62 And Jesus said 'He that holds the plough must follow it close, and unto him, 'No man, not make errands home, or betake himself to any other having put his hand to the plough, and business, till his day's work be done; if he do, he will looking back, is fit not be fit for that employment: so thou, if thou wilt for the kingdom of undertake my service, must not defer or procras God. AFTER these things the Lord "ap tinate, but presently set to it, without any delay, and then follow it with the same diligence: and if thou art not thus ready to set out with me, if thou either pretendest or really hast such kindness to thy former course, and what thou hast left at home, as to take thee off one day from my service, thou art not worthy of the dignity and advantages of a Christian life, art no competent judge of them, nor consequently fit for a disciple of mine. CHAP. X. a beside the twelve apostles, chose seventy others pointed other 'seven- to be to him as disciples were wont to be to prophets, ty also, and sent them two and two before that is, to go on his errands, as he should appoint his face into every them; which they did by turns, two at once, as harcity and place, whi- bingers proclaiming his approach in every city whither ther he himself would he meant to come. come. 2 Therefore said he unto them, b The b The province is large, and there be many that are harvest truly is great, ready to receive the gospel, when it shall be preached but the labourers are few: pray ye there- to them: it is needful therefore to pray to God to infore the Lord of the cline men's hearts to undertake this office of going harvest, that he and revealing it to them, for as yet there are very few would send forth for so great a task. labourers into his harvest. 3 Go your ways: e behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves. but when ye go, ye must expect to meet with dangers and ill receptions. 4 Carry neither 4. Yet let not that deter you, or put you upon making purse, nor scrip, nor provisions beforehand for your journey: and as you go, spend no time in civilities with any, intend and shoes and salute no : man by the way. 5 And into what- mind that one business you go about. soever house ye en ter, first say, Peace be to this house. 6 And if the son d any to whom peace properly belongs, any pious of peace be there, person, called by an Hebraism the son of peace, (as the your peace shall rest wicked apostate traitor is the son of perdition, John upon it if not, it shall turn to you a- xvii. 12,) any pliable person capable of the blessing of the gospel dwell there, your peace shall rest― gain. 1 The ancient Greek and Latin MS. read, oß. LXXII. seventy-two, and so ver. 17. * Οπίσω βλέπει διότι μελλήσεως καὶ ἀναβολῆς ποιεῖται πρόφασιν, &c. Titus Bostrensis, p. 792. 7 And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. • Remove not out of one house to go to another in Go not from house the same city. to house. 8 And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, 'eat such things as f receive without any scruple the entertainment are set before you: which they offer you. 9 And heal the sick g that are therein, and say unto them, & The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. 10 But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say, II Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off 3 See note [c] on Matt. iii. 1 against you: not- has a testimony of your obstinacy and usage of us, withstanding be ye (Matt. x. 14, and Luke ix. 5,) and as a token to assure kingdom of God is you that your destruction is very near falling on you. come nigh 'unto'you. sure of this, that the 12 But I say unto in you, that it shall be 13 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for i when that judgment comes, ver. 14. 13. Woe unto you, ye cities of Jewry, among whom so many miracles have been shewn to work faith in if the mighty works you, and so to bring you to repentance, and all in had been done in vain! had the like been done in heathen cities near Tyre and Sidon, you, they in all likelihood would have been wrought which have been on by them. done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it shall be 14. And accordingly their portion in the vengeance more tolerable for approaching shall be more supportable than yours. Tyre and Sidon at the judgment, than for you. 15 And thou, Ca pernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to 5k hell. 16 He that heareth sent me. * destruction and desolation. See Matt. xi. 23. 16. The not hearkening to your preaching, the you heareth me; and despising of these warnings of yours is the despising he that despiseth you of me that have sent you, and so of God that sent me, despiseth me; and he that despiseth me and hath destined this only means to avert his judgdespiseth him that ments from the world, and shall accordingly bring all vengeance upon the Jews on their refusal. 