, from whence proceed evil things. Now this is called a treasure, not for the preciousness of it, but for the abundance of it; a little doth not make a treasure and also for the continuance of it; though it be perpetually overflowing in the life, yet doth the heart continue full; this treasure of original corruption in man's nature may be drawn low in this life, by sanctifying grace, but it never can be drawn dry. 2. Here is a good treasure of grace discovered in a sanctified and renewed man; which is the source and spring from whence all gracious actions do proceed and flow. For as the heart of man by nature is the fountain from whence all sin springs, so the heart renewed by grace is the source and spring from whence all gracious actions do proceed and flow.

shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

I say unto you; I, that have always been mind; I, that am constituted Judge of quick in my Father's bosom, and fully know his and dead, and understand the rule of judgment: I, even I, do assure you that every glory of God, or some way the good of word that has no tendency to promote the others, will fall under censure at the great day, without an intervening repentance. words for which we must be judged; sinNote here, That there are two sorts of ful words, and idle words. Sinful words are blasphemous words, censorious words, lying and slandering words. Idle words are such as savour nothing of wisdom and piety; that have no tendency to make men either wiser or better: how light soever men make of their words now, yet in God's balance another day they will be found to weigh very heavy. What a bridle should this text be to extravagant tongues! see Col. ix. 6. Let your speech be always seasoned with salt, that is, with wisdom, &c., for our words may mischief others a long time after they are spoken. How many years may a frothy or a filthy word, a profane of them that hear it, after the tongue that scoff, an atheistical jest, stick in the minds spake it is dead! A word spoken is physically transient, but morally permanent.

37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

Observe here, The argument which our Saviour uses to move us to watchfulness over our words: by our words we shall be justified; not meritoriously, but declaratively: good words declare goodness in ourselves, and we shall be declared good to others by our words, if our words and actions do correspond and agree with one another. Death and life are in the power of the tongue; that is, according to the right or wrong using of the tongue, we may judge and gather whether men are dead or alive as to God; and bound for heaven or hell. Doubtless justification or condemnation will pass upon men at the day of judgment, according to the state of the person, and frame of the heart; now our words will justify or condemn us in that day, as evidences of the state and frame of the soul. We use to say, such witnesses hanged a man; that is, the evidence they gave cast and condemned him. O think of this seriously: if words evidence the state of thy soul, what a hellish state must 36 But I say unto you, that every thy soul be in, who hast inured thyself to dle word that men shall speak, they || the language of hell, to oaths and curses;

sins whereby the devil cheats men more than by any sins whatsoever! They are damned for them, yet get nothing by them, neither profit nor pleasure.

38 Then certain of the scribes

those that reject Christ, who is the Wisdom of the Father; and the doctrine delivered by him, which was the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Learn, That the sins of infidelity and impenitency are exceedingly heightened, and their guilt aggra bring a people to faith and obedience. The sin of the Pharisees in rejecting Christ's miracles and ministry, was by far greater than that of the Ninevites, had they rejected Jonah's message and ministry sent by God amongst them.

and of the Pharisees answered, say-vated, from the means afforded by God to ing, Master, we would see a sign from thee. 39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: 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. 41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. 42 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this 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.

Observe here, 1. The request which the Pharisees make to Christ; Master, we would see a sign from thee. But had not Christ showed them signs enough already? What were all the miracles wrought in their sight, but convincing signs that he was the true Messias! But infidelity mixed with obstinacy is never satisfied. Observe, 2. Our Saviour's answer to the Pharisees' request: he tells them that they should have one sign more, to wit, that of his resurrection from the dead: For as Jonas lay buried three days in the whale's belly, and was then wonderfully restored, so should (and did) our Saviour continue in the grave part of three natural days, and then rise again. Observe, 3. How Christ declares the inexcusableness of their state, who would not be convinced by the former miracles he had wrought that he was the true Messiah; nor yet be brought to believe in him by this last sign or miracle of his resurrection. The Ninevites shall condemn the Pharisees, they repented at the preaching of Jonas; but these would not be convinced by the preaching and miracles of Jesus. The queen of Sheba, who also came from the south to hear and admire the wisdom of Solomon, shall rise up in judgment against VOL. L-9

