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144

Sect. 119.

I.

CHRIST cures a Man that had the Dropfy,

nions (a), he went into the Houfe of one of the chief of one of the chief Pharifees Pharifees, who was a Magistrate of

great DiftincLuke XIV. tion (6), that had invited him to eat Bread, i. e. to dine with him, on the Sabbath-Day; and many of the Pharifees were prefent there, and, as their ufual Custom was, they were narrowly watching him, to make the most invidious Obfervations on his Conduct.

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to eat Bread on the Sabbathday, that they watched him.

2 And behold, there was which had the Dropfy.

And behold, there was a certain Man before him, that had a Dropfy, who having heard that a certain Man before him, Jefus was to dine there, had conveyed himself thither, in Hope of a Cure (c).

And Jefus anfwering to the fecret Reasonings which he difcerned in their Minds on this Occafion, faid to the Doctors of the Law, and other Pharifees, who were then prefent, What do you think now of this Cafe? Is it lawful to heal a diftempered Perfon on the Sabbath-Day? or can there be any Thing in fo benevolent an Action, inconfiftent with that facred Reft which is required on that Day?

But they were filent; as not being able with any Face to deny the Legality of the Action, and yet unwilling to say any Thing which might feem to authorize those Cures, which Chrift performed on the Sabbath-Day, as well as at other Times and which in the general they had been known to cenfure.

And Jefus, when he found that they would

make

3 And Jefus answering, fpake unto the Lawyers and Pharifees, faying, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbathday?

4 And they held their Peace.

(a) Just as our Lord was finishing his Journey thro' Herod's Dominions.] As all that follows from the Beginning of this xivth Chapter to Chap. xvii. 10. is placed by Luke before the Account of his Journey thro' Samaria to Jerufalem; and as I find no other Event in any of the Evangelifts before the Feast of Dedication, to which I conclude that Journey refers; I am obliged (by the Rule I lay down to myself, of never changing the Order without apparent Reafon,) to take all thefe Difcourfes and Stories juft as I find them; tho' I cannot pretend pofitively to fay, that Luke, who no doubt has fometimes changed the Order in his Narration, has exactly obferved it here. It is however poffible, that all recorded in these Chapters might happen within the Compafs of a few Days; and fo would be confiftent with interpreting Chap. xiii. 32, 33. in a more literal Manner, than is abfolutely neceffary.

(b) A Magiftrate of great Diftinction.] If (as Dr. Whitby fuppofes,) the Perfon who gave the Invitation was indeed one of the grand Sanhedrim, he might nevertheless have a Country Seat in Galilee; as the higher Courts never fail of allowing fome Recefs to their Members. So that Grotius's Argument for tranfpofing this Story, till Christ's Arrival at Jerufalem, feems inconclufive.

(c) Had conveyed himself thither, &c.] I cannot think, (as fome fuppofe,) that he was one of the Family; because it is faid, that Chrift dismissed, or let him go, when he was cured; ver. 4.

(d) Taking

and vindicates his healing on the Sabbath-Day. Peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him

go:

5 And answered them, faying, Which of you fhall have an Afs or an Ox fallen

in a Pit, and will not ftraightway pull him out on the Sabbath-day?

6 And they could not anfwer him again to thefe Things.

7 And he put forth a Parable to thofe which were

bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief Rooms; faying unto them,

145 make him no Reply, extended his Compaffion to Sect. 119. the poor Man; and taking him [by the Hand] (d), XIV. he miraculously healed him before them all, and 4. difmiffed him perfectly well, and reduced in a Moment to his proper Shape and Bulk (e).

Luke

And more fully to convince them how jufti- 5
fiable fuch an Action was, even upon their own
Principles, as he faw they were fecretly cavilling
at it, he faid in Answer to them, Which of you,
if he have but an Afs or an Ox, that shall happen
to fall into a Pit, will not immediately draw him
out whithout any Scruple, even on the Sabbath-
Day (f), tho' that is a much more laborious.
Action, and the Life of one of thofe Animals is
fo much less important than the Health of a Man?
And can you then without the greatest Injustice
condemn me for what I have now done?

And they were all confounded at the Force 6
and Evidence of what he said, and were not able
to answer him again to thefe Things, tho' they had
not the Candor to acknowledge themselves con-
vinced by them.

