186. Where the carcass is, the eagles will be gathered together. SECT they who regard my admonitions, and retire, lose his life, shall cxxviii. however their conduct may be censured as im- preserve it. Luke prudent, shall survive the general ruin. bed; the one shall xvii. 33 I tell you, in that night, that gloomy calam- 34 I tell you, in 34 itous time, the Providence of God shall be that night there shall strangely seen, in delivering some of my dis- be two men in one ciples, when others in the very same places and be taken, and the circumstances shall perish in the common ca- other shall be left. lamity: there shall, for instance, be two persons lying in the same bed; and the one shall be taken 35 by the enemy, and the other dismissed. Two 35 Two women women shall be grinding together at the same shall be grinding mill; the one shall be taken, and the other dis- together; the one 36 missed. shall be taken, and And two men shall be working the other left. or walking together in the field; the one shall 36 Two men shall be taken, and the other dismissed. (Compare be in the field: the Mat. xxiv. 40, 41, sect. clxiii.) 37 one shall be taken, and the other left. 37 And they an gathered together. And they answered and said to him, Where, Lord, and to whom shall this destruction hap- swered and said unto ? And he said to them, That common prov- And he said unto him, Where, Lord! pen erb is applicable to the present occasion, them, Wheresoever Wheresoever the carcass [is], there will the eagles the body is, thither be gathered together; wherever the impen- will the eagles be itent and unbelieving Jews are, the vengeance of God will pursue them, and the Roman eagles shall (as it were) fly upon them as a helpless prey; and so, where their numbers are the largest, there the destruction will be greatest and most terrible. Compare Mat. xxiv. 28, sect. clxi. Ver.20 IMPROVEMENT. MAY our minds be formed to a true taste and relish for the kingdom of God! and may we learn wherein it consists; not, like the kingdoms of this world, in external pomp and splendor, • The one shall be taken by the enemy ] Jerusalem above, that I might leave room That this is the sense of the word for it. παραληφθησεται, and that αφεθησεται in the & Wheresoever the carcass is, &c.] Dr. latter clause should be rendered dismissed, Clarke has explained the general sense of or let go, I think Elsner has abundantly this proverb with great judgment. (See proved; Observ. Vol. I. p. 262, 263. He his Seventeen Sermons, p. 381, & seq.) It has likewise she wn there, how customary is, as if it had been said, The like causes it was for women to grind at the mill. See will produce the like effects. But it seems also Bos, Exerc. p. 30. to suggest so proper an allusion to the Roman standards, and to the carnage they made of the Jews, that I could not forbear introducing the mention of it. Where, Lord, &c.] I have seen few paraphrases which do not supersede this question: I have forbore mentioning Reflections on the coming of Christ. 187 but in righteousness, peace, joy in the Holy Ghost, and that inward SECT. subjection of soul to the Divine government which is the es- cxxviii. sence of religion, and the grand security and felicity of our natures! Many are, like the Pharisees, talking of it, and expecting it, while it is among them, and they know it not; and, ver. 21 perhaps, despise the humble Christians in whom it resides, and most eminently triumphs. May they who think most lightly of it never have cause to wish at last for the return of those days of the Son of man, which are now their burden, rather than their pleasure, while they hear vital and inward religion in vain 22 recommended and enforced! What our Lord says of his coming to the destruction of Jeru- 26-30 salem, may be applied, as it is elsewhere, to his appearance at the final judgment, of which the former was a figure. Thus shall the men of that generation be immersed in business and pleasure; and that tremendous day shall come upon them, even as a thief in the night; so that they shall find themselves overwhelmed with irrecoverable ruin, while they cry, Peace and safety. (1 Thes. v. 2, 3.) And thus doth the awful hour of death, which consigns men over to judgment, surprise the generality of mankind, while they are thoughtless of it and unprepared for its approach, amidst all the solemn warnings of it which they daily receive. May we be always in a prepared posture, and daily live as on the verge of eternity! And if once we are engaged in a course of serious prepara- 32 tion, let us remember Lot's wife, and take heed that we turn not back again. We flee as for our lives; let us not look behind us. Whatever is to be left, whatever is to be lost, it is enough if our 31 life be given us as for a prey. If we have any just hope that it will be so given us, we have 34-36 a great deal of reason to own and adore the riches of Divine grace to us, of that distinguishing grace which has taken us when others are left; some, perhaps, employed in the same business, and dwelling in the same place; and, may not I add, some lying in the same bed too! In a word, let all seriously bethink themselves, and flee from the wrath to come. God spared not Fudea, that favourite country, when they rejected his gospel, and his Son: let us fear, lest he also spare not us. (Rom. xi. 20, 21.) In this respect also, wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together. The same causes will produce the same effects; 37 and when we, in particular, of these happy, but sinful nations, consider our numerous and aggravated provocations, we shall see much greater reason to wonder that the judgments of God have been so long delayed, than that they should at last fall upon us with an insupportable weight. 188 SECT. OXXIX. Christ delivers the parable of the importunate widow, SE C T. CXXIX. Christ presses his disciples to perseverance in prayer by the parable of the importunate widow; and recommends humility by that of the Pharisee and publican. Luke XVIII. 1—14. THU LUKE XVIII. 1. them, to this end, LUKE XVIII. 1. HUS our Lord discoursed with his dis- AND he spake ciples of the approaching destruction of a parable unto Luke Jerusalem by the Romans; and, for their en- that men ought alxviii.1 couragement under those hardships, which they ways to pray, and might in the mean time expect, from their un- not to faint believing countrymen, or others, he spake a parable to them; which was intended to inculcate upon them this great truth, that, how distressed soever their circumstances might be, they ought always to pray with faith and perseverance, and not to faint under their trials. 2 not God, neither re For this purpose he discoursed to them in 2 Saying, There the following manner, saying, There was a was in a city a judge in a certain city, who neither feared God, judge, which feared nor reverenced man; but was wicked enough garded man. to set light by all regards to both, and to make his own humour and secular interest the only 3 rule of his actions. And there was a widow 3 And there was a in that city who had sustained some injury from widow in that city, an enemy more powerful than herself; and, and she came unto him, saying, Ahaving no other way to obtain redress, she venge me of mine came to him, at a place and time when she could adversary. not be denied access, and said, I come to put myself under the protection of the law, and to demand thine assistance as a magistrate, to do me justice against mine adversary, that I may afterward he said himself, 4 not sink under his oppressive attempts. This 4 And he would was her case and plea; yet as she brought no not for a while: but present in her hand, he would not, for a con- within siderable time, take any notice of it: but, as she Though I fear not still persevered in her petition, he afterwards God, nor regard said within himself, Though indeed I neither man ; fear God, nor reverence man, and therefore care not what becomes of this cause, 5 has the right or the wrong of it; or who Yet be- 5 Yet because this cause this importunate widow gives me trouble widow troubleth me, Do me justice against mine adversary.] taken in the version to express it so as not This is the undoubted import of the phrase to suggest the idea of revenge. εκδικησον με; and care should have been and declares the success of perseverance in prayer. 189 I will avenge her, by her continual application, I will do her jus- SECT. lest by her continual tice, lest by her coming perpetually to me with cxxix. coming she weary this petition, she even stun and weary me out me. 6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. with them? with her cries.b Luke xviii.5 And the Lord said, Hear, and observe, what 6 the unjust judge saith upon this remarkable occasion, and how he owns himself to be prevailed on by the continual cries of one whom 7 And shall not otherwise he would not have regarded. And 7 God avenge his own if the earnest importunity of a poor widow elect, which cry day thus prevailed on an unrighteous person, shall and night unto him, though he bear long not a righteous God much more be moved to vindicate his own elect, his chosen and dearly beloved people, that cry to him day and night, under the cruel oppression of their insulting enemies, even though he may seem to bear long with them, to give them space for repentance ? 8 I tell you, that Yes, I say unto you, He will certainly vindicate 8 he will avenge them them; and when he once undertakes it, he will speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of do it speedily too; and this generation of men man cometh, shall shall see and feel it to their terror. Neverthehe find faith on the less, when the Son of man, having been put in earth? possession of his glorious kingdom, comes to She even stun and weary me out.] The word uwian is very emphatical, and signifies to stun, or beat down by violent and repeated blows on the head. Compare 1 Cor. ix. 27. Though he may seem to bear long with them, &c.] The learned Elsner supposes Mangobuv, with a small alteration in the accent, to correspond to Bowley, and would render it, Shall he not avenge his elect, who cry to him, and wait patiently for it, that is, for his appearance in their favour? (Elsner, Observ. Vol. I. p. 265, 266.) But, as I cannot think the words will naturally bear such a construction, or that the authorities he produces are satisfactory, I choose to retain our version. Nor can I, on this interpretation, perceive any inconsistency between ver. 7 and 8, since it is plain God might wait long, and yet at length execute a speedy and sudden vengeance on the persecuting enemies of his people. Compare Psal. lxxüi. 19; Hab. ii. 3; and es. pecially Ecclus' xxxv. 18; to which words Grotius supposes there is an allusion here. Will he find faith in the land?] It is evident the word yn often signifies, not the earth in general, but some particular land or country; as in Acts vii. 3, 4, 11, and in numberless other places. And the context here limits it to the less extensive signification. The believing Hebrews were evidently in great danger of being wearied out with their persecutions and distresses. (Compare Heb. iii. 12—14; x. 23-39; xii. 1-4; Jam. i. 1-4; ii. 6; v. 10; 1 Pet. ii. 20-25; iii. 14—17; iv. 1, 2, 12-19; v. 9, 10.) Mr. Fleming argues from hence, that deism shall prevail very much toward the conclusion of the Millennium (Christology, Vol. II. p. 358) ; but it is evident from the connection, as stated above, that this cannot justly be inferred from this text; nor does the fact itself seem at all probable. 190 SECT. CXXIX. Luke xviii.9 The parable of the proud Pharisee and humble publican themselves that they He also spake this other parable to certain 9 And he spake persons, who, like the proud self justifying this parable unto cerPharisees, with an arrogant conceit of their tain which trusted in own merit, trusted in themselves, that they were were righteous, and righteous, and despised others as reprobates. despised others: 10 There were, said he, Two men who went up 10 Two men went to the temple to pray there, choosing to offer up into the temple to up their particular devotions at that sacred Pray; the one a Phaplace; and the one of them was a Pharisee, one a publican. of that sect so greatly honoured among you, and the other a publican, whom you are used to number with the most contemptible of man risee, and the other adulterers, or even 11 kind. And the Pharisee standing by himself, 11 The Pharisee at as great a distance as he could from the stood and prayed miserable sinner, who had entered the temple God, I thank thee, thus with himself, with him, as if he feared being polluted by that I am not as touching him, or any other person less holy other men are, exthan himself, prayed in this manner, O God, I tortioners, unjust, thank thee, that I am not as the generality of as this publican, other men are; but have always had the grace to withstand those vile temptations which conquer and enslave them; so that I am not like the rapacious, unjust, adulterous generation among whom I live, or even like this wretched publican that stands there at a distance, who probably is all this, and more: Thou knowest, O Lord, that I am zealous in all the traditions 12 tithes of all that I possess. of the elders; that in conformity to them I 12 I fast twice in fast twice a week, and with the greatest strict- the week, I give ness I pay tithes of all that I possess, not excepting even the very herbs of my garden. (Compare Mat. xxiii. 23, and Luke xi. 42.) Thus the Pharisee offered his devotions, standing as near as he could to the court of the priests; confident in his own distinguished sanctity, and desirous to be observed by 13 others. But the poor humble publican standing 13 And the publiafar off, in the court of the Gentiles, as un- can standing afar off, worthy to be numbered among God's people, would not lift up so and much more unworthy to appear in the pres- to heaven, but smote much as his eyes unence of so holy a Deity, would not so much as lift up his eyes to heaven, the habitation of the Divine holiness and glory; but smote on his As if he feared being polluted by touching him, &c.] Thus Camero well explains this clause. Compare Isa. lxv. 5. I fast twice a week. It has been observed by most commentators, that the Jews, especially the Pharisees, used gene. rally to keep private fasts on Mondays and Thursdays, as the primitive Christians did on Wednesdays and Fridays; and our Lord had formerly reproved their ostentatious manner of doing it: Mat, vi. 16-18. See Drusius, in loc. |