43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, 45 Then swept, and garnished. 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 design and scope of this parable is to show that the Pharisees, by rejecting the gospel and refusing to believe in Christ, were in a seven-fold worse condition than if the gospel had never been preached to them, and a Saviour had never come among them; because by our Saviour's ministry Satan was in some sort cast out: but for rejecting Christ and his grace, Satan had got a seven-fold stronger_pos session of them now than before. From this parable learn, 1. That Satan is an unclean spirit; he has lost his original purity, his holy nature, in which he was created, and is become universally filthy in himself; no means being allowed him by God for purging of his filthy and unclean nature. Nay, he is a perfect enemy to purity and holiness, maligning all that love it, and would promote it. 2. That Satan is a restless and unquiet spirit; being cast out of heaven, he can rest nowhere; when he is either gone out of a man through policy, or cast out of a man by power, he has no content or satisfaction, till he returns into a filthy heart, where he delights to be as the swine in miry places. 3. That wicked and profane sinners have this unclean spirit dwelling in them: their hearts are Satan's house and habitation; and the lusts of pride and unbelief, malice and revenge, envy and hypocrisy, these are the

F 2

garnishings of Satan's house. Man's heart || was God's house by creation, it is now Sa

tan's by usurpation and judiciary tradi

tion. 4. That Satan by the preaching of the gospel may seem to go out of persons, and they become sober and civilized; yet may he return to his old habitation, and the last end of that man may be worse than the beginning.

46 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. 48 But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? 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 sister, and mother.

Observe here, 1. The verity of Christ's human nature; he had affinity and consanguinity with men, persons near in blood to him, called his brethren, that is, his cousin-germans. 2. That the holy virgin herself was not wholly free from failings and infirmities; for here she does untimely and unseasonably interrupt our Saviour when preaching to the people, and employed about his Father's business. 3. That Christ did not neglect his holy mother, nor disregard his near relations; only showed that he preferred his Father's service before them. Learn, 4. How dear believers are to Jesus Christ; he prefers his spiritual kindred before his natural. Alliance in faith, and spiritual relation to Christ, is much nearer and dearer than alliance by blood: to bear Christ in the heart is much better than to bear him in the womb. Blessed be God, this greatest privilege is not denied to us even now: though see Christ we cannot, yet love him we may; his bodily presence cannot be enjoyed by us, but his spiritual presence is not denied us. Though Christ be not ours, in house, in arms, in affinity, in consanguinity, yet in heart, in faith, in love, in service, he is or may be ours. Verily, spiritual regeneration brings men into a

follow.

The foregoing chapter gave us an account of an awakening sermon preached by our Saviour to the Pharisees. In this chapter we are acquainted with the continuance of his preaching to the multitude, where three things are observable. 1. Our in preaching of the gospel; for this sermon Lord's assiduity and unwearied diligence was made the same day with that in the former chapter, ver. 1. The same day went Jesus out, and sat by the sea-side. A good pattern for the preachers of the gospel to preach once a week, when our Lord How ashamed may we be to preached twice a day! Observe, 2. The place our Lord preached in, a ship; not that he declined the temple or the synagogue, when he had the opportunity; but in the want of them. Christ thought an house, a mountain, a ship, no unmeet place to preach in. It is not the place that sanctifies the ordinance, but the ordinance that sanctifies the place. Observe, 3. The manner of our Lord's preaching; It was by parables and similitudes; which was an ancient way of instruction among the Jews, and a very convincing way; at once working upon men's minds, memories, and affections; making the mind attentive, the memory retentive, and the auditors inquisitive after the interpretation of the parable. Some are of opinion that our Saviour's parables were suited to his hearers' employments, some of whom being busbandmen, he resembles his doctrine to seed sown in the field; for thus he speaks:

-Behold, a sower went forth to sow: 4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way-side, and the fowls came and devoured them up. 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 more honourable relation to Christ than natural generation ever did. scorched; and because they had no Whosoever shull do the will of my Father, he is my bro- root, they withered away: 7 And ther, and sister, and mother. some fell among thorns; and the