And he spake what may, in one Sense of the 7
Word, be called a Parable, that is, a grave, con-
cife, and memorable Sentence, (fee Note (b),
Vol. i. pag. 394.) to those that were invited to
Dinner, when he obferved how they chofe and con-
tended for the chief Seats at the Table; and to
reprove them for their Pride, and recommend
Humility,

(d) Taking him by the Hand.] I know fome have imagined, that Chrift led him afide to
avoid Oftentation: But the Words do not exprefs this; and as our Lord fpeaks of the Cure,
both immediately before, and after it, there can be no Room to imagine, he intended to
conceal it. Probably the Circumftance of taking him by the Hand is mentioned, as an In-
ftance of his Condefcenfion, and fhews, that there was nothing in the Manner of the Cure,
which could be objected to as a fervile Work.

(e) Reduced to his proper Shape and Bulk.] If any afk, How this could be? I answer, He that at once could cure the Dropfy with a Touch, could, if he pleased, annihilate the Excess of Water that caufed it; and it is reasonable to believe, the Cure was wrought in such a Manner, as would make the Reality and Perfection of it immediately apparent.

(f) If he have but an Afs or an Ox, &c.] Our Lord had ufed the fame Reasoning before, almoft in the fame Words, when vindicating the Cure of the Man whofe Hand was withered; (Mat. xii. 11. Vol. i. pag. 310.) and at another Time had urged an Argument in effect the fame, with regard to the Cure of the Crooked Woman: (Luke xiii. 15. Sect. 117. pag. 135.) Which may ferve, among a Variety of other Inftances, to vindicate feveral Repetitions, which must be fuppofed, if we defire to affert the exact and circumftantial Truth of the Sacred Hiftorians.

VOL. II.

T

(g) Sit

146

Sect. 119. Humility, he faid unto them:

Luke XIV. 8.

of any

Man to a Wedding,

The Parable of them that chofe the highest Seat. There is one 8 When thou art bidden Thing I would, on this Occafion, addrefs to every fit not down in the higheft one in the Company, namely, When thou art Room: left a more honourinvited by any Friend to a Wedding Feaft, or any able Man than thou be bidother great Entertainment, remember the Hint den of him; which Solomon has given, (Prov. xxv. 6, 7.) and do not fit down in the uppermost Place; left another of more honourable Rank in Life than thee, 9 Should happen to be invited by him.

And he

that invited you both, fhould come and fay to thee, Thou must give Place to this Perfon; and thou Shouldft then, to avoid a fecond Difgrace of this Nature, begin with Shame to take the very loweft Place, as confcious how much thou haft expofed thyfelf, by fo haughty and foolish a Be10 haviour, But rather, on the contrary, when thou art thus invited, go and fit down at first in the lowest Place thou canft find (g); that when he that invited thee comes into the Room, he may fay to thee, My Friend, go up higher: Then fhall thy Modesty be followed with a distinguishing Regard, and thou shalt thus have Honour in the Sight, both of the Mafter of the Feast, and of all them that fit at Table with thee, as having affumed nothing to thyself, but rather been contented to II ftoop to thine Inferiors. For this may be laid down as a certain Maxim in Life, and happy is the Man that attends to it, Every one who exalts himself beyond his proper Rank and Circumftances, fhall be proportionably humbled and mortified; but he that bumbles himself, fhall be exalted and honoured, as well as beloved, both by GoD and Man. (Compare Mat. xxiii. 12. and Luke xviii. 14.)

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Then faid he alfo to him that invited him, If you defire to improve what you have to the best Advantage, fpend it in Charity, rather than in Magnificence and Luxury: And when thou makeft a Dinner or a Supper, invite not fo much thy rich Friends, or thy Brethren, or thy Kindred, or

Neigh

9 And he that bade thee

and him, come and fay to and thou begin with Shame to take the lowest Room.

thee, Give this Man Place;

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(g) Sit down at first in the lowest Place.] It is moft probable, that Chrift himself, as illuftrious a Person as he was, had accordingly done thus, and fate down among them in the loweft Place at the Table.

(b) Invite

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The Poor should rather be invited than the Rich.
Neighbours (b); left they fhould alfo invite thee Sect. 119.
again, and so that should be all thy Recompence,

Neighbours; left they alfo bid thee again, and a Re

compence be made thee.

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12.

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to receive one Banquet for another; which would Luke XIV.
introduce an Habit of high Living, at a great Ex-
pence both of Money and Time, and would
occafion the Disorder of your refpective Families.
But rather, when thou wouldst make an Entertain-
ment, which fhould turn to the fureft Account,
let it be plain and frugal, and invite to it the
Poor, the Disabled, the Lame, [and] the Blind (i),
who are incapable of taking Care of them-
felves: Let thefe come to thy Houfe frequently,
to receive thine Alms; or "fend Portions to

them," when they cannot come. (Neh. viii,
10.) And this will afford thee a much nobler
Satisfaction than Banquets can give; and I may
truly fay, thou shalt be happy, in that they are
not capable of making thee fuch a Requital; for
their Prayers fhall defcend in Bleffings on thy
Head; and befides all the Pleasure a generous
Heart will find in the very Exercise of such Boun-
ties, thou shalt be abundantly recompenced at the
Refurrection of the Fust (k), if they proceed from
a real Principle of Piety and Faith. (Compare
Note (a), Vol. i, pag. 331.)

(b) Invite not fo much thy rich Friends, or Neighbours.] Probably (as Mr. Reading well conjectures,) he obferved in the Pharifees a Humour of making Magnificent Feafts, (on the Sabbath-Days, and on other Occafions,) and of treating Great Perfons, chiefly out of Pride, Ambition, and Oftentation; which might render this Advice peculiarly proper, especially if he who now gave this Entertainment was, as many of his Brethren certainly were, very deficient in Works of Charity. (See Reading's Life of Christ, pag. 256.) — It is plain, the Word Rich, (as Grotius well obferves,) refers not merely to Neighbours, but to the Kindred, and the other Perfons that are mentioned with them; for if these were in low Circumftances, their being related to them was an Argument, why they should be regarded, rather than neglected.

(i) The Difabled, &c.] We render avanngus, the Maimed; but the Signification of the Word is much more extenfive, and indeed takes in both the Lame, and the Blind, afterwards mentioned; and may alfo include thofe, whom the Infirmities of Age have rendered helpless.Grotius thinks, this Scripture was the Foundation of the Agape, or Love-Feafts, among the primitive Chriftians; but it is not evident. Pliny has a fine parallel Paffage. See Plin. Epift. lib. ix. epift. 30.

(k) At the Refurrection of the Juft.] It is not fo evident, as Dr. Clarke fuppofes, that Sina muft here fignify charitable Men; it rather feems to me, a ftrong and awakening Intimation, that none who neglect Works of Charity, fhall have their final Lot among the Righteous; which is evident from the many hundred Scriptures, which indifpenfably require Mercy, as well as Juftice. (Compare Mat. i. 19. Note (a), Vol. i. pag. 38.)

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148

Reflections on the Exercife of Humility and Charity.

Sect. 119.

H

IMPROVEMENT.

OW happy were they, who had frequent Opportunities of converfing with Chrift, whofe Difcourfes were always fo wife, and fo useful! How well did he repay all the Entertainments he received, in the Advantages which he gave for religious Improvement! In vain might his Luke xiv. 1. Enemies watch for Occafions against him. In his Tongue was the Law of Wisdom, as well as of Kindness. (Prov. xxxi. 26.) And furely the Lips of his Minifters and Difciples would feed many to their everlasting Benefit, were this bleffed Model to be more carefully traced. (Prov. x. 21.) Ver. 8,--11. Let us particularly obferve, what he here fays concerning a modest and bumble Deportment, which is indeed the fureft Way to be honoured and refpected. And let us take great heed, that that good Breeding, which confifts fo much in the Expreffions of Humility, and a Readiness to prefer others to ourselves, do not degenerate into a mere Form, and prove, as it too often does, the Cloak of Arrogance and Pride; but that it have its Foundation in a lowly Opinion of ourselves, and an habitual Difpofition to submit even to our Inferiors, when we may do it without breaking in upon the Duties and Decencies of Life, and injuring those to whom it may be exercised, by an Indulgence, which they know not how to underftand, or improve.

Ver. 12, 13.

Ver. 14.

Let us hearken to these Exhortations to Charity, from the Mouth of our Charitable Saviour, who gave himself for us. And as Chrift pleafed not bimfelf, (Rom. xv. 3.) let us not allow ourselves to fquander away great Quantities of Money, in what may gratify our own Senfes, or make a gaudy Shew in the Eyes of the vainer Part of Mankind; but let us be willing to fpare from the Luxuries and Superfluities of Life, that we may bestow it on the Poor, and the Diftreffed. And indeed, whatever our Circumstances and Poffeffions be, we must expect that the Stream of our Bounty will foon be dried up, if it be not fupplied from the Fountain of a prudent Frugality. This Self-denial may now in fome Inftances be painful; but it will be amply recompenced at the Refurrection of the Juft. May we then meet with many, whom our Liberality has fed and clothed, whom our Knowledge and Zeal have inftructed, and whom our holy Examples have edified and quickened! Here will be a Foundation laid for the Endearments of an eternal Friendship; when that which has been formed upon a Partnership in Vice, or animal Pleasure, fhall be for ever forgotten, or be remembered with mutual Horror.

SECT.

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