you, sparrows sold for whom ye can fear is restrained and bounded by God, [] a farthing? and on whose messages you go: if he see it most for his one of them shall not fall on the ground glory and your good to permit them to kill what without Father. reason can you have to be afraid of death? and if he your see it not fit thus to permit, be confident they shall never be able to touch you. It is not all the malice of men that can extend farther than God's providence sees fit to permit and order, even in the least matters. 30. God hath the knowledge and care and overruling of all the least things that belong to you or shall befall you. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31. This is full ground of all confidence and coulives rage to you; your are dearly valued by God, and many sparrows. will not by him be negligently or prodigally wasted. 32 Whosoever thereishall courageously preach my doctrine when the fore shall confess preaching of it is persecuted, and when any parwill I confess also ticular duty taught by me, and required by me to be before my Father performed by all Christians, is so opposed by the which is in heaven. world, that the practising it then may bring the ut me before men, him k most hazard upon him, shall then constantly adhere to that precept, and so confess and honour me, how dear soever it cost him, I will be sure to own, and honour, and stick to him, declare those performances of his to his honour, before my Father in heaven, from whom he shall have the acclamation and reward 33 But whosoever of a good servant. shall deny me be- k fore men, him will I renounce the faith of Christ or obedience to him also deny before my in time of danger, he must expect to be renounced Father which is in by me before my— heaven. came not to send peace, but a sword. 34. Do not deceive yourselves with an imagination, 34 Think not that as if the effect or design of my coming into the world I am come to send were to secure unto the Christian profession a perpepeace on earth: I tual enjoyment of worldly quiet and prosperity upon earth, when all the malice of wicked men and devils are set against it; but rather reckon beforehand of persecution as your portion, and expect that your perseverance and constancy in this profession may and very often will bring great outward calamities upon you for a season, even unto the killing of some of you. 35 For I am come 35. The far more general effect of my doctrine will to set a man at va- be (or upon the publishing my doctrine will ensue) riance against his father, and the daugh- all manner of contention, quarrels, and variance beter against her mo- twixt the dearest and nearest friends, either about ther, and the daugh- acknowledging the truth of it, or adhering to it in ter in law against time of danger. 36 And a man's her mother in law. 36. And the nearer men are to others in kindred, &c., foes shall be they of the more bitter will their hatred be against them (as his own houshold. against blasphemers, &c.) upon their receiving my doctrine, especially when it comes to be persecuted. more than me is not 37 He that loveth 37. And he that prefers the advantages which he father or mother can and is like to receive from his parents, or any that worthy of me: and are dearest to him, before those he expects from me, he that loveth son or that values their kindness or good opinion more or daughter more than mine, is no fit person for my service, no way than me is not wor- qualified to be a disciple for me; for it is certain all thy of me. such worldly interests will ever be soliciting against followeth after me, is not worthy of me. me. 38 And he that tak- 38. Nay, I must plainly tell you, that he that doth eth not his cross, and not provide for the utmost that can come, that is not content to suffer death itself (and therein to do what I do before him) rather than do any thing contrary to Christian duty, is not competently qualified to be a disciple of mine. 39 He that findeth 39. This comfort meanwhile ye have, that as he that his life shall lose it: useth any way of compliance with the persecutors, and he that loseth and so escapes their malice, and saves his life, shall his life for my sake gain little by this, but be involved in the destruction shall find it. which awaits them; so on the other side, he that shall hazard the utmost, that he may stick close to me, shall be likely to fare best even in this world. For thus I foretell you it will be: some, to comply with the persecuting Jews, and to escape their persecutions, will renounce Christianity, and feign themselves zealous Jews; and so when the destruction falls upon the Jews, as it certainly shall most heavily, they shall be involved in that destruction, and that is all they shall get by that compliance and pusillanimity: whereas at the same time they that comply not, and so venture all that the Jews' malice can do against them, shall by the destruction of their persecutors be rescued from that danger, and live to see a peaceable profession of Christianity, or, if they do not, have the loss of a short temporary life rewarded with an eternal. 40 He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. 40. And therefore, both to arm you against this great error, and to satisfy one objection more which will be apt to rise in your hearts, (viz. that if Christian doctrine will be so persecuted, you have reason to expect that it will be looked on strangely by all others, and that nobody will dare to receive you into their houses,) I now tell you, that how great soever your persecutions are, and how dangerous a thing soever to profess to be a follower of Christ, yet shall no man have reason to fear the entertaining of you; for the same protection that waits over you, ver. 39, and the same reward that attends you, ver. 32, shall also await those that are thus kind as to receive you: it shall be as if they had entertained not only angels, but Christ, and God himself; they shall be far the safer, not in more danger for such guests, according to that saying so ordinary among the Jews, that every man's apostle is as himself; (see note [b] on John xx.) what is done to one's proxy is interpreted as done unto himself. 