146 The parable of the great supper. SECT. condescension, and charity, shall flourish in all cxx. their glory! Luke supper, and bade 17 And sent his On this natural occasion, our Lord thought 16 Then said he it xiv.16 proper to remind him and the company, that unto him, A certain man made a great many who, on mistaken notions of this kingdom, professed to desire it, were under the many: force of such carnal prejudices on this head, that they would in fact slight and reject it. And to this purpose he uttered the following parable, and said to him that had expressed so high a notion of the entertainments of his kingdom, A certain man made a great supper, and 17 invited many guests; And he sent out his servant at the hour of supper to say to those that servant at supperwere invited, as they delayed their coming, that were bidden, time to say to them My master desires you would come away as Come, for all things soon as possible; for all things prepared for are now ready. 18 the entertainment are now ready. And they 18 And they all all began with one [consent], as if by mutual with one consent beagreement they had all contrived to put a slight The first said unto on the entertainment, to excuse themselves on him, I have bought one pretence or another. The first said to him a piece of ground, that was sent, I have just now purchased a field, and see it: I pray and I must needs go and I am under the necessity of going to see it; thee have me exI entreat thee therefore to make my excuse. cused. 19 And another said, I have just bought five yoke 19 And another of oxen, and I am going to try them, that I may said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, see how they will draw; I beseech thee there- and I go to prove fore to make my excuse, and assure thy master them: I pray thee that it is important business that prevents me. have me excused. 20 And another said I have very lately married a 20 And another wife, and shall have company to entertain, and said, I have married therefore you will easily perceive I cannot come a wife, and therefore I cannot come. to attend your master's feast and neglect my 21 So that servant 21 own.d And that servant returning, told came and shewed b With one [consent]; aro pas.] Of all the various methods which learned men have taken to supply the ellipsis here (which may be seen at large in Wolfius, Observ. V l. I. p. 682, 683), it seems to me most natural to understand the word vans, that is, with one consent; which supposition is maintained by Beza. The variety of their excuses render qavns, with one voice, less proper. I beseech thee make my excuse, &c.] It is a beautiful circumstance that our Lord here represents both these bargains as already made; so that going to see the farm, and to prove the oxen, that evening rather gan to make excuse. than the next morning, was merely the effect of rudeness on the one hand, and of a foolish impatient humour on the other; and never could have been urged, had they esteemed the inviter, or his entertainment. Accordingly it is commonly found in fact, that men neglect the blessings and demands of the gospel, not for the most important affairs in life with which they seldom interfere, but to indulge the caprice and folly of their own tempers, and to gratify the impulse of present passions sometimes excited on very low occasions. d I cannot come, &c.] As the process of the parable represents a wise and good The poor are called in to partake of the feast. 147 SECT. Luke his lord these things. his lord all these things. Then the master of Then the master of the house who had made the entertainment was the house being anvery angry, as he reasonably might be, to see gry, said to his servant, Go out quickly such an affront put upon his splendid prepa- xiv.21 into the streets and rations, and such an ungrateful return made for lanes of the city, and the peculiar kindness and respect he had shewn bring in hither the poor, and the maim. in sending for these guests; and therefore he ed, and the halt, and said to his servant, Go out directly into the streets the blind. is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the disabled, and the lame, and the blind, that they may come and partake of the entertainment; for I had rather see my house filled with such guests than empty as it now is. 22 And the ser- And the servant quickly came back, and said, 22 vant said, Lord, it Sir, what thou didst please to command, is done; these poor distressed people are come in, and sat down at the table; and still there is room for more guests, and entertainment enough And the lord 23 23 And the lord provided to feast many others. said unto the ser- said to the servant, Go out then into the roads vant, Go out into without the city, and, rather than fail, look for the highways and hedges, and compel the poorest and most helpless travellers, who them to come in, are sheltering themselves under trees and that my house may hedges; and, if importunity be necessary to such, press them that you find there by the most earnest invitation to come in, that my be filled. man offended with this excuse among the rest, we must suppose something in the circumstance of