xii. 1. Mark il. Matth. xvii. 14. John vii. 1. The truth is, (a) the eastern way of reasoning was so different from that of the From Matth. west, that the soundest philosophy of Greece or Rome would have been mere jargon 23. Luke vi. 1. and cant at Jerusalem . The only method of reasoning, which was agreeable to the John v. 1. to Jewish taste, was to usher in an handsome simile or story apposite to the matter in Mark ix. 14. hand; to apply a smart saying of some ancient worthy; or to bring good proof from Luke ix. 37. their law or ancient tradition; but to go to prove morality to them (as Plato or Tully do) from the eternal rules of justice, from the rectitude and honourableness of virtue, and the pravity and turpitude of vice, would have been such a way of talking as the wisest men of their way of education would have greatly despised; and therefore our Blessed Saviour (who was well acquainted with the temper and customs of the people with whom he conversed) took care that his way of instructing them should be such as was most agreeable to their education, and consequently such as would tend more to their edification than if he had introduced the philosophic method of morality, which was only in use in such nations as were destitute of the benefits of a Divine Revelation. The heathens indeed couched their religious mysteries under fables and allegories, out of a principle both of fear and policy, to conceal them from the contempt of the vulgar, and to excite the study and curiosity of the learned: But in this latter design they seem to be mistaken, because the learned could no sooner look into the matters hid under these fables, but they must have discovered their shame, absurdity, and ridiculousness. The design of our Lord's speaking to the people in parables was quite contrary to this, as himself declares, viz. (b)" because they seeing, see not, and hearing, they hear not, neither do they understand;" which words, * both in sacred and profane authors, are a proverbial expression concerning men so wicked and so slothful, that either they attend not to, or will not follow the clearest intimations and convictions of their duty; and therefore, to awaken their attention, and make the stronger impression upon them, our Saviour was forced to have recourse to parables. This passage indeed, in the other evangelists that mention it, seems to bear a different sense, (c)" unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables, that seeing they may see, and not perceive, and hearing they may hear, and not understand:" Or, as it is in St Luke, (d)" that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand:" As if our Lord had spoken to the multitudes in parables, i. e. in a plain and familiar way, on purpose that they might not understand him, which, besides the contradiction, seems to include a spice of malevolence, where there never was any, (e) But all this is occasioned by the mistake of our translators, who, both in St Mark and St Luke, have rendered the word "va, by that, which should have been because; for this gives the words a quite different turn: In St Mark, "because seeing they do see, and not perceive,” and in St Luke, "because seeing they see not, and hearing they understand not." The natural import of which is this," That the Jews, by reason of their prejudices, not being able to understand the great mysteries of the Gospel, our Sa rebellious house, which have eyes to see and see not; (c) Mark iv. 11, 12. &c. or 5440. Ann. Dom. A. M. 4035, viour, out of love to their souls, accommodated himself to their capacities, by speaking to them in parables, i. e. in metaphors and similitudes, borrowed from things temporal and corporeal, in order to bring them to a more competent understanding of his doc 31, &c. Vulg. Er. 29. trine.' (a)" To you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but not to them," does not therefore imply, that our Saviour's parables were dark and obscure, and that, by speaking to the people in this manner, he had a design to conceal any truth that was requisite for them to know; but only, that he made a fuller discovery of his doctrine to his disciples, than it was necessary at that time to make to the multitude; that he instructed them in private, and enlarged upon the sense of his parables, and let them into the knowledge of several things that were not yet proper to be communicated to all, because they were his peculiar friends, and his constant companions; were more disposed to receive his doctrine; were afterwards to be the preachers of it; and, at length, to seal the truth of it with their blood. They were honest and well designing men; but it would be doing too great a compliment to their understanding to say, that there was any thing extraordinary, until they were endued from above in their sagacity and penetration: And therefore we are not to impute it to the obscurity of our Saviour's parables, that we find his disciples so frequently at a loss for the meaning of them (since some of them were quoted from Jewish authors, and many of them taken from the most obvious and common things), but we should rather impute it to their natural dulness and want of apprehension, as we find our Saviour himself does, when, upon their requesting him to expound the plain parable of the sower, he could not forbear saying with admiration, (b) "Know ye not this parable, and how then shall ye know all parables ?” It was not, then, to cloud and obscure, but rather illustrate and enforce his meaning, that our Lord delivered himself so frequently in parables; and the reason why he refused to gratify the Pharisees, in their desire of a sign from heaven, was, because he had already done miracles enough to satisfy them, had not their obstinacy been proof against all conviction. In that very chapter (c) wherein they make this insolent demand, they had seen before their faces (d) a withered hand made whole, and, (e) upon the ejection of a devil, a blind and dumb man restored to his sight and speech: but observe the turn which their resolute infidelity gives to the miracles; (ƒ) "This fellow does not cast out devils but by Beelzebub, the prince of the devils:" And yet these very men have the modesty, in a few verses after, to come to the person they had just before reviled and blasphemed at this rate, with this arrogant demand, (g) "Master, we would see a sign from thee." After such an affront, would it have become the meekest man upon earth to gratify these men in any request whatever? But much more, would it have become the majesty of the Son of God to prostitute his Divine power, merely to satisfy the curiosity (for that was all they wanted to have satisfied) of such abandoned miscreants? The sign which they wanted to see, may be supposed to be, either such (h) a shower of manna, as Moses; or such (i) a clap of thunder, as Samuel; or (k) such a fall of fire, as Elijah; or (2) such an arrest of the sun, as Joshua once called for. Now, supposing that our Saviour had been flexible enough to humour them in their unreasonable request, (m) what grounds have we to think, that these aerial or celestial prodigies would have wrought in them any more conviction than those miracles which were incontestable, done in their presence, within their feeling, and compass of examination? These, (a) Matth. xiii. 11. (e) Ver. 22. vii. 10. on Matth, xii. 38. (b) Mark iv. 18. (c) Matth. xii. 38. (d) Ver. 13. (g) Ver. 38. (h) Exod. xvi. 14. (i) 1 Sam. (1) Josh. x. 12. (m) Calmet's Commentary 23. Luke vi. 1. Mark ix. 14. Luke ix. 37. John vii 1 we see, they imputed to a diabolical power, and much more might they do it to those From Matth. that were at so vast a distance, since they could not be ignorant of what is said of the xii. 1. Mark ii. "prince of the power of the air," in the book of Job, viz. That the "fire which fell from John v. 1. to heaven," and consumed that holy man's substance, as well as the wind which overturned Matth. xvii. 14. the house, where his children were met together, were the effects of Satan's procuring. What notions the ancient Jews had of the power of magic we cannot positively say but it is certain, that the heathen magicians made it their boast, that they could stop the course of the sun, moon, and stars, turn them into darkness as they pleased, and make them obey their voice: And if the Pharisees had the like notions of these things, their demanding a sign from heaven was to no manner of purpose, because, upon their own supposition, that our Lord acted by a magical power, what they desired him to do was not above the sphere of his ability; and if they thought it so, it could never have wrought in them any good conviction, because the same hardness of heart, and hatred of him, would have kept them under the same persuasion still, that all his wonders, whether above or below, whether in heaven or on earth, whether on human or celestial bodies, were done by the assistance of the devil. Since then no sign that the Pharisees could ask, even had our Saviour condescended to work it, would have been effectual to their conviction, our Saviour was not unkind in remitting them to one that would not fail of convincing them, that what he did was not by a diabolical but Divine power. For, since it was agreed on all hands, that a person, when dead, whatever he had in his lifetime, could not then have the devil at his command; if, after they had crucified him, they should find him restored to life again, this would be a sign wherein there could be no fallacy; that as his restoration was from the hand of God, so his commission had all along been from the same; and (a) that, as Jonas's miraculous escape from the whale's belly, wherewith the Ninevites were doubtless acquainted, was a powerful means to confirm to them the truth of his prophetic office; so now, though all Christ's miracles, while living, prevailed but little, yet after his death and resurrection from the grave, he would then be credited in the same manner as Jonas was; (b) "he would then draw all men after him," and the very Pharisees themselves would be prevailed upon to acknowledge his Divine mission. This is the sense of his comparing himself so often with the prophet Jonas: and that the chief priests and Pharisees understood the comparison in this sense, is manifest from what they say to Pilate; (c) "Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, after three days I will rise again;" for I nowhere remember, that he made any declaration to the chief priests and Pharisees, though he did it frequently to his apostles, of his intended resurrection after three days, but only in this comparison of himself to Jonas. Had human wisdom indeed been consulted in the election of Christ's apostles, it would have made choice of the profoundest Rabbins, the acutest philosophers, and the most powerful orators, who, by the strength of reason, and arts of eloquence, might have triumphed over the minds of men, grappled with the stubborness of the Jews, and baffled the fine notions and speculations of the Greeks and Romans; but then it must be allowed, that one argument for the proof of the divinity of the Christian religion had been lost. Nay, it might have been objected, "That no wonder, indeed, that this religion should thrive so well in the world, when it had all human advantages to assist it, and was supported and carried on by the united force of the reason and eloquence of such renowned scholars." But now, by making choice of weak and illiterate persons to be his apostles, and first publishers of the Gospel, our Lord has taken an effec Quæ sidera excantata voce Thessalâ Hor. in Canidiam (a) Whitby's Annotations on Matth. xii. 39. 5440. &c. or A. M. 4035, tual means that (a) "our faith should not stand (as St Paul expresses it) in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God, because their speech and their preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power." Vulg Ær. 29. And indeed, what less than a Divine power could have enabled a few illiterate mechanics, who had no art, no address of their own, to propagate a new and unheard-of religion, contrary to the laws everywhere established, and contrary to mens natural passions and appetites, with such a wonderful success, as, in the space of twenty or thirty years, to extend it over all the principal parts of the Roman empire, and in the next age to fill all places, cities and islands, castles and burghs, palaces and senates, courts and camps, with multitudes of converts, as the great apologist Tertullian justly glories? Doubtless, if ever there was an intervention of Divine power in human affairs it was here," when (b) God chose the foolish and weak things of the world to confound the wise and mighty," and when simplicity and ignorance not only had the advantage, but absolutely triumphed over all the wit, and learning, and power, and policy of the world. That therefore the mighty force of Christianity, to make its way through the greatest obstacles, might more evidently appear the instruments which our Saviour employed in the propagation of it (so far as their own abilities, either natural or acquired, were concerned) were the meanest that can be imagined, but, by an extraordinary communication of his Blessed Spirit to them, he inspired them with the gift of languages, that they might be able to address themselves to people of all nations; with the power of working miracles, that they might be able to confirm the truth of the doctrine which they taught; and, upon all emergencies, (c)" with such a mouth and wisdom, as all their adversaries were not able to gainsay or resist." These, and several other gifts extraordinary, did more than supply the natural defects which the apostles laboured under in the execution of so great a work; but now that these gifts are withdrawn, our religion established, and the canon of the Holy Scriptures completed, their successors have a different province to manage. Instead of travelling all the world over, and compassing sea and land to gain proselytes to the Christian faith, their duty is, to keep in order the things that are settled, and (d) “ to feed the flock of God, that is among them, taking the oversight thereof, not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; not as lords over God's inheritance, but as ensamples to their flock;" and, instead of delivering to their respective churches such writings as might in all ages be the pillar and foundation of truth, their business is to study the Scriptures, which they have received, to defend their authority, and expound their sense: (e)" to preach the word; (as the apostle to Timothy specifies their office) to be instant in season and out of season; to reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with all longsuffering and doctrine;" and what compass of learning, and share of influence among the people, are requisite to a due discharge of all this (as (f)" a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of God"), wants no detail of arguments to prove, since we find the great apostle St Paul, amidst all the gifts that were then dispensed to the church, and the particular revelations which were vouchsafed him, upon the consideration of the weightiness of his office, crying out, and saying, (g) “who is sufficient for these things?" Upon the whole, therefore, we may observe, that it was highly requisite, that the apostles, and first publishers of the Gospel, and the present ministers and preachers of it, should be men of different characters and abilities; that the former of these (for the more effectual discharge of their office) should have several kinds of gifts supernatural, the latter no more than was the product of their own (a) 1 Cor. ii. 4, 5. (e) 2 Tim. iv. 2. (b) Ibid. i. 27, (ƒ) Ibid. ii. 15. (c) Luke xxi. 15. (g) 2 Cor. ii. 16. (d) 1 Pet. v. 2. 23 Luke vi. 1. labour and acquisition; or (to speak in the phrase of the Scripture) that, as at first our From Matth. Saviour (a) "gave some apostles, some prophets, and some evangelists; so now he xii. 1. Mark ii. should appoint some rulers, some pastors, and some teachers; for the perfecting of the John v. 1. to saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ; till we all Matth. xvii. 14 come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect Luke ix. 37. man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ *. (b) That anger, considered in itself, and upon all occasions whatever, is unlawful, neither the most rigid philosophers, nor the most severe Christians, have ever been able to prove. It is one of those passions that are implanted in us by the God of nature. The first motions of it seem to be mechanical, and the hastiness or slowness of it depends in a great measure upon the temper of the body and the animal spirits: so far then as it is natural, we dare not account it criminal, for fear of making God, who hath implanted it in us, the author of sin. Those who define it a desire of revenge, or of doing evil to another, purely because he has done so to us, make it indeed a sinful passion, and a plain violation of that command, which requires us (c)" not to avenge ourselves, but rather to give place unto wrath;" but if it be considered (d) as proceeding upon a desire of obtaining satisfaction for some injury done to us, or to those for whom we are concerned, the honour of God, the reverence due to the laws, the love of virtue, and the protection of good men, may make this not only innocent but highly necessary and commendable. There is a tameness of spirit that justly deserves censure; and in some cases we even do not well unless we are angry: And for this reason, I make no doubt, it was, (e) that our blessed Saviour, on some occasions, suffered himself to be seen in some degrees of this passion, namely, to evince the lawfulness of it, and, by his example, to confute the doctrine of those heathen stoics, who condemned the use of all passions, and were for making those natural tendencies which God has given us altogether superfluous. For religion admits of no such paradoxical notions: When it requires us to be (ƒ) slow to wrath, it allows of the passion upon a just provocation, and only blames him (g) "who is angry with his brother without a cause;" and when it gives us this caution, (h)" Be angry and sin not, let not the sun go down upon your wrath," it supposes the thing itself warrantable, and only prohibits the excess or long duration of it. It is the rash, causeless, and continued anger, that our holy religion condemns: But who shall say that our Saviour's resentment to the Pharisees was not upon good grounds, when they, by their traditions, had made void the moral law, excused men from doing what God had commanded, and laid upon them other unnecessary burdens, which he had no where enjoined? When the pride and arrogance of their sect, and their contempt and hatred of all that contradicted them, made it necessary for him to use some smartness in his reprehensions, thereby to excite them to a sensibility of their errors? They (i) had consulted with the Herodians how they might destroy him; the works which he did by the finger of God, they had ascribed to a diabolical power; and therefore no wonder" that he should look upon them with indignation, because of the hardness of their hearts." But when there was no such cause for any degree of anger, and where the glory of God was not immediately concerned, his whole life was the most perfect pattern of meekness and patience, according to that prediction concerning him, ()" He Mark ix. 14. John vii. 1. |