41 He that receiv- 41. He that entertaineth (see note [c] on 1 Tim. i.) eth a prophet in the a prophet in the name of him that sent him, (one proname of a prophet phet coming in the name of another prophet, as Elishall receive a pro- zæus in the name of Elias, and the apostles in the phet's reward; and he that receiveth a name of Christ,) or in that one consideration, because righteous man in the he is a prophet, or he that doth support and enable a name of a righteous prophet to do his work that sent him, he shall receive man shall receive a the same reward that he should, if himself had been righteous man's re- sent to prophesy, (gain thereby an interest in his ward. work, and so in the reward due to it,) yea, the same that he should have had if he had received him that sent him, even Christ, and God which sent Christ: see ver. 40. And so likewise he that entertains any holy man sent by another to plant holiness among men, shall receive the benediction, Gen. xxx. 27, that attends the having a righteous man in one's 42 And whosoever house, or that of Lot's entertaining the angels, the shall give to drink unto one of these lit- messengers of God, or of Rahab's receiving the spies; tle ones a cup of cold that is, shall himself be delivered by that means, water only in the when others are destroyed. name of a disciple, in this notion, because he is a disciple of Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise (as Mark ix. 41, in my name, because you are Christ's,) lose his reward. verily― CHAP. XI. AND it came to a to give instructions, and teach the gospel (see pass, when Jesus note on chap. ix. 1.) in the cities whither he now had made an end of commanding his 2 Now when John removed. twelve disciples, he 2, 3. Now John Baptist being put in prison, and departed thence to in danger of being put to death, and hearing of teach and to preach the miracles done by Christ, though (John i. 34.) he in their cities. had been sufficiently convinced that Christ was the had heard in the Messias, and after the testimonies given by him prison the works of (John iii. 32. 36.) cannot be imagined to lie open to Christ, he sent two any doubtings; yet to satisfy and confirm his disciof his disciples, ples, which were in danger to be thus assaulted, being 3 And said unto him, Art thou [a] he tempted with their master's imprisonment and danger, that should come, hereupon he sent two of his disciples to know of or do we look for Christ if indeed he were the great Messias or no, that when he was cut off his disciples might not be shaken in their belief of Christ, but adhere and cleave fast to him. another? again those things and see: 4 Jesus answered 4, 5. To this Jesus answered by giving them the and said unto them, character of the Messias, as it lies in the prophets of Go and shew John the Old Testament, of opening the eyes of the blind, which ye do hear &c. (all which they now see verified in him); and to those other parts of curing diseases and raising the 5 The blind re- dead he added this farther branch, that the humblest ceive their sight, and and meanest persons, those of the lowest condition, lepers are cleansed, have the glad tidings of the gospel preached to them, and the deaf hear, as good a share in this blessed message as the best, the dead are raised and peculiarly they above others are affected and up, and [b] the poor wrought on by the preaching of it. the lame walk, the preached to them. in me. I have the Gospel 6. And for that which concerns their doubting of 6 And blessed is what before they had believed, and that founded on he, whosoever shall John's present condition, Christ adds (over and above not be [c] offended the words of the prophets), Blessed is he who doth not forsake or fall off from me in this time (or by occasion) of temptation or affliction, (such as now John is in, and) such as shall oft befall Christians in this world, Christ's office being not to deliver all men in this world out of such, but to shew them the way And as they to suffer patiently, and to conquer by suffering. departed, Jesus beb Jesus thought fit, upon this occasion, to give gan to say unto the the people a right notion of John the Baptist, which multitudes concern- consequently would give them a more perfect knowing John, What went ye out into the ledge of himself, John's office being wholly subservi wilderness to see? ent to the revealing of Christ. Thus therefore he A reed shaken with began to them, What was it that so many the wind? b 8 But what went A man clothed in of you went out into the wilderness to behold? Was it a reed, such as the wind plays with there in the wilderness, any trifle of so little moment, and so ordinary to be seen there? Sure your going out to him was not on so childish an errand. 8. Or was it any glorious gallant person in splendid ye out for to see? array? Sure such an one you would not have looked soft raiment? be- for in a desert, but a court; and you know it was quite hold, they that wear contrary of him. You found him in an austere habit soft clothing are in and diet, and therefore you cannot now imagine that kings' houses. he is troubled with the confinement or danger he is in, so that he should presently be cast into doubts, or be changed so soon to so much weakness of faith from so much strength. Certainly he that lived in a wilderness, and observed that habit and diet there, is not now troubled at all that he is from Herod's court cast into prison. 9 But what went 9. No, it is certain you went out to him as to a ye out for to see? prophet; and of him I must tell you, that he is a great A prophet? yea, I prophet, nay, of a pitch beyond all the prophets that say unto you, and ever went before him, a direct herald and harbinger [d] more than a pro- of Christ. phet. IO For this is he, 10. For himself was prophesied of by the other of whom it is writ- prophets, that he should be the forerunner of the ten, Behold, I send Messias, and when he came he did accordingly, my messenger before pointing at him, This is he, &c., John i. 30. risen a greater than [e] thy face, which 11. Of him I shall freely say, that among all the shall prepare thy way before thee. prophets or special persons which since the beginII Verily I say un- ning of the world have been by God sent to any to you, Among them office in his church, John Baptist is absolutely that are born of wo- the greatest, honoured with more signal revelations men there hath not than any of the old prophets, John i. 32, seeing the John the Baptist: Holy Ghost come down upon me, &c. And yet let notwithstanding he me tell you, that an apostle of mine, the meanest or that is least in the least of them, whether in respect of revelations kingdom of heaven is greater than he. (having to those of his many others superadded) and the power of miracles, which John had not, John x. 41, and the Holy Ghost visibly descending on them, or whether in respect of office, sent by Christ to testify his resurrection, to convert first, and then to rule the church after me, is to be looked on as a far greater person and more honourable officer than John Baptist, who is no prophet himself, but only the forerunner, and so disciple, servant of a prophet. 12 And from the 12. And yet after all this, so acknowledgedly true days of John the of John, it is most sadly considerable, how after all Baptist 3 until now John's preaching of me, and all Judæa's going out to ven [f] suffereth vio- him, chap. iii. 5, (and even the Pharisees and Sadlence, and the violent ducees many of them, ver. 7,) and their being baptized take it by force. the kingdom of hea of him into the belief of the Messias (first preached, |