his receiving the message, or of appointing the time for entertaining company on his own marriage, which implied a rude contempt of the inviter, and made the reply indecent. It was not necessary to descend to such particulars. Into the streets and lanes of the city.] This seems the true distinction between πλάθειας and ρυμας ; the former of which signifies a broad, and the latter a narrow way, in which last the alleys may be included. Into the roads and hedges.] Any gross and abandoned sinners might be represented as in this wretched condition. (See Eph. ii. 12-17.) But it seems an excessive refinement of Brennius, to suppose the hedges here mentioned refer to the ceremonial law as a partition; as it like wise is to explain the first clause as relating to the proselytes of the gate, and the second to the idolatrous Gentiles. One might as well infer from ver. 24, that no Jews should be saved and it argues a wrong taste in criticism to torture every circumstance into a fancied resemblance. 8 Press them by the most earnest invitation to come in.] Nothing can be more apparently weak than to imagine, with St. Augustin and many others, that these words can justify the use of compulsion and force in religious matters; the absurdity and iniquity of which I have represented at large in my sermon on that subject. It is certain the word αναγκάζω is often used to express an importunity where there could be no secular terrors; Mat. xiv. 22 ; Mark vi. 45; Gal. ii. 3, 14; vi. 12 (as is likewise the word gabia Coμai, Luke xxiv. 29, and Acts xvi. 15); and several instances are produced by Elsner, in which the word signifies pressing persuasion. (Observ. Vol. I. p. 244, 245). And here, as it would be most indecent to imagine persons forced to an entertainment, so it would have been quite impracticable for a single servant to have compelled a multiThere is an ambiguity tude in this sense. in the English word [press], which much more exactly answers to that in the 148 Reflections on the invitations SECT. house may be well filled. For I say unto you, 24 For I say unto cxx. that none of those men who were invited, if they you, that none of those men which should now be ever so desirous of it, shall be were bidden shall admitted so much as to taste of my supper; taste of my supper. since they have so rudely and ungratefully slighted it. Luke xiv.24 And in like manner, such will the Divine conduct be with regard to the gospel. God sends his messengers in the most importunate manner to invite you Jews to come and partake of its rich entertainment; yet you neglect it on the meanest pretences, and one is too busy, and another too idle, to attend to it. But he will severely resent the affront, and (though it may seem to you as unaccountable a conduct as that which I have represented in this parable) will call in the poor, ignorant, and wretched Gentiles, who were wandering in the most helpless circumstances, in the ways of idolatry and wickedness; and his church shall be filled with them, while you, who reject his gospel, shall in righteous judgment be yourselves rejected, and perish for want of those mercies which you now despise. Fer.24 IMPROVEMENT. MAY the infinite mercy of God forbid that this should ever be our condition! The gospelfeast, like the sumptuous banquet of Ahasuerus (Esth. i. 3, 4), is of a very long standing: not only from week to week, but from age to age, God is sending 21, 22 to invite new guests; and, after all the millions that have been regaled by it, and nourished up to everlasting life, there is yet room for more. Still are his servants sent from one time to another, with all the fervour of the most affectionate persuasion, 23 to urge sinners to accept of these desirable blessings; (for such only is the compulsion that becomes a feast, and suits the nature of reasonable creatures). May we not receive the grace of God in vain! May we not perish, as thousands before us have done, by making light of the gospel! 18, 20 It has often been observed from this parable, that they were lawful occasions which these unhappy people pleaded as their excuse for neglecting the invitation. And how many perish by what is indeed lawful! But the care of our estates or cattle, our ariginal, than the word our translators use: though a paraphrase, which speaks only a and it seems to me the part of a faithful man's own sentiments, may sometimes translator, especially of the sacred writings, venture to determine them. to preserve the ambiguities of the original; given us to the gospelfeast. CXX. domestic affairs, and our dearest relatives, will be destructive to SECT. us, if they be minded as our main care, and our hearts be so attentive to them as to forget the one thing needful. Are we of the number of those who, though once blinded, im- ver.21 poverished, and enfeebled by sin, are now brought as welcome guests to the table which Divine love has spread? Let us adore the grace which opened the door to us, and opened our hearts to comply with the call; by its strong and powerful, though rational and gentle influence, compelling us to come in. Let the servants employed in the message urge it with a becoming earnestness; as well knowing how much the heart of their great master is in it, and how much the happiness of souls depends on their accepting it. Lord! may we see thy table furnished with guests, and ourselves be so happy as finally to partake of those blessings to which we are now commanded to invite others! For blessed in- 15 deed are they who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God! SECT. CXXI. Our Lord urges upon his disciples the necessity of considering the difficulties of religion before they take up a profession of it. Luke XIV. 25, to the end. LUKE XIV. 25. ND there went he turned, and said unto them, AND LUKE XIV. 25. CXXI. Luke ND as great multitudes attended Christ, secr. A and went with him in this his journey great multitudes with him: and toward Jerusalem, he turned about and said to them, You now attend me from place to place xiv.25 with some tokens of regard; but seriously consider how much it will cost you to approve yourselves my faithful followers. and mother, and 26 If any man If any one comes to me to be instructed in my 26 come to me, and religion, and to obtain the blessings of my kinghate not his father dom, and does not prepare himself, on a proper wife, and children, occasion, to act as if he did even hate his father and brethren, and and mother, and his very wife and children, and sisters, yea, and his brethren and sisters, yea, and his own life too,Þ Great multitudes attended Christ.] Perhaps the cure of the man who had the dropsy, and some expectations as to the event of Christ's visit to this Pharisee, might cause a crowd near his house; and what follows might be spoken the same sabbath, on our Lord's coming out from thence but as the evangelist does not so expressly connect the passages, I was not willing to assert it in the paraphrase. To act as if he even did hate his father and mother, &c.] Strictly speaking, to hate 150 Religion must be undertaken with serious consideration. SECT. that is, if he be not willing to abandon all these own life also, he cxx1 rather than to forsake me, he cannot really be cannot be my disciple. Luke my disciple, whatever he may pretend. And 27 And whosoevxvi. 27 whosoever does not stedfastly resolve even to er doth not bear his bear his cross, and to come after me, whenever cross, and come afhe is called to tread the painful steps that I am terme, cannot be my disciple. taking in the way to crucifixion and death, he cannot be my disciple: and therefore, as I gave these things in charge to my apostles (Mat. x. 38, Vol. I. p. 420), I repeat them to you as matters of universal concern, which require your most attentive consideration. 28 to 28 For which of build a tower, sit ish it? And it is necessary to dwell on the thought; for which of you, if he be a person of common you intending prudence, and intend to build a tower, or any teth not down first, other edifice, does not first deliberately sit and counteth the down, and compute the expense it will require, cost, whether he and compare it with his own circumstances, have sufficient to finthat he may judge whether he has a stock of 29 wealth [sufficient] to finish it? Lest when he 29 Lest haply af. hath laid a foundation, and is not able to complete ter he hath laid the [the work] he had begun, for want of money to not able to finish it, foundation, and is go through with it, all who see it, as they pass all that behold it be 30 by, should begin to deride him, Saying, in con- gin to mock him, tempt, This must be surely a wise man, who 30 Saying, This man began to build, thus began to build, and was not able to finish his and was not able to plan; and here his imperfect work stands a finish. lasting monument of his great discretion! 31 Or what wise king, if he was marching out to 31 Or what king encounter another king in war, does not first sit going to make war adown and consider whether he has any such ad-gainst another king, sitteth not down vantage, as to arms, strength, or situation, as first, and consulteth may induce him to conclude that he is able with whether he be able no greater force than ten thousand men to meet and oppose him that cometh against him with eth against him with twenty thousand? And if he find he has not, twenty thousand? with ten thousand to meet him that com This Or what king marching out to encounter another king, &c.] According to Sir Isaac Newton's chronology, these words were spoken at our Lord's last passover, and might refer to Herod's leading his army through Judea against Aretas king of Arabia. But as Herod did not then appear to be the weaker, I cannot see that (even supposing the premises to be true) there would be any certainty of such an intended allusion. • If he intend to build a tower.] phrase naturally suggests to us the idea of a more magnificent edifice than our Lord's hearers might probably think of on this occasion. It is plain that towers were frequently run up, probably of some slight materials, to lodge those who had the care of keeping vineyards or flocks; and they were built pretty high in proportion to their basis, that they might command the larger prospect. Compare 2 Chron. xxvi. 10 Mic. iv. 8; Isa. v. 2; Mat. xxi. 33; and Mark xii. 1. |