17¶ And the seven- 17. And when the seventy returned, they came to ty returned again Christ and told him with great joy, that although it with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils was not part of their commission, ver. 9, yet they are subject unto us having used his name (as afterward, Acts xix. 13.) through thy name. against devils, it thrived with them, the devils were to them, I beheld subject to do what they bid them. 18 And he said un Satan as lightning 18. And he said to them, Wonder not at that; for fall from heaven. it is determined that within a while the prince of 19 Behold, I give devils shall be dethroned, and fall from his great ununto you power to limited power in the world, as lightning when it flashtread on serpents and eth and vanisheth doth, that is, come to nothing, never all the power of the recollect again. scorpions, and over enemy and nothing 19. I bestow upon you a power to cast out devils, shall by any means and to be above any harm that any the most noxious hurt you. 20 Notwithstanding creature, which the devil may use as his instrument, in this rejoice not, can do unto you. that the spirits are 1 you are children and heirs of God, set in that subject unto you; right way, in which as many of you as shall continue but rather rejoice, shall inherit eternal life. See note [a] on Phil. iv., and because your names are written in heaven. note [b] on Rev. iii. 21 ¶ In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed in thy sight. 21. Matt. xi. 25. mixed with them unto babes : m this is an act of thine infinite wisdom and mercy m even so, Father; for so it seemed good and condescension to the weakness of men, all justice toward the proud contemners. 22. I come not in mine all my power is delivered to me by him, and so my doctrine also; and no man 22 All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him. 3 hades, ᾅδου. but own, my Father's name; 23 And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see: 24 For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen and to hear them; 25 And, behold, Q a certain lawyer n It is an incomparable felicity you are now partakers of. 24. Matt. xiii. 17. 0 a student of the law came to try what his judgstood up, and tempt- ment was about the law, or rule of life, and asked him ed him, saying, Master, what shall I do to what was necessary to be observed to the attaining inherit eternal life? that eternal life which Christ promised. And he an26 He said unto swered him, The very same which in the law of Moses him, What is written is set down as the main substantial part of the law, in the law? how read- which he therefore bid him recite unto him. est thou? 27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. 28 And he said unto him, Thou hast 27. And he recited out of Deut. vi. 5, the known summary of the law, Thou shalt love— answered right: "this P the due performance of this is all that I now redo, and thou shalt quire of thee to salvation. live. 29 But he, willing 29. But he willing to set out his own perfections, to justify himself, and being confident of his having performed the first who is my neigh- part, the duties toward God, by the exact observance said unto Jesus, And bour? of the ceremonies of the law, made no question con30 And Jesus an- cerning that; but for the second, the love of the swering said, A cer- neighbour, he proposed that other question, Who are tain man went down contained under that title of neighbour? from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell a 30. This question Jesus thought best to answer by mong thieves, which a parable, saying, A certain man— stripped him of his raiment, and wound ed him, and depart ed, leaving him half dead. 6 31 And [a] by 31. And a certain priest, without any knowledge of chance there came what had happened, at the same time went that way, down a certain priest that way: and when and saw him, and would take no pity on him. he saw him, he pass ed by on the other side. 32 And likewise a Levite, when he was ¶ coming thither in his passage, stayed so long as to and looked on him, other side. 33 But a certain Sa- 33. But though the priest and the Levite, which maritan, as he jour- were his countrymen, or fellow-Jews, were not so comneyed, came where passionate, yet a Samaritan, which was not so, being he was and when of an Assyrian extraction, (see John iv. 20,) and one he saw him, he had compassion on him, whose religion separated him from the Jews, (John iv. 34 And went to him, 9, and Luke ix. 53,) was not so hardhearted, but as and bound up his soon as he saw him r wounds, pouring in I washed his wounds, applied healing things to them, oil and wine, and and then bound them up cleanly, as surgeons are set him on his own beast, and brought wont, and set him— him to an inn, and 36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, 'Go, See note [] on Matt. ix. Take that for an answer to thy question, Who is and do thou likewise. thy neighbour? ver. 29. For every person that is in 38 Now it came to pass, as they went, want of thy relief, although he be to thee as a Jew to that he entered into a Samaritan, upon terms of absolute separation and a certain village: and hostility toward thee, must be looked on by thee as a certain woman the object of thy compassion and mercy, and of any ceived him into her charity of thine of which he is capable, Matt. v. 43, 44. named Martha re house. 39 And she had a 6 Or, upon